Chapter 7. 3. Please Respect Privacy (3)
"What the hell!"
"This bastard, is he crazy?"
Belatedly, the two boys from the Big Guy's family stood up from their seats. Their faces were thoroughly twisted.
It couldn't be helped. To others, it only looked like Lumian had hit Freckles for no reason when he had merely approached him.
If not that, then...
'Is this bastard saying he won't take it anymore?'
It would be right to see it as a declaration of war to put an end to last year's life of being bullied.
Having finished his thoughts, the Big Guy also stood up abruptly following the boys.
He walked steadily toward Lumian and opened his mouth.
"Hey, country young master. You've changed a lot since I last saw you?"
"..."
"Oh ho, now you're ignoring me too? Has this one really gone crazy?"
"Wait! Stop it! Are you going to act like this from the first day of the semester?"
One female student who had been watching the situation stepped in between them.
She turned her back to Lumian with a hardened expression, and the Big Guy let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded.
"Ha, why are you looking at me and throwing a fit? That bastard hit Rotten first! Can't you see the kid passed out? Move."
"You guys bullied him all last year, so isn't it because he was startled?"
"He hit someone because he was startled? Well, I'm startled now too, so I guess I need to hit him once. Just once."
The argument between the two continued.
Lumian stared blankly at the back of the female student who had stepped forward to protect him.
He liked the view from behind.
Ah, that's not it. Shaking off his distracting thoughts, he began reading Lumian's memories that had belatedly come to life.
'He was an even more pathetic guy than I thought?'
The original owner lamented his situation of having not a single friend, and unable to overcome the bullying and burden, he decided to commit suicide. This was certainly a tragic matter, but there was also a problem with Lumian's attitude.
Including the female student who had now intervened in the dispute, several students had extended a helping hand to Lumian early last year.
But this foolish kid couldn't receive their help due to his soft personality and bashfulness. And without being able to resist even once, he was endlessly bullied.
As such days continued, the children no longer paid attention to Lumian.
The old knight's soul had no choice but to understand the children's behavior.
'It's not just anyone - no one would like seeing a knight aspirant showing this kind of appearance.'
A knight who must protect his lord, country, and people not being able to protect even himself was nonsense.
No, before that...
'I'm not doing this again in front of girls like last year, right?'
Lumian nodded.
It was a childish thought for a 60-year-old old knight, but it couldn't be helped. All men are the same.
At that moment, Freckles, who had been collapsed on the floor, groaned.
It seemed his senses were returning. Startled, Lumian looked down.
"Mmm... damn, my head. Ah, you! Earlier in the notebook, se-..."
Thwack!
"Guhhhk..."
Thud.
"..."
"...!"
Lumian, afraid Freckles would reveal his secret, quickly struck with his hand blade. Having been hit harder than before, Freckles foamed at the mouth. It seemed he wouldn't be able to get up for a while.
Seeing Freckles passed out from a hit to the back of his neck, the children including the female student were at a loss for words. The Big Guy furiously raged and pointed his finger at Lumian.
"Hey, you son of a bitch!"
The female student shook her head. Now she couldn't stop it. Before blocking the Big Guy, she thought it would be impossible to stop Lumian.
'Well, after taking it for a year... he must have made quite a resolution on his own.'
Of course, if he fought with those guys, the outcome was set in stone, but showing resistance like this was better to watch.
'I hope he lands a few hits even if he loses.'
She moved her feet and stepped out from between the two. She took the perfect stance of a bystander.
With the obstacle gone, the Big Guy came right up to Lumian's nose.
He glared and spoke.
"Follow me. Unless you want to get beaten to death in front of everyone."
"Alright."
At Lumian's calm answer, the Big Guy ground his teeth and left the classroom.
Two boys followed behind him, and Lumian with a relaxed expression followed after.
After walking only briefly, they arrived at a place surrounded by trees, not well visible from the outside.
The Big Guy cracked his fists with a cracking sound.
Crack, crack!
"You bastard, did you learn something during break? Or what, did you take some spirit medicine or something?"
The Big Guy growled in a low voice.
The two boys beside him also turned their necks here and there, making threatening expressions.
Of course, Lumian wasn't tense. He sighed and spoke.
"Guys. You want to become knights, is bullying weak kids what you're good for?"
"What?"
"When you should be devoting yourselves to training with hearts to serve the king, country, and people, you're doing this thug shit. Do you think your parents sent you to the academy paying expensive tuition for this?"
"This bastard, what's wrong with him? Did he really take something?"
The Big Guy and the boys wore flustered expressions.
They could understand him struggling against them. It's natural to wriggle when stepped on. They were thinking of trampling him thoroughly so he couldn't wriggle again.
But something was strange. It wasn't at the level of just making up his mind.
The appearance of speaking comfortably without a hint of tension in front of them, and the appearance of lecturing them too. It was as if he had become a different person.
'It feels like some old fogey is standing there.'
At that incomprehensible change, the Big Guy made a complex expression.
He remembered being lectured by a middle-aged knight of his family when he was young.
Suddenly he felt filthy. The Big Guy shook his head, and the boys spoke in turn.
"Our family has lots of money so no need to worry about that. You worry about yourself, you country bumpkin."
"Yeah, and you gave us lots of allowance money last year. Hahaha."
"Ah, come to think of it, we haven't received any today yet? You brought money, right? Don't tell me you forgot because it's a new semester..."
The tall boy who was speaking excitedly shut his mouth. This was because Lumian was approaching with steady steps with an expressionless face.
Unlike last year, a strange pressure was felt. Unconsciously, his breathing became rapid.
Feeling queasy from bewilderment, the guy slowly extended his right hand.
It looked like he wanted to shake hands.
"What, what kind of bullshit is this? Wanting to shake hands?"
"Yeah. I'm going to break your hand so you can't hit me later."
"Ha, what?"
"If you're scared, get lost. Big Guy, come out."
He couldn't just stay still after hearing such provocation. Frowning, the tall boy roughly grabbed Lumian's hand as if slapping his cheek. He applied force.
And within 1 second, he regretted it.
"Arghhhhhhhhh!"
Crack, crack!
It felt like hand bones were caught between stones. He couldn't apply force anymore. As soon as Lumian released his strength, the tall boy grabbed his own hand and collapsed to the ground.
The Big Guy's eyes widened.
"This crazy bastard!"
Whoosh!
The boy standing next to the Big Guy cursed and charged. The sharply extended straight punch was completely different from an ordinary person's fist. He could indeed be called a knight cadet.
But it was no match for Lumian who had become unreasonably strong overnight.
Woooong
Instantly drawing up aura, Lumian strengthened his body. He caught the opponent's fist with one hand and applied strong force.
Crrrack
"Ahhhhhhh! Let go, let go, let go!"
Lumian obediently listened. But the opponent's hand was already swollen.
The two boys' groans echoed mournfully.
Lumian extended his right hand and spoke.
"You want to do it too? A handshake."
"You, you-!"
The situation was reversed.
The Big Guy, who had only thought about beating the opponent, stepped backward, and Lumian continued to approach him. Thud, a tree touched the Big Guy's back. While he flinched in surprise, Lumian moved both hands like lightning.
Force went into the clasped hands. Like the other kids, the Big Guy couldn't endure even 1 second and screamed.
Crrrrrack!
"Kuhhhhhhhh! Stop! Stop! Stooop!"
"Alright."
Lumian obediently listened this time too. But the Big Guy's hand was already swollen like the others.
Lumian spoke.
"The three of you can go to the treatment room together. Say you got hurt having a strength contest while shaking hands all three of you."
"Grrrk..."
"You said you have lots of money so I don't need to give you treatment fees, right? I'm going. And stop bullying people, and think carefully about why you entered the knight academy. You should at least keep the basics."
Unable to block Lumian who was leaving while spouting old-fogey-like words again, they just watched.
And there was one person who had been watching their fight, no, their one-sided assault.
The person who put a magic telescope into their bag muttered as if finding it interesting.
"He's a fun kid."
***
The remaining morning classes proceeded peacefully.
Thanks to the three guys including the Big Guy going to the treatment room. Freckles, who came to his senses, still remained in the classroom, but after Lumian quickly approached him, put his arm around his shoulder, and they went somewhere briefly, he became very quiet.
A strange atmosphere hovered about.
At the center of it was, naturally, Lumian.
"Class ends here. Have a delicious lunch."
With the final morning class, indoor education was finished. The children gathered in twos and threes and left the classroom to eat lunch.
Among them, a few, no, even more gazes were felt. Lumian walked toward the student cafeteria with a complicated expression.
'I made it too loud compared to what I thought.'
Of course, he hadn't put on a flashy fight in front of the students, but the result was similar. There was no one who didn't know the fact that he had beaten down four thug guys.
Originally, Lumian hadn't intended to do this. If there was too big a gap between last year and this year, the kids would surely think it strange.
So he planned to take time slowly and show a gradual change for the better. He also planned to resolve the four thugs more quietly.
Of course, that had already gone down the river.
"Ah, I don't know."
Since it's come to this, let's act without worrying about others from now on. Lumian thought as he received his meal.
He also thought this might be better.
Kids are beings who grow quickly if you don't see them for just a few days, so why wouldn't he be the same? He could just say he trained hard during break and got strong.
The problem was how to build a cool image from now on.
Settling the past. A bright future!
Those were the agenda items Lumian needed to worry about.
Having reached a conclusion, Lumian picked up his fork for his meal.
At that moment, an unfamiliar voice was heard.
"Hello? Can I eat with you?"
"..."
Seeing the female student sitting in front of him without even hearing an answer, Lumian stiffened his expression.
Third year, knight cadet uniform. In other words, his direct senior. Unlike the second years who were green, yellow was visible here and there on the cadet uniform.
But that wasn't what was important.
Lumian thought inwardly.
'Her face... is insanely pretty?'
Comparable to the beauties he had seen in his past life when he was a knight of Zenas.
Lumian, whose body stiffened from tension, gulped.