Chapter 40: The First Letter (40)
Chapter 40: The First Letter (40)
It was rare for silence to descend upon the heart of the Academy.
This was a place where the daily foot traffic numbered in the thousands. Even now, a crowd of at least several hundred had gathered, with faculty members occasionally visible among them.
However, none of them seemed to have any intention of intervening in the current situation. On the contrary, some professors even had a glint of interest in their eyes. That was the reaction most fitting for the spirit of the Academy.
While the Academy was an educational institution, it was also a training ground. As long as regulations weren't flagrantly violated, the Academy rarely stepped into conflicts between students.
Furthermore, the two factions currently facing off were led by figures who represented the fourth-year class.
Elsie Lainella of the Magic Department, and Delphine Yurdina of the Swordsmanship Department.
They were celebrities who lacked for nothing—possessing beauty that could bewitch any man, the prestige of their families, and formidable skill.
There was a general perception that Senior Elsie fell slightly short compared to Senior Delphine. However, that was only because Senior Delphine was exceptionally brilliant, not because Senior Elsie was lacking.
In some respects, Senior Elsie likely had her own advantages. That was surely why she had maintained a rivalry with Senior Delphine until now.
Just like at this very moment.
Senior Elsie glared at Senior Delphine with a frigid gaze. Her deep blue eyes were as cold as frost. Her lips were pressed firmly together, radiating a subtle tension.
In contrast, Senior Delphine was the picture of composure. Even while meeting Senior Elsie’s hostile gaze, she remained unfazed. With a haughty expression, Senior Delphine stood with her arms crossed, a faint smile playing on her lips. She looked as if she might yawn at any second.
It was truly a clash of two whales. The onlookers, not wanting to be the shrimp caught in the middle, held their breath and watched to see which way the wind would blow.
Normally, I should have been one of those shrimps, but I felt a deep sense of regret that I couldn't be.
Because right now, I was essentially the prey those two whales were fighting over.
Cold sweat poured down my back. I was feigning composure on the outside, but I couldn't help but feel burdened as what should have ended with a few hits from Senior Elsie’s gang escalated further and further.
What if this turned into a battle of pride between two Great Noble Families?
I didn't even want to imagine it. Moreover, in this current setup, both families had more than enough justification to struggle for power.
In the first place, the reason the third son of the Lainella family had been beaten by me was that he had laid a hand on a member of the Yurdina family.
That was reason enough for the Yurdina family to protect me. Yet, it wasn't a fight the Lainella family could easily back down from either; from their perspective, they had been unilaterally humiliated by the second son of a rural viscount.
A high noble with strong pride couldn't just let that slide as if it were nothing.
I thought everything would end smoothly since the Saintess had stepped in to mediate, but I never expected things to turn out like this.
I silently wiped my face with my hands. It was a gesture of distress, but in this situation, no one was paying any attention to me.
It was then that Senior Elsie, who had been staring at Senior Delphine with a chilling gaze, finally spoke. A cold smile formed on her lips. Blatant mockery flowed from her dainty mouth.
"It’s been a while, Yurdina… It seems you’ve become quite the meddler in the meantime. Interfering in the affairs of our Lainella family."
She was telling her to mind her own business and move along, as this was strictly a Lainella matter.
However, if Senior Delphine had intended to do that, she wouldn't have thrown the notebook in the first place. She hummed, "Hmm," and tapped her index finger against her lips while looking up at the sky.
She wore a contemplative expression, but soon, she flashed a bright smile. It was a smile as beautiful as the sun, no matter how many times one saw it.
"……I don't want to."
Senior Elsie seemed to flare up at that blunt response. Her eyes grew even fiercer, and her lips quivered for a moment.
I suspected that the words she truly wanted to spit out were a string of curses. But she probably couldn't bring herself to do that to the successor of the Yurdina family, one of the Five Great Noble Families of the Empire.
Senior Elsie gnawed on her lip before beginning to sneer in a voice dripping with irritation.
"Aha, is that so? Perhaps you’ve taken a secret liking to this kid? If it’s that much, I suppose I could tolerate it for a night."
The onlookers gasped at the comment that clearly crossed the line. Senior Elsie’s remark was problematic in two ways.
First, it implied a sexual scandal involving the successor of the Yurdina family.
As the successor of a prestigious family, Senior Delphine held her chastity in high regard. There was no way she would be involved in a sexual scandal. Yet, Senior Elsie had sarcastically suggested that Senior Delphine was the type of woman who would roll around with any man she took a liking to. It wouldn't have been strange for the Yurdina family to be outraged.
And second, her remark was also an insult to the Percus family.
No matter how high-ranking a noble Senior Elsie was, I was also a member of the Imperial nobility. As fellow subjects serving His Majesty the Emperor, it was not proper behavior to hurl such excessive insults.
Based on her words, it sounded as if I were some gigolo for a noblewoman’s one-night stand.
The language of the nobility carried a responsibility as heavy as its power. Senior Elsie couldn't have been unaware of this. The fact that she was deliberately crossing the line could only mean one thing.
She was trying to provoke a physical confrontation. Whether it was Delphine Yurdina or Ian Percus, she was telling us to come at her if we were nobles who valued our honor. There was no other way to interpret it.
Since it was awkward for her to start the fight first, her intention to provoke us was blatant.
She likely figured Senior Delphine wasn't the type to leave everything to her family after receiving such an insult, and as for me, I was just the second son of a rural viscount, so she probably thought she could just brush me off.
So, at that moment, I hesitated for a second.
Right now, Senior Elsie and the rest of her lackeys were focusing all their attention on Senior Delphine. What if I smacked Senior Elsie in the back of the head right now?
"You seem to have regained a lot of confidence, Lainella… Didn't you just embarrass yourself not long ago when you challenged me with such bravado? Your dejected face back then was quite a sight to behold."
"That was when we fought one-on-one. As you know, the true essence of magic is revealed when one has sufficient protection… Shall we test it out now?"
I could hear the two of them engaged in a war of nerves. However, I had already fallen into deep thought.
Ambush Senior Elsie and take her down.
It was possible. Senior Elsie likely hadn't grasped my exact strength yet. Lupin had been unconscious the whole time after I hit him that day, so there was no way he could have provided a detailed report of the battle.
Moreover, Senior Elsie and her gang never dreamed that I would be the one to strike first. They were a large group of fourth-years, and there were even skilled mages among them. Logically, they weren't opponents a third-year could defeat through a surprise attack.
But if I used a real sword, the story changed.
The difference between using Aura and not using it was vast. Just as even the greatest master could die from a stray blade, in a duel between Aura users, even a momentary lapse in concentration could lead to fatal consequences.
And I was a junior, I was alone, and I had even received an unbearable insult as an honorable noble. Traditionally, a duel involving a noble's honor was always a serious duel with real swords.
My eyes grew quiet as I faced the choice. However, neither Senior Elsie, nor Senior Delphine, nor anyone else noticed the change in me.
"Ah, fine. This sounds interesting… Shall we go a round? I didn't think I'd have to sort out the hierarchy as soon as I got back."
"Sort out the hierarchy? Who's sorting out whom? You uselessly shiny she-cat……!"
The moment the two women's voices crossed, the lackeys standing by moved their hands to their waists. It was a touch-and-go moment where swords could be drawn at any second.
Senior Elsie glared at Senior Delphine with a murderous smile, while Senior Delphine stared back with eyes that had grown cold.
Either way, they had the eyes of hunters. It wouldn't be strange if they clashed right then and there.
The attention of each faction was focused on the other side. The onlookers were the same. Hundreds of people were whispering as they looked back and forth between Senior Elsie and Senior Delphine.
Their reactions suggested they never expected to see a gang fight in the middle of the Academy. A few people who looked like professors began to wear displeased expressions.
They seemed to be debating whether they should step in now or leave it be.
If it was a duel for noble honor, it fell within the Academy's rules and should be left alone, but if it was a simple physical clash, they had an obligation to stop it.
Their deliberation didn't last long.
Because before they could decide, my form shot forward like a bolt of light.
No matter how I thought about it, it was an act of madness, but fine.
If there were no chance, that would be one thing, but now that a possibility had opened up, I couldn't just live my life being pushed around.
That was my choice.