The noble boy's face flushed bright red as he desperately tried to explain himself to the surrounding crowd.
“Hmph! You say you didn't do it, but how do you explain the underwear found in your bag?!”
“Th-Th-This is...”
The noble boy stammered, finally gritting his teeth as he blurted out, “A black cat did it! That cat carried those things into my bag!”
“...Heh.”
The girl across from him wore a disdainful sneer. “Could you make up an even more ridiculous lie?”
“No! I'm not! I'm telling the truth! It really was a black cat! It was pitch-black with golden eyes, and when it left, it even turned back to smile at me...”
“Oh, really~?”
The girl sneered coldly, “Even if a black cat really did it, you must have commanded it to!”
“What?! You're talking nonsense—”
“If you didn't command it, then why would it stuff the underwear into your bag?!”
“I-I-I...”
“You're absolute scum! You disgrace of a noble, don't you dare come anywhere near us from now on! Let's go!”
With that, the noble girl pulled the tearful girl along and left without looking back.
Meanwhile, the noble boy slumped limply to the ground, his face pale, muttering in utter despair, “It's over... It's over...”
Manacos would not expel a student lightly unless a major crime was committed. Generally, the academy would only hand out disciplinary punishments, so the noble boy was not at risk of being forced out.
However, as a noble, honor was far more valuable than life itself!
Now that he had suffered a complete social death in noble society, what awaited him was all too predictable...
“...”
Shulim silently watched the entire spectacle play out.
On the surface, this drama appeared to be nothing more than a case of social suicide committed by an impulsive teenage boy.
That was, provided this boy wasn't the very person who had led the group beatdown against Arthur three days ago...
“Arthur sure takes his revenge seriously.”
Recalling how the boy, who called himself a commoner, had sworn his absurd-sounding vow, Shulim felt a sense of unreality.
So this was what he meant by the consequences of provoking someone from the slums.
It really was brutal...
After offering a 0.01-second silent prayer for the noble boy who had picked a fight with the wrong person, Shulim turned and departed the scene of the drama.
Over the next few days, the incident became the talk of the academy. After all, in a top institution where geniuses gathered, someone doing something like this was exceedingly rare.
Because of this, Shulim was able to hear about the aftermath.
As expected, the noble boy withdrew from the academy on his own initiative and vanished as if he had evaporated into thin air. But thinking about it, having lost all his dignity, his family would never permit him to show his face in public again.
In addition, rumors spread that several of his accomplices and cronies—the ones who had joined in beating up Arthur—were involved in the theft as well. Although there was a lack of evidence, keeping it at the level of mere rumors, one could easily imagine the strange and accusatory looks they endured within the academy.
They were all walking on eggshells now, and a few with weaker minds had even applied for a leave of absence.
They probably never imagined they would suffer such a fate simply because they had offended a boy from the slums...
...
The lower floor of the Echo Labyrinth.
“Roar—!!!”
A deafening roar vibrated through the underground passage, shaking it to its core.
“Left! Quickly attack its left!” Arthur bellowed with a pained expression.
Drawing the minotaur's attention from the front, he took a Frenzied Roar straight to the face. If he hadn't plunged his sword into the ground in the nick of time, he would have been sent flying. Even so, he flapped about in the air like a sheet of paper.
Boom—!
Just as his grip on the hilt was about to slip, a giant flame sword suddenly lunged from the minotaur's left side, cleaving into its body. Accompanied by the smell of roasted meat wafting through the air, the blade carved deep into its chest.
“Gah...”
The minotaur let out a pained howl, spraying red liquid from its mouth before collapsing.
Thud!
With the heavy thud of its body hitting the ground, quiet finally returned to the passage.
“Ow, ow, ow...”
Having made intimate contact with the ground, Arthur picked himself up while holding his nose.
“Are you alright?”
Shulim asked, glancing at Arthur as she withdrew her sword from the minotaur's chest.
“I'm fine, I'm fine!”
Arthur shook his head before running over to the minotaur in excitement.
“Oho~! The lower floor really yields way more cash! The minotaur's horns and hide can fetch a great price, and there's also this—”
Arthur tried to lift the axe used by the minotaur, but even with his face flushed crimson, he could only lift it slightly.
He set the axe down, staring at it with reluctance.
“Maybe I should just activate Reinforce and haul it back...”
“I advise you not to do something that stupid.”
Shulim opened a bottle of mana potion and downed it, her tongue twisting as if in agony.
No matter how many times I drink this, I can never get used to the taste...
Looking up at Arthur, she saw that he was still agonizing over whether to give up on the axe.
“Speaking of which, Arthur, how did you do it?”
“How did I do what?”
“The thing that happened at the academy a few days ago.”
“Oh, you mean that underwear theft incident!”
Arthur scratched his head, seeming unsure of how to explain it.
“You might not believe it, but it really was done by a black cat...”
“I guess that black cat is a stray. It always pops up out of nowhere. The first time I saw it, I thought it was starving, so I shared some food with it. I didn't expect it to start appearing in front of me all the time after that. Thinking it wanted food, I shared some with it every time, and as a result, it grew closer and closer to me.”
“Later, I realized it's actually super smart and can understand everything I say. After that noble welched on my pay that day, I figured since the black cat knew the academy so well and was so smart, I'd give it a shot and ask it to help make those guys look like fools.”
“I never expected it to actually do it! And in that kind of way, no less! It was unbelievable! Though, that guy's life is probably ruined now...”
“Ah, right, can you keep this a secret for me? If word gets out, those nobles will definitely retaliate!”
Shulim nodded.
“I won't tell anyone. Besides, even if I did, no one would believe it.”
By contrast, Shulim was far more intrigued by the black cat. She hadn't expected such a creature to exist in the academy and felt like meeting it...
Meanwhile, in a secluded forest within Manacos, a wooden cabin sat quietly.
“Meow~!”
A black cat, pitch-black like ink with golden eyes, leaped onto the open windowsill of the cabin.
“Sfingel, where did you run off to again?”
A voice sounded from inside the cabin, followed by Grisa, dressed all in black, walking over.
“Meow~!”
The black cat cried out, its body turning into a cloud of black shadow as it instantly leaped from the windowsill down to Grisa's feet.
The shadow condensed, and the black cat re-emerged.
“Meow~!”
The black cat affectionately rubbed against Grisa's leg.
Grisa shook his head helplessly and bent down to pick it up.
“...Don't do that kind of thing ever again.”
“Meow~.”
As if understanding his words, the black cat nodded.
...
Rate on N.U.
