Chapter 41

I had a consistent approach when dealing with a woman named Seldienne Elconja up to this point.

It wasn’t something I intentionally maintained, but my personality dictated that I never strayed from this attitude.

As a commoner, Erto’s mindset when interacting with the highborn Elconja was simply this: ‘Do not bend, but do not provoke.’

Seldienne was undoubtedly the eldest daughter of a prestigious noble family, similar to Tirisia, making her the most likely candidate for the next head of the house.

Most other students at the Academy feared, respected, and virtually idolized her—both commoners and nobles alike.

This was a natural courtesy due to her noble status, and those who knew Seldienne’s personality often chose to lower themselves on purpose.

One learns that disturbing Elconja’s mood would result in some sort of reckoning—

This perception was widespread among the Academy students.

Seldienne Elconja was the classic case of a big shot with a massive pride in her nobility, openly declaring commoners as inferior.

However, I didn’t pay much attention to such facts.

Perhaps it was because I had known the daughter of the Bruerd family since kindergarten.

To me, her status as a noble didn’t feel that intimidating.

Of course, I had some common sense and understood the immense power and honor such families wield in society.

I was well aware of the great efforts required for a commoner like me to stand by Tirisia and carve a future together.

Nonetheless, regardless of that gap, noble existence was perceived as equivalent to that of a friend in my eyes.

Thus, I never thought of Seldienne as a particularly threatening opponent.

Sure, she was a bit of a snob, but I never felt the need to bow my head before her simply because I was a commoner.

There were plenty of students in the Academy who could match her arrogance.

This place was filled with varied personalities and quirks, as it was home to many proud nobles and mages.

She was merely one among them and, like Tirisia, she fell within the scope of someone I considered a friend.

So, my attitude formed where I wouldn’t grovel like other sycophantic nobles but instead listened to her as a friend.

To put it simply, I was extending my goodwill towards Seldienne Elconja.

Her sharp personality, if scrutinized, had a surprisingly sincere and wholesome side; she sometimes lent me a hand under the pretext of a noble caring for a commoner.

When I collapsed in shock due to Tirisia’s infidelity, she brought me a tonic, and when I packed her a lunch, she treated me to extravagant food in return.

Moreover, she trained me in handling mana, anticipating my performance during the martial arts tournament.

I thought we had become good enough friends.

Honestly.

But…

Should I say ultimately? It was surprisingly baffling yet somewhat understandable.

The feeling of considering Seldienne Elconja a friend.

That sentiment turned out to be a one-sided notion.

During that incident in the plaza, she chose to be the noble Elconja rather than a commoner named Erto.

Her genuine intent to lead a noble coalition and expel me from the Academy left me greatly disappointed.

As for Tirisia, I retained my friendship without any anger or desire for revenge, largely due to my personal curiosity about her and some preservation of potential.

In essence, my judgment was rooted purely in my character.

However, with Seldienne, the premise was entirely different.

I now held no expectations, curiosity, or desires for her.

In short, it meant I had no reason to bestow goodwill upon Seldienne any longer.

We were now strangers. The ties of connection called ‘affection’ had been severed that day.

Yet, for someone who should have known these feelings of mine, to order a meeting through a mere letter was absurd.

What an incredibly ridiculous noblewoman.

It seemed necessary for me to convey clearly to her how I really felt, as my genuine self.

Of course, that didn’t imply it was a reason to meet up.

*

Having torn up Seldienne’s letter, I attended the afternoon lecture without a care.

As I walked through the grounds and hallways, whispers began to fill the classroom upon my entrance.

Having undergone intense training for the martial arts tournament, my senses were finely tuned.

Still not fully adept at handling the newly opened mana circuits, my heightened hearing was picking up all sorts of sounds around me.

“Look over there… that guy. It’s the commoner Erto.”

“He still shows up at the Academy with a nonchalant expression.”

“If it were me, I’d probably take a break out of sheer embarrassment.”

Just as expected.

“That was a scheme concocted by the Bruerd girl, but…”

“That guy didn’t really do anything worthy of merit, did he?”

“Honestly, he never belonged here in the first place.”

Tirisia bore all the blame, being labeled as the ringleader of the incident, while Kerg Durakal slithered out, playing the victim.

So far, this was merely the straightforward outcome.

But what remained for the commoner Erto?

First, I was the biggest victim in this whole scene.

I had remained silent to protect Tirisia’s honor even after witnessing her infidelity, sacrificing my feelings for the sake of my once-beloved person.

…That was the position Hadiara had proclaimed on the plaza.

However, the students’ perspectives could interpret this differently.

“No matter how you frame it, that guy just couldn’t do anything, right?”

“That’s true. Both the Bruerd girl and Durakal senior are stronger than he is, so what could he have done?”

“A powerless commoner just keeping his head down, claiming it’s for the Bruerd girl’s honor seems a bit excessive.”

Commoner Erto was not sacrificing for Tirisia but rather had done nothing at all.

Some students accepted Hadiara’s claims at face value, but equally, there were those who drew their own conclusions after assessing the situation.

This viewpoint notably circulated among the nobles.

“Thinking it over, who would believe that guy’s claim of the truth all by himself?”

“Without the cooperation of Isidel and Elconja, he wouldn’t have been able to present any evidence.”

“If he flailed about foolishly without proof, he’d risk retaliation from Durakal senior…”

“He probably knew that too, so he kept his mouth shut even at the brink of expulsion.”

There really was no way for me to rebut them given the current circumstances.

Only I could understand why I had chosen to remain silent; even if I dug up the memory and tried to display it, others wouldn’t be able to believe it.

Considering the events officially known in the Academy up to this point, their arguments were indeed logically sound.

Thus, I had no real desire to explain myself or harbor complaints; however, there was one thing that sat uneasily with me.

Their reasons for discrediting me, knowing all the details, while picturing me as a coward who had merely chosen survival over sacrifice, felt like a way to rationalize their actions on that day when they had tried to scapegoat an innocent person through the collective power.

This was obviously why the narrative thrived among noble students.

They sought to drag me down a few notches, just a bit, to dilute the weight of their mistake and obscure the need to apologize.

This was undoubtedly the driving force behind the malicious interpretation.

In short, noble students had no intention of apologizing to a commoner like me.

They aimed simply to smooth over the situation and conclude themselves as victims caught in Durakal’s tongue’s play.

Fine, then.

What they thought of me was their business.

Whether I was a vengeful victim or a coward trembling in fear, it didn’t matter.

But, at least someone,

had to express a position as a representative of that group.

Rather than letting things fizzle out, if they had a conscience and upheld their human duty, surely one of them could spare a word of apology regarding that day’s events.

That was the singular expectation I held for the students at this Academy.

*

After such an uncomfortable afternoon lecture, it was finally time to head home.

As I exited the Academy’s main building, Seldienne’s letter from earlier flashed through my mind.

A command like an appointment to meet in the garden after school.

I decided to neatly ignore that and head back home.

I had to say, I wasn’t too pleased with the meeting place in the first place.

Inviting me alone to a garden full of her allies? Too transparent.

Understanding the nobles’ perceptions about this incident to some degree now, I felt meeting Seldienne wouldn’t yield much good news.

“Wow, folks were talking so much today.”

“I-I felt pressed by many who were asking questions too…”

As I crossed the plaza with Lusika and Hadiara flanking me, it happened.

“Hey, stop right there!”

Ah, I didn’t see this one coming.

“…”

Turning around, I saw Seldienne running towards me, panting, flanked by her subordinates.

“Huh? What’s that girl up to?”

“Hmm… I have a bad feeling about this.”

Lusika and Hadiara squinted at the three appearing from behind.

Gasping, whether from fatigue or anger, Seldienne pointed a fan adorned with black fur at my face.

“You! Did you not read my letter?! I told you to come to the garden!”

“You can’t mean you ignored it after reading, right?”

“How dare you behave so rudely to Lady Elconja!”

Miu and Jury, standing beside the golden-haired girl as usual, each threw in a remark while glaring at me.

“…”

I merely stared at them blankly with a poker face.

Then Seldienne, exasperated, urged me for an answer.

“Say something! Did you dare refuse my summons?!”

“…”

After a slight pause, I spoke in a cold tone.

“Why should I follow your orders?”

“Huh…?”

In an instant, Seldienne’s face turned like she had seen something baffling.

“W-what?”

“What, what are you saying…?”

Miu and Jury wore similar expressions of shock.

I clarified my stance once again for them.

“Why should I do that, Lady Elconja?”

At those words, Seldienne’s brows slowly knitted together, and she responded with a hint of disbelief,

“…Huh?”

With a silly smile, her cherry-like lips released a fused expression of anxiety.

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