In the rattling carriage. I’m rolling around with my hands and feet tied.
Why tie my feet, though? Did they think I’d run away or something?
This kind of treatment is new to me, so I’m not used to it. Honestly, everything I’ve been through so far doesn’t make sense. It was a luxurious life for a commoner.
‘I guess I was living too comfortably.’
I just hadn’t experienced it properly, but this world has its own class system and a sense of aristocracy.
So, it’s natural for commoners to be looked down upon.
There must have been quite a few people who resented me for being a commoner.
But they probably left me alone because it wasn’t easy to mess with someone as overestimated as me.
Hmm… or maybe not overestimated? I can’t argue with that, considering all the things I’ve done.
Of course, not everything has spread… but with achievements like acing the entrance exam and being immediately scouted by the Student Council, it’s clear they couldn’t touch me.
Plus, the princess was always by my side… so it was awkward to mess with me.
Then why are they dragging me away like this? Do they not know? Or are they just stupid?
They must have found something to fill their pockets. That’s the kind of people they are.
Now, Diggerus, who no longer exists in this world. The Jibchak Family he was born into… well, let’s just say they’re a family of loudmouths.
It’s not that they’re incompetent, but they’re too busy filling their own pockets, which makes them unlikeable.
Hyenas would be a fitting description.
*Clunk!*
“Ugh.”
The carriage shook violently as if it hit something. Almost bit my tongue.
Definitely a cargo carriage. Can’t compare to the Royal Carriage.
The carriage keeps rattling, and if this continues, I’ll be rolling around inside. So, I decided to untie the ropes binding my hands and feet first.
The method was simple. Just put it in the inventory.
‘This is really cheating.’
I guess I don’t have to worry about losing my freedom anymore.
With my hands and feet free, even if the carriage rattles, it’s comfortable enough.
Maybe because my body feels better, I’m starting to think I might have done something unnecessary.
Who were the people next to me? On the left, the princess, and on the right, the Duke’s Daughter. If I had borrowed a word from them, I could have easily broken through the situation.
Even if not, just being a student under the Academy’s protection would have been enough to avoid this.
Actually, before they came, the headmaster personally came and hinted that since the Academy’s reputation is strong, resisting wouldn’t be a problem.
But I chose to be captured. By now, the headmaster must be wondering, ‘Why on earth?’
Of course, there’s a reason I got caught.
The Jibchak Family. There was an item I needed to grab from there.
I had thought about sneaking in to steal it someday, but I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.
While I’m at it, I might as well deal with the shady scheme they’re cooking up. Then, I’ll just wait for Seria to come and rescue me.
‘A perfect plan.’
I’ll figure out the details once I get there.
Thinking that, I waited for the carriage to arrive.
—
How much time had passed? The endless rattling of the carriage finally slowed down, and soon it came to a stop.
A man opened the door and shouted,
“Get out!”
It was Trash Jibchak, the head of the Jibchak Family.
By the way, his wife’s name is Dirty.
Trash and Dirty… Is this some kind of destined meeting?
Whatever. I decided to follow his orders for now.
So I casually stepped out of the carriage, and Trash—no, *the* Trash—was startled and started yelling.
“What?! How did you get free?!”
Come to think of it, I was supposed to be tightly bound and unable to move properly.
No wonder he was shocked to see me walking out like nothing happened.
I subtly showed him the rope I had taken out from my inventory and replied nonchalantly,
“You didn’t tie it properly, so it came loose on its own.”
“Don’t lie! You must’ve untied it to escape.”
“Then tie me up again.”
“I was going to do that anyway!”
Diggerus definitely takes after his dad. Poke him a little, and he reacts immediately. It’s kind of fun.
Trash ordered a knight nearby, who snatched the rope from me and started tying my hands and feet again.
“You’re making me walk, but you’re tying my feet too?”
“…What should we do?”
“Don’t let some commoner mess with you! Even if you have to drag him, tie him up just like before!”
So, with my hands and feet bound again, I was dragged along the ground, holding onto the rope around my feet.
This outfit Seria bought me is going to get ruined. I’ll have to charge them for the clothes when I steal the item later.
“Let’s see how long that carefree attitude lasts.”
Unaware of my evil intentions, Trash just chuckled, thinking he was the more sinister one.
—
The Jibchak Family’s estate can be divided into three areas.
Well, technically four, but one of them is just their living quarters, so it’s not worth mentioning.
Anyway, the first of the three areas is the Forbidden Book Storage, disguised as an Old Book Storage.
The second is the Secret Warehouse, where the item I’m planning to steal is kept.
And the third is the Basement, where I’m being dragged to now.
The Basement is usually where they handle their dirty business. It’s magically isolated from the outside world, and you can’t get in through normal means, making it the perfect place for such deeds.
But if I’m dragged all the way in there, things might get tricky.
Since it could get dark… I decided to start moving properly.
Well, just by entering the grounds of the Jibchak Family, I’ve already achieved the purpose of being dragged here. No need to be dragged around anymore.
I quickly stuffed the rope into my inventory and ran away. The direction? Obviously, toward where the Secret Warehouse is.
Since I just shoved the rope I was dragging into my inventory, of course, I got caught immediately.
“…The guy ran away!!”
“Catch him now!!”
They started chasing me, but I had already put some distance between us.
Thanks to using Dash Cancel while running, the knights who were just doing Trash’s errands couldn’t keep up, and the gap only widened.
It was an easy chase. Until Trash got impatient and started flinging magic around.
Boom!
Crash!
The fireballs he shot started destroying and burning the decorative trees.
Originally, the attacks were aimed precisely at me, but since I dodged, they hit the trees behind me.
Of course, when the magic passed through where my body should’ve been, Trash shouted in confusion.
“What… was that story actually true…?!”
It was easy to figure out the situation since he kept loudly saying things he should’ve just thought to himself.
Seems like he’d heard rumors about me but didn’t really believe them until now.
Well, it’s understandable. Most rumors from the Akadeumi are just nonsense anyway.
There’s even a rumor that Seria takes girls one by one and makes them cry… So it’s not strange that he didn’t believe the rumors about me.
But still, it’s confirmed that I joined the Student Council, right? And they tried to drag me around with just these low-level knights?
That’s really hard to understand.
“Haha, this is fun! So the Student Council is different, huh? But I’m also from the Akadeumi Student Council! A mere first-year like you is done for the moment I get serious!”
Oh right, he’s from the Student Council? I forgot. Thanks for the explanation.
It’s great that he’s saying everything out loud, so I don’t have to think too much.
After that, Trash’s magical onslaught became even more intense.
But he also started handling his magic more precisely, as if he didn’t want to cause any more damage. At this level, he’s definitely skilled.
Well, he’s the parent of Diggerus Jibchak, who was even the Student Council President. This much is expected.
The knights chasing me had disappeared by now. Seems like they realized they were out of their league and ran away.
“You! That’s far enough!”
Whoosh!
Realizing his attacks weren’t working, Trash tried to block my path by creating a wall of fire.
I stopped and looked back, and real skilled knights were slowly gathering beside him.
In a way, it seemed like I was cornered, and Trash started looking triumphant.
…But.
This is a technique that can break through with evasion, so I just broke through and went past it.
“What did you say?!”
A flustered Trash hurriedly removed the wall of fire pillars, but I had already arrived right in front of the building with the Secret Warehouse.
The door’s locked? So what? I’ll just go through the window.
Of course, the window was locked too, but…
Crash!
A window’s a window. Whether it’s locked or not doesn’t matter when you’re breaking it.
Sure, there’s probably nothing good coming from causing this much chaos, but it’s still a better choice than being dragged to the Basement quietly.
Even if not, there’s no turning back now that I’ve come this far. My only goal is to achieve my objective.
“Stop him! Catch him!”
From outside, Trash’s frantic voice could be heard. Of course, he knew there was a Secret Warehouse beneath this building.
The building I barged into was like a detached annex of the Jibchak Family.
It was a place that wasn’t really used, only cleaned occasionally, but Trash had built a Secret Warehouse in its Basement.
It was hidden with magical devices, so anyone with a bit of expertise would notice it immediately… but no one would bring anyone to an unused building. In a way, it was a clever move.
“That damn commoner! Get out here now!”
Trash, who had chased me to the building, started firing magic through the broken window, but I dodged it all. His frantic magic had no control, and soon the building was full of holes.
If this dragged on too long, the whole building might collapse, so I quickly opened the door to the Secret Warehouse.
The method was simple. Lift the portrait frame with Trash’s picture, and a magic circle would appear. You just had to channel a specific amount of magical energy into it.
Of course, I didn’t have the ability to do that, so I had to choose an easier method.
So… just stab the magic circle with a sword and parry it…
Fizzle-!
The magic circle was destroyed, and the Secret Warehouse door opened.
If I open it like this, it won’t close again… but I only need to open it, so it doesn’t matter.
“What the… huh…”
By now, Trash was so stunned he couldn’t even get angry, just staring at me with a blank expression.
Well, you should’ve been more careful about letting outsiders in.
Don’t worry. There’s not much useful stuff in here anyway, so I’ll just take what I need and leave the rest.
‘Oh right, I need to collect the cost of the clothes.’
How much was this outfit again…? I don’t remember, but since it’s a gift filled with Seria’s heart, I should at least get that much, right?
Hmm… if I want to collect the value of the Princess’s heart, what’s in here won’t be enough.
But still… since you’ve provided the items I need, I’ll let the clothes’ cost slide even if it’s a bit short.
You brought this on yourself. Don’t blame me.
