Chapter 18 : If you made a mistake, just apologize (1)

The scene before my eyes was not even a fight.

It was truly overwhelming violence.

It was as if I had once reversed the assault of a monster of violence in Y City.

…No, the violence now overshadowing our entire class was even worse.

Smack!

Thud!

Crunch!

“Ugh… th-this is…”

“Shut up. Die. Die. Die. Just die!”

Carmilla, lying on the ground with blood dripping from her face.

Hoshino, sitting on top of her, was repeatedly striking with blood-covered fists.

There was no sign of stopping.

She literally kept hitting Carmilla’s face, over and over.

Every time, Carmilla tried to raise her arms to defend herself in some way.

But even that was relentlessly targeted at the vulnerable spots, as if her arms were corn kernels being knocked out.

“Ugh?!”

“Ahhh!”

“My, my teeth! My teeth…”

“Three have already fallen out!”

“Someone stop this…”

Carmilla’s baby teeth were scattered around the floor, just as much as the blood she had spilled.

‘Isn’t this too much, even so?’

What if a molar falls out?

Baby teeth, that’s fine, but molars don’t grow back.

In other words, if she keeps taking hits like this, she might end up needing implants as early as elementary school.

Besides, if this continues, it would severely damage Hoshino’s own image as well.

Therefore…

“Miss, please stop now.”

“No! I’ll kill this one!”

“Ugh…”

The classroom, frozen over, was now filled with fear.

As I heard hurried footsteps approaching from the hallway beyond the classroom, I quickly grabbed one of Hoshino’s arms.

It felt like she might really kill someone at this rate.

But at that moment…

Click.

“?!…”

“…What?”

No, this is insane.

Even so, a ‘gun’…

“Don’t… look down on me.”

“You…!”

Where did such a weapon come from on that small body?

While we were briefly distracted, Carmilla, aiming a revolver at Hoshino’s forehead, had appeared.

“I’ll kill you…”

“Come and try.”

“No, stop! Miss!”

Even if she were an S-tier hero like in the original story, with her current state, it was obvious she wouldn’t be able to dodge, and a hole would form right in her head.

So just as Carmilla’s finger was about to pull the trigger…

“Grgrgrgr…”

I unconsciously let out a trace of the monster’s aura.

It was so faint that it barely had any presence.

Even the lady right in front of me didn’t notice the small amount.

“Heek?!”

That was supposed to be the case, right?

I thought Carmilla would just feel a little unease.

But as soon as her eyes met mine, her expression turned into one filled with pure fear.

Even though her face was covered in bruises and blood, there was still a trace of grit.

Now, her trembling blue pupils started to sweat.

“Ugh, ahhh…”

“…What’s wrong with her?”

She had gone beyond mere fear, nearly slipping into a panic as her appearance changed.

Then, she started crying beneath her eyes, and…

…She started to sob.

“Hey, hey. Are you okay?”

“Huh? Carmilla?”

The youngest hero, a title now irrelevant, had completely lost control and ended up even ripping her school uniform.

“To suddenly invade the school, assaulting the top student! And even causing mental harm! Even though she’s the princess of the Okami family, this time you’ve seriously crossed the line!”

About an hour later.

As expected, the incident was caused by none other than Hoshino and me, the ones who served her, while Carmilla, the victim, was taken to the principal’s office.

During that time, the nanny, in place of Lord Makoto, arrived with the title of our guardian, and as you can see, the situation was chaos.

In the principal’s office, which resembled the president’s office of a country, the one most furious was of course the principal of Almighty Elementary.

“Do you know the state of the 1st-grade class A students? They can’t stop crying, like they all have PTSD!”

“I’m sorry, Principal.”

“And look at Carmilla, who was assaulted and is now barely recovering, unable to say a word because of the shock!”

Carmilla, with tissues stuck in both nostrils and gauze applied to her face here and there.

The only silver lining was that all her fallen teeth were baby teeth, so they didn’t need to be reattached.

At that moment…

“Principal, first of all, my lady will take full responsibility for the damage caused to that student and the whole class, in the name of the Okami family.”

“Of course, that’s what should happen!”

The nanny, bowing deeply as she entered, was as crafty as an experienced fox.

“However…”

“…?”

At first, it seemed like she was only apologizing continuously.

But soon, as she saw the principal calming down, it seemed like it was now my turn.

“I heard from my young master that the one who hit first was that student over there?”

“Y-yes?!”

“!!”

Her voice started to lower slowly.

“What do you plan to do about that incident?”

“That’s right. I came here because my person got hurt.”

Then Hoshino, who had joined in, added,

“That’s enough, Principal. Someone of your level is not enough, so I’ll ask someone higher up than you.”

“Someone higher up…?”

“Well, if you go higher, someone like the superintendent, or even the Minister of Education might show up.”

“Heek?!”

So this is the power of the diamond spoon that even chews up golden spoons, huh?

No, this was a school that only accepted diamond spoons, after all.

The Okami family, metaphorically speaking, was more like a titanium spoon than a diamond one.

Such an incredible family was now backing me up.

“Wait a minute! That kid was just a servant in the first place, right?! Are you really saying the entire Okami family is going to move just because of one boy?”

The principal, who had changed from the higher-ups to the lower ones, was now drenched in sweat.

I shared the same thought as the principal.

For the Okami family to go this far just for me, someone who was nothing more than the lady’s playmate, was beyond belief.

I shook my head in disbelief.

“Jang Hoon is not just any servant.”

Before I could speak…

“This boy is ‘my person.'”

With a beast-like glint in her eyes, Hoshino answered.

“Lady…”

“Anyone who tries to touch someone from the Okami family, no matter who or what, will have to pay the price, just like that kid who is now a bloody mess.”

The lady pointed to Carmilla as an example of what happens when you go against her.

The principal froze, and the room felt as if it had turned cold.

‘I’ve become pretty close with the lady, huh…’

For Hoshino to acknowledge me as her person…

That line was something I could have only heard if I maxed out the affection level with her in the original story, reaching the “special voice” achievement.

And in Kaiju Frontlines, the only way to increase affection was through real-money gifts.

‘Well done, Jang Hoon!’

To develop this relationship without spending a dime… I couldn’t help but feel proud.

Meanwhile…

Glance… glance.

“Huh?”

“Heek?!”

Carmilla, who had been glancing at me like a mouse before a cat, finally met my eyes and quickly bowed her head, shaking in fear.

“She’s so scared…”

“Heh heh heh. I guess that means she’s experienced my fear first-hand!”

Hoshino laughed mischievously at Carmilla’s condition.

Well, it was an eye for an eye…

But still, seeing her in such a serious state made me feel a little guilty.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s strange. Wasn’t she pretty confident when she was hitting me earlier?’

Or maybe…

Did she somehow sense the tiny trace of monster energy I released unconsciously earlier?

But even then, it didn’t make sense.

How could a hero be this broken just from that?

Most importantly, the energy I released was so faint that even Hoshino, with her heightened senses, didn’t notice it.

It was like removing a cup of water from the ocean.

If she had noticed that, it would mean she was used to encountering something like me.

Does that make sense?

There’s no way.

How could a kid who just became a hero be able to feel a first-class monster’s aura every time?

And if that were the case, she’d have been dead by now.

It didn’t add up.

So I just shook my head in disbelief.

Chill.

But then…

The monster of the sword?

In broad daylight, in the principal’s office of the world’s top school, I could feel an ominous presence.

This was the same aura as the monster that nearly destroyed D City just a few days ago…

The same level as the sword monster. A presence of a tremendous power.

And it was right behind me.

Could it be that a monster has appeared?

Convinced, I turned around, preparing to unleash the monster transformation for everyone’s sake…

“Sorry, I’m a bit late.”

“Huh?”

I had intended to reveal my true identity, even if it meant becoming a wanted criminal, preparing for the sacrifice.

‘Human?’

A woman who had gracefully landed next to Carmilla, who was still trembling.

She had the same golden curls as Carmilla, but unlike her daughter, her eyes sparkled with a golden hue, giving her a humble yet elegant aura.

“Hello, I am Carmilla’s mother, Lazerita.”

She seemed like an ordinary human.

“I’m Yachiru, the head maid of the Okami family.”

“Hello, I am Hoshino of the Okami family.”

Everyone was looking at her.

But what was going on?

Was it because I was part monster?

Why did it feel like a monster’s stench was emanating from Carmilla’s mother, an ordinary human?