Chapter 175
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: A Chance Even Beggars Get
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A chance even beggars get.
Philip was always like that.
He hated this sensation.
The utterly beggar-like feeling he wouldn't have known if he'd been born a high noble from the start.
Where had the whore's breasts he'd kneaded with both hands just days ago gone? The greasy foods and liquor he'd shoved into his mouth?
'Damn it... Why is the weather so damn good?'
Now that he truly realized the good days were all gone, everything positive felt like it was picking a fight with him.
It was time to run himself ragged to reclaim those happy times. Time to hammer into his head that turning his back on reality was the way to go.
Philip, who had wandered the outside world enjoying some alone time, bolstered by a fat wad of support money under the pretext of work...
Had returned to the capital with results that weren't bad considering the time invested, and now he was hustling about.
At the academy's main gate, he rummaged in his bosom and pulled out the item issued as proof that he was a family servant, showing it off.
The guards stationed here were always kind to servants.
It was inevitable, given each had a noble as their backing.
But basically, they were in similar positions, so they understood.
"Hard work, everyone~"
Exchanging friendly greetings with the guards who always welcomed him with smiles, Philip entered the academy grounds.
He walked the street still vividly etched in his memory toward the dormitory.
Up the stairs, where even the wooden railings bore luxurious repeating patterns, to his destination.
He glanced left and right, confirmed the quiet hallway, and rapped on the door.
Tok- tok tok- tok-
"..."
No answer even after knocking was a familiar situation.
He might be deep in an experiment, so knocking repeatedly could earn him some vented frustration.
He stood blankly in the hallway for a good while, knocking, waiting, and repeating.
No response came, so he cracked the door open with his hand, and it swung without resistance.
Kkiiik-
"Young master?"
The dormitory room where Isaac should have been was empty, leaving Philip deeply flustered.
But thanks to the memo left in the room, pinpointing his location wasn't hard.
In his position, no need for deep thought—he emptied his mind and headed to the instructed spot.
Swimming against a crowd swarming like bugs.
Step-
His feet stopped at the heart of the capital.
He looked up, and his neck ached at the sight of a high-class inn—he hadn't even known it was a lodging house until now.
"Wow~ I'd love to stay in a place like this sometime."
As expected of the eldest son from a family overflowing with money.
Whether he'd sent word ahead or not, the moment he entered, the staff verified his identity and escorted him to the top floor.
Without peeking through the gap in the open door, he first announced himself with his voice.
"Young master. It's Philip. I've returned."
"Timing's neither good nor bad. Come in."
"Pardon the intrusion."
Only after permission did he enter the room, where a table sat with just a single book and no research items in sight, sparking doubt.
'A research maniac with only one book? And...'
Words he absolutely couldn't voice aloud, but Isaac's eyes right now were like that drunkard's from the tavern—squinty and darting about.
Their gazes met, and Isaac smiled with some eerie emotion, sending chills down Philip's spine as he hastily averted his eyes.
"Even you caught the gaze of my eyes. Has Philip, the diligent one, gone dull?"
"S-sorry!"
Quickly sensing the bad vibe, Philip bowed his head, and Isaac let out a hollow chuckle.
"Kuk...! Compared to Robert, mine's just a gift or a spirit's prank."
The mutter, more lament than words to him, echoed through the wide room.
Having been at the border with ears closed off, the recent events now hitting Philip's ears one after another left him reeling in confusion.
'A noble-targeting killer they caught but couldn't catch... Undead in the capital?! He's not the type to joke.'
No wonder the capital's gates had excessive inspections and were so noisy.
Hearing the situation, it felt like he'd been gone fifty years.
Isaac, who had been rambling on, suddenly cut himself off, furrowed his brows, and turned his gaze to Philip.
"...Talking about the past just sours the mood. So, how'd it go?"
Now was the moment to show off his achievements.
Philip could speak with confidence.
"I gathered people with absolutely no connections."
"You made sure they wouldn't harm or injure her even a little, right?"
Even if this got tangled and exposed the slightest hint of Isaac's tail...
If he didn't want a direct hit from the iron mace named Eclair Dreitna, the ideal was to break Chloe's will without harming a speck of her.
Family ties were ultimately a noble's pride.
If exposed, regardless of the sisters' relationship, the Empire's Five Knights wouldn't stay silent.
'Has to be airtight.'
From Isaac's cold, objective view, Chloe Dreitna's timidity was the key to this affair.
And her low practical scores compared to theory in the Knight Department made creating that situation look easy.
"Of course. Their skills are enough to handle most academy cadets without issue, barring a few. Having settled as bosses in small villages or territories, their confidence rivals that of heroes who command the Empire."
Every single one he'd met had said the same thing, as if scripted.
That they could disarm those greenhouse noble brats—who knew no real combat—without a scratch, easily.
From the facing side, those confident heads were the most worrisome.
He knew how lethal carelessness could be poison, even with a skill gap.
Philip figured a few heads might roll before the young master, mad about this girl, stepped in.
"Today's practical class—"
Tensing his core and booming his voice through the hall, his gaze shifted and first locked with Rike's.
Having awkwardly resolved things at the Church, he'd poured all his pent-up affection into Rike and shared deep pillow talk about Chloe too.
Seria, knowing my relationship with Rike, looked predictably complicated.
Chloe...
The moment their eyes met, she blushed and slightly bowed her head to avoid his gaze.
'This is driving me nuts.'
Something he'd normally brush off as "Chloe's the same as ever~"
But now, seeing it with conscious fresh affection, it felt cute while stirring up a flood of thoughts and responsibility.
Right now, my words to Chloe carried as much weight as Eclair's voice.
Considering her personality, he could guess.
The affection she'd harbored after breaking through her negative views on men wouldn't be light.
A casual joke from him could wound her deeply.
Or become the cause of sleepless nights.
That was what it meant to seriously hold someone in your heart.
'For now, pretending not to know, like the two said, is best...'
He agreed with Eclair and Rike's opinion.
From Chloe's perspective, the moment he let on, who knew where she'd bolt.
Would she use it as an excuse to push toward him, or flee far away in shame?
Depending on the moment, Chloe's bold trait might activate—or it might be a gamble that didn't.
But if he stayed put without moving, would things progress?
He too needed chances and time to know Chloe Dreitna not as a little sister, but as a 'woman'.
....
"No matter how noisy it is outside, class goes on as usual."
Due to the recent undead incidents, some had sensed ill omens and returned to their estates, leaving many seats empty.
But the only one properly processed for leave was Robert.
'Not that I don't get it...'
For family heirs, safety came first, even if it dinged their academy grades.
They might still want to see how the Church and Empire handled things.
"Remember this. Fewer people doesn't change what you cadets must do."
No matter the big incidents in the Empire, the first-years' duties remained the same.
To hone themselves, grow and grow again, becoming the foundation for a mighty Empire that would crush the Federation.
Most were at a stage where grasping detailed critiques and improvement directions was crucial.
So practical class still focused mostly on individual matchups.
Clang!
During practical class, weapons clashed repeatedly, ringing out with metallic shrieks.
"Cadet Chloe Dreitna. Concentrate."
"Y-yes! Sorry...!"
It was far too different from just a week ago.
Of course, Chloe always participated diligently in class.
But even when serious and doing well, if their eyes met or swords clashed close, her focus visibly shattered.
He halted the forced exchange, created distance, and looked at her.
"Feeling unwell?"
"No...!"
Seeing her downcast and slightly deflated, he used mana to erect a soundproof barrier around them.
The humming completed it in an instant.
Chloe snapped her head up at the familiar mana flow, meeting his eyes.
Her expression and voice were guilty, like she'd been caught committing a grave crime.
"...Oppa."
"You're really not feeling bad?"
"Y-yes... Sorry."
"Why can't Chloe concentrate?"
"Sorry..."
Watching Chloe apologize nonstop wasn't pleasant at all.
He knew the reason, yet asking like this felt like a rotten thing to do.
Pak-!
Thrusting his longsword into the ground, he pondered, then came up with a somewhat forced idea.
"Chloe. They say eating something sweet helps when your head's cluttered or you're in a bad mood."
"..."
"Just look at adventurers—material rewards can be the best motivation, worth risking your life for sometimes. If Chloe focuses hard in today's class, wanna go for dessert?"
At his words, Chloe's blue eyes gleamed with transparent desire as she asked urgently.
"Th-that...! Is it separate from the last promise?"
"Last promise?"
He racked his brain at her question but drew a blank, so he threw a question back.
"Uh, the meal with Oppa... on the way back through the alley, the place we couldn't go to..."
As Chloe hesitantly explained, the exact moment popped into his head.
"Of course it's separate! Lumping them together would make me a petty guy."
Grip.
As the words ended, veins bulged on the back of Chloe's hand from how tightly she clenched.
"Huu..."
She let out a long breath and assumed her stance.
The heavy aura unique to defensive swordsmanship emanated from her.
Seeing that, he lifted the longsword stuck in the ground.
"Now I can look forward to it, right?"
Her chilling focus, like she wouldn't even blink if sand got in her eyes.
Chloe replied in a voice lower and quieter than usual.
"I'll... do my best."
```