Chris called out to and gathered representatives of the students and sailors into one room.
I arrived at a hall, carrying a shotgun that I bought from a sailor along the way.
There were many people who hung their heads, perhaps in despair.
While checking the shotgun shells, which were the ammunition for the shotgun, I looked at Chris making a speech at the center of a staircase in the hall.
He sat on the staircase and turned towards the faces of the people gathered.
“I’ve concluded that there’s no choice but to fight if we want everyone to escape from harm. Everyone, lend your power.”
Chris received a series of jeers.
“Don’t get carried away, first-year!”
“Why are you bossing us around when you’re not even that strong?!”
“You lost to that piece of trash over there!”
“In the first place, Anjelica is the evil one! Didn’t she just save only herself?”
“How unbelievable for the daughter of a duke household.”
When I glared at the boy who called me a piece of trash and the girl who looked down on Anjie, they hid themselves. However, I memorized their faces and would get revenge later. I definitely would!
Given that the field trip included first-year through third-year students, it was somewhat troublesome for Chris to be the head. It seemed that some upperclassmen didn’t want to follow the directions of their underclassmen.
However, it was possible that we would die.
There would be people who openly assume position when things like hierarchies no longer had meaning. The boys in the regular class were smiling.
“This is a war we’re talking about. You boys in the advanced class are so prideful. Did you think that everyone would follow your orders?”
“To think you’d have the nerve to order us around so proudly.”
“To start with, what authority does an expert swordsman have when he had been disinherited?”
The girls were the same. However, it involved them arguing with their exclusive servants.
“Wait, you should follow my orders!”
“How impudent, lass! Why should I follow your orders at a time like this?!”
The scene had gotten hectic, so I ascended the stairs.
As I shouldered the shotgun, everyone’s sight gathered onto me.
“You’re all whiny and annoying, you incompetents.”
My audience fell silent in front of the weapon I held. Their gazes were filled with feelings of fear and hatred.
“Listen up. I am a knight who officially holds a baron position. Furthermore, I’m of the lower fifth rank──a status higher than even the teachers who had been guiding you. Understand?”
The teachers averted their gaze.
The inconspicuous teachers were more or less nobles. However, their statuses were not high.
I suppose that the principal had a higher status than me, but nobody else did.
What about my mentor? I suppose that my status was higher than him.
Though, I respected my mentor as a person. Status was irrelevant in this case, he was something I was outclassed by.
“So I’ll be the one giving orders. Fight. If you don’t want to die, then fight.”
As expected, everyone voiced opposition to what I said.
“Y, you’re kidding me! You guys should be the ones fighting!”
“──Yeah, I’ll fight. After all, I’m a genuine noble. Not like you fake nobles.”
A third-year girl furrowed her brow in response to what I said.
She seemed strong-willed and had curly blond hair──which formed in the shape of drills.
She wore high heels, and looked like queen with an unwavering heart.
She used her mouth, which wore red lipstick, to question me while irritated.
“Fake nobles, you say? How rude to say that towards me, someone from an earl household.”
It seemed that the girl held power second to Anjie. The surrounding people went silent. I could see the sad nature of the aristocratic boys going silent in front of the girl, even though they opposed Chris and I.
“And you are?”
“To think that you wouldn’t know me! I am ‘Deirdre Fou Roseblade’. The daughter of the Roseblade earl family!”
That sounded familiar. However, I pretended not to know. I stuck my fingers into my ears, and made myself look as if I was annoyed.
“Doesn’t ring a bell. I don’t know whether you’re a Roseblade, a rosehip, or whatever, but what worth do you have right now?”
“Wha?! H, how rude!”
What a wonderful reaction from this mighty queen! I had been waiting for someone like her!
“I don’t how great your household is, but you’re a sham.”
“You had to work up to get to your position! Yet, you’re calling me a sham!”
“Right! I ascended into my position. However, I’m a genuine adventurer. A noble who genuinely succeeded as an adventurer. Not someone to be likened with self-important fakes.”
Deirdre began to curse me with great vigor.
“Don’t get cocky, lowly baron! Our earl family presented the kingdom with a floating island, has captured many dungeons, and is a prestigious family amongst prestigious families. Know how impudent your household is in comparison!”
I applauded while still shouldering the shotgun.
“That’s sounds great. Your ancestors were the real deal.”
The arrogant Deirdre became uneasy over how lax I was being.
“Remember that. Your activities don’t even reach the feet of the Roseblade house──”
I began to laugh internally. What a great character Deirdre was!
“Splendid! Yes, your ancestors were genuine. Though, that’s quite sad, isn’t it. After all, their descendants became cowards amongst cowards. Surely, they must be weeping six feet underground. People like you who tremble in fear before a principality──are fakes.”
“W, what are you insinuating?”
“Am I wrong? What had you guys done when Anjie offered herself? You felt relieved, that’s what. You kept silent while waiting for the storm to pass by──and in the end, you curse Anjie when you realized that you would die. Each and every one of you are cowards amongst cowards! No wait, you’re not even great enough to qualify as cowards. You’re just pretentious, fake nobles.”
“Take that back!”
I approached Deirdre and spoke to her with a smile.
“Don’t wanna.”
Then, I took a distance and grinned with open arms.
“In a situation where we could get killed, you’re doing nothing but complaining. Your ancestors may have been successful adventurers, but you have no worth! You’re a pathetic good-for-nothing who didn’t inherit the bravery to set forth across the open skies on an airship, the knowledge to capture a dungeon, nor the power to defeat monsters.”
By the way, the Baltfault household didn’t have any big achievements as adventurers. I heard that they had nobles who participated in wars and accumulated enough achievements to earn a floating island.
In the first place, I had no attachment to ancestors, honor, or lineages. I don’t think my ancestors would be grieving. Rather, perhaps they would be concerned about escaping.
Even so, I continued to slander everyone! After all, it was convenient for me!
“The principality’s messenger was right. If we remove the selfishness of the nobles like you, you would have nothing to be proud of. You’re just shameful fakes who do nothing but cling onto the achievements of your ancestors. Each and every one of you are cowards who would get frightened and do nothing if told that you would be attacked. Your grand ancestors would surely cry──no wait, they would laugh!”
The students around me began to gradually become enraged.
And how nice it was!
I held my sides in laughter.
“They would roll around laughing! They would talk about how pathetic their descendants are! They would sneer while speaking of how shameful it is that you call yourselves nobles, and yet the only merit you have is that you’re the descendants of adventurers!”
I wiped my tears with my finger. Tears from laughing too much.
This was an act in order to have them make fools out of themselves──no wait, it was to embolden them.
“It’s wonderful that your ancestors worked hard to become nobles. However, it was all in vain. I mean, you guys are the ones who are supposed to be following their steps. You guys have no willpower, and would lose to a principality without resisting. Your ancestors’ achievements will be overwritten by your failures. Your actions are truly tarnishing everything. You’re tarnishing your ancestors’ achievements and placing shame onto your descendants. Your relatives will speak of your actions and what a disgrace they are!”
The setting of this world stated that nobles were proud of being the descendants of adventurers.
That was also something taught at the academy, and some people even admired their respectable ancestors.
At any rate, the nobles of this world adored the position of adventurers.
So what would happen if I stimulated that aspect of them?
“D, don’t make a fool out of us! I──I won’t let my ancestors feel ashamed! Do you think I would sully my family’s honor?!”
I smiled as if making fun of the people.
“You’ve got good spirit, but that alone means nothing. Place your hands over your chests and listen. Can you not hear it? It’s the voices of your ancestors’ blood flowing within you, laughing at how shameful you are!”
There were those who didn’t, but many had placed their hands over their chests. Among them were the sailors and even the exclusive servants.
“Listen, can you hear the roars of laughter? Or perhaps the voices of mourning? Shock, possibly? Maybe some of your ancestors are even thanking you for making them laugh. The good ancestors would say the following ──’There is no worth in a coward that flees from a fight!’”
Few people talked back.
Well, I would laugh at them, even if they talked back.
I put on a serious look.
“Is the noble adventurer’s blood flowing within you a sham? Do you want to go down in shame, toyed around by the principality while simply waiting for death?!”
Deirdre looked at me.
“──It would be shameful for the daughter of the Roseblade household to die here without doing anything. Everyone, are you going let this guy go on talking like this? As he has said, we truly aren’t living up to our ancestors!”
The boys raised their voices.
“Don’t make light of us, damn bastard! Someone fetch some weapons!”
“How long do you think we’ve been training in the dungeon? A whole year! Be prepared, for we’ll show you the difference in strength between you and the upperclassmen!”
“The nerve you have to blabber on so smugly! Talk while you still can!”
The boys displayed motivation.
Likewise, the girls also seemed encouraged as well, showing a sense inspiration.
These fools should have made a serious effort from the beginning!
Chris looked at me.
“Baltfault, you──no, never mind.”
He shouldn’t have stopped if he was going to say something! Now I was curious!
Deirdre spoke next.
“Since you’ve said this much, you naturally have something thought out, right? That talk about being genuine nobles was done in order to break the deadlock, no?”
I raised my voice.
“You fools, listen closely! Even if what I say confuses you a bit, there’s no time to explain! So I’ll say this one thing, we’re breaking through the front, aiming after the principality’s leader!”
When the people around raised voices, asking if I was really being serious, Deirdre began to smile.
“Sounds good. You’re quite something! So──I wonder why none of the girls have raised their voices? If any of you attempt to cowardly escape now, I will not tolerate it!”
It seemed that the girls reluctantly resolved themselves as well in response to the words of their boss.
Deirdre looked at me.
“Now then, we know that we’re breaking through the front. What do you plan on doing? You’ve been boasting on, so you’ll have quite the active role, right?”
She was saying that she wouldn’t allow me to do nothing after having said such smug things.
I smiled.
“Of course. I’ll take the vanguard with an air bike.”
“An air bike? Are you planning to get yourself killed?”
The outside was crowded with flocks of monsters and airships from the principality. There would certainly be armor too.
If there was an idiot who wanted to charge through such a situation with an air bike, I would definitely laugh.
“I’ve got someone who can help. While I’m at it, I’ll snatch their important item and laugh at the principality’s fleet.”
“Is this about Anjelica? You’re not Anjelica’s follower, though.”
──It wasn’t like that.
“Every guy has at one point wanted to be a knight who would save a princess in trouble. Even if you people have abandoned Anjie, I won’t. She’s a good woman. You girls should follow her example for a bit.”
Deirdre bit her nail.
“That’s the first someone told me that some other woman was good.”
“Everyone, look after each other. Take note, you all should prepare as well. We have no time!”
The academy’s students showed determination. Enthusiasm circulated throughout the hall, and the students began to move in a frenzy. Meanwhile, I remembered that moment with Anjie.
When she made herself the only hostage, I should have said that I held the status of a baron. Then, she wouldn’t have been taken alone.
So she would be a hostage for the sake of everyone? She was still sixteen. I would regret it for my whole life if I abandoned Anjie, who displayed courage alone, and Anjie’s papa was scary as well. In this rotten world of an otome game Anjie and──err, Anjie was my hope.
Deirdre’s mouth warped into the shape of a crescent, like that of the moon, as she smiled.
What? Why wasn’t she going away? We didn’t have time.
“A dog without discipline. With such a brazen attitude──you’d make a good pet. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re Anjelica’s favorite, I would have you by my side.”
This girl was another bad person to be with. Not to the same magnitude as others, but she wasn’t someone I wanted to get acquainted with.
“I appreciate it.”
