Chapter 27
Thanking us out of nowhere?
‘Liam, what is he going to say this time?’
Maron tried to interpret Gilliam's words.
Was he thanking her for obediently letting him tame her?
Or was he telling her to be grateful to him instead?
Or was it…?
‘Liam….’
She really loved him.
Even now, after being tormented so much, she felt the same way.
If it was Liam, she didn't mind being tormented.
She didn't mind being tamed, either.
In fact, part of her felt a shivery thrill in the process of being tamed.
But if he kept tormenting her one thing after another… even if she loved him, she couldn't help feeling a little worn out….
But.
That wasn't it.
“Even though I suddenly came to an academy where I didn't know anyone, the reason it hasn't been hard is… because I have people by my side.
Just.
I was grateful, so I said thank you.
“You two were the ones who stayed closest to me, so I was most grateful to you. That's what I wanted to say.”
It was nothing but sincerity.
Sincerity so clear there was no room for misunderstanding or misinterpretation.
Maron's heart grew warm.
“…Liam.”
“…Gilliam.”
Judging by their whispered voices, Princess Elettra felt the same way.
Ah, right.
In the end, everything had started with that sincere gaze.
When he'd first complimented Maron's eyes, too.
And when he'd first complimented Elettra's hobby.
This man had given them sincere compliments.
That sincerity had reached their hearts.
For the two of them, accustomed to the aristocratic social scene, full of lies, hypocrisy, and sly insinuations, that sincerity felt especially warm.
‘…At this rate.’
‘We won't be able to get away….’
He really was a bad man.
If he were always bad, she'd be able to get away from him.
But after taming them in such an embarrassing way, he showed them that sincerity; it seeped into their hearts like sweet poison.
“Shall we go somewhere else? Since you came with me to the place I wanted to go, this time let's go wherever you want.”
“…I want to look at clothes.”
“M-me too.”
Maron stood on one side of Gilliam.
Elettra on the other.
The two women stood beside Gilliam, unable even to feel jealous of each other.
.
.
.
That night.
“Phew.”
After parting with Maron and Elettra, I returned to my dorm and set down my luggage. My shoulders were stiff.
A greatsword, <Waterfall Cutter>, a basket brimming with Vasis incense, and clothes on top of that.
Ah, I bought the clothes for myself.
Not for fashion—I literally had no clothes to wear, so I bought a few simple shirts and trousers.
‘I've got a decent clothes-horse of a body, so as long as I dress neatly enough, it'll do.’
I rubbed my hands as I thought.
‘Doesn't the shop have an inventory?’
【Shop】
〈Category: Daily Life Support〉
- Infinite Storage (1,000,000 points)
One million points?
That's a whole different scale.
‘Even if it wasn't infinite, something finite would be fine….’
〈Category: Daily Life Support〉
- Small Storage (1,000 points)
<Small Storage>
Description: A storage space that can hold up to 10 kg of items. Useful in the early game!
“….”
Can't be helped.
I'll just consider it strength training.
“Hey, Everchess.”
“?”
When I turned around to see who it was, I found Roy Edgers, who'd gone into the dungeon with me last time.
“It's Roy, isn't it? How are you doing?”
“…Tch.”
Roy scowled conspicuously.
“What? If you're trying to pick a fight, I'll take you on.”
“No!”
“Then?”
“…Tch.”
“Keep tch-ing like that and you'll bite your tongue off.”
“What does it matter to you! Honestly, talking to you makes me feel like I'm losing my own dignity….”
Roy ruffled his hair.
“…I owe you for what happened in the dungeon last time.”
“?”
“You really are a man who knows how to provoke people with your expression. I've said what I wanted to say, so I'm leaving.”
And then.
“…From now on, whatever His Highness the Crown Prince does has nothing to do with me.”
Leaving only those words behind, Roy walked away without looking back.
‘I don't know the details, but I'm glad my sincerity got through to him.’
When I opened the door, there was an envelope lying in front of it.
‘What's this?’
When I opened it, the contents were alarming.
<Notice of Disciplinary Committee Meeting>
——————
“You intend to discipline Cadet Gilliam Everchess!? This is absurd!!”
Professor Kadisha shouted at the chairman in the meeting room.
“And the reason is nothing other than bringing an outsider into the infirmary!? He was the one who was attacked! The academy's security failed and put a cadet in danger, and now you're going to discipline that cadet!?”
The chairman was an old man with a head of white hair, radiating oppressive authority and arrogance.
“Professor Kadisha, do not lose your composure.”
“How can I stay calm in this situation…!!”
Kadisha trembled and clenched her teeth.
“…Do you understand how absurd this situation is?”
“Isn't Cadet Everchess an extremely dangerous individual who's already killed two professors?”
“Those were accidents, not his fault—”
“Furthermore, he caused quite a commotion at the campus shop this afternoon.”
He emphasized the words “quite a commotion.”
“He threw food at another cadet and rubbed it on him… vulgar and undignified behavior. Surely we cannot avoid disciplining him if we are to maintain the academy's standing?”
Kadisha gritted her teeth and thought.
‘Is this the Crown Prince's will being reflected?’
The Crown Prince, who wanted revenge on Gilliam for humiliating him.
The chairman, who wanted to cover up the security breach by laying the blame on a cadet.
And the professors' fear of Gilliam.
The unjust punishment of Gilliam was the result of all those factors coming together.
“….”
It was beyond what Kadisha could handle on her own.
Alone.
Monday morning.
Kadisha went looking for Gilliam Everchess as quickly as she could.
“Everchess, may I speak with you for a moment?”
“Of course, Professor.”
For some reason, when Kadisha called Everchess over, the female cadet beside him—her name was definitely Maron—muttered,
“So Professor Kadisha, too….”
“Hmm?”
“It's nothing….”
Kadisha moved elsewhere and got straight to the point.
“Everchess, about your disciplinary hearing…”
“It was Crown Prince Roderick's doing, right?”
“…You're perceptive.”
“Well, I figured he'd do something like that.”
“Aren't you worried?”
“I saw the penalty was demerit points?”
“Yes, demerits.”
“Isn't that the lightest punishment?”
“In principle, yes, but….”
Kadisha covered her face with her hands.
“The demerits will be posted on the noticeboard in the center of the academy, where every cadet can see them.”
Therefore, for nobles who care most about their reputations, receiving demerits was the most humiliating punishment.
“I'll do what I can to get this unjust punishment overturned—”
“Thank you. But if that's all the punishment is, I don't mind accepting it.”
“…What? E-Everchess, you…!”
“That's not it, Professor.”
He shook his head.
“Think about it. What could possibly happen now that I've received demerits?”
“Well, obviously, your reputation in noble society would suffer………… Ah.”
Ah?
I see?
A few days later.
In the academy's central hall, cafeteria, and central park.
Disciplinary decisions were posted on the three noticeboards most visible to cadets.
〈Disciplinary Decision〉
(…)
Accordingly, it has been decided that Gilliam Everchess will receive demerit points.
(Chairman's seal)
(Disciplinary Committee seal)
Nearly every cadet in the academy saw the notice with their own eyes and whispered among themselves.
“That Everchess delinquent….”
“It must be because of that incident last time, right…?”
“There was a ‘commotion’ with His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“The infirmary matter… isn't that a bit of a stretch…?”
The Crown Prince, who had orchestrated this situation.
He laughed boldly in front of the noticeboard in the central hall, where the most cadets passed through.
“Kwahahahaha! This is quite a sight!!”
The Crown Prince faction cadets sang his praises.
“As expected of His Highness the Crown Prince!”
“You really taught him a painful lesson.”
“Goodness, if that had happened to me, I wouldn't be able to show my face outside.”
“Everchess must be holed up in his dormitory by now—”
“Oh, so they really do post them like this.”
Flinch!
Gilliam was standing right beside them, calmly looking up at the noticeboard.
“Everchess…!”
Crown Prince Roderick gritted his teeth, then changed his expression.
To one of blatant mockery.
“Ha, well? The whole academy knows you've been given demerits. Aren't you embarrassed?”
The Crown Prince faction cadets joined in again.
“Of course he's embarrassed!”
“He's pretending to be calm on the outside, but he's surely trembling inside!”
Gilliam sighed.
“…Roderick, and all of you, open your eyes and take a good look around. My reputation hasn't gone down.”
“What…”
Setting aside his mixture of honorific and casual speech, Roderick did as Gilliam said.
And it was true.
The cadets' gazes toward Gilliam were no different from yesterday.
No.
If anything, the ones receiving cold stares were—
‘Me…!?’
Why?
He'd humiliated Gilliam, who'd dared defy the Crown Prince. So why had his own reputation fallen!?
“Good grief….”
Gilliam sighed again.
As if it were too pathetic to even comment on.
“Common sense should've told you: what reputation does someone already infamous as a delinquent have left to lose?”
“!!!”
“And if you go so far as to pressure the chairman into giving demerits to a delinquent with no reputation left to lose, did you ever stop to think how that would make the person behind it look?”
“—!!!!!”