Episode 65. I swear on every hair on my head.
Everyone has a mental anchor they want to aim for.
Gerard Chainsilver was an ordinary mercenary and adventurer before he assumed the title of Duke.
Even though he belonged to a family, it was nothing more than a hollow shell that was barely maintained by the achievements of his ancestors.
If you don’t achieve it yourself, you can’t survive. With that in mind, Gerard lived each day alone, staining his sword with monster blood.
Although he felt a sense of accomplishment because he was helping people, it was not always smooth sailing. This was because those who looked down on his family did not open their eyes and just watched.
It was a time when he was hunting as usual. Suddenly, jealousy and false accusations against his family began to spread, and he found himself being chased by money-hungry mercenaries.
However, since he was also a mercenary like those who were pursuing him, he hesitated to cut him down. In the end, Gerard ended up being captured by them due to his wrong judgment.
It was the moment when even the life of a hunter who had been struggling day by day was about to fall apart.
The shadow of a man appeared before my eyes.
The man who reached out to Gerard, who was still a teenager, had impressive black hair and blue eyes. He defeated all the mercenaries and raised Gerard up, and spoke.
-Why do you insist on saving your strength?
Even though it was just one word… it still lingered in my head even now that I’m an adult.
Although Gerard swung his sword without mercy against monsters, he was infinitely weak when it came to humans.
I was afraid that I would be able to harm people with a knife like before. I couldn’t awaken my hidden power because I was afraid of that.
But after meeting that man again, everything changed. He always approached Gerard to give him guidance, and furthermore, they even started to party together and developed a camaraderie.
He was like an idol I could rely on in my dark life. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have survived the catastrophe that happened 30 years ago.
He always called him “hyung” and followed him… but in the midst of the war, the man disappeared on his own.
Even though it was just a wishful thinking, it couldn’t be confirmed that he was dead because his body wasn’t found.
“If you are alive, you must….”
thud!-
It was a noise coming from behind the mansion that brought Gerard back from his memories.
He teased her a little, but soon she put the picture frame back on the shelf without making any other expression.
He just acted calmly, as if it was something that happened all the time.
* * * * *
“Why are you saving your strength so much?”
Ray Chainsilver, holding the wooden sword, spoke out of breath.
After swinging my sword and practicing my techniques over and over again, my head became soaked with sweat and my hands began to tremble.
Thanks to the results of his hard work, his opponent also looked quite tired, but he was relatively better than Ray.
“Your strength can’t be all there is to it. Hurry up and fight properly!”
“Ugh….”
Ray shot sharply, forgetting that he was tired. I smiled bitterly at that sight.
Thirty minutes had passed since they had exchanged sums. This was a common and common occurrence in the Chainsilver family.
Although it was a wooden sword, the passing servants did not interfere at all even though the swordsman was wielding it and damaging the garden.
There is also a martial arts studio inside the mansion, so you can test your strength at any time.
Despite such great facilities, we were swinging our swords in the garden behind the mansion.
This is because Ray surprised them from behind instead of calling them to the training grounds.
Even if he is the child of a con artist couple, he is someone my sister has chosen as a friend. No matter how close we are, my sister would never give her silver badge to a man so carelessly.
Ray hasn’t heard about the Academy from her sister yet, so she doesn’t know anything about Radon.
But that man is extraordinary. Didn’t he easily block ‘Hail’, the most powerful of his techniques, by summoning the spirit?
These facts combined to fuel Ray’s competitive spirit.
I wonder if that man is the right one for my sister. I decided that a head-on confrontation would not be enough to draw out his generosity, so I chose a surprise attack.
Ray waited until he was out in the garden alone, then jumped out of the grass and attacked like a beast.
Surprisingly, the man dodged the attack as if he had eyes on his back. Seeing that made me even more curious.
He scolded him for what he was doing, but Ray quietly threw a wooden sword at him.
The two continued to merge, and as time passed, they became rougher and damaged many flowers and trees.
I wonder if the gardeners will be out of work soon, I said, looking around the messy garden.
He made a mess of the garden.
“Hey buddy. How long are we going to have to do this? You look pretty tired.”
It was a pretty absurd situation from my perspective.
I just came out because Jenny called me… but then her younger sister suddenly made a surprise attack and we ended up sparring.
“I told you, don’t overlook it!”
He was a really tough kid.
I dug deep into it once and didn’t stop until I saw the end, so I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone would say she wasn’t Jenny’s sister.
It reminds me of the first time I took the practical exam with Jenny.
At first, I reluctantly followed Jenny because she called me. I never expected that she would prepare such a trap. I wondered why Jenny was better at fishing than me.
‘I want to rest for a while.’
I’ve asked him several times already, but he won’t listen. He keeps telling me not to look at him… What do you want me to do?
However, I am not yet used to summoning Muto. This snake guy does not know how to control his strength, so I thought that if I took it out rashly, Ray would be in danger.
“Heh… heh… it’s not over yet…, huff!”
“Look at that.”
Ray, who had finally reached his physical limit, finally knelt down. I was also out of breath, but I was fine thanks to my improved stamina stat compared to before.
It was quite difficult because he was holding a wooden sword instead of a fishing rod, but Ray’s skills were also superior to those of his peers, which played a part.
And yet, he still stares at me intently.
She must have heard that even though our parents committed a sleeping pill scam, the family was completely lenient.
Thanks to that, I was able to take care of him during the vacation, but Ray might not like that, since he was the victim.
“How on earth did you seduce my sister?”
“what?”
“I was watching you all while hiding. Those… those…! Lips… huh!!”
“lips?”
I stuttered as I spoke, but a certain word that came out during my speech made me look as if I had been hit by a wall.
That’s when Jenny said she saw my face come up to her mouth.
“At that time, that was….”
“….”
“I apologize if I offended you.”
Originally, her and Jenny’s relationship was not that close.
Since her mother’s death, Jenny has been living in self-isolation, mindful of the Silver Age’s rampage.
Even though I wanted to play with my sister, I knocked on the door and was rejected.
I couldn’t say anything because I had figured out my sister’s intentions to some extent, and as time passed, unresolved regrets accumulated in my heart.
I don’t know where I secretly watched it, but… it seems like the thought of my sister being taken away from me took control of my body after seeing that scene.
Unlike her sister, she had no major problems interacting with others, so she was in no position to get angry.
Even though I wasn’t interested in my sister, I needed to check out the people who approached her.
Mary and Crona must have already confirmed this, so it’s my turn now. The method is a bit brutal, though… .
“I’ll stop. Your skills are impeccable… I completely lost. It’s true that your family cheated, but there was a reason for that. I’m the one who feels sorry.”
Ray had already received an apology from my parents. I guess he was a little confused by the revelation that the curse was the cause and that he was not a bad person.
Still, it seemed certain that the resentment towards Crowler had subsided.
“And I have a question.”
“What is it?”
Seeing that her face had become more swollen than before, I thought I could rest easy now.
“By any chance… is there another woman besides my sister who has kissed my face?”
“…!!”
The expression on his face that had been secretly relieved suddenly came crashing down.
I couldn’t keep a poker face because there was another girl kissing my cheek!
“There wasn’t any.”
“Really?”
“I told you it wasn’t there.”
[Erosion rate decrease: -2%]
[+200 Credits]
For the first time in a while, the ‘eyesight’ skill was activated suddenly. Seeing this guy activate it suddenly, it seemed dangerous.
And, as expected, a more dangerous question arose.
“Or… you didn’t bring another woman into the dorm and live with her or anything like that?”
“….”
Ray’s voice was low. It seemed like he was planning something and launching a barrage of questions.
“Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“Why? To check if you’re cheating on my sister with another woman. I need to verify that you’re not a womanizer.”
She was a kid who was more annoying than her older sister. In this situation, I had no choice but to use my ‘acting’ skills to deceive her as much as possible.
“Friend, I’m notorious as a fraud even within the Academy. What kind of girl would follow around a guy like me?”
[Erosion rate decrease: -2%]
[+200 Credits]
“Of course it’s not like I’ve never done anything like that, but I haven’t done anything that you’d think would happen. Getting a kiss? Living in the same room with you? You have to be reasonable.”
[Erosion rate decrease: -3%]
[+300 Credits]
“Are you saying that you really didn’t do that?”
“Of course! I swear it on every hair on my head.”
[Erosion rate decrease: -3%]
[+300 Credits]
If you come out like this with your shoulders straight, the chances of Ray being suspicious will decrease.
Only after seeing my confident appearance did Ray say he would believe me and let it go.
『Khahahahaha! The sound of the erosion rate decreasing is piercing my eardrums!』
But there was one intruder who was scratching at my insides. Muto, who slowly crawled out of the shadows, burst into laughter as if he was watching a comedy play.
Because the guy could feel the erosion rate of the curse.
“I wonder how you would react if everything you just said was true! I’m dying!”
‘Shut your mouth.’
『Kikkikkik…』
If you materialize this guy, there’s a high chance he’ll confess everything.
This fucking snake guy is still going strong.
『What a pity. If that kid had a high ‘spirit sensitivity’, he would have heard my voice. Hehehe!』
Please…!
* * * * *
Before we knew it, the start of the school year was approaching.
I’ve already spent a week of vacation at the cabin, and the rest of the time I’ll be spending it comfortably in Silvertown.
While on vacation at the Chainsilver Mansion, I began to place importance on the swordsmanship that comes only from a simple sword, rather than the fantasy swordsmanship that comes from a fishing rod.
As expected, Jenny, who never neglects her training even during vacation, gave me some advice. What would I do if I ever had to hold a sword instead of a fishing rod?
Of course, you can automatically summon Leviathan, but you cannot bring it with you during training or tests as it is mostly used as a practice weapon.
Because the professors heard that the fishing rod was a real sword to me.
As Jenny wished, I decided to move up to class A.
Because it wasn’t a simple matter of giving in to her stubbornness, but rather a matter related to her diploma.
After touching Jenny’s mother’s diploma, I found out something. The other nine didn’t have blue flames, so why did only that one remain?
The reason is because of the excellent grades.
Her mother is said to have a dark Eternal Flame on her seal because she graduated from the Academy with honors.
If that’s the case, then you need to be at least in Class A to receive the Eternal Flame, which burns longer.
In the past, I kept my distance because of the relationships between characters including Jenny. But now, all of those restrictions have disappeared.
Now it’s up to me whether I go up to Class A or not!
‘Of course the classes will be more intense… but freedom is guaranteed!’
Since the knowledge of Enviel that he had absorbed included swordsmanship, he was able to acquire it quickly.
Jenny, who was teaching me how to use a sword, spoke in a complimentary tone.
“Doesn’t this make you remember that time?”
“huh?”
“When you were bragging in front of the kids that you were a descendant of the Black Swordsman.”
“ah….”
It’s so old I almost forgot.
There was a time when Jenny helped Radon, who was being neglected in the main story, and trained together with him. Although Radon did not keep his promise right after that and the pendant was destroyed…
“This time… it won’t be like that time, right?”
Looking at Jenny’s face, which was bright yet hazy… I spoke confidently.
“then.”
With just one short word, she created a bright expression that no light could overcome.
And then, overcome with emotion, he wrapped his arms around my neck, and I greeted the evening with a breathless face.
As expected, her strength is no joke for a girl.
The next day.
The start of the school year has finally arrived.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
