“Y-You can’t talk to me like that. You’re nothing more than an instructor!”
“Where the hell did you pull that idea from? I can talk like this precisely because I am an instructor.”
“Argh!”
Wow, I’m learning a lot about what a dimwit this guy really is today.
All instructors at the academy held higher status than the students, regardless of their house or their family’s authority. Even this bear here was superior to Loks, the son of a marquess. This was supposed to be another part of our teaching before we became members of society or whatever. We were supposed to learn this from our parents, but I could imagine that went in one ear and out the other with this guy. Maybe that was because of his great-grandfather, the head of the noble faction?
Whatever it was, it looked like it was going to be giving me headaches.
Besides, if he was cowing after just a few lines from Bear, then I had my proof he was an idiot. If he was gonna take the classist discrimination route, he could at least stick to it until the end. What a dimwit he had to be if this was all it took for him to back down.
Without saying anything more, the dimwit brother ran off.
“At least close the door behind you. Was that boy raised in a barn?”
“Funny talk coming from a bear.”
“Quit calling me that!”
Ha ha ha, you and your jokes.
“And that’s more or less what happened.”
Later that day, I reported the prep room incident to Colny. It was after dinner, and I had invited her to my attic room, to which she gladly accepted when she noticed something was up. Once we were in the room and had the barriers set up, I told her what had happened.
“He barged into Chief Bear’s prep room? Without permission?”
“Yep.”
She furrowed her pretty brow. “Do they not teach even the most rudimentary manners at House Nogdeid?”
“Mmm, the younger brother, Zodian, was plenty courteous, so I don’t think that’s the issue.”
“So then perhaps it really is the influence of Marquess Bilbroza’s coddling?”
“That might be it.”
But was having a bigwig for a great-grandfather really enough to explain that much arrogance?
“I must say, Lera, first he accosts you in the cafeteria, then he follows you to the prep room. He’s certainly fixated on you.”
“Huuuh?”
Okay, the thought had crossed my mind. Even still, to me he looked to me like nothing more than some kid trying to make another kid his flunky. And his great-grandfather actually adored that immature dolt? Maybe he was the type to find stupidity endearing. Man, was this making me tired.
“This must be dreadful for you,” Colny said with concern. “Your half sister is harassing you, and now the oldest son of House Nogdeid won’t leave you alone.”
“I haven’t even done anything wrong...”
Why are they just coming at me like this?! Augh! Ribbons should just focus on chasing the third prince. Or the black knight? I don’t know anymore.
Speaking of Ribbons, she had been trying to kick down my door. By now, the trap had probably activated, giving her a very fitful stomach. I prayed she would learn her lesson and not come back to the attic room, but something told me I was asking for the impossible.
During my first year, a walking ball of chaos called Lineka Hogultar disappeared, and a source of commotion—one Miss Cucumis—was expelled, restoring a fair amount of peace to the academy. But what were they doing letting in so many problem children in the first place? Nobles are wild, aren’t they? Well, another problem child—that’d be Ribbons—was still at the academy.
It was only September. The semester was just getting started, yet she had already sprung the trap on my door. My head began to hurt just thinking about what other nonsense she might get up to. There was also that dimwit older brother.
That reminds me, I’ll be an adult next July, which will make me a noble proper. I mean, I’m technically already an earl’s daughter. I’ll make my debut into society the February after the next one.
“Lowell, electives are next. Are you sure you should be sitting around like that?”
“Oh, whoops. I’ve got mystic-jockeying, so I’ve gotta get outside. Thanks for the save, Lanmia.”
“You’re quite welcome.”
If I had stared off into space a moment longer, I wouldn’t have had enough time to get to class. Mystic-jockeying classes were held in an outdoor facility separated from the building I was currently in. However, with no mounts that I could ride, I spent all my time on the sidelines. I got by just by scoring well on the paper exams.
Or so I thought, but the instructor had some very good news for me.
“Your long wait is over, Duval. We finally got a mysticstock that even you can ride!”
“What? Really?!”
Hey, what do you mean “even you”?
This was all because the other mysticstock shrank or fled in fear when they saw me. It wasn’t that I lacked the necessary skills or anything. Actually, since I hadn’t yet ridden any mounts, it was still too early to tell if I had the skills or not.
That aside, the new mystic-jockeying instructor had a level of energy the previous one didn’t. Of course, the previous instructor got deep into gambling and ended up becoming an accomplice to a criminal organization.
As I wondered what they had gotten for me to ride, I was led to where it was being kept. And for my own personal use, they had obtained...a huge bear.
“Tell me, what do you think?”
“Instructor, is this...”
“A fellow like this won’t cower at the sight of you! What do you think?! That imposing frame! Those bold eyes! It’s like he has no intentions of doing anything you say!”
Wait, doesn’t that disqualify him from being a mount?
This wasn’t just any bear. It was a black greatbear, to be precise. Mysticstock were the product of wild animals mating with monsters chased out of the Mystic Forest. They were generally sturdy and harder to take down than your typical animal. The black greatbear was the result of ursine monsters mating with wild bears. There had also been attempts to make a stronger variety by breeding black greatbears with each other.
There was just one thing: These were violent creatures that ate people. What were they doing bringing something like this into the academy?!
“Instructor, was this brought here from Peylon?”
“No? I’m told it was born in one of the southern petty kingdoms. I asked for a mysticstock that wasn’t intimidated by greater things, and this is what I got.”
Who did this?! Which jerk called this monster a mysticstock and pawned it off on us?! And what does he mean “greater things”?! Is he saying I’m a giant monster?!
The black greatbear made a discontented gon gon sound like he was trying to intimidate me. There was a thick collar around his neck, and that was it. He wasn’t in a cage or anything of the sort.
“By the way,” I said, “how is he being kept from rampaging around?”
“He’s been drugged!”
Mystic-jockeying might actually be pretty dangerous.
If the bear had been drugged, then that meant we’d be screwed once the effects wore off. Though the instructor did have a point—unlike the other mysticstock, this one wasn’t afraid of me.
All right, I’ll follow the rules of the jungle and show him who’s the stronger one!
I spread my mana out in a thin layer, knowing that this would make me look like a looming presence in his eyes. It was a hunting technique for scaring off creatures that were too much trouble to kill.
Now, let’s see—ah. He stood up.
“GOOOAN.”
With his maw wide open and his front legs held up, he was ready to fight. The nearby students started to scream.
You’ve got a lot of guts if that didn’t keep you down, fuzzball. You’re nothing more than a captive greatbear. You’re no match for me!
Glancing to my side, I saw the instructor evacuating the other students. Good job, instructor!
“Binding barrier! And taste this! Hallucinatory strike!”
Since the academy had paid for this black greatbear, killing him was off the table. So I started by locking him down with barriers to keep him from going on a rampage, then I scared him with hallucinations.
Oh, it’s working, it’s working.
“Oho ho ho. Obey me and I’ll free you from your fears.”
Of course, I was the one creating said fears. Making gon gon sounds, the black greatbear cried and writhed.
I’d suggest you obey me!
“G-Gon. Gon...”
“You’ll be a good boy, won’t you?”
“Gon...”
“If you get violent or attack anyone, I’ll show you something much scarier than what you just saw. Understood?”
“Gon?! Gon gon!”
“That’s good to hear. If you do as I say, I’ll feed you delicious food. Give it your best.”
“Gon!”
What a good boy, and a smart one too. He could understand what I was saying, which was going to make him easy to handle. Since he kept making gon sounds, I thought about calling him Gonsuke.
Ah, but this is the academy’s bear, so I can’t just go and call him whatever. He’ll be Gonsuke in my heart.
My now tamed black greatbear, Gonsuke—at least to me—hung his head before me.
“Sooorry,” I called. “That went on longer than I, uh, huh?”
I didn’t get it. The instructor and the students were all looking at me in terror.
Gonsuke won’t do anything bad. Don’t worry.