Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Ariel Academy (4)
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This had nothing to do with me.
I'd sworn to myself that I'd just quietly graduate from the academy.
Without getting tangled up in any annoying human relationships. Just keeping it low-key.
All I had to do was focus on my own duties.
"……."
But why was this happening?
Swinging my wooden sword alone in the training grounds, I kept missing the mark due to an inexplicable sense of lethargy.
"…Hoo."
Why was I like this?
Was it because of that earlier conversation sticking in my mind?
I was a nosy guy, sure, but not some overflowing-with-justice type who'd meddle in the affairs of total strangers.
Sure, I had a bit of curiosity about her, but not enough to personally go rescue her.
And yet, why?
-Swish!
Once again, the wooden sword veered off its intended path.
"…Haa."
Was it because overhearing their school bullying plot and then just standing by made me uneasy?
The human conscience sure was inconvenient.
"…This won't do."
I didn't have any real interest in her.
But if things kept going like this, these impure emotions would throw off my sword swings.
Yeah. This was all for the sake of my sword training.
I quietly set down the wooden sword.
'If I go now, it shouldn't be too late.'
With somewhat hurried steps, I headed toward the back garden behind the next building over.
Repeating to myself that this was just to clear away these uncomfortable feelings.
.
.
.
Something was off.
I'd come outside and gotten close to the next building, but there wasn't a single sign of life.
This was a blind spot to begin with—sparsely populated and full of shadows—so it felt suspicious.
'Was it just the boys bragging emptily?'
Teenage kids that age often made up stories or boasted about things that never happened.
It was entirely possible.
A slight sense of relief washed over me. Still, just in case, I kept walking toward the back garden.
"Eh?"
"…?"
My eyes met those of someone standing deep in the back garden.
Purple-tinged eyes. Sharp features accentuated by the shadows.
Indigo hair falling to her shoulders.
It was Hedi.
Why was she here alone when there weren't even any boys around?
The question had barely formed when I glanced downward.
And froze solid.
...It was my mistake. Hedi wasn't alone.
A male student, his face a bloody mess, dangled limply from her grip like a plastic bag by the collar.
That guy was the one from the training grounds earlier who'd suggested stomping Hedi.
There were others too: one passed out with eyes rolled back, and a group of his buddies sprawled on the ground, beaten to a pulp.
Hedi stood calmly at the center of it all.
As if it were just another day.
"What? Another one of their gang?"
Hedi finally approached me.
Dragging the collared boy behind her like a rag.
Her cute face was marred by a fierce glare that screamed murder.
Anyone could see she was on high alert.
She was clearly under a huge misunderstanding.
I raised one hand in a frantic gesture to stop her, buying time to defuse the crisis.
"Wait. I was just passing by."
"Liar. What, out for a stroll in this deserted back garden?"
With that, Hedi flung the boy to the ground with a whump!. He groaned in agony.
The situation was one step away from erupting into a full fight.
In a panic, I tried to explain with one hand up.
'……!'
-Bam!
In an instant, she closed the gap, spun, and unleashed a kick. I reflexively guarded it.
It stung like hell. A split second slower, and it would've smashed my jaw, knocking me out.
"…You blocked it?"
"No, wait…."
Mid-sentence, she retracted her leg and thrust out a fist.
"Kuh!"
I tilted my upper body back on instinct to dodge her punch, then took a backstep to create distance.
I opened my mouth to clear up the misunderstanding.
Or rather, I tried to.
Right up until she whiffed her punch and transitioned into a backspin.
-Whoosh!
Hedi spun, closing in again with a hook.
I sensed it instinctively. There was no talking my way out of this anymore.
Hedi wouldn't stop until one of us was bleeding out.
'No choice…!'
It was do or die.
I drew mana from my dantian.
Circulated it to reinforce my body, dodged her fist, and in the blink of an eye, slipped behind her.
She startled as I vanished.
No surprise there. She hadn't factored in mana-enhanced movement. We were just first-years, after all.
Except for a few geniuses, but she wouldn't peg these punks as them. Not that I was a punk.
She tried to turn, but it was too late.
I formed a hand blade, aiming to knock her out by striking the nape of her neck.
'We'll talk once she wakes up!'
-Swish!
That was when it happened.
-Crack!
"……?!"
I was stunned.
Her combat sense was astonishing.
She'd crossed her arms behind her neck, blocking the hand blade and minimizing damage.
I stared at her in a daze, thinking.
'W-What? She has this kind of skill and she's not even a major heroine…?'
It made no sense. Was she really just an extra in the story?
If so, why did she have this kind of talent? Was she some hidden heroine I didn't know about?
As those thoughts raced through my mind, Hedi whirled back around into an attack stance.
Desperate, I shouted.
"W-Wait…!"
"……!"
She flinched and froze.
Finally, a chance for her to listen.
"Hear me out! You're misunderstanding. I have nothing to do with those guys sprawled over there!"
"…Liar."
"It's true! If I was lying, why didn't I press the attack when you blocked my hand blade and left an opening?"
"……."
She seemed to mull it over, tilting her head slightly upward and to the side.
Then she asked.
"…Really?"
"I've been saying it since earlier. It's true. We have no reason to fight, right?"
"……."
She pondered for a few seconds.
Then asked again.
"Then why are you here?"
...Good question. Why had I come?
If I'd known it'd turn out like this, I'd have just swung my sword in peace.
I cursed my past self for deciding to come.
"…I really was just passing by. As a newbie, I came to check out what was around."
"Hmm…."
She eyed me intently.
Realizing I truly had no intent to fight, she finally dropped her stance.
And continued.
"Don't loiter around places like this from now on. No one's watching, so dangerous stuff happens a lot."
With that final warning—no apology—she brushed past me with a huff and trudged toward the lecture hall.
Left standing alone, I watched her go in stunned bewilderment until she was out of sight.
"……."
I turned my head and blankly surveyed the carnage in the back garden.
Male students passed out, faces battered to pulp.
All Hedi's doing.
What kind of life had she lived? And from her reactions earlier, she seemed all too used to this.
"Hoo… Whatever. I almost got hurt for nothing."
I turned away from the boys.
Calming my still-racing heart, I headed back to the training grounds.
"…Gotta do something about this nosy side of mine."
*
Two days later, it was the weekend.
Two days since I'd realized I didn't need all that unnecessary nosiness.
And I was suffering from severe money troubles.
'Family discipline policy, my ass….'
Pablo covered study materials and necessities just fine, but he'd stopped giving me pocket money at some point, insisting I earn my own.
Learn the value of money or whatever… Sara still got her allowance, but I was the only one cut off.
Did they still think I was some wastrel blowing cash on booze?
'This won't do. I'm even short on money for cafeteria food.'
Ariel Academy's cafeteria prices were absurd.
Tailored to high nobles, they ignored cost for quality and taste alone.
So after classes and training, I'd trudge down to the village for cheap rye bread or sandwiches.
'…Maybe I should hit the Adventurer's Guild.'
Building muscle required diverse nutrients.
I had to eat well, which meant the cafeteria was essential.
A part-time job wouldn't cover three meals a day there….
'Decision made.'
The Adventurer's Guild was the answer.
I donned the iron longsword and armor from home and headed out.
Straight to the village guild.
It took two whole hours to reach the village.
'This is freaking exhausting…!'
In the old days, I'd have passed out halfway.
I'd lost a ton of weight and was at normal now, yet still….
My body felt around 175 cm tall, mid-70s in weight.
Growth spurt ongoing, so height might increase more.
'Summer heat is brutal too….'
The prosperous Liyanna Empire village had romantic Western European-style buildings lining the streets, but I barely noticed.
I just wanted to escape this sweltering sun and reach the guild.
Finally, the Adventurer's Guild.
It doubled as a tavern inside; the door was a saloon-style swinging wooden one.
I pushed it open and entered.
That instant—
-Crash!
The moment I stepped in, something shattered.
Startled, I whipped my head toward the noise.
'A fight?'
A massive muscled brute lay sprawled under a table, out cold.
"Hahaha! That loser's all bark! Pathetic!"
A man at the opposite chair mocked the fallen giant.
His face flushed red from daytime drinking, carrying on rowdily.
Adventurers at nearby tables chuckled along, spectating.
'…I'd forgotten for a moment.'
Living in the affluent ducal territory and academy as a duke's son, I'd lost sight of this world's reality.
A world of swords and magic.
Even in the prosperous Liyanna Empire's guildhall, it was full of adventurers.
Barbarians from every corner, clueless about etiquette or refinement.
The guild reeked of male sweat, hormones, and musty mold.
A true slum.
...And I liked it.
This raw appeal was why I'd loved playing Ariel.
The counter clerk, a woman, seemed resigned yet amused by the chaos.
I approached her straightaway and slid over some coppers.
"Here to register as an adventurer."
"New adventurer! One moment, please."
She stayed composed amid the ruckus, processing my info.
A true professional. As she pulled papers from a drawer and scribbled—
Suddenly, a human woman in her mid-20s approached and struck up a conversation out of nowhere.
She was strikingly seductive.
"…Mm, new face, huh? Here to register, big bro?"
Snowy, plump thighs. Exposed navel. A sheer dress barely covering her ample chest.
Her provocative outfit screamed her intentions.
'Gold-digging adventurer chicks targeting rich-looking kids for a life upgrade… Classic guild trope.'
My armor was custom-made by the Brace territory's master smith.
Layered with magic protections, clearly high-end—not for some novice kid.
My sword was a near-relic longsword forged from prime adamantite ore. Any adventurer worth their salt would recognize it.
I smiled back at the approaching woman, not rejecting her.
"Yes. Here to register."
No point souring relations.
I'd be around the academy for at least five years.
Better not to make enemies of local adventurers.
I planned to use this guild often—time to build goodwill.
"What brings you to adventuring? Fallen noble or something, big bro?"
Blunt as a hammer—peak adventurer lingo, etiquette be damned.
But I didn't mind.
Felt better than the noble world's pretenses and lies.
"Family matters are a secret. But yeah, I need money bad."
I grinned amiably and brushed it off.
"Kahaha! A scrawny pretty boy like you adventuring?"
A tanned giant at a nearby table, chugging wine, bellowed.
The woman gave an awkward laugh, patting my arm consolingly in a mix of formal and casual.
"Ignore him. Adventurer guys are all rough like that."
"No, he's right—I'm looking weak right now. I'll just have to prove myself going forward."
"Hehe, you look young but talk smooth. What's your name? I'm Shuria."
"Sian."
"Sian! Cute name… I like you already, big bro."
Shuria flashed a foxy smile and slyly hooked her arm in mine.
Her soft, generous bosom pressed against my arm.
Sweet, pillowy sensation.
Nothing like the academy girls' modest figures—hers were monstrously huge.
Even fallen nobles were nobles to her, it seemed. She was marriage-hungry too, judging by the approach.
But I couldn't bite.
Play it friendly, neither too eager nor cold… Good relations, as planned.
"Glad you like me."
"Hey, big bro, free tonight? If so, maybe with me…."
Time to disentangle politely—right on cue.
The counter clerk called for my signature, processing done.
I flashed Shuria a friendly smile, made an excuse, and headed to the counter.
Signed with the quill.
She took the papers back and resumed processing.
Time to check the request board—then the clerk, mid-process, spoke up.
"Are you from Ariel Academy, Sian?"
I wasn't even in uniform. How'd she know?
"How'd you guess?"
"Oh, just… Someone from Ariel Academy registered recently. Around your age, so I assumed."
True, adventurers my age were rare.
But a current Ariel student…?
From a strapped family like mine?
"They took risky C-rank beast subjugations and such for their age. Seemed super pressed for cash… Know them?"
"Sadly, I don't have many friends, so no clue."
"Eh? A handsome guy like you, I figured you'd have tons…."
She was great at lip service.
Born for service jobs. In my old world, she'd have been a star salesperson.
As we bantered politely—
A chair scraped violently from the side table.
The tanned giant who'd mocked me earlier stood abruptly.
He stomped over and barked.
"Hey, pretty boy! You from Ariel Academy?"
Today was full of tangled human interactions.