[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Side Story Chapter 16: Enrollment Ceremony (3)

I don't really remember how the rest of the enrollment ceremony went.

It was my first time standing in front of so many people.

I was so nervous that my mind went completely blank.

When I came to my senses, the ceremony was over, and I was sitting in the headmaster's office.

"You must be hungry. Have some."

The headmaster said, placing refreshments and tea in front of me.

I thanked him and took a bite of a pastry.

Oh? This is really delicious.

It's sweet but not overpowering.

A very refined taste.

As expected of the Empire's desserts.

The headmaster watched me eat with a pleased expression.

"I imagine you were quite surprised to be suddenly called up to the stage."

"To be honest, yes, I was."

I hadn't been told the ceremony would proceed like that.

"I hope you'll understand. With Damien Haksen's nephew enrolling, we couldn't just let it pass quietly. The Academy has its dignity to consider, you see."

I nodded my head.

My uncle isn't just some famous person. And I'm his nephew.

"Rumors of your enrollment were already spreading here and there anyway. It was better to make a public announcement like this. It would have been more bothersome otherwise."

Now that I heard it, it made sense.

Whenever I attended banquets hosted by other families, people would show an excessive amount of interest in me.

It would be one thing if they were just curious.

But the requests they made...

-My son has a talent for swordsmanship, so please recommend him as your uncle's disciple.

-I want to become your uncle's vassal, so please pull some strings for me.

-My family is in a dispute with another, so please resolve it for us.

And so on.

Sometimes, it feels like people see my uncle as some kind of all-purpose tool.

Of course, my family refused them all.

We couldn't possibly bother my already busy uncle, could we?

"I don't know if you heard from your uncle, but I received a great deal of help from Damien Haksen."

"Really?"

My eyes lit up as I looked at the headmaster.

Stories about my uncle were always fun to hear.

"It was when your uncle came to the Academy as an instructor. At the time, I didn't particularly like Damien Haksen. There had never been a knight from another country who became an instructor at the Academy."

The headmaster fiddled with his teacup.

His eyes gazed into the distance, as if reminiscing about the past.

"I didn't know it at the time, but your uncle had entered the Academy in pursuit of a fearsome dark mage named Sla. While I was hell-bent on kicking Damien Haksen out, your uncle was tracking down and eliminating Sla."

The headmaster let out a short sigh, as if he couldn't bear the shame of that time.

"If it weren't for Damien Haksen, we would have lost many students. It's dizzying to even think about it again."

The headmaster took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"I intended to step down from my position as headmaster because of that incident. But I am still holding this position thanks to His Majesty's persuasion."

"As expected, my uncle is so cool."

"He is cool. Incredibly so. I have never met anyone as magnificent as your uncle."

At the headmaster's praise, my shoulders squared up on their own.

My uncle is the best.

"However, his one flaw was that he beat the students a little. No, he beat them quite a lot... yes, he beat them a lot... a whole lot..."

Suddenly, the light vanished from the headmaster's eyes.

He spoke to me with heartfelt sincerity.

"Please, I hope you won't do the same."

"..."

I intentionally didn't answer.

Because I made a promise with my uncle, you see.

Besides, I already have things I need to stomp on.

Three of them, no less!

"The crowd should have dispersed by now."

The headmaster said, looking out the window.

Ah, so the reason he brought me to his office right after the ceremony must have been to prevent people from flocking to me.

"There will be someone waiting outside to help you."

"I heard from my uncle. He said His Majesty sent them personally?"

"You already knew. Then, head back safely."

The headmaster added with a smile.

"Theodore Haksen, I hope you gain much from your time at the Academy."

* * *

I left the headmaster's office and arrived on the first floor.

I stepped out of the building and was looking around for the person who was supposed to help me.

"Hey!"

Someone called out to me loudly.

When I turned my head, I saw the three nobles who had ignored me at the entrance ceremony earlier.

I didn't know two of their names, but the other one... his name was Geisel, right? The one from the Ducal house?

Surely these three couldn't be the helpers His Majesty sent, right?

The three of them strode toward me. Geisel then spoke to me.

"Theodore Haksen! I'd like a moment of your time!"

"Oh, you're not calling me a country bumpkin this time. No, wait, was he the one who called me a country bumpkin?"

At my remark, Geisel's face turned beet red. The other two turned pale.

"...My apologies for my rudeness earlier."

"It didn't seem like just rudeness."

"More importantly, I want to ask you properly. Are you, are you really... truly... Lord Damien's nephew?"

"Uh, yeah. My name is Theodore Haksen."

I stated my name.

They were guys I was going to stomp on soon, but I could at least exchange names, right?

Geisel looked me up and down.

Soon, an expression of disbelief crossed his face.

"How can Damien Haksen's nephew... look so unimpressive?"

He's saying this even after finding out I'm Damien Haksen's nephew?

At this point, even I had to be impressed.

I could now see why my uncle detested the Empire's nobles so much.

"But a renowned mage like the headmaster would not lie. Alright, I've decided."

Geisel spoke to himself and came to his own conclusion.

"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Geisel Huko. I am a direct descendant of the honorable Huko Ducal House."

Geisel's voice overflowed with confidence.

Well, for a direct descendant of a ducal house, that's to be expected.

"The Huko Ducal House has long supported the Empire as a family of knights. The honorable blood of the Huko family flows through my veins."

Geez, he talks a lot.

"Our Huko family does not form connections carelessly. We do not even exchange words with those who are not worthy."

"So?"

"Theodore Haksen, you may rejoice. I shall grant you the opportunity to build a friendship with me."

I was dumbfounded.

Who does he think he is, 'granting' me an 'opportunity' to build a friendship?

What made me even more flabbergasted was the reaction of the other two.

"Kuh, to receive such a glorious opportunity! I'm so envious of you, Theodore Haksen!"

"What are you doing, Theodore Haksen? Aren't you going to thank Lord Geisel!"

All three of them were ridiculous.

"I have a lot to ask you. About how... how Lord Damien usually spends his time."

"I-I want to know Lord Damien Haksen's preferences!"

"I... I like anything. As long as it's a story about Lord Damien Haksen, I love it all!"

The three of them asked me with shining eyes.

As expected, their target was my uncle, not me.

I had already made up my mind, but this made it even clearer.

How I should deal with these guys.

I repeated the words I had learned from my uncle.

"Get lost, you unlucky bastards."

The expressions on the three of them shattered completely.

That was quite a sight to see.

"W-What did you say?"

"Are your ears clogged? Want me to unclog them for you?"

When I spoke threateningly, Geisel looked at me with an expression of sheer disbelief.

"T-Theodore Haksen... H-How can you be so rude..."

"You're the rude ones. You idiots talk like the idiots you are."

"I-Idiot...!"

All three of them were rendered speechless, just trembling.

It must have been a huge shock.

"Someone like you can't possibly be Lord Damien's nephew! You don't have the right to be Lord Damien's nephew!"

"What right do you need to be family? Are you really that stupid?"

"Y-You!"

Geisel's face flushed crimson.

My uncle taught me.

When an opponent reacts like that, they could lunge at any moment, so be prepared.

I subtly glanced over the three of them and made my calculations.

Trip the first one who rushes in, then a left-right combo to the jaw of the second one.

For the last one, a knee to the abdomen followed by an elbow to the back should do it.

That way, I should be able to subdue all three of them cleanly.

After all, these were techniques taught by none other than my uncle, so it's a sure thing...

"Kyaaaaaah!"

"Woooooow!"

Just then, cheers erupted from a distance.

The sound startled both me and the three boys, causing us to lose our focus.

I tried to focus on the three again.

"S-She looked at me! She looked at me!"

"Sister! Take me! I'm right here!"

But the crowd's reaction was so unusual that my curiosity got the better of me.

I looked past the three boys' backs.

They had also turned to look by now.

The source of the sound was surprisingly close.

A woman was walking over from a short distance away.

Even from afar, she was very tall.

Not just tall, but her back was straight, and her walking posture was very stable.

With every step, her golden hair swayed.

It was a particularly deep shade of gold among blondes.

I found my gaze stolen without realizing it. She was really pretty.

So pretty that she was as beautiful as my aunts.

"I-Isn't that Her Highness, the Princess?"

"I-I've never seen her before."

"I saw her once at a banquet..."

"R-Really? As expected of Lord Geisel."

Thanks to their conversation, I was able to figure out the identity of that pretty person.

-The Emperor has a youngest daughter. I heard she's also attending the Academy, so you might get to meet her if you're lucky.

Suddenly, my uncle's words came to mind.

He had said it while I was learning various things in preparation for enrolling in the Academy.

"Huh? I think she's coming this way?"

"M-Maybe she has business in the headmaster's office?"

The three of them whispered while looking at the princess.

But contrary to their expectations, the princess stopped right in front of us.

"You're Geisel of the Huko Ducal House, right?"

The Princess said with a smile as soon as she saw Geisel.

At her words, Geisel's mouth stretched into a goofy grin.

"I-I never knew you would know my name, Your Highness!"

"I saw you at the last imperial banquet."

"I-I never thought you would remember me."

Geisel looked like he was about to cry. Is being called by name that great?

"P-Perhaps you came here to meet me..."

"Ah, that's not it."

The Princess cut him off flatly and looked at me.

Thinking there might be something behind me, I stepped to the side.

But the Princess's gaze followed me.

"Theodore Haksen?"

For a moment, something flashed through my mind.

Huh, did she come to meet me too? Well, I am Damien Haksen's nephew, after all.

"I heard a lot about you from my father. He told me to take good care of you."

Could the helper the Emperor sent be...?

The Princess patted my head and spoke.

"My name is Dorothea Adelard. Feel free to call me Dora-noona."

The Princess said with a smile.

Her smiling face is really pretty, too.

But I had no time to admire her smile.

"T-To be allowed a nickname by Her Highness the Princess...!"

Geisel was seething with rage beside me.

"Theodore Haksen! As I thought, I cannot acknowledge you!"

So what if you can't acknowledge me?

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]