Even a Scoundrel Gets Tired

182 – Education

Due to the inexplicable rage of my junior,

yet another commotion

threatened to erupt, but

fortunately, the professor,

sensing the trouble early,

intervened, preventing

such an event.

Soon, the professor instructed us

to decide who would spar first, and

abruptly, she and I

were burdened with choosing the order.

…Truly, I knew it would be this troublesome, which is why I didn’t want to.

“If…you are feeling fatigued,

I could go first, if you like…”

Radiating fatigue

with every fiber of my being,

Isabella, once again at my side,

began to cautiously

gauge my reaction.

Even as she desperately

darted her eyes about,

her pride as a Duchess,

prevented her from showing it.

It was rather endearing,

but for me, the subject of her gaze,

it was immensely burdensome.

Especially considering today alone,

How many eyes had she drawn to me,

and how many embarrassments had I suffered because of them?

Of course, even if none of it was

intentional on her part,

receiving an apology from someone so famous

was no easy feat for an

ordinary person like me.

‘Ordinary… a person, that’s me, more or less.’

For a moment, my very identity

threatened to unravel,

but thankfully, that worry was

quickly resolved.

…No, ‘forcibly interrupted’ would be a more accurate description than ‘resolved’.

“Would it be alright if I went first?”

Out of the blue, this pointed-ear

was asking permission to

step forward herself.

“Ah…no, rather, I should go.”

“No, I will go first…”

Just moments ago, I had been

trying to defer my turn to someone else, and even

Isabella, who had been

constantly glancing at me,

now both of us, without a word of protest,

began trying to dissuade her, offering

to go first instead.

Of course, knowing her personality,

trying to stop her would likely be futile,

but now, the situation was somewhat different.

Look.

Even now, she was summoning

all her dignity to speak

in polite form.

I guarantee that other elves couldn’t even imagine her like this.

She who always maintained a curt

tone and tried to evoke

an air of authority.

But now?

She was still speaking formally.

At least when it was just the two of us…

From the moment that ended,

she would, without a doubt, revert right back

to that infuriating tone of hers, but

at least she, as she was right now,

was engaging in what you might call image control.

Then… maybe, perhaps,

just maybe this time

she might actually listen to what we have to say.

Even if she did come here now

as just a regular student,

that wasn’t how everyone else saw it.

Even now, those junior students,

thinking they’re all that because they’re men,

keep sneaking glances this way,

and if those guys, who look like bad news from a mile away,

were to say anything

that caused her s*xual humiliation…

‘At least it’s a good thing it won’t escalate to

being a national issue.’

Of course, no matter how dumb those junior students seemed,

there’s no way they wouldn’t have heard

the absolutely sensational news

that the Elves’ princess had returned to the academy.

Just when we were escorting her

to the faculty office,

the gazes of those around us

were so intensely fixed upon us.

No doubt about it, the rumors had already

spread as far as they could.

‘The Elf princess has returned.’

‘She must be here to demand reparations

from the Empire for the damage to the Great Forest.’

‘Or maybe she came because there’s

a man she fancies within the Empire?’

…Et cetera, et cetera, they’re probably just saying whatever they want.

Even the things I’ve overheard

are already at this level, so

there must be even worse things being said in places I haven’t heard.

Yet, she was utterly oblivious

to the fact she was an elf,

able to hear whispers a kilometer away

when she truly focused.

In any case, considering her very presence

had caused such a commotion at the Academy,

the likelihood those juniors hadn’t heard

about her

was exceedingly slim.

So, no need to fret,

or so one might think…

Still, worry was unavoidable.

Specifically, not for her,

but for those juniors.

They were flirting with a crisis

that could shatter their families to dust, if they are careless.

…Was that too dramatic, perhaps?

No matter how unlikeable and vile

those juniors seemed,

surely they wouldn’t dare

make a move on her so brazenly

with those distinctive, twitching pointy ears right there?

‘…Thinking about it, maybe

things will be alright after all?’

“You’re the vanguard, then?”

Just then, across this vast training ground,

Professor Oliver’s voice,

ominous and unpleasant,

began to pierce my ears.

…Vanguard? First?

What in the world was that supposed to mean?

There hadn’t been anyone sent,

let alone a vanguard…

“Yes, is there a problem?”

…There was.

Despite Isabella and I

pleading with her,

she was flapping those pointed ears

with amusement, it seemed,

responding rudely to the

Gazing at the underclassmen with a knowing smirk, she was—

“..Wait, a moment. Just now, she was definitely here…!”

In an instant, I turned my head back to where she’d been only a moment before,

but there, only Isabella remained, seated with her face buried in her hands,

utterly lost and despondent.

…I had forgotten.

The sheer force

of her actions.

She, who, simply because I

could see spirits,

had included me in the Empire’s inspection team, even,

forcing the issue to get us

to the Great Forest, one way or another.

It was strange to think that only Isabella and I

could even hope to restrain her.

“..No, she’s gone. Let’s begin.”

…Even if you glare at me with such resentful eyes,

what are we supposed to do?

She was always an untamed

wild horse, to begin with.

Just then, as Oliver and I exchanged

knowing, troubled glances,

among the underclassmen gathered in small groups on the other side,

chatting and preparing

for the sparring match,

someone suddenly leapt forward…

“Haha, what a beautiful *sunbae* you are?!”

A student with his hair styled in

a bold, erect mohawk,

swaggered into view,

and in that instant, the Professor and I both—

They could only groan and smack their foreheads in unison.

From the very first meeting,

that junior, who’d arrived late –

even later than Lady Valentine,

who, though a slow entrance it was,

had offered greetings to us directly –

had dared show up even later than her,

and instead of a proper greeting,

a lazy, drawn-out, “Ah, hellooo?”

He hadn’t seemed to grasp

the very concept of civility,

only slouching about.

The sudden, sharp throb I’d felt

at the back of my skull the moment I saw him

must have been more than just a figment of my imagination.

The insistent, whining ache

screaming its demands in the back of my head

is proof enough, isn’t it?

“…Alright, both sides

face each other and exchange greetings.”

But we couldn’t very well

ask her to withdraw now…

Professor and I, both,

could only desperately hope.

Please, just please, let that junior

not behave discourteously toward her—

“Greetings. I sincerely

hope for a good match—”

“Heeheehee, up close,

you’re even prettier…senpai?”

“…Pardon?”

“Hwiyah~ First time seeing

an Elf; just like the rumors say!”

“….”

“Sniff sniff…there’s a really nice

fragrance too…heehee.”

Just then, I felt

a single drop of cold sweat

trickle down my neck,

and I’m certain everyone else in that room,

excluding the junior himself,

was thinking the exact same thing.

‘…We’re screwed.’

*

Crack—

The world spins.

Crack—

Again, the world whirls in the opposite direction.

Smash—

This time, the vista soars skyward.

A clear and resonant impact

rings out, almost fluently,

followed immediately by a groan wrung from suffering.

Ughhh…

A groan threatening to

sever consciousness at any moment.

Whether it was the sound of a beast,

or a human’s lament, difficult to say,

just then the student’s mind

flickered with the thought:

‘Why am I even here…?’

Based not on his own

subjective opinion, but on the

objective observations of others,

he considered himself quite strong.

His name hadn’t exactly

become widely known, but

he was, nevertheless,

reputed amongst those around him

as having been born and raised in the

household of a Count, famously affluent.

Since childhood, his parents,

lavishing him with unwavering devotion,

had showered him with elixirs and blessings,

granting him a physique and strength far surpassing

that of his peers.

Furthermore, his talent wasn’t

entirely absent either,

so, being destined to wield a sword,

he had grown powerful in the blink of an eye.

Yes, the basic martial arts

and swordsmanship taught by

professors at the academy,

he could perform with his eyes closed.

‘Ah~ this is all too easy, isn’t it?’

His peers were for him

An opponent scarcely worth his notice, and even the things the professors taught were…middling, at best. He figured it was only natural that he thought so.

And just as those thoughts began to settle firmly in his mind,

there came an offer.

If he could best his seniors – those a year his elder – in a sparring match,

they would leave him be.

Leave him to his academy life, unbothered.

He accepted, of course.

Lately, boredom had been creeping in,

and all it would take was to put down a few of his elder classmates.

Then those bothersome professors wouldn’t be able to interfere anymore either.

Besides, if the opponent was such

a pretty Elf, well, that was another story altogether.

He’d considered, perhaps foolishly, that she might be the Elven Princess,

but the Elven Princess had returned to the Great Forest some time ago.

Though whispers said she’d returned once more just recently,

the last he heard she was busy helping to rebuild it..

The chance she was the Elven Princess was practically non-existent.

Surely, the Elven Princess wouldn’t have

abandoned the Great Forest so quickly.

At best, she was one of the Elves that came with her.

‘And those types are so innocent, they’re perfect to –’

*Thwack*

The flashback shattered.

His vision, once more,

began to swivel to the left,

*Crash*

His vision dove, abrupt,

plummeting downwards.

His hair, once his pride,

standing tall and proud,

now all undone,

a tangled mess.

His face, swollen,

transformed as if stung all over,

no longer resembling

the him from mere moments ago.

“Ah… I…”

“If you spout such words

when you meet your kin later…”

“Wasn’t… such a special one, after all…”

“Then you best be prepared for a real thrashing, understand?”

*Thwack!*

A different kind of sound, shattering the air,

so much louder than before, resonated,

and with it—*thump*—

the sound of something falling,

landing heavily, echoed

quietly in this vast training ground.