176. The Eliarnes Subjugation?
176. The Eliarnes Subjugation?
I stepped out boldly enough, sure.
The professors, hiding away as tense as could be, worried something big might happen.
And the sight of over fifty "humans" swarming toward us with hostile intent, clumsy as they were.
"Hmm..."
It stirred up quite a lot of... thoughts and feelings.
And it seemed I wasn't the only one—Eurasia and Silina felt it too.
"Pfft... Eliarnes. Don't you feel like you've become a proper villain?"
"Why are you talking like you're not one yourself?"
"Um... my lady, are we the villains?"
"I don't think I am, at least... but they sure seem to think we are."
I have my own personal line when it comes to judging what is human and what isn't.
The moment something crosses that line, I stop seeing it as human, whatever it is.
But those little shits up ahead, glaring at me with all sorts of weapons drawn... they're human, for now.
And on top of that, even the professors are wary of me, aren't they?
So, how do I put it... this is a feeling I've never had in my life.
"Is this how the Demons who got subjugated by humans felt?"
"What in the world is she talking about?"
"Huh, huh?!"
"No, I mean..."
I stopped mid-sentence and tilted my head for a moment.
Is it okay to say this? Does it matter?
It's a little unpleasant to think of myself as something like a demon and talk about it, but since I'm the one doing it, I figure it's fine.
I nodded and went on.
"A bunch of pathetic brats gathered up to try and take me down somehow, so it's kind of... tch, should I say it's not even funny?"
Demons. The Legion Commanders, especially.
I used to think those bastards who fought us were forcing their arrogance, but now that I've experienced it firsthand, I understand why they acted so high and mighty.
It wasn't forced. It was a natural reaction.
Beings born fundamentally different. Beings who live several times longer than humans, and who hold from birth the power a human would spend their whole life building.
Demons who, on top of that, spent hundreds of years toying with humans.
To Demons like that, humans must have seemed like the natural lesser beings they'd always been.
And when those lesser beings gathered together, claiming they'd subjugate you, it really is enough to make you act that arrogant.
Even Greed, the first one we took down.
That bastard Krahal kept up the arrogance right up until he died. I even seriously pondered why that bastard was Greed and not Pride.
Of course, my thoughts changed once I met the real Pride.
Well, anyway...
"It's a really... strange feeling. The corners of my mouth keep twitching. It's so... weird, this..."
It pisses me off that I understand how those bastards felt, but what can I do about understanding it?
If I meet my comrades later, it might not be bad to tell them how I felt just now.
It'd be good for them to stand in this position themselves. If it's them, they'd probably—no, definitely—feel the same way I do.
A really complicated... tangled-up mess of emotions.
"Good heavens. Look at her smiling. Eliarnes, you're not... getting any bad ideas, are you?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"I'm saying don't make this into a hobby and enjoy it."
"Say something that makes sense."
"Looking at your face right now, it doesn't sound like total nonsense."
I raised my hand and touched the corner of my mouth. I can feel it, twisted upward. Because this situation is funny? Or.
Do I make this face every time I think of those bastards? Is that why Sparkle notices?
I don't know. I just want to believe I made this face because the situation is funny.
Because if I'm making this face while thinking of those bastards, it feels like I'm losing, and that wounds my pride.
"No matter what you're thinking, my lady, I will always follow you."
Eurasia clenched her fist and her eyes sparkled.
"Uh... uhh..."
I never imagined she'd answer like that. Normally, in this kind of situation... isn't she supposed to say she'll straighten me out if I go crooked?
"...Yeah."
For Eurasia's sake, since she's so blindly devoted to me, I figured I ought to live honestly.
"Haa... Honestly, I only made that joke because those kids' hostility is aimed entirely at you, but Eliarnes, doesn't it bother you at all?"
"What, am I supposed to tremble and worry?"
"Wouldn't that be normal? I know full well you've reached Tier 6 and have excellent combat instincts, but this isn't a normal situation. You're not trying to kill those kids—you're only going to subdue them."
It's basic common sense that subduing is harder than killing in a fight.
And those kids are just numerous—they're far weaker than me.
If I stood here right now and just let out my Mana and killing intent, the ones coming over that ridge would foam at the mouth and start convulsing.
And if I did that, they'd be stuck with trauma they could never shake, or maybe their minds would break and they'd live out their lives as half-wits.
So I can't do that.
I have to stretch out my fists and legs with just the right amount of force and subdue them one by one, by hand. So they won't come at me again, but their minds won't shatter either.
It's like catching mosquitoes that are flying at me without killing them, cupping them in my palm.
And I have to handle about fifty of them like that.
Is it impossible?
"Why wouldn't I be able to?"
It's easy. On this hot day, in this damp, sticky mountain, I'm even thinking I can finish without shedding a single drop of sweat.
And just having an Imperial Princess standing beside me will double those kids' worries.
They'll struggle desperately to keep even a single hair on Silina untouched.
That alone is enough of a role for Silina.
"It'd be easy alone, but you and Eurasia are helping me too. And Pina can help from behind."
Eurasia's and Silina's eyes widened at my words.
"...That's true."
"You trust me?!"
"You talk like there was ever a time I didn't trust you."
"Hah..."
Not only that, Eurasia's eyes welled up and she covered her mouth.
"I'll... do my best."
"No... not your best. Just do enough. Enough."
After today... I shouldn't do this kind of bad thing with Eurasia anymore.
*****
Murmur, murmur—
More than fifty, nearly sixty people were crossing the ridge, sweating buckets.
"We're gonna be okay, right...?"
A first-year in Signia Class at Karelai Academy, and the academy's one and only worst delinquent.
A descendant of the Hero. Direct line of House Eustetia.
Eliarnes Eustetia.
From now on, we have to face her.
Not only do we have to steal her points and ruin her finals—we have to injure her.
We don't know her exact Realm, but they say she's at least Tier 3. Fortunately, she doesn't use a weapon. A Martial Artist.
But the academy's top student guarding her side, Eurasia Espirot, uses a sword. Her confirmed Realm is Tier 5, capable of emitting Sword Aura.
And her friend.
The academy's second-ranked student, the 5th Circle genius Wizard known as the Flame Emperor's disciple, Stella Verheigen.
If she were here too, our spirits would've broken before we even started. But we confirmed that Stella isn't at Eliarnes's side.
Of course, a Tier 5 swordswoman is terrifying enough to drain the blood from our faces, but in a large-scale battle, nothing is scarier than a Wizard in the rear.
Taking comfort in that, the kids didn't stop walking. They couldn't stop.
"Even if we're not okay, we have to do it..."
Even if we're not okay, we have to.
We have no choice but to do it.
Everyone here felt the same way.
Shivria Eustetia.
Her family, a collateral branch of Eustetia, manages the iron mines in the Beruna Region. On top of that, they have connections with every company that receives iron ore.
And the parents of the kids here were laborers working under those companies.
Shivria used that as leverage to approach the kids. Her words were kind and refined, but in the end, she was telling them to follow her orders unless they wanted to starve to death along with their parents.
And Shivria said that if they just followed her orders, they wouldn't have to worry about any fallout.
Honestly, they couldn't believe it.
Even kids who know nothing of the world know that a collateral branch can't beat the direct line.
But they couldn't just refuse, either.
How much tuition had they paid to come to this academy? They have to pay next semester's tuition too. For that, their parents are working without rest even on this hot summer day.
But, but.
If they refuse Shivria's orders, the academy no longer matters. They'd be in a position where they'd have to worry about tomorrow's bread and milk.
"...Even if we're not okay, we have to."
As if hypnotizing themselves, they muttered the same words over and over.
It was a hopeless situation with no way out.
There's no gap or discrimination by status inside the academy? That's true. But not among the students. A clear wall exists.
A wall between nobles and commoners that can never be crossed.
A towering wall so high that commoners, no matter how hard they try, can never surpass noble blood.
Still, the one silver lining was.
Eliarnes might be different from Shivria.
They'd heard the stories from the kids who attacked Eliarnes first.
"Why would I touch your families? Cut the bullshit. If you came to take me down, then do it. Don't waste time with cheap sympathy plays."
After saying that, Eliarnes subdued every single one of the kids who attacked her, and then said this.
"Hey, what are your names?"
"Do your parents work in the iron mines?"
"Thought so. So, what's your name? No, never mind. Write all your names down here."
"Why are we doing this annoying shit? Ah, fuck. If you're scared, don't write it and get lost."
"If you're done writing, don't go having useless thoughts. Go home and be good to your parents. Huh? Study hard too. Don't slack on your training. Whatever it is, work hard and be good to your parents. Treat them well while they're still here. While they're still here. Got it?"
"If you can't do it, keep trying until you can. Honestly, kids these days have no romance and no passion. Your parents are working their bones off to send you to a good academy, and you're here burying your heads without any pride? Tsk, you little shits. Back in my day—"
And so... after leaving behind those strange words, Eliarnes.
Starting the next day, she moved proactively and attacked the other kids "first."
Because of that, the kids began to wonder.
Maybe Eliarnes.
Maybe she knows everything about our situation and is deliberately playing along.
Maybe that's why she moved first, gave us a reason to be hostile toward her, lessened our guilt, and in the end waited until we made our move.
It wasn't certain.
But if they didn't think that way, they felt like they'd really fall apart. So the kids decided to believe it, even if they had to force themselves.
They'd been thinking that way for a while.
"Hoo boy... seeing it in person, there really are a lot of you."
From not too far away, a giggling laugh reached them.
"Friends. You got a lot of points?"
With the dark sky and the cool moon at her back, Eliarnes licked her lips and went on about points...
"Poi... nts? Ah, ahh..."
It was more than enough to shatter the kids' hopes.
"Don't tell me you pathetically hid them somewhere before coming? If you really did, nobody's gonna have any fun. Huh?"
The wind blew. Wildflowers danced, and countless leaves nodded their heads.
"Tch... these little shits' faces don't look good. You didn't actually hide them somewhere, did you?"
In the heart of a refreshing, beautiful midsummer, lush with greenery, a pale, delicate girl smiled brightly.
"So what if they hid them? Beat them enough and they'll talk."
With a light tap—
Lovely cherry blossom petals fluttered.
"Ugh... uwaaaaaah!!"
At the same time, fifty-eight students charged all at once.
And so, the Eliarnes Subjugation? began.