Chapter 44:
Chapter 44:
“… Sigh.”
Hailey Baroun let out a deep sigh.
Of all the people he didn’t want to run into, it had to be him.
Bleuhan Eloy was a fourth-year student at Privia Academy. He was accompanied by four students who seemed to be his entourage—two girls and two boys.
They seemed to be amused by Bleuhan’s words, and observed Lua and her group’s reactions.
“… Who do you think you are to be so rude?”
Olivia Nuez glared at Bleuhan. Bleuhan Eloy smirked and shrugged lightly.
“If you’re following around the Northern King, you should introduce yourselves first, right? Huh? Isn’t that how it goes, little first-year kids?”
Bleuhan was quite handsome, but his appearance didn’t catch Olivia and Anise’s attention. It was the disdain and disregard in his eyes that made them feel uncomfortable.
“What did you say? Little kids…?”
Olivia gritted her teeth. Then one of Bleuhan’s entourage boys acted boastful.
“Oh, she’s getting angry. Do you know who he is?”
“Well, if they’re from a remote territory, they might not know. Don’t blame them for that. It’s not those kids’ fault for not knowing someone from a big family.”
Bleuhan replied with a mocking laugh.
Watching this, Hailey narrowed his eyes and stepped forward.
“Stop bothering my friends. If you have something to say, say it to me.”
“What? Friends? The king raised friends like that? But anyway, here in the academy, you should address your seniors properly, right? There’s no father here. Can you be so arrogant even without your father around?”
Bleuhan Eloy raised his hands in exasperation.
“Isn’t your father also absent? You’ve never beaten me in a duel, so why do you act so arrogant? Do you trust those lackeys you’re hanging around with?”
Hailey didn’t back down even though he was facing someone several years older.
Realizing Bleuhan’s status by now, Olivia trembled, and Anise stood behind her with an uneasy expression.
“What? Lackeys? Hey, young master. You shouldn’t disrespect your seniors like that.”
One of the girls following Bleuhan glared at Hailey and tried to intervene, but Hailey didn’t even bat an eye.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve. If you have any complaints, challenge me to a duel. Or ask this Bleuhan Eloy for revenge. I don’t know if he has the guts for that, though.”
After saying that, Hailey removed one of his gloves and forcefully threw it at Bleuhan’s face. Bleuhan didn’t dodge the glove, and the white leather glove struck his cheek, leaving a mark.
“… This brat.”
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Bleuhan Eloy furrowed his eyebrows.
“Of course, I can’t forgive anyone who insults my friends’ honor, so I formally challenge you to a duel. Do you have the courage for a fair fight, Bleuhan?”
No one among his entourage said anything in response to his unexpected actions. They all stared at him as if asking what he was going to do.
“Come on, you punk. I’ll let you do as you please.”
Hailey chuckled at Bleuhan’s proposal and cast a wry smile at Olivia, Anise, and Lua before speaking up.
“You guys should head back. This is my fight to handle.”
“Are you planning to fight them?” Lua asked with an anxious look on her face, having grasped the situation a little earlier.
“Most likely, but I can handle them easily.” Hailey nodded confidently.
The situation was clear-cut – even though Hailey possessed remarkable sword skills, taking on five 4th-year students alone was too much, and Olivia and Anise couldn’t just walk away.
“Let’s go.”
Hailey took the lead, and walked toward a less populated area.
“Just don’t kill him, and I’ll take care of the aftermath. Understand?” Bleuhan addressed the 4th-year students in a low voice as they distanced themselves.
Once they were out of earshot, Anise turned to Olivia, her face full of concern. “What do we do now?”
“We need to find some help. If we were still at the academy, we could have sought help from the professors or instructors, but we’re outside now…” Olivia replied, feeling unsure.
“I wish there was somewhere we could ask for help. If this were the academy, we could have approached the professors or instructors, but we’re out in the open now…” Anise added, feeling equally unsure.
“He seems like a nice person, though,” Olivia remarked.
Although it was their first time talking to Hailey, Olivia didn’t want to see him get hurt.
“Oh, isn’t that Lua?”
Anise noticed someone calling Lua from a short distance away. As Lua turned to look, she recognized the familiar face and smiled brightly.
“Sister Lis!”
Lisriel was quite friendly with Lua, having shared meals and tea time together several times.
Since she was initially responsible for taking care of Philip, getting close to Lua was a priority for her. Luckily, Lua wasn’t being overly defensive these days and had a charming side to her.
As a merchant, Lisriel understood that to win over Philip, she had to first win over Lua.
“It seems like you came here to buy something with your friends. Did you come looking for me? Whatever it is, I would have given you the best goods.”
Anise made a gesture questioning who she was.
“Lisriel is friends with the instructors,” Lua explained, and Olivia’s eyes lit up.
“Hello! We’re Lua’s friends, and I’m Olivia Nuez. This is Anise Praline. I apologize for the sudden introduction, but could you help us out a bit?”
“Huh? What’s going on?” Lisriel inquired curiously.
Lisriel raised an inquisitive brow.
“Our friend got dragged away by some intimidating fourth-year seniors…”
Upon hearing the situation, Lisriel nodded understandingly.
“That’s a serious problem. Do you know where they took him?”
“Over there.”
Glancing in the direction Olivia pointed, Lisriel couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
The path led to the cafeteria where she and Philip had been discussing plans for the swimming pool construction just a little while ago.
Lisriel had to step away briefly for an urgent matter, and Philip was supposed to still be there at the cafeteria.
* * *
The evening ambiance at the cafeteria was rather serene. The place Philip had found exuded a vintage charm that wasn’t exactly the typical student hangout.
It was more frequented by mature humanities professors, magic faculty members, or their aides.
“… Come to think of it, this business idea is bound to succeed. It won’t be limited to just a swimming pool. A fantasy-themed Spaland? We might even rake in gold coins!”
Reviewing the business proposal he and Lisriel had crafted, Philip nodded with satisfaction.
It felt like the Lake Fairy Yuna, whom he had previously underestimated, was transforming into a golden goose laying eggs.
“For now, let’s be content with the swimming pool. We shouldn’t treat her merely as merchandise.”
Philip planned to become closer to Yuna and have some fun together later. Until the swimming pool was completed, he felt responsible for taking care of Yuna’s well-being.
He began contemplating what the Lake Fairy would enjoy.
At that moment, the cafe owner approached Philip’s table.
“Excuse me, are you Professor Philip from the Swordsmanship Department?”
The owner was a woman in her early thirties.
“Yes, that’s correct. Is there something I can help you with?”
With a hint of annoyance on her face, she let out a sigh and conveyed the situation.
“Some of the academy students are gathering in the alley, and it looks like a fight might break out. I thought you might want to check it out.”
“Oh, dear… I apologize for this inconvenience. I will address it and return shortly. If my companions arrive, could you please let them know the reason for my absence?”
“Of course, thank you.”
Reluctantly, Philip got up from his seat and left the cafeteria.
As he reached the alley, he found a fight already in progress.
Despite being students, they wielded their swords with determination. Five of them seemed to be confronting a single person.
The lone fighter was one of Philip’s students. He already bore several bruises on his neck, and blood trickled from his forehead.
It was somewhat disheartening to witness his unwavering spirit against the odds.
“What on earth is going on? Put an end to this immediately!”
When Philip shouted loudly, the students realized he was a faculty member and ceased their actions, nervously looking at him.
“… Um, who are you?”
Bleuhan Eloy took a deep breath, trying to steady himself as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
He couldn’t recognize the face of the person in front of him—Philip. The fourth and first-year instructors rarely interacted, and being from different backgrounds (Bleuhan from the western regions and Philip from central nobility), they hardly crossed paths.
“Hailey Baroun, what on earth were you doing fighting in the streets wearing the academy uniform? Care to explain?” asked Philip sternly.
Bleuhan didn’t offer any excuses. Instead, he turned to Philip and addressed him confidently, “Well, I thought I’d give the juniors a bit of a lesson in humility. I didn’t intend to cause any real trouble. After all, aren’t you an instructor too?”
“What do you mean?” Philip was taken aback by Bleuhan’s audacity and couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.
“Your name?” asked Philip, trying to maintain his composure.
“I’m Bleuhan Eloy.”
Philip recognized the name. Bleuhan was the second son of the Eloy family, not that it mattered much to Philip, who considered himself a mere extra in the grand scheme of things.
“All right, Bleuhan Eloy. I’ll take it upon myself to give you a proper punishment.”
Bleuhan raised an eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed. “And by what authority, Instructor? Isn’t it the Senior Professor who decides on proper punishment?”
Hailey Baroun was still wiping the blood off his forehead, and looked at Bleuhan with a mix of admiration and bewilderment. He couldn’t believe Bleuhan was daring enough to challenge Philip, the son of the Oswald family, one of the influential northern guardian families.
‘Does he really not know?’
Hailey wondered, realizing that Bleuhan might not be aware of Philip’s true identity and the consequences of his actions.
Hailey couldn’t fathom how Bleuhan failed to recognize Philip, a renowned figure even among the instructors of the Swordsmanship Department. Hailey shook his head in disbelief, which inadvertently made him laugh, causing him to spit out a little blood.
Bleuhan was unfazed, and responded to Philip’s warning with a hint of defiance, “Do as you please. If you have the authority.”
Philip chuckled at Bleuhan’s apparent conviction. “I’ll give you and your friends a chance. If you acknowledge your mistake and show some remorse now, I’ll spare you from further punishment. But if you continue like this, your friends will bear the consequences too.”
As Philip spoke, the fourth-year students’ attention shifted to Bleuhan. He calmly disregarded their concerned looks.
“Well… I’ll do as I see fit.”
Bleuhan replied confidently, showing that he had his own principles guiding his actions.
Philip found himself amused by Bleuhan’s demeanor and casually placed his sword and coat on Hailey’s shoulder. “Hold on to these for a moment, will you?”
Hailey was slightly bewildered and replied, “Uh, sure. Okay.”
Hailey accepted Philip’s belongings and stepped back. He had a rough idea of what was going to happen from now on.
———
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