Chapter 11: First Impressions Part 3 

“Eh?”

Edwick, the young nobleman, glared at me instead.

“Alright, even if this girl really is your personal maid, where does your family get off demanding an apology from me?”

His eyes, filled with clear scorn, looked at my black hair and eyes.

“Could it be that I was just unaware, and there’s some bizarre family in this empire that uses black and black as their color? Even if there was, could it possibly be one that could rival the Edwick family?”

The obnoxious student next to him added on.

“Haha, there are some who are mistaken! There are people who really believe that at the academy, everyone is a student and that we’re all equal!”

‘This kid really doesn’t get it.’

The position of someone who clings to power and talks so arrogantly is the most despised and hated.

Anyway.

“I think there’s some misunderstanding here.”

I smiled.

It was amusing.

“You’re right about the family thing. I don’t have a family, not even a lineage, I’m an orphan.”

Both in my past world and this one.

“But the reason I’m asking you to apologize isn’t because the academy is some equal space where family and status don’t matter.”

“Eh…?”

“First, the fact that you’ve wronged me and those within my circle.”

And then.

“The second reason.”

“I’m stronger than you.”

The most obvious and fundamental reason.

“I have the power to rub your face into this floor if I so wish, and that’s why I’m demanding an apology.”

“Y-You brat!”

“How dare a lowly orphan like you speak to the young master like that!!”

The lackeys on either side yelled, but my gaze remained fixed on the noble’s red eyes.

“Don’t believe it?”

It might be hard to believe.

“Then accept it. I’m challenging you to a duel from this point on.”

As I still smiled and created a ring of mana on my palm, Edwick’s face turned red with fury.

“You, you bitch…!”

He gritted his teeth but couldn’t continue his sentence.

He couldn’t.

A duel between mages.

The way to declare it is by one party throwing a ring of mana at the feet of their opponent.

And unless they completely reject it, once a duel is accepted, it’s considered an insult to magic and the mage itself to cancel it unilaterally.

Even if you’re from a highly respected family, it’s an act that would bring dishonor.

At this point, he could just refuse.

“What’s wrong?”

An orphan with nothing to lose asks the heir of a prestigious family.

“Are you scared?”

“!!”

The young noble clenched his teeth so hard that his lips curled up.

Despite that, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything about the duel.

It was likely because of the fear of the possible consequences.

‘What if he lost a duel before even entering the academy?’

‘And on top of that, if it was his own fault, a result of his own disgrace?’

While people from powerful families can usually do as they please, that doesn’t mean there is a complete absence of basic moral principles in this world.

Honor comes from morality, and without honor, one loses face.

A world where people die from losing their honor doesn’t exist.

However, the fundamental reason why one should never lose their honor remains the same in any world, including this one.

It’s because it’s humiliating.

Especially for a teenager in their early teens, losing honor after initiating the conflict themselves would be unbearable, to the point of wanting to die.

So now, when the topic of the duel came up, he couldn’t just say anything carelessly.

“Should I repeat the first option?”

I was still smiling, because it was funny.

“You can apologize. You said you would lower your head to Jeina, but I’ll let it slide if you just say you’re sorry.”

Or.

“If you don’t like that, then you can duel me.”

The situation was growing tense, and Edwick’s lackeys exchanged anxious looks with one another.

And then, the noble spoke.

“…Alright?”

He growled.

“If you insist on pushing it that far—”

“Everyone, please stop.”

A clear voice.

A girl approached, stopping at a distance from both me and the noble, keeping space between us.

Her hair was a pale blue, a color often called “water blue,” and her eyes were warm, sunflower-like yellow.

And she was a beautiful girl.

‘Oh. This one.’

But aside from her appearance, she was one of the students I had noticed earlier when I looked outside the window at the academy grounds.

The reason was simple: she, like Philia, was alone with no friends.

But there was a difference in the atmosphere between the two.

It was as though everyone felt uncomfortable around this water-colored girl.

Not that they hated or despised her, but they just didn’t know how to approach her.

Yet.

‘She… I like her.’

There wasn’t a specific reason, but as I looked at her face now, I felt an inexplicable attraction toward her.

She’s been marked.

Her voice rang out, calm and clear.

***

“Dein Edwick. Don’t you have an appointment with someone?”

“…Right. I had an appointment.”

The tense atmosphere cooled down.

“Sure, I don’t really know what it is, but I like it.”

I decided to let it go if mediation came in.

“Ugh, ughhh…”

It seemed like if this went on, Jeina’s heart wouldn’t be able to bear it.

“Uh, where was the location again?”

“Over there, I mean…”

The followers of Gongja passed by, ignoring as though Jeina and I were invisible.

Their steps were unusually hurried.

The girl in the indigo-colored dress, after walking in the opposite direction, suddenly looked back at me.

She waved her hand lightly.

Before walking away, she nodded at me.

‘Hehe.’

Hiding emotions is…

“Ugh, ughhhh…”

‘Maybe I had made Jeina too tense.’

She slumped down like a well-cooked rice cake, weak and exhausted.

“Ellie Niiiiiim…”

“Um, I’m sorry.”

Perhaps what was worse for Jeina wasn’t Gongja but me.

“But honestly, you feel much better now, don’t you?”

“That’s true… but I didn’t say anything!”

“Hehe.”

She looked like a trembling bunny, which was cute.

The next time I met the girl in indigo was that evening.

“Oh?”

The place was the school garden.

This time, both she and I were alone.

“Hello?”

She briefly looked around, then headed towards a secluded spot.

I followed her.

In a corner of the garden where there was no one, she opened her mouth to speak.

“The thing during the day, it was reckless to escalate it like that. You should be more careful in the future.”

Her voice was quiet but clear, easily reaching my ears.

“Your assumption that someone would have stopped Gongja before he accepted the duel was correct. However, if you continue attending the academy, you’ll inevitably run into him again. It’s a very dangerous gamble.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“It’s not that.”

“No, I know you’re saying this because you genuinely care about me, so I’m saying this literally.”

She smiled softly and placed her hand on my chest.

“My name is Ellie, and I’d like you to call me Eli. And again, thank you for worrying about me.”

“I was thinking, ‘What on earth is she doing?’”

“I won’t answer that.”

“So how should I call you?” she asked.

“…Sigh.”

A small sigh.

“Of the Marquess of Lacostrin.” Clea.

“Is it okay if I call you Clea?”

“…Do as you wish.”

“Then Clea, since you gave me advice, I’ll talk about the incident during the day.”

“What do you mean?”

“I really wanted Edwick to accept the duel.”

“…!”

Clea’s eyes widened in shock.

“Because what I said back then was true. I even said I could grab his head and rub his face into the ground.”

“…Even if we assume you really could do that…”

“Even if I win, what would be left for you? In the end, you’d only provoke the wrath of one of the imperial noble families.”

“It leaves the impression that no one should mess with me.”

“That’s true.”

“An orphan like me has to be humble to survive in this aristocratic world. I’ve been sharpening my skills as a means for my future master and to raise my worth.”

“However, I’m not satisfied with just surviving in this world.”

I stretched out my hands.

To the vast sky that doesn’t block anything.

“I won’t bow my head. I am your equal. No, in fact, you should look up to me. If you dare to try to crush me, I’ll bury you instead. I have to make that clear.”

“…If that’s your goal…”

Clea slowly stopped speaking.

“Why are you telling me all this?”

I smiled.

“Why do you think?”

The sky was lavender.

In the time when day and night were switching.

“I won’t answer now. I think it’s too early. But…”

In the dimming sunlight, I looked directly into the girl’s eyes and made a suggestion.

“If you answer one of my questions first, then I might answer yours.”

“Clea.”

“What?”

“Why does everyone in the academy keep their distance from someone like you?”

“It’s not that they hate me. It’s more like they want to approach the rose, but they keep their distance for fear of getting pricked by the thorns. The flower on the cliff looks beautiful, but they’re afraid of falling from such a height.”

The longest silence yet.

The thoughts continued.

Finally.

“It’s not something I have to hide.”

“That’s not what it seems like. You look like you want to hide something.”

“…Just because everyone knows something doesn’t mean I’m not embarrassed by it.”

Another short sigh.

“The Marquess family has a rather special circumstance.” Lacostrin.

“What is it?”

“Why do I have to tell you about it? I’ve already told you, it’s embarrassing.”

“Well, it’s because you want to tell me.”

Clea, staring blankly with her mouth open, took a step back.

I made sure my entire face was visible.

“It’s okay if it’s not today.”

Time is abundant.

We’re both freshmen at the academy, after all.

“If you acknowledge it and come to tell me, I’ll listen whenever.”

Because…

“We’re going to be friends from now on.”

Clea Lacostrin stood there for a while, still staring at me, before asking again.

“Really?”