Chapter 46
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Found It. A Flower That Resembles Me
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the end, things worked out fine.
Matthew apologized to Professor Jade right away, and the professor accepted it with his usual wide-eyed enthusiasm.
"I'll accept your apology on the assumption that this is the last time you'll be rude. Let's end today's class here."
After handing out the schedules, Jade promptly concluded the lesson.
Matthew gritted his teeth but soon followed Cromhel out of the classroom.
The other nobles then left in groups of two or three.
Once all the nobles were gone, the remaining commoners began packing up their things.
No one spoke to Tail amid the rush to leave.
If anything, they shot him sidelong glares, as if he were to blame for creating this mess.
Before long, only Tail, Alice, and Ethan were left in the classroom.
Alice let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"Why are they glaring at you like that? This wasn't your fault, was it?"
Tail answered as he packed his bag. The next class required moving to a specific location.
"What else? A commoner keeps ruffling the nobles' feathers, and even without that, they see me as the root cause."
Tail had lived on Earth, a place without rigid class systems.
But these people had spent their entire lives in a world saturated with them.
To most of them, nobles and commoners felt like entirely different species.
Nobles viewed themselves as extraordinary, chosen ones blessed by the gods.
Commoners were seen as people you could treat however you wanted without consequence—that prejudice was deeply ingrained.
And here he was, constantly standing out and unintentionally irking the nobles. They had every reason to worry about backlash.
He could understand it.
The problem wasn't them, though.
'The real issue is Cromhel, the one who blew it all out of proportion in this class.'
He didn't want to be openly ignored himself, so now he was dragging others into it. This grudge wouldn't end easily.
At that moment, Alice grimaced and spoke up.
"...This is so unfair."
She looked angry.
"We have the Elf Queen, elf royalty, and the council of elders too, but no one thinks like that."
Tail glanced at her and replied.
"Well, you're elves. If it doesn't make sense, just chalk it up to racial differences."
He spoke in an even tone.
"Humans are the type who only feel right when they're stepping on something to climb up."
Alice sighed and stood after he finished.
Tail, having packed up, turned to Ethan behind him.
"You coming or not?"
"...Huh? Oh, yeah."
Ethan, lost in thought, hurriedly gathered his things.
"We're gonna be late. Hurry up."
The three of them left the classroom in a rush.
The next class was horticulture.
It took place in a bright garden.
A large desk sat up front, adorned with vases.
Maybe it was the beautiful flowers.
Alice's expression had softened considerably.
She beamed as she looked around.
"I don't know who grew them, but so much care went into these."
"You can feel that?"
Ethan asked from beside her, and Alice gently caressed a flower as she replied.
"I can. That they were cultivated with consideration for each plant's traits. And that the plants are happy about it."
Ethan stared at her in wonder.
But unlike them, the sudden change to horticulture left most students unhappy.
Except for the noble girls who already had a knack for it and the commoners intrigued by their first try.
The noble boys mostly sneered at the class.
"Ugh, what's with the sudden horticulture class?"
"I have to do flower arranging? As a guy?"
"This is so pointless."
Grumbles echoed here and there.
Just then, an elderly woman entered the garden.
"Hohoho. Nice to meet you all."
She was a kindly looking grandmother, well advanced in years.
"I'm Sophia Peach. I'll be your horticulture professor. Hoho."
She leaned on a staff entwined with flower stems as she stepped forward.
"I can tell many of you aren't thrilled about horticulture. Hohoho."
She continued with a cheerful smile.
"What's your name, young man?"
The student she approached was Matthew Beria, the first to voice his complaints.
He answered a bit nervously.
"Matthew Beria."
"Hmm, I see. Not a fan of horticulture, are you?"
Sophia smiled gently, and Matthew, emboldened, spoke up.
"Honestly... I don't see why a nobleman like me has to take this."
"I see."
Sophia let out a soft, chuckling laugh.
"Then you don't have to."
"...Pardon?"
As he blinked in confusion, a massive vine burst from the undergrowth.
It coiled around his legs and hoisted him up.
"Gah!"
Before he could react, the vine hurled Matthew out of the garden.
"Student Matthew Beria is absent today."
She beamed as she continued.
"Anyone else want to skip? Hoho."
The students fell silent.
Sophia smiled warmly at them.
"Then I'll assume that's a no and proceed."
She explained slowly.
"Horticulture is one way to express yourself. So now, wander the garden and bring back a flower that resembles you."
A flower that resembles oneself.
The words lingered oddly in Tail's mind.
And Sophia added,
"But there's a no-entry sign at the far left end of the garden. Stay out of there. Hoho."
She tapped her staff lightly on the ground.
Boom!
A massive sunflower appeared in the air.
Its center bore the image of a clock.
"We'll check back in twenty minutes. Let's begin. Hohoho."
Ethan said he had a flower in mind and went off alone, so Tail and Alice toured the garden together.
Her arms were already full of various blooms.
Alice's face brimmed with vitality as she darted about.
When she reached out, the flowers leaned toward her hand like eager puppies.
'Must be because she's an elf.'
As that thought crossed his mind, they spotted the no-entry sign ahead.
Alice peeked inside and said,
"Let's go around."
That's when it happened.
"...Huh?"
Three boys snickered as they passed the sign.
"You gotta check out the spots you're told not to go."
"Yeah, probably rare flowers in there, that's why it's off-limits."
Cromhel was among them.
Alice clicked her tongue.
"There's always a reason for no-entry zones."
She covered Tail's ears with both hands.
A fragrant floral scent wafted from her close-pressed body.
"Block it tight."
Huh? Block what?
That's when it happened.
Waaaaaah!
A deafening wail erupted.
"Wh-what the?!"
"Hey! What's wrong with this?!"
"Make it stop! Do something!"
A huge flower had bloomed where they pointed.
But what was odd was the baby face at its center.
The baby-faced flower bawled at the top of its lungs.
"A demon realm flower."
Though her voice didn't carry, Tail saw Alice click her tongue.
"Keep your ears covered for a bit."
Alice slowly approached the flower.
The boys writhed on the ground, tormented by the ear-piercing cries.
Reaching the flower, Alice extended her hand gently.
"Shh... It's okay."
Her voice rang out warm and soothing.
"You got startled. Scared, huh."
The flower gradually quieted.
"It's fine. Those kids will leave soon."
She stroked the petals softly, and the massive bloom trembled faintly.
Then it stopped crying, its petals slowly closing into a bud.
She glared at the boys, who were gasping on the ground.
"No telling when it'll cry again. Get out."
The boys scrambled away at her words.
Alice sighed and returned to Tail.
Professor Sophia, who had approached, said in amazement,
"As expected of an elf—you handled it well. Even most elves struggle with demon realm flowers. Impressive. Hohoho."
Alice's cheeks flushed at the praise.
She leaned close to Tail and whispered,
"Ah, Tail. Thanks."
Huh? For what?
As Tail looked puzzled, Alice scratched her cheek.
"I... couldn't handle plants before. It's thanks to you."
Ah, right.
An elf who commanded spirits wouldn't have treated plants as equals.
"But aren't you picking a flower, Tail?"
The twenty minutes were nearly up, but Tail hadn't chosen any.
He didn't know why.
The vibrant, beautiful blooms just didn't feel like him.
"Eh... Maybe just grab anything."
About then, a flower caught his eye.
It was a blue rose.
But unlike the others, it bloomed crooked and ugly.
Its strange shape made it stand out sharply among the perfect blue roses.
Yet no one gave it a second glance.
Tail stared blankly at it.
"Found it."
He murmured softly.
A flower that resembles me.