Inside the rattling carriage. I am lying around with my hands and feet bound.
My hands are fine, but why were my feet tied up? Did they think I would try to run away?
This is the first time I’ve been treated like this, and I can’t seem to get used to it. But honestly, everything that’s happened until now doesn’t even make sense. These were luxurious things for a commoner to enjoy.
“I’ve been living too comfortably.”
I just never experienced it properly, but this world, with its class divisions, also has its own form of aristocracy.
Because of that, it’s natural to be looked down on as a commoner.
Perhaps there have been many people who resented me for being a commoner up until now.
However, touching someone like me, who has been greatly overestimated in various ways, wouldn’t be easy, so they probably just let it go.
Hmm… Maybe it wasn’t overestimation? I can’t argue with the things I’ve done so far.
Of course, not everything has spread, but even if you only consider my achievements, like crushing the entrance exam or immediately being recruited by the student council, it was definitely a level where no one could touch me.
Plus, the crown princess is always by my side… They probably hesitated to interfere.
So why are these people dragging me away? Because I don’t know anything? Or because they’re too stupid to understand?
I don’t know for sure, but one thing is certain—they found a way to fill their pockets. These people are that kind of scum.
Now, Diggers is no longer in this world. The house I was born into, the Jibchack family… There’s no better way to describe them than as a family of loudmouths.
They’re not without talent, but they’re so busy satisfying their own selfish desires that it’s obvious, and that’s why they’re disliked.
Wouldn’t calling them hyena-like be an appropriate description?
Rattle!
“Ugh.”
At that moment, the carriage shook violently as if it had hit something. I almost bit my tongue.
As expected, this is a cargo carriage. The ride is nothing like the royal carriage.
The carriage continued to rattle, and I felt like I might end up rolling around inside if it kept shaking like this, so I decided to untie the ropes that bound my hands and feet.
The method was simple. I just put them in my inventory, and that was it.
“Truly a cheat.”
I don’t think I’ll have to worry about losing my physical freedom anymore.
Now that my hands and feet were free, the shaking of the carriage was enough to make it feel reasonably comfortable.
Was it because I was more comfortable? I began to wonder if I had done something unnecessary.
Who were the people next to me? The left side was the crown princess, and the right side was the duke’s daughter. If I had borrowed just one word from them, I could have easily broken free from the situation.
Even without that, simply being a student at the academy and receiving their protection would have been enough to escape.
In fact, before they arrived, the principal himself had come and told me that since the academy had a reputation, there wouldn’t be a problem even if I resisted.
But I just chose to be captured. By now, the principal must be reacting with, “Why?”
Of course, there was a reason I was brought here.
The Jibchack family. There was one item I needed to take care of from there.
It was something I had planned to steal secretly someday, and I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
At the same time, I needed to deal with the conspiracy they were plotting. After that, I’d wait for Seria to come and rescue me.
“It’s a perfect plan.”
I’d think about the details when I got there.
With that in mind, I waited for the carriage to arrive.
How much time had passed? The endless rattling of the carriage slowed down, and I felt it stop. Soon, a man opened the door and shouted.
“Get out!”
Trash Jibchack. The head of the Jibchack family.
By the way, his wife’s name is Dirty.
Trash and dirty… Is this a fateful meeting?
Anyway, for now, I decided to follow his orders.
So I casually stepped out of the carriage, but Trash—no, Trash Jibchack—was shocked and began shouting loudly.
“What is this! How did you untie yourself?!”
Come to think of it, I should have been tied up and unable to move properly.
It was no surprise that he was shocked when I stood up and walked out.
I casually showed the rope I had taken from my inventory and replied nonchalantly.
“Didn’t you tie it properly? It just came undone on its own.”
“Don’t lie. You must have secretly untied it to escape.”
“Then you can tie me up again.”
“You’ll do that without me even telling you!”
Trash really took after his father. The moment I touched him, he reacted so predictably, it was kind of satisfying.
Trash ordered a knight next to him, who immediately took the rope from me and started re-tying my hands and feet.
“Now you’ll have to walk. Why are you tying my feet too?”
“…What should we do?”
“Don’t be swayed by a commoner! If you have to drag her, tie her up the same way as before!”
In the end, I was tied up again, and as the rope around my feet was grabbed, I was dragged across the floor. This was the outfit Seria bought me, and it was going to get ruined. I’d have to get the money for it when I steal the item later.
“We’ll see how long that calm lasts.”
Not knowing my evil intentions, Trash just chuckled, thinking he was the more evil one.
There are three areas in the Jibchack family’s estate.
Well, technically, there are four, but one is just their living space where they sleep, so it’s not worth mentioning.
Anyway, the three areas are: the first is the forbidden library pretending to be an old book storage.
The second is the secret warehouse where the item I want to steal is.
The third is the basement I was about to be dragged into.
The basement is usually used for dirty work, magically sealed off from the outside, and it’s perfect for doing things like that.
But I was getting dragged toward there, and it could get troublesome, so I decided to act.
Well, I had already achieved my goal of entering the Jibchack estate. I didn’t need to be dragged around anymore.
Quickly, I put the rope back in my inventory and ran. The direction… Of course, it was toward the secret warehouse.
Since I had immediately put the rope I was being dragged with into my inventory, they noticed right away.
“…He’s running away!!”
“Catch him!!”
They started chasing me, but by then, I had already gained quite a distance.
Thanks to using Dash Cancel, the knights who were running errands for Trash couldn’t catch up, and the distance between us kept growing.
It was an easy chase. Until Trash got desperate and started using magic.
Boom!
Crash!
The fireballs he shot began to destroy and burn the decorative trees.
Originally, the attack was aimed directly at me, but because I dodged it, it hit the tree behind me instead.
Naturally, as the magic passed through my body from an angle where it should have hit me, Trash shouted in surprise.
“What… Was that story true?!”
He kept saying things that should only be thought internally out loud, making it easy for me to understand the situation.
It seemed like he had heard rumors about me, but until now, he probably hadn’t believed them much.
Well, it couldn’t be helped. Most rumors that come from the academy are just nonsense anyway.
There were even rumors that Seria was taking girls one by one and making them cry… So it wouldn’t be strange for him not to believe the rumors about me.
But still, it was certain that I had joined the student council, so why were they trying to drag me away with such low-level knights? That really didn’t make sense.
“Haha, this is fun! Does being from the student council make a difference? But I’m also from the academy’s student council! The moment I get serious, a mere first-year like you is finished!”
Ah, right. He’s from the student council? I had forgotten about that, but thanks for the explanation.
I was glad he said everything himself, so I didn’t have to think about it.
After that, Trash’s magical attacks grew even more intense.
At the same time, it seemed like he started handling his magic more precisely, as if he didn’t want to destroy anything further. At this point, it seemed like he was definitely skilled.
After all, he’s the parent of Diggers, the student body vice president. This level was expected.
The knights chasing me had already disappeared. It seemed they realized this wasn’t their fight and fled.
“You bastard! This is as far as you go!”
Flame!
Trash, realizing that his attacks weren’t working, tried to block my path with a pillar of fire.
I stopped and turned around, and I saw skilled knights slowly gathering around Trash.
Trash began to look triumphant, as if he had trapped me in a corner.
…But I could just avoid this and break through. So I did.
“What?!”
Surprised, Trash quickly removed the fire pillar wall, but by then, I had already reached the building with the secret warehouse.
The door is locked? So what? I’ll enter through the window.
Of course, the window was locked too, but…
Crash!
A window is a window. The lock didn’t matter when breaking it.
Of course, causing this much ruckus wouldn’t be good, but it was still a better choice than being dragged to the basement.
Even so, there was no turning back now that I had come this far. My goal was just to achieve my purpose.
“Catch him! Catch him!”
Trash’s frantic voice echoed from outside. Naturally, he knew there was a secret warehouse beneath this building.
The building I ran into was a separate annex of the Jibchack family.
It wasn’t used much, just occasionally cleaned, but Trash had made a secret warehouse in the basement of this building.
It was hidden with magical devices, so anyone with a little knowledge would notice right away, but… no one would bring someone here since the building wasn’t in use. In some ways, it was a clever move.
“You damn commoner! Don’t think you’ll escape!”
Trash, having caught up to the front of the building, started casting magic again from beyond the broken window, but I dodged it. His frantic magic had no control, and as a result, holes started appearing in the building.
If this dragged on too long, the whole building might collapse, so I quickly opened the door to the secret warehouse.
The method to open it was simple. Behind the portrait of Trash, there was a magic circle hidden. If you channeled a specific amount of mana into it, it would open.
Since I didn’t have the ability to do that, I chose a simpler method.
So, I shoved a knife into the magic circle and parried it…
Crack!
As the magic circle was destroyed, the door to the secret warehouse opened.
Once it was opened, it couldn’t be closed again… but I only needed to open it, so I didn’t care.
“What the hell… Hah…”
By now, Trash was staring at me with a dazed expression, as if he had completely lost his temper.
Well, you should have been more careful when letting outsiders in.
Don’t worry. Honestly, there isn’t much useful stuff in here. I’ll just take what I need and leave the rest.
‘Ah, I should grab the clothes money.’
How much did these clothes cost again…? I don’t remember the exact amount, but since they’re a gift from Seria, I should get at least that much, right?
Hmm… To get as much as the princess’s affection is worth, these things in here wouldn’t be enough.
But anyway… I’ll let the clothes slide since I’ve gotten what I need.
It’s all his own fault. Don’t blame me.