Chapter 239 National University League (4)
Vikir, signaling lightly to the triplets of Baskerville with a nod, exited the room.
Thud-
As Vikir left the room and closed the door, a lively commotion echoed from inside.
“Ahhhhhh…!”
Screams were interrupted unnaturally, indicating that the hunting dogs had properly understood the meaning conveyed by their owner’s gesture.
The troublesome Granola must have been calmed down by now, and group activities would likely proceed without any issues.
Vikir left the room and walked towards the corridor connecting the compartments of the train, near the passage leading to the snack bar and cafe where passengers from other compartments were wandering.
At that moment, Vikir suddenly locked eyes with a small girl.
The girl, eyes sparkling, was fixated on a cake displayed behind the glass.
Vikir bought a bottle of water and decided to purchase the cake as well. The amount of money in his pocket happened to be just right.
“I mistakenly bought it. If it’s okay with you, go ahead and eat.”
Bending down to match the girl’s eye level, Vikir handed over the packaged cake. The girl smiled brightly in gratitude.
“Thank you, oppa!”
As the girl received the cake, she gave Vikir an unexpected peck on the cheek. Of course, with the reflexes of a swordmaster, Vikir could have avoided it, but…
“…”
Upon hearing the word ‘oppa,’ something subtly changed in his mood, so he didn’t avoid the lips that approached his cheek.
“…Not oppa, but mister.”
Straightening his posture, Vikir looked a little distant, remembering the face of a little girl from the orphanage.
The face of a girl from his memories floated like a wispy cloud outside the window and soon disappeared.
At that moment,
“… Mister? Certainly, you’re not at an age to be called by such a title.”
A low voice sank in from behind.
Vikir turned his head to find Dolores standing there.
Strict, dignified, with a serious expression—the student council president, Dolores. However, in her hands were eggs and soda.
“…”
“Ahem.”
Sensing Vikir’s piercing gaze, Dolores discreetly hid the eggs and soda behind her back.
“There are participants from Temisquira Women’s College in the compartment behind. Try to avoid contact before the competition. They might pick a fight, you never know.”
“Understood.”
“…”
As Vikir nodded, Dolores hesitated, as if there was something more to say.
Then, from the opposite aisle, a familiar face appeared. It was Professor Banshee Morg.
“Hey, student council president. Professor Sadi is not in the chaperone position. Have you seen her?”
“I saw her near the compartment with the participants from Varangian.
“Nothing straightforward from that incompetent bufoon. Why does the principal keep appointing such individuals as professors?”
Clearly infuriated, Professor Banshee openly criticized his colleague in front of the students.
Eventually, Professor Banshee left to search for Professor Sadi. He took Dolores, who seemed to want to continue the conversation with Vikir, forcibly along with him.
“Wait, just a moment! Then, take one more person with you…!”Dolores spoke to Professor Banshee before leaving the compartment.
She intended for Vikir to accompany them on the mission to find Professor Sadi. There were things to discuss and talk about.
However, Professor Banshee merely grinned and tilted his head.
“One more person? Who?”
“Well, here… Huh?”
As Dolores turned her head, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
…
The spot where Vikir had just been standing a moment ago was now empty.
* * *
“Almost got annoying.”
Vikir stood on top of the running train, feeling the wind against his face. Sensing Dolores’s attempt at a ghostly operation, he immediately opened the window, climbed the train’s wall, and ascended to the ceiling. As all of this happened in the blink of an eye, like the actions of a ghost, no one noticed.
Vikir strolled leisurely on top of the train, then descended to the window of the opposite compartment. Since there was no one in the corridor connecting the compartments, he could easily return inside the train.
“Colosseo Academy and Temisquira Women’s University’s intermediate zone, huh.”
This area marked the beginning of the middle section of the magical train, where the Temisquira female students’ legion resided. If he had moved just one more compartment back, he would have landed amid the bustling female students.
The compartments behind were on the second floor, separated by a thin barrier covering the stairs. Therefore, Vikir, having entered through the window, was on the second floor of the compartment. The space where Temisquira’s female students stayed had an overall serene atmosphere, with the fragrance of tea wafting through.
Only elegant heavy metal music, favored by noble maidens, faintly echoed.
Vikir stood in front of the window for a moment, contemplating the upcoming events.
First, he had to soothe his troublesome groupmate Granola and continue with the group activities. Even if the scores were calculated individually, starting with a group assignment format required them to unite their strengths, albeit reluctantly.
Of course, Vikir wasn’t concerned about such matters at all, but he still needed to keep up appearances. Hence, he decided to team up with the triplets from Baskerville.
‘Why does he unnecessarily obsess over his background like that?’
Vikir pondered Granola’s attitude for a moment.
Vikir himself didn’t know who his mother was.
He heard she was an actress and a martial artist who briefly associated with Hugo, but even that wasn’t entirely accurate. One idle thought led to another.
‘Come to think of it, I heard there’s a royal among the new students this year.’
This was also an unverified rumor. A nearly illegitimate child, close to being a commoner, from the royal family had supposedly enrolled at Colosseo Academy. Even if they were a commoner, the fact that they were of royal blood stirred interest among many. Some professors were rumored to have noticed.
‘Well, it’s none of my business.’
Vikir closed his eyes and dismissed the stray thoughts. Then, he took steps to return to the original compartment on the first floor.
At that moment,
“…?”
Strange sounds began to emanate from the stairs. Vikir, about to open the door and leave, paused, listening to the sounds echoing through the first-floor corridor.
…Huh?
The voices coming from there were quite familiar.
* * *
“Ah, the disgusting smell of a commoner.”
“My clothes will now reek.”
“You should pay for our laundry.”
“More importantly, if there was a collision, shouldn’t an apology come first?”
“Oh dear. You. I heard you’re the top student of Colosseo Academy.”
“That’s right, that’s right. You’re so incredibly talented that you don’t even know how to apologize~”Female students in Temisquira uniforms glared menacingly at the wall. In that corner stood a lone female student – Sinclaire.
She didn’t back down and spoke up, “In the corridor, we should avoid each other. I couldn’t avoid it either, but isn’t it a mutual accident? I’m not sure if we managed to avoid it or not.”
“Oh? So, are you the victim now? Even though the amounts of damage are different?”
The girl who collided with Sinclaire casually toyed with the shawl on her shoulder, as if implying Sinclaire’s poor clothes damaged her expensive ones.
It was quite expensive-looking shawl, even at a glance.
“Hey, you may not know because you’re a commoner. Just the laundry fee for this shawl could cover three semesters of your school tuition. It’s a limited edition, you know? Limited edition!”
The one who was openly berating Sinclaire was Merelini Lovegood, the senior and student council president of Temisquira Women’s College. The Lovegood family was a wealthy and influential household, affiliated with the powerful Bourgeois Clan. Their influence was significant among the noble families.
Merelini Lovegood, being part of that family, was a proud and ambitious student. Perhaps due to her pride or for some other reason, she openly picked a fight with Sinclaire upon meeting her here.
‘How dare this commoner reject our academy…’
Moreover, she was the top student in all 3 academies… Mage Tower, Temisquira Women’s College, and even Colosseo causing other students jealousy.
In reality, during the entrance exams for Temisquira Women’s College, Lovegood also took the entrance exam for Colosseo Academy but failed to secure the top position. This fact made her feel even more uncomfortable.
So, when she encountered Sinclaire today, she took the opportunity to pick a fight.
However…
“Oh, that shawl? I know its market value. Although it’s a limited edition, it’s been a while, and its depreciation is high, so the second-hand price is set very low. It might not be as valuable as you think.”
Sinclaire spoke in a cheerful tone.
Upon hearing this, Lovegood lost her temper.
“Are you making fun of me?! For your information, even second-hand, there are cases where a premium is added! This is an item that a famous singer wore! The actress G-Pistol wore it in reality! Don’t you know about the celebrity premium?!”
“Well, for a celebrity of that caliber, even if it’s labeled as second-hand and has a premium attached, the original brand value should be quite known, right?”
Sinclaire’s response was unexpectedly cold and sharp. The usually cheerful and smiling Sinclaire now had a dry and chilly demeanor.
A vein bulged on Lovegood’s forehead.
“But this little brat has been disrespecting me since earlier!”
“Aunty, I don’t have to be respectful to you, do I?”
“A-Aunty?”
“You’re quite bold. Is it in Temisquira’s values to harass a new student from another academy, especially one who enrolled this year?”
“Wow! This is…!”
“If Temisquira’s values are like this, well, there’s nothing more to say.”
Sinclaire murmured quietly.
“…I did well not to go to that academy.”
It was the final blow.
Following that, Lovegood and the other Temisquira female students began to surround Sinclaire with hostile expressions.
“Hey, you!”
Lovegood trembled as she pulled out a large wand from behind.
A sturdy iron baton with a star-shaped tip emitted a sparkling pink magical light.
It seemed like Lovegood was preparing some kind of magic.
Sinclaire also widened her eyes and seemed ready to face Lovegood’s attack.
Then…
…Snap!
Someone quickly dispersed the mana emitted from Lovegood’s wand.
“Enough.”
Gradually, a large shadow descended in front of Sinclaire.
Even Lovegood, with her wand at the ready, stepped back in surprise when she encountered the man who appeared in front of her.
Vikir.
He stood between Sinclaire and Lovegood.