Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I’m Gonna Tell Her How I Feel! Volume 8 E-Book

Rhythm Aida

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I'm Gonna Tell Her How I Feel!
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 329

Beschreibung

Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I’m Gonna Tell Her How I Feel! Volume 8

Leseprobe

“The Piggy Duke was intelligent, strong, kindhearted, and sadly, too stubborn for his own good. From another perspective, the story of Shuya Marionette can be interpreted as his tragedy.”

—Director of Shuya Marionette

Prologue: A Sweet Life

“Open your mouth please, Master Slowe! Yes, nice and wide.”

“Oink, oink!”

Okay. I think my first priority is answering this question: am I dreaming, or am I dreaming?

Let’s lay out the evidence here. I am here lying in bed because I’m feeling under the weather right now. I’ve buried myself in my bed for an entire day in hopes I’ll feel better. Then, when it came time to eat, Charlotte came over and held out a spoon, just like this...

“Here you go. Say ‘aah.’”

“Oi...Oink!” I let out a muffled snort as I swallowed.

Are you seeing this? Charlotte is almost like a mother bird feeding her baby chick with the way she’s reaching out a slender, supple arm. Her delicate, silky hair is almost blinding me with its radiance.

“Hmm? Master Slowe, are you all right? Your face is even redder than before!”

“Gimme more food, Charlotte,” I snorted.

I didn’t put up a struggle as Charlotte fed me. My face was beet red—at this point, I could hardly tell whether the heat in my cheeks was out of embarrassment or an actual fever.

“Does it taste good, Master Slowe?”

A nonsensical noise escaped me. “Oink, oiiink!” I’d meant to say that this was great—how could I ever think otherwise?—but in my exhilaration, I found my ability to form coherent words lacking. If my friends at Kirsch ever saw me in such a humiliating state, I might’ve died on the spot from shame.

I let out a couple of happy snorts.

“There’s still plenty left, so please take your time.”

I made a happy little snort, a hint of relief tinging the sound.

Charlotte chuckled. “That’s all it took for you to simmer right down, huh? You’re adorable, Master Slowe.”

I felt content, and a gentle warmth slowly seeped into my chest, not unlike that of a comfortable hearth. Though I usually had mixed feelings about the word “adorable,” it didn’t sound half bad right now. I was willing to bet that I had a downright gross expression on my face. If someone like Alicia saw me like this... I can’t even imagine what kind of insults she’d cook up.

“Your cold has persisted for quite a while...” Charlotte sighed. “Ah, that reminds me! I heard that in a faraway foreign land, people say you can recover from a persistent cold by passing it down to someone else. So please excuse me for what I’m about to do.”

“Oink?! Oiiink!” The sound of an overwhelmed pig grated on my nerves, as if I weren’t, in fact, talking about myself. Surely everybody saw this freakout coming, though, because Charlotte had changed into her pajamas, and she was trying to wriggle into bed with me.

“Wow, you’re really burning up. Come closer... Stick to me and let me take that fever from you. Here, just like this.”

“Oi... Oiiink!!!!!!!”

And then my whole body jerked forward, kicking me right out of my dreams. I inhaled sharply as awareness crept back over me.

Yeah... So it really was a dream, after all. It was too good to be true. Remember, Slowe, just a while ago, you were the most fearsome, problematic student at school: the blackhearted Piggy Duke. Up to this point, I’ve kept my feelings for Charlotte under lock and key during school. Of course it’s a dream. Duh.

But... I’d want to have that dream again, if possible.

Just as I started wriggling around, a pleasant, mellow voice came from somewhere beside me. “Master Slowe... You suddenly started struggling in your sleep. Did you have a nightmare, perhaps?” It was Charlotte.

“Am I still dreaming?”

“You mentioned that you had your fill, and then in the next moment, you were sound asleep! Don’t you remember?”

Charlotte stared at me, her head tilted and wide, blinking eyes betraying her confusion. A book sat upon her knees, likely one she had been reading moments ago, though her eyes were fixed on me.

This was when I realized a ground-breaking truth: this wasn’t a dream. The scene before my eyes told it all. Just like what happened in my dream, Charlotte was right here—right by my side.

“G-Good... Good mo—oink!” Ack! That was embarrassing. I sure messed that up.

“This isn’t the best time for ‘good morning,’ Master Slowe! It’s still nighttime. Please go back to sleep and stay asleep! Come on!”

She pinned me down and tucked me right back into bed. In times like this, Charlotte wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

“Oioioink... Oink!” I stammered.

“What’s wrong? Ah, do you want to stay awake, maybe? Did you have a nightmare? It’s not unheard of to have all kinds of weird dreams when you’re sick because you feel vulnerable. That happens to me sometimes, so I completely understand what you’re going through.”

Okay. So, as you can see, I’m down with a cold. A strange cold. It’s not even cold season. Even everyone’s go-to water spell, Heal, doesn’t do a dang thing against something like this because it’s not exactly something that magic can heal.

You might be thinking, “Hmm, Slowe, you’re always full of life and energy with no shortage of snorts, so how did you end up like this?” Weeell... I happen to have, oh I don’t know, about a thousand ideas why!

My guess is that I was trying too hard and for too long. Staying all tense and alert like that must’ve done me in.

“Are you having trouble falling asleep, Master Slowe?”

“Oooink...” I muttered dejectedly.

I probably have long since reached my limit. In the past, I endured, endured, and endured even more, repeatedly shedding blood, sweat, and tears to guide this world onto the path of peace. However, that all changed a few days ago, because the Great Spirit of Darkness swore that she won’t go off starting wars anymore. Not to mention the cherry on the cake: the queen and a few other people have discovered Charlotte’s identity, but have promised that they won’t make this information public.

All the things weighing on my shoulders vanished in one go. Relief and reassurance took their place, and the whiplash from that caused the delicate balance of my heart to tip to the other extreme. If I had to pinpoint what caused my condition to plummet so low, it’s probably that.

“Then would you like a snack or something, Master Slowe?”

I snorted in delight.

With that in mind, all this bed rest is a perfect breath of fresh air during this recovery period from all my struggles. It gives me a good opportunity to reflect on and organize all that’s happened.

“I’m back, and I come with many things from the dining hall! All the cooks were very cooperative. They said that they would make you anything you wanted.”

“Huh. Things have changed. I guess that’s the life of a celebrity for you, oink.”

“You’re the great Dragon Slayer that saved this school! No one can thank you enough.”

Other than that, well... There are still some loose ends left. For instance, what should I do about the Great Spirit of Fire inside Shuya? I guess I can take things slowly on that front. What I want most right now is to indulge in these blissful days... Charlotte, always by my side. Charlotte, nursing me back to health. This is the very definition of happiness.

“O-Open wide!”

“Oink, oink.” This is the life. It’s paradise levels of sweet. I’m so content that I’m starting to think that those painful, bitter days were worth it. “Oink!”

After all, Charlotte reciprocated the feelings I have towards her. Just thinking about it makes me feel butterflies in my stomach. Honestly, I still suspect that it’s a dream sometimes.

“Charlotte... Charlotte, oink,” I whined.

“What’s wrong? Do you still have a headache?”

“If I eat so much, I’ll grow fat, oiiink.”

“That’s okay. You worked really hard, Master Slowe, so you can fatten up. It’s all right,” Charlotte said with a tender smile. I could have sworn that I saw an angel.

Until now, she had always doubled down on my efforts, pressuring me to lose weight, but suddenly she’d changed her tune. She was so kind now.

“Wh-Why is it all right, oiiink?”

“Listen. Your popularity doesn’t stop at the school chefs. If you trimmed down and grew any more handsome than you already are, other girls might steal your heart away,” Charlotte sighed.

“Th-That’s nothing to worry about. My heart fully and wholly belongs to you, Charlotte,” I snorted giddily. Oh, spirits above... What am I even saying?!

Charlotte’s face grew into a bashful smile that reminded me of the first blossoms in spring, and then we were both blushing redder than ripe strawberries. “Y-You don’t know how happy that makes me,” Charlotte stammered.

O-Okay, no more. I’ll explode at this rate. All right, let’s change the topic. I can’t get used to this sickeningly, cotton candy-sweet atmosphere, and it’s taking its toll on me...

“Ch-Charlotte...”

“Yes?”

“This just occurred to me, but... Remember our exchange student from the Dustour Empire? Has he managed to adapt to our school?”

“Oh, you mean Lord Neon?”

“Yeah, that guy. I want to know about him.”

“He came to Daryth as a representative of Dustour, so at first, I assumed that he was a refined, upstanding person, but...” Charlotte hesitated. “There aren’t many positive rumors about him, or at least, not among the ones I’ve heard.”

Charlotte’s reply was noticeably vague. In fact, it almost seemed as if she was choosing her words carefully.

The exchange student from the Dustour Empire, if you couldn’t recall, was the man who had so confidently introduced himself by declaring that he had come to this land to make friends.

“He has an inconceivable status, but despite that... How do I put it? He’s a bit of a ladies’ man,” Charlotte explained.

“Oh... I’d heard that he was hitting on girls a while ago and that it pissed off a lot of the guys, now that I think about it... But in terms of size, Daryth is a puddle compared to the ocean that is Dustour, and he’s their imperial prince. If something spicy does happen with him, marrying into riches wouldn’t even begin to describe it. So the girls were giddy, and the guys were peeved. Wasn’t that what happened at first?”

Charlotte gave me an incredulous stare. “For someone who hasn’t left their room this whole time, you’re very well-informed about the happenings at school.”

“Well, Tina often sneaks over and pays me a visit, and she’d tell me all kinds of stuff.”

“Huh...? Wait a minute. If my memory serves me right, didn’t you brag not too long ago that, ‘My eyes and heart are devoted to Charlotte alone, so I swear that I will never, ever be alone with another girl! Impossible!’”

I choked.

I had been on top of the world over the fact that Charlotte returned my feelings, and as a result, I might have let my mouth run like crazy. I remembered that. And indeed, my exact words back then had been along the lines of “You’re the only one for me, Charlotte!” or “Being alone with another girl in a locked room? Unthinkable!”

Um... Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

I retracted my earlier statement. “Huh? Maybe I remembered it wrong... For some reason, I’m getting drowsy, oink.”

I covered my head with the sheets and hid from the tense silence that hung between us.

Anyway, my sweet, sweet time with Charlotte was like a trip to paradise, to put it mildly.

After getting dressed and ready to face the world again, I left the dorm. The autumn air was a little chilly, but then, I took a direct hit from the sunlight. “Owoink!” I cried out.

A refreshing, clear autumn day welcomed me, and I sucked up as much of the crisp air as I could.

“Back in action, oink!”

I had been confined to my bed for nearly a whole week. It had been ages since I last had such a lengthy break. Hm? You’re asking whether my blackhearted Piggy Duke days count as a break? To be honest, I might not have seemed like it, but I was tense the entire time.

“All righty then, the first thing I should do is head over to the dining hall because I’m hungry, oink.”

Back in the day, the loud thuds of my footsteps followed me wherever I went... How nostalgic. I’ve trimmed down thoroughly compared to then. Now I’m light on my feet. Hmm, I think I did get a little out of shape after being on bed rest for so long, but I can work on that steadily and tune my body back to tip-top shape.

I spotted a maid in a frilly pinafore dress peeking out from the entrance of the dining hall and stopped in my tracks. “What’s that girl doing?” I murmured.

The moment our eyes met, she frantically bowed her head and shrunk back into the building in a flash. Is it because of me? Is she avoiding me? Doubt settled in, and I started to become paranoid. No, that doesn’t make sense. Lately, I’m the last person that would do things to cause a maid to hate me...

Something felt a little off once I entered the dining hall. “Hmm?” I scrunched my eyebrows together. “Why are there so few people around?”

Usually, at this time of morning, this place would be brimming with people. But today the vacant seats were glaringly obvious. Did something happen while I was indisposed?

“Ah.” I spotted a familiar face, but there was also something not quite right with her. She was speed-eating. She’d stuffed her cheeks like a hamster as she munched noisily on her food in large mouthfuls while being alert to her surroundings. She acted almost as if a monster would attack her if she didn’t eat fast enough.

“Tina, it’s not good for you to wolf your food down that quickly,” I warned as I leisurely sat on the seat next to her.

Tina, a first-year student of Kirsch, jolted and froze, perhaps because I had called out to her so suddenly. She startled like a little forest critter and was just as adorable as one. Soon, she realized that the perpetrator wasn’t just anybody but me, and her face immediately lit up with the light of a thousand suns.

Jumping up to her feet and grinning from ear to ear, she yelled, “L-Looord Deeenning! Yooou’re baaack!!!” I could almost see her imaginary tail wagging ferociously. “You’re finally back! Now that you’re around, we finally stand a chance against him!”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“I’ve honestly had enough of his pompousness and lack of consideration for other people! Even someone as tolerant as me can’t let this go on! Don’t you agree, Lord Denning?!”

“Hold up, Tina. Please calm down first and explain what’s going on. Who do you mean by ‘him’?”

“Of course it’s...” Tina’s voice lowered to a hush. “Keep it down, but naturally, only Lord Neon fits the bill...!”

“Uh... By any chance, does he have anything to do with why the dining hall’s a ghost town now?”

I mean, look at the people who just came in. They’re also acting weird. A bunch of students had peeked in the windows to see what was happening inside before they’d tiptoed into the dining hall nervously. It was almost as if they were checking to see whether there was an orc in this hall.

“He...has everything to do with it!!!”

I’d only just recovered from my cold, so I was taking a break from my morning classes. Now I was in the gym that I had constructed a while ago, sitting on the pipes laden with dust and dirt as I steadily stretched to work out the stiffness.

I’m sooo out of shape. In this state, I probably wouldn’t even be able to put up a good fight against a single orc. Just after I had that thought, though, my brain stuttered. Sorry, that was a lie. Mister Orcs are nothing. They’re a piece of cake.

Then, my thoughts trailed to the exchange student from Dustour, Prince Neon, who had made an unforgettable entrance during his meet-and-greet. “That day when Prince Neon introduced himself, he seemed like a very respectable person, but now...” I sighed. “Who would’ve thought that he’s an oh-so-mighty pain-in-the-neck who brought his fiascos overseas with him?”

During his introductions, he had been dignified and commanding. In fact, the moment I had met his eyes, I had the impression that I was about to be served on a platter.

“You really can’t judge a book by its cover, huh...?”

Tina had this to say about him: “He constantly pesters us, and by constantly, I mean constantly! He even acts all natural about it! That man is the imperial prince of the famed Dustour Empire, right?! We’re really high-strung around him, but that doesn’t seem like it bothers him at all! That’s why fewer and fewer students have been coming over to the dining hall! Did you know that man would randomly sit next to you without warning?!”

Who would have thought? Turns out the reason the dining hall was so deserted in the morning was because Prince Neon keeps coming up to people!

That hadn’t been the end of Tina’s tirade. “Okay, it would have made sense if he only went to chat up noble students at this school, but no! He even persistently tries to start conversations with me, a mere commoner! Even the maids and cleaners in the dining hall aren’t spared! Frankly speaking, everyone is more afraid of Prince Neon than they were of you when you were a human orc! What if we do something rude and he suddenly cuts us in half or something?!”

Tina had made her point very aggressively back in the dining hall, stopping just short of grabbing me by the collar to drive it home. Somewhere along the line, the maids had joined her to air their grievances about the prince to me. They had been so menacing and zealous that I hadn’t been able to cut in at all. I couldn’t even finish half my plate.

“That’s why we’ve been waiting for your return, Lord Denning! In this school, there’s only one person left that can oppose that idiotic prince, and that’s you! Ah! Look at the time! Classes are starting soon, so please excuse me!”

“Oh, Tina...” I sighed. “What am I supposed to do about all this? Why me?”

Finishing up my morning stroll, I returned to the boys’ dorm. I still hadn’t fully recovered, so I came back without going to the dining hall for lunch. However, if Tina wasn’t exaggerating earlier, the dining hall would’ve likely been just as deserted at lunch as it was at breakfast.

From the sound of it all, Prince Neon was stirring up an outrageous metaphorical storm here at Kirsch. Charlotte had implied that he was quite...the character too, but he might have surpassed my initial expectations. Actually, they say that he’s even more infamous than me during my blackhearted Piggy Duke days, so he must be pretty bad.

I’d heard that Charlotte had prepared a light meal for me. While I was fighting my cold, I could only stomach bean soup and other bland foods, so I’d been looking forward to it. “I’m hungry, oink...”

Climbing up the stairs, I made my way back to the fourth floor, and there, I spotted someone standing in front of the door to my room. He had well-kept brown hair and clear eyes the color of tranquil seas. One noteworthy detail was the crimson coat that hung around his frame, a symbol that represented his affiliation with House Denning.

It took me a long moment to recognize him.

“Hey there, Young Master.”

But then, staring at the virtuous-looking man with his lips pressed into a thin, straight line, I remembered a name. The man at the door was Claude, my former knight.

Chapter 1: Prince Neon

I came to an abrupt halt on reflex at the sight of the man standing with impressive poise in front of my door.

“Claude? What are you doing here?”

His face, which had once given me the impression of a humble and taciturn nature, was now sharp and refined like a mature man with many stories to tell. His short, well-kept brown hair was peppered with grays here and there. Nostalgia overwhelmed me as I looked at him—his name was one that I could never forget either.

This man was one of my knights, once. Unyielding and responsible to the core, he had been on the other side of many an argument with Silva, who had been a commoner before his knighting.

“Our little Charlotte shared news of your recovery, Young Master.”

Ah, so Charlotte arranged for this surprise. That’s why she told me to return to my room instead of heading to the dining hall. That reminds me, Shuya did ramble on and on about my acquaintance and a former knight or something in the school assembly a while ago. I came down with a cold quickly after that, so it completely slipped my mind.

He continued. “Please do not think ill of our little Charlotte. I was the one who asked this of her.”

“I would never condemn her for something like this,” I declared. “Well, you’re here anyway, Claude, you might as well come in.”

A meal for two was laid out on the table. Clearly, this was for me and Claude. The soup and bread were steaming, fresh from the oven. The nutritious dishes were all easy to digest, though that did nothing to stop their mouth-watering aroma from enticing me. Charlotte had probably carefully selected each dish keeping in mind I’d so recently been sick—I could feel her thoughtfulness with every dish, and my stomach rumbled loudly.

“Oops...” Well, I’m back to full health now, and I also had a quick walk earlier, so I can’t blame my stomach for protesting. But... Honestly? Right now, things are pretty tense, and I’m a bit tied for words in front of my old friend, so couldn’t my stomach have chosen a better time to do that?!

After a moment of silence, I said, “Shall we eat, then?”

“Yes, let’s.”

And that was how we ended up sitting around the dining table.

I nodded to myself. This food is good. It’s flavorful, rich, and carefully made.

The downside of this meal was that there was a sense of distance between the two of us. I shouldn’t have expected anything else. It’s been so long since then. Silva had grown into an adult since those youthful days in my service. But this guy had started off as an adult, and time had made a different mark on him.

“Claude, you seem like you’ve aged a bit.”

“Well, I have crossed into my thirties and have experienced many things on my journey. More importantly, Young Master, are you in good health now?”

“Anyone would be alive and kicking after such a long rest. I’m completely fine now. I have to say, though, I never thought you’d become a teacher at school.”

I’ve been thinking about that. I’ve never heard of someone from House Denning becoming a professor before, regardless of whether it’s by blood or by service. Well, our relentless, brutal training might be useful in the sense that it can spur on growth in abilities, but... Kirsch is a lenient place. I can’t imagine a world where the students here could put up with our ways.

“That being said, if we have to choose someone from House Denning to be a professor, I think you’re the best candidate, Claude. You’ve always been good at teaching. Plus, in terms of character, you’re significantly more accommodating and approachable compared to the rest of the knights serving under House Denning. Had it been anyone else, the students here would have run for the hills long ago.”

He had always been like that, a man who wasn’t truly a good match for House Denning, a place filled with ruffians. Everyone around him were muscle heads, but he had been the exception who had executed all his tasks flawlessly.

“I may have been a jack of all trades—an average one at that—but I am still a master of none. After all, I have few memorable traits, if any.”

“Looks like your lack of self-confidence hasn’t changed at all... At any rate, Claude, I’m glad you’re doing well. But, hey, there’s one thing that I’m curious about. I heard a rumor that my siblings offered to take you into their service after all that happened, but... You didn’t want to become any of their knights, huh?”

By “after all that happened,” I was referring to my blackhearted Piggy Duke days. After seeing my appalling state, many people deserted me.

“Your noble brothers and sisters have sought me out indeed, but Young Master, I wished to devote my life to House Denning. As a result, I was able to venture into the big wide world. A shame that all the jobs allocated to me were undesirable ones that nobody else would willingly accept, however.”

“Uh, wouldn’t you call that being treated like a doormat?”

“Manners, Young Master, would advise you to avoid pointing that out?”

“...Yeah, good point.”

Though I didn’t know the details, it seemed that Claude had frequently been used as the convenient scapegoat. We’re never short of people who see value in a knight of House Denning just from that title alone, whether it be in the world of nobles, the world of commoners, or even foreign nations. House Denning has probably used Claude as a tool to gain the favor of many. His voice clearly betrayed the hardships he’d suffered, but he didn’t seem to regret much about it all.

“Young Master, I was only able to adapt this way of thinking because I was once your knight, so I have you to thank for that. Though there were many pains along the way, it was a delightful journey.”

“But... You’re a professor this time... Looks like they’re running you ragged and taking you for granted.”

In all history, none of the people intertwined tightly with the name of House Denning had ever taken up the post of a professor at Kirsch. Direct descendants were mostly fated to become battle fodder, and only the equally bloodthirsty were willing to become knights directly assigned to them.

“In truth, it isn’t as bad as you might think. For the past few years, the majority of my work centered around escorting people of affluence. These days, there is quite a large demand for knights of House Denning, the pride and joy of Daryth, from nobles in various countries as bodyguards. As the black sheep, naturally, I was assigned to the task.”

“Black sheep...? Jeez, Claude, be honest. If you have something against me, just tell me the truth.”

“No, not at all,” he said, with a grin like the refreshing breeze after a sleepy dawn.

Many members of House Denning were bitter towards me. Due to the black smear on his record for having served as my knight, he probably experienced many more troubles and bumpy roads than he really had to.

“Young Master, I once took everything seriously. I was a knight so set in my ways that describing me as old-fashioned is an understatement. Now, after taking many detours along the way, I have started to discover the joys of life, as well as the exquisite taste of wine. I am a new man, and...” here, Claude smiled wryly, “likely, you would no longer have the opportunity to tease me to get me to think for myself a little more.”

“That reminds me of our first meeting. It all started when I rescued you from a giant boar that scared you stiff... Back then, all you saw was that little piglet near its mother and were completely lost about what to do, weren’t you?”

“I do recall such an event. Looking back on it now, it is quite a funny story.”

“You say that coolly, but you can’t hide the redness on your face. Okay, let’s move on to the serious stuff, Claude. Why were you dispatched to Kirsch? Don’t tell me... Are you here to monitor me?”

“While being your chaperone sounds pleasant and fulfilling, Young Master, that is unfortunately not the case. Royal Knights made a temporary stay in this magic school, yes? In these times, it seems that we are all wanting for talented new blood, whether it be the Royal Knights or House Denning.”

“Ah, headhunting, then...”

“The Order of Royal Knights has begun recruiting students earlier than they are traditionally supposed to. House Denning isn’t the type to take that lying down. I have already begun collecting information, and I have set my sights on several candidates, but...”

“You’re doing this on your own authority, right? You make fast work of your tasks, as always.”

“It is to the benefit of House Denning, and by extension, this country.”

Though there was a slight haggard feel to him, he looked like someone who lived his life to the fullest. Claude had journeyed to many places in the world as a bodyguard for influential people, and he probably was much more knowledgeable about it than I was.

We exchanged lighthearted banter for a while, and then, I brought up something that suddenly occurred to me.

“Claude, there’s something I want to ask.”

“And what would that be?”

“I’m sure you know about Prince Neon. He mentioned that he came here to make friends. That’s a lie, right?”

The moment Claude heard that name, he grimaced ever so slightly. It seemed that even to Claude, Prince Neon wasn’t exactly a model student.

“That would be my guess, yes,” he said slowly.

“Do you know what he’s up to?”

“I do not. However, I am willing to bet that he did not come for a heartwarming pastime in the form of ‘making friends,’ as he calls it.”

“Agreed. It would be ridiculous for a prince of the Dustour Empire to come to the south just for that during times like these.”

He was the imperial crown prince, mind you, one of the most powerful nations on the continent. Why in the world had he come here to Daryth—to Kirsch Mage Institute, of all places?

I frowned as I continued. “Claude, Prince Neon attends your classes too, right? What’s your opinion of him?”

Begrudgingly, Claude admitted, “I cannot get a read on him. Sometimes, I suspect that it is exactly as the rumors say, that he is a foolish prince. At Kirsch, he is apparently said to be the second coming of you, Young Master.”

Wow, rumors like that are going around? Big yikes.

After hearing what Claude had to say about him, however, there was one conclusion I could make. “Well, if he’s just like what they gossip about him, I don’t want to get involved with him at all.”

Tina also had nothing positive to say about him, and I had seen in the dining hall that students now shied away from him. Prince Neon had only been here for a week, but that had been enough time for him to cause all this trouble. I think it’s fair to want to stay the hell away from him.

“He might have surprisingly good chemistry with you, Young Master,” Claude quipped.

“What are you implying...?” I grumbled.

Moments later, Claude made a brisk exit, claiming that he had classes to attend to in the afternoon. I asked him what in the world he was teaching, and according to him, he was teaching the ways of combat through practice. The combat techniques he taught were, bluntly speaking, a brawling style, disregarding anything like honor codes or knightly conventions. Apparently, though, it seemed surprisingly popular with the students, and he himself had been taken aback by that.

I’ll be honest here. I don’t want to have anything to do with Prince Neon, who’s stirring up a sensation inside Kirsch. I only want to live happily with Charlotte. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. So I’ll keep my head down at school and keep out of trouble.

Or at least, that was what I had decided I would do. But sometimes life just wasn’t nice, because my first real encounter with the prince in the rumors was just around the corner.

“Has anyone here ever personally experienced a fear that burns like flame licking at your feet, one that just might swallow you whole? Or a dread that threatens to sever you in half? Nobody knows what the future holds! You never know what might be waiting for you down the line!”

The classroom setting almost felt foreign to me, likely because of how long I’d been away on bed rest. The first lecture I chose to return to was taught by a certain woman.

“I have received permission from the headmaster to share my experience with all of you. And yes, I am aware that some of your guardians might show disapproval towards what I have to say, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!”

The woman in question was Professor Arle, who had been confined by No Face for a lengthy period of time. The professor who’d taught me in my first year was actually not Professor Arle at all, but an imperial agent named No Face in disguise. That was a widely known fact among the students at Kirsch.

“Whenever I think back to the time when I was locked away by No Face, I still cannot stop my hair from standing on its end. I shall confess the truth. For several months, an arisen held me hostage within a world of my own making. I was trapped in an endless dream.”

I looked around to gauge everyone’s reactions. All the other students had this look on their faces that practically said, “Not this again.” Alicia hadn’t even bothered to bring her textbooks to this class, which seemed rather extreme. That girl has no enthusiasm at all.

“The arisen have no physical bodies. Humans require a catalyst to control one of these monsters! With No Face, she placed a catalyst of darkness in the cell where she confined me, and—”

The arisen were frail monsters that put humans into a coma and then proceeded to seize control of their freewill after a long investment of time. These arisen had no bodies, and were thought of as the residue of living beings. They would show their victims a special dream—some even called it a lullaby—that lured its listeners into the world of oblivion. Professor Arle was single-mindedly trying to drill the danger of the arisen into our heads, but the students seemed utterly put off by her behavior. But in my opinion, this had its own merits, so I happily listened to the professor’s lecture.

“Perhaps because of such an experience, I have awoken darkness magic. Before I gained this element, I used to think that this branch of magic was wicked, but it is very effective against monsters. Now, everyone, know that you should fear the monsters of the darkness. These creatures are lurking right beside you all!”

A familiar voice interrupted. “P-Professor, ma’am, uh... This doesn’t sound like Magic Studies anymore.”

Of course it’s Shuya. Only he could be this brave. Look at Alicia sitting next to him... She’s already nodding off!

“Mister Newkern...” the professor said slowly. “Do you doubt the importance of my lecture?”

“Huh? Um, that’s not what I mean at all.”

“Listen, and listen well. By sharing my experience with everyone, I am imparting survival techniques unto you. But it isn’t my problem, Mister Newkern. If you ever get attacked by a monster of darkness, it would be too late for you to regret not listening and applying what I taught in my class.”

Overwhelmed by the professor’s zest, Shuya backed down. “Y-Yes... You’re right. Spells that work against monsters of darkness, right...”

He’s technically an adventurer, so what Professor Arle is teaching should be unexpectedly useful in his case, I thought with a sigh, tutting internally. Right now, all the other students probably think that No Face taught this class better. Or that she at least did a decent job.

“Well now, it seems that we are nearing the end of class. I shall give you this week’s homework. Hmm, let’s see... How about you all write a paper about the ogre subclass of monsters, also called the monstrous humanoids? I want ten pages at the minimum.”

A chorus of “Seriously?!” echoed throughout the entire classroom.

Everyone left the classroom grumbling. Homework, it seemed, was equally unpopular no matter where or when you were.

A student sighed. “Professor Arle changed so much. She was much better before!”

“Oh, don’t say such nonsense. It wasn’t the real professor before, and No Face is a criminal.”

“You have a point, but you know...” Another sigh.

Professor Arle’s classes were much more passionate compared to the ones held by the old grandpas at Kirsch. She truly had something she wanted us to learn in her lectures, not just following her job description, but well... It was a shame that everyone didn’t get it. It’s not every day that you get to hear about the dreams caused by an arisen, so they’re wasting quite a precious opportunity.

“Oh, it’s you, Slowe. Have you recovered from your cold?”

“And it’s you, Alicia. Luckily, I’m back in good health.”

Alicia hummed, sounding disinterested. “You look healthier than before, so you might as well stay in bed for a few more days. Don’t you agree?”

“Jeez... That’s not a nice thing to say to someone who has been cooped up in bed for ages.”

The girl who came up to me was Alicia Bulla Dia Cirquista, the other royal exchange student taking up residence here at Kirsch. Her sharp tongue was as cutting as always.

Suddenly, she shoved something into my hand. I took a look and saw that it was a small, orange-colored candy. With a hint of redness dusted on her cheeks, she left the classroom as she said, “I-I’ll see you around then... It’s not like I was worried about you or anything! Not at all!”

Her clumsy, awkward kindness warmed my heart ever so slightly, like a small ray of sunlight.

I remained sitting as I watched everyone head into the corridor while they griped about Professor Arle’s assignment, and when I was the last one left, I stood up.

But just as I was about to head into the corridor as well...

“May I have a moment, Mister Denning?”

...someone caught hold of the hem of my clothes.

It turned out to be Professor Arle. I’m...a little scared of her right now because her lecture earlier defied all my expectations. “P-Professor, may I help you?”

“Mister Denning, I wish to express my gratitude directly to you. I cannot thank you enough. It is only because of you that I was able to return to Kirsch.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Professor. I only did what anyone else would have in my position,” I said humbly.

She didn’t take special time off after what happened, instead immediately coming back to Kirsch. This woman is much tougher than she looks. On top of that, judging by what she taught in her lecture, her encounter with the mercenary must have changed something inside her.

“I want to thank you,” she insisted. “Is there anything you want? If it’s within my power—”

I paused, considering. “Then, how about permission to be exempt from homework?”

“Hmm...” The professor didn’t sound convinced. “Giving you special treatment would be a little...”