Chapter 33
The next day.
Rumors about last night's incident spread through the academy in no time.
“D-did you hear? Gilliam Everchess got drunk and killed someone yesterday…!”
“Gasp!”
Rumors spread quickly when they sounded plausible.
A rumor that Everchess the delinquent had gotten drunk and killed someone sounded so much like him that it spread in an instant.
No matter how low his reputation had sunk, getting drunk and beating someone to death was a whole new low.
However.
“But I heard he was stopping someone from hitting a woman?”
“Oh, really?”
“And apparently he was protecting his girl, too.”
“Ah….”
That sounded much more plausible than him simply going on a rampage.
Everyone knew that, despite being a delinquent, Everchess was serious about his own girl.
“D-did you hear? Gilliam Everchess—”
“I already heard he killed someone in self-defense.”
“—might prefer women with small breasts!”
“…That's the first I've heard of that.”
Murmur, murmur.
Murmur, murmur!!
Another rumor worthy of Everchess the delinquent was about to spread, but—
“No, actually, it's not that he likes women with small breasts. He likes making women do humiliating things and bullying them! Big or small, they're all equally easy targets for him to torment!!”
“Gasp….”
“That's so scary….”
Once again, a more plausible rumor buried the one that came before it.
….
Huh.
——————
The first combat exercise against the Void Entities would take place a little farther from the academy.
As they traveled, Gilliam muttered to himself.
“…That's strange.”
“What is?”
One of the instructors responded.
A small frame. Tangerine-colored hair. A timid disposition.
It was Professor Koccha Silon.
‘Why is someone who usually doesn't come near me approaching me?’
Still, I was grateful she'd come over.
“Actually, lately it feels like my reputation is getting stranger and stranger.”
“Ah…?”
“Like, I'm some kind of pervert who likes women with small breasts.”
Professor Silon hugged her small breasts.
“Or maybe it's not even that, and I'm just a guy who likes humiliating and bullying women.”
Professor Silon trembled.
“I can't understand why rumors like that are going around.”
“O-oh, I see…? That's right… I don't know either!?”
Silon thought to herself.
‘I-is that basically a declaration of war against me?’
‘With rumors like this (which are true) going around, you came up to me anyway? Does that mean you want me to do the same to you? Heh heh heh. If you strip and crawl between my legs, I might consider it.’
‘Scary!!’
I should achieve my original purpose quickly and leave.
And Silon's original purpose was none other than—
“…Um, Young Master Everchess.”
“?”
“I… wanted to thank you for last time.”
She wanted to express her gratitude to him.
“Oh, you mean during the dungeon exercise.”
“Yes….”
Silon nodded.
Gilliam was still frightening.
Honestly, even now she suspected that he really had just killed those two professors because he didn't like them.
But that was that.
If someone helped you, you had to thank them.
That was the kind of person Koccha Silon was.
Timid, but upright; fearful, but able to recognize what was right.
“You might not have known, Young Master Everchess, but a dangerous group was involved back then.”
“Oh. Was there?”
I actually did know.
It was the Abyssal Cult, after all.
I even knew I'd personally buried their No. 13. A proud achievement.
“As it turns out, the person who broke into the infirmary afterward was connected to the same group.”
“Oh, really?”
Of course I knew that, too.
She was No. 3 in the same cult.
I even made her say, “Ooh, big bro, am I cute?”…
“….”
This one isn't much to be proud of. Let's move on.
“So… I should have told you right away, but… I'm very late in saying this…”
Professor Silon's eyes quivered.
Her cheeks turned the same tea-brown shade as her hair.
“Thank you for saving me, Gilliam Everchess. You're a better person than I thought you were.”
“…What did you think I was like before?”
“Ah!?”
Silon panicked.
Honestly, that had been an unforgivable slip of the tongue.
“I-I'm sorry…!!”
“Huh? What for?”
Gilliam leaned closer.
‘Eeeek!’
Silon screamed inwardly.
‘Please don't shove that handsome face in mine! It's too much!!’
It was so overwhelming that her heart raced and her face burned!!
‘Don't stare at me with those honey-colored eyes! It's even more overwhelming—I feel like even the air in my lungs is getting hot!’
“Professor Silo—”
Maron stepped between Gilliam and Silon.
“Professor, it looks like someone's looking for you over there.”
Translation: Don't flirt with my man.
It was a show of jealousy, from one woman to another.
But Silon was actually relieved by it. Even though she'd let something slip, now she could step away naturally!
‘Miss Maron! Thank you!’
Silon retreated with a sigh of relief.
And Maron, standing beside Gilliam, looked up at his profile…
‘…He's handsome.’
No, that wasn't it.
What she meant to say was—
“Liam.”
“?”
“I-I'll definitely wear it next time.”
“Wear what?”
“…That bunny outfit.”
Maron's irises turned orange.
Actually, just imagining herself wearing it was embarrassing enough to make her feel like her face might burst.
But.
She'd seen it.
Last night, she'd seen Gilliam put the owner, Yuru Lapin, in a bunny-girl outfit and enjoy himself.
He'd circled around her to observe her and even made her try several different poses.
It was the first time Maron had seen Gilliam react like that.
“Huh? Really?”
Just as expected.
When Maron offered to wear it, Gilliam's eyes lit up.
“…I've never seen you react so honestly before, Liam.”
“I'm always honest.”
“Yes, yes, I'm sure you are.”
What an unbelievable lie. Hmph. What an annoying man.
“Anyway, next time we'll go there and I'll wear the outfit, so let's pick a date. How about tonight?”
“Tonight won't work, will it? Let's just do this weekend.”
Something would happen during this combat exercise that no one but Gilliam could predict, so it would end late.
“This weekend. Got it. I'll tell Lucy unni, too.”
“You two really have gotten close.”
“…Yesh, th-thanks to you, Liam.”
“Are you okay? Your jaw muscles aren't messed up or anything, are they?”
Anxious, I took Maron's face in both hands.
“Hyaah!?”
“It does feel a little stiff… Here. Rub, rub.”
I massaged the area around her jaw joint.
“Haaah… mmph!”
The physical stimulation made saliva pool in Maron's mouth, so she hurriedly closed her lips to keep from drooling.
Maron looked up at Gilliam with teary eyes.
“Liam, you really are…! Such a bad maaan…!”
“What did I do?”
Professor Koccha Silon, who'd watched their exchange, thought to herself.
‘Wow.’
Scary.
He was openly advertising that he was trash.
But the truly frightening thing wasn't how trashy Gilliam was.
It was that his openly displayed trashiness seemed appealing.
A bad man who openly seduced and tamed women.
What would it feel like to get caught by a man like that and be tamed?
I want to try it…
‘N-no, I can't!!’
Regardless of whether he was trash, she and Young Master Everchess were professor and student!
They were obviously in a relationship where neither could touch the other or be touched!!
‘Does Professor Kadisha feel this way, too?’
Silon glanced at Kadisha.
The two professors' eyes met.
“?”
Translation: Is something the matter, Professor Silon?
“…!”
Translation: N-nothing at all!
“…?”
Translation: You weren't thinking anything weird about me, were you…?
“….”
Translation: A-ahaha…
“….”
Translation: Professor Silon, let's talk later.
“!”
Translation: Eek! I'm sorry! I'm scared!
.
.
.
“All right, everyone.”
Once they reached their destination, the dean clapped sharply to get everyone's attention.
“Today, we'll be taking part in our first combat exercise against the Void Entities.”
The second practical exercise, following the previous dungeon exploration.
This exercise would take place in a valley some distance from the academy.
Everyone was gathered at the entrance to the valley.
“The goal of today's exercise is for each group to defeat ten Void Entities.”
The dean waved his hand again, and, just like last time, letters appeared above the heads of the students and professors.
“Those with the same letter are in the same group, and each group will have four members.”
There had been six people in each group during the last dungeon exercise.
‘Is this to make us work more closely together and build synergy?’
The students gathered around the professors with the same letters as them.
And our group's instructor was…
“W-we meet again… Ahaha….”
Professor Silon.
And the other three members of our group were…
“Ah…! Liam! We're together this time!”
“Looks like it.”
“Ehehe…! Last time, the princess was in Liam's group, but this time it's me…!”
First of all, Maron.
Then there was a hulking guy carrying a huge shield instead of a sword.
“Magnum!”
He was the cadet who'd hovered around Elettra at the entrance party, gotten hit by me, and then received my advice to become a tank.
“So, you decided to become a warrior after all?”
“Can't you tell from the shield I'm carrying?”
“Yeah, good call. That's the right path for you. Mm-hmm!!”
“…Why are you so happy about it?”
And the last cadet was…
“…Tch.”
“Keep going tch, tch, and your tongue's going to get messed up, I keep telling you.”
“Tch!!!”
Roy Edgers.
The guy I'd first sparred with, who'd recently come to my house to thank me.
“Ah….”
Maron realized that, aside from her, all the members of the group were men and edged closer to me.
She moved as if deliberately keeping her distance from the men.
“What's wrong?”
“I thought you'd want me to do this, Liam.”
“What on earth does that mean…?”
〈Next Compliment Recommendation (LV.2)〉
【Automatically identifies target→Maron Clearias】
Recommendation - Compliment her by saying she's as gentle and cute as a puppy
Not recommended - Don't say you like confident women
…Is this really right?