Kays Translations

Chapter 45: Harvesting Celery

When the entrance exams concluded, it was already evening.

Having left the academy's premises, Rest walked through the streets of the capital on his way back home.

There was no one around. As the examinees dispersed in the order their interviews finished, Rest, with his exam number towards the end, found himself delayed.

(I'm sure Viola and Primula are worried. I'd like to go straight home without making any detours...)

"...Do you have business with me?"

"...So, you noticed, commoner."

Since leaving the academy, Rest had sensed a presence following him. Turning around, he spotted a boy emerging from the shadows of a building.

"You are...?"

Cedric... no, Celoric. The boy named Celoric glared at Rest with intense resentment in his eyes, as if he were targeting an enemy.

"You made me look like a fool back there! Don't think you can mock me, someone who carries the blood of the Brute Viscount's house, and get away with it for free!"

"I didn't mean to embarrass you. You just happened to score high, and I scored even higher."

"Still calling that an embarrassment! You're joking...!"

"...And?"

In a rather foolish manner, he had the appearance of someone who had time on his hands. If he had time for this, Rest felt like saying he should spend it on studying or working.

(He's like a downgraded Cedric... It's so absurd it's almost impressive...)

"Take this!"

“……….!”

Screaming, the Celoric boy throws something at him.

Rest braced himself for a moment, but... it looked like it was a glove.

"It's a duel! I'll kill you!"

"So hasty... calling a duel over something so trivial..."

First and foremost, dueling was a privilege of the nobility. Even if he belonged to a branch of the viscount's family, what was this mere commoner talking about?

"Shut up! When I say it's a duel, it's a duel! Die!"

Without Rest's consent, Celoric fired off a spell, aiming his palm towards him. Reacting instinctively, Rest activated a defensive spell.

"Thunder Cannon!"

"Earthen Wall!"

A wall of earth emerged from the ground, intercepting Celoric's lightning strike.

"That clump of dirt will be destroyed right away!"

While shouting, Celoric unleashed another lightning attack. The second magic attack shattered the earthen wall into pieces, but beyond it, Rest was nowhere to be seen.

"What!?"

"Your magic skills aren't bad... You're quite like my foolish brother in that regard."

"Gaah...!?"

While Celoric was distracted by the earthen wall, Rest quickly circled around behind him. Then, with a swift leg sweep, he grabbed Celoric's head and slammed it onto the ground.

"…...!"

"There you go, match over. Do you acknowledge my victory?"

"This... how could a person connected to the Brute Viscount lose to a commoner like you...!?"

"You're a commoner too. Ridiculous..."

Holding Celoric down on the ground, Rest sighed. Why were these pseudo-nobles so fixated on their status and lineage? Viola, Primula, and Yuri, genuine nobles, were kind and open-minded even towards commoners.

"...If you become my classmate, I'm starting to worry about our school life."

"Dammit...! Do you think you can get away with this...!?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm someone connected to the viscount's family... if I advise Viscount Brute, you'll soon face ruin...! You, your family, even your lover won't be safe... all of you will be thrown in jail for insulting the nobility...!"

"Ah, Rest. I didn't expect to find you here."

A voice from a third party cut through Celoric's cursed words. A carriage was parked nearby, and a girl appeared from it.

"Viola? Why are you here?"

It was a carriage adorned with the emblem of the Rosemary Viscount's house. Viola leaned out from the carriage window, smiling at Rest as she spoke.

"Today, we decided to have dinner at a restaurant in the city. Father and mother are with us. I thought I'd pick you up if I happened to find you on the way."

"Rest-sama, how was the exam?"

Primula also showed a worried expression over Viola's shoulder.

"Yeah, it went perfectly."

"That's a relief... I'm glad."

"My Rest wouldn't fail, of course... By the way, who is this young man?"

Viola turned her attention to the boy that Rest was holding down.

"Th-this is the Rosemary Viscount's emblem...!?"

Celoric, with a dismayed expression, chattered his teeth nervously.

He had boasted about being related to a viscount's family, but in the face of an even higher-ranking noble, he seemed flustered.

"A person I met during the exam. He challenged me to a duel, so I defeated him."

"Oh, a duel, not a calm encounter."

"Master."

The sisters stepped back, and in their place, Albert, the head of the Marquis family, appeared.

"You there. A duel means you're a noble, right? Identify yourself and state which household you belong to."

"Uh... um... well..."

"Hurry up! Don't waste our time!"

"Y-Yes! I'm from the Brute Viscount's family!"

Intimidated, Celoric hurriedly identified himself. When Rest released him, he quickly got up, bowed towards the carriage, and held his hands together.

"Hmm, the son of Brute Viscount, huh? I didn't think there was a boy your age in that house..."

"N-No... I mean, um, I'm not from the main family, but from a branch..."

"Oh, I see. Then, what's the title of your house?"

"... We don't have one."

"So, you're a commoner? Why would a commoner initiate a duel?"

By challenging someone to a duel, the person must also be a noble. While having a representative is allowed, refusing a duel is not.

“If a commoner who is not even a noble forced a member of our family to a duel, that means he is the perpetrator of an injury.”

"N-No, but... I have the bloodline of the viscount's family, and I'm allowed to use the name Brute..."

"Still, is there a difference from being a commoner? Am I wrong?"

"Agh..."

Celoric fell silent. Albert's words were entirely reasonable, leaving no room for a counterargument.

"..."

"Well, whatever. Let's formally protest to Viscount Brute’s family about this incident."

"I-Is that necessary?"

"We're going to have a family meal now. I don't want to be bothered with unnecessary matters anymore. Rest, get in the carriage quickly."

"Understood."

Rest glanced sympathetically at the disheartened Celoric, then promptly boarded the carriage.

In the carriage, the Rosemary couple sat side by side, with Viola and Primula sitting facing each other, both smiling. The two gestured to the empty seat between them, and without resistance, Rest took that seat.

"Now, let's go."

Albert gave instructions to the coachman, and the carriage started moving.

Left behind on the ground was Celoric, still prostrating. The carriage mercilessly moved on, indifferent to the incident that had just occurred.

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