Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Director Karak’s demeanor changed.
The ridiculous fussiness vanished, and the air around him turned taut and razor-sharp.
‘Just as I thought—the final boss of the first-year arc.’
I was nervous, but if you wanted to do business with a tiger, you had to face the tiger.
“I don’t think this is the time to sit back and relax. At this rate, Rubiness Academy will fall into the hands of the Raphalt faction or Former President Randolf’s lackeys. You’ll be driven out in disgrace, Director—and you won’t have a thing to show for it.”
Driven out.
Those were words that struck at Director Karak’s “reverse scale.”
The atmosphere grew even more menacing.
“How insolent. Do you imagine you’ve become someone special just because you managed to sweep out a few people like Viscount Conrad and his lackeys?”
“It’s no delusion. I really am someone special. I’m someone who can become your wings, Director.”
“!!”
Director Karak flinched, and I continued, looking him straight in the eye.
“I’ve told you several times that I want to stand beside you, Director. Now it’s your turn to choose. Will you take my hand?”
‘I don’t have time to keep dithering, either. I have to choose a side for good.’
It was a bitter pill that Former President Randolf had marked me as one of his own.
If I just sat there going, “Uh, well,” I’d end up being seen as part of Former President Randolf’s faction, whether I wanted to or not.
‘If I side with the minority, I won’t be able to avoid a whole lot of suffering. But I can’t side with the Raphalt faction, either. For now, my best bet is to hide in the shadow of Director Karak.’
Then, just before Karak’s downfall, I could give him a well-timed stab in the back and make my escape.
It was the perfect strategy for getting along in society.
I delivered the finishing blow.
“If you still can’t trust me, then there’s nothing I can do. It seems you’re not the sort of man who can take me under your wing, Director, so I’ll go look for someone else.”
“Haha!!!”
Director Karak suddenly burst out laughing.
It was a fierce, stormlike laugh that made the other person’s blood run cold.
At last,
“Oh-ho-ho, I’ll admit it. I’ve been mistaken about Professor Ban all this time. Professor Alif, would you come in?”
Professor Alif was the head professor for the students and a key member of the Director’s faction.
“What is it, Director?”
“Would you make the arrangements to open a course taught exclusively by Professor Ban?”
“What? But… giving that sort of privilege to Professor Ban Trash?”
Professor Alif was so flustered that he made a slip right in front of me.
Not a single Temporary Professor had ever been allowed to open a course of their own.
Even Ballas hadn’t been given that privilege.
“Oh-ho-ho. Professor Ban has said he’ll do the Academy a service by reforming three ‘special problem students.’ You really can do it, can’t you, Professor Ban? If you fail, this Karak will be terribly heartbroken with disappointment.”
His gaze still held suspicion; he hadn’t fully accepted me yet.
There was nothing to be done about that. Suspecting everyone and trusting no one was simply Director Karak’s nature.
I only intended to use him, too, so it didn’t matter.
“Don’t worry about needless things. Just set aside the best date and time. It’ll be a course that goes down in Rubiness Academy history.”
For now, I decided to go find the students.
‘Susan—why isn’t there an address listed for her? She doesn’t live in the dorms, either?’
An inexplicable sense of foreboding made the back of my neck prickle.
With no other choice, I decided to look for the others first.
Their reactions were pretty much what I’d expected—not good.
“Oho, who do we have here? Isn’t that the original Young Master Ban the Wretch? Have you come to see Van the Wretch the Second? He’s so drunk he’s in a doglike state and wouldn’t recognize his own parents, so come back another time. Though I don’t know if he’ll be any more sober when you do, haha!”
The Mad Dragon’s disciple had a similar response.
“Lady Julia is currently in the middle of important training, so you can’t see her.”
“Even though her supervising professor came to visit?”
“Yes. She said there would be no exceptions.”
Both of them turned me away at the door.
I nodded without protest and left.
I didn’t even go to see the Demon Blade Third Prince.
‘I more or less expected this.’
I’d gone all the way there despite knowing it would be a wasted trip because I wanted to give the students a chance.
‘Looks like I’ll have to use a rougher method after all.’
To do that, I needed consent from a guardian.
-Haha! Who do we have here? Isn’t that Young Master Ban? It’s been a while. How have you been? And how is the Duke?
A middle-aged man with a kindly, well-fed appearance came into view on the communication crystal.
He was Margrave Leming, the North Sea Border Marquis.
“I’m contacting you to introduce myself as your son’s class professor.”
-Ah, yes, I’ve heard about it. You must have your hands full. I worry a lot whenever I think about my son.
“Yes. At this rate, he’ll be expelled soon, so you must be worried.”
-…What did you just say? Expelled? The son of the North Sea Border Marquis?
“Yes. He’s already broken the school rules so many times that he could be expelled several times over.”
-Nonsense, he… A little rule-breaking is only to be expected! You did plenty of things like that when you were at the Academy, didn’t you?!
“Of course. But the Leming family isn’t the Ecclesia Ducal House, is it? I’m sorry to say this, but the power of a provincial margrave’s house won’t be enough to keep your son from being expelled.”
Even through the communication crystal, I could see Margrave Leming’s face turning red and blotchy.
Just as the margrave was about to raise his voice in anger—
“How long are you going to keep coddling him?”
-…What?
“You might be able to keep him from being expelled by donating a huge sum to the Academy. But what would that accomplish? Your son will be an adult soon. He’s old enough to take responsibility for his own actions.”
Seventeen was young, but he wasn’t so young that he could still be treated as a child in every way.
-But Wilhelm… That boy isn’t going to change.
The words meant that he did not trust his son in the slightest.
Considering Wilhelm’s actions in the scenario, it was a reasonable concern.
Wilhelm was an even bigger piece of trash than Ban the Trash had been.
“Leave that to me.”
-…To you?
“Didn’t I tell you that I’m your son’s class advisor? It’s my responsibility as his professor to reform the delinquent behavior of the student under my care. There is one condition, though.”
-You mean you’re going to use rough methods? Beat him to a pulp, or whatever you have to do—I don’t care!
“No. I dislike barbaric methods, so I don’t favor violence. Instead, cut ties with your son.”
-!!
A brief silence followed.
He seemed unable to understand what I had said.
-…What did you just say?
“When I say to cut ties here, I don’t mean merely cutting off his financial support. Please disown your son.”
-!!
The Margrave’s eyes flew wide, but I continued in an even more serious tone.
“There is no other way to change your son. Choose: will you let him ruin himself while sheltered in your arms, or will you help him be reborn through the true rod of love?”
After deliberating, Margrave Leming accepted my proposal.
The news would reach Wilhelm very soon.
‘Now I have to get the Mad Dragon’s consent, too. Ugh. Damn it.’
She was in an entirely different league from Margrave Leming.
After all, her epithet was the Mad Dragon.
And more than anything, her disciple Julia was a far more difficult opponent than Wilhelm.
For one thing, she wasn’t a delinquent.
On the contrary, she was a problem because she was far too gifted.
‘She’s a genius who outclasses the Knight Faculty protagonists. At least for now.’
For example, if you compared them at the present moment, Julia was more skilled than Tern, the direct descendant of a Prestigious Swordsmanship Family and the Knight Faculty’s Sub-main Protagonist.
‘But what’s Tern doing? He’s an upright protagonist, so he’s probably doing just fine on his own. I’ve got enough trouble looking after myself, so let’s not worry about him.’
It was common knowledge that the Mad Dragon was tremendously proud of her disciple, Julia.
So there was no way she would agree to what I was planning.
‘It has to be done. It’s do or die anyway.’
I wrote a letter and sent it to the Mad Dragon.
It was a letter that would turn the Mad Dragon upside down.
“Senior Ban, did you just write ‘challenge to a duel’ in that letter?”
“…You saw wrong.”
“But I didn’t. I definitely saw the words ‘challenge to a duel.’”
“You fool, Linden! You idiot! No matter how arrogant Young Master Ban may be, do you really think he’d send the Mad Dragon a challenge to a duel?!”
“True… You’re right. Even Senior Ban wouldn’t do something that crazy.”
“……”
I let their fuss wash over me and sighed.
‘…It’ll take a few days for the Mad Dragon to fly over here, furious and out of her mind. I’ll deal with Wilhelm’s situation before then.’
I stopped at a few places and took care of the things I needed to handle.
“You’ve been coming to see me a lot lately, haven’t you?”
“It’s only for business. Don’t worry. I swear, I have absolutely no intention of becoming closer to you than business partners, Emily.”
“……”
Leaving Emily, who looked dissatisfied for some reason, behind,
“Ban, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m agreeing to help you not because you’re my younger brother, but simply because I think it’ll benefit the Free City.”
“…The thing you hurriedly shoved into your drawer just now wasn’t a picture of me, was it?”
“N-no! What nonsense…!! I’m going to get angry, you know?!”
“…I was joking. But if you glare at me like that, it makes it seem true.”
“Get lost!”
I negotiated with Mariam, then headed to the Pleasure District in the Free City, where Wilhelm was said to hang around.
‘Even when this guy goes out to have fun, he picks a place this sleazy.’
Given its enormous size, the Free City had several Pleasure Districts.
This was the worst of them.
It wasn’t so much dangerous as simply abysmal in quality.
It was dirty and filthy, a place no noble with any means would ever set foot in.
When I went to the place where Wilhelm was, I found a small tavern filled with cigarette smoke, with gambling cards strewn all over the place.
“Oh, look who it is! It’s the original Young Master Ban the Wretch! You really came again?”
“Master Van the Wretch the Second, come over here! Show your father your face!”
Soon, a boy appeared, his face flushed red from drinking.
‘At seventeen, drinking isn’t illegal under imperial law, but he’s had quite a lot.’
Van the Wretch the Second, Wilhelm, grinned at me and pointed.
“Hic, how do you do, Professor? My class advisor, no less? By the way, you sure went and told my father to cut ties with me, didn’t you? Do you think I give a damn about that?!”
“……”
“I don’t need some father! Here, look. See how many friends I have?”
Wilhelm spread his arms ostentatiously, gesturing at the scum in the Pleasure District.
Everyone seemed to consider the fact that Wilhelm had been cut off from his family little more than a funny incident.
‘Given how softhearted Margrave Leming is, he’ll let Wilhelm back in before long.’
Of course, I wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Get lost! I have no intention of talking to someone like you. Hic.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t come here as your professor.”
“Hic, then why are you here?”
“I came as a debt collector for what you owe, and as the enforcer of the charges against you.”
“…Hic?”
Wilhelm stared blankly at me, as if he hadn’t understood.
“He seems to have run short of the allowance he got from the March Count, so he borrowed a huge sum from the Rapalt Ducal House.”
“T-that was borrowed legally on my credit?!”
“The moment you were disowned by your family, you lost your credit. With interest calculated up to this very moment, the exact amount is 75,272 Pena. Pay it back right now.”
Wilhelm’s mouth fell open.
Perhaps because he was still drunk, he didn’t seem to have grasped how serious the situation was yet.
“You’ve also committed plenty of other illegal acts.”
“What’s the big deal if I did a little gambling?!”
“Illegal gambling is hardly a problem. Here’s a list of the crimes you were involved in.”
When Wilhelm saw the documents I held out, the color drained from his face.