“What, I think there’s been some misunderstanding. That I harbored ill will toward Prince Karbaldr and insulted him, even going so far as to force a duel?! That’s utterly ridiculous.”
Sensing the tense atmosphere, the Martial Arts Professor hurriedly interjected, cutting off my conversation with Reysir.
It would be best if he could steer things so that we seemed to have made a mistake.
If not, at the very least, he was trying to narrow the target of his supposed malice from ‘children of high-ranking noble families’ to just ‘Karbaldr’ himself.
But unfortunately, his lacking eloquence couldn’t quite cover for that effort.
“I think that’s absurd as well. After all, the professor and I have no direct or indirect connection whatsoever. What possible reason would there be for any personal grudge?”
I spoke in a polite tone, but lifted my chin slightly, making my attitude openly arrogant.
Emphasizing the name of the possessed character was a good move.
But he was so desperate to assert his innocence that he missed his last chance to narrow the focus of his malice to just an ‘individual.’
“Y-Yes, that’s right.”
The Martial Arts Professor nodded at my words, though his expression was uneasy.
A perfectly natural reaction.
He couldn’t very well admit to hating and persecuting someone for no reason, especially someone he had no connection with.
“I was only concerned. After all, behind Prince Karbaldr stands a powerful Dukedom. I worried whether the students could truly spar with you properly. As you yourself said earlier, I also had to confirm whether you could treat a duel as nothing more than a duel. I am a professor, after all. My duty is to help students grow and to protect them.”
He seemed rather pleased with himself, as if he thought he’d just delivered a flawless explanation.
To me, it was full of holes, easily refuted if I wanted to push it.
But instead of pressing him further, I chose to step back.
“If that’s truly how you feel, that would be nice….”
“I assure you, it’s the truth.”
I let my suspicion show, trailing off my words with a deliberately ambiguous expression.
The professor, eager to solidify his excuse as fact, quickly replied.
His attitude was a bit displeasing, but for now, I decided to let it go.
‘If the professor gets dismissed in the first week of classes, this course will disappear altogether, right?’
With a real battle possibly awaiting me at the end of this semester, I couldn’t let that happen.
So, for now, I decided to cover it up. Like a leaf that could be blown away by the lightest breeze.
If the Martial Arts Professor shows even a hint of suspicious behavior later, the seed of doubt I planted today will sprout and ensnare him.
If more than a month passes and the professor does get fired, the Academy would probably find a temporary instructor to continue the course.
There’s a chance the Martial Arts Professor will work hard to avoid dismissal, but only if he tries to become a diligent, exemplary teacher—which wouldn’t be bad for me either.
“I’m relieved to hear that, but from now on, let’s not do anything that could cause misunderstandings. For your own sake, Professor. If you’re even suspected of harboring resentment toward high-ranking nobles, wouldn’t that be quite troublesome?”
Though I said this, I wasn’t actually giving advice out of concern for the professor’s future.
It was a warning: if he tries to mess with me again, I won’t let it slide.
“Yes… You’re right, Your Highness.”
The professor’s face turned red as he spoke.
I guess my lecturing tone wounded his pride.
Even so, he couldn’t get angry and demand to know why I was trying to teach an adult, but instead behaved so obediently—was it because of the difference in our status?
That fact was both fortunate and somehow a bit bitter.
“But didn’t you say you couldn’t give me special treatment just because I’m from a Dukedom? So why do you call me ‘Prince’ and use honorifics, instead of treating me as a student?”
“Th-That’s… because… I didn’t think Prince Karbaldr—no, that is, I didn’t think you would actually attend my class, that’s all.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes, that’s the reason. As I said before, I truly care for my students as a professor… I wouldn’t treat you specially at the expense of the others.”
He really just called himself an excellent professor?
He’s not just shameless, but apparently has no conscience either.
Even I, who read the original, didn’t know Reysir took the Martial Arts class in the second semester, that’s how little presence this extra had—yet his character is so distinct.
“I see. I was just wondering, if calling me ‘Prince’ and using honorifics isn’t special treatment, then what is? I thought maybe you were trying to intimidate the other students by making it clear that even the son of a Dukedom could suffer unfair treatment if he got on your bad side.”
“I—I would never do such a thing!”
“Or maybe, by putting someone from a higher family in a difficult spot and making a spectacle of him, you felt some kind of superiority?”
“H-Haha… What a ridiculous misunderstanding…”
If this were a third-rate villain, wouldn’t he think just like that? Judging by the professor’s reaction, it seems both of my guesses were spot on.
It’s not even a device for delivering some catharsis in the early chapters—how obvious can you get? All character, no substance. Well, that’s why he’s just an extra.
“I’m glad it was a misunderstanding. In any case, please refrain from actions that might cause others to misunderstand in the future. You keep making me question whether you’re qualified as an educator.”
“……”
If I pressed a bit more, I could probably make him apologize, but I wasn’t actually looking for an apology.
Even if he did, it wouldn’t be for forcing the duel, and it certainly wouldn’t be sincere.
He’d just say sorry and secretly bear a grudge.
“Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, I’d like to attend your lecture, Professor.”
“T-Then, both of you, return to your places. Quickly, now.”
Realizing that continuing the conversation would only make things worse for him, the Martial Arts Professor hurriedly sent Reysir and me back to our spots.
Well, that’s another problem resolved, somehow.
As I returned to where I’d been standing, I finally noticed the expressions of the other students.
Unless I’m imagining things, they seemed to be looking at me with awe.
“Ka—Karbaldr, sir. That was r-really amazing. Truly impressive… As expected of a noble…”
Liolikin sidled up to me and whispered his flattery.
‘He’s a noble himself, so why does he sound like that?’
‘Was he really that short on compliments? And why even compliment me at this timing?’
I was curious, but if I asked, it might seem like I wanted to be praised more, so I refrained.
Just then, the Martial Arts Professor began the actual lesson.
“Since we have students taking this class for the first time, and to check if anyone’s forgotten what they learned last semester over the break, today we’ll focus on the basics. So don’t crowd together—spread out.”
Once the students had spaced themselves out, the Martial Arts Professor demonstrated the basic stance.
Then he moved among the students, correcting each person’s posture thoroughly.
‘Is he really sincere about teaching, even if his personality is bad?’
I wondered for a moment, but it seems I was wrong.
The students seemed unfamiliar with the professor’s kind attitude. Apparently, he wasn’t like this last semester.
Maybe he’s trying to win favor, hoping the students won’t gossip about what happened today.
“Since this is Karbaldr’s first time learning martial arts, I’ll make sure to give you special attention—not as special treatment, but just to keep you up to speed with the class, so don’t misunderstand.”
The Martial Arts Professor really did his utmost to teach me.
To the point where I doubted whether this wasn’t special treatment after all.
Either way, it was good for me.
So, I gratefully accepted the ‘not special’ special instruction, despite his protests.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
***
After the Martial Arts class ended.
I was about to return to my room to wash up before lunch when a voice called out to stop me.
“Is there something we need to discuss?”
“Don’t be so prickly.”
Reysir frowned slightly, criticizing my tone.
But I didn’t sense any negative emotion from that expression.
It was more like, ‘There he goes again,’ than anything serious.
‘Could it be he still hasn’t given up on his reading buddy plan?’
That made me a bit uneasy, but I had something to say to him as well, so I decided to go along with the conversation.
“Liolikin. This might take a while, so don’t wait for me—go on ahead to the dining hall and eat with Tridric.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
Once I’d sent Liolikin off, I moved to a new location with Reysir.
To the back of the classroom building.
It was a place people rarely visited, and at this hour, everyone else had headed to the dining hall, so the area was deserted.
“What did you want to say?”
You can probably guess from my tone—this wasn’t my line.
It was Reysir speaking to me.
“You’re the one who asked to talk, so why are you asking me that?”
“Before I could even bring up my business, you said it might take a while and told Liolikin to eat first. Then you even led us to this secluded spot. So I figured you must have something to say to me, too. Was I wrong?”
He was right.
As mentioned above, I also had something to say to Reysir.
But I denied it, refusing to admit the truth. That way, I could bring up my point naturally.
“It’s not that I had something to say to you. I just needed an excuse to separate Tridric and Liolikin from us.”
“Why?”
“I want to keep my distance from them.”
“Why? Aren’t those two your subordinates, and friends of a sort?”
Every time I tossed out a line, Reysir replied with a question.
He was being a perfect conversational partner. Which was just what I needed.
“Not at all. They latched onto me of their own accord, wanting to use my status and influence. So, rather than be used by them, I thought I’d use them instead… But now that I look back, I’m not even sure if I was the one using them.”
I answered the first question normally, but with the second sentence, I gradually lowered my voice on purpose.
And when I spoke the final line, I bowed my head slightly, lowered my gaze, and half-mumbled the words as if talking to myself.
‘Why am I acting like this?’
If this were a novel, you’d find the answer in the final chapter of the semester-opening party arc.
Or you could just move on to the next chapter.
After all, web novels usually have the first 25 chapters available for free.