Chapter 237
Chapter 237
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 237
Chapter Title: Reason (1)
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Evening.
The sky, which had been bluish during the day, was now dyed in sunset hues.
The academy students, having finished their grueling studies and training, returned to their dorms while chatting among themselves.
It was a somewhat noisy but peaceful time.
“Kraaak!”
“Keuk!”
In front of the faculty dorms, two students were getting beaten with a stick.
Oliver and Penelope.
The two students from Class 13, where all the troublemakers gathered, were unable to regain their senses amid the blows raining down like rain.
“What? You want to beat the top and second-ranked students of your year? You want to win in a duel? With your skills?!”
Demian’s stick beating didn’t stop until the sky had grown dark.
“Ughhhh…….”
“Uwaaaah…….”
Though the beating had stopped, the two couldn’t get up easily. They lay sprawled on the ground, trembling all over.
Demian rested the stick on his shoulder and spoke to them.
“Have you both come to your senses now? Go inside and rest.”
Demian turned to leave. At that moment, something suddenly grabbed his ankle.
Oliver and Penelope had crawled over and were clutching his ankle.
“T-T-Teacher! P-Please…… f-forgive us!”
“P-Please…… us…… please help us…… win the duel…… train us…….”
Demian looked down at them with an incredulous expression.
Even after all this effort to “persuade” them, they hadn’t reformed. It was a first for Demian.
“What’s your reason.”
Their unyielding resolve piqued Demian’s interest.
“The story might be a bit long…….”
“We’d be grateful if you’d still hear us out.”
Oliver and Penelope told Demian their circumstances.
As Oliver had warned, their story was quite long.
But it was an intriguing tale, so it wasn’t boring. Demian listened quietly from beginning to end.
And he sorted it out in his mind.
‘Oliver is the child of the second wife, and because of that, he was bullied by the first wife and her children.’
The Empire was a country that permitted polygamy. As such, it led to many conflicts.
‘The problem is that Oliver’s mother came from a minor noble family, and Oliver himself had no talent.’
Her family was too weak to protect the mother and son.
Moreover, Oliver lacked talent, so he couldn’t win his father’s favor either.
In short, the mother and son had no means to resist the bullying.
‘And the one who bullied Oliver the most was Geliver.’
The other children of the first wife were all much older than Oliver. They handled family affairs and didn’t clash with Oliver and his mother often.
But Geliver was around Oliver’s age. They inevitably spent a lot of time together.
Thus, Oliver had been bullied by Geliver throughout his childhood.
‘Penelope is an illegitimate child, as she said.’
Unlike Oliver, whose mother was at least recognized as the second wife, Penelope’s situation was worse.
She was born to a maid the duke had toyed with out of boredom.
Her mother wasn’t even acknowledged as a wife. Their position in the family wasn’t just precarious—it was practically nonexistent.
‘The higher the family’s prestige, the more they obsess over honor. The wife and her children despised Penelope, the illegitimate…….’
Penelope grew up treated like an unwanted wretch.
‘And when she comes of age, she’s to be sold off to a family that can bolster the duke’s house. To stop that, she has to defeat Emilio while still at the academy.’
Demian scratched the back of his head.
If he hadn’t known, he could have ignored it. But now that he did, he couldn’t just brush it off.
“I understand why you came to me with that request.”
The two focused their gazes on Demian. Feeling a strange pressure, Demian asked,
“But why me, of all people? There are plenty of other teachers.”
“Because you defeated Dlong Mueller.”
Penelope spoke up.
“Dlong Mueller has a rotten personality, but his understanding of swordsmanship is said to be unmatched. And you beat him using only Imperial Standard Swordsmanship. We think that means your understanding of swordsmanship far surpasses his.”
Demian inwardly admired her nerve in calling Dlong Mueller “that guy.”
“So you thought I could make you strong enough to get revenge.”
Penelope nodded. Demian let out a hollow laugh.
“Didn’t you say last time you couldn’t trust teachers?”
“T-That was…….”
Penelope’s face flushed red in an instant. She looked down and stammered.
“I-I said that because…… well…… the academy teachers…… all hate us…… so…….”
Demian roughly guessed the situation.
From Dlong Mueller’s attitude yesterday, most academy teachers probably despised Class 13.
Having been treated that way by teachers, it was natural they’d grow hostile toward them.
‘Their situation is pitiful…… but this request is absurd.’
Honestly, it was a request he had to refuse.
The exam was just days away. Even focusing on stamina and Imperial Standard Swordsmanship as planned, time was short.
And now, make these two win duels? Against the top and second-ranked first-years?
But actually refusing felt hesitant. It reminded him of his own wandering days.
Back in his delinquent phase, his family couldn’t endure his antics and eventually cast him out.
The blame and anger they hurled at him pierced his heart like sharp arrows.
It was Demian’s fault, something he brought on himself. Even so, bearing their blame and rage was incredibly burdensome.
But these two were being rejected by their families despite having done nothing wrong.
The pain they felt must have been far greater and more agonizing than his.
“……Alright. I’ll grant your request.”
After much deliberation, Demian told them. Joyful smiles lit up their faces.
“But let’s make one thing clear. Beating those guys is practically impossible.”
As befitting top and second-ranked first-years, Emilio Borza and Geliver Fortina had reached the quasi-knight realm.
A quasi-knight could manifest aura and reinforce their body with mana.
By normal standards, they were superhuman enough to be called such.
“To beat them, you’ll have to train several times harder than others. Promise me you won’t complain no matter what.”
“W-We’ll do it!”
“We’ll obey every command you give!”
Oliver and Penelope answered immediately. Demian nodded in satisfaction.
“There’s one more condition. Actually, this is the most important.”
“Yes! Tell us!”
“If you lose, you die by my hand.”
For a moment, the two doubted their ears.
“Not begging me to kill you—it’ll just be death at my hands.”
“C’mon, Teacher, that’s a joke…….”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Flames ignited in Demian’s eyes. A chilling glare shot toward them.
Under that eerie gaze, the two swallowed hard.
* * *
After sending the two away, Demian made contact with a member of the Demon Extermination Unit.
“Sir Demian, good to see you again.”
Jake, the Demon Extermination Unit member, greeted him warmly. As before, Demian confirmed the mark on Jake’s forehead with his monocle.
“Did you look into my request?”
“With little time, I couldn’t get much.”
Demian wasn’t disappointed. Only a day had passed. It was far too short for gathering info.
“But I heard one interesting thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Apparently, knights from the Pale Blood Knight Order have been going out frequently this past year.”
The Pale Blood Knight Order was formed to protect the academy.
Frequent outings by their knights seemed suspicious.
‘Slara can’t scout and abduct students alone. Could some of her subordinates have infiltrated the Pale Blood Knight Order?’
Demian thought of Blanca Roshe. It seemed he’d need a more thorough investigation.
* * *
The next day, training time arrived.
Unlike yesterday, not a single one ran away; all gathered at the training ground. They’d realized fleeing was pointless now.
“Penelope, step forward.”
At Demian’s command, Penelope came forward. He handed her the stick and said,
“You’re in charge of this morning’s class.”
“……Pardon?”
Penelope panicked at the sudden order.
“I have to step out briefly this morning. Don’t worry—just do what I did. Make them run nonstop all morning.”
“Understood.”
Though puzzled, Penelope obeyed Demian’s order.
Leaving Class 13 in her hands, Demian exited the training ground.
“Let’s see…… where’s the first-year swordsmanship class held?”
The errand Demian mentioned was none other than observing Emilio and Geliver’s training.
There was no way to fulfill Oliver and Penelope’s request with ordinary methods.
So Demian planned to thoroughly analyze Emilio and Geliver’s techniques and habits, then drill countermeasures into Penelope and Oliver.
‘They’re quasi-knights, but it’s not impossible to win.’
Quasi-knights were still immature, so body reinforcement with mana didn’t yield huge gains. Plus, aura use was banned in duels.
In other words, superior technique could secure victory.
‘Only five days left. Not sure if it’s feasible.’
As Demian walked, thinking that,
“Isn’t that Sir Demian?”
Blanca Roshe was running toward him from the opposite direction. Unlike usual, she wasn’t empty-handed. She carried a large wooden box on her shoulder.
“Perfect timing. I have something for you.”
Blanca Roshe set the wooden box down. It contained various training equipment.
“The training gear I mentioned last time. It’s worn, but usable. I never skipped maintenance.”
Blanca Roshe said proudly.
“Lady Blanca, I didn’t expect you to actually bring it.”
“Hm? What do you take me for? This Blanca Roshe never speaks idly.”
She slapped her breastplate with her palm.
Looking at her, Demian recalled what Jake had told him yesterday.
“Thank you, but…… honestly, I’m a bit flustered. Why are you going to such lengths for me?”
Demian asked directly. At his question, Blanca Roshe looked embarrassed.
“Well, if you don’t know the circumstances, it might seem odd.”
Blanca Roshe pondered briefly, then said to Demian,
“Can you spare a moment?”
Demian glanced at the distant clock tower. The first-year swordsmanship class hadn’t started yet.
“A short time should be fine.”
“Much obliged. Follow me, then.”
With that, Blanca Roshe started walking.
* * *
“There’s an empty spot on Class 13’s roster, right?”
Blanca Roshe said to Demian en route.
As she said, exactly one student from Class 13 was on leave.
“How did you know?”
“That’s not all. I know the name too. Gael Rondo, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“We’re going to see that child now.”
Blanca Roshe stopped. Demian looked up at the nameplate on the door.
It read “Infirmary.”
“It’s where students who get seriously injured in training or fall ill come to recuperate temporarily.”
“Is Gael Rondo inside?”
Blanca Roshe nodded and opened the infirmary door. Over ten beds lined the room.
Only one had a boy sitting on it.
His skin lacked vitality, cheeks sunken. His complexion was as dark as a corpse’s. Even from afar, a pungent medicinal smell wafted over.
“……Ah!”
Spotting Blanca, the boy smiled brightly and shouted.
“Mother!”