Chapter: 224
Bellma covers her mouth with both hands, and as I close mine, silence settles in this small space.
The two guys standing behind her are sneaking glances at each other, probably feeling a bit awkward.
I bet they didn’t expect a situation like this. After all, whenever I pulled similar stunts before, nothing overly dramatic ever happened.
Now they’re probably scrambling to come up with an excuse, but there’s no way they’d give a coherent response in such a short amount of time. Chances are, they’ll just end up blaming Bellma.
“Bellma! What the heck are you saying?!”
I slammed my fingers on the desk and shouted at the administrative professor.
Hmm. Watching Grandpa mull over things has somehow improved my own skills. This situation is unfolding just as I imagined.
‘What should I do?’
Terrorizing these two isn’t that hard. Being inside the academy gives them limited safety.
The academy’s role is just to protect them from the whims of the nobles. If their wrongdoings are clear-cut, there’s no reason to stand up against a noble, especially if that noble holds significant power.
To put it bluntly, if I report these two, their academy lives will be over. Not to mention, they’d suffer some serious consequences for messing with a noble.
I can’t say for sure, but the punishment will definitely be severe. After all, it’s not every day that a commoner attacks a noble; they’ll want to make an example out of it.
The problem is that if I go down that road, Bellma will get dragged into this, too, since she’s involved in all this mess.
I’ve grown attached to her since she’s a character I often encountered starting as a commoner. I really don’t want to drag her down with me.
Oh, wait! I just thought of another issue.
If these two are handled halfway, the commoner group will probably show even more hostility towards me, maybe even stronger than before. They may not be threatening, but they’ll definitely be a nuisance.
[Do whatever you want.]
‘Huh?’
[Even if you mess up a bit, it’s not like anything will go drastically wrong. You need to think for yourself and take action to improve.]
That’s the very thing I was asking about because it seemed like a hassle. But receiving such a reply just makes things tricky. I tried to throw a mini-tantrum, but Grandpa is too stubborn.
[I’ll give you advice here and there, so do your best to handle things on your own.]
Guess I have no choice. If things go south, I’ll just blame it all on Grandpa.
With a sense of betrayal brewing in my heart, I started brainstorming.
First, I needed to determine what my urgent goals are.
The first is Bellma’s safety. The second is making sure that the commoner group doesn’t even think about challenging me.
How do I tackle both of these tasks? My head starts to hurt just pondering it.
The latter isn’t that tough. If I hint that the higher-ups might get hurt, they’ll know to watch their backs.
The real challenge lies in the former.
No matter how I slice it, it seems like Bellma’s peaceful academy life is about to be destroyed.
If left alone, she’ll probably be bullied by other commoners. If I intervene, I’ll just be a target for retaliation.
Keeping her by my side all the time? I thought about that too. But after picturing that scenario, I quickly tossed that idea out.
I’m abrasive. Joy has a scary demeanor. Frey is unpredictable. And sometimes, Arthur, the third prince, drops by.
Throw a timid common girl into this mix? That just spells harassment. She’d probably end up in a world of pain before graduation.
Ugh. Is there no way to manage this smoothly?
If only I had someone reliable to entrust this task to…
Oh! Visi!
The moment I recalled that faint but familiar name, everything clicked into place.
The bullying targeting Bellma will disappear if I take charge. The friendship issue can be offloaded to Visi! She seems to have a better knack for making friends than I do!
Having found a clear solution, I raised my head, beaming with joy.
The administrative professor and the commoner guy were still pressing Bellma, trying to pin the blame on her.
They must be thinking that if she can’t shift the blame, the arrows will turn towards them.
How sad. They’re so fixated on what’s in front of them that they don’t even realize the arrows are already aimed at them. They cling to the false hope that the bowstring might stray in a different direction.
So now, it’s time to enlighten them on the fact that their fates have already been sealed.
“Strange, isn’t it?♡ Did I say you could speak?♡ Why do I keep hearing pigs squealing?♡”
As I opened my mouth again, silence enveloped the room once more. The uneasy gazes of the three turned towards me.
They looked like they had tons to say but didn’t seem eager to share. Listening to their ramblings wouldn’t change my mind, so I didn’t care.
“Hey, you shabby common peasant♡”
I pointed at the male student.
“…Are you talking about me?”
“Who else would I be talking about? Did your brain get made as carelessly as your appearance?♡ You were born incomplete, weren’t you?♡ Hah, what an amusing person♡”
I watched his face turn bright red, but I didn’t stop my onslaught. I was confident I could take him down if he exploded in anger.
“By the way, I heard strange rumors lately.♡ Apparently, pathetic commoners are jealous of the average Saintess for hanging around me?♡”
“…What?”
“At first, I didn’t think much of it. Of course not; it’s my fault. I sparkle too much for the likes of you to handle.♡ But after that, a lot of strange things started to happen.♡”
I started listing off the various misfortunes I faced today, all in front of the guy.
Normally, incidents like these would be brushed off as mere bad luck. They could easily argue I was overreacting.
But neither he, nor the administrative professor, nor Bellma could conjure up such excuses. With my provocations igniting their minds, logical thoughts were completely out of the picture.
“Now, you shabby commoner?♡ Let me break it down so even your underdeveloped brain understands.♡ If you lighten up those heavy lips of yours, maybe your faults will ease up too!♡”
I could see the panic in his eyes as they darted around.
What kind of image do I present to him? Am I a girl out for blood, or a terrifying entity he should never provoke? Either way, I certainly won’t come off as a decent person.
Seeing him struggle, the administrative professor finally seemed to regain his wits and spoke up.
“Lady Alrn?! What in the world are you—”
“Piggy?♡ Just keep squealing over there!♡ If you don’t, I might just throw you in a real pigpen!♡ Oh! And if you like it there, feel free to make yourself at home!♡”
You may not know this, but the academy has made quite a few mistakes concerning me.
From the enrollment ceremony to my duel with Arthur, right down to being attacked by a high priest of the evil god on Academy Street—if I started digging into all these details, it would only lead to disaster for them.
Thanks to that, the headmaster has no choice but to take my words seriously.
If you had connections as widespread as Luca’s and a reputation as rosy, then it’d be a bit tricky to deal with you. But you’re the type that can vanish without a trace.
Socially and physically. If you don’t want to end up without a head, it’s best to keep quiet.
The commoner who had lingered in the academy for a long time glanced at me, and it didn’t take him long to figure out what I meant.
I wish he had caught on sooner, but whatever.
Well, from now on, things will go quite smoothly. He’ll probably cater to my whims if he wants to stay alive.
I turned my gaze back to the boy, drawing it away from the frightened professor.
The administrative professor gaze was one of utter shock, wanting to make excuses, but he had no words. In that moment, the boy met my eyes and trembled.
“I… I’ll speak.”
*
The backbone of the commoner group is usually comprised of second-year students.
First-years don’t know enough about the academy to play a significant role, and most third-years are focused on graduating and figuring out their next steps.
As expected, the decision-makers of the commoner group are often found among the second-year students.
Mane, born to a lower-class but well-educated family, had finally enrolled in Soul Academy with excellent marks. Having heard of today’s debacle from various sources, he was gripping his head in despair.
This was beyond madness. They touched the Young Lady of the Alrn Family!
Mane knew a bit about Lucy Alrn. She was a troublesome noble who used to rely on her father’s prestige to get by but had recently shown off her immense talents.
And everyone knew that her past short temper still lingered.
As he tossed the paper he had been reading onto the table, those nearby flinched at the sound.
“Who gave the order?!”
Messing with a noble? It’s completely taboo, but it could fly if you picked your battles wisely.
However, this time, they picked the wrong battle. Lucy Alrn was not someone you mess with and get away clean.
She’d show the same madness whether facing a king or a commoner.
What would the response be if she were provoked by a commoner who seemed beneath her?
Mane was certain this wouldn’t end with just one commoner involved.
“Speak!”
“…I’m Mane.”
When Mane shouted again, one of those present in the conference room chimed in.
“Why are you so angry?”
“…Huh?”
“Whatever, just dump it on the one who did it. It’ll be fine. Tease that annoying noble girl and give some training to those pesky first-years. It’s what we always do, right?”
“Yeah, true. No big deal if we don’t dig too deeply.”
“Can’t we mess with that noble girl who’s so favored by the Saintess?”
“…Hey, are you out of your mind? What the heck?”
Listening to the foolish prattling of a few brainless misfits, Mane felt his mind blanking out.
One person’s reckless act now implicated many others?
Oh, great God! Why did you allow these idiots to roam free under your banner?
Ah, is it because I’m an idiot too? I admit, I’m questioning my own judgment as I’ve led these fools without escape until now.
Realizing the grim reality while praying, Mane stood without answering.
He needed to escape this crowd of fools, even now.
“Could you move aside? I’m afraid I might catch that pathetic stench if I get too close.”
As Mane opened the conference room door and stepped outside, he saw the sight that made his blood run cold.
Lady Alrn was entering the commoner dormitory.
Her piercing red eyes locked on him.
A sharp smile graced her lips as though she had found her next meal.
Oh, damn. Great God!
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