The Substitute's Rage
There wasn't anyone in the delegation I was particularly close to, but I at least recognized most of their faces. So who the hell was that guy?
Anyway, there wasn't much meat left.
My interest had clearly shifted toward the food.
“That's true, but Leo...”
“This is all that wench's fault!”
The boy with lemon-colored hair, apparently named Leo, huffed angrily and charged toward me with long strides. I, however, paid him no mind and simply felt disappointed that so little food remained.
This is exactly why you shouldn't show up late to the dining hall. Growing children need proper nutrition, you know!
“I challenge you to a duel!”
“Ma'am, is there any more meat?”
“Hey!”
“Hm?”
Who is this kid?
I glanced briefly at the boy I'd never seen before, but that was it. My gaze quickly returned to my plate.
Since I was starving, I grabbed the largest piece of bread from the buffet spread, stuffed it into my mouth, and began chewing while completely ignoring him as I walked past.
“Hey! I'm talking to you!”
You must have the wrong person. My name isn't 'Hey'...
“Are you deaf?!”
A hand grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to stop. My mouth, however, kept moving. This bread is pretty good. As expected, a decent inn always serves tasty food.
“My name is Leo!”
“I didn't ask.”
“I just arrived in Valen today!”
“Don't care.”
“I only slept two hours a day and rode without stopping! Recognize my courage!”
“Oh my, why would you do that?”
I honestly thought Leo was a bit of a weirdo. He suddenly stormed over in a rage and started yelling at me. How crude.
“The teachers thought you were dead, so they called me here!”
It took me a moment to realize this kid was my substitute, but I still didn't feel any urge to be nice to him.
There was no reason for me to be friendly toward someone who clearly wasn't friendly toward me.
“Sorry about that. For being alive, I mean.”
“Do you have any idea how much I suffered?! I rode for ten whole days straight!”
“Ugh, just thinking about that makes me nauseous.”
“Argh! I demand compensation for the humiliation I suffered because of you! A duel...”
“...Pfft, did you just say humiliation?”
“What about it?”
Was I the only one who found this funny? I burst out laughing openly.
“Puhahaha! What kind of humiliation could a ten-year-old possibly have? Do you even know what that word means?”
“I-I'm eleven, actually!”
Either way, it was still hilarious. I laughed loudly for the first time in a while, and the more I did, the redder Leo's face became.
It didn't seem like embarrassment. More like pure anger.
Even that just looked like a child's tantrum to me. What could a kid possibly have to be so furious about?
For a second I thought maybe I should stop laughing since he looked so upset, but then he went and said something even funnier, and I simply couldn't hold it in.
“Jeanie Crowell! I challenge you to a duel for the delegation spot!”
“...”
“We'll fight fair and square! The winner gets to be on the representative team!”
“Puhahaha!”
I clutched my stomach and laughed even harder. Leo must have gotten worked up because he clenched his fists and charged at me, but thankfully Iruto-sensei stepped between us just in time, preventing any actual fight.
In that brief moment, I gently calmed Rai, who had been about to burst out with his mouth wide open, telling him to behave.
[Master! That brat just now—]
⟨ Mental Link ⟩
[He's just a kid. A kid.]
Iruto-sensei, who had stepped between us with a flustered expression, seemed more focused on soothing Leo than dealing with me.
“Leo! What on earth are you doing here? I told you to rest quietly!”
“But sensei! It's so unfair!”
“Haa, Leo...”
Watching Iruto-sensei's profile as she let out a sympathetic sigh, I continued to snicker.
“Iruto-sensei! Did you hear that? He just challenged me to a duel... Puhaha!”
“...Miss Jeanie? It's not nice to tease your friends! And a lady shouldn't laugh like that!”
“Hohohoho!”
“Jeanie! That's even more insulting... Anyway, just tone it down!”
“You teachers have way too many rules about what not to do. Besides, he's not my friend.”
I puffed out my cheeks to express my dissatisfaction.
Why do adults always assume that if two kids are around the same age, they must be friends?
“This child rode here for ten days and nights just for you. You could at least show a little gratitude.”
“That was for himself, not for me. Sacrifice and opportunism are two different things, you know?”
“Jeanie!”
If it had been any other teacher, I might have acted out more, but since I actually liked Iruto-sensei quite a bit, I decided to shut my mouth and yield this round.
“Please understand. Leo is just upset, that's all.”
She tried her best to mediate, but Leo kept glaring at me and huffing angrily.
The sight of this furious little brat was honestly just pathetic. Instead of laughing out loud, I gave him a subtle sneer.
That seemed to be the final trigger. Leo exploded again, pouring all his rage onto me.
“Damn it! This is all your fault! The reason I got dropped from the delegation, the reason I got called all the way here only to be told I'm not needed anymore! It's all because of you!”
So that's what happened.
Apparently, when a spot opened up in the representative team, this guy—who had been first in line as a substitute—got urgently summoned. He rode through the night to catch up with the delegation, only for me to return and make his position disappear in the process.
What a cruel twist of fate. The life of a substitute really is a pitiful one.
And yeah, I could see why he'd be angry.
I could understand Leo's frustration a little.
“So what you're saying... is that everything would be fine if I just disappeared?”
“That's right! If you weren't here, that spot was supposed to be mine from the beginning!”
“I see. That's actually a pretty good idea.”
“...What?”
“I think we're on the same page.”
Leo, who had looked ready to pounce at any second, now wore a dumbstruck expression at my sudden enthusiasm.
“Why should we have to fight? You can just take it.”
I smiled brightly and spoke in a clear, cheerful voice. Now that I thought about it, this was actually a very tempting offer.
It was the perfect solution—I could do someone a favor and make my own life easier at the same time.
I had never been interested in the representative team position to begin with. It wasn't something I wanted.
I certainly had no desire to participate in some barbaric, fist-swinging tournament.
Above all, I was a very elegant person who absolutely detested fighting.
“You want me... to do it?”
Since Leo still looked utterly confused, I repeated myself clearly.
“Yeah. Whoever wants something should be the one to do it. I never wanted it anyway. Thanks for speaking up first. So, can I go back to the academy now? Hm? Is that okay, sensei?”
“Good heavens! Miss Jeanie! That's not how this works...”
“How far are you planning to mock me, Jeanie Crowell?!”
“Mock you? I'm being completely sincere. By the way, do you even know what 'mock' means?”
Even though I was giving him exactly what he wanted, he still got angry. What a difficult kid.
After my scoff, Leo clenched his fists and trembled for a moment before suddenly putting on an arrogant expression and speaking in a haughty tone.
“Hah! I get it now! You're scared, aren't you?”
“...Excuse me?”
“That's right! With your pathetic state that shows zero combat ability, of course you'd be terrified. You hate weak mages, but spirit masters are even more worthless, right? Thanks to you, I now understand perfectly. How much of a coward a spirit master really is!”
“Look at this kid running his mouth.”
“Exactly! I am your savior! You can just run away like the coward you are!”
Hold it in. Just hold it in.
“Am I wrong? You famous weaklings! You're nothing but baggage that becomes trash the moment war breaks out! You're all just for show!”
I subtly ground my teeth. Falling for such cheap provocation was something only those idiot combat club kids would do.
I was a sharp and rational talent, so I would never fall for something like—
“Stupid blonde!”
“...Bring it on, you little shit!”
“Let's fight! Jeanie Cr— urghk!”
“Eek! Gross!”
Why is he suddenly throwing up?!
I quickly stepped back. The smell of vomit was far harder to dodge than fists, so I covered my mouth with my hand.
Leo's face, which had already looked rather shabby, had turned deathly pale at some point.
It seemed to be the aftereffects of pushing himself too hard on a tight schedule.
“See? Leo! I told you to rest properly!”
“Blegh!”
“So disgusting...”
It really was disgusting, though.
Leo had called me a weakling and all that, yet in the end he was carried away in Iruto-sensei's arms like a princess.
Thanks to that, I completely lost my appetite. I only managed to eat two pieces of bread, one egg, a bowl of soup loaded with meat, about four cookies, and grabbed two apples before heading up to my room.
Sigh. No appetite at all.