The Price of Defiance
The flames of the protest burned bright. A man and a woman were locked in a fierce siege of wills.
"Six coins."
"Not six. If you multiply by five, that makes thirty coins, doesn't it?"
With sky-blue hair and eyes like polished sapphires, Serena Valentine felt her mind filling with suspicion at the sudden appearance of this male student. Who is he? She knew the boy’s name vaguely: Mate Daylight. He was famous as the Saintess’s attendant, and there were even whispers among a minority that it was actually Shirai who followed him around. Of course, most students didn't believe that. Serena was no different.
While he was physically well-built, the blind Saintess Shirai had surely never seen his face. He was a man with no money, no talent, and grades that sat at the very bottom of Class C. Just a day ago, during the orientation incident, his mana flow had been completely suppressed by the barrier Professor Cheren had erected—simply because his internal mana capacity was too low.
And yet, only on his second day of school, he was surrounded by a suspiciously large number of women. The Saintess Shirai, the genius mage Erpin von Herta... and it didn't stop there. Rumors were swirling that an hour ago, he had been seen walking with Muse Fairfield, the owner of the Frey Merchant Guild. Every one of them was a woman of heavy reputation. And there was even that girl who used high-level bow magic... what was her name? The one who always wore a robe and had a frame as small as a middle schooler. If the stories were true, was it Sia? Sia had helped him during the orientation incident, too. Though the results had been a bit messy.
"It’s strange."
It was too, too, too strange. How could he help someone he’d just met? With what kind of confidence? It felt wrong to think this while staring at the boy who was currently offering help, but calling that "confidence" would be an insult to the word. Did he really think he could beat Princess Nipia with money just because he was holding a pouch of gold coins? It was absurd. No matter how much of a late-born child Nipia Solaris was, or how small her faction was compared to other princesses, a royal was a royal. It meant she possessed wealth that could rival any other princess, and the conclusion was inevitable: the boy named Mate had no chance of winning.
Therefore, it was a futile effort. He was a fool, betting on a high-risk gamble in a fight he couldn't win. Sometimes it was nice to live for ideals, but most humans lived in reality. Every student at Lumeris Academy was the same. They had lived in reality, not in vain ideals, which was why they hadn't neglected their training and were able to set foot on this brilliant ground. For the young Serena, there had never been time to pursue romance or ideals. Hunting beasts to fill her stomach and repeating the cycle of grueling training—that was everything to Serena Valentine.
"It’s too reckless."
There were many sources for one's actions: instinct, desire, trauma, moral synchronization, anger, and so on. There were many valid reasons, but the source of his action was nothing more than baseless confidence. At least, that was how it looked to Serena.
"Clara."
"Why, why are you like this?"
Clara Valentine, with her medium-length crimson hair and eyes like orange diamonds, bit down hard on her sharp, shark-like teeth with an impatient expression. She looked a bit dim-witted, but when it came to wielding a katana, she was in a league of her own—she was Serena's older sister.
"Do you happen to know that person?"
"Ah, do you think I know him? I haven't even made eye contact with him!"
That would be true. If she knew him, she wouldn't be this flustered. Serena solidified her opinion of Mate. He was a pathetic, delusional man who thought he was the protagonist of his own story. A sense of justice? That was a word that only existed in fairy tales. The reality of this godforsaken world was that the moment you started talking about justice, you were treated like a freak.
"Isn't it getting a bit overwhelming? Will you be okay?"
Should I just confess? In truth, it was Serena who had made the sign. She had lied when Princess Nipia asked her about it. If she told the truth, her future academy life would undoubtedly become a nuisance. Who was Nipia Solaris? She was the apex predator of the academy, holding sway not only over the second-year students but even the third-years above them. There was no benefit to being on Nipia’s bad side. She had lied knowing that, but she hadn't expected things to blow up like this.
"Why aren't you answering? I asked if you're okay."
Serena shook her head. "It’s an event that happens once in a lifetime; I want to enjoy it." To think she could struggle against Princess Nipia without kneeling before her overwhelming wealth. She suddenly became curious. She wondered just how far the unwavering will of this man, Mate Daylight, could hold out.
It was a fight I had no chance of winning from the start. Every time Princess Nipia raised the value by one gold coin, I had to pay five. Princess Nipia only had to give gold to one person, but I had made a pledge to five people, not one.
"I'll call seven coins. Are you really going to keep going?"
To give you the conclusion first, I had no intention of winning this bidding war. The very idea of trying to outspend Princess Nipia was something only idiots did. If there were someone among them who could read my thoughts, they would ask with a puzzled expression: "If you know you can't win, why are you doing this?" The answer was simple enough to explain to a five-year-old child. To put it simply, I wanted to personally show that even an ordinary student like me could stand up to Princess Nipia. To put it a bit cheesily, I wanted to be the kindling that would ignite their willpower.
Lumeris Academy was the most prestigious educational institution. It was a place where giant dreamers with exceptionally bright futures gathered. That was why every single student was precious, regardless of who they were. No matter how much it was a meritocracy or how severe the class divide was, it was unnatural for the entire second and third-year student body to be dominated by Princess Nipia. This was entirely because the second and third-year students were excessively afraid of her. Giving them the courage to stand up was the first reason I stepped forward. The second reason was to protect the student who had made the sign.
"Eight coins."
"Hmph, just how far do you intend to raise it?"
In the previous timeline, I had been able to easily stop Princess Nipia, who had tried to reign as the dictator of the academy. The final step she absolutely needed to dominate the second and third-years was to swallow up the position of the first-years entirely. Yuren Stardust, who would master the Holy Sword Arts in a year. The genius mage Erpin von Herta. The blind Saintess Shirai. The top weapon merchant Muse Fairfield. The resurrection girl Sia Stella. Five people were selected for Class A. By proving that the first-years were a "Golden Generation" as rumored, and simultaneously proving their own value, even Princess Nipia couldn't easily lay a hand on them.
"Nine coins. What's next?"
However, the situation had changed now. Sia was hiding her resurrection ability, and Shirai and Muse were being undervalued by the students, including Princess Nipia. I had thought that since Headmistress Celes, the authority of the academy, knew the truth, the first-years' position wouldn't be narrowed, but I was convinced otherwise when I heard this morning that first-years were banned from entering the cafeteria. Headmistress Celes wouldn't move the way I wanted, and if it came to this, I would need the help of many students.
"You seem to have a lot on your mind? Well, even if I were you, fifty coins would be a burden."
Kik-kik. Princess Nipia laughed mockingly. In truth, there was only one way to easily stop her, though I hadn't considered it even once. It would be best if Shirai, Sia Stella, and Muse Fairfield proved their abilities and were officially re-evaluated for Class A.
- "I believe that if Mate weren't here, my revolution would surely succeed. You’ve guessed what that means, haven't you?"
Muse, who had effectively declared she would be my antagonist, wouldn't accept my request so easily.
"Ten coins."
Perhaps it was because of the escalating flow of the bidding war. Cold sweat began to trickle down my head. The income I’d earned from the church wasn't enough to be relaxed about. But there was no need to worry. Princess Nipia possessed immense wealth, and she wasn't the type to kneel over a mere eleven coins. She would definitely call a higher price to seize victory. So, I just had to test the waters and pull out at the right time. That was why, when Princess Nipia raised both hands above her head, I felt a jolt of shock.
"Mm-hmm, I lost."
Princess Nipia’s declaration of defeat was impossible to believe. I couldn't understand this situation. More than the murmurs of the numerous students, Princess Nipia’s giggling laughter sounded strangely vivid in my ears. Losing fifty gold coins was fine. I had planned to pull out if the price rose to the point where it interfered with daily life. But why? She had more than enough money; there was no reason for her to tuck her tail and run over a mere ten coins.
"Congratulations, you’re a complete celebrity now, aren't you?"
A refreshing scent of blueberries. Princess Nipia brushed past me, uttering those cryptic words.
"Excuse me..."
And then, like a rotating sushi bar, another customer arrived. Hair that looked like a clear sky, and eyes like sapphires. The nameless girl who had approached right up to my nose held out her palm with a bright expression. She was one of the five female students who had staged the protest.
"Please give me fifty gold coins..."
A place with a rainbow-colored marble fountain. Someone was leaning against the fountain, muttering to themselves.
"A bouquet... a letter... and..."
"What are you doing here?"
With adorable golden twin-tails and eyes that looked like they were viewing the clear sky through a telescope.
"Oh, h-h-h-h-are you Princess Nipia?"
"I am honored that you remember my voice."
Nipia held her skirt with both hands near the back of her thighs so it wouldn't slip outward. Nipia sat down with a slight distance from Shirai and let out a deep sigh, as if the ground were collapsing. A sigh that seemed to say, "I have a story, I hope you notice." Shirai was a woman who was kind by nature.
"Is something the matter?"
Nipia reached out both hands and wrapped them around Shirai’s left hand.
"I will help you."
"Pardon?"
"I know you are being threatened by that slippery man. That’s why you’re following him around every day, isn't it?"
She was saying things that made no sense from Shirai’s perspective.
"Let’s work together to drive that man out of the academy. If the two of us join forces, it’s entirely possible."
A crease formed on Shirai’s brow.