Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Expulsion Verdict
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- Thud.
There was a student leaning against the wall.
Panting heavily, head bowed low.
When Carnel's footsteps reached the student, only then did they lift their head.
"...President?"
Carnel bowed her head immediately.
"...Yes?"
"This incident is the student council's oversight... no, entirely my own failure...."
It wasn't a formal apology.
She meant it sincerely.
"I will make sure to impose severe punishment on the perpetrators, and ensure nothing like this happens again by nipping it in the bud..."
"Uh, excuse me...?"
Carnel trailed off, slowly raising her head.
"...Yes?"
"I'm... fine, though."
Klaus gave an awkward smile, scratching his cheek.
"...What do you mean, fine?"
Carnel furrowed her brow.
"You were just assaulted."
She sounded angry, but her fingertips began to glow.
- Shooo...
A precise circuit formed, and soon a trail of light appeared before her eyes.
《Time / Advanced Magic》
「Rewind」
The trajectory of time enveloped Klaus.
It brushed over his cheek, flowed down his arm, and rewound the churning pain.
The bloodied wounds healed, and his swollen body subsided.
"This is..."
Klaus stared down at his body in bewilderment.
"This isn't healing. It's just rewinding time to restore the wounds."
"..."
"And yet you're saying you're fine?"
"...Just, I'm used to it."
Carnel's eyebrow twitched.
...Used to it?
It was something no one should ever get used to.
"If I don't take the hit... that arrow goes to someone else, right?"
"..."
"So it's better if it's me, someone who doesn't matter."
Klaus stood up.
He brushed off his clothes and forced a twisted smile.
"Thank you, President."
He bowed his head and vanished as if nothing had happened.
"..."
Carnel watched his retreating back silently, then crossed her arms and tapped her forearm with her fingers.
Her eyes had turned icy cold.
And then.
- Snap.
She flicked her finger.
An intricate circuit drew itself, unfolding a translucent image.
《Time / Advanced Magic》
「Time Recreation」
It summoned a scene from the past.
"Ha, look at this? Blocking?"
"What the hell is an F-Class bug doing blocking Grace's attack? Have you lost your mind?"
In the recreated time, Klaus was surrounded and getting pummeled one-sidedly.
Without any resistance, lips sealed, simply enduring.
A sight no one should ever get used to was repeating like everyday routine.
"..."
Tap. Tap.
Carnel watched the scene to the end with a frigid expression, then pulled a ring from her pocket and slipped it on.
The small crystal orb on the ring blinked to life.
-[What is it, miss?]
"Thanatos, what's the sponsorship history for the Est Count family?"
-[...You mean for Yoram?]
"Yes. Including the supplies they were delivering to Delbar."
-[Sponsorship for Yoram ended two years ago. The supply deal was already terminated due to quality issues.]
"How much firewood have we gathered?"
-[Firewood... Miss, don't tell me you're thinking of...]
"From the way you're talking, it's piled up enough that burning it all wouldn't cause any issues, right?"
-[...The Duke will have something to say about it.]
"..."
A moment of silence.
And then.
"Thanatos."
-[...Yes, miss.]
"Since when has Father been so interested in me?"
-[....]
"Burn every last bit of firewood."
-[...Understood, miss.]
The crystal's light faded, and the ring fell silent again.
And then.
"Hey~ Carnel."
Violet popped out from somewhere.
"That guy?"
"He left first."
"Oh? Then let's go grab some food."
"Sure."
"Ugh~ But seriously, Grace von Est? How much do these nobles have to beat someone before they feel better? Do they not have brains?"
"..."
Carnel's steps halted.
"What did you say, Violet?"
"Huh...?"
"The Est Count family... doesn't exist in this world anymore, you know?"
***
Where did they all come from so suddenly?
"Hey, hey! Stop! I said stop!"
More importantly, why were they making such a fuss?
"You're gonna die for real? You're dead, you lunatic!!"
So what if he died?
'Dying once might be a pretty good experience.'
It could even be a valuable lesson.
You have to know the end to understand the weight of beginnings.
'Just once, for real.'
Just enough to serve as a short lesson.
"You lowly scum!!"
The female student who'd dumped her tray on me yelled.
What was her name again.
Grace? Grape... Ah, Grace.
"You all saw it, right!? This lowly scum swinging a sword at me!"
"..."
"A commoner daring to swing a sword at a noble!"
Yeah, so since I already swung, might as well swing it all the way.
"Ugh...! Hold back a bit, seriously!"
Before my arm could even move, Serros grabbed me.
Behind him, even the spirits summoned by Laphia surrounded me.
'I know. I know.'
I shouldn't do this.
I knew what it meant to draw a sword here with everyone watching.
'But what can I do.'
It's already happened, right?
So since I started it, I have to finish it.
"Cut it out."
"C-Crown Prince!"
At Rufus's appearance, Grace and hergang tucked their tails instantly.
'Look at that bitch?'
All that big talk, but now saving face?
Now of all times?
"Adel, you too, that's enough."
Serros and Laphia chimed in after.
"Yeah, yeah, top student. Let's call it here. Huh? I'll buy you food."
"...Agreed, this was reckless."
Persuasive voices.
In the end, I stored 【Leviathan】 back in my inventory.
"Good thinking, top student. Yeah? Let's cool off outside."
"I'll take the Saintess and head out first."
And Laphia had already grabbed Lev's hand.
"..."
Lev said nothing, but didn't avert her gaze.
She looked at me, then turned away and left the cafeteria with Laphia.
I followed after them, but then.
"Halt, you lowly thing."
Grace's voice struck my back.
"You should apologize before you go."
"Hey, ease up?"
As I pondered pulling 【Leviathan】 out again, Serros stepped in for me.
"Ease up?"
But Grace just scoffed.
"He drew his sword first, that lowly scum. What am I supposed to ease up on?"
At the commotion, Rufus spoke up again.
"I clearly said that's enough."
"...But, Crown Prince."
"Were my words unclear?"
"Hah, but that commoner started it...!"
"You think I didn't see what you did?"
Grace had no choice but to shut her mouth.
"I'm saying it once more. That's enough."
Oh... our Crown Prince.
Well said.
'Yeah, stay right there.'
Bugs should stay quiet like bugs.
"Alright, then let's go, top student. I know a really good place... What? Where'd he go?"
Serros looked around in confusion.
But by then, I'd already activated 【Silent Walker】.
I become rejected by the world, my existence erased.
- Whoosh.
Natural mana resonated at my will.
Mana threads wove like silk and flew toward Grace, wrapping around his body.
And I.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
【Leviathan】
Grade: Mythic
The sword once held by 「The Silent King」 Raphael.
The dormant abyss opens its eyes for a new master.
Unique Skill
: 【Toward the Abyss】
For 5 minutes, the abyssal sea unfolds, and the will of the sea 「Leviathan」 manifests.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
- Stab!
I plunged 【Leviathan】 into the cafeteria floor.
In that instant, reality sank, and a chilling aura spread.
A tiny rift in the abyss.
The abyss opened its maw and silently swallowed me and Grace.
"...Huh?"
Serros finally looked around in confusion.
"Huh?"
Then he glanced down at his feet.
Dark water had pooled there unnoticed.
"What is this?"
After staring for a while, Serros shook his head.
"Whew... I'm done here."
Serros said nothing more, returned to his seat, and picked up his spoon again.
***
The abyss.
Darkness without a single point of light.
Immeasurable depth.
A cold space devoid of any warmth.
Grace opened her eyes.
"Wh-what...?"
- Slither.
"...!!"
Whoosh.
Grace instinctively turned her head.
"Wh-what the hell."
Something.
...Something had definitely passed by.
"...Is someone there?"
- Slither slither slither.
"Don't fuck with me...!! This is a dream, right? It's a dream!!"
Her shout echoed into void.
The abyss returned no echo whatsoever.
Only silence answered her cry.
- Gurgle...
Grace turned, her body trembling.
And then.
"Ah... Aaaah...."
What he saw defied description.
A massive shadow close to a dragon's form.
It stared silently at Grace.
Eyes like the abyss slowly... very slowly contracted.
"D-don't come... Don't come closer!!"
Her body wouldn't obey.
Her legs trembled but wouldn't move no matter how she tried to flee.
- Crack.
The monster opened its maw.
Grace knew instinctively.
The moment it swallowed her, her existence would be erased.
―――!!
The monster approached.
In that brief moment, Grace didn't even have time to scream.
But...
- Slither.
The monster's body split apart.
Into thousands, tens of thousands of snakes.
"Kwaaaaah!!"
They burrowed into her skin, tore at her flesh.
Snake fangs ripped her legs, crushed her fingers.
Terror, pain, despair crashed over her at once.
"Grk... Grrrk...."
One snake coiled around her throat.
Her breath choked off, oxygen depleted.
Her vision darkened.
"Ah..."
Just before her eyes closed.
Grace saw 'it' one last time.
In the abyss, a being craving silence to the bone.
"...Go... away."
A white mask, smiling.
With that.
Her consciousness plummeted into the abyss.
***
"Gahk...!!"
Grace flailed on the floor, soaked in water, gasping for air.
'I almost killed her.'
My emotions got the better of me.
I should have held back.
I should have stayed calm.
But seeing Lev... I faced reality, not the game.
'Still... I can't kill her.'
It was not that I can't kill, but not here.
Am I crazy enough to commit murder at Yoram?
"G-Grace?"
Her lackeys stared in shock at Grace rising from the floor.
"Wh-what did you...!!"
"You filthy bug...!"
Grace's cronies charged with fury-twisted faces.
But.
'Idiots.'
As my hand moved, invisible mana threads sliced the air.
- Thud!
- Splatter!
"Urk...!"
"Ugh...!"
They'd charged in so fiercely moments ago, only to roll pathetically on the floor.
'Hmm... now what.'
Water's spilled anyway.
I got swept up in emotion and started this, but I'll take responsibility.
Maybe turn myself in lightly and aim for leniency. As I pondered.
- Bang!
The cafeteria door burst open noisily.
"Halt!!"
Student council members poured in.
"Suspect secured!!"
'Ugh.'
I was bound tight and forced to stop.
"Whoa, bro's lost it!?"
Violet burst through the cafeteria door.
She took one look at the situation and headed straight for Grace on the floor.
"Oh dear..."
Violet pulled a glass vial from her belt pouch.
- Splash!
The Red potion rained over Grace's face.
"Puha... Huuk...."
High-quality stuff; Grace soon gasped and hauled herself up.
But her mind was still out of it.
"You lowly thing... what have you done...!!"
That line again.
'That damn "lowly thing."'
Her one and only line.
Doesn't it get old?
'More than that... doesn't she remember?'
That terrified face trembling at the abyss's end.
Those eyes flailing helplessly before death.
'Too bad.'
She collapsed so spectacularly, yet she had no memory.
...Well, at least the trauma's left.
That's enough.
'Next time, outside.'
Then maybe...
"Sigh... Bro... what the hell happened."
Violet asked, but I didn't answer.
Couldn't anyway.
"You bastard―!!"
As Grace raised her voice again.
"Quiet."
Our fearsome student council president arrived.
"..."
Carnel swept in with a chilling aura, passed Grace without a word, and stopped right in front of me.
"...Hand."
One short word.
At that, a council member swiftly untied the ropes on my hands.
"Explain."
I pulled a whiteboard from my inventory.
"You... you did this?"
I wrote my answer to the question.
[Yes]
Right.
I made the cafeteria atmosphere like this.
[It's me]
I made that ugly face even uglier.
"Sigh..."
Carnel's expression soured badly.
A genuinely angry face I'd never seen.
I hurried to write the next line.
[I didn't...]
"Stop."
I halted the pen at her firm voice.
...I hadn't even finished writing.
"Stop talking."
And then.
"By Yoram school rules... Adel's disciplinary hearing is waived."
Huh.
No punishment?
'I thought i'd have to go with Plan B...'
Plan B.
Beg Veronica, grovel and plead.
I'd swallow my pride and beg.
Just as I thought.
"By student council authority, Adel is given 1 demerit point."
"...What?"
Grace leaped up at the punishment.
It was way lighter than expected.
No, it was beyond imagination.
"Just 1 demerit point?! For something deserving expulsion, even prison, and he gets a point?!"
Then.
"Shut up."
Silence.
Violet's jaw dropped.
"...Whoa."
Even from sweet Carnel, a curse slipped out.
Click.
Carnel extended her hand, and a council member placed a thick binder in it.
"Grace von Est."
Carnel flipped through the pages one by one.
"Repeated violence on campus."
Like pronouncing a death sentence.
"Repeated threats using noble authority."
Driving nails into Grace's heart.
"By student council president authority, I hereby expel you on the spot."
"Expel...?"
"Yes, expulsion."
"He gets a demerit for turning me into this... and I get expelled!?"
Carnel turned her head.
Her eyes were coldly chilled.
"Adel's case was legitimate self-defense."
Grace opened her mouth, but Carnel crushed him with stronger words.
"You threatened, extorted, and assaulted an innocent student."
"..."
"Need I say more?"