Chapter 6: Yeah, It's Bro
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: Yeah, It's Bro
Dismay spread across their faces.
A quick glance.
The Marquis, who had been the ringleader, was out cold—fainted ugly, with his tongue hanging limp.
Any dignity fitting a high noble was thrown completely to the dogs.
The nobles felt as though they were walking on thin ice. Suppressing even the sound of their darting eyes, they nervously read 'his' mood.
The Heavenly Sword, Kang Geomma.
A man living out an era of myth all on his own had appeared before them. It wasn’t an entirely unforeseen situation.
Hadn't he actually attended the academy's entrance ceremony for the first time in a long while?
The nobles themselves were well aware that their conduct was nothing short of ganging up on her—and that it was a disgraceful act.
However.
‘We couldn’t delay any longer.’
They had been driven into a corner where they couldn't afford to weigh their options.
Because if they missed this window, noble authority would be thrown into the trash in the near future.
The situation was already threatening the very existence of a status-based society.
The populace's vocal discontent toward useless nobles grew by the day. Dissatisfaction over inequality had existed in the past as well, but—
Circumstances had changed.
Times had changed.
The demons, humanity's primary enemy...
Their power had been severely crippled. And by none other than the Heavenly Sword himself.
The world hailed the Heavenly Sword as its savior. Which was precisely why the nobles had kept their mouths tightly shut for ten long years.
‘If we delay any further...’
Word was that serious discussions regarding the abolition of feudalism were currently taking place in several nations.
At this rate, they would watch helplessly as every privilege and bit of power they enjoyed was stripped away.
And so, with the Marquis leading the charge, they had seized the chance while the Heavenly Sword was asleep to corner and badger the current academy principal, Saki Ryozo.
Yet, even before launching this operation, several nobles had trembled with anxiety.
What if the Heavenly Sword showed up?
Furthermore, the academy principal herself was a high noble of elevated status. For people whose lifeblood was networking, this was a high-stakes gamble.
So when they questioned the Marquis, he had boasted confidently, telling them to leave it to him.
On top of that, he had persuaded them by saying, "High-risk stocks are always a gamble."
‘That son of a bitch.’
The Marquis was passed out.
Maybe he was even dead.
If he was going to get floored by a single burst of killing intent, he shouldn't have acted so high and mighty!
‘...Surely he didn't kill him.’
However, such assumptions were meaningless against the Heavenly Sword. If he told you to "die," you had to at least pretend to play dead.
He was, so to speak—
"I alone am exalted in all the heavens and earth."
The sun of this era, reigning supreme above the heavens.
It was a blessing in disguise that he chose to act as a cog within the system.
‘If he decides to, he could turn the entire world upside down.’
On top of that, the Heavenly Sword was a commoner from the Special Class.
He had turned down noble titles offered to him from all around the globe. That alone showed his negative stance on nobles.
And now, that very Heavenly Sword...
Kang Geomma’s eyes had gone totally cold and wild.
The gaze sweeping over them was like a sashimi knife. Sharp and piercing, as if it could flay skin.
Please, just knock us out instead.
If he blew out his killing intent on purpose, everyone would roll their eyes back and faint, but the Heavenly Sword was deliberately refraining.
He intended to slice them up while they were wide awake. His killing intent carved into their hearts.
At last.
"Excuse me."
After a long silence, he finally opened his mouth.
"Is that hole under your nose only used for shoving food down your gullet? If you've got a mouth, start using it."
* * *
"……."
"So."
I tapped my fingernail against the round table.
"You're saying you need a Council of Elders?"
"H-Heavenly Sword. That is..."
"The Council of Elders is great, isn't it? I have fond memories of those people too. Exactly ten years ago, actually. One of the elders went out of his way trying to kill me. Even hired the 'Undertakers' on the day of our school trip. Wow, I almost kicked the bucket back then. As fellow nobles, what do you think about the elders' actions back then? Speak up, let's hear it."
"W-We—"
"Shut up."
"Yes..."
Ah, these bastards. It's been a while since someone made me snap like this.
"If you have a problem with this system that gives full authority to the academy principal, just say so. Stop beating around the bush with pathetic excuses."
I spat at the nobles, dripping with irritation.
"And unless your brain is made of udon noodles, do some actual thinking. When was the academy's prestige higher—when the Council of Elders existed, or now without them?"
"……."
Words that left everyone with no choice but to tuck their tails.
It had been ten whole years since the academy principal took center stage to run the institution. In all that time, had there been a single notable blunder? Not one.
From Medea Poison down to Saki Ryozo today. Thanks to their hard work, the academy had surpassed its previous prestige and entered a golden era.
Not to mention the qualitative jump in graduates; students raised under fair competition carried an incomparably higher pride in being academy alumni than ever before.
Noble children who grumbled upon admission about being placed on equal footing with commoners ended up forging tight bonds regardless of status by the time they graduated.
The one who built that healthy system was Medea Poison. The one who inherited her legacy and fortified it even further was Saki Ryozo.
The growth of Joaquin Academy lay not merely in its grounds or buildings, but in its internal substance.
I’d been too busy with Demon Realm matters lately to pay much attention.
But sure enough, the moment I looked away...
‘This school...’
It was the legacy left to future generations by my first master and adoptive father, the Hero of the Origin, Balor Joaquin.
I couldn't just sit by and let these foul, reeking bastards pollute it.
The only reason I wasn't slaughtering these people on the spot was strictly because...
‘It would tarnish Ryozo's hard work.’
It would be like kicking down the grand monument she built by sacrificing her sleep night after night.
Knowing my temperament, their heads would have rolled long ago. I could slash every single one of them with a glance. Even with my eyes closed, it wouldn't be a problem.
"As you said, it's true the former principal and the current principal are capable. But what kind of sophistry is it to claim that future principals won't measure up?"
I said.
"By rule, academy principals are appointed from among academy graduates. That means, if things go well, one could even come from your own children. Do you call yourselves parents, recklessly setting limits on your own kids?"
"...We were shortsighted."
"Not shortsighted, overreaching. Overreaching so much you're leaving a mess everywhere you go."
"H-Heavenly Sword, please do not be angered."
Under my piercing gaze, a man tried frantically to salvage the situation. A face I'd seen passing by. Was he some count who was supposed to be a big deal in Spain?
"T-This was all actually... the plotting of Marquis Sade over there! You know how much influence he yields..."
The Count poured his entire soul into his performance. He continued, glaring at the Marquis as if looking at a sworn enemy.
"He threatened us! Said if we didn't cooperate, we'd better watch our backs when walking at night."
"So you're saying you had no choice but to come because you were scared of walking at night."
"Yes, yes!"
He was desperate. The other fools nodded along eagerly, so fast their heads left afterimages.
"I guess you're scared of dark roads at night, but not scared of daytime ones."
"...P-Pardon? I-I didn't mean it like that..."
"Even if I give you the benefit of the doubt and assume your words are true."
"D-Does that mean you're giving us a chance...?"
Eyes filled with a faint spark of hope. I shut it down cold.
"Whether it's a chance or not depends on what you do from here."
"I-I swear it!"
"An oath isn't something you throw around lightly. You have to be prepared to stake your life on it."
"H-How could I dare utter falsehoods in your presence? Please believe me, Lord Heavenly Sword."
"Detecting lies isn't my specialty."
I cast my glance behind the blabbering man. Shadows stretched long beneath the dim lighting.
"You're listening, right?"
I commanded.
"Memorize every single face here."
The shadow squirmed as if acquiring physical mass. The nobles gasped in terror as they sensed it, but I kept talking.
"They clearly made a pledge to me. I don't like saying something so authoritative with my own mouth, but I am one of the Seven Stars. An oath sworn before me carries a different weight."
"Yeah."
The man who stepped out of the shadow replied. He then fully revealed his form.
Beneath flowing red hair, crimson eyes flared like pooled blood. Red hair and eyes—that alone was enough to make the nobles tremble violently.
The House of Order, Auditore da Sicilia.
"Violating an oath makes you subject to summary execution," Nox Auditore said, sweeping his gaze across the room. Meticulously, as if engraving them behind his retinas. "There were a few people I was keeping an eye on anyway."
"Keeping an eye on them?" Ryozo, who had been biding her time, asked.
"Not to mention Marquis Sade lying over there, but that guy who was glibly talking up a storm just now. He's been busy taking bribes lately. Accepting money from wealthy non-nobles, promising he'll get them admitted into the academy's Special Class."
"What?"
Ryozo's eyes flashed fiercely.
"Count. Is that true?"
"W-W-Well..."
"Stop stuttering. Just answer whether it's true or not."
"It doesn't seem entirely false, but it also doesn't seem..."
"Is that an answer?"
I tried to stay as calm as possible.
"I-I was just trying to give commoners an opportunity!"
"Not even worth listening to."
There was no need to even glance his way.
Thwack—!
A thorn erupted from his solar plexus. The man clawed frantically at his shirt as red bled outward.
"Ghhhk—!"
"You broke the pledge, so die."
Nox kicked his back to pull the blade free. He then wiped off the blood by sliding the S-rank Armament Red Ring Blade along his sleeve.
The Auditore family possessed extrajudicial authority specifically over corrupt nobles. Even if someone were a famous noble in Europe, they showed no mercy. A license to execute, so to speak.
"What should I do with the corpse?" Nox looked at me after sheathing his sword. "Decapitate and display it?"
"No." I thought about it for a moment, then shook my head. "Just quietly take it and dispose of it on your own."
"Understood."
Nox slung what used to be the Count over his shoulder and dissolved into the shadows. Only drops of blood dripped steadily from the corner of the desk.
The commotion broke out a beat late.
"Eeeek!"
"C-Count!"
It didn't last long.
"Quiet."
"……."
"If you're nobles, you're supposed to be heroes. Is this your first time seeing someone die? Why the fuss?"
The nobles who had sprung to their feet like wild horses stung by a needle hesitated before sitting back down.
"Live with some dignity."
"……."
"At least here at the academy where your children are."
I had clearly warned them.
The choice was theirs to make.
Screeech.
I stood up. Before leaving the reception room, I stole a glance at Ryozo.
She appeared expressionless on the surface, but I could read the tender emotion beneath it.
‘Thank you.’
Smiling subtly, I left the reception room. I had to leave her room to work her magic.
With this as leverage, the principal would keep the nobles in check. Her overtime hours would decrease for a while too.
It was my own small gesture of consideration for Ryozo, who worked so hard.
* * *
There is an aftermath.
As soon as the Marquis heard about the Count's death, he confessed to all the crimes he had committed.
When I heard he was trying to reduce his sentence by invoking noble privileges, I contacted Nox separately.
There has been no news since.
I expect it will stay that way.
At least, that's what I think.
* * *
Ⓢ Saint_Ryu: hi hi
Ⓐ Zljon Geomje: Oh, hi there! haha
Ⓐ Invincible Sashimi: Wow, that person is literally here all day long lol. Bro, don't you work?
Ⓢ Saint_Ryu: You're an A-rank on the board too, aren't you?
Ⓐ Invincible Sashimi: There's a massive difference between A and S lol. Seriously, what do you do in real life?
Ⓑ Ddatdattjwi: How does a game released only a hundred days ago have 1,800 hours of playtime?
Ⓢ Saint_Ryu: Possible if you give up real life.
Ⓐ Zljon Geomje: How do you give up real life? Do you not work?
Ⓢ Saint_Ryu: Nope. I'm rich and unemployed.
Ⓐ Invincible Sashimi: Rich, my ass lol. I can tell what kind of person you are just by looking.
Ⓢ Saint_Ryu: Wanna meet up and fight IRL?
Ⓐ Invincible Sashimi: Sigh, I really wasn't gonna bring this up, but I'm actually pretty famous, you know? Probably not a single person in this world who doesn't know my name.
Ⓑ Ddatdattjwi: Who are you then?
Ⓐ Zljon Geomje: I'm curious too. haha
Ⓑ Ddatdattjwi: It's fine, I have nowhere to tell anyway. Cut off social life half a year ago.
Ⓒ He Is God: Stop wasting people's time, kid. The old guys here have lived longer than they have left. They don't have time to waste.
Ⓑ Ddatdattjwi: What's with the sudden splash damage?
Ⓐ Zljon Geomje: hahahahaha
Ⓒ Rai Young: That tongue is as sharp as the Heavenly Sword's sashimi slicing.
Ⓐ Invincible Sashimi: Old geezers, seriously.
Ⓐ Invincible Sashimi: Whew... Don't go spreading this around...
Ⓐ Invincible Sashimi: I'm the Heav... Ah, I'll stop here.
Ⓢ Saint_Ryu: ?
Ⓢ Saint_Ryu: That guy's right here with me though.
Ⓐ Invincible Sashimi: Bullshit lol
Ⓢ Saint_Ryu: Want proof?
Ⓐ Invincible Sashimi: Try it then.
Ding.
Ⓢ Saint_Ryu: (Photo)
Ⓐ Invincible Sashimi: ...Huh?
Ⓐ Heavenly Sword Love: Holy shit?!!!!
Ⓑ Ddatdattjwi: Isn't that photoshopped??
Ⓒ He Is God: No, it's not. I work in video editing so I can tell at a glance, that's legit.
Ⓐ Invincible Sashimi: No, who the hell are you? Why are you with Lord Heavenly Sword?!!!!!!!!
Ding.
Ⓢ Saint_Ryu: Yeah, it's bro~