[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
Side Story Chapter 16: Enrollnt Ceremony (3)
I don't really rember how the rest of the enrollnt ceremony went.
It was my first ti standing in front of so many people.
I was so nervous that my mind went completely blank.
When I ca to my senses, the ceremony was over, and I was sitting in the headmaster's office.
"You must be hungry. Have so."
The headmaster said, placing refreshnts and tea in front of .
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 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 so famous person. And I'm his nephew.
"Rumors of your enrollnt were already spreading here and there anyway. It was better to make a public announcent like this. It would have been more botherso 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 .
It would be one thing if they were just curious.
But the requests they made...
-My son has a talent for swordsmanship, so please recomnd him as your uncle's disciple.
-I want to beco your uncle's vassal, so please pull so strings for .
-My family is in a dispute with another, so please resolve it for us.
And so on.
Sotis, it feels like people see my uncle as so 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 ca to the Academy as an instructor. At the ti, I didn't particularly like Damien Haksen. There had never been a knight from another country who beca 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 ti, but your uncle had entered the Academy in pursuit of a fearso dark mage nad 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 sha of that ti.
"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 t 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 with heartfelt sincerity.
"Please, I hope you won't do the sa."
"..."
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 to his office right after the ceremony must have been to prevent people from flocking to .
"There will be soone 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 ti 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 .
"Hey!"
Soone called out to loudly.
When I turned my head, I saw the three nobles who had ignored at the entrance ceremony earlier.
I didn't know two of their nas, but the other one... his na 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 . Geisel then spoke to .
"Theodore Haksen! I'd like a mont of your ti!"
"Oh, you're not calling a country bumpkin this ti. No, wait, was he the one who called 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 na is Theodore Haksen."
I stated my na.
They were guys I was going to stomp on soon, but I could at least exchange nas, right?
Geisel looked 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 ca to his own conclusion.
"Let introduce myself again. My na 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 ."
I was dumbfounded.
Who does he think he is, 'granting' an 'opportunity' to build a friendship?
What made 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 ti."
"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 with shining eyes.
As expected, their target was my uncle, not .
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 to unclog them for you?"
When I spoke threateningly, Geisel looked at 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.
"Soone 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 .
When an opponent reacts like that, they could lunge at any mont, 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 abdon 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 and the three boys, causing us to lose our focus.
I tried to focus on the three again.
"S-She looked at ! She looked at !"
"Sister! Take ! I'm right here!"
But the crowd's reaction was so unusual that my curiosity got the better of .
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 et her if you're lucky.
Suddenly, my uncle's words ca 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 na, Your Highness!"
"I saw you at the last imperial banquet."
"I-I never thought you would rember ."
Geisel looked like he was about to cry. Is being called by na that great?
"P-Perhaps you ca here to et ..."
"Ah, that's not it."
The Princess cut him off flatly and looked at .
Thinking there might be sothing behind , I stepped to the side.
But the Princess's gaze followed .
"Theodore Haksen?"
For a mont, sothing flashed through my mind.
Huh, did she co to et too? Well, I am Damien Haksen's nephew, after all.
"I heard a lot about you from my father. He told to take good care of you."
Could the helper the Emperor sent be...?
The Princess patted my head and spoke.
"My na is Dorothea Adelard. Feel free to call Dora-noona."
The Princess said with a smile.
Her smiling face is really pretty, too.
But I had no ti to admire her smile.
"T-To be allowed a nickna by Her Highness the Princess...!"
Geisel was seething with rage beside .
"Theodore Haksen! As I thought, I cannot acknowledge you!"
So what if you can't acknowledge ?
[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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