June 7: "The World of Otome Games is Harsh for the Commoner" - Manga Update, Chapter 8!
June 8: "The World of Otome Games is Harsh for the Commoner" - Manga Volume 1 Release!
- Original Art: Jun Shizuri
- Character Design: Meng Da
- Original Story: Me!
That's the plan.
The manga adaptation of "The World of Otome Games is Harsh for the Commoner" is being released!
Reservations have started, so I'd be happy if you could check it out.
The Argland Imperial Military Academy.
This place is a military educational facility that spans an entire planet.
The city, jungle, desert, and snowfield—all are training grounds.
They even use spaceports, warships, and space colonies to train the military personnel who support the empire.
I, Liam Sera Banfield, entered this academy and am enrolled in the Strategic Department, where the elites gather.
This is a highly sought-after course, aiming to produce future staff officers and commanders, and is very popular.
Basically, it's a place where mostly nobles and outstanding cadets gather.
It's a place where the elites are all gathered, but as a future duke, I could specialize in the Strategic Department regardless of my grades.
While ordinary cadets need excellent grades to enter, I could enter the Strategic Department simply because I am a noble.
That's right—because I am a noble.
"The world isn't all about where you were born, but don't you think your birth has a significant impact?"
In the academy's cafeteria, I said this while facing the nutritionally balanced but unappetizing meal, and Wallace, with his shaved head, bit into a hard piece of bread and replied.
"What's with the sudden question?"
The academy basically requires all cadets to have shaved heads.
And women are only allowed to have short hair.
—So, I also have a shaved head.
This changes a bit when you become a third-year student.
"Being born into a noble family. That alone allows you to enter the elite course. I imagine the ordinary cadets would be furious."
I, who was born into a winning family, looked down on those who weren't and felt smug about it.
Seeing this, Wallace, who was concerned about his surroundings, warned me.
"Liam, can't you speak a little more quietly? Look at the people around you."
Looking around, I saw the losers glaring at me.
Some of the cadets even seemed to be nodding in agreement.
They must be nobles. They probably agree with my opinion.
"Isn't it the truth? If you have a complaint, say it to me directly. If you can, that is."
I glanced around, but there were no cadets with such courage.
The cadets who had been glaring at me turned away as soon as I looked at them.
That's right. —It's scary to defy me, a great noble.
The academy is so large that I can't remember all the cadets' faces and names.
But the ones glaring at me were definitely ordinary cadets.
This is it. This is what I want.
This is the image of the evil lord I aspire to be.
Then, a senior, perhaps angered by my words, approached me.
"You're quite confident, aren't you?"
Wallace was surprised to see the senior.
"Senior Dolf!?"
The academy is so large that I can't remember all the other cadets.
But this senior is a man I know.
After all, he's the top of the senior class.
Despite being a noble, he seems to have a strong sense of justice, as he's warning me for bullying commoners.
—I don't like that type.
"Your grades are excellent, I've heard, but you seem to be acting quite arrogantly. Aren't you ashamed?"
He seemed to dislike me and was quite sarcastic.
His hair, slicked back with gel, was neatly combed.
His name is Dolf Sera Lawrence—despite being a noble, he's an unusual man who supports commoners.
He's a bit slender but has a well-trained body as a soldier.
His face, which exudes an elite aura, is annoying.
"What does the top of the senior class want?"
"—That's not how you should speak to a senior."
He's a senior, but he's a lower-class noble.
I, who will be a duke and am currently a baron, have no reason to be humble.
Military discipline? How much do you think I've donated to the academy? It will definitely be overlooked.
Wallace shook his head at me.
He seems to be telling me not to get involved, but I don't like people with a strong sense of justice.
It reminds me of my past self.
Holding a sense of justice that brings no benefit and thinking it's good to be a good boy.
This guy must be angry at me for looking down on commoners.
He's so good that it makes me want to vomit.
"So? What do you want?"
I want him to stop talking to me so casually.
Dolf raised his chin slightly, and the veins on his forehead were visible as he glared at me.
"Come to the simulator room. I'll teach you how to respect your seniors."
"—I'd be delighted to learn that."
I gave him a provocative smile, and the cafeteria suddenly became noisy.
"Hey, Liam and Senior Dolf are going to fight in the simulator."
"Those two?"
"This will be a spectacle."
In the excited cafeteria, only Wallace was holding his head.
"Liam, why are you—"
◇
The simulator room.
Many cadets had gathered to watch.
Liam, who is in the top of his year, and Dolf, the top of the senior class, were going to lead fleets in a simulator battle.
It's natural that many cadets were interested.
Wallace sighed when he saw how the spectators were clearly divided by their backgrounds.
"Liam is very popular among the commoners."
Those cheering for Dolf were the nobles who dislike Liam.
On the other hand, those cheering for Liam were mostly commoners.
There were some nobles, but he was overwhelmingly supported by commoners.
"Still, to provoke a noble like that in the cafeteria—especially Dolf."
Dolf, the second son of the Lawrence family, is a clear noble supremacist.
He believes that nobles should be favored.
And yet, I provoked him by saying that he's in the elite course because he was born a noble, regardless of his grades.
(Not good. Dolf is a senior with a bad reputation, but he's the real deal.)
Wallace was worried about Liam, who had provoked a troublesome senior.
Five years is a short time, but it's also long.
No matter how excellent Liam is, it's difficult to face Dolf, who has been the top of his class for more than five years in the military.
(Though, it's suspicious that he's been the top all this time.)
The bad rumors about Dolf are, in short, that he eliminates excellent cadets to maintain his position as the top.
There are rumors that he has expelled cadets who could become his rivals through false accusations.
There are even stories that he has worked with bad people to take the families of his rivals hostage and force them to drop out.
(I'm impressed by Liam's sense of justice for provoking such a ruthless opponent.)
While he talks badly, Liam has a strong sense of justice and is also very capable.
Such a Liam is a source of hope for commoners and a thorn in the side for nobles.
—The simulator started.
As soon as they began moving their fleets with the control panels, Liam launched an immediate offensive.
Dolf criticized his movements.
"That might work against pirates, but it won't work against me."
"Huh?"
Dolf was provoking Liam, but in reality, Liam's fleet was gradually decreasing in number.
"You, who can only charge like a boar, are not my enemy."
Liam's fleet was specialized in offense.
On the other hand, Dolf's fleet was specialized in defense, and the situation was quite unfavorable for Liam.
Before using the simulator, they decided the number and composition of their fleets.
However, the composition was kept secret from the opponent.
But it seemed as if Dolf had seen through Liam's composition from the beginning.
He fought as if he knew what kind of ships Liam had and how he had arranged them.
(Not good. Dolf must have done something.)
As soon as Liam found himself in an unfavorable situation, the nobles cheering for Dolf started shouting.
"What, is that all you've got, pirate hunter?"
"You might be good against pirates, but remember, you're just a commoner here."
"Know your place, country bumpkin."
The nobles were showing their arrogance.
On the other hand, the commoners, who noticed that the nobles had done something, couldn't protest.
Without evidence, protesting would only embarrass Liam.
It was certain that Dolf had done something unfair, but there was no evidence, so there was nothing they could do.
(At this rate, Liam will lose.)
Even Wallace could tell that the situation was unfavorable for Liam.
◇
A man was standing upside down on the ceiling of the simulator room.
The man in a silk hat and tailcoat had his hat pulled down so that his eyes were not visible.
However, his mouth was smiling.
"—This is quite interesting."
The Guide, who was watching the confrontation between Liam and Dolf, had grown stronger than before.
Thanks to accumulating power in the capital planet of the empire, he was finally beginning to be freed from his suffering.
However, he was still being eroded by Liam's gratitude.
If left alone, he would eventually suffer from pain.
Currently, Liam is beloved by the people in his territory.
The gratitude of the people, combined with Liam's, was a formidable force.
The Guide was also gathering a significant amount of power, making it difficult to directly make Liam unhappy.
Therefore, he was looking for a way to bring Liam down, and when he saw Dolf, he had an idea.
The Guide approached Dolf, who had a relaxed expression, but no one in the room noticed him.
"You seem to have made many people unhappy. That's my type."
Dolf had eliminated many rivals to maintain his position as the top of his class.
The resentment of those he had wronged clung to him.
Moreover, unlike Liam, he was a bad noble by nature, making him an excellent candidate for the Guide.
Furthermore, he had even tampered with the simulator to win against Liam.
This thoroughness was also good.
"—I have a good idea."
Saying this, the Guide touched the simulator.
Dolf's fleet began to be pushed back.
Until now, Liam's fleet had been losing one-sidedly, but the gap was gradually closing.
Dolf was confused.
"What, what is this!?"
On the other hand, Liam was smiling.
"What's wrong, senior! Acting like a senior with just this!?"
Seeing Liam's arrogance, the Guide smiled, showing his white teeth.
"Good. Be arrogant. Liam, that will be your downfall."
The Guide, who hated Liam, had acted to make him win in this situation.
The reason was—
"Damn! Damn it!"
Dolf frantically moved his fleet, but in doing so, he created an opening, and Liam took advantage of it, making the situation even more unfavorable.
"Why, why is this happening!?"
Dolf, who thought he could win, was pale and flustered.
The Guide spoke to Dolf, placing his hand on his shoulder, but Dolf didn't seem to notice.
"Dolf, I have high hopes for you. This defeat will surely be a great lesson for you. And the one who defeated you, Liam—You will never forgive him."
Indeed, Dolf was glaring at Liam with veins bulging on his forehead.
To maintain his position as the top of his class, Dolf had even resorted to cheating.
Losing to Liam, a much younger cadet, was a humiliation.
"How could this happen!"
When the simulator declared Liam the winner, many ordinary cadets cheered and celebrated.
On the other hand, the nobles looked at the defeated Dolf with disdain.
"The top of the class is only this good?"
"He's a cheater, that's why he's only this good."
"Even with cheating, he lost to Liam, huh?"
Some were even mocking him.
This was a humiliation for Dolf.
Liam said to Dolf:
"You only know simulators, that's why this happens. You should experience real war. In the future, I'll teach you many things as a senior in life—Dolf."
Seeing Liam's arrogance after winning, the Guide nodded in satisfaction.
After all, Dolf was glaring at Liam with a terrifying expression.
"You bastard!"
Seeing Dolf's low voice, the Guide smiled smugly.
"Yes. Hate Liam more. And eventually, you will defeat him. I'll even prepare the battlefield for you."
With a newfound sense of ease, the Guide was not directly trying to bring down Liam but was meticulously preparing to strangle him slowly.
Reflecting on his past actions, which had caused him pain and made him act rashly, he decided to let Liam be arrogant for now.
And—when the time comes, he would knock him down all at once.
"Liam, it's good to be arrogant for now. And when you lose everything, I'll enjoy seeing your face."
Saying this, the Guide disappeared as if sinking into the floor.
Left behind was Dolf, clenching his teeth and glaring at Liam.
"—I will never forgive you. Never!"
A future elite who hates Liam was born.
Bryan ( "・ω・゛) "It's tough. This chapter, which can be called the academy chapter, is tough because I can't see how this Bryan will have many appearances."