Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy

When I opened my eyes in the training ground, I didn’t have any particular thoughts. After all, this is the place where I swing weapons to the point of death every night.

The training ground is a nice place because I don’t have to worry about the fatigue from reality.

Today, I’m going to test what I learned at the castle on Grandpa!

Today, I’ll give him a taste of defeat!

And then, I’ll laugh at him! I’ll tell him, “You’ve become a relic, Grandpa!”

I’m going to change the outcome where he always falls in the end!

Feeling excited, I raised my shield and mace, striding forward with confidence, only to find a man sitting next to Grandpa, looking grumpy...

A man? Is he really a man?

His body is clearly that of a man, but there’s something oddly pretty about him.

The white hair makes him look older, but everything else about him only makes him seem like he’s in his forties at most.

What should I say... He looks like someone who would be called “Mother” in a mafia movie.

Hmm. The more I look at him, the more I feel like I’ve seen him before.

Could I know him? If he were a character from the Soul Academy, I wouldn’t have forgotten him.

Ugh, I don’t know. Who is this person who has entered my mental world?

I glanced at Grandpa, hoping for an answer, but he was watching me and Grandma alternately with an expectant look, saying nothing.

Ah, so he just wants to see me flustered? What a troublemaking old man.

“You drag me here and then get flustered like this?”

...Wait, he wasn’t a woman!? I thought it was going to be a big woman like Rasha, but it’s just a pretty man!?

Wow! If he looks like this now, how handsome was he when he was younger!

As I shuddered with envy, I suddenly realized the source of my déjà vu.

There’s only one man Grandpa is friendly with like this.

“Nice to meet you, little one. I’m Garad, the knight who fought alongside this fool.”

“Someone like you, an old gangster, is called a hero? How surprising. You look like someone who would stick to the strong and act all sweet in a skirt.”

The words “Hello, Garad” twisted beyond recognition, bursting out of my mouth, causing Garad to blink in confusion and turn his head, as if confirming he hadn’t misheard.

“Hahaha! Not just an old woman, but an old gangster woman!”

As Grandpa laughed cheerfully, trying to hold back his amusement at the perplexed look on Garad’s face, Garad grabbed him by the collar, his face turning red.

“Did you tell her to say that!?”

“Of course not! That kid wouldn’t listen to anything I say! Right, Lucy?”

“Everything the old man does is outdated, so I wouldn’t even try. I wouldn’t want to catch the smell of an old man from him.”

As if the previous laughter was a lie, Grandpa stiffened, and this time Garad burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Ah, I see! A rude little brat, huh! That’s fine!”

“You perverted old man! Is it that fun to hear insults from a girl?”

“I’m human too! I don’t enjoy hearing insults.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m just used to it. In the age I lived, being a female knight without a bad temper wasn’t even possible.”

“...That’s true. To stay among idiots who think being stupid is something to be proud of, one had to be strong.”

Now that I think about it, Grandpa once said that the reason chivalry was created was to reform knights who thought being foolish was something to brag about.

Though chivalry is widespread now, the knights of that time must have been close to barbarians, considering the need to make rules like that.

And among the knights who survived, a female knight would surely be someone with a spirit so strong that it would be exhausting. Like Rasha.

“And you know, I was worried that this brat would start talking about nobility or nobleness, but I’m glad to see she’s honest. It would be really annoying if there were two stiff people like this.”

“That’s in the past. I’m not like that anymore.”

“Yeah, in the past, I would have sat you down and nagged you all day.”

“Wah! Grandpa, were you really such a foul-mouthed old man?”

“That was in the past! In the past!”

Seeing Grandpa’s disgust, Garad laughed and then turned to look at me, lowering his head.

“Thank you.”

“Did you really enjoy being insulted? Are you asking me to step on you now, as you bow your head? Ew, disgusting.”

“...It’s hard to explain what I’m thanking for, but, well, to sum it up, I’m grateful that you’re here.”

“Now, you’re even flirting? The old gangster pervert with a hobby for crossdressing and an obsession with young girls, huh? The truth is so cruel.”

“That’s not it! You damn brat!”

“Are you angry because you got rejected? I’m so disgusted that I can’t even laugh. Pfft. You poor thing.”

Garad’s pale skin turned bright red, and as he tried to stand up, his attempt was crushed by Grandpa’s grip.

“Calm down. That curse is something that child possesses. Even the great god won’t make a child who doesn’t know respect an apostle.”

“...That’s true.”

With a sigh, Garad sat back down, ruffling his white hair before looking at me again.

“Sorry. I should have realized sooner. I was being clueless.”

It was refreshing to see someone else apologize to me. I was always the one who made the first mistake.

And this time, Garad was right to be angry.

Yet, without hesitation, he lowered his head.

“Ruell, you also have a fault. You should’ve told me beforehand.”

“I’m sorry. I meant to tell you, but I missed the opportunity.”

Even Grandpa, without any difference, removed his previous smile and sincerely apologized.

“The first thing I want you to know is that there’s no falsehood in my thanks. To you, who willingly carried the burden we left behind due to our incompetence. To you, who tried to embrace even the regrets I left behind. I offer my thanks and respect to this small hero.”

Standing in front of such heartfelt gratitude, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was really okay for someone like me to be thanked by such an adult.

“Then, ask me for anything. I’ll help with whatever I can.”

I wanted to return the respect shown by the hero, but I knew that as soon as I spoke, things would turn awkward, so I bit my lip.

“I heard from Ruell that you gained the blessing to sense weaknesses.”

“Ugh. You snooped around behind my back...”

“Just listen and don’t speak. Anyway, let me tell you how to use it. Exploiting an enemy’s weakness and crushing them is my specialty.”

Arthur had entered the Fairy Forest with the other knights, but none of the fairies had chosen him.

He had heard many words of thanks, but when he spoke about making a contract, they would run away with words like, “That’s a bit much,” “Sorry,” or “Uh, sorry!”

If the fairies hated him, he would have been at peace. He could have just moved on, thinking it was inevitable like everyone else!

What was wrong with him? What about him made them not want to be around him, even when they had good intentions?

Recalling the incident, Arthur ruffled his hair in self-loathing, letting out a deep sigh as he slouched forward.

The only comfort was the fact that very few were actually chosen by the fairies.

It was probably because very few met the conditions Lucy had mentioned.

In fact, the ones chosen by the fairies were not really someone one could easily understand.

Above all, the apostle of the Arts Sect being chosen by the fairies was something he couldn’t grasp. How could someone so opposite to purity receive the favor of the fairies?