What in the world was wrong with this damned Academy?
I got shunned just because I gave the bastard who picked a fight with me a few good smacks on the backside, and on the very first day, they subjected us to that absurd endurance test.
And now they were even admitting Demons?
“This is ridiculous.”
I hurriedly moved my mana and intercepted the Demonic Energy, but it had been refined with astonishing precision.
This was no ordinary Demon.
She was a High-Ranking Demon.
But what in the world was a High-Ranking Demon doing serving as the maid of a baron’s daughter?
Well, her circumstances were none of my concern.
The moment I discovered that Karen was a Demon, there was only one outcome for her.
She would die by my hand.
Perhaps flustered that I had discovered her identity, Karen stared into my eyes for a moment before quickly looking away.
Yes, you’re surprised, aren’t you?
So am I.
If I had not fought countless battles against Demons in my previous life, I probably would not even have noticed that faint trace of Demonic Energy.
Unfortunately for her, I was the Demon Realm’s Number One Enemy.
I had hunted and killed so many Demons and monsters that I was thoroughly sick of them.
“Young Master, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing. More importantly, when are they serving dinner?”
“Wow, you made that terrifying expression because you were hungry? Is the food here really that good? I think it’s only average.”
Apparently, no one besides me had noticed Karen’s identity or her Demonic Energy.
Even the Dean, an 8th-Class Sword Master, showed no sign of having sensed anything.
In the end, dealing with that Demon girl was apparently going to be my responsibility.
Damn it.
I had really intended to refrain from using magic in this life.
“Then, this concludes the class assignment ceremony. Please enjoy the banquet, after which each class may proceed with its welcoming event for the evening.”
Right.
I should eat first and think about it afterward.
I had barely even enrolled yet.
There was no need to solve everything at once.
Slowly.
I could deal with it slowly.
‘Ah, Lord Ruben is eating alone.’
Even while exchanging greetings with the various members of the White Class, Anna Camil could not stop paying attention to Ruben.
At first, her interest had come from simple curiosity.
After watching his Duel with Pan Slipel that morning, however, it had changed into something closer to awe.
Anna herself did not understand exactly what this interest was.
The only thing she knew for certain was that she felt strongly drawn to the sickly-looking youngest son of a count.
‘Good. This is a chance to talk to him naturally.’
Almost every cadet in the Academy was currently wary of Ruben.
That meant it would be easy to speak with him alone.
But why did she want to talk to Ruben badly enough to concern herself with what everyone else thought?
‘Wait. Why do I need to talk to him?’
Anna, who had already risen and started walking toward Ruben, stopped for a moment.
But the interest in the opposite sex that blossomed in the heart of an adolescent girl was not something that could be explained through logic.
Just as she thought, ‘Who cares?’ and prepared to head toward Ruben again—
“My Lady.”
Karen caught Anna by the sleeve.
She looked unusually agitated.
No.
Perhaps frightened would be more accurate.
Karen almost never showed such emotions, so Anna stopped in surprise.
“Karen? Oh my, what’s wrong? You look pale.”
“I am fine. However….”
“Yes?”
“Ruben Seirin. Do not approach that man. He is not an ordinary Academy freshman.”
Karen was not the sort of person who made such statements carelessly.
Anna, who had shared both hardship and happiness with her since childhood, knew that very well.
Moreover, she had never seen Karen this frightened before.
“What do you mean? Explain it so I can understand.”
Karen herself had no idea what she could possibly tell Anna given her current situation.
Ruben Seirin was dangerous.
He was a first-rate mage, and he had detected her Demonic Energy.
In other words, Ruben Seirin was….
‘A mage who has killed Demons before.’
She had no idea how that could possibly be true, but it was an undeniable fact.
However, Karen could neither reveal her own origins to Anna nor convince her to believe such an absurd claim.
So she decided to be vague.
For now, she simply needed to keep Anna away from Ruben.
“Judging by the martial prowess he displayed against Pan Slipel, Ruben Seirin is not a normal freshman. He is undoubtedly hiding something. You can tell simply by looking at how the other cadets avoid him. Until I determine what that is, I recommend that you stay away from him for your own safety, My Lady.”
Perhaps because of her anxiety, Karen was far more talkative than usual.
Would this sound convincing enough to Anna?
Karen nervously looked back and forth between Ruben and Anna.
The sight of Anna falling deep into thought filled her with foreboding.
“No. I can’t do that.”
“My Lady! But….”
“Karen. I’m a noble. I can’t ignore a classmate who’s sitting over there eating all alone just because of some unreasonable suspicion.”
That reason sounds even more unreasonable.
But Karen swallowed the words.
Whatever happened, she had no desire to defy Anna, her master.
Even if obeying her placed her own life in danger.
What concerned Karen more was Anna’s attitude.
Normally, Anna would have listened to her after such a warning.
Yet today, she was paying an unusual amount of attention to Ruben merely because ‘he looks lonely.’
Anna was a sixteen-year-old girl.
And like most nobles, she had grown up in the Camil territory without any true friends aside from Karen, her maid.
Considering her circumstances, this unnecessary interest in Ruben could only mean….
‘Surely not.’
Karen’s instincts were usually accurate.
But this time, she desperately hoped they were wrong.
“You always seem to eat alone.”
I looked toward the voice and saw Anna Camil sitting across from me with a pleasant smile.
Even a dog should be left alone while it is eating.
“I’m not alone.”
“My, servants and maids may become like family to nobles such as us, but calling them friends is a little different, isn’t it?”
Why did she have to come over and pick a fight with me while I was peacefully eating?!
Why?!
I already know I don’t have any friends!
But I could not let those thoughts show on my face.
Judging by her behavior, she had probably approached me simply to establish friendly relations between fellow nobles.
Connections at the Academy were important, so naturally, I needed to respond with a pleasant smile.
“I was actually thinking that some company would be nice. If you don’t mind, why don’t we talk for a while?”
“Thank you.”
Since she was already here, perhaps I could gather some information.
No matter how much I thought about it, I could not understand why a High-Ranking Demon was serving as the maid of a baron’s daughter.
When I glanced aside, I saw the Demon girl watching us from some distance away, apparently reluctant to come any closer to me.
Well, I had plenty to discuss with her privately later.
According to noble etiquette, the man was expected to lead the conversation when a nobleman and noblewoman dined together.
I decided to begin with something light.
“The Seirin territory is located near the capital, so commerce is highly developed there. Thanks to that, we hear news from all over the Empire. I’ve heard quite a bit about House Camil, but I’ve always wondered what the territory itself is actually like.”
“It’s ordinary. Since we’re only a baronial family, the territory isn’t particularly large. We mainly grow wheat, and wildflower honey is our local specialty.”
“I see. Ah, now that I think about it, I’ve also heard that House Camil has deep ties to Demons.”
Of course, I had never heard any such rumor.
She had a Demon for a maid, so I was simply probing her.
However, Anna’s expression darkened somewhat when she answered.
“So you already knew. It’s a fairly famous story among warriors. One hundred and fifty years ago, during the war against the Demons, our ancestors defeated a Demon Duke. The Demonic Sword they used at the time is still sealed away in the underground vault of our estate. But most of our family’s swordsmanship was lost during that war, and many of our ancestors died as well. That’s why House Camil is much weaker now.”
It was the first time I had heard that story.
I had only recently entered the world of warriors, after all.
So that family had endured something like that.
Come to think of it, although Anna was a cheerful girl, she did not possess the subtle air of wealth that nobles usually carried.
If her baronial house had fallen into decline in the past, its finances probably were not particularly strong.
Anna herself might have hardships and shadows that others knew nothing about.
In any case, if what Anna said was true, there had probably been some incident between her ancestors and that Demon Duke.
I would have to ask her maid about it separately later.
If I pressed Anna for too many details now, she might find it strange.
I changed the subject.
“I see. By the way, I’m surprised someone as talented as you enrolled here instead of attending one of the Golden Gates.”
“Ah, well, our family can’t afford the tuition at the Golden Gates. So….”
“Ah.”
Damn.
Had I asked something I should not have?
The slight bitterness in her expression suggested that I had touched a sensitive point.
Few things wounded a noble’s pride more than talking about poverty.
Young daughters of impoverished noble families often had particularly strong ambitions for success.
So she would probably appreciate being told that she had a bright future.
“Still, I don’t think the academy you graduate from matters all that much. Someone like you will surely do very well after graduation, whether you return to your territory or enter the central government.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Perhaps she was not accustomed to receiving compliments.
Her face reddened even though I had said nothing particularly remarkable.
She really was still a child.
Looking at her like this, she certainly was remarkably beautiful.
Her delicate features and petite frame naturally inspired a protective instinct, making it difficult to believe she was the daughter of a martial family.
She looked like a fairy.
Of course, to me, she was merely a pretty little girl who happened to resemble a fairy.
“By the way, Lord Ruben, what exactly happened between you and Lord Pan Slipel earlier? I was truly shocked.”
“Ah, it was nothing serious. He picked a fight with me first, and things eventually escalated into a Duel. He insulted my family and my attendant.”
“My, you went that far because your attendant was insulted….”
Anna looked deeply moved, but would she not have done exactly the same thing?
Nobles were people who would risk their lives over something as intangible as honor.
I had been born a noble myself, so I was not entirely free from that mentality either.
With so many freshmen watching, I could hardly have swallowed an insult like that and simply walked away.
Besides, Tyr was practically family to me.
When someone insulted your family, even commoners and those of the lowest status would not simply stand there and accept it.
Granted, it had resulted in everyone becoming inexplicably wary of me.
But I did not regret it.
Come to think of it, Anna had become the most popular girl in the class almost immediately after joining.
“Putting that aside, you already seemed extremely popular with the other cadets today. I’m envious.”
“Was I? It’s probably because I’m a noble, and because our family is particularly well known among warriors.”
“Haha…. Being a noble doesn’t necessarily make someone popular.”
In truth, at an academy of this size rather than one of the Golden Gates, nobles were bound to attract considerable attention.
The students who came here were promising talents from various territories, and some commoners eventually used the connections they built at the Academy to advance all the way into the central government.
It was a system that benefited both sides.
Nobles could recruit exceptional talent into their families, while talented commoners could obtain wealth and honor far more easily.
That was why noble families with many children often deliberately sent some of them to upper-middle-tier academies instead of the Golden Gates in order to recruit promising talent.
Just like House Camil.
Ah.
Though in their case, they apparently had no choice because they could not afford anything else.
Still, none of those circumstances mattered to me anymore.
After all, no one was even speaking to me.
I was a noble too!
And my family was quite famous!
“Ah! I’m sorry. That isn’t what I meant….”
“It’s fine. I’m sure I’ll make friends soon enough. Haha.”
“Of course you will! Someone like you will have plenty of people wanting to become friends with you in no time. They’re only startled because of the martial prowess you displayed earlier. Once they get to know you, they’ll realize how kind, considerate, and incredibly gentlemanly you are!”
Uh….
Was I?
She was talking about me, right?
“I’ll be your first friend, Lord Ruben!”
With a bright smile and not the slightest hint of malice, she extended a small white hand toward me.
Perhaps I was drawn in by that innocence.
Before I realized it, I had gently taken the blonde girl’s offered hand.
“I look forward to being friends with you, Lord Ruben!”