Episode 69. Declaration of War
Kent is a character who respects the strong and despises the weak. It’s not impossible that I, a member of Class C, could be included as well.
However, the strength and weakness discussed here fundamentally means depth of mind. Even if you have powerless weakness, you just have to avoid acting like a petty person.
In short, a strong person is someone who is strong both physically and mentally, and a weak person is someone who is cowardly and mean. I only use the expressions strong and weak because I grew up in an environment that values strength.
So does that mean I fall into the category of ‘weak’ he’s talking about?
Strictly speaking… that’s not wrong.
Let’s think about what I did during the first semester. I used trap cards to lure the lower-ranking students into a trap, using the location of the new student as bait, and I also wrote articles in the newspaper that could be used as bait.
You may have thought I had finally reformed after the Lycanthropy incident, but you were likely disappointed after doing the same thing over and over again.
It could just be that they left me alone considering the accomplishments of that incident.
‘But was it really necessary to swing a wooden sword? What bad luck.’
But an even more shocking rumor spread throughout the school.
“Cadet Radon, please say something!”
It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the newspaper department. As soon as I entered, I was greeted by a friendly wave and a handshake.
But as soon as the members saw me, they all lit up in a group. They looked like detectives interrogating a criminal.
“Cadet Radon Crowler, is it true that you stayed at the famous Chainsilver Mansion?”
“Did you meet by chance during the vacation? Or…”
“I’ve heard that things have gotten better between us, but isn’t it too much?”
“How far has it progressed? There are even rumors that they slept in the same room.”
The atmosphere of the newspaper office suddenly becoming a press conference room. It is ironic that the subject of the interview is a newspaper reporter. And it is none other than me.
‘Is this retribution for all the crap I’ve done so far?’
The way he glared at them and asked questions was no different from real reporters. It was as if a comrade who had been running around with him for a long time had suddenly turned into an enemy.
“Okay, stop asking. And what the hell are you talking about, sleeping in the same room?”
There are even distorted rumors going around. If I had known this would happen, I should have risked being late and not taken the carriage back with Jenny.
No matter how much I protested, the atmosphere wouldn’t cool down. To calm it down, I said.
“Okay. I’ll explain it to you in a way that you can understand, so just stay still.”
Once reporters get attached to you, they won’t let you go until you tell them something. Since I had to experience it myself to find out, I had to give them at least a basic explanation.
First, I received a badge as an invitation from Jenny, and I was able to enter the mansion with it. It seemed simple and straightforward, but Trisha tripped up a few weak points.
“Then how did you get that badge? You didn’t do anything great for the Chainsilver family.”
I can’t say that I didn’t contribute anything. I did contribute to Jenny controlling the Silver Age.
However, among the cadets, only Mary and Jenny themselves know this. Everyone knows that Jenny uses ice powers, but they don’t know how dangerous it is.
Jenny’s early reluctance to use Silver Age was not only due to trauma. The bachelor’s side also wanted to keep it a secret as much as possible because of the danger of it being a time bomb.
It is so bad that even the Chain Silver family goes to great lengths to hide its power.
What if I told you that I contributed to controlling the Silver Age in this newspaper?
Then, the dangers of the Silver Age will have to be confessed, and the entire bachelor’s degree will be turned upside down.
Therefore, I cannot explain in detail how I received the badge.
“I just received it because we’re friends.”
“what…?”
“I just stayed at a friend’s house during the vacation. What kind of job is that?”
As expected, the members and Trisha have blank expressions.
I can understand why reporters are flocking like this, but I cannot tolerate them exaggerating rumors.
I heard that someone posted something crazy like that on the Archive Cadet Bulletin Board under the alias ‘anonymous’. I’m going to kill them halfway the moment I find them. Surely they’re not among you?
“Radon, I’m sorry, but is that really all? Please don’t betray this manager. Okay?”
“It’s embarrassing, so move your face.”
Trisha looks at me with her eyes sparkling with longing. Anyway, I’m blinded by the number of views… Ah, that’s not for me to say.
“What kind of guy wrote that shit on the bulletin board?”
“Basically, to find out who that ‘anonymous’ is, you’ll need the help of the student council. Among them, you have to be a grade representative to have the authority to look into the records.”
I checked the archive board and there were about 6 people who posted. To find them all, the power of the student council is essential, as Trisha said.
“If there’s someone among the student council members who’s close to you, it’ll be easier to resolve things. But if that’s not the case, there’ll really be no answer.”
Does this mean that whoever persuades the student council first will be the winner?
But the current student council seems to be stricter than expected. It seems like even those who spread rumors won’t be easily persuaded.
But something important crossed my mind. I had already made a bet with one of the executives and a freshman representative.
In simple terms, it means that beyond simply trying to persuade someone, it is possible to use them.
“By the way, I’m having trouble deciding what kind of article I should write. If I write without thinking, something irreversible might happen. But if I write without thinking, I won’t get good results.”
“This is a matter of Jenny’s reputation. If anyone is harmed because of our private articles, we are the ones who should take responsibility.”
“Is that what you’re talking about? When will you write a false article yourself?”
I heard a sound that stabbed my lungs. How cowardly.
Anyway, the priority is to deal with this damn rumor. Jenny must be shaking from the exaggerated rumor by now.
“Isn’t there a good way that doesn’t cause damage to either side?”
A way to avoid harming the newspaper club and Jenny. That also occurred to me.
“What if only ‘I’ get hurt and not ‘the newspaper department’?”
“What does that mean?”
Tadadak-
Trisha stared blankly as I hurriedly knocked on the door. Trisha glared at the article that had been completed in a short time.
“Kent, remember the bet we made today? If I go up to Class A, if I win, you’ll hit your head on the ground. Additionally, bring those guys who started the rumors to me. With your authority, you should be able to call them out easily.”
“And if anyone tries to knock me out during the practical exam, I’ll give them whatever they want.”
Publisher – Radon Crowler
It was an official document in the same format as the old trap card. It was essentially a letter declaring war.
Trisha sighed, placing one hand on her forehead, as if she was tired of being angry now.
“I think I know what your intentions are. I understand that you want to punish the people who spread the rumors. But why did you write ‘Anyone can try to out me’?”
“To get promoted to Class A, I need to achieve results. To do that, the kids have to flock to me.”
“How are you going to handle that, dealing with an entire department? And do you think Class A is as easy as it sounds?”
Trisha was really worried about me because the tests were always cold.
It’s only natural that I, a student in Class C, don’t think I can handle all of them.
“Class A? Don’t worry.”
I said to Trisha, who had a questioning look on her face.
“It will happen soon.”
* * * * *
There were many cadets who were struggling to relieve their insomnia after not being able to sleep in the middle of the night. Among them, Kent Easyst was the only cadet who wielded a sword outdoors.
I couldn’t sleep at all. So I swung my sword to accumulate as much fatigue as possible.
The drops of sweat he shed became dew on the grass, and the sound of the swaying waves drowned out the owl’s cry.
“Gasp… gasp….”
I tend to put in a lot of effort, but I’ve never done it in such a rush. The reason was the newspaper that was published this evening.
“Kent, remember the bet we made today? If I go up to Class A, if I win, you’ll hit your head on the ground. Additionally, bring those guys who started the rumors to me. With your authority, you should be able to call them out easily.”
Publisher – Radon Crowler
‘Radon Crowler, what the hell are you thinking?’
A declaration of war disguised as a newspaper. It was an announcement that could only be made by someone with a lot of guts.
It was the same when we met in front of the laundromat.
The attitude of guaranteeing that he would really advance to Class A was anything but ordinary.
In the end, the contents of the newspaper overlapped, and my hands started shaking, making it difficult to get a good night’s sleep.
‘Is this a bluff?’
Isn’t that too much to say? Even during the Lycanthropy incident, he had done something extraordinary. Even though he caused trouble again after that, I felt something different about him.
I’ve seen many raccoon-like adults who have been working under my father. Thanks to that, I was able to feel the cowardly aura that is characteristic of the weak.
But I didn’t feel that kind of energy from Radon that I had seen so far. Rather, I only felt a strong energy, so even if I noticed him, I didn’t really interfere.
And what happened during the vacation? When I saw you in front of the laundromat today, the energy seemed particularly strong.
After feeling that, my head started to go crazy. To the point where I could surprise a defenseless guy with a wooden sword.
I realized later that it was something I did out of a fighting spirit.
What was that indescribable energy I felt at that time? It was as if I was seeing a fusion of an 8th circle archmage and a 7-star swordsman.
It felt as if there was ‘something else’ inside him.
“Hoooooo… .”
Kent stopped his sword and calmed his racing heart.
Actually, I didn’t have any great ill feelings towards Radon Crowler.
What I felt during the lycanthropy was the potential for growth. And this time, I felt an unidentified energy.
I wanted to know the truth, so I went out of my way to provoke him. In short, it was just an action taken because I couldn’t hold back my fighting spirit that was provoked.
Whatever the rumors, in fact, that was none of Kent’s business. If Radon is proven to be ‘strong’ in this test, he will take his side without hesitation.
“What are you doing there?”
Then, my eyes met with someone walking down the street at night.
“Lyman… Vegilius. What are you doing at this hour of the night?”
“I’m just on my way to the store. Eating late at night isn’t against the school rules.”
The white-haired young man was carrying a large bag of convenience foods on his arm. Lyman could tell what was on Kent’s mind by looking at his face.
“Are you scared?”
“what?”
“It’s the same expression you had when you were bullied by me before?”
At one point, Kent had a duel with Lyman for the class representative position. He lost to Lyman, but Kent ended up winning because Lyman wasn’t interested in the position.
“Just forget about it and go your way.”
“Don’t worry though. You’re pretty strong even among Class A.”
“….”
Lyman went on his way, leaving behind words that sounded like comfort. But he smiled as if he had found something amusing for the first time in a while.
‘It’s true that it’s strong in Class A. But only until the first semester.’
When they met at a cafe on the first day of school, Lyman was able to see the potential in his other friends.
Among them, Jenny and Ruska had already grown to a level that was different from others.
‘And that guy… .’
At that moment, Lyman saw the power in his eyes. The scale of the power had increased strangely compared to when he first saw it.
And a black snake was slithering around the guy.
‘It’s going to be a pretty interesting test.’
* * * * *
Many students are dissatisfied with the dormitory system. When they first enter school, they expect to have a romantic life with a faithful roommate.
This is the Alighieri Academy. It is a place where famous noble children with beautiful character and appearance gather, so expectations are bound to be high.
After being assigned a room, you harbor the illusion that the life you dreamed of will unfold, but the reality is that you become a daily companion to a person who is not good enough.
I worked hard to clean my room, but it quickly became a mess. Even though it was dirty, it didn’t interfere with my daily life, but my roommate kept telling me to clean, making my ears ring.
One side wants to sleep, but the other side can’t sleep, so they make noise, and they invite friends from the same department over and drink and talk all night.
The roommate I was expecting was nowhere to be found, and I felt an extreme sense of betrayal. The other person was also dissatisfied, so fights in the dorm were inevitable.
Of course, this does not apply to the 1st-star cadets who use the luxurious private rooms. It is a place that is always reserved for the nobility, so even if you have high grades, you cannot even dream of it.
The dormitory system makes even the top cadets shiver.
Ruska Mad-Eye was one of them.
Brrrrr!-
Kookookookook!-
“omg!”
Ruska woke up with a start at dawn as a loud noise rang in her ears.
It was a sound that sounded almost like an explosion or a building collapsing, but I soon realized it was my roommate’s snoring.
“I want to kill them all.”
Ruska sighed, holding back the soreness in her neck.
Snoring is something you may think is caused by stress, but take a look at the room.
It is a sight that makes you wonder if this is a human room, a pigsty, or a monster’s den soiled with the corpses of its prey.
Besides, this was the only four-person room in the three-star hotel.
Among the four, only Ruska was good at organizing. The rest just left the cleaning to Ruska and ignored her.
And it gets worse on Friday nights.
I was at peace during the vacation without them, but the urge to kill is coming back.
I didn’t really care about revenge during the first semester… but now that all my attachments have calmed down, I feel like vomiting.
‘Even the barracks I stayed in as a soldier weren’t this neat!’
They were more disgusting in a different way than the soldiers who had been harassing me back then.
It’s a new feeling, but I want to escape from this undead den-like room!
‘Angela, who will be entering next year, will also be in a room like this… No. She will soon be designated as a candidate for sainthood, so she will be using a single room in the 1st-star building.’
There’s no need to worry about your little brother’s future.
The problem is yourself.
I needed a solution because I felt like I was going to go crazy if things continued like this.
Ruska went to the archives with her student ID. She had already read it once, but she tapped on one of the newspapers published today.
“And if anyone tries to knock me out during the practical exam, I’ll give them whatever they want.”
Publisher – Radon Crowler
“Didn’t you say you’d listen to anything?”
There was something strange in Ruska’s eyes, which were focused on the article.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
