27 – Episode 3. Unintended attention is declined. (5)
“A school uniform….”
It feels like I’ve returned to high school for some reason.
Wearing a white shirt tucked into black pants, and putting on a black vest over the shirt. It’s over when you tighten the tie.
The school uniform with golden embroidery on the collar, pocket, sleeves, etc., was a more modest design than expected.
And on the chest, there was a pattern of a griffin wearing a crown, holding a sword and shield. The griffin was the symbol animal of the royal family, and the sword and shield represented the two duke families, pillars of the empire.
“Shall we go?”
I grabbed my bag and left the room. In the corridor, knights and servants were lined up, waiting.
“Oh, did you put it on by yourself?”
“You can ask us for things like that….”
The attendants who followed me seemed anxious as if they had been robbed of their chores.
“I’ll dress myself. Please just clean the room occasionally.”
I passed by them with a smiling gaze. Then, everyone followed behind me as if they had been ordered. Not some organized thugs, but why are they following me like this….
“…You don’t need to follow me. Just rest here.”
“But…!”
“…But? Please continue.”
“…Didn’t Lord Abel say that if we don’t follow discreetly, not only will our wages be cut, but we’ll also be punished? But now, if he suddenly tells us not to follow, what are we supposed to do…”
One of the servants gathers the courage to speak, but eventually trails off and stammers. I can’t help but sigh.
I thought I had changed the image of Abel a lot. But it still seems far from being enough.
The maid who spoke with courage after my sigh quickly kneels down and bows her head.
“I-I-I’m sorry! I spoke out of turn! Please forgive me! I still have a family to feed—”
“I didn’t say anything. Just get up for now.”
I grab the maid’s arm and help her up. She rises obediently, trembling as if filled with fear.
She seems to be another one of Abel’s victims. She can’t meet my eyes and only steals glances at me.
“Let me make it clear. I don’t like beating around the bush. Please interpret my words as they are. Understood?”
“Yes, yes. Sir— I mean, Lord Abel.”
She almost called him ‘Sir’ but changed it to ‘Lord Abel’. There must be a reason for calling him that.
It’s probably for some trivial, nonsensical reason.
“You can address me more casually. From now on, unless I specifically instruct you, there’s no need for you to follow me.”
“B-But it’s safer to have an escort until we enter the main building. They can respond immediately if there’s a problem.”
This time, a knight who was watching from behind spoke up.
Having at least one escort would indeed be fine. They might even fight in my place if necessary.
“…Understood. Then, just one person can accompany me. The knights will take turns to guard me every other day. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
The knights respond and look at each other. It seemed like they were deciding who would guard me today.
“Lord Abel, what should we do?”
“Please wait until further instructions. While remaining dedicated to your main duties, consider this a free time until I give any specific orders. Just take it as a half-day off and relax. It doesn’t mean you won’t get paid for that.”
“But if we do that—”
“Do you want me to say it twice?”
As I spoke hesitantly, the servants tightly sealed their lips and bowed their heads.
“Oh, no. I apologize.”
“And that apology. Don’t say it unless you’ve really done something wrong.”
“Yes, Abel.”
“Good.”
“By the way, since the main house is quite a distance away, wouldn’t it be better to take a carriage?”
“Ah, I see. Then have the coachman come along.”
“Yes. Yes!”
Is having something to do that much of a joy?
The coachman who brought me to the academy came out among the servants with a relieved look.
“I’ll be off then.”
I smiled at the servants and ascended a mana-powered elevator-like device.
* * *
“You’re not too late, are you?”
When I yawned and came out of the dormitory, Lina, dressed in the same uniform as me, was standing there. The only difference was that I wore pants, and she wore a skirt.
“How long have you been waiting?”
“Not that long.”
“Come in, don’t just stand there.”
“How can I enter the men’s dormitory?”
“You came in yesterday.”
“Yesterday was a special case.”
Even if it’s not a special case, with Lina’s status, it’s like having a free pass wherever she goes. Who would dare block the way for the princess?
“…You only brought one guard?”
“Yeah.”
Looking at the knight and servant standing behind me, Lina makes a strange nasal sound, “Hmm~,” she says.
“You used to intentionally make them suffer by crowding around, but now you don’t want to drain them with unnecessary things.”
As I speak, looking at Lina, she blinks her eyes rapidly. Her expression seems to mock me for not understanding English.
“Why?”
“…Are you really Abel?”
“Then who do I look like?”
Surprised, I ask, and Lina grabs my cheek.
“Ouch. Let go.”
“Have you checked if someone else is wearing Abel’s disguise? I didn’t expect you to say that.”
I flicked her hand away. My cheek was stinging. How hard did she grab?
“…Enough. Where are we having breakfast?”
“We’ll have breakfast at the student cafeteria today. You might not know, but the student cafeteria is famous for its good food at the academy. You can even choose your own menu, and it’s free, so students from our department often eat there.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. If you don’t like it here, we can go somewhere else. What do you want to do?”
“I don’t mind.”
The student cafeteria…
It was a familiar place, perhaps because it was a spot where I often struggled during my impoverished university days.
Following Rena, I headed towards the student cafeteria building.
The cafeteria, with numerous tables, was filled with students from morning till night.
Seeing students in the same uniform as me chatting and having meals made me want to laugh for some reason.
Maybe because it’s medieval, the scenery was somewhat different from what I knew, but the atmosphere was similar.
However, there was one uncomfortable aspect.
“Rena.”
“What?”
“It feels like everyone is looking at us… Is it just my imagination?”
Students who saw us entering the cafeteria were startled and started whispering. Some were forcefully stuffing their faces with food as if trying to inhale it.
“No? It’s probably not your imagination. Nobles having breakfast in the student cafeteria is not common. Usually, they instruct servants to bring them food that suits their taste.”
“Is that so? I wish we had done that instead. Are they avoiding us because of this?”
“It doesn’t matter, right? We don’t have to eat while worrying about what others think.”
“True, but…”
“Also, if I stick around you, even those less distinguished girls who don’t recognize the difference in status won’t come near you while glancing at you.”
Rena, who said that, hesitated. As if something was bothering her, she suddenly poked my arm.
“No. Let me clarify. You should stick by my side.”
Ridiculous. Is that really important right now?
“…Either side is fine. Let’s eat quickly and get out. That way, other students can eat comfortably too.”
“Get used to it. We’ll be eating like this from now on.”
Rina glanced around with her fist clenched. The heads of the students who met her gaze automatically bowed.
“Every day?”
“Yeah. Every day.”
“Why?”
“You said you won’t meet other girls, but I don’t completely believe that. I’ll be watching you myself.”
“You’re surprisingly jealous, huh?”
“What?!”
I can’t believe I held it in until now.
Smirking at her reddened face in bewilderment, I headed towards the place where students were lining up. Rina followed belatedly.
As I took my place in the last row, the students, startled, tapped the shoulders of the one in front of them.
“Hey hey!”
“What’s up?”
“Sirius Gongja-nim is here. Make way…!”
“Just stay where you are. It’s okay.”
“Hurry, move!”
Shouting, they pushed the person in front aside.
I assured them it was fine, but people split apart, creating a path for me to walk through.
Is this some kind of miracle like Moses’?
Feeling too bothered to respond to each one, I made my way through that path.
As I scanned the menu to place an order, the head chef was shocked and bowed deeply. His chef’s hat came off, revealing his round bald spot.
“Wow! Sir Sirius! Lady Spon! G-Good morning!”
“……You pick the menu. I don’t know. I’ll be seated over there.”
“Alright.”
I shifted uncomfortably, acting as if I had just seen a noble, and found a suitable corner to sit.
“I’ll bring it right away. Please, have a seat!”
Lina must have finished ordering quickly, as she came over and sat across from me with light steps. Just as I was exhaling from the accumulating fatigue, a voice came from the table next to us.
“What should we do? Should we greet them?”
“But it’s a principle at the academy not to distinguish status among students…”
“Hey, you idiot. Are you going to be at the academy forever? Our future depends on the nobles in the end.”
“Then, should we greet them now—”
“No need to.”
I said to the students sitting next to me.
It was to prevent unnecessary attention. But as soon as I spoke, their faces turned pale, and they abruptly stood up from their seats.
“Oh, hello!! Sir Sirius! Lady Spon!”
“Hello!!”
I didn’t want this! Is everyone here just a bunch of brown-nosers!
I looked around at their cheerful greetings. Other students were also glancing at us with curiosity. This is going to be a hassle, seriously.
“Idiot. Just don’t say anything.”
Rina, sitting across from me, snickered. She looks like she’s about to choke even though she hasn’t eaten. Damn it.
I’m never coming here again. I should just have the servants bring it to me next time.
* * *
After making plans with Rina for lunch, I headed to the main building where the Department of Public Administration was located. It’s quite comfortable to ride in a carriage.
“Sir Abel.”
“Yes?”
“Breakfast seemed quite uncomfortable for you…”
“Would you really expect the food to go down in such a situation? It might come out of your nostrils instead.”
The bodyguard sitting next to me chuckled at my blunt remark.
“By the way, Hans.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“Could you please tell the servants to buy some readily available food from the market and place it in my room while I’m in class?”
“Readily available food?”
“For example, bread or jerky. It would be great if there’s water too.”
“Understood. I will convey the message.”
Those elven fellows, they might be starving again, so I should take care of them too.
I planned to show this kindness in advance, as a factor of hesitation in case they ever have to kill me.
“We have arrived, Sir Abel!”
In response to Marbu’s words, I promptly descended from the carriage. After exchanging greetings with the two individuals, I entered the building.
Inside the building, there was quite a hustle and bustle.
Perhaps because the academy’s curriculum itself felt more like high school than university, even in the morning, there seemed to be a fair number of people.
“Hmm….”
Not bad at all. Even this.
As I entertained such thoughts, everyone passing by cast their eyes downward and tensed their bodies. Faced with this peculiar attitude, all I could do was let out a bitter laugh.
Without explicitly mentioning how much mischief Abel had caused even in the academy, it was palpable in real-time.
I should try to keep a low profile from now on.
When I found the lecture room and opened the door to enter, the atmosphere inside quickly turned chilly. I barely suppressed the sigh welling up from within.
Wherever I go, it seems Abel is the designated target number one.
I looked at the desks lined up in rows like a classroom. Since there didn’t seem to be assigned seats, I took the back corner.
Then, the two ragtag guys I saw yesterday casually approached me and sat in the adjacent seats. Come to think of it, these guys were also in the political science department.
“What’s up?”
“Huh?”
A chuckle escaped at their innocent response.
How amusing must Lady Lina’s words have sounded to them for them to approach me with faces like iron plates?
“Did you guys take Lady Lina’s words seriously? Are you really planning to go to war with a sponsored duke?”
“No, not at all! We were just…”
From Noble mtl dot com
Ah, I see now.
These guys hadn’t ignored Lina because they found her amusing. They approached me, thinking I would intervene on Lina’s behalf.
“Lina is right. You and I are different kinds of water when it comes to playing.”
“Yes?”
“From now on, if you want to speak nicely, go that way since I won’t be walking with you.”
I needed to change my image from now on, and being with these guys seemed like it would hinder me from creating a decent image.
“Hey, did we do something that offended Abel-nim?”
“Huh. Looking at your faces makes me sick.”
“Yes?”
“Get lost, you brat, before I kick you.”
As I raised my hand, they flinched, hastily lowered their heads, and fled as if running away.
I may not be Abel, but I can’t stand these treacherous bastards. They’re the kind who would betray you anytime if it doesn’t benefit them.
After chasing them away, I leaned against the window and saw a middle-aged man who looked like a professor entering through the front door.
“Welcome. It’s nice to see so many students coming out sincerely from the first day of the semester.”
As the professor came to the lectern, he started taking attendance after a brief joke.
“—Abel Sirius. You wouldn’t be late on the first day of the semester—”
“I’m here.”
“Ugh!”
He was truly startled when I raised my hand and spoke.
It’s truly ridiculous that they assumed I would be late, but considering Abel’s usual behavior, I couldn’t help it.
“S-So, you weren’t late today.”
“Yes.”
Awkward silence flowed. The professor cleared his throat and continued with attendance after a fake cough.
After attendance, he briefly explained the course proceedings for this semester and concluded.
I was pleased that the seemingly mundane class was postponed until tomorrow.
At that moment, just as I was about to get up, a timid-looking girl approached me.
“Um… Abel-nim…”
Twisting her fingers, she nervously rolled her eyes in different directions. She seemed to have a rather shy personality.
“Who are you?”
“What?”
The female student’s face turned flushed with embarrassment. The speed of her fidgeting fingers increased at the unexpected response.
“Oh… um… Did you forget? Last semester, as compensation for spending a night with you, you gave money for my mother’s medicine…”
Sighing as I watched the girl fumble with her words in a hushed voice that no one else could hear, I wondered how to deal with this Abel guy.