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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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To Kaspar Hundreth, a freshman at the Academy, the Barhardt Imperial family was sacred and inviolable..
In the past, the Hundreth family protected the people as knights and defended the kingdom from external threats.
During the Hegemony War, when the four kingdoms fought for supremacy, his great-grandfather lost his life, and his grandfather lost an arm.
But what tormented them even more was the royal family’s indifference.
At the time, the Barhardt Kingdom was riddled with corruption.
No matter how diligently they performed their duties and demonstrated loyalty, they weren’t recognized without offering bribes.
Dismissed as useless despite his young age, Kaspar’s grandfather spent his days drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
Then, he received a summons from the young king who had recently inherited the throne.
That summons changed the Hundreth family’s fate.
The young king, who would later be known as the Great Emperor, transformed the kingdom into an empire.
Corrupt officials were purged, and their positions were filled by passionate and honest individuals.
Having grown up listening to his grandfather’s stories, Kaspar saw the Great Emperor Ludwig as a legendary hero, and his desire to become a cornerstone of the Empire grew stronger each day.
It was an honor to study at the Academy founded by the former Emperor himself.
But when Kaspar realized he would be spending time as a student alongside a member of the Imperial family, a direct descendant of the former Emperor, he was overwhelmed with emotion.
Lyla Everblaze Barhardt.
She was the embodiment of the ideal princess Kaspar had envisioned in his childhood.
Her beauty was breathtaking.
Her charisma could overawe even nobles.
Her refinement and talent were unmatched.
As a ‘Combat’ student, Kaspar had little opportunity to interact with Lyla, a ‘Magic’ student.
But even hearing about her from afar filled his days with purpose.
Lyla’s presence was that significant to him.
Therefore, his rage was immense when he heard from a childhood friend, who had connections within the Academy even before enrollment, that a gnat was clinging to her.
Chrom Midas.
A mere commoner, not of noble blood.
From Sphero, a mere vassal state, not an Imperial citizen.
Not even the child of a renowned figure, but the son of a vulgar merchant condemned by the people.
Outside the Academy, Kaspar wouldn’t have given him a second thought.
Therefore, the fact that such an insignificant being dared to laugh and converse with the princess he idolized was an unbearable humiliation and insult.
The only reason he hadn’t drawn his sword immediately was a shred of pride, unwilling to taint the noble princess’s ears with such a vulgar matter, and a faint sense of restraint, unwilling to shed blood within the Academy founded by the great hero.
And that pride and restraint were now being shattered.
“…What did you just say?”
“I said it was the same as yesterday. During break time, he was clinging to Her Highness, chatting away as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He didn’t even flinch when others glared at him. He’s either completely oblivious or just shameless.”
His friend, from an Imperial mage family he had known since childhood, clicked his tongue.
As his friend shook his head, saying he was almost envious, Kaspar couldn’t contain himself and shouted,
“And you just watched?!”
“What was I supposed to do? Interrupt Her Highness while she was smiling and conversing and tell her she shouldn’t be talking to someone like him?”
“If the problem is Her Highness seeing him, then we should quietly make him understand his place when they’re not in the classroom!”
Kaspar’s friend stared at him in disbelief.
“Are you insane? You know why everyone is hesitant to approach her. Do you think you can just act recklessly without knowing which students aligned with the other adult members of the Imperial family are watching and waiting for an excuse to find fault?”
“…”
“Princess Lyla’s position is unstable. And she’s the one most aware of that. She’s probably just using Chrom Midas as someone to talk to because she’s lonely being alone in the classroom. But as time passes, she’ll get rid of him herself. So—hey, where are you going? Hey!”
‘Spineless coward!’
Kaspar’s chest burned with rage.
What? Unstable position? She’ll handle it herself?
As a loyal subject, how could he allow the noble princess to dirty her own hands with such filth?
At the same time, he was also furious.
‘He dared to ignore my warning. A mere commoner from a vassal state, ignoring a noble’s words!’
The rational thought that Chrom wouldn’t know if the message was from an Imperial noble or a street beggar, since it contained no information about the sender, didn’t occur to him.
Reason and logic applied to equals or superiors, not to insignificant insects.
Whether it was unreasonable or misdirected anger, in Kaspar’s eyes, Chrom was an existence that should be crushed underfoot.
He failed to realize how closely his thinking resembled the arrogant and corrupt nobles his grandfather had criticized in his youth.
A murderous intent flickered in Kaspar’s eyes.
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Walking along the Academy’s promenade, Fiore spoke,
“Regret unnie, is something the matter?”
Regret replied,
“The matter? What matter?”
“Are you pretending? You’re always by Oppa’s side, but today, you’ve been hovering around me all day. As if something’s about to happen to me.”
Regret shrugged.
“You’re perceptive. There’s not much more to say.”
Fiore tilted her head, puzzled.
“Is it the people from the Sphero Kingdom? I didn’t think anyone would be foolish enough to openly use force within the Academy.”
“Then, it’s one of two things. Either the culprit is more stupid than you think, or they’re all bark and no bite.”
“Culprit, culprit… Did Oppa receive a threatening letter? And did that letter contain a threat against me?”
“…Did Chrom tell you everything and you’re just messing with me?”
Exasperated by Fiore’s ability to hit the nail on the head after just a few words, Regret explained the situation.
“Hmm… but if that’s the case, shouldn’t you be protecting Oppa instead of me? The message clearly expresses animosity towards him personally, and I feel like I was just added as an extra.”
“He said it wouldn’t work if I stuck to him.”
“Wouldn’t work? What wouldn’t work?”
“The plan to lure out the small fry.”
“Don’t people usually call that the ‘big fish’?”
“I guess Chrom doesn’t think he’s worth that much.”
Fiore fell silent, lost in thought, and just as she was about to speak again,
“R-Regret-ssi! Fiore-ssi! It’s terrible!”
Lotto, running towards them, shouted breathlessly,
“C-Chrom-nim! He’s in a duel with some noble!”
Regret and Fiore exchanged glances.
It seemed this “small fry” was causing quite a commotion.
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[Stop clinging to that noble person, you gnat. If you ignore this warning, both you and your sister will regret it.]
When I first read the message, I thought,
‘It’s not from someone high-ranking.’
If they only intended to warn me, there was no need for the provocative language.
And as a threat, it was too crude.
Either it was a rash act by a fool who couldn’t control their emotions, or someone who didn’t want to reveal their identity was using a pawn.
The problem was that neither scenario was pleasant for me.
I understood their perspective.
They were probably annoyed by a nouveau riche like me hanging around the princess, whom even they had to be careful around.
But that was their problem.
Who were they to threaten me about who I chose to associate with?
I ignored the warning and waited for a reaction, which came sooner than expected.
Okay, that’s fine, but…
“Stop loitering around Her Highness, you trash.”
“Reason? Because the very fact that a commoner like you is clinging to Her Highness is an insult to her, and to the Imperial family! Know your place!”
“Her Highness’s own will? How dare a lowly being like you presume to know her thoughts!? Do you have a death wish!?”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Standing in the middle of a busy student thoroughfare, I stared blankly at the broken record in front of me, who kept ranting without a care for the surrounding stares.
What was wrong with this guy?
What did a noble like him gain from picking a fight with a commoner like me in public?
And wasn’t he an Academy student?
Was it okay to openly use derogatory terms like “lowly being”?
I suddenly felt wronged.
Even if he was low-ranking, as a noble and someone raised with an education, shouldn’t he think before he acted?
Wouldn’t it be normal, standard villain behavior to ambush me in a secluded spot, pressure my family’s trading company, or at least come up with a plausible excuse to target me?
With him charging at me like a rabid boar, what was I supposed to do with the recording magic tool I had prepared, the poisons and restraints for capturing attackers, and my plan to lure him into a false sense of security by keeping Regret away?
Thinking about this, I realized a fundamental misconception I had.
I knew I was looked down upon. Or rather, I thought I knew.
But apparently, some people considered me even more insignificant than I had imagined.
“Why aren’t you answering?! Confess your—”
“Oh, shut up, you’re annoying. How am I supposed to respond when you keep spouting nonsense?”
“W-what?”
I looked at the idiot, whose face was turning red, and said,
“If you dislike me that much, let’s have a duel, you self-proclaimed noble knight.”
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