Cricket was one of the noble's premium leisure sports, similar to baseball, and simultaneously a sport familiar to commoners as well.
Unlike polo—that is, sports like equestrian polo that require trained horses, practice grounds, and equipment—one could enjoy it with just a ball and a flat bat.
Thanks to this, cricket was a popular sport embraced by both nobles and commoners, and it was no exaggeration to say that everyone knew the basic rules.
Therefore.
"Is that seriously the best you can do!"
"Our grandma could swing a bat better than you!"
"Why, why can't you catch the ball!? It's dropping right in front of you...!"
...Well, it was something like this.
At the cricket match—no, the cricket examination ground—the players (cadets) were throwing balls with all their might, swinging bats, and becoming bloodthirsty to catch the ball.
The two teams currently taking the exam happened to have many children from noble families representing the south and east respectively.
And as if by fate, they were even divided into opposing teams.
Those whose hometowns were in the south and east unconsciously cheered according to their origins, and that cheering overheated to the point where it felt like a brawl could break out at any moment.
A territory war and wargame under the name of sports.
This was already no mere sports match or exam subject for cadets; it was a war where the pride of territory citizens was at stake.
Arnor, who happened to be taking the cricket exam, shook his head.
"...If we lose this match, it feels like an uprising would break out in the territory."
"Not 'feels like,' it actually will. There were senior academy students from territories with conflicts who had a cricket match, and the citizens of the defeated territory armed themselves with slings, surrounded the lord's son, and threw stones at him."
"Is, is that senior still alive?"
"He's still breathing. They just say he lives being treated as the worst traitor in the territory."
"......"
"So we must win no matter what. I don't want to be treated as a traitor. ...And I don't want to die from being stoned either."
"...Hmm."
In this way, the cricket match inadvertently flowed in an entertaining direction.
The exam was secondary; the atmosphere was one of fighting to the death to beat the opposing camp.
Including Arnor, the swordsmanship department members worried about when a fistfight might break out.
"Wow, does bench-clearing exist in this world too?"
Lee Han confirmed the situation unfolding and was simply dumbfounded.
He had come to watch since it was a match featuring the cadets he taught, but the situation flowed far more aggressively than expected.
He thought it would proceed elegantly since it was a noble's sport.
Isn't it more interesting than most baseball or soccer games?
Furthermore.
"Am I watching European soccer? Why are there so many hooligans?"
Even the spectators were nothing short of berserkers.
He thought if things went really wrong, there might be people carrying torches and burning noble carriages.
"It's chaos, absolute chaos."
Was it because entertainment was extremely scarce?
People were incredibly serious about sports.
He guessed this aspect emerged because cricket itself was a familiar sport.
"Should I try spreading soccer?"
There was something similar to soccer, but he was curious what repercussions would occur if he introduced it more seriously.
Is this what they call intellectual curiosity?
Just as he was thinking about maliciously introducing modern soccer.
"Instructor?"
"Number 11, teddy bear?"
He encountered a familiar face.
"It's Barry, Instructor. This isn't the training ground, so please call me by my name."
"I still memorized the number accurately, though."
"...Should I be grateful for that?"
"More importantly, why is Cadet Barry here?"
"Ah, I was earning some living expenses. It's a busy season in its own way."
Number 11 baldy—no, Barry Copps scratched his head with an awkward smile.
He pulled out a cool drink from his massive backpack.
There was also plenty of beef jerky and pretzels that looked like snacks.
"Oh ho, is it okay to go around selling things like that?"
"Officially it's not allowed, but people tend to overlook it. Guys like me who are always short on living expenses do it quite a lot."
"Is that so? No wonder I thought I saw some drunks too..."
"Haha, selling alcohol is illegal. They'll probably get caught the moment the patrol team comes."
"...There's a patrol team too?"
While finding it absurd, Lee Han took out two silver coins from his pocket.
"Just give me one drink and some beef jerky."
"...That's too much money."
"The rest is a tip."
"......Instructor."
"Just study during exam period, punk. Don't refuse because it hurts your pride."
"......I pledge my loyalty!"
"Do well normally."
"YES SIR!!"
With that crisp salute, Barry received the two silver coins (equivalent to a month's salary for a four-person household) and handed over the entire bag.
He asked for just one, but the guy gave everything and left.
"I said just listen to what I say."
Who told you to give it all.
Lee Han grumbled like that and put a piece of beef jerky from the bag into his mouth.
"Is this handmade? It's well made."
It was an excellent taste worth the money.
* * *
- To state just the result, Lee Han 'dared' to refuse Grand Duke Magnus's proposal.
For a mere common knight to refuse a grand duke's proposal was an impossible matter.
Even if the grand duke took it as an insult and ordered his head to be cut off, it would be justified, but instead, the grand duke.
- Why do you refuse?
Only showed interest with shining eyes.
Asking why he would give up such an excellent proposal.
That was understandable; if done well, it was an opportunity to become the grand duke household's live-in son-in-law.
It was a chance for social advancement, and he could even use the Lionel surname.
So why would he give this up?
The answer Lee Han spat out to such a question was.
- Because I'm not attracted to her.
...And that was it.
At this masterpiece of an answer, Grand Duke Magnus blinked, and Maximus held his stomach and rolled on the floor.
- Kuhahahaha! Brother, didn't I tell you! That guy's a wonder, a wonder! To think there's a guy who would ignore the great Lionel like a dog! Isn't he truly amazing!
- ...I suppose he is, haha!
Yet the grand duke and the northern knight didn't seem displeased.
If anything, they were amused.
Was it a trait of northerners?
Unlike central nobles who preferred to hide their true feelings, they valued sincerity as a virtue and seemed to prize boisterousness even more highly.
Afterward, Grand Duke Magnus let out a roar of laughter, and he.
- Still, knight, always remember my proposal. Lionel will always welcome you.
Left while still leaving room for possibility.
He was a storm-like man.
When he appeared, he showed a ferocity that seemed ready to sweep everything away, and when he left, he vanished as seamlessly as a storm.
- Next time we'll definitely have a bloody duel, so wait, Rohan!
- Are you doing that on purpose?
- Hmm?
"...Should I break that bastard's jaw the next time I see him?"
Rihan, Lahan, and then Rohan—a guy who renamed him three times.
They say the younger brother is like the older brother; unlike the grand duke who left a somewhat positive image, this one kept scratching at him until the end!
If he encounters that arrogant gorilla next time, he won't let it slide easily.
He'll rip off his jaw or snap his neck!
Lee Han set a new target to pummel into a pulp besides that insolent grappler from Galahad.
But before that.
"More importantly, shouldn't I fuck up these information guild bastards first?"
The target he needed to deal with before the grappler and the gorilla was none other than the information guild.
If they took money, they should do the job properly, but the information was a complete mess.
'The duke I thought was a murderer is just a moderate normal person, the guy I thought was a rapist is surprisingly magnanimous, how does this even happen?'
Of course, he couldn't judge everything based on a single meeting, but Lee Han trusted his own eyes and intuition.
In that sense, neither the duke nor the grand duke were the worst trash.
Rather, they possessed the dignity and ability most befitting the title of noble among all the nobles he had met so far.
Therefore, Lee Han narrowed down the reasons why the information guild would hand over such garbage information to two possibilities.
One was that they collected information really sloppily, or else.
'Both of them thoroughly manipulated information about themselves.'
Whatever it was.
"...It's exhausting."
Somehow, the frequency of incidents seemed overwhelmingly higher than when he was in the knight order.
...Is it because he's at the academy?
"No, the academy isn't the problem, the people are the problem."
Did you know?
That in any academy story, it's peaceful until the protagonist appears.
And right now, of all places, his workplace has not one, not two, but three protagonist-level leads.
'A regressor, a mysterious delinquent prince, and...'
"-Instructor!?"
"......"
"Oh my, what a coincidence? To meet in a place like this, ho ho..."
"...Hmm."
Even the possessed person before his eyes.
Lee Han let out a low groan and thought anew.
This one really.
'Can't act for shit.'
Irene Windler approached him with an awkward smile.
[Irene, you know right? There's no better opportunity than today! Today is the day we achieve our goal!]
'Shut up, because of you what am I even doing?!'
Irene Windler wondered what on earth she was doing.
Because of her ghost cohabiter who chattered annoyingly every single day, she even had to put on makeup since morning.
[Huh? I didn't specifically tell you to put on makeup? You did that on your own volition.]
'A-are you telling me to meet him looking like a beggar!? I-I'm doing this for your sake, you brat!'
[Hmm~?]
'W-why are you looking at me like that?'
[Nothing at all. Anyway, whatever ulterior motives you have doesn't matter, but you absolutely have to grant my request, understand?]
'I don't have any ulterior motives! ...But do I really have to grant that request?'
[If you want to fail your exams, you don't have to.]
'Hmm...!'
Irene Windler, who hadn't studied at all, trusting that the ghost girl had memorized all subjects, recalled that she had no choice but to grant the request.
Since she was the top student of the magic department, even with low grades she wouldn't be at risk of expulsion, so she thought what did it matter if she did poorly on exams.
'But I can't mess up the exams!'
As a girl who still possessed the soul of a student who hadn't taken the college entrance exam, there was nothing more terrifying than low grades.
Therefore.
'I-I'll just touch his thighs, just his thighs...'
Glancing at the knight's thighs that seemed thicker than the girl's waist, she swallowed dry saliva.
Shiver!
"...?"
The knight felt a chill for some unknown reason.