Once my report was delivered, Bear let out a heavy sigh.
“What in the world is wrong with that numbskull?! Doesn’t he realize you can’t be taken down with violence?”
“Is that really your concern?”
Say you were worried or something. We’ve known each other a long time. Maybe it’s exactly because we went so far back that he knew there was no way I’d lose to that dimwit. But maybe that wasn’t great either.
“Point is, I’m leaving the rest in your hands. I’ll have to contact the Aspozat residence later.”
Grumbling, Bear grabbed a notepad and started writing something—probably a list of things he had to do.
“I’m guessing you used the hypnosis beam to knock them out?”
“Yeah. But I gave the dimwit brother an extra heavy blast, so I don’t think he’ll wake up for five days.”
“Hell you mean ‘extra heavy’? Still, that explains...”
Bear sank into a contemplative silence. He was also a researcher, so when this happened, it took a while before he returned to reality.
“Shall we head back to the dorm?”
“Hm? Is it okay to just leave the instructor?”
“It’s fine. He’ll be like that for a while.”
Leaving Bear in the prep room, Luchirs and I returned to the dorm.
After that, there were no other direct attacks. Fortunately, they hadn’t tried taking another hostage, so I didn’t have to do anything more than keep an eye out. Since the first group hadn’t shown up to any of their classes, I could easily imagine they were too scared to strike again. If they did come at me again, I’d assume they were stupid or afraid of whomever was giving them their orders. Putting them all to sleep and reporting to Bear was no big deal, but it was a mood killer.
Meanwhile, a strange rumor began to circulate around the academy. “Don’t mess with the Duval girl,” it went. Was I some evil spirit? It’s not like I was attacking people without provocation.
Oh. That’s what the “don’t mess with” part was referring to. Still, I didn’t care for it.
After spending the morning practicing my part for the general performance, I was making my way to the cafeteria when someone called out to me.
“Miss Lowell, can I talk to you?”
It was the third prince.
What? I’m on my way to lunch.
“Don’t look so displeased. Do you know you’re the only person who makes that face when approached by a member of the royal family?”
I certainly wasn’t hiding my dissatisfaction. So other people were glad to see these guys?
“I want to talk about this recent rumor about you,” he whispered.
About how I’m being treated like an evil spirit? Fine, I’ll listen. It’ll delay my lunch, but I’ll live.
I was taken to a gazebo in the school’s garden. It was a very comfortable space surrounded by dazzling flowers. But nobody was here. Perhaps due to the time?
“This garden is open for third-years and above, but I rented it out for the day.”
Wow. Royals really live in a different world.
The gazebo had a table and two chairs, which wasn’t very many given the table’s size. Maybe there were more when the place wasn’t rented out? I sat down and began to look around when an aide brought a basket.
“They’re boxed lunches from the cafeteria.”
“They’ll do that? I didn’t know.”
The aide opened the basket, revealing a main dish in a porcelain container, alongside bread and salad. There was also soup in a porcelain pot, along with matching cups. It all looked wonderful, and very fitting for an academy tailored to the nobility. There was shrimp and onion marinade, white fish fritter, and steak cut into small cubes. The salad was rife with seasonal vegetables, plenty of which were also in the soup. I was sure it was going to be delicious.
“There’s something I’d like to tell you. Feel free to eat while I talk.”
“As you wish.”
“I hear you hit an older student from the noble faction.”
“What?”
I didn’t hit him, I put him to sleep.
“I heard my mother and Leor discussing it while I was at the royal palace...”
You were eavesdropping, weren’t you, Your Highness? Your attendant’s making a funny face. I couldn’t just say that out loud, so I kept it to myself.
“They shouldn’t have done that,” he insisted. Perhaps he could tell what I was thinking. “They attacked you on Lord Bilbroza’s orders, didn’t they?”
Sir, that’s not a name you should’ve said out loud. You even startled the aides.
“Don’t worry,” he said, unperturbed. “We’ve cleared the area of people. Nobody can hear us.”
Having my doubts, I checked for any nearby presences. I found some people, but judging by their equipment they were probably guarding the prince. They didn’t seem intent on hurting him or committing any other misdeeds, so I didn’t worry.
“It’s true that some older students told me to come to them, and I put them to sleep. I haven’t concerned myself with whatever happened after that.”
“You haven’t?”
I wanted to ask why he was so surprised, but I resisted the urge. I slapped on a superficial grin and replied, “I believe adult matters are best left to adults.”
Because it’s nothing but headaches there.
Yet the third prince didn’t seem satisfied by that answer. “Hm, but with your skills, couldn’t you feasibly strike back against Lord Bilbroza? If you chose to do so, I could lend you my support.”
Again, that’s not something you should just say.
I glanced at the aides and saw them clutching their heads. Really, if they served him, then they should have been stopping him. Or were they just aide candidates? Either way, they should have done something, yet they didn’t. Real job shirkers, I guess.
The third prince was looking at me with shining eyes, not paying any attention to the delicious lunch before him. He must have really wanted to see an adult get knocked down a peg by a child. Personally, I thought he was better off getting that joy from fiction.
“A mere student like myself doesn’t have the power to grapple with an adult,” I told him. I wasn’t lying. I was only fourteen, so I was going to act like it, even if my mind was past thirty.