It was only natural that the atmosphere in the classroom became strange after the seniors left.
“Hey, you. Could I talk to you for a second?”
“What is there to talk about?”
Even though everyone went back, the little senior, Redina, stayed behind and called out to me.
She wasn’t aggressive in the least when she asked to talk with me. She actually looked very scared even though she had been sending me death glares to up until now.
She took me out and dragged me to the stair landing so that no one could hear us.
“What is it?”
“Are you crazy?”
“What do you mean, crazy?”
“Art is Second Aear Class A’s Number 3. Don’t you know what that means? Do you want to die?”
They naturally thought I’d just embrace the disgrace and refuse the duel. I only won by taking advantage of his weak spot last time, so that guy knew I wasn’t good at fighting.
“He won’t kill me.”
“You said you don’t have any skill or talent. So what makes you so confident? Are you an idiot?”
Adriana told me yesterday that this little brat was actually forced to do this and that she was a really weak-hearted girl.
She actually looked pretty fidgety now. She was excited at the thought of throwing insults at me if I were to refuse the duel, but when I chose the other option, which was crazy, she was rather frightened.
“Duels aren’t a joke. There were kids who got really badly injured in them. Go to Art quickly, apologize and beg him for forgiveness. Things are just getting too weird, you idiot! Art would have let you go if you sincerely apologized!”
She also told me how embarrassed he was.
Knowing that I wasn’t good at fighting, he applied for a duel and tried to get an apology out of me if I didn’t agree to it.
After Adriana told me that she was a good kid yesterday, I was wondering what kind of person she actually was, but she really seemed like a nice girl.
“What is life?”
I shrugged.
“If I get beaten to death, than that’s what’s gonna happen, I guess.”
Redina seemed totally dumbfounded by my nonchalant response.
The duel was decided to take place two weeks later in the First Year Class A’s dormitory.
During that week, what kind of miraculous talent could I get that would help me win against a second year student of the Royal Class in a duel?
I just hope that this was psychologically pressuring enough.
I really hoped that I didn’t have to prepare a situation similar to when I was escaping from the Demon King’s Castle and almost died. I hoped with all my heart that this would be enough.
It was true that I was scared because I was sure to get beaten up badly, but I couldn’t keep doing this with my ability locked.
[Event Quest: Duel with Art de Gartis]
[Description : Art asked for a duel for defaming him. The probability of you winning is very low.]
[Goal : Go through with the duel.]
[Completion Reward : 600 Points]
[Consolation Reward : 200 Points]
An event quest appeared as if it was natural.
And in this case, even losing would pay off.
I would be rewarded just for having the duel. The probability of me winning this duel was so low, there probably was a way to avoid it. So even if I wouldn’t be able to make my talent awaken through this psychologically pressuring situation, I would get rewarded.
Why was it giving me pity prizes now?
Even though I did this to myself, I still felt a bit depressed.
* * *
Duels were allowed within Temple, but a teacher must watch over them. Otherwise, they might actually kill someone in that duel.
“…….”
Mr. Epinhauser was staring at me silently. Since Mr. Epinhauser had previously stated that he would be the observer if a duel were to ever occur, so I reported this matter to him.
“If the duel has been agreed upon by both parties there is no problem. Write down the location, date and time.”
The teacher didn’t ask me if I was crazy. He was a good and interesting guy in that he worried rarely or wouldn’t meddle unnecessarily.
A-11 Reinhardt would duel with a sophomore.
Naturally, that rumor was coursing through Class A and then spread to Class B. To be precise it was during the P.E. lesson which was joint.
“Reinhardt? What the hell happened? A duel? With a second grader?”
Ludwig asked me after the short break between running exercises and strength training.
I guess he became worried because he heard about this all of a sudden.
“This and that happened. I’m too lazy to explain all that.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if we could end this all with an apology? Won’t you get seriously hurt?”
Ludwig was stubborn and insisted on what If I were to get hurt, and how it would be better if I just ended this all with an apology. Although the classes were divided into A and B, maybe because we were still in the same grade, the Class B kids were also looking at me worriedly.
And the kids who seemed to have heard the details were shocked.
But for some reason, Charlotte was just staring at me. Her gaze somehow felt different from the other children.
I was definitely not mistaken about that.
Shortly after PE, Charlotte called out to me from behind as I was exhaustedly walking towards the changing room.
“You said you were Reinhardt, right?”
“……Yeah, so.”
Charlotte walked over to me slowly and put something into my hand.
“Check it.”
After leaving those cold commanding words behind, Charlotte walked her way towards her classroom.
[Stay in the classroom after class]
There was only one sentence written on the slip of paper.
What?
I was told by Bertus to keep an eye on Charlotte, but it seemed like Charlotte also had some business with me.
* * *
The common classes ended with the P.E. class. Mr. Epinhauser gave a closing speech, and then the students all exited the classroom.
After our life-threatening escape and coming to Temple, Charlotte and I had never spoken with each other.
Did she notice who I was? If that was the case, I had to immediately leave Temple.
No. If she actually did, how did she know? After all the students left, I was the only one left in the classroom.
-Katchak
Then, the door opened and Charlotte entered Class A’s classroom. This personality and the personality she showed me in that critical situation were bound to be different. Her being completely aware that her life was in danger, and Charlotte crying while hugging the body of her presumed mother in that dark prison cell.
This Charlotte de Gardias, who gave off a cold impression, was like a completely different person. Was this Charlotte’s original personality?
“What’s the matter?”
Charlotte approached me while looking at me, then she sat obliquely in front of the desk next to me.
“I usually don’t want to converse with people like you.”
“……What?”
What was she doing all of a sudden?
“I heard you were all over the place? You like to stand out, you have a bad temper and even got asked to duel by a senior today….”
Charlotte had a very bad impression of me, probably because she heard the rumors about me. There certainly wasn’t anything good about my actions, so it couldn’t be helped if Charlotte viewed me in a negative light.
Still, I felt a bit heart broken.
“Is it because you are from a humble background that you treat people more strongly, so you won’t be ignored?”
Charlotte’s blunt words somewhat hit the nail on the head. I didn’t want to seem like a pushover so I acted like a dog. As she continued to talk, it didn’t seem that she noticed who I was.
So what is that she wanted?
“I heard you’re a beggar. I did some research.”
Research?
If I’m a beggar, then I’m just a beggar. Why did she do research? It must have been on Saturday that this rumor reached her ears, but she had been researching me?
“I know who you are.”
She did?
“Where you’re from, what kind of members your gang has, and what kind of organization stands behind them.”
I had goosebumps all over my body.
Charlotte didn’t seem like she knew I was a demon, but she found out about something else.
She knew about the Rotary Gang and that it was supported by the Thieves’ Guild.
“Keep in mind that it is uncommon for me to deal with pests like you.”
She was saying that she didn’t only dislike me because of the kind of person I was.
She didn’t like me because she thought I was associated with a criminal organisation.
Although Bertus’ power was enormous, it seemed clear that Charlotte, who returned to the Emperor’s side, could also wield formidable forces. How else could she find out all these facts in that short amount of time?
She found out about the Rotary Gang just by finding out where I came from. and even gathered clues about the Thieves’ Guild who supported them.
They were tightly entangled after all.
“Wa, wait…. I…. I don’t know what you’re talking about…. I don’t know…. What is this about?”
“Do you really think I’m naive enough to believe that excuse that they sent you here simply to get educated at Temple?”
Charlotte leaned against the desk in exasperation, then came up to me and looked down at me with sad eyes.
She started looking at me deeply.
“Stop acting like that. If you keep pretending you don’t know, I’m going to mobilize the city guards right this instant to clean up those dirty sewers.”
There was no point in denying my link to them.
Like Bertus, Charlotte wasn’t someone I could control. This was even more serious than that time with Bertus though. Bertus didn’t seem to have made a background check on me, but Charlotte could even connect me and Loyar at this moment.
Normally, she wouldn’t have dealt with someone like me.
But right now it wasn’t a normal situation.
In the end, Charlotte said that she had some business with me. Denial would only put the Rotary Gang at risk.
“What do you want?”
Admitting it in the end, I waited for her answer. Charlotte took something out of her arms.
A portrait was on the paper Charlotte gave me.
“This kid.”
“!”
Of course, I knew who that was.
It was me, who tried to use camouflage magic to hide my horns.
“Find this kid. If he’s alive, tell me where he is. If he died, tell me where and why he died. And also who killed him.”
“…….”
“You must find him.”
She stared at me coldly as if she would destroy everything before her if I couldn’t find him.
“Wait, what should I do if I can’t…. Are you asking me to find a kid whose name even you don’t know? Rather, isn’t your side more…….”
Charlotte frowned when I said something like “What can I even do? I just belong to a Beggars’ Organization.” and “There must be a lot of other people available”.
“You don’t need to know that. It’s important that you have to find his whereabouts faster than Bertus.”
I killed the Knights of Duke Salerian. I didn’t know what happened to Dyrus, but it was clear that both me and Dyrus were targeted by Duke Salerian..
Just as Charlotte was looking for me, Bertus was as well.
Charlotte seemed to be looking for me with all the manpower she could mobilize. That was why she was trying to even mobilize this kind of organisation, she usually wouldn’t even spare a single look.
“I…. Could end up handing him over to Bertus though?”
“Perhaps.”
To begin with, I was in Class A which meant a lot closer to Bertus. However, Charlotte’s eyes then lit up in cold anger.
“However, if that were to happen, I will surely kill you with my own hands as well as that organization of yours.”
Damn it.
I never thought Charlotte would be looking for me so desperately, because the man she wanted me to find was right in front of her. I just wanted her to forget about me, but it seemed like she couldn’t.
She thought that I’d get killed if Bertus found me first.
“Hey, that kid…. Why is he so important?”
Only
“You don’t need to know. You have someone to find, so that’s all you have to do.”
Charlotte didn’t seem to want to provide an explanation for me. She just pressed the portrait against my chest.
“Report to me regularly about the status of the investigation. It’s not like your grades in Temple are your top priority. Right?”
My life and the lives of the gang members relied on this.
