Chapter 324
Chapter 324
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 324
>Chapter Title: Sallie von Decullan
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Sallie von Decullan.
I started paying attention to him again once we entered our third year.
‘Somehow... it just feels off.’
From what I’d observed so far, Sallie was so pure-hearted that you could say he was a completely different person from his past-life self.
“Hey, the assignment.”
“Oh, yeah... but I think I left it back at the dorm.”
“Ah, crap. You serious? We have to turn it in by lunch today. You gonna take responsibility if our group gets docked points because of you? Hurry back during break.”
“Yeah, got it...”
Even the kids who’d kept their distance at first because of the Decullan name now treated Sallie like dirt on a regular basis.
‘Is this surprising or just par for the course?’
Considering the weight of the Decullan name, it was unexpected. But thinking back to the Tower of Trials incident, it made perfect sense.
The Tower of Trials mess had officially been pinned on the rogue actions of the vassal family Bimarr, not Decullan—but everyone knew Decullan was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
What really surprised me, though, was Sallie’s reaction.
“Huff... huff... here, the assignment. Got it.”
“Oh, cool. But man, sorry about this. I got the date wrong. It’s due tomorrow.”
“Oh...”
“No big deal, right? These things happen. Yeah? It’s not like I did it on purpose.”
“Y-yeah. It’s fine.”
Anyone could see this was deliberate.
It was the kind of situation where flushing red and snapping back wouldn’t be out of place...
‘...But he always lets it slide like that.’
I quietly watched Sallie as he dejectedly opened his textbook. He was panting from rushing back and forth to the dorm during break, looking utterly pathetic.
‘Is that really the same guy?’
That wasn’t the Sallie I knew.
- Kyaaah! Y-young, y-young Patriarch!
- Do my eyes deceive me, or are you actually calling me Young Patriarch? So, decide. Left hand or right? Or should I just lop off an ankle?
Sallie never let even the smallest mistake from the servants slide.
A slip of the tongue meant losing a tongue. A mistake cost a wrist. He’d even go straight for the neck plenty of times.
A man riddled with inferiority complex, paranoia, and sinister madness.
...That was the Sallie I remembered.
‘What the hell?’
Had some incident changed him?
In the past, I might’ve thought he was just hiding his true nature. But maybe because I’d already seen it with Damian...
I began observing Sallie more carefully.
And in doing so, I unintentionally learned a few things.
First off.
...The guy was a relentless hard worker.
“Huff! Huff, huff!”
He’d wake up early at dawn and jog a lap around the training grounds. Then he’d do some light weight training—nothing too special up to that point.
It barely qualified as actual training.
What came after wasn’t all that remarkable either.
‘After weights, he activates a breathing technique and heads straight to the library. Eats at mealtime, then goes to class.’
He never dozed off during lectures.
He always listened most attentively, and during breaks, he’d stay glued to his seat reviewing the material.
Once classes ended, back to the dorm for more breathing exercises.
After that, grab his books and hit the library again.
He studied until midnight, fueling up on a simple sandwich from the cafeteria for dinner.
And after midnight...
‘Personal training until bedtime.’
That went until 2 a.m.—not an insanely long session.
The weird part was his wake-up time.
‘...Up again at 4.’
Sure, anyone could maintain that schedule for a day or two.
But the reason I called him a relentless hard worker was...
‘He’s been doing this every single day?’
Yeah, that was it.
From what I heard, ever since transferring into Jenion Academy up to today, he’d stuck to the exact same routine without fail.
“For real?”
“Of course. If you want, I can set up a meeting with the source. For an extra fee, naturally.”
“Nah, I trust you.”
“Thanks for the business.”
I watched Pola pocket his payment, then scanned the “report” he’d handed over.
It was testimony from Sallie’s second-year roommate, recounting what he’d seen and heard sharing a room with him for the past year.
Not from a pro, so it lacked objectivity and was a messy read—but that’s exactly what made certain truths pop.
According to Sallie’s former roommate, he was...
- A maniac for effort.
A diligent hard worker, sure.
- But a hopeless dullard.
Yeah, that nailed it.
And from what I’d seen, it matched perfectly.
‘...Grades always in the bottom ranks. Barely scraping by without failing.’
Theory or practicals.
Nothing stood out.
He clearly put in several times the effort of others, yet his results didn’t even reach their toes.
But.
Sallie never tired.
It was like he didn’t even know the concept—as if he were a machine repeating the same day endlessly.
So, I had no choice but to wrestle with it.
‘...What should I do?’
It was a different kind of dilemma from when he first transferred in.
Back then, his mere existence was pure chaos, and I needed to sort my head out. Now, I was weighing more practical factors.
‘If I’m gonna take him out, it has to be while he’s still at the academy.’
I couldn’t be certain of anything yet.
...Not quite.
* * *
Anyway, my observation of Sallie was ongoing, and my feelings were a tangled mess.
The utility of “handling” him went without saying.
‘Who knows what Pahren thinks, but without the Young Patriarch, Decullan would be thrown into chaos.’
Half-baked as he was, Sallie’s presence alone acted as a counterweight.
Which meant.
‘No more random nobodies buzzing around, eyeing the patriarch’s seat.’
But what if Sallie vanished?
The Decullan matriarch position was currently vacant.
Excluding Sallie, Pahren had no other children.
If Sallie disappeared in that scenario?
No one would dare challenge Pahren’s authority directly, but the vassal families and all sorts of riffraff would scramble for the matriarch spot.
The moment they planted one of their own there, that kid becomes the next Decullan head.
It’d be a massive blow to the current Decullan.
When they should be pooling strength for post-war cleanup, they’d be turning blades on each other.
So, by cold calculation, handling Sallie was the right call.
Right, but...
“Tch.”
Early dawn.
I watched Sallie circling the training grounds, then turned away as my thoughts grew needlessly complicated.
No particular destination in mind.
Just needed to clear my head.
Wandering the academy grounds in the morning dew, all sorts of thoughts bubbled up chaotically.
‘By the numbers, it’s the smart move.’
But I couldn’t bring myself to commit.
‘Why?’
Simple reason.
Just as Damian had changed, and Eveline had changed.
Life at the academy had changed me.
That’s why I was observing Sallie.
‘Grabbing even a flimsy justification might ease my conscience.’
I calmly admitted my own cowardice while churning through the dilemma in my head.
Truth be told, looking for justification to handle Sallie was just me hunting for an excuse to fool myself.
Part of me was curious, too.
What had happened to turn this Sallie into the wreck from my past life?
Why had this fragile kid—who didn’t even seem like a Decullan—shattered so badly?
“Wish Shine were here for this.”
Dumb as a rock, but his simplicity let him cut straight to the chase.
He probably would’ve had an answer, even in a mess like this.
‘What to do.’
Lost in thought, I wandered aimlessly around the academy.
Then I stopped at a certain spot—right in front of the principal’s hideout.
Creak.
Plenty of time before breakfast, so I figured I’d kill it there. A voice greeted me.
“...What’re you doing here?”
“...What’re you doing?”
The principal scowled like he’d seen something he shouldn’t. He spoke up soon after.
“It was you?”
“What?”
“I’ve been wondering why supplies keep going missing one by one. Were you the thief?”
...What the hell?
I hadn’t even set foot in here lately.
Wait, don’t tell me... Bellos?
“If you’re thinking disloyal thoughts, I advise keeping them to yourself.”
“...Ah, yes, sir.”
Talk about discrimination. Really wounds the heart.
Nursing my hurt feelings, I sank into the sofa. The principal’s voice rang in my ear.
“But seriously, what brings you here this early? Looking like a drowned rat.”
“Just... had some stuff on my mind.”
“Stuff?”
“Yeah. What is life, anyway? I think it’s like an egg. A boiled egg. Wordplay, you know.”
“I’ve thought it over a hundred times, but it’s a good thing you’re a fighter. Otherwise, you’d have been stoned to death on the streets. That three-inch tongue of yours is downright terrifying.”
Such praise.
I know the truth.
He’s all serious now, but tonight in bed, he’ll remember this and chuckle.
‘Haha, that guy. Life’s a boiled egg. Hilarious.’ And he’ll cackle.
“So, what’s the real issue? Spit it out.”
“You’re so kind.”
“You stir up trouble, I’m the one with the headache.”
“Fair point.”
True—if I handled Sallie here at the academy, the principal would shoulder the blame.
In that light, he wasn’t exactly a bystander in this.
Anyway, dilemma counseling...
“Wanna hear it?”
“Out with it.”
“So... it’s about Sallie.”
“...Sallie?”
At my words, the principal’s brow furrowed slightly. The name alone told him my worry tied back to Decullan.
He knew the Black-White Slums episode, so he’d realize this wasn’t trivial.
I asked him plainly.
“Pragmatism or conscience. That’s the question.”
“...A tough one.”
Without me saying more, he narrowed his eyes, seeing right through it.
A moment passed.
“This’ll take a while.”
“Fine by me. Let’s mull it over more.”
It wasn’t something anyone else could solve anyway.
I stood to leave, but the principal shook his head gravely, stopping me.
“Junior.”
“Yes.”
“Sit. Seems like you need to hear this.”
His tone was dead serious now, worlds apart from before. I couldn’t help staring. He removed his glasses, set them aside, and fixed me with his gaze.
“Some...”
“This is... well, the tale of a mage who made a grave mistake. Whatever you decide, I’d like you to hear it first.”
The principal smiled bitterly.
That smile said it all.
...Who this “mage who made a grave mistake” was.
“It was a time of chaos.”
It was one old war mage’s lesson.