Chapter 143: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (7)
Chapter 143: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (7)
My reaction to the long story I heard from the male student could be summarized in a single sentence.
"…Wow, what a psycho."
When I unintentionally let out that exclamation, the boy curled up even further, letting out a sharp gasp.
His eyes were filled with terror. The shimmering moisture in them bore witness to his fragile mental state.
He looked at me as if he were staring at a madman.
Regardless, I stroked my chin, lost in thought.
What on earth was he thinking?
Maybe it would be different for the 'me' from the future, but the current me had absolutely no means of surviving after provoking the Imperial Household. To make matters worse, he had taken a three-month grace period and demanded it be handled within one.
I was terrified to even imagine what state the Percus territory was in right now.
Does that man lack the capacity for family affection?
Then again, he was a man who abused even his past self. There was no way someone without self-love would possess any love for his family.
However, as I listened to the story, one more question remained.
"And you guys still tried to mess with me after hearing all that?"
"The—the Imperial Household said they’d back us up! Besides, back then, the escort knights drew real swords, so it was considered self-defense, but if you unilaterally assault students like this… Gack!"
I didn't want to hear any more, so I slammed the back of my hand axe into the side of his head.
His pupils unfocused, and the boy’s body slumped powerlessly to the ground. Watching him, I clicked my tongue.
"You lot deserve to be beaten more."
Reporting this to the Academy might cause problems, but I didn't care.
In fact, there was a chance that my family and I would wither away before I could even be expelled.
I had to find a solution somehow.
As I stood up and began to walk away, a piece of paper caught my eye.
It was sticking out of the back pocket of one of the fallen students. It looked familiar, so I reflexively unfolded it.
It was a newspaper circulating within the Academy. My portrait was plastered across the front page.
[The Hand Axe Murderer, Ian Percus. Does he have no sense of moderation? The truth behind the ‘Princess Blood Rain Incident’!]
Murderer? Please. I’d only ever killed one person in my life, and that was a Fiend.
And the 'Princess Blood Rain Incident'—the naming felt particularly tacky today.
With that thought, I crumpled the newspaper into a ball and tossed it away without a second thought.
The paper ball bounced off the head of one of the fallen boys and rolled away.
Soaking up the blood on the ground as it went.
Behind me, half a dozen men lay groaning or unconscious.
Violence is an efficient tool, but it isn't a universal solution.
Cases like this were the perfect example. As I was heading to a lecture, a group of female students blocked my path.
When I moved to go around them, they stepped in front of me again. When I turned back, they did the same.
As irritation flickered in my eyes, the girls burst into giggles.
"What’s wrong, Senior Ian? Are you going to strike us down with your hand axe too?"
"Oh, come on, we haven't even done anything."
The snickering was grating. Their faces showed they believed, without a shadow of a doubt, that I wouldn't lay a hand on them.
Of course, if I just dashed forward, I could easily lose them. I wasn't so weak that I’d be outpaced by some juniors, and footwork had always been my specialty.
But I didn't want to do that.
Right now, I had nowhere to run. Expulsion from the Academy after touching the Imperial Household?
Did they honestly think I’d care about something like that?
I was already dying of a headache, and their pestering provocations only fueled my annoyance. I fell into thought for a moment.
Should I leave a blade mark on their legs? No, they were just loitering in front of me; a few fractures should suffice.
Just as my hand drifted toward my waist.
"…Hey."
A fierce voice rang out from behind the girls.
Startled, the female students turned around.
There stood a small girl wearing a pointed hat. With brown hair and eyes like blue sapphires, she had a loveliness that resembled a doll.
However, the faces of the girls, who knew her infamy all too well, turned pale.
"What do you think you're doing right now?"
The sound of people gulping echoed. To anyone's eyes, Senior Elsie was not in a good mood.
One of the girls stammered out an excuse.
"W-w-well… we were just trying to pass by, but Senior Ian kept blocking the way… Aaaaaaaagh!"
The girl making the excuse suddenly screamed and collapsed. There was no warning. The other girls looked at Senior Elsie with terror-stricken eyes, wondering what on earth she had done.
But Senior Elsie merely wore a brazen smile.
"Why are you sitting down? Did you get a cramp in your leg? You fucking bitch, seriously… Hey, do you think your senior is a joke?"
"N-no, ma'am… Aaaaaaaagh!"
The girl who scrambled to stand up screamed again and face-planted onto the ground. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably.
It was a symptom of electric shock.
It was obvious Senior Elsie was the culprit. But since there was no clear physical evidence, the girls' eyes shook violently.
"Stand up. Oh? You're going to keep sitting there? Shall we go have a tea party in the back alley then? Hmm?"
The girl frantically shook her head and tried to stagger to her feet.
But the result was the same.
"N-no… Kyaaaaaagh!"
Trembling eyes turned toward Senior Elsie. But Senior Elsie showed no signs of calming down.
A cruel smile played on her lips. It was a smile I hadn't seen in a long time.
"Wow, the world has really gone to shit lately. A senior tells you to stand up, and you resist until the very end? You fucking bitch, seriously… Hey, the rest of you, get on the ground."
The girls' terror-filled gazes met in mid-air.
Their faces screamed that being disciplined on a main road in broad daylight was a bit much. At that, Senior Elsie let out a roar.
"I said get down, you little shits! Can't you hear me?!"
Snapping to their senses, the girls immediately tried to drop to the ground. In the next instant.
Crackle!
White sparks flew, and screams erupted. Their muscles contracted involuntarily from the shock, slamming their faces into the pavement.
With their bodies convulsing, they were clearly in no state to be receiving a formal 'discipline.'
Passersby who had been watching the scene quickly hurried away. They had clearly judged that nothing good would come from being involved with Elsie Lainella.
Whew. Senior Elsie let out a hot breath. It was a breath heated by rage.
"I told you to get down, but you keep falling over? Hey, are you trying to pick a fight with me?"
"N-no… Hic, ugh!"
Even if they gritted their teeth and tried to endure, there was no way they could.
Over and over again, the girls rolled on the ground, and soon the smell of burning drifted from the pavement.
Sobbing and drooling, the girls no longer seemed to have the strength to stand. Just as Senior Elsie was about to pull another stunt.
"…Senior Elsie."
At my intervention, Senior Elsie flinched.
Our eyes met. I silently shook my head.
It meant that was enough.
Senior Elsie stared at the girls with smoldering eyes for a moment before spitting out a single word.
"Scram."
As soon as they heard that, the girls crawled away from the spot. They couldn't even walk properly, as if all the strength had been drained from their muscles.
Senior Elsie watched their retreating figures with a terrifying gaze for a while, but as soon as they were gone, she scurried over to me.
She wore a boastful expression. Then, she looked up at me with eyes like a puppy begging for a treat.
"Ehehe… I did good, right?"
With a relaxed face, Senior Elsie nudged her head toward me.
She was clearly asking me to pet her.
However, my eyes as I looked at her were cold as ice.
No matter how much I thought about it, there was only one conclusion.
Ssh. I used my palm to push Senior Elsie’s head away. For a moment, Senior Elsie looked at me with eyes full of confusion.
It was a look that said she couldn't believe it. She didn't seem to have the slightest clue why I was pushing her away. Her face suggested she thought I was the one acting strangely.
But this was for the best. I had a duty to protect the people precious to me, and Senior Elsie had long since become one of those 'precious people.'
She was a comrade, a friend, and also…
Well, a pet?
I shook my head to dispel the disrespectful thought that had popped into my mind.
Calling a senior a pet—there was a limit to being rude. Moreover, wasn't Senior Elsie a high-ranking noble?
Senior Elsie tilted her head at my strange behavior. I cleared my throat to change the atmosphere.
Then, I spoke in a firm voice.
"Senior Elsie."
The atmosphere was already ominous. Senior Elsie immediately took on an anxious expression and began to hesitate.
Seeing her like that made me feel weak-willed again. But for Senior Elsie’s sake, I needed to cut ties decisively.
My solemn declaration followed.
"Don't think about seeing me for a while."
The expression on Senior Elsie’s face upon hearing those words was, well.
She looked exactly like an abandoned puppy, making my heart ache for no reason.
I wish she wouldn't look like she was about to cry.