87 – Downfall
Leon couldn’t bear it any longer.
The reason he couldn’t bear it was simply that he couldn’t.
“Give back the potion. You bad dog!”
Meanwhile, refraining from swearing was due to the awareness of people’s gaze.
No matter how angry he was, even in a situation where the potion was unjustly taken, he had to refrain from swearing. It was the way one couldn’t live alone in the world.
‘But I’m still the victim.’
Thinking about it, even after crossing the formidable wall, it was unreasonable that I couldn’t freely take that one potion. Military hospital patients lying quietly reportedly received morphine four times a day for free.
But why not me?
It was poignant and unfair.
It was Leon who, filled with resentment, rushed towards the thief holding the vial.
Title: “The Thief Knight”
It would be more accurate to call him a thief knight due to his reputation. He was a mischievous thief knight who only trusted the princess and would mock his parents while gently shaking a vial in front of her.
“Hand it over!”
“Leon Loaderdale, sto… cough!”
Leon’s fist struck his throat.
With a thud, the thief knight’s back bent, and he looked up at Leon with a distorted face, as if unable to believe that he had been hit.
Is this the state of a so-called knight? I knew it from the moment I stole his purse, but he truly was an underwhelming thief.
“Your Highness, please step back!”
He even hurriedly stepped back and unlocked the sword’s hilt.
“You’re going to draw your sword? Meanwhile, I’m just watching.”
Is this what the Royal Guards Commander wants?
Although he may seem like a disregarded student, Leon was no ordinary student. He had received titles and various rewards from the princess. Leon didn’t care much about titles, but he was willing to exploit them if necessary.
If he set his mind to it, he could show a truly venomous example.
Nevertheless, Leon decided to endure it just one more time.
“If I show some leniency, it might benefit me.”
By sparing the thief’s life, he might be able to negotiate under more favorable conditions. A smile appeared on Leon’s face as he finished his calculations.
However, he still needed to demonstrate a minimum level of authority, so he immediately took action.
“Leon! Please stop! The opponent is the princess’s bodyguard knight!”
“Oh dear, oh dear.”
“Someone stop him…! We might die too!!”
Ignoring the cries around him, Leon leaped forward with determination.
The thief, startled, tried to draw his sword, but it wasn’t Leon who would let him get away with that.
Thud, crack! Two sharp blows.
A fist embedded in the jaw, a kick striking the inner side of the knee.
The posture of the thief knight, unable to endure the pain, crumbled with a shudder. Leon chuckled and delivered a few more punches.
Three times, no, four times. With all his might.
“Ugh…!”
The situation was over. Leon, looking disdainfully at the fallen thief, turned his gaze.
“Oh.”
A lying vial on the floor caught his eye.
The precious and valuable vial that almost got snatched by the despicable knight carrying the princess on his back but was bravely recovered through resistance.
Leon bent down briskly, picking up the vial.
Though small, it promised around 20 ephedrine pills. For four days’ worth, or maybe a week if he felt a bit adventurous.
Leon knew it wasn’t over with this.
Even if he was a thief, he had just fought with the personal guard of the First Princess. It wasn’t easy to let that pass quietly.
There might have been a valid reason, but the world wasn’t fair.
“I might be mocked or worse.”
But Leon wasn’t afraid.
Because there were thousands of witnesses.
Countless professors and students filled the hall up to the second floor.
They witnessed Leon being ridiculed by the princess and even saw him stealing a valuable potion from her guard. No matter how mighty the aristocracy’s authority was, enforcing punishment on thousands seemed challenging.
‘There are so many people here. They’ll all be on my side anyway.’
If the 1st Princess tries to assert her pride without admitting her mistake, it could be awkward.
Leon was willing to bear that burden.
The vial in his hand now, and the numerous vials he would acquire in the future, were worth the risk. It was like facing the gang of the 1st Princess to obtain the Blur, just as he had subjugated dozens or hundreds of demons to get the Dreamy.
‘I can do this.’
Leon tightly gripped the vial.
Then, shyly smiling, he looked around.
Even though it was self-defense, it was a bit embarrassing to argue with the escort knights in front of thousands of people. Perhaps some political science or similar students were among them.
However.
“Leon Roderdale! Kneel!”
The reactions of the people were different from his expectations.
1st Princess Victoria, closing her eyes tightly and carrying the burden behind her.
Escort knights surrounding Leon with drawn swords.
Even professors from the swordsmanship and magic departments were blocking Leon. They treated him as if he were a dangerous aristocrat criminal.
This was strange. He hadn’t harmed the princess; he had punished a thief. No matter how much he hated her, he wouldn’t swing his fist at the 1st Princess like he was crazy.
“Uh, professors. It seems there’s a misunderstanding. I’m not attacking the princess but a thief.”
“Don’t move from there! The Academy could be in jeopardy!”
Why are they doing this? Seriously.
Feeling a sense of discomfort, Leon looked at the students.
He wanted to gain their approval at least. Even if he didn’t understand why the professors were behaving like this, his juniors and seniors seemed like they would empathize with him.
Certainly, it had to be that way…
From Noble mtl dot com
The faces of the students were all pale, without exception.
It was only now that Leon realized things were going wrong. He didn’t know what it was, but it was as clear as day that their understanding and his were at odds.
**
A packed academy auditorium with over three thousand people.
A chilly silence flowed within the hall. Around me, there were occasional sighs or mumbled words, but mostly people just closed their mouths.
Everyone must be fed up with Leon’s behavior.
Of course, not everyone was terrified.
“How long do you plan to keep this up?”
From the seats where the view of the platform was best on the second floor, Sienna, who was sitting next to me, raised her head with a questioning look.
I noticed her expression was indeed interested.
“I thought you’d enjoy this.”
The young master, guaranteed a glamorous life, giving up everything because of a small vial and challenging a knight in front of the first princess. And with a smile.
Sienna wasn’t the only one paying attention.
Leon’s actions today were bound to be talked about for a long time. Right now, everyone is keeping quiet, but it’ll get noisy soon.
“It’s surprisingly quiet.”
Up until now, there was a vague confrontation on the platform.
Leon, seemingly trying to justify something, fidgeting nervously. The knights of Victoria, extreme caution in their eyes, shouting for him to kneel.
It was appropriate for Victoria to step forward, but she was lowering her head with a miserable expression. It seemed she was lamenting the chaotic situation in the academy.
I understand the sentiment, but someone still needs to step forward and sort out the situation.
The suitable candidate… naturally, there was no one else but me.
It seemed like I was the only one who understood what the current dru*g addict Leon was thinking, why he wore such an unjust expression. There probably wasn’t anyone else who wasn’t afraid of the insane master.
I rose without hesitation.
“I’ll be back shortly. If Lady Siena has something she wants to do as well.”
“No, it’s fine for today.”
Today?
Curious, I turned around, and Siena pointed with her finger somewhere.
The target she indicated was a small group of students sitting loosely on one side of the auditorium’s first floor. They all stood up with tense expressions, but it was an unusually relaxed group. One of them was openly splitting something, finding it amusing.
“They must be the sellers. Or maybe the buyers.”
“Probably both. I’ll catch them soon.”
“….”
“I need to think about it now. Alan, you go ahead. It might be more advantageous for you to clean up with your own hands.”
The dru*g dealer catching another dru*g dealer… It sounded absurd, but originally, it was another dru*g dealer who was good at catching them, not the police. Siena was probably doing it for fun, not to eliminate a rival cartel.
It was fortunate that I had found something to enjoy without relying on others.
Leaving Siena behind, I took a step forward.
“Heroin!”
As I headed towards the stage, the students naturally cleared a path left and right. Thanks to them, I avoided the crowd and climbed onto the stage.
“Oh? Mr. Pharmacy Owner.”
Leon’s expression brightened as soon as he saw me.
Logically, there was hardly any reason for him to greet me, but I just nodded my head.
“Sir, those people are suppressing us right now.”
“…Leon Roderdale. By now, he must feel incredibly unjust. It’s not just the feeling of having your belongings snatched away right in front of your eyes, but also resentment towards Princess Victoria, who ordered it. What’s precious to you isn’t the title or the mansion, just the potion.”
“Yes, it is.”
Am I considered an ally? Leon Roderdale’s expression brightened.
But that was short-lived.
“I’m sorry, but you have no potions. They’re all mine.”
“What…?”
“Although Princess Hwangnyeo unjustly took away your rights, you never had any rights to begin with. The haze and dizziness you’ve been consuming were never legitimate rights. I gave them to you out of pity for being constantly immersed in op*ium smoke.”
“But still, I…”
“Whether you’re a master or whatever means nothing to me. …In fact, your recent actions have put me in a difficult position. Is assaulting a guard in front of Princess Hwangnyeo a sane thing to do? That’s tantamount to treason.”
“What?”
The light gradually disappeared from Leon Roderdale’s eyes.
I delivered the decisive blow.
“I won’t be giving you any more potions. I won’t sell them to you for money either. After your disgraceful behavior, we can’t commercialize ephedrine, can we?”
Whether he was shocked by my words or not, Leon Roderdale eventually dropped the potion bottle.
At the same time, the hesitating knights and professors rushed in and subdued him.
They beat him with scabbards, forcing him to kneel and pressing his head to the ground. Surprisingly, the professors seemed more desperate than the knights.
However, Leon didn’t resist at all.
“No, don’t.”
He reached out longingly towards the vial he had missed.
The moment of the genius’s downfall. As I turned around, students were staring in expressions difficult to articulate in this direction.