"What- what misunderstanding could there be? Me harboring malice toward 'Young Master Karvaldr' and trying to humiliate him through a sparring match? That's absurd."
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the Martial Arts Professor hurriedly interrupted, cutting off the conversation between Reisir and me.
It would be great if he could just brush it off as a misunderstanding. If not, it was obvious he was trying to narrow the target of his malice from 'the sons of high noble families' to 'Karvaldr as an individual.'
Unfortunately, that effort couldn't make up for his lack of eloquence.
"I also think that's absurd. After all, you and I have absolutely no connection, directly or indirectly. So what possible reason could you have for harboring personal malice toward me?"
I spoke politely, but with my chin slightly raised in an arrogant manner.
Emphasizing this body's name was a good attempt. But because he was too busy rushing to prove his innocence, he had missed his final chance to narrow the target of his malice down to an 'individual.'
"Th-that's... righ-right."
The Martial Arts Professor agreed with me, though his face looked anxious.
It was a perfectly natural reaction.
There was no way he could openly say he had tried to hate and persecute someone he had no connection with for absolutely no reason.
"I was only worried because behind Young Master Karvaldr stands a lofty ducal family. I was concerned whether the students would truly be able to spar properly with the young master. As the young master said earlier, I needed to confirm whether you were someone capable of treating a sparring match ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ as merely a sparring match. Because I am a professor, it is my duty to help students grow and protect them."
As if he thought he had spoken quite eloquently, unconcealable pride spread across the professor's face.
By my standards, it was a statement riddled with holes that I could easily refute.
Still, instead of cornering him further, I decided to take a step back.
"It would be nice if that were true..."
"It is undoubtedly true."
I trailed off with a suspicious look, and the professor hurriedly answered, trying to cement his excuse as fact.
Although his behavior displeased me, I'll let it slide for now.
'If a professor gets fired during the first week of the semester, wouldn't the lecture itself get canceled?'
Since I might end up facing real combat as soon as this semester ended, I had to prevent that at all costs.
So I decided to let it pass for now, like a fallen leaf carried away by a light breeze.
In the future, the moment the Martial Arts Professor shows even the slightest suspicious behavior, the seeds of doubt I planted today will sprout and ensnare him.
If that professor gets fired after more than a month, the Academy would probably bring in a temporary instructor to continue the class.
It's not entirely impossible for the Martial Arts Professor to avoid dismissal if he remains extremely careful.
But that would only be possible if he devoted himself to becoming a diligent and exemplary teacher, so that outcome wouldn't be bad for me either.
"I'm glad to hear that. But from now on, please refrain from actions that could cause misunderstandings. For your own sake, Professor. Wouldn't it become quite troublesome if people suspected you of harboring ill will toward the high nobility?"
Although I phrased it that way, I had no intention whatsoever of offering sincere advice out of concern for the Martial Arts Professor's future.
It was a warning that if he tried anything funny with me again, I wouldn't let it slide.
"Yes... the young master is right."
The professor's face flushed bright red as he answered.
It seemed his pride had been wounded by my tone, which sounded as though I were lecturing him.
Even so, he couldn't get angry and ask how I dared lecture an adult. His meekness must have come from the gap in our social standing.
While I was relieved by that fact, I couldn't help feeling bitter about it.
"But didn't you say you couldn't give me special treatment just because I'm the son of a ducal family? Then why are you calling me 'young master' instead of 'student,' and speaking to me honorifically?"
"Th-that's... Because Young Master Karvaldr... no, because I didn't think the student would actually take my class, that's why."
"Ah, was that the reason?"
"That was the reason. As I said before, I am a great professor who genuinely cares for students... I would never discriminate by giving you special treatment."
He calls himself great with his own mouth?
Not only is he shameless, he has no conscience either.
To think that an extra whose presence was so faint that even I, despite having read the original, didn't know Reisir took martial arts during his second semester, would have such a distinct personality.
"I see. I was wondering what it could possibly be, if not special treatment, for you to call me 'young master' and use honorific speech with me. Then I thought perhaps you were trying to intimidate the students by making it clear that even the son of a ducal family would suffer unfair treatment if he got on your bad side."
"I-I would never do such a thing!"
"If not that, then perhaps you enjoy placing someone from a more prestigious family in a difficult position and making a spectacle of them because it makes you feel superior?"
"H-ha-ha... What an absurd misunderstanding..."
I was merely guessing what a third-rate villain might think, but judging by the professor's reaction, it seemed both guesses were correct.
This isn't even some device prepared to provide a small sense of satisfaction at the beginning of a novel, so why is he so obvious?
He has a distinct personality, yet no distinguishing traits.
Well, I suppose that's why he's an extra.
"I'm glad it was all a misunderstanding. In any case, please refrain from actions that could lead to misunderstandings. It keeps making me question whether you're truly qualified to be an educator."
"......"
It seemed I could have forced an apology out of him if I pressed further, but since I didn't particularly want one, I decided to stop there.
Even if he apologized, it wouldn't be for making us spar, and it certainly wouldn't be sincere.
He would just apologize while secretly harboring resentment.
"Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, I would like to attend your lecture."
"Th-then both of you, return to your seats. Quickly."
Perhaps realizing that continuing the conversation would only place him in a more difficult position, the Martial Arts Professor hurriedly sent Reisir and me back to our seats.
I had somehow resolved this problem as well.
Thinking that, I returned to my original spot, and only then did I clearly notice the students' expressions.
Unless I was mistaken, they seemed to be looking at me with a strange sense of awe.
"L-Lord Karvaldr. Y-you were really c-cool. So amazing... I-I thought, 'So this is what a noble is like'..."
Ríolíkin stuck close to me and whispered flattery into my ear.
He was a noble himself, so I had no idea why he was saying something like that.
Was there really nothing else he could praise?
And why was he praising me at this exact moment?
Questions came to mind, but I decided not to ask. It might look like I was fishing for more compliments.
At that moment, the Martial Arts Professor finally began the actual lecture.
"Since there is a student taking this lecture for the first time, and since I must check whether the rest of you have forgotten everything you learned last semester during vacation, today I will be examining your basic stances. So stop huddling together and spread out."
Once the students had put enough distance between themselves, the Martial Arts Professor demonstrated the stance first.
Then he walked among the students, carefully correcting each person's posture.
'His personality may be terrible, but is he actually serious about teaching?'
That thought crossed my mind briefly, but it seemed I had been mistaken.
The students looked unfamiliar with the professor's kind attitude, since he apparently hadn't acted this way last semester.
He must be worried the students gathered here would spread rumors about today's incident, so he was trying to win them over in advance.
"Since student Karvaldr is learning martial arts for the first time, I will personally teach you carefully. This is not special treatment. It's merely to help you keep up with the pace of the lecture, so please don't misunderstand."
The Martial Arts Professor truly did his best to teach me, to the point that I almost suspected it really was special treatment.
In any case, it benefited me.
So I decided to gladly accept the professor's special guidance, despite his insistence that it wasn't special treatment.
"Let's talk for a moment."
After the martial arts lecture ended, I was about to return to my room to wash up before lunch when a voice stopped me.
"Is there something we need to discuss?"
"Don't act so prickly."
Reisir's brows furrowed slightly as he commented on my tone.
But I didn't sense any hostility in his expression.
It felt more like he was thinking, 'There he goes again,' without taking it seriously.
Don't tell me he still hasn't given up on that reading-friend plan.
The thought made me slightly uneasy, but since I also had something I wanted to say to him, I agreed to the conversation.
"Ríolíkin, this conversation may take a while, so don't wait for me. Go to the cafeteria and eat with Tryggdrik first."
"Ah, understood."
After sending Ríolíkin away, Reisir and I moved elsewhere.
Behind the classroom building.
It was a place people rarely visited, and at this hour everyone seemed to have gone to the cafeteria, leaving the area deserted.
"What did you want to talk about?"
As you can probably tell from the tone, that wasn't my line.
It was what Reisir said to me.
"Weren't you the one who asked to speak first? Why are you asking me that?"
"Before I could even bring up my business, you decided the conversation would be long, told Ríolíkin to eat first, and brought us to this secluded place. So I assumed you also had something you wanted to say to me. Was I wrong?"
Correct.
As I mentioned earlier, I did have something I wanted to say to Reisir.
But I denied it anyway, because that would let me naturally steer the conversation where I wanted.
"It's not that I have something to say to you. I just needed an excuse to get rid of those two, Tryggdrik and Ríolíkin."
"Why?"
"Because I want to keep my distance from them."
"Why? Aren't they your friends and subordinates?"
Every time I said a few words, Reisir responded with another question.
At the moment, that made him an excellent conversation partner.
"Not at all. They only attached themselves to me to take advantage of my status and prestige. So instead of letting myself be used one-sidedly, I thought I should use them as well, and I did... but now that I think about it, I'm not even sure whether I was the one using them."
I answered normally at first, but from the second sentence onward, I deliberately lowered my voice little by little.
And by the time I spoke the last sentence, I had slightly lowered both my head and my gaze, mumbling half under my breath as though speaking to myself.
The reason I'm acting this way?
If this were a novel, you could find the answer in the final chapter covering the semester entrance party.
Or you could simply continue into the next chapter.
Either way, web novels are usually free for the first twenty-five chapters.
