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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Ivory Tower's Bullies
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I’d been puzzled when Lily said, “Please tell me if it ever becomes too difficult.”
I’d thought, “Why would she say that? All I’m doing is sitting at a desk and studying.”
“I overlooked the fact that I’m just an ordinary child now.”
My past experience of diligently sitting at a desk while researching magic was of no use.
The one sitting in this chair wasn’t the great mage Greslin, but Lesia.
An immature child’s brain was incapable of absorbing complex concepts, repelling them all.
“Are the other kids understanding all this? And aren’t these chairs uncomfortable?”
I subtly shifted my gaze, observing the children seated around me.
The Ivory Tower accepted students of all ages and genders as long as they passed the entrance exam, so the age range was diverse.
However, since it was impossible to cram everyone into a single lecture hall, the student body was split into different classrooms.
The classroom I was assigned to was a space where the youngest students, from four to nine years old—all under ten—gathered to study.
The Ivory Tower was a stark place where everything was determined by skill, but children under ten were an exception.
Perhaps in consideration of a child’s inability to sit through long lessons, the class periods were set at a short fifty minutes.
Naturally, I was the youngest, and the next youngest was Servian’s son, Leonid.
“He’s listening so intently.”
Leonid sat in a perfectly straight posture without the slightest fidget, listening intently to the scholar’s lecture.
Wondering if all the other kids were like that, I turned my head, only to find that most of them were squirming in their seats just like me.
Given that it was a classroom full of young children, the scholar giving the lecture didn’t seem to expect an incredible amount of focus.
“So Leonid is the unusual one.”
Relieved, I leaned back in my chair.
It was a freewheeling posture that would have made Axel, who always maintained a proper demeanor, frown deeply.
“But he’s not here, so I can sit as sloppily as I want!”
As I chuckled and began to enjoy the comfort, a bothersome sight from one corner of the classroom caught my eye.
A few kids, huddled together in small groups, were whispering and snickering amongst themselves…
Whoosh!
Then they crumpled a piece of paper into a ball and threw it at Leonid.
My eyes shot open in surprise, but Leonid, the target of the attack, remained unfazed.
He continued to face forward and concentrate on the lecture as if nothing had happened.
His reaction seemed to irritate the group of kids even more.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The mean-spirited children deftly avoided the scholar’s notice and repeatedly threw crumpled paper balls.
They all had such good aim that every single one hit its mark, never missing Leonid.
Whoosh!
One paper ball, thrown with particular force, cut through the air with an unusual sound and grazed Leonid’s cheek precisely.
The sharp edge of the paper scraped his cheek, and a thin line of blood welled up from the shallow cut.
Forgetting that I was in the middle of class, I shot up from my seat in shock.
The clatter of my chair made the scholar, who had been diligently writing on the blackboard, turn to survey the classroom.
“What is it?”
At the scholar’s annoyed voice, I raised my hand high, ready to tattle on the bullies.
When something like this happens, telling an adult is the best solution!
Who cares if they think it’s a cheap move?
Judging by their actions, they didn’t deserve any consideration.
“Pwofessow! Dose mean…”
“Leonid tore pages out of his notebook and threw them on the floor!”
But one of the bullies shouted over me, his voice booming and easily drowning mine out.
“I think he’s throwing a tantrum because he can’t solve the problem!”
My eyes widened as I glared at the loud-mouthed boy.
“What is he talking about?”
But unlike me, who knew exactly what was happening, the scholar had been focused on the blackboard and hadn’t noticed the strange atmosphere at all.
He simply saw the pile of paper on the floor and sighed deeply.
“Leonid.”
“…Yes.”
“If there’s a problem you can’t solve, you can just raise your hand and ask. It’s a waste to throw away paper like that.”
I stared daggers at Leonid, urging him to tell the professor what those horrid boys had done.
But Leonid didn’t even glance in my direction. He simply gave the scholar a benign smile and bowed his head slightly.
“I’m sorry.”
At Leonid’s apology, the group of bullies snickered.
The atmosphere was just…
“A total mess, isn’t it?”
* * *
As soon as class was over, I scurried after Leonid.
“Leonid!”
I called his name, but Leonid just kept walking straight ahead as if he couldn’t hear a thing.
He showed no intention of stopping.
I ran quickly and blocked his path.
“What?”
Leonid looked down at me, the fake smile from our first meeting completely gone.
The scratch on his cheek was clearly visible.
I scowled and tugged on the hem of his clothes.
“Let’s go get that tweated.”
“It’s fine.”
Leonid easily pried my hand from his clothes and started walking again.
Of course, I wasn’t about to let him go.
When I blocked his path again, forcing him to stop, Leonid let out a heavy sigh.
“Stop being so annoying. If the other kids see you with me, they’ll…”
The lament that slipped out was left unfinished, swallowed back into Leonid’s mouth.
“If dey see me wif you, den what?”
“…Never mind. Just go.”
“No. Why awe you putting up wif dose meanies?”
He should have been running over to kick their shins, at the very least.
“I’m not putting up with it…!”
Leonid, who had flared up, quickly clamped his mouth shut. He glanced around before lowering his voice to a whisper.
“Everyone’s already whispering that I only got into the Ivory Tower because of my father’s influence. What good would come from hanging around you, when there are rumors you passed under false pretenses with the backing of the Duke and the church?”
“I didn’t pass undew false pwetenses! Did you get in because of youw fafew’s influence, Leonid?”
“Of course not!”
Leonid bit his lip hard.
“Whether it’s true or not doesn’t matter. It all depends on what people want to believe.”
“Why? If evewyone misunderstands, you should cowwect dem. Why do you just let it be?”
“…Forget it. What would a little kid like you know, anyway.”
Leonid clammed up as if he didn’t want to hear another word and walked away.
This time, he walked so fast I couldn’t have caught up even if I tried.
As I watched his retreating back, I was utterly dumbfounded.
“‘What would a little kid like you know?’”
You’re a veeeeery little kid yourself, you know?
* * *
Back in my room, I opened the “Quest List.”
I figured the God of Judgment might have given me a quest like “Punish the Bullies of the Ivory Tower.”
But perhaps because he’d paid a hefty price in coins last time, no matter how many pages I turned, I couldn’t find any quests from him.
“Well… I did clean him out pretty thoroughly last time.”
After pitting him against the Goddess of Peace in a bidding war—no, a competition—and emptying both their pockets, he was probably still in shock.
I let out a groan of disappointment and scanned the other quests.
I still had plenty of time left on my Reincarnation Subscription, but there might be something I could tackle.
“Huh?”
My hand, which had been casually flipping through the pages, came to a halt.
◈Quest (Repeatable)◈
The four-leaf clover is a symbol of good luck!
As it is hard to find, the joy of its discovery is great.
Collect four-leaf clovers and spread good fortune to those around you.
- Client: Platus, the God of Luck
- Objective: Obtain a four-leaf clover
- Reward: 100 Heaven Coins
- Hidden Reward: Platus’s favor
