Chapter 51

RATH 51

TL: Eevee

7. Is your backside safe? (3)

-Owner. I’ve been thinking, I reckon that if owner was a devil then you’da probably been born the king of devils and succeeded in world domination.

The metal bat said as she watched the magic video tool during the night study.

Wait, I haven’t done anything?

I simply modified the rules to what the students wanted, the ones that started fighting were those kids, you know?

And therefore I’ve done nothing wrong!

-And dat’s exactly a devil’s mind! My owner’s a splendid archvillain!

Well, true. I used to be part of an evil organization that boasted a long history and traditions after all!

-‘Though that got screwed cuz’ of that really obsessive princess!

This rascal, its retorting skills are getting better by the day.

-All thanks ta who now.

I wouldn’t know.

Whether it was because the teachers were getting more and more bewildered, or they simply had no place to get involved, but they were simply watching the students’ survival games.

-But owner. There’s a lotta individual events in the imperial festival but aren’t there also a lot of team events as well? If they keep playing by themselves like that then their co-op skills are gonna drop.

“And to fix that, that’s where you come in.”

It’s soon going to be the holidays anyway… but having said that, these kids are coming into school either way.

Of course, even I have no thoughts to keep them in school from dawn to dusk in the holidays.

On the contrary, I’m going to let them out at around lunch.

But not that simply, of course.

-Fufufu… so I just gotta wait ’til then?

Yes, so save up lots and lots of mana!

#3 Their story: A certain group of students’ end of term ceremony (1)

“And everyone has grown so much so far, and in addition to Professor Nicerwin, many teachers have come to our school…”

“Is there any point to this.”

“I know right. End of term ceremony, sure. That’s fine, but we have to come to school tomorrow? Is this even a holiday?”

“Dunno. My family betrayed me. When I told my mum, she said to listen to Professor Nicerwin and study harder. Seriously I nearly cursed my mother out for the first time in my life right there.”

“Wow, your mum’s just awful. She wants you to study even harder here? Does she want you to die or something?”

“You know what my little sister said? She took mum’s side saying that considering I don’t even study most of the time, I should at least study in school?”

“Wow… like seriously. Is she actually your blood related sister?”

“So I told my parents when it’s time for her to enroll in school two years from now, to send her to Yugrasia.”

“…We have a devil here!”

Holiday.

That meant to rest from study for a fixed period of time.

It described a break from study, typically during summer and winter where either the heat or cold were at its extremes deeming it unsuitable for effective study.

During that time, the majority of students undergo self-improvement, go on trips to relieve their stresses of studying, or enjoy their own personal time.

But this year’s Yugrasia has no holidays.

Of course we still have the end of term ceremony to mark the beginning of the holidays, and until school reopens we are certainly in a state of holiday.

But why is a holiday a holiday?

It’s because the school is closed and we don’t study!

If in the holidays, you were to go to school and attend class, can you call that a holiday?

That was what the entire student body of Yugrasia were thinking, but it was already too late.

With the exception of a few students that managed to successfully grill their parents, or escape due to family circumstances, the rest were forcibly kept at school.

Thanks to that, the ceremony that no one was focusing on to begin with was nothing more than disorder at its finest!

“Next we will have some words from Professor Nicerwin.”

Although order was instantly restored the moment the speaker changed.

As the students looked at Professor Nicerwin and the little silver girl that came up with him, everyone could only swallow dryly.

‘We’re gonna get hit if we’re noisy right?’

‘Even if Professor Nicerwin doesn’t care the silver devil will come out to hit us, won’t she?’

‘No. I don’t want to get hit anymore.’

Whether he knew the students’ thoughts or not, Professor Nicerwin smiled, a smile that a stranger would think gentle, but a smile that instilled fear into the students of Yugrasia.

“Are you tired?”

And the moment Professor Nicerwin opened his mouth, the entire student body shouted as one internally.

‘Are you one to be saying thaaaaat!’

As an oppressive silence began to replace the quietness, Professor Nicerwin made a satisfied expression as he continued.

“You would be tired. No, you will probably be even more tired from here on out.”

The students wanted to shout just how the hell were they going to be even more tired than they already were, but they kept silent fearing that if they asked, he would tell them in great detail.

“To the students who work their hardest in the academics, and to the teachers who do their best in guiding them, I offer my words of thanks, and encourage all of you to work even harder from here on out.”

‘Meaning he’s going to screw us over even harder so prepare yourself?’

‘Now that I think of it, are the teachers all staying in school as well?’

‘Wow… at least we’re out in four years, but the teachers can’t even escape.’

For a brief moment, the students felt sorry for the their own futures, as well as the teachers who would have to remain at this academy.

“Once the holidays begin, Plan A will cease operation. There will be a special set of rules in place for the holidays.”

Although that ended instantly at Professor Nicerwin’s words.

-Just what the hell did you make this time you evil god’s apostlleeeeeee!

Just how much did we fight among each other due to that bloody Plan A?

We fought with our lives over a single ticket with our friends who we had only recently been laughing with and discussing our futures with.

Yesterday’s traitor could become today’s ally, and yesterday’s ally became today’s traitor.

The daily life where we could trust no one continued, and we learned the truth that you couldn’t trust anyone in the world.

But Plan A was over and now a new set of rules is in effect?

Had we ever been better off when those damn rules changed?

We could guarantee it.

Every time the plan changed, we would realise that beyond this hell, was another harder hell awaiting us!

“And it’s a holiday-exclusive rule as well.”

“Whazzat, that’s scary.”

“It won’t be something like you have to remain at school if you can’t pass or something, right?”

“Surely… but they announced that classes would end at 12:30.

“Yeah. They said there’d be no self-directed night study either.”

“Wait, then isn’t what’s ending just the night study? Then mightn’t they have just changed the name to self-directed afternoon study or something?”

“Hang on a sec, I just got major chills.”

In light of the unimaginable events that were to happen in the future, the students began to shiver in fear.

And whether he knew of the students’ fear or not, Professor Nicerwin said his final statement, and stepped down from the podium.

“I hope you have an enjoyable holiday, everyone.”

Wishing us a holiday that felt like it would be not at all enjoyable.

#4 Their story: A certain group of students’ end of term ceremony (2)

“And this marks the end of Marcis’ end of term ceremony.”

The boring teachers’ speeches that were at every event finally ended.

And the students started cheering at the student council president’s final words.

“Are you going home to visit your family, Lady Nermia?”

“I heard that there was a seminar on magic running at the imperial palace, how does it sound?”

“No, Miss. I heard that there was a special seminar being run by the Magic Tower…”

And the way back home.

Since it was the holidays now, and the standards of what they taught us at school were so far below what the instructor taught me I’d even thought of going out and practicing on my own.

But the pests are already sticking to me.

The reason that Marcis, no, all the four great academies were constructed were to gather and raise talents that could become the empire’s strength.

Because of that, aside from Yugrasia, the other academies each reside in a certain sphere of influence of specific authorities.

In Arucis’s case, they’re influenced by the knight orders, and Mercaria has the imperial domestic officials looking over them.

But Marcis is different.

In addition to the imperial family, Marcis is also influenced by the Magic Tower.

In reality, the Magic Tower has greater influence over the school.

Why else would it be nicknamed the ‘education tower?’

Thanks to that both the imperial family and the Magic Tower are trying to gain more influence over Marcis, and especially in their efforts to bring in neutral individuals to their faction.

And the greatest of the neutral individuals this year is none other than me!

Grandfather belongs to the Magic Tower as its head, and Father is associated with the imperial family as the head of House Nermia.

Because of that, I boast the two highest affiliations in both factions but my own affiliation is neutral!

Because of that, starting from the student council, to the classroom, in clubs.

Everyone and their dog kept trying to pull me into their faction, and it seemed like that would continue even as the holidays began.

Although I honestly want nothing more to be able to tell them all to just piss off, this is not the evil organization, but high society.

As a child of the esteemed Nermia family, it’s unfortunate that I cannot lower my family’s standing.

“I plan to stay in my family’s residence in the capital. I will try to visit if the opportunity arises.”

As I gently smiled with a smile radiant in elegance everyone regretfully backed off.

-Uweek.

Although it felt like a slave started to dry retch somewhere, I ignored that.

I hurriedly left the academy with light steps before I attracted any other unnecessary pests.

-Owner. The holidays have started, what are you going to do now?

-You saw all that, I have to train.

In all honesty, I felt that I, who had trained in an evil organization who didn’t see people as people, would ever lose to these kids at school.

But even as I did, I remembered what I saw at Yugrasia.

The despair that reminded me of the times where No.1, No.1000 and I screamed under the bat’s beatings.

Their expressions dyed in fear I saw on their faces, the ones that looked the ones like we had when we ran to escape the bat.

When I thought of their faces that reminded me of the time that I was trained under the instructor, I couldn’t let my guard down just because they were only kids studying at school.

Because of that, I have no plans to simply do nothing like the other students at Marcis!

-You’re a student so can’t you just enjoy yourself owner?

-My goal isn’t to just become your average student.

If being an ordinary student was my goal, I wouldn’t have gone into the evil organization to suffer.

I would have just been married off to someone befitting the Nermia family’s status, and spent my days laughing haha hoho in high society.

But my childhood dream was an archmage like grandfather.

But after I entered the evil organization not even that satisfied me, and I chose to become the greatest magician in my family’s history, no, the empire’s history.

One whose name would be remembered in a hundred, no a thousand years in the future!

Someone with goals like that can’t dare to lose in something as small as a school!

-Alright, having big dreams is all very well and good. But owner, rather than just training by yourself, isn’t training with others like that kiddo said an acceptable option as well?

-Even if they said it’s for study, it’s obvious. What kind of student studies during the holidays? It’s probably just a social gathering under the pretext of education.

There can’t possibly be people that study properly during the holidays.

That’s common sense, no?

#5 Their story: A certain students’ holidays.

Just what, just what crimes did I commit in my past life?

In my present life I could throw around my weight as a marquis family, but I didn’t, and really worked very hard.

I didn’t whip my people for being commoners or executing them for bumping into me like some corrupt villainess noble like you’d see in old novels.

Let alone ridiculous things like that, I can say with pride that I hadn’t even done any insignificant wrongs either.

Thanks to that, I’m pretty loved by the people on our lands, you know?

When I patrol our territory, the children follow behind me saying ‘it’s Lady Aris’ you know?

And so, if the gods aren’t dead.

If it wasn’t a lie that the gods watched over man!

Unless I committed some insane sin that to destroy a few nations, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!

“What.… what kind of holiday is thiiisss!”

I yelled as I poured out my mana.

A short while ago.

Classes ended at 12:30, and after we were told we could leave after a short announcement.

With familiar slam! slam! slam! Noises, Professor Nicerwin’s voice began broadcasting over the intercom.

-I will now explain the special holiday rules. Break through the teachers and escape. Unlike normal, around half the teachers are absent due to their various circumstances or on leave.

That sounds doable. If there are only half the number of teachers it seems more than doable… then can’t he just send us on our way nicely?

But we couldn’t do anything. I even brought my father in but failed.

Afterwards I even talked with my mother again, but she told me that he’d even started to alter the training regimes of the family’s troops after being inspired by Yugrasia’s methods.

Then the only option was to break through and leave school as fast as possible!

And so we broke through the third floor, and were fighting against the teachers on the second floor when we heard a weird announcement.

-For the students who have not yet left school, we will now be entering the special holiday plan for fast exit.

As I was fighting Professor Aruhan at the time, back then I didn’t pay much attention to this announcement.

But shortly afterwards.

When I saw a mass of students charging down with a rumbling noise, just when I thought all the other floors were cleared and we could finally leave school.

“RUUUUUUUUUNNNNN!”

As I saw the student council president and the other student council members at the front, faces dyed white and screaming, and I was beginning to think something was wrong.

“Heeheehiit, you kids still haven’t left school yet, bad children!”

At the sounds of the devil coming from behind them, I immediately ignored Professor Aruhan and put everything into running as I screamed.

“What.… what kind of holiday is thiiisss!!!”

And so, the holidays with our lives on the line began.