Bonus chapter for reaching 75 rating on Novel Updates. Another on reaching 100 ratings.The Academy's Official Outcast
The next morning.
I woke up only after the sun had reached its zenith.
"...I slept for a long time."
I got out of bed, clutching my throbbing head.As I woke up, the muscle pain that had filled my body until yesterday felt a little better.
I rubbed my puffy eyes, swollen from crying myself to sleep last night, and left the room.
"You're awake, young master?"
Rachel was in the living room, busy cleaning.
Perhaps because of what happened yesterday, I felt awkward making eye contact with her, so I mumbled, turning my face away.
"You should have woken me up earlier... I could have helped with the cleaning."
"Hehehe~ This is a maid's job, you know~ It would be troublesome if you helped me every time!"Rachel moved the broom busily, laughing playfully.
She pointed towards the kitchen and said,
"I've prepared breakfast. It's too late to call it breakfast, though..."
"Ah, okay... Thank you."
I dragged my sluggish steps towards the dining table.
Two slices of toast, kept warm, were placed on the table.
It was a menu that highlighted Rachel's thoughtfulness, considering my preference for toast over sandwiches.
I picked up a slice and brought it to my mouth.
-Crunch...
The crispy texture of the bread hit me as I took a big bite.
Immediately afterward, the rich aroma of butter and the crispness of fresh vegetables rushed in.
Finally, the salty flavor of the bacon, full of saltiness.
I always feel this way... Rachel's cooking is exceptional.
Hungry from the long sleep, I devoured my breakfast in a flash.
"Hehe... It makes me happy to see you enjoying the food!"
Rachel, who had finished cleaning at some point, was standing next to me.
I nodded and gave her a thumbs-up.
"It was delicious."
"Heehee! You always have such a good reaction, young master! It makes cooking for you so rewarding!"
Rachel, with a proud look on her face, was clearing the empty dishes when she suddenly turned to me and asked,
"What are your plans for today?"
"Plans for today? Hmm... Well...?"
I fell into thought for a moment.
The Academy had taken a week-long break due to the banquet hall attack incident.
No lectures successfully completed the quest and no immediate original story events...
"I'm going to train."
"Huh?"
Rachel's eyes widened at my nonchalant answer.
She furrowed her brow and pouted, objecting,
"Young master, you are aware that you were discharged from the hospital yesterday, right?"
"Uh... That's right."
"Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"
"It's okay, I'm already all healed."
As I spread my arms to show that I was fine, Rachel puffed out her cheeks and said,
"Even if you received treatment! Does it make sense for someone who was discharged from the hospital yesterday to go train?!"
I chuckled at her scolding, which was filled with worry, and pulled her chubby cheeks.
"Bweeee..."
"Don't worry. I'll take it easy."
"I'm sure you will..."
I fiddled with Rachel's grumbling cheeks a few more times and got up from the table.
With a reluctant expression, Rachel followed me and asked,
"Are you going right away?"
"I have to. It's almost lunchtime already."
"Hmm... Really, really, truly! You have to take it easy, okay?"
"I got it..."
I escaped her nagging and returned to my room.
After changing into light training clothes, I slung my crossbody bag over my shoulder.
"Phew... Shall we go?"
For some reason, my heart felt light even as I headed outside.
Just thinking about being the center of attention used to make me sigh, but today, those feelings felt somewhat diminished.
Maybe Rachel's comforting words from yesterday had taken effect.
Thanks to her, I was able to leave the dormitory with a lighter step.
.
.
.
The training ground of Reynolds Academy.
I was in the middle of the magic dummy training ground, cutting a bloody swathe through the dummies.
It was originally a training ground designed for a party of three.
But it worked out somehow even if I did it alone.
It wasn't that I was doing it alone because I didn't have any friends.
It was just a kind of hard training.
-Shwing...!
With a bit of pent-up frustration, I cut down the last remaining dummy, and the training ended.
Covered in sweat, I collapsed onto the floor.
As I caught my breath, I looked at the stone slab where the score was tallied, and a pretty high score was recorded.
[Number of dummies processed: 2875]
At least this much should put me in the top 10% of the Academy, right?
To achieve this score without using any scrolls or magic meant that my growth rate wasn't bad.
'Of course, I can't compare to Allen...'
Allen is an exception.
That guy shouldn't be considered human.
If he used the Hero's power, he could probably easily surpass 5000.
Even at this point, Allen possessed the martial prowess equivalent to an assistant instructor at the Academy.
He was definitely weaker than the professors, but excluding them, he could be considered the strongest in the Academy.
I'm probably about 0.6 Allen.
A budget version of the protagonist, what a sad reality.
As I was lost in such silly thoughts.
-Clap clap clap clap clap...
A frivolous sound of applause came from behind.
"Wow... 2875 points alone, that's amazing."
Turning my head at the familiar voice.
I saw a male student staring at the score with a dumbfounded expression.
Dyed blond hair, tanned skin, a gangster-like, laid-back atmosphere.
"The Golden Boy...?"
It was the Golden Boy whom I had beaten to a pulp until last week to farm titles.
He grinned at my call and waved his hand.
"Yo~ It's been a week, huh?"
It was a face I hadn't seen in a while.
I hadn't come to see him since I finally earned the 'Mace Slayer' title last week.
-Ding!
[Title - Slayer of Something]
[Effect: Strength stat increases by 1 during combat.]
I got the synergy title, and there was no particular reason for us to run into each other.
Besides... there was something about his appearance that made me not want to be close to him.
He looked like a bad guy, the type who would stick his tongue out at someone else's girl.
I frowned at the guy who was greeting me so cheerfully.
"What do you want?"
"Wow... Until a week ago, you'd come looking for me and harass me even when I begged you not to, and now you scowl at me the moment our eyes meet."
"Ahem..."
Feeling a little guilty, I cleared my throat and made an excuse.
"That was a legitimate duel request."
"This guy thinks duel requests are a joke... Hey, don't duels of honor usually happen between nobles? I'm a damn commoner without even a family name."
"Uh, uhm..."
"Besides, you forced me to accept even when I tried to refuse."
"......"
"We call that 'bullying.'."
Rendered speechless by his unexpectedly logical rebuttal, I quickly changed the subject.
“So, why did you call me?”
“Huh? Changing the subject so suddenly?”
“......”
Sharp little bastard.
As I glared at him, inwardly scoffing, he shrugged.
“Well, I figured you weren’t coming anymore, so I thought it was over.”
“......Yeah.”
“I mean, you were always so obsessively coming to find me, like a crazy person, so I thought something happened when you suddenly stopped. I happened to see you at the training ground, so I called you over.”
“I see.”
He chuckled at my curt reply and plopped down beside me.
“By the way, how’s your body?”
“Hmm?”
I had been subtly trying to distance myself from him, but his sudden question made me tilt my head.
“What do you mean?”
“You were badly hurt during the attack.”
“How did you know…?”
“How could I not know? Everyone in the Academy knows by now.”
“The rumors have already spread that far…?”
I recalled the students I had encountered at the bus stop yesterday.
My brows furrowed involuntarily.
I had a feeling the rumors weren’t going to be pleasant.
I let out a sigh and asked the golden-haired boy.
“Do you know what the rumors are saying?”
“Of course I do. It’s pretty brutal.”
“… Roughly speaking, how?”
“You’re better off not knowing. More than a few students wet themselves after seeing what you looked like.”
“Sigh…”
Right, damn it.
Of course, the rumors would spread.
Some crazy bastard had burned and dismembered people while giggling.
Anyone who wouldn't feel any fear after witnessing such a shocking scene seriously needed to get a mental health check-up.
“Well~ the rumors are so gruesome that some students don’t believe them. But I saw it with my own eyes, so I know.”
And sadly.
That guy was sitting right next to me.
My eyes widened at his unexpected words, and I turned to look at him.
“What…?”
“Yeah~! Well, that’s how it is! I saw it all!”
Is this guy crazy?
How could he be so nonchalant after witnessing such a sight…?
Well, it wasn’t normal for a commoner to talk so casually to the eldest son of a Duke from the start.
But to this extent…
As I stared at him with a grave expression.
He scratched his head awkwardly and spoke.
“Well, the thing is… I actually heard everything back then…”
“Heard? What do you mean?”
“The… about Duchess Lishite, her death…”
“What…?”
The second shock hit me without a moment’s pause.
Struck by the sharp blow, I couldn’t help but wear a dumbfounded expression.
He heard that…?
Basically, ‘Absolute Domain’ is a scroll developed for isolation or defense purposes.
Therefore, the outside and inside of the domain are completely cut off.
No impurities, except for visual information and air, can pass through.
Naturally, these impurities also include ‘sound’.
And yet, the fact that he heard the small conversation between me and the investigators meant…
“You… don’t tell me, you were inside the barrier at that time…?”
“He… Heheh…!”
The golden-haired boy let out a silly laugh.
He flinched at my cold stare, then began to reveal the hidden truth.
“Well, you see…? I was looking around the banquet hall, and suddenly I heard screams from everywhere. I thought something big was happening. So…”
“So?”
“I hid under a table!”
In short, this is how the incident unfolded.
The golden-haired boy, who was attending the banquet, crawled under a table as soon as the terrorist attack began.
And because I had used the scroll nearby, he got caught in the barrier.
After hearing the whole story, I asked seriously.
“Are you… an idiot?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Is Your Grace an idiot?”
“No, damn it. It’s not the tone, it’s the question that’s the problem.”
Why the hell would he crawl under a table?
Is that some kind of earthquake drill?
Frustrated, I rubbed my face.
Regardless, the golden-haired boy was watching my reaction with a gleeful expression.
“…You do know, right? This is an Imperial secret.”
“You mean if I blab, my head will roll? Got it! I’ll keep my mouth shut!”
“Not just you… your entire family could be executed…”
“I’m an orphan?”
“......”
This bastard has been leaving me speechless since earlier.
Should I just contact my family and have them send assassins?
This is making me really anxious.
“Please think and act carefully…”
“Wow~! You’re worried about me? How touching!”
“Sigh…”
Giving up on thinking, I closed my eyes.
As I held my throbbing head for a moment, the impatient golden-haired boy poked me on the arm.
“Hey, maniac.”
“What is it now.”
“You know~ I don’t think it was that bad?”
“......?”
His usual frivolity disappeared, his voice turning somewhat serious.
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of dissonance at his changed demeanor.
“They were your parents’ enemies, right? It’s only natural to want to kill them as painfully as possible!”
“You…”
“Revenge is sweet.”
For a fleeting moment, his eyes seemed to gleam blue.
But it vanished so quickly that I wondered if it was just my imagination.
Instantly returning to his usual self, the golden-haired boy gave a goofy grin and a thumbs-up.
“Hehe.”
“What was that… Was it my imagination?”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
I brushed off the dissonance with a bland response.
The golden-haired boy shrugged and extended his hand towards me.
“Anyway! We’ve had a lot going on… but let’s get along! As fellow official outcasts of the Academy.”
“Official outcasts…? What’s that?”
“What, you didn’t know?”
He looked at me in surprise.
“You, me, and one other guy make up the official outcast trio of the second year.”
“Is that so…?”
“You seem to have become a loner voluntarily… but anyway, since you’re always alone, you’re an outcast.”
I nodded in understanding.
This place is like a school, after all, so bullying is inevitable.
Raiden wasn’t really bullied; it’s more accurate to say that he bullied the entire Academy…
Anyway, it was quite touching that my name was included in such a glorious group.
“But… even if I am, why are you included?”
“Me? Well…”
“Did you steal someone’s girlfriend, or two-time someone, or something like that…”
“No way?!”
The golden-haired boy flared up, then sighed with a complicated expression.
“Everyone thinks the same thing… Well, there’s no special reason. I’m ostracized for my appearance.”
“Hmm.”
“My looks aren’t exactly common, are they? Some people find me unclean because I resemble a dark elf… and there’s also what you said earlier…”
“…I feel kind of bad now.”
“You do?”
The golden-haired boy chuckled, amused by my slightly softened tone.
He stood up from his seat and stretched.
“Well… like I said before, let’s get along! As fellow outcasts.”
He gave a light wave and left the training ground.
I stared at his retreating figure and fell into thought.
“… Somehow.”
Even when I kept seeking him out to get the title.
Even though he said he hated it, he seemed to be secretly waiting for me.
Was that the case?
Having resolved one question, I quietly got up from where I was lying.
.
.
.
“I’m home.”
“Young master, young master, young master!!”
“Rachel?”
When I returned to the dormitory after training, Rachel was waiting for me at the entrance.
She was holding something in her hand, waving her arms and shouting.
“A letter! A letter came for you, young master!”
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
“A letter, an invitation!!”
“Hold on, hold on… Calm down a bit and tell me.”
I calmed down the excited girl and asked her.
“So, what came?”
“A letter came…!”
Rachel said, handing me something with trembling hands.
It was a letter adorned with luxurious patterns.
“Huh…?”
I froze for a moment, staring at the pattern on the letter.
Strange, this pattern is definitely…
“The Imperial Family!! The Imperial Family sent an invitation to the young master…!”
At Rachel’s shout, I felt my mind go blank.
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