Deathly Silence in the Corridor
A deathly silence hung in the corridor. Thick walls sliced clean like tofu, Elarra von Sterling passed out with her eyes rolled back, and clusters of noble brats frozen pale, barely breathing. My heart pounded like it was about to burst out of my chest, but my ten-year teacher's crisis management instincts clamped down on my reason.
Don't panic here. Cover it up, no matter what!
I rushed to Elarra sprawled on the floor and yelled at the top of my lungs, making the hallway shake.
"Oh no! It looks like Lady von Sterling has collapsed from overwork! Someone, hurry and take her to the infirmary!"
Invisible sword energy had just slashed through the air and carved up the wall, and I was calling it overwork? It was ridiculous even as I said it, but my shameless, desperate shout jolted the academy staff out of their stupor. They snapped to attention, faces ashen, hoisted Elarra up, and bolted toward the infirmary.
Confirming they'd vanished down the hall, I jumped straight into phase two. Any second longer here, and the brats' questions would flood in, or Reina's mood would sour again. I grabbed the pale, smooth hand of Reina standing quietly beside me.
"Ah! Your Highness's hand is injured! We must get to the infirmary at once!"
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders like an escort and strode through the stiffened crowd of students.
Reina, dragged along helplessly with her hand in mine, tilted her head as we walked. She glanced down at her flawless, milky hand and murmured,
"Cadel, my hand isn't hurt."
So innocently honest. Without breaking stride, I leaned toward her and whispered secretly,
"Shh. Quiet."
My hushed whisper and urgent tug on her hand—maybe she caught the unusual vibe. A faint, intrigued smile curved Reina's lips. The chilling aura from moments ago, ready to snap a neck, was gone. Like a child joining a prank, she replied in a soft, playful voice,
"Okay. Got it."
Reina obediently matched my pace. Behind us loomed the gruesome accident scene, but no one dared block us or raise questions. The students, still gripped by shock and fear, just watched our retreating backs in stunned silence as we headed to the infirmary.
The infirmary hallway was deserted. Amid the commotion, the fainted Elarra von Sterling had been laid in the VIP room. Now, only Reina and I remained outside the firmly shut door.
Confirming we were alone, I released Reina's hand, leaned against the wall, and let out a long sigh.
"Haa…."
It felt like I'd aged ten years. Wiping cold sweat from my forehead with my sleeve, I fixed my gaze on the expressionless Reina.
"Why'd you suddenly do that back there?"
"…Do what?"
Reina tilted her head. No awareness at all that she'd nearly decapitated someone—pure innocence.
I lowered my voice in exasperation.
"You tried to take Elarra's head off."
"Oh, that."
A faint curve touched Reina's lips. But her purple eyes held no warmth—just a bone-chilling, cruel smile that sent shivers down my spine.
"Hey, 'that'? If her head had actually come off, it'd be a massive incident! Way bigger than you smashing the cafeteria or cracking the floor!"
She sounded puzzled, like she couldn't grasp my scolding.
"So?"
"So what—?!"
My neck veins were about to bulge when—
"That bitch… made you go through hell."
Reina's gaze shifted to the shut VIP door where Elarra lay. In that instant, her serene purple eyes rippled with fury. Her small fists clenched and trembled.
"She can spit on me all she wants. But she spat on you, called you trash. My Cadel… dared by those worms."
Her voice dripped with rage, and warning bells blared in my head. I quickly crouched, gripping her shoulders firmly and meeting her eyes.
"Student! Student! Calm down. Calm down! Teacher's fine!"
"I'm not fine!"
Suddenly, Reina lunged into my arms. Her small head thunked against my chest. She wrapped her arms tight around my waist, her breaths ragged.
"Stupid Cadel…."
Her little hands clenched my shirt. Her narrow shoulders shook against me, the tremors transmitting through my body.
Empire's strongest or whatever—she was just an 18-year-old high school girl to me.
Ah… this is driving me insane.
I sighed inwardly. I should be disciplining an attempted murderer, but I couldn't push away this girl shaking with fury for my sake. Finally, I surrendered, lowering my hesitant hands to gently pat her trembling back.
"…Thanks. For getting mad for me."
Clumsy, but sincere. In that moment, Reina's shaking shoulders stopped dead, like a lie. The quiet corridor held only the even rhythm of her breaths tickling my ear.
The brutal near-murder wrapped up absurdly in this bland, warm embrace.
A heavy silence blanketed the infirmary VIP room. I sank deep into the armchair by the bed, legs crossed. Behind me loomed Reina, radiating chilling killing intent like she could tear apart prey at any moment.
We stared down at Elarra von Sterling, fainted atop the bed with eyes closed.
…When will she wake? Gotta wrap this before first period bell.
Suppressing my surging fatigue, I tapped the armrest rhythmically with my fingers. Then, Elarra's long lashes quivered. She barely lifted her heavy eyelids.
As focus returned and she registered the room—
"Hik…!"
Elarra gasped, face draining of color. Clutching the blanket, she scooted back against the headboard, trembling violently. Raw terror, like she'd seen the grim reaper.
"Lady von Sterling. Feeling better?"
I offered her my softest, most polite business smile. Then tossed her special notepad from the corridor onto the bedsheet.
At my courteous formality, her shoulders jerked. Her eyes couldn't meet mine—they locked on Reina behind me.
Reina stared back with perfect predator eyes, poised to end her on my say-so. Amid that overwhelming silent pressure, I launched into full K-teacher discipline mode.
"Lady von Sterling. As a reporter, shouldn't you base things on facts?"
"……Hic."
"Your shallow imagination and unverified gossip deeply offended Her Highness. That hallway incident? Just a tiny… 'warning' from her."
I downplayed Reina's silent slash like a minor hiccup. Elarra's eyes shook wildly, like an earthquake. A casual flick slicing walls like tofu was merely a "small warning"—her face filled with horror in real time.
I drove the nail home with a low, firm voice.
"Tomorrow morning, run a front-page correction in Academy Today. Include a sincere apology for tarnishing Cadel Evans's reputation with baseless rumors."
"Y-yes, understood! I'll write it right now!"
Elarra snatched the notepad from the blanket like her life depended on it, trembling like an aspen.
Confirming her total submission, I decided to offload my chronic annoyances too.
"And your impressive info network going to waste? That'd be the academy's loss."
"……Pardon?"
"I'm swamped tending to Her Highness. From now on, handle academy announcements and tedious paperwork for me. I'd be deeply grateful."
Fancy talk for making her my unpaid slave. A baron's son dumping grunt work on a countess's daughter—totally warped. I tensed inwardly: What if she pushes back? Compromise?
But Elarra's reaction shattered expectations. Her ashen trembling gave way to widening pupils, then tears of reverence welling up.
Her gaze flicked between the empire's apex predator glaring daggers behind me and me, casually smiling with my back to the beast.
"……Baron Evans. No, Sir Evans……!"
Elarra bolted upright in bed and bowed deeply, as if kneeling.
"I'll never forget! The honor of being your eyes and ears…! Elarra von Sterling will henceforth be your limbs, reporting every detail of the academy!"
"……Huh?"
What wild plot twist was this? I just wanted to dump chores, but this gossip-mad countess had wildly misconstrued it into some grand oath. From quaking in fear of death to weeping loyalist tears like she'd pledge her life.
Adult logic couldn't parse these brats' brains. I was speechless for a moment.
…Well, whatever. I can offload all the annoyances now.
Swallowing my fatigue, I bestowed a benevolent smile on Elarra, still forehead-to-floor.
The horrific morning mishap concluded with the birth of an unpaid slave.