Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Plagiarism for Plagiarism
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The duel ended abruptly.
It was because the professor, whatever his name was, got carried off to the nurse's office by the students.
'An assistant fainting during a magic trick... seriously?'
If this were a paid performance, they'd have to issue refunds.
What kind of combat professor has such a low pain tolerance that he faints from something like that?
He's the type to get punched in the gut during a monster fight and pass out.
No, he'd probably be dead before that.
As I left the training grounds, the spectating students stealthily backed away.
"They must be so amazed their legs are shaking."
Then again, these are kids who use magic, which is even more amazing than stage magic.
There's no way they've seen anything like a magic trick.
If anything, magic tricks in this world would probably all be illusions using actual magic.
As I was brushing the alcohol off my hands, Luna and Yui approached.
Luna fumbled in her pocket and handed me a handkerchief.
"Oh, thanks."
"...Sir Luke, I think you were too harsh."
I said, wiping my hands with the handkerchief.
"Harsh? What was harsh about it?"
Didn't they ask me to prove it?
So I did.
My skills in stage magic.
At this rate, I could teach the students magic tricks instead of combat skills, don't you think?
"I was really looking forward to it since you called it a magic trick... but it turns out magic tricks are much scarier than I thought..."
Yui, my dear, humans naturally feel fear in the face of the unknown.
A magic trick that doesn't use mana!?
What is that? I don't know what that is, it's scary.
That's probably how everyone's reacting.
It seems the sawing-a-person-in-half and escape artist tricks were quite popular.
I could hear screams from outside while I was doing them.
Next time, I should try a card trick.
A magic trick where I throw a card to hit their eyes and seal their vision.
It would be useful in combat, too.
"Um... Luke. Do you normally hunt like that...?"
Seemingly unconcerned about the professor who was just carried away, Lucia came over to me.
"No? This is the first time I've performed a magic trick."
"You absolutely can't do that to the students, okay?"
"Haha. What do you take me for?"
I'm a good person who doesn't bother anyone unless they start something first.
But once they do, things get very interesting.
"But it really is amazing."
"What is?"
"Your physical strength just now, your combat style using storage magic, and how you pressured Professor Dmitri with something. It's hard to believe any of that is the skill of someone who was ranked 200th."
Were you perhaps hiding your skills?
Simple curiosity.
Lucia asked, looking genuinely curious.
"Yep."
If I said no, there would be too many things to explain, so I just went with it.
Having to deal with one annoying person like Liche is enough.
"Is that so... I'm curious about the reason, but you wouldn't tell me even if I pried, would you?"
"Nope."
"Then let's take a short break, and right after lunch, we'll head to our first class. As it happens, the class Professor Dmitri was supposed to teach is now open."
"Yep."
And so, to rest up for the upcoming class, I left the training grounds and headed for the cafeteria.
The way the crowd parted for me was reminiscent of the parting of the Red Sea.
I guess this is what respect for a professor looks like.
***
I don't know what the student cafeteria is like, but the one for professors was a buffet.
You could pile your plate with as much of whatever you wanted to eat.
It wasn't needlessly crowded with people bumping into each other, and the variety of food was amazing.
'Hooray for free buffets...'
At this rate, I'm going to be tamed by the food.
'I should secretly swipe some food before I leave.'
This was another moment that proved how overpowered my inventory is.
I can steal it secretly and no one will know.
Anyway, after lunch, we headed to Class A as Lucia suggested.
The class that Dmitri-or-whatever guy was supposed to teach after lunch was Class A, but since he was still unconscious, I was filling in.
-Luke, what kind of class will you be teaching? Will it be focused on the close-quarters combat you just demonstrated?
-No? I was thinking of giving a lecture on stage magic.
-Please, just don't do that.
Unfortunately, due to Lucia radiating killing intent, the magic class was off the table.
She has no idea how expensive magic lessons are these days.
She can cry her eyes out later, I still won't teach her.
Our teaching method was the same as the other professors: rotating through various classes, teaching one class per day.
You can think of it like the arts and physical education classes in a high school on Earth.
"But is there really anything for me to teach...?"
"If you really have nothing to teach, you could at least tell them about a vampire's weaknesses."
"Hmm..."
Chatting idly, we walked down the hall and opened the front door of the room labeled 'A Class'.
What came into view was a tiered classroom with students sitting in an orderly fashion.
Naturally, the students turned their eyes to me.
A few students who recognized my face flinched, their shoulders jolting.
The ones who flinched must have been at the training grounds earlier.
"Y-You're!"
"?"
Just then, a voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar reached me.
Following the voice, my gaze landed on someone with hair like molten gold and eyes as clear as the sky.
One of the main heroines, Tia Roseberry, was pointing a finger at me.
Stella and Liche were seated next to her. Stella shared Tia's hostile glare, while Liche, in contrast, looked very surprised.
For some reason, it felt like only their desk was brightly lit.
'Oh, right. They were all gathered in Class A.'
I'd forgotten that all the same-grade heroines were crammed into Class A.
'But I don't see that bastard Arthur, so it looks like he's still stuck in the lower ranks even after gobbling up that fortuitous encounter.'
Several months have passed since the transmigrator possessed him, and he's still stuck down there?
In short, a total loser.
I completely ignored the finger-pointing Tia and walked to the lectern.
"Don't ignore me!"
Tia shrieked from back there. I ignored her completely.
Standing at the lectern, I scanned my surroundings. Class A definitely has fewer students than the other classes I passed.
While other classes had about 30 students, a quick glance told me this one had less than fifteen.
The students' gazes were filled with questions.
From their perspective, the professor who was supposed to be here didn't show up, and some nobody was standing there instead.
Normally, this would be the time for self-introductions, but as it happens, I don't need one.
Honestly, how many kids here don't know who Luke is?
They must have had a grand time making fun of me back in the day.
"What are you looking at, you morons? First time seeing an adventurer?"
"...Sir Luke. We're not here in our capacity as adventurers."
"Ah, right."
I forgot.
"I probably know all of you anyway, so just introduce yourselves."
Leaving Luna and Yui to their introductions, I looked for some chalk.
"My name is Luna, and I'll be your temporary instructor starting today. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"U-uh... I'm Yui... It's nice to meet you, too..."
I heard their introductions, but there was no particular reaction.
These slackers. Back in my day, we all clapped when the teachers introduced themselves.
Ah, found the chalk.
I made a dot with the chalk on the large blackboard.
The first dot became a corner, and a solid line connected to form a new one.
*Tap, tap. Tap, tap.*
The distinct, crisp sound of chalk echoed in the quiet classroom.
The word I finished writing was.
Self-study.
""...?""
They all had different reactions upon seeing the word I wrote.
Some cleaned their glasses, others squinted to get a better look.
What, why.
You don't like self-study? You need to know how to reflect on and review what you've learned.
You just want everything spoon-fed to you and don't know how to think for yourselves. That's why you don't grow.
'Time to be a wage thief.'
I took a blanket out of my inventory, spread it on the floor, laid my head on a pillow, and lay down.
"Luna, Yui. Wake me when class is over."
"Are you serious...?"
"I'm always serious."
It's rarer for me to lie.
I've always told the truth, except when necessary.
*Thud, thud.*
I heard the sound of someone's footsteps coming down the classroom stairs.
I figured the only people who would bother me while I'm resting would be Liche or the busybody Tia.
"Who are you?"
The voice coming from behind me was a deep male one.
I turned just my head to see who it was and found a male student with navy-blue hair and brilliant blue eyes.
To be honest, I don't bother memorizing the names of male characters, whether they're supporting or main.
I know Arthur because he's the protagonist and mentioned often in the narrative.
But the guy in front of me had a name so similar to a character I know that I memorized it automatically.
"Daio Brando."
"You know me?"
Yeah, I know you well.
Arthur's rival.
He has natural talent, but he thinks he's the strongest and doesn't put in any effort.
He starts trying belatedly after seeing the rapidly growing Arthur catch up, but thanks to the protagonist's buff, the gap between them only widens.
In a word.
"A prideful, friendless loser who thinks he's the strongest."
Daio's expression darkened.
A few students swallowed hard, and the atmosphere changed in an instant.
"You say that even though you know who I am?"
"Is there something I can't do just because I know?"
Looks like he's still sitting on the throne for now.
He's weaker than Tia and Liche, but since those two aren't interested in the throne, he's just a hollow king sitting on an empty seat.
It's not that he's weak, but he gets weaker as the story progresses.
To be precise, he gets weaker in proportion to his opponents.
Arthur is the protagonist, so of course he gets stronger, and even the heroines alongside him grow powerful.
But he stays in the same place, so naturally, he can only get relatively weaker.
"Well, I suppose you need that much guts."
Daio extended his arm and offered his hand.
A request for a handshake.
I don't like shaking hands with guys, but I was curious, so I took his. My hand instantly froze solid.
"Heheh. I look forward to working with you."
He let go with a smirk full of ridicule.
Then, with a turn, he started walking back up.
'Isn't this a plagiarized character...?'
"Sir Luke? Are you okay...?"
"Hmph."
I clenched my fist, and the ice encasing it shattered.
"Looks like I'll need to establish some discipline here."
I took out a leftover cannonball from the last raid from my inventory.
"Luna. Wind."
Luna coated my cannonball with wind.
"Just don't kill him..."
"So as long as I don't kill him, it's fine?"
"At least leave his limbs intact..."
Okay. Roger that.
I grabbed the left shoulder of Daio, who was turning to walk back up the stairs.
"Hey."
"What is it?"
The moment Daio turned around with one corner of his mouth raised in a smirk.
I slammed the wind-wreathed cannonball into the guy's stomach.
"Rasengan!!"
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Plagiarism for plagiarism.