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Chapter 2
Thud!
Startled by the chef’s completely unexpected words, I hurriedly set down the bowl I had been eating from. Then the chef spoke again.
“The Marquis Vade’s territory and this city are already connected by a proper road. You don’t have to cross the mountains at all. If you hurry, you could make it in a single day.”
“Huh? That can’t be right. The village chief definitely said…”
At that moment, it felt as though someone had smashed the back of my head with a giant hammer.
—Go that way. You’ll have to cross the mountain in the middle, but there isn’t really anything dangerous there, so you’ll be able to get across quickly.
—I’m not exactly sure how long it takes, but at a normal pace, I’d say three or four days.
The image of the old village chief, smiling kindly as he gave me directions, came to mind.
“The village chief told you to take the mountain path? That’s strange. Unless he did it on purpose, why would he send you somewhere so dangerous?”
I could only stand there in a daze, unable to say a word.
What is this? Did the village chief actually lie to me?
He had been so incredibly kind.
He had even given me camping supplies for free…
Then why trick me?
At the same time, the image of that gentle old chief appeared in my mind again—except this time, he was wearing a sinister grin and chuckling to himself.
No… No way.
I quickly shook my head, trying to chase away the pointless thoughts.
Just then—
“Hey, Chef! One stew and meat set over here!”
“Ah, yes! Right away.”
It seemed new customers had arrived. As someone called for the chef, he looked at me with pity before speaking.
“If you’re done eating, just leave the bowl here. And kid, don’t trust people so easily. There are plenty of dangerous people in this world. Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue as he offered his advice, the chef disappeared back into the kitchen.
“…”
Silently staring at the small amount of stew left in the bowl, I eventually let out a deep sigh.
“Haah… Did he really trick me on purpose?”
Ah, whatever.
I’ll eat first.
Thud!
After finishing every last bite in the bowl, I bowed as respectfully as I could toward the kitchen.
“I’ll definitely repay this kindness someday, Chef.”
I’ve already become indebted to two people in this world…
No.
“The village chief… that person…”
Thinking of him again, I slowly shook my head.
“Forget it. I need to get moving. I’ll go to the Academy and live quietly. I can settle debts and figure out who’s right or wrong later.”
The protagonist would take care of the ending of this novel anyway.
All I had to do was survive until then.
With that thought in mind, I started walking toward the Academy.
Some time later.
“So that’s the Academy’s main gate.”
I muttered as I stared at the enormous, magnificent entrance before me.
A colossal gate made of pure white marble decorated with gleaming gold.
As if to display the authority of the Imperial Academy, grand statues and beautiful sculptures lined both sides.
It was undeniably magnificent, but even more eye-catching than the gate itself…
Clop, clop.
“…Please proceed carefully!”
“Jerain of House Forest.”
…were the people passing through it.
Every single one of them was dressed in luxurious clothing, riding white horses while escorted by knights.
They looked exactly like princes and princesses from a fairy tale, each carrying an elegant and noble air.
And then—
Thunk!
“Welcome to the Plains Imperial Academy.”
The guards standing at the entrance raised their spears high in flawless unison to salute those entering.
Their discipline was so impressive that calling it merely “cool” didn’t do it justice.
Alright. I just have to get inside.
Looking at such a dazzling sight, I felt as though all the exhaustion and hardship I’d endured until now would melt away the moment I stepped through those gates.
Without realizing it, my pace quickened.
Step. Step.
Finally, I stood before the Academy’s grand entrance, where white marble and golden ornaments blended beautifully together.
Watching people line up and enter one by one, I stepped forward to pass through the gate myself.
Clang!
“…?”
“Halt!”
The guards who had been politely greeting everyone suddenly pointed their spears straight at me.
What?
Caught completely off guard, I instantly raised both hands high.
“M-Me?!”
At that moment, I caught my reflection in their polished armor.
Filthy.
A complete mess.
I looked exactly like a beggar—or even a homeless vagrant.
Yeah… I’d stop someone who looked like me too.
I quickly kept both hands raised, making it clear I had no intention of resisting.
“I-I’m a student here.”
One of the guards cautiously approached me.
“You say you’re a student?”
“Yes. I’m a student here.”
“Then show me your student ID.”
“W-Well…”
The bag containing my student ID had been lost in the bushes while I was running away from the bear.
“…I don’t have my student ID anymore, but I really am a student here.”
I had no way to prove my identity at the moment, but it was the truth.
The guard stared at me suspiciously.
Just then—
“What’s going on here?”
Someone who appeared to be of higher rank approached us and asked firmly.
“Ah, Captain. This man claims to be a student…”
“Then verify his identity.”
“He says he doesn’t have his student ID.”
“What?”
The captain frowned slightly after hearing the report and walked closer to me.
“So you’re saying you’re—… Huh?”
The words he had been about to say suddenly stopped.
He narrowed his eyes and carefully examined me.
“Ka…mon Vade?”
Huh? He knows me?
That makes things easier.
“Yes, that’s right. I’m Kamon Vade. I’m a student here.”
I nodded confidently.
But at the same moment—
“K-Kamon Vade?”
“…Is that really Kamon Vade?”
The other guards behind him visibly flinched.
Instead of relaxing, they seemed even more on guard.
…What?
Why is everyone reacting like this?
Feeling something was off, I hurriedly asked,
“Um… if you’ve confirmed my identity, can I go inside now?”
“…”
The captain stared at me for a long moment before finally letting out a helpless sigh.
“…Yes. You may enter.”
What’s with the sigh?
Confused by his attitude, I quickly walked through the gate.
Step. Step.
Then I heard quiet whispers behind me.
“So he actually came.”
“…I thought he wouldn’t. What kind of shameless face does he have?”
“If he cared about things like that, he wouldn’t have done what he did in the first place.”
“Ugh… this is going to be another headache.”
The guards’ whispers reached my ears clearly.
They’re talking about me, aren’t they…?
His reputation is really this bad?
Once again, I realized just what kind of status—and treatment—Kamon Vade had in this world.
Whatever. That’s not important right now. I need to get a new student ID first.
With that thought, I headed straight for the administrative office.
Inside sat a middle-aged woman wearing the expression of someone exhausted by life itself.
“Excuse me.”
I spoke carefully, but without even looking at me, she simply held out her hand.
“Student ID.”
“Ah… I actually lost it.”
“You lost it?”
Only then did she turn to look at me.
“Oh, it’s Kamon.”
“Huh?”
She let out a sigh.
“What kind of trouble did you cause this time?”
“Trouble?”
Seriously… what the hell has this guy been doing? Even the administrative staff know him?
“No. Nothing like that.”
“Then why did you lose your student ID?”
Because the village chief tricked me, and then I got chased by a bear…
…Wait. Why do I have to explain all that?
“Do I really need a reason?”
She shrugged.
“No. Not really. Just a moment.”
She took something out of a drawer, dipped it into a round jar, then handed it to me.
“Here.”
I quickly accepted it.
It was a brand-new student ID with Kamon Vade’s name and picture on it.
“…That’s it?”
“Yep. Reissued. Anything else you need?”
“No. Thank you.”
Not wanting to spend another second talking to the woman whose attitude irritated me from the start, I quickly left the office.
Just then—
“Lord Kamon!”
Three people came running frantically toward me from the staircase outside.
W-What now?
Each had a completely different build.
At first glance, they gave off the unmistakable feeling of a hopeless trio.
“W-Who are…?”
Before I could finish, they reached me with teary eyes.
“Lord Kamon! Are you alright?”
“We just heard you’d returned to the Academy!”
“Oh dear, look at your skin. You must have suffered terribly.”
Who are these guys?
Friends?
“Lord Kamon?”
…But if they were just friends, why are they speaking so respectfully?
Judging by their uniforms, they were clearly Academy students.
Maybe they’re not friends… maybe they’re my juniors?
Wait a second.
I’m a first-year student.
How would I have juniors?
What the hell? That means they’re at least my age, you idiots.
Completely ignoring my thoughts, they continued talking.
“When we heard what happened, we were so worried. We wanted to visit you, but we weren’t given permission to leave.”
“But we prayed for you every day. After all, you did nothing wrong. You were simply trying to properly discipline that filthy commoner…”
“W-Wait a minute.”
Just talking to them felt mentally exhausting.
Still, since they were the first Academy students I’d met, I quickly organized my thoughts.
Actually… this works out perfectly.
They obviously worship Kamon. I’ll use this chance to find out about his current situation.
“You three.”
I looked at them seriously.
“Tell me everything. What kind of relationship did we have? What memories do you share with me?”
“…Pardon?”
“W-Why are you suddenly asking that, Lord Kamon?”
Seeing their uneasy expressions, I maintained a solemn face.
“Because I can’t trust anyone right now.”
“Gasp!”
All three immediately covered their mouths.
“So tell me everything you know.”
“Of course. We’ll tell you absolutely everything.”
They nodded without hesitation.
“Then tell me everything that happened while I was gone… No, tell me everything you know. I want to know exactly what has happened up until now.”
A short while later…
“…”
Their names are Sol, Crollin, and Mok?
Wait… those names sound familiar.
Ah! Right.
Gnoll.
Goblin.
Orc.
That’s right. They’re the Monster Trio.
They had appeared briefly in the original novel.
Just like Kamon, they’d challenged Kyle and been eliminated.
…Huh?
I tilted my head slightly.
How do I remember the names of extras who only appeared for a few pages?
Was my memory always this good?
Then I shrugged.
Well, if I remember, that’s a good thing.
Looking at Sol Crensh, the self-appointed leader of the trio, I asked,
“So, Sol. Is that everything?”
“Yes, Lord Kamon. But why are you suddenly calling us by our real names?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve always called us Gnoll, Goblin, and Orc. It almost feels like you’ve grown distant from us. Haha.”
…Even Kamon called them that?
Seriously? They’re still people. Who names them like that?
Even if they were just extras who disappeared early in the story, couldn’t the author have put in a little more effort?
Anyway…
Thankfully, things aren’t very different from the original novel.
The original Kamon had become so jealous of the commoner protagonist Kyle that it turned into hatred.
Eventually, he plotted to attack him.
Things went wrong, however.
The Imperial Princess got caught up in the incident, and instead of attacking Kyle, Kamon ended up attacking Princess Fransia.
…Well, that was all over now.
“So, Boss, everything’s alright now, isn’t it? There won’t be any additional punishment?”
“The suspension will end eventually, right? Then you’ll just return to Academy life?”
At Goblin and Orc’s—no, Crollin and Mok’s—questions, I answered casually.
“Ah, punishment? It ended with me getting kicked out of House Vade.”
“…What?”
“Y-You were expelled from House Vade?”
“D-Does that mean you’ve been demoted to a commoner?”
The Monster Trio stared at me in shock.
I nodded.
“That’s basically what happened.”
“…”
The expressions on their faces instantly changed.
What?
It was obvious that the atmosphere had shifted the moment they heard those words.
Completely confused, I watched them.
Then—
“What the hell? Does that mean we’ve been talking to a filthy commoner this whole time?”
“Hah. You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The three of them immediately spat out insults, looking at me with eyes full of disgust and contempt.
…Huh?
What the hell is this all of a sudden?
