Chapter: 225
The commoner dormitory of the academy looked pretty much the same as I remembered.
Compared to the nobles’ dormitory, it was depressingly shabby, but most commoners considered even this a luxury.
As I stood at the entrance, students nearby hurriedly lowered their heads.
“Greetings! Lady Allen!”
“Hello!”
They tried to remain calm, but their voices betrayed more confusion than fear.
These kids didn’t know the old Lucy.
It’s true that the girl named Lucy Allen had a notorious reputation for her outrageous behavior.
The name Lucy Allen had spread so widely that even commoners had heard of her, at least once.
So normally, they’d be cautious around me out of fear of my mischief.
‘Who knew Lucy’s past antics would be taken so seriously that her credibility would suffer?’
The problem was that Lucy’s past deeds were well beyond the average person’s imagination.
She insulted the king by calling him livestock.
She expressed her discontent about the First Prince in a rather shady manner.
She destroyed the church’s idol while causing chaos.
And there were countless other mischiefs she committed.
Just having one such insane person was more than enough to raise eyebrows.
While nobles who suffered because of Lucy Allen might think, “Well, she had it coming,” commoners, who had only heard the rumors, reacted differently.
Some believed the stories outright, while others were skeptical. After all, how could one person commit so many outrageous acts?
Those who doubted interpreted the stories in this way:
They thought of her as a fabricated entity created to cover up various incidents in the social circle.
Or they viewed her as someone too weak to stop such bizarre gossip, someone who was bullied in the social circle.
The first-year students who shared classes with me had seen my antics firsthand, so they recognized the truth of the rumors to some extent, but the upperclassmen were different.
They had hardly crossed paths with me during the first semester. Having only heard passing stories about me, they believed, “She’s so talented at her age that she must be hated for it.”
That was the reasoning behind why the second-years had their first-years mess with me.
They thought of themselves as superior intellectuals.
No, that’s too mild a term. It’s not enough to describe those idiots.
Rather…
Yeah. A few second-years suffering from severe middle-school syndrome decided I was a loner being bullied by nobles.
So, they assumed that whatever happened, I wouldn’t dare raise my voice and did what they wanted.
When I first heard this story, I was so baffled that I thought, “What kind of nonsense is this?”
[Isn't it good news? There are people calling your actions rumors. If they raise their voices, your reputation might improve.]
‘Are you serious?’
[Ha. Of course not.]
…This guy really.
‘Is it that fun to tease a girl as young as a great-granddaughter?’
[It is. It's always refreshing. I'd love to keep doing it.]
So this is how you come at me, huh?
I guess there’s no choice but to teach them the concept of mutual destruction.
Having planned to leave some sweat on the doorknob tonight to make the Sloppy Fox lick it, I stepped into the commoner dormitory.
“Lady?! This is a place only commoners can enter…”
Suddenly, the dormitory head, who was near the entrance, rushed over in a panic, but there was no way he could stop me.
The moment he reached out to block me, disdain filled my gaze.
“Isn’t this too bold?♡ Harassing me in front of everyone?♡”
“…N-No! This isn’t what it seems!”
“How about I scream?♡ ‘Ahhh~♡ A bald pervert is trying to attack me!♡’ See?♡”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t know the subject!”
As the dormitory head backed away in panic, the path into the dormitory opened up.
Perhaps it was because the head just shouted that a lot of commoners’ gazes turned my way.
Confusion. Fear. Despair. Doubt. Curiosity. Shock.
As I scanned through those countless emotions, I noticed someone holding the doorknob to the second-floor meeting room.
Mane. The current leader of the commoner group.
He was neither a saint nor a villain.
Mane was a merchant. Someone who sought his own profit without caring for good or evil.
I couldn’t know if he was involved in this mess. But one thing was certain: he was someone I could communicate with.
Even if there were variables, his connections wouldn’t disappear.
Mane hurried to escape as soon as he saw my face, but I didn’t let him.
I jumped from the first floor and easily landed at the second-floor railing, blocking his path.
‘Where are you going?’
“What are you running from? Are you scared of this little girl? Wow, total coward. Did you wet the bed again?”
“…Why would I be afraid of the lady? My eyes are just not good enough to appreciate your highness. I’m truly sorry.”
Past memories of a sage’s sarcastic remarks flooded my mind, but I didn’t press him any further.
I had to enjoy my time in the meeting room from now on; there was no need to start off roughly.
Keeping quiet and smiling, Mane knelt down and pressed his forehead to the floor. Hard enough to draw blood.
“I’m truly sorry! Even with ten mouths, I couldn’t say enough!”
Listening to his words flow naturally like he had rehearsed beforehand left my head spinning.
The angle he bowed at. The earnestness in his voice. The way the words came out so effortlessly. None of it was ordinary.
How could Luca do this, and how could he?
Were there classes specifically teaching them how to bow down?
“I’m sincerely sorry for wasting your time! But if you’d be merciful enough to let me explain….”
Amidst Mane’s desperate words, I could sense a hatred towards others.
If I was going down, so were the rest.
But I was sure of at least one thing: Mane was not involved in this situation.
*
Since childhood, Mane had followed his parents to various trades.
Through this, he learned a lot. Although his father led a massive merchant group employing many, he didn’t always need to be authoritarian.
He was someone who could easily throw his pride away.
He would bow his head when necessary, and when faced with high-ranking nobles, he wouldn’t hesitate to act servile enough to evoke disdain.
Once, when Mane asked his father why he had to do that, his father replied:
“No matter how much wealth you have, or how vast your power, if you forget your place, it will vanish in an instant. Mane, remember this. You must always understand your position.”
After witnessing a merchant group flaunting its power only to vanish in an instant, Mane etched those words into his heart.
And the same continued after he enrolled in the academy with excellent grades.
He was certain that if he forgot his place among the numerous influential students present, he would be buried.
However, there were people who didn’t know about what he considered common sense.
They were arrogant.
Possessing enough wealth to make even ordinary nobles bow.
Claiming their fathers were famous adventurers leading large mercenary bands.
Boasting talents worthy of being taken to the Magic Tower.
Saying the Second Prince was going to make them a knight.
These commoners who reigned like kings among their peers had not discarded their bad habits.
Because they had received better treatment than anyone else in their previous surroundings.
Because they proudly passed the entrance exam at Soul Academy, a place even nobles couldn’t easily enter.
Because they stood out even while competing against the important figures.
Because they could reign in the commoner dormitory due to their achievements.
They didn’t try to remember their positions.
The reason why Mane, who had only been participating moderately in the commoner group, decided to become its leader was because of them.
Seeing those who mocked minor nobles in the name of tradition and laughed saying it was acceptable at Soul Academy, he was certain that if he couldn’t grab their leashes, problems would arise.
It wasn’t out of friendship as dormitory friends. It was merely because it seemed like the implications of their irreversible issues wouldn’t just stop with them.
The reason why commoners could enjoy privileges at Soul Academy was solely because the high-ranking figures graciously allowed it.
If the influential figures unleashed their wrath and drew swords, suppressing the commoners would be a piece of cake.
If those idiots messed up, I’d be dead too. Thinking like that, Mane desperately tried to control them.
Unfortunately, the ones he tried to leash were far more foolish than he had imagined.
“That’s all.”
Finishing his explanation based on the earlier report, Mane tried to gauge the expression of the girl who was crossing her arms.
At first, he was sure it was a disaster, but now he felt differently.
Lucy Allen was much more rational than he had heard.
An abrasive tone or attitude? Isn’t it only natural for a noble to treat a commoner roughly?
Look! Even though she could report this to the academy and overturn the place, she chose to come and hear things directly!
Though there were many reasons to be angry, she was quietly waiting for the conversation to end!
With just that, this person was a person of sufficient character!
Then it’s possible.
If the conversation goes well, the entire commoner group, myself from the center of chaos, could avoid collapsing.
“So, the petty leader. According to you, those three trash heaps are the instigators behind this incident?”
“Well, I can’t say others are blameless, but…”
“Can you just answer the question? Do I look relaxed like you?”
“Your Grace is correct. Those three are the instigators.”
The moment he reached that conclusion, desperately brainstorming, Mane decided to cut out the idiots he referred to as the Moron Trio.
It was true that other fools had given their tacit approval, but these three were the ones leading the charge.
Nodding in agreement, Lucy Allen’s gaze turned to the Moron Trio.
Seeing their stiff faces, Mane silently prayed.
Please, let those trash stay quiet. Let them realize the weight of what they did and keep their mouths shut.
In that moment, Mane prayed harder than he ever had before, but perhaps due to his lack of faith, his wishes didn’t come true.
“Morons. Have anything to say?”
“I will challenge you to a duel.”
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