Defiance (3)
“Ugh…!”
A short groan was followed by the sound of the desk shaking. I set aside the novel I’d been reading and glanced to the side.
There lay Lady Jessica von Grind on the makeshift bed we’d cobbled together from desks. She was stroking her nape gingerly as she pushed herself up.
That guy probably hadn’t hit her with his full strength, but to wake up after just ten minutes or so…
Truly the blood of a hero, I suppose? Amazed by her unnatural resilience, I stood and approached her.
“Already up and about? Impressive. How’s your neck feeling?”
“My neck…?”
Her eyes still bleary, as if she hadn’t fully come to, Lady Jessica tilted her head while rubbing her nape.
Maybe she didn’t remember. Or perhaps, since the strike had come from a blind spot, she hadn’t even registered what happened.
“You seem fuzzy on the details, so let me give you a rundown. That guy just snuck up behind you and chopped your neck. You were out cold for about ten minutes.”
“That guy…? Th-that guy!?”
At the mention of “that guy,” realization dawned, and Lady Jessica shot to her feet atop the desk, seething with rage.
Her face flushed beet red with fury—like if this were a play, flames would be roaring behind her in some dramatic stage effect.
“Ian! Where is that bastard right now?!”
“Beats me… I saw him heading out with his thugs, but no clue where they went after that.”
I hadn’t even thought to ask where. What happened after she passed out was so shocking, there was no room for questions.
I recounted everything faithfully—no lies, no embellishments—and Lady Jessica’s body began to tremble with anger.
“He knocks me out on a whim and then treats people like disposable trash…!!”
“Lady Jessica… one bit of advice. Stay away from that guy. The best way to deal with a lunatic is to ignore him completely.”
Crude as it sounds, commoners say you don’t avoid shit because it’s scary—you avoid it because it’s filthy.
That guy might be a big frog in the well called the Royal Academy, but he’s still just a frog in a well.
No need to get tangled with someone who’d shatter the moment he tasted the vast ocean called the world.
[Hey, you half-assed Sword Saint side character!!]
Even buried in my book, those words wouldn’t fade. Now they flooded my mind again.
That day, I’d resolved to abandon everything. Was some lingering regret still clinging on?
The words looped endlessly in my head, turning to irritation, then fury—aimed straight at him.
‘If you meet my sister, you’ll end up just like me…’
Exactly. Anyone who met my sister—save Father—would end up like me.
Once they witnessed that inhuman talent, beloved by some divine being… surely…
“Miss Rain! Are you even listening to me?!”
“……Pardon?”
Had I sunk too deep into my thoughts?
Lady Jessica, her anger at him now partially redirected at me, stood with arms crossed, glaring.
“Sorry… I was lost in thought for a moment. What were you saying?”
“I was saying ignoring a psycho is just running away! If you dodge because it’s too much to handle, how’s that any different from fleeing?!!”
“Yes…”
So that’s what she meant. All that grand talk about seeking out trouble.
“And… that guy isn’t someone you can just ignore…. He’s got this infuriating talent for buzzing around and getting under your skin…”
“That’s just because Lady Jessica falls for provocations so easily…”
He was skilled at needling, sure, but the way she reacted instantly to my offhand comment showed her resistance was paper-thin.
“Anyway, I’m heading out!”
“Heading out…? Where? You’re not going after him, are you?”
“Of course! If I don’t hurry, someone might die!!”
“Die…?”
There’s only so far you can chalk up a sparring mishap. Even a lunatic wouldn’t commit murder in the academy.
“You don’t mean… he’d really go that far?”
Scum like that needs a harsh lesson sometimes.
Nana or Lady Jessica—they wouldn’t touch them due to family status. But a mere baronet? They figured they could handle him.
And their target was Ian, the academy’s infamous delinquent.
Everyone would praise him instead of condemning—no doubt they’d calculated that.
“In a way, it’s their own fault. Best to let them suffer a bit. And if he crosses the line and gets expelled, it’s like blowing your nose without using your hands…”
“No! We can’t let that happen!!”
“Pardon…?”
“If he gets expelled, I can’t get my revenge!! For that reason alone, I have to stop him from getting kicked out!!”
“……Are you actually friends with that guy, Lady Jessica?”
The words slipped out in sheer disbelief, and Lady Jessica yanked the hammer from her belt.
“Say that one more time, and I’ll challenge even you to a duel, Miss Rain.”
“……”
Overwhelmed by her utterly serious tone, I nodded.
“…I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“…Yes. Well then…”
With that, Lady Jessica bolted in the direction he’d gone.
They say ink stains you without realizing it. Does hanging around a madman dye you in madness too?
‘……She’s half-mad herself now.’
“Hoo…”
Crushing the mouth that spewed filth finally eased the rage of my Battōjutsu being insulted—just a tiny bit.
The rare sight of teeth shattering must’ve shocked them badly; the thugs watching from behind froze solid, no reaction at all.
I was the same. Seeing Battōjutsu defiled like that, I’d frozen too.
I’d given them a taste of my pain, but this was far from enough.
“So, whose turn next? Where should I crush next?”
I approached the fallen thug slowly, deliberately stoking their fear.
“Ugaaah…!!”
Pure survival instinct drove him despite the agony of his shattered teeth.
Commendable effort, but turtle-slow against me—he couldn’t escape.
His futile scramble ended with me grabbing his leg, slamming his face back into the floor.
“Krahhh…!!”
“Cat got your tongue? Guess I’ll start with this leg then.”
I tightened my grip, and he thrashed wildly.
His flailing leg smacked my chest—no pain, but the footprint on my white uniform was annoying.
“Fly away!!”
I hurled him by the leg toward his cronies.
As their boss flew at them, bleeding, they snapped to and caught him with their bodies.
“Ugh…!”
They couldn’t brace fully; some toppled backward from the impact.
“Pathetic losers… And you call yourselves knight students? Or are you actually from the magic department, here out of loyalty?”
“Sh-shut up!! You think you’ll get away with this?!”
The glasses-wearing one suddenly yelled, pointing at me arrogantly. I chuckled and closed in.
“Get away with what?”
“What?!”
“You all scattered from Jessica, so none of you are even count-rank or higher, right? Viscount spawn at best?”
Even if I crossed a line, they started this. Me—an S-Class qualifier—versus a pack of low-rank nobles.
The academy’s choice was obvious.
Even if they were counts or higher, I wouldn’t let Battōjutsu insults slide.
“But did you just point at me?”
“Hiiik…!!”
Sensing danger, he yanked his finger back—but too late. I snatched it first.
“I hate pointing. Feels like a rapier aimed at me…!”
“What nonsense…!! How’d you even know I use a rapier…?!”
“What?! So it’s true! You homo bastard!!”
No prolonged contact—AIDS risk—so I snapped his finger clean.
“Kyahhh!!”
As his finger bent impossibly, one thug bolted for the door.
Fleeing seemed smart, but against my superior physique? Fatal mistake.
I sidestepped, overtook him, and unleashed a Battōjutsu into his empty gut.
It should’ve ripped him open, but I held back—crisis averted.
He floated briefly, unconscious, then crashed down.
“Ah…”
In those mere ten seconds, everyone realized the truth.
No escaping me…
“Who’s next for a lesson in Battōjutsu’s glory? You?! Or you?!!!”
“A-aaahhh!!!”
“Stay back!! Stay away, you psycho!!”
“P-please spare us!! Just once…!!”
Savoring the Battōjutsu-wrought hellscape of the training hall, I advanced.
As I reached for the nearest one—
“You mad bastard…!! Stop that hand right now!!”
A hostile voice approached from behind. Reflex kicked in—I Battōjutsu’d toward it.
“Kyaaah!!”
“J-Jessica?!”
Oh no… She charged from behind, and I accidentally Battōjutsu’d her!
Struck in the side, Jessica tumbled away with a sharp cry.
“You okay?!”
Rushing to her, I found her clutching her side, glaring through slitted eyes.
‘Not out cold…?’
I’d pulled the strike to avoid killing, but weeks ago, it would’ve knocked her flat.
You’ve grown, Jessica…
Come to think of it, her strength now—was it because I’d handed her defeat that day?
No credit-seeking here, but without that, would she have trained so hard?
I wanted at least a thanks, so I asked.
“Jessica, got anything to say to me?”
“…K-k-kill…!!”
“Huh? What?”
Couldn’t hear, so I leaned my ear close. A whisper slipped from her parted lips.
“I’ll… kill you……”
“Do your best! Jessica!!”