Chapter 156. The Horde of Evil? I Did Not Yield
After arriving in Hazen.
The very first thing I did after receiving the paper on Heavenly Origin Art from Parun was to meet with Senior Teheman, the head librarian.
“It took you quite a while. Was everything settled well?”
“Yes, thanks to your concern.”
After apologizing for being later than planned, I explained about my upcoming journey to Blandó and asked for his understanding.
Fortunately, Senior Teheman showed no particular displeasure and simply wished me well on the trip.
Of course, not for free.
“This is some material I prepared just in case, but it seems it’s finally going to come in handy.”
“This is…”
A bundle of parchment nearly the length of a forearm.
When I asked blankly, Senior Teheman’s face lit up with a satisfied smile.
“I can’t let you take Lafiter’s books out of the library, so I selected a few and summarized them. It’s not as good as reading the originals, but it’s better than not reading anything at all.”
What an astonishingly thorough person.
“For reference, when you return, there’ll be a short test. So I hope you’ll study it thoroughly.”
“I feel like crying.”
“From joy?”
“…Yes.”
And thus, I received homework I’d never even dreamed of.
After that, I used the communication crystal orb Demian had left me to contact the House of Blandó. But oddly enough, the one who answered wasn’t Demian, it was Lancy. She said she would come to Hazen in person.
Then, to avoid Shine’s eyes, I holed myself up in the dormitory, slogging through Senior Teheman’s homework while waiting for her.
“Ugh.”
To meet Lancy, I stretched my stiff body as I sat in a quiet café in Hazen.
There was still some time before our appointment, so I opened Teheman’s summary again, only to feel my head throb as if it were about to split.
‘He expects me to memorize this?’
I had foolishly underestimated it because it was called a “summary.”
Of course, it was monstrous in thickness for a summary, but I still thought it’d be better than reading dozens of entire books.
White was paper, and black was my future. In other words, my outlook was pitch-dark.
The words were all familiar, but the combinations made no sense. I began doubting whether I even knew the language anymore.
“Phew.”
Just as I took a sip of coffee and refocused on the summary, a voice reached my ears.
“Sir Aster, have you been waiting long?”
“Ah, Lancy—”
I almost called her “Lancy” out of habit, but the words caught in my throat.
‘What did I used to call her again?’
I couldn’t remember.
I may have called her “Lancy” in my head, but I definitely didn’t speak to her so casually.
But “Miss Lancy,” “Lady Lancy,” or “Ms. Lancy” all felt unbearably awkward to say out loud.
“You may call me comfortably.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then, I shall go order a drink.”
“Ah, yes.”
I reflexively answered politely and thought to myself, ‘If it’s awkward to call her anything… maybe I should just not call her at all?’
Yes, that way I’d have nothing to trip over.
When I had finally settled that dilemma, Lancy returned with her drink and sat across from me.
“How have you—”
“Please give me a moment to catch my breath. I just stepped out of the warp gate. I beg your pardon.”
“Ah, yes.”
An awkward silence.
Lancy broke it soon enough.
“If you ask whether I’ve been well, I would say… fairly well.”
“Ah, yes.”
“And you, Sir Aster?”
“Yes.”
“That is fortunate. However, I came today to ask for your understanding regarding a certain matter.”
“…?”
Lancy straightened her posture.
I tilted my head in confusion, and before long, her calm voice filled the space between us.
“The House of Zilox has raised an issue regarding your admission to the Academy.”
Now?
It had already been months since I entered the Academy.
And there hadn’t been any complaints back then.
Even if there had been some noise, I wouldn’t have known, but if there truly had been an issue, Lady Bianca, the matriarch, would never have allowed me to enroll.
‘No matter how promising I was, she wouldn’t have risked unnecessary turmoil just to back me.’
“Today, I came not only to inform you of this situation but also to suggest…”
While I was still puzzled by the oddness of it all, her next words struck my ears.
“That you postpone your visit to the main estate.”
* * *
First, I sat down calmly and organized my thoughts. Not because it was shocking, but because it was utterly absurd.
First question:
“Is it even possible for the House of Zilox to raise an issue over Academy matters?”
The Zilox family was just that, a vassal house.
They might hold some influence in Blandó, but questioning the matriarch’s decision? Unthinkable.
At that, Lancy finally began to explain the situation in full.
Apparently, it went like this:
“Sir Aster, you are currently registered as a nominal beneficiary under the House of Blandó.”
However, unlike typical beneficiaries who would later serve the house after graduation, I held no obligations whatsoever.
In other words, it was a relationship born purely out of goodwill.
“Did you know? The Academy also has you listed as Blandó’s beneficiary. And at the end of each term, the report cards are sent to the house.”
“And then…?”
A bad feeling crept up on me.
‘Report card? Oh, right. That existed, didn’t it?’
I had completely forgotten.
But wait, I didn’t think my grades were that terrible.
Then, Lancy drove the final nail in.
“You missed the individual combat evaluation. And you were absent several days as well.”
“…”
“And the report sent to the house includes details about a student’s attitude and conduct that aren’t shown on their personal copy. In that section…”
Gulp!
“It mentioned the incident with the second son of the Dolanfe family.”
“So…”
“Yes, even some of the elders in the main house questioned your attitude, particularly your altercation with the Dolanfe heir.”
In other words, I had given them ammunition myself.
After a sip of coffee, Lancy calmly continued.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of the problem.
“I didn’t want to worry you, but there have also been other rumors regarding your conduct.”
There’s more?
As I stared incredulously, Lancy listed off the details, one by one.
“Lord Demian started swearing.”
“What, he’s old enough to—”
“He is. But what matters is that he never used to. Words like ‘damn,’ ‘bloody hell,’ ‘rotten’, quite a variety, used very… rhythmically.”
Apparently, his old nurse fainted upon hearing it.
‘…What?’
He didn’t talk like that at the Academy.
“Of course, I’m not saying this is your fault. It’s natural for young people to pick up bad habits from peers. Still…”
…There’s still more?
“Do you recall Blood, Sweat, and Tears?”
“Blood, Sweat, and… Tears?”
“Perhaps you’ll remember if I say the dragon statue, the one designed with thousands of scales and a working flame-spewing mouth.”
“…Ah.”
At the mention of the dragon statue, the memory came flooding back.
But wait.
“Was that No.1 or No.2?”
“No.2. But since the original lake project was scrapped, it became No.1.”
That rascal even got promoted, no, wait, that’s not the issue here.
The number wasn’t important.
“But what does that have to do with—”
“I didn’t plan to show you this, but please wait a moment.”
Her hand disappeared into her dimensional pouch and came out holding a thick stack of documents.
Lancy flipped to the back and handed it to me.
“This is…”
“The final budget for Blood, Sweat, and Tears No.1. Approved by the matriarch herself.”
“…”
One, ten, a hundred…
I started counting digits and gave up halfway.
“This can’t be…”
“You think it’s absurd? Good. But Demian told me you were the one who drafted the proposal.”
Excuse me? Me?
“You wrote the concept, yes?”
“…”
Now that she mentioned it, yeah, that did ring a bell.
‘I threw everything in there, thinking, “There’s no way they’ll approve this.”’
Wait, hold on.
“But that was—”
“You didn’t think it would actually pass?”
“…Yes.”
“Sir Aster, Lord Demian is Blandó’s young master.”
That one sentence explained everything.
I may have written it as a joke, but the staff, and everyone else, had ended up bleeding, sweating, and crying.
“They really approved that without hesitation?”
“Yes. Because it was promised.”
“No matter the promise, that’s just not—”
“This is Blandó.”
The logic of noble houses was far removed from my own.
“And it wasn’t entirely without consequence. The lake project was canceled due to the budget. Originally, they meant to scrap the statue too, but you suggested keeping the dragon statue instead, didn’t you?”
“…”
“I was amazed. Choosing a statue more expensive than creating a lake.”
At this point, I had no words left.
All I could do was hang my head, unable even to say, “I’m sorry.”
“Well, it’s not all bad. To be fair, placing a dragon statue in Blandó’s plaza has drawn tourism projections. In the long term, the expenses might recover. But…”
But?
“The initial shock was too great. The administrators panicked and even sent a petition to the elders, who then delivered it to the matriarch.”
“What…”
“Would you like to hear it?”
I quietly shook my head.
“No.”
“A wise choice.”
To the administrators, Blood, Sweat, and Tears No.1 must have been a waking nightmare. They just managed to rationalize it afterward.
But still, why would the House of Zilox raise an issue about my Academy admission?
“But why is Zilox involved…?”
At my question, Lancy closed her eyes for a moment.
“It’s not an ordinary vassal house.”
“Then…?”
When I asked carefully, she shook her head slightly.
“It’s not my place to say more.”
What? A vassal house that’s not “ordinary”?
As I pondered that, Lancy opened her eyes again and continued calmly.
“In any case, they are using these pretexts to raise complaints against you, Sir Aster. But rest assured, the matter will soon be settled.”
“How…”
I closed my mouth.
Even I knew that was a stupid question.
Barring the head of the family, the matriarch’s power was absolute. A disturbance like this could be crushed with sheer authority.
No matter how “unusual” the vassal house was, that fact remained unchanged.
It would just take time for everything to be smoothed out.
“If you go to Blandó now, the Zilox representatives will nitpick at you under various pretexts. Of course, they wouldn’t dare openly insult a guest of Lord Demian, but…”
“Those noble bastards are masters of subtle humiliation.”
“…?”
Ah, a slip of the tongue.
“Ahem, I mean, they have many sly ways to give someone a hard time.”
“Yes. So I would advise waiting until the Zilox delegates leave, or until this situation is properly resolved.”
“Then that means…”
“At least until the end of vacation.”
At that, Demian’s words suddenly came to mind.
“Bullshit.”
“…Pardon?”
“Demian calls situations like this ‘bullshit.’”
“What do you…”
Watching the rare sight of Lancy momentarily flustered, I declared proudly, “I’ll go. To Blandó.”
Justice is always forged in adversity.
‘The horde of evil?’
I did not yield.
Hah, not a chance.
