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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“Anything… else…?”
“Is that not possible? My arm was injured too, you know.”
The princess looked flustered, clearly not expecting me to ask for more.
Hildegarde, confused by my mention of an arm injury, looked from me to the princess, then back again.
She seemed to realize what I was referring to and lowered her head.
She bowed even lower, her voice barely a whisper.
“I… I’m truly sorry about your arm. I… I was only aiming to incapacitate you… I didn’t mean to… I’m so sorry…”
She claimed she’d only intended to stun me with the electric shock, but for some reason, the energy had concentrated in my arm.
She kept apologizing, blaming herself for losing control of her magic. I watched her, a flicker of guilt in my chest.
‘…I did that…’
I was the one who’d manipulated the magical energy.
But I wouldn’t tell her. I had been injured, and her spell had been far too powerful for a simple sparring match.
The thought of being electrocuted made me even more determined to get some form of compensation.
Unable to ignore my insistent stare, she looked at me, her eyes pleading.
“…What… what do you want…?”
She whispered, her voice barely audible.
She’d used the magic word. And I wasn’t one to miss an opportunity.
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“Albert, how long are you going to sit there?”
“…”
Having secured a promise from the princess, I approached Albert, who was still wallowing in self-pity.
He wasn’t like other nobles. He didn’t look down on commoners. He treated everyone with respect, even befriending them without hesitation.
He was the one who’d approached me, the academy’s scoundrel, and he was still checking on me, concerned about my well-being.
He was a good friend, and I didn’t like seeing him like this.
“Are you just going to give up?”
“…It’s my fault, isn’t it…?”
“What is?”
“Everyone on my team… they’re all gone…”
“…”
“If I hadn’t charged in first… if I’d been more careful… things might have been different…”
“…Pathetic.”
My blunt words seemed to snap him out of his stupor. He looked up, his eyes filled with a flicker of annoyance.
“…I’m pathetic…?”
“Yes.”
“…I see…”
Albert was the heir to House Iris, a powerful noble family, second only to the imperial family.
He wasn’t a stranger to criticism, but this was different. It was direct, personal. And he knew he was responsible.
The thought of damaging his carefully cultivated relationships filled him with dread.
His face crumpled, and he buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking. It was unlike him to show such vulnerability. He always held his head high.
And I didn’t like it. Not him, giving up like this, nor the other students, eager to shift the blame.
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“Are you just going to give up?”
“…Pathetic.”
What was he supposed to do? It was his fault. Whose fault was it, if not his?
He’d been their leader, the one who’d made the decision, the one who’d charged in first, leading them to disaster.
He’d lost so many friends, all because of his reckless decision. They were probably disqualified now.
He deserved their resentment.
But what was this guy saying?
Did he not understand the situation? Just because he hadn’t been there didn’t give him the right to judge.
Annoyed, Albert looked up, and a pair of calm, black eyes met his. Eyes that held no judgment, no pity, no emotion whatsoever.
What did he mean? Was he mocking him? Looking down on him?
Albert’s mind raced, filled with negative thoughts, when he spoke.
“Why do you think it’s your fault?”
Why? It was obvious, wasn’t it? He’d been their leader, he’d—
“Did you force them to follow you? Did they disagree with your decision?”
No. They’d suggested it themselves. It had been a unanimous decision.
“Were they reluctant? Did they lack enthusiasm?”
No. They’d been just as eager as he was, their eyes gleaming with greed at the prospect of extra points.
“Did you know about the Mid-Rank monster and choose to ignore it?”
No. The scouts hadn’t reported it, and he’d trusted their information.
“Can you explain what you did wrong?”
“…”
“Why do you feel guilty?”
“…”
“Shouldn’t you be happy? You eliminated your competition. Students are worth points, too.”
“What…!”
He tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat.
“You seem to be forgetting that this is an evaluation. You’re being ranked against each other.”
“If your competitors are eliminated, your rank improves, doesn’t it?”
“So there’s no need to feel guilty about eliminating them.”
“…I didn’t realize there were people in the world foolish enough to blame themselves for a natural disaster.”
Who could have predicted a Mid-Rank monster would appear on the island? Who had objected to attacking the monsters? No one.
So whose fault was it?
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Hmm…
I was almost there…
But I needed to get rid of his crippling self-pity first.
“Even so…”
“Stop it, Albert.”
“…”
“No amount of self-pity will bring them back.”
Could they see him like this?
Could he share his guilt with them?
Had they explicitly blamed him?
Had he committed such a heinous crime?
He shook his head at each question, then froze at the last one, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.
He still believed he was guilty, but there was a flicker of doubt now.
Good. Doubt meant conflict, an internal struggle.
His head remained still, but his eyes darted around nervously. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his fists clenched so tightly that blood seeped from his fingernails.
He was a mess, a sight no one had ever seen before.
Even the students who’d been blaming him fell silent, watching him with a mixture of concern and confusion. Hildegarde, the Saint, Princess Kiana, and even Isabella watched him silently.
Finally, the silence broke.
He slowly stood up and walked towards me. The other students watched, but he ignored them, his gaze fixed on me.
He stopped a few feet away, staring at me intently, then chuckled and walked past me.
He stopped in front of the group who’d been berating him earlier.
Some students looked at him expectantly, while others seemed hesitant, unsure of what he was about to do.
Those who knew his strength, including the group he was confronting, suddenly realized the gravity of their earlier accusations. They’d been disrespectful, and they braced themselves for his retaliation, closing their eyes.
But he didn’t attack.
“I apologize.”
“…Huh?”
“My reckless decision cost many students their place in this evaluation.”
“…”
“I’ll accept your resentment when this is over.”
The surrounding students were stunned. He was a noble, the heir to a powerful family. And he was apologizing to them?
Even those he was apologizing to seemed bewildered.
“If that monster continues to rampage… we won’t survive.”
“…”
“I’m asking for your help.”
“…”
“I don’t want our evaluation to end because of that monster.”
“…”
“But I can’t do it alone. So…”
He needed their help.
His unexpected apology, his sincerity, resonated with everyone present. It was enough to rekindle their fighting spirit.
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