Chapter 33: The Playboy and the Pale Gourd

“That’s it! Winner, Nero Silhoueska!”

“Alright!”

I unconsciously slammed both fists of my Armed Gear together, soaking in the afterglow of victory. Some say this kind of behavior is rude to the opponent, but since the other side said rude things too, I don’t care. Even though I chose a random match to pick an opponent indiscriminately, the one I clashed with was a worshipper of Zelda Onee-sama. Before the match started, they complained endlessly. Saying I’m unworthy of Zelda-sama, calling me an impudent commoner, and so on and so forth. I laughed it off, but the moment the match started, I socked them with all my might. A deep step-in followed by a right straight. The match was decided in just a few seconds. Hmph, serves them right. I won, sure, but I only gained one star. In random matches, you don’t know who you’ll face until the day of, so you can’t bet big, and you can’t [Raise] either. Earning little by little like this, I might not make it into the representatives by the summer ‘Inter-School Match’. I’m still maintaining eighth place for now, but there’s a significant possibility of being easily overtaken by someone behind me who wins a big bet. I’d like to earn big around here, but… When I returned to the hangar to return the Armed Gear after the match, Carrol was waiting for me. Apparently, Carrol had also just finished her [Star Duel] and returned. It seems she won without any issues. Carrol’s grade ranking is eighteenth. That said, since there are several people tied for eighteenth, the true ranking is tricky. According to Chiba-senpai, who became my swordsmanship teacher, the first term of the first year is usually a jumbled cluster, and it wouldn’t be strange for anyone to be chosen as a representative. In fact, many students apparently participated in the first-year ‘Inter-School Match’ but never participated again after that. That just goes to show how much of a disparity in ability develops over the year until becoming a second-year. I’d like to go to the school cafeteria with Carrol for lunch… but since I’m still being targeted by Onee-sama’s worshippers, we’ve decided to go eat out recently. Today’s afternoon lecture starts a bit late, so going a little far is fine.

“Afternoon is the compulsory subject ‘Noble Etiquette’, huh. Do we really need noble etiquette to become a [Trooper]?”

“If you’re just a rank-and-file [Trooper], maybe not so much, but for a [Trooper] participating in the [Magical Great War: Ragnarok], there are many opportunities to interact with nobles and royalty. If you don’t want to embarrass yourself there, you should learn it properly. Besides, [Troopers] are technically quasi-nobles equivalent to Knights, so we get invited to noble parties and take on escort missions too.”

“Carrol is a natural-born noble, so you’re probably used to it, but still…”

This ‘Noble Etiquette’ thing is just annoying. Starting from how to walk, to the meanings of roundabout words, ways of speaking and replying. Even down to table manners during meals, they are just fussy about everything. For someone like me, it’s so stifling I feel like I’m going to explode.

“For all that complaining, Nero, your table manners were almost perfect, right? Why?”

“Master was strict about those things…”

Usually, Master wouldn’t care, but at restaurants we occasionally went to, I was instructed strictly. Master said, “‘Manners are consideration to avoid causing discomfort to those around you,’ so in places like this, you should follow those rules.” The surrounding customers are also enjoying the atmosphere of the shop, so one shouldn’t do things that ruin it, Master said. However, Master also said we don’t have to go to shops that enforce unreasonable manners. The so-called ‘particulars’ of the shop. How to order, the order of eating, one-sided service… Master said those shops are for the enjoyment of ‘insiders’, so if it doesn’t suit us, we don’t have to go. Well, I also want to refrain from shops that say things like ‘No Talking’ or ‘Eat this first before that’. I don’t care how delicious it is; I don’t want to get irritated while eating.

“So, where do we eat? Parent again?”

“No, I was thinking of exploring somewhere different today…”

While chatting with Carrol, a trio of boys approached from the front of the sidewalk. They were students from the ‘School’ wearing uniforms. That’s rare, coming all the way here. The ‘School’ and the ‘Academy’ are built facing each other on the east and west of this Capital. I thought they would only come over here if they had some business.

“Ah.”

“Eh?”

Turning my gaze to the words uttered by the other side, I saw someone I had just met recently.

“Nero-kun, right?”

“Ah, umm… Kale, ah, no, Seal was it?”

“…It’s Keel.”

Right, right, Keel. One half of the ‘School’ students who came to observe Principal Quun’s part-time job. The other one… ah… I forgot his name. The black-haired student isn’t here.

“An acquaintance? Nero.”

“Well, sort of…? This is a fourth-year from the ‘School’, Keel… Slimeman… was it?”

“…Keel Suleiman. Nice to meet you.”

Close. Suleiman, huh. I got four out of five letters right.

“Suleiman… by any chance, from the Suleiman Count Family of Belfast?”

“That’s right. You know it well?”

“My greetings were delayed. I am Carrolina Liette, a first-year at the ‘Academy’.”

“Liette… The young lady of the Liette Marquess Family of Regulus, huh. My apologies.”

What is this, looks like they know each other’s families. This is why nobles are annoying. Apparently, every noble household has a thick book called the Peerage Directory or something, listing the profiles of nobles from various countries. Noble children are made to memorize it from a young age. Sounds like hell… Keel turned his gaze to the pair of students behind him.

“These are my juniors, Phil Letra and Alcu Cura Helgaia. Both are first-years who enrolled this year.”

“Sup~. I’m Phil Letra.”

“I am Alcu Cura Helgaia.”

The first-years introduced as Keel’s juniors were, how should I put it, an odd couple. The one named Phil was tall with tan skin and looked totally like a playboy. A bandana with feathers on his head, earrings, and jangling gold and silver bracelets. Conversely, the boy named Alcu had pale skin, was taller than me but rather short for a boy of his age, yet somehow had an arrogant attitude. Also, he was a bit chubby.

“I’m Carrolina Liette. First-year at the ‘Academy’. This is my classmate Nero.”

“Nero Silhoueska.”

I lightly bowed my head just in case.

“Silhoueska…? That’s a family name I haven’t heard. Which nobility are you from?”

The boy named Alcu asked suspiciously at my introduction. Looking closely, his ears are pointed. Elf… no, his skin is pale too, so a Demon?

“Ah, I’m not a noble. In Elfrau, commoners have family names too, so…”

“What, a commoner? How confusing.”

“Huh?”

Whaaat? You… Even the mild-mannered me got ticked off at that tone. I can’t hear the voice from somewhere asking “Where exactly is mild-mannered…?”

“Hehh… You seem to be of such high birth…”

“Hoh. Even a commoner can tell? That’s right. I am the Fourth Prince of the Kingdom of Helgaia. I am different from those lower nobles around there.”

“I see, I see. So that’s why you’re strutting around arrogantly like an idiot. You’re the typical rich boy who mistakes his birth for his own ability!”

“Wha…?! Y-you! How rude for a lowly commoner!”

The Demon rich kid turned his pale face bright red in anger. Haah?! I’m angry too, you know?!

“Look who’s talking! Listen here, you pale gourd! This isn’t your country, and I’m not a citizen of your country! Lowly commoner?! I don’t care if you’re a prince or whatever, there’s no reason for me to be looked down upon by someone I just met! Got that, you bonkura!”

“Pale…?! Wha, wha…!”

The Demon pale gourd opened and closed his mouth like a fish at my sudden barrage.

“Wait, Nero! That’s too much!”

“Alcu, you’re being rude to the other party too! As long as we are students of the ‘School’ and ‘Academy’, our status in our countries doesn’t matter. Using that to throw your weight around is out of the question!”

Carrol and Keel intervened between us. The other playboy guy was covering his mouth and trembling, muttering “Pale gourd…!” Is he laughing?

“But Keel-senpai! This shrimp insulted me!”

“Who are you calling a shrimp! You’re a shrimp too!”

“I am taller than you!”

“Haaah?! Not by much!”

Hey, you playboy over there! Don’t laugh while leaking “Children’s fight…!” Me and the pale gourd glared at each other, looking ready to pounce while being restrained by Carrol and Keel respectively. No, actually, I was waiting for this pale gourd to make a move so I could take the opportunity to punch him back! While stifling his laughter heehee, the playboy made a proposal to Keel.

“Keel-senpai, if we stop this poorly, won’t it leave a grudge?”

“Then, what should we do?”

“If those of us aiming to be [Troopers] want to settle things, it’s gotta be that, right?”

“You mean settle it with Frame Gears? But matches between the ‘School’ and ‘Academy’ outside of the ‘Inter-School Match’ are prohibited.”

“But Armed Gears aren’t prohibited, right?”

“No, that is certainly true, but…”

Keel showed reluctance at the playboy’s proposal. In that gap, the pale gourd restrained by Keel shook off his hand.

“Let me do it, Keel-senpai! I’ll beat some manners into this shrimp!”

“I have no manners to learn from a pale gourd like you! I’ll turn the tables on you!”

“What did you say?!”

I glared head-on at the pale gourd. This guy is my most hated type. The typical rich kid type who thinks he’s always right and knows no hardships. This type naturally looks down on people. He doesn’t even intend to look down on them. I’ll beat that excessive arrogance out of him. Carrol, who was restraining me from behind, asked Keel.

“Are you really going to let them do an Armed Gear battle?”

“I think that leaves the least trouble. …And it would be better for him to have his nose broken a bit around here.”

“Eh?”

“No, just talking to myself. The place we were just about to go to has Armed Gears, and they can be somewhat flexible. Let’s have them do it there. It’s just nearby.”

Due to Keel’s proposal, we decided to settle things there. Just what I wished for. I’ll beat him up without holding back.

“”Hmph!””

I decided to follow Keel and the others while avoiding looking at the pale gourd’s face. Ah, I have to apologize to Carrol for dragging her into this.

“Sorry, lunch might be late.”

“It’s fine. Being with Nero is never boring, so it’s interesting. I’m glad we became friends.”

Umm, what does that mean…? In a good way, right? Keel and the others headed toward a place that looked like an aged factory located on the outskirts of the Central District, close to the ‘Academy’. Loud noises of clang, bang could be heard even from a distance. Are we doing the Armed Gear battle there? It certainly looks spacious, though. On the thick metal plate at the huge entrance gate, words were scrawled as if with paint. Is this a sign? This thing?

“Magitech Workshop, ‘Seekers’ …?”