The commoner dormitory of the academy was not much different from what I remembered.
Compared to the dormitory for nobles, it was shabby, but most commoners considered even this a luxury.
As I looked around, memories of my school days and training camps came flooding back.
When I stood in front of the dormitory, the nearby students hurriedly lowered their heads.
“Hello! Lady Alrn!” “Hello!”
They tried to remain calm, but their voices, tinged more with confusion than fear, betrayed their perplexity.
They didn’t know the past Lucy.
It was true that Lucy Alrn, the girl from the past, had wreaked havoc and gained infamy at the Academy.
The name Lucy Alrn had spread far and wide, to the point that even commoners had heard of it.
So, normally, it would make sense for them to be cautious of me, fearing my past misdeeds.
“Did Lucy’s actions go so far as to diminish her credibility?”
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The problem was that Lucy’s deeds had far exceeded common sense.
She had insulted the king, calling him livestock.
She had said it was unpleasant to deal with the first prince.
She had rampaged, breaking the church's statues.
And this was just the tip of the iceberg; Lucy's mischief seemed endless.
It was an astonishing fact that one person could commit so many insane acts.
The nobles who had suffered from Lucy Alrn in the social circles would brush it off, thinking, “Well, if it’s her, it makes sense,” but for the commoners who had only heard of her through stories, their perspectives were different.
Some believed the tales without question, while others were skeptical. After all, was it really possible for one person to do all that?
Those who harbored doubts interpreted the stories this way:
They believed she was a creation meant to attach anonymity to the various incidents in high society.
Or they thought she was weak enough to not be able to stop such absurd rumors from spreading, meaning she was someone bullied in high society.
The first-year students, who had seen my antics firsthand, understood to some degree that the rumors were based in fact, but the upperclassmen were different.
They had barely crossed paths with me during the first semester and had only heard my stories in passing, leading them to think, “She must be someone exceptional to be hated for her talents at such a young age.”
The reason second-year students sent first-years to mess with me stemmed from this thinking.
They considered themselves knowledgeable, or rather...
No, that’s too mild of a description. That word is insufficient to describe those idiots.
More accurately, some of those second-year students, who were heavily afflicted by “middle school syndrome,” had decided I was a loner being bullied by the nobles.
So they thought I wouldn’t raise my voice if something happened and proceeded to act.
When I first heard this story, I thought it was absurd and wondered what nonsense they were spouting.
“Isn’t that a good thing? There are those saying your actions are mere rumors. If their voices get louder, your reputation might rise as well.”
“Are you serious?”
“Ha. Of course not.”
...This guy really.
“Is it that fun to tease a girl like a great-granddaughter?”
“It is. It's always new. I hope I can keep doing it in the future.”
So this is how it is, huh?
There’s nothing I can do about it.
The only option left is to tell them about the concept of mutually assured destruction.
With the plan of deliberately leaving sweat on the doorknob to make the foolish fox lick it, I stepped into the commoner dormitory.
“Lady?! This is only for commoners…”
At that moment, the dormitory supervisor, who was near the entrance, rushed over in a panic, but there was no way he could stop me.
As he reached out to stop me, contempt filled my gaze.
“Isn’t this a bit bold?♡ To be committing sexual harassment in front of everyone♡”
“...No! It’s not like that at all!”
“Shall I scream?♡ ‘A bald pervert is trying to pounce on me!♡’ Huh?♡”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t know my place!”
As the supervisor stepped back in fright, a path into the dormitory opened up.
Perhaps it was due to the supervisor's loud shout just now. The commoners inside the building turned their gazes toward me.
Confusion. Fear. Despair. Questions. Curiosity. Horror.
As I observed those many emotions, I spotted someone gripping the doorknob of the conference room on the second floor.
Mane. The current leader of the commoner group.
He was neither a saint nor a villain.
Mane was a merchant. A person who sought his own profit without caring for good or evil.
I couldn’t tell if he was involved in this incident or not, but one thing was certain: he was someone with whom I could communicate.
Even if there were some variables, his business sense wouldn’t disappear.
As soon as he saw my face, Mane desperately tried to turn and leave, but I didn’t allow that.
I jumped from the first floor and landed easily on the second-floor railing, blocking Mane's path.
“Where are you going?”
“Where do you think you’re going? Are you scared of this little girl? Wow, what a coward. Did you wet the bed still?”
“...I would never be afraid of you, my lady. It’s just that my eyesight isn’t good, so I couldn't capture your noble figure in my eyes. I’m truly sorry.”
The words of the previous sage, “What a load of crap,” naturally popped into my mind, but I didn’t press Mane any further.
I had to have a pleasant time in the conference room from now on, and there was no need to start off on a rough note.
When I smiled without saying anything, Mane knelt down. He slammed his forehead onto the floor with enough force to draw blood.
“I’m really sorry! Even if I had ten mouths, I wouldn’t have enough to say!”
Hearing his lines flow naturally as if he had rehearsed them beforehand made my head spin.
The angle of his head. His earnest voice. The lines spilling forth naturally. None of it was ordinary.
How can both Luca and he be so good at this? Is there somewhere teaching this method?
“I’m truly sorry for wasting your time! However, I beg for mercy and ask for the time to explain my situation…”
Within the desperate words that Mane spat out were traces of resentment towards others.
Feeling the will to drag others down with him if he was to be ruined, I was certain of one thing: Mane had nothing to do with this incident.
Mane had followed in his parents’ footsteps and dabbled in various trades since he was young.
Through that, he had seen and learned many things. Although Mane's father led a massive trade organization and commanded many people, he didn’t always adopt a domineering attitude.
He was someone who could toss aside his pride like old rags.
When necessary, he would bow his head as much as he needed, and when facing high-ranking nobles, he would even hesitate to show contempt.
One day, when Mane had asked his father why he had to do so much, his father replied:
“No matter how much money you have, or how large your power is, if you don’t know your place, it can all vanish in an instant. Mane, remember this well. You must always know your place.”
After witnessing a trade organization flaunting its power and disappearing in an instant, Mane had always kept his father’s words in mind.
Even after entering the academy with excellent grades, it was the same.
In this place filled with numerous influential figures, he was certain that the moment he forgot his place, he would be buried.
However, there were those who did not know about the common sense he held.
They were arrogant.
They believed they had the kind of wealth that could make any noble bow to them.
They boasted that their father was a famous adventurer leading a large mercenary group.
They claimed to possess talents worthy of being sought after at the magic tower.
They said the second prince had promised to make them a knight.
These individuals, each with their reasons, had ruled over the commoners like kings, failing to abandon their habits.
Because they had received better treatment than anyone else where they had lived.
Because they had the pride of having passed into the Soul Academy, a place even nobles could not easily enter.
Because they had stood out to some extent while competing with the high-ups.
Because of those accomplishments, they could reign over the commoner dormitory.
They refused to remember their place.
Mane’s decision to become the leader of this group, which had only participated moderately among commoners, was also because of them.
When he saw them playing tricks on weaker nobles, laughing while saying that it was acceptable to act like this at the Soul Academy, he was sure that if he couldn’t get a leash on them, trouble would arise.
It wasn’t out of affection as dormitory friends. It was simply that when they caused an irreparable issue, the repercussions wouldn’t stop with them.
The reason commoners gained privileges at the Soul Academy was precisely because the high-ranking individuals showed them favor.
If the powerful figures of this place became angry and drew their swords, suppressing commoners would be a trivial matter.
If those guys messed up, I could die too. Mane, who had thought that, desperately tried to control them, but...
Unfortunately, those he tried to rein in were more foolish than he could have imagined.
“That’s all.”
Finishing his explanation based on the report he had just given, Mane tried to gauge the expression of the girl with her arms crossed.
At first, Mane was convinced he was doomed, but now he wasn’t.
Lucy Alrn was a much more rational person than what he had heard.
Her tone and attitude were rough? Isn’t it natural for a noble to be rough when dealing with commoners?
Look! Even though she could report to the academy and overturn this place, she didn’t hesitate to come to hear the story herself!
Even though there were many reasons to be angry, she was quietly waiting for the story to end!
Just this was enough to prove she was a person of character!
So it’s possible.
If things go well, I can prevent the entire commoner group, and I can avoid my downfall.
“So, you’re saying that those three trash bags, who are clearly useless from their appearance, are the ringleaders of this incident?”
“Of course, I can’t say that others are innocent…”
“Can you just answer what I asked? Do I look like I’m relaxed like you?”
“Lady, you are right. Those three are the ringleaders.”
As soon as I made that determination, Mane desperately turned his thoughts, deciding to cut out the idiots he had been internally calling the “foolish trio.”
While it was true that other fools had given their tacit approval, it was those three who had led this incident.
As Mane nodded, Lucy Alrn’s gaze turned toward the foolish trio.
Seeing their stiff faces, Mane prayed in his heart.
Hoping those trash bags would just shut up. Hoping they would realize the weight of the mistakes they had made and keep their mouths shut.
Despite praying more desperately than ever in my life, perhaps due to his lack of faith, what he wished did not come true.
“Fools. Do you have something to say?”
“I challenge you to a duel.”