Chapter 21

The early March temperature was cold for spring.

The freshmen who were half naked and soaked in the cold lake water were shivering all over.

But what tormented them more than the cold was the soapy water running down their heads.

The upperclassmen had lathered up their hair with suds under the pretense of giving them funny hairstyles, and now the soap melted into the lake water.

“Uuugh.”

Cries of stinging eyes rang out here and there, yet not one of them reached up to wipe the soap away.

It was because of the upperclassmen’s threats: if their prone posture wavered even slightly, there would be consequences.

But one person’s posture eventually broke.

While being drenched with water, some of it had gone down the wrong pipe.

Cough, cough!

“Hey, you little shit, didn’t I tell you to keep your posture straight? You think a senior’s words are a joke?”

The kicks that followed were a spectacle to some.

Nearby, a group of seniors giggled and laughed.

“Brats, if you received holy water, you should show some gratitude. Want me to sprinkle you again?”

“No, sir! Thank you, sir!”

“Now, begin push-ups. The chant is: one, ‘senior is’, two, ‘the sky’. One!”

“Senior is!”

“Two!”

“The sky!”

That was how students who had only entered the academy one year earlier abused their status as seniors to torment their juniors.

“…Vulgar.”

That had been Shannon’s brief commentary.

Jacqueline, Rita, and Shannon who had been observing the hazing ritual scene were quickly spotted by the upperclassmen.

“Hey, what are you standing around for? You’re the ones who were wandering around outside all morning, right? Think life’s already good just because you got into the Academy? Huh? You not afraid or something?”

“Huh? No, we just…”

“Save it. Go up to your dorm room and bring down the supplies you got on orientation day.”

“Supplies?”

“You know, the stuff you got from the Academy headquarters. Towels, daily uniforms, ink, quills…all of it. We know exactly what you received, so don’t even think about hiding anything.”

Jacqueline asked the senior,

“But why?”

“Are you crazy? You questioning a senior when they tell you to bring something?”

Jacqueline subtly looked around her surroundings.

In one corner of the dormitory’s backyard, there was already a large pile of what appeared to be personal supplies belonging to the freshmen undergoing hazing.

No matter how you looked at it, the whole thing resembled loot or war trophies.

Jacqueline caught on and asked,

“W-Wait, are you trying to take our stuff?”

“Who said anything about taking it? We’re just trying to share a little. Don’t be selfish. Just do as you’re told, alright? We used to share everything with our seniors too, you know.”

“Ugh…”

The man who seemed to be a senior exuded so much intimidation that Jacqueline found it hard to speak up, even though she wanted to refuse.

That was when Shannon stepped in front of her.

“You don’t have to do what they say, Jacqueline.”

“And who the hell are you supposed to be?”

“What’s your name, senior?”

Shannon shot the question back at him.

The senior frowned as if thinking, “What the hell is this girl’s problem?”

But there was something about Shannon’s refined appearance and composed demeanor that made it hard to treat her carelessly.

Reluctantly, the senior answered,

“Call me Hans.”

“Then, Senior Hans, go back to your group and bring someone else here. There’s a person in charge of this hazing ritual, right?”

“And who do you think you are…?”

“Once you know who I am, will you be ready to take responsibility for this?”

Shannon’s confident stance left Hans with a suspicious look on his face.

“What are you, some kind of noble?”

Instead of answering, Shannon crossed her arms.

Then she simply stared at him in silence.

Silence was her weapon.

“Damn it, this is embarrassing as hell. Fine, don’t go anywhere and just wait here. Got it?”

When Hans returned, four men and women followed behind him.

Among them, a well-built man with a closely cropped haircut, standing at least a hand taller than Shannon, seemed to be the leader of the second-year group.

“You little punk, Hans…are you seriously so scared of a first-year that you had to come drag me out here? This is exactly why you keep getting your ass kicked. So, who’s the noble? The one with the orange hair?”

“No. The blonde next to her.”

“Oh? Gotta admit, she’s pretty cute. So, you’re the one who called for me?”

Shannon asked him,

“Are you the one in charge of them?”

“Pfft, in charge? Not officially or anything. But yeah, if there’s one person around here you want to stay on good terms with, it’s me. Unless you’re planning to flunk out early, you’d better not get on my bad side.”

“I don’t care about that. What’s your name?”

“Well, look who’s bold.”

The man leaned down to meet her eye level. He then locked eyes with her for a moment, as if trying to read her.

He seemed to be checking whether Shannon was bluffing or just hiding her nerves.

Maybe he was projecting his own behavior.

“Oliver. That’s my name. Now it’s my turn to ask…are you a noble?”

“No.”

“She says she’s not, you idiot.”

Oliver smacked Hans on the back of the head.

Hans protested in frustration.

“What if she’s lying? I mean, just look at her. We’ve got some weirdos in our grade too, you know….the kind who live in the dorms even though they’re nobles. What if this comes back to bite us later?”

“Do you have any pride at all? She’s totally disrespecting us right now.”

“Yeah, but still…”

Listening to the two of them, Shannon finally cut in.

“Is being a noble really that important to you?”

“…What?”

“If I said I were a noble right now, you sound like you’d be groveling at my feet in an instant. Aren’t you embarrassed by that?”

Oliver’s face finally twisted in irritation.

“Hah, are you asking to die?”

“Whether I’m a noble or not, I won’t hold anyone responsible for what’s about to happen. So go ahead. Do whatever it is you were planning. If you’ve got the courage.”

“Oh yeah? You said that yourself, right? Your friends heard it too?”

Jacqueline grabbed Shannon’s arm.

“What are you going to do if you get hurt!”

Shannon quietly pushed her away.

Honestly, her opponent was so ridiculous, she didn’t even feel like yawning.

“You’ve got guts for a junior, huh? But listen. Promising not to hold anyone responsible? That’s not something you should say so lightly. Especially when you’ve got a pretty face like yours. You never know what kind of games someone might play, hehe.”

Oliver stepped closer, wearing a filthy grin.

Shannon frowned as she caught the smell of alcohol.

“Have you been drinking?”

“What, you think I can’t handle a girl like you just because I’ve had a few? If anything, I might mess up and use too much force. Relax your body. You’ll get hurt.”

As he spoke, Oliver placed his hand on Shannon’s shoulder.

That was her limit.

“I asked if you were drinking because I was wondering if you’d sink….since you can’t swim.”

“…Huh?”

Wham!

A sharp sound tore through the air.

And in the next instant, Oliver vanished from where he’d been standing.

It all happened in a flash.

No one except Shannon knew what had just occurred.

Only a scream echoed from the direction of the lake.

– Aaaaaaaaagh…

The voice growing fainter belonged to Oliver.

Those who turned their heads could witness the surreal sight of a man skipping across the surface of the calm lake like a stone.

Plop, plop, plop—splash!

“…What the hell…”

A cold silence fell over the scene.

While the seniors who had been pestering Shannon stood frozen, unable to move, Shannon calmly approached her fellow classmates who were still crouched on the ground.

To the ones staring at her blankly, she jerked her chin and said,

“What are you doing? Get up.”

***

Clop-clop-clop.

Under the spring sun by the lakeside, six horses walked at an easy pace.

Their riders who were holding the reins with relaxed expressions were all young nobles. They were members of the riding club.

And at the center of them was me.

Winter Winslet was a young and promising noble, and there were many in the kingdom eager to form a connection with him.

This riding club was one of the small groups formed with such ambitions.

As I let my golden, sleek horse move along at a slow trot, nobles from various backgrounds approached me with small talk.

“Baron, have you decided where you’ll be spending the summer?”

“I haven’t made any plans.”

“If you find the time, you must visit my villa. It’s not far from the capital, and our family manages a vineyard nearby.”

“A vineyard, you say.”

“Yes. When you open the terrace doors on a midsummer afternoon, the view is simply breathtaking. From one end to the other, it’s nothing but a sea of green vines.”

“Sounds perfect for a retreat.”

“It truly is. You can take a stroll beneath the shade of the trees, soak in the atmosphere… and when the sun sets, enjoy some wine. Do you drink, Baron?”

“To some extent.”

“Well, that’s perfect. If you ever visit, Baron, I’ll serve you a white wine I’ve brewed myself. Our family owns a winery right next to the vineyard. It’s the largest in the kingdom. You’ve probably heard the name before.”

This man who was subtly promoting his own family was the eldest son of a prominent count’s household.

There were few in number, but everyone present here was an heir to a powerful family.

Just by forming connections among each other, their social standing became more secure, which is why they went out of their way to attend, even from distant places.

Winter whose position in the kingdom was already firmly established had little to gain from such networking,

But as the focal point of the club, he would receive various tokens of appreciation, both big and small, from the participants and their families.

Nothing in this world comes for free.

“We should take a short break. The lake water looks clean….how about letting the horses have a drink?”

“Sounds good.”

When they stopped at a spot with a decent view, the nobles dismounted and admired the lake.

On a calm day with almost no wind, the surface of the lake was as smooth as a mirror.

A few ducks swam leisurely across.

Prrr!

The horses snorted in satisfaction after drinking the cool water.

“This is rather charming. I had no idea there was a lake like this inside the academy.”

“I heard it was originally a reservoir, built to secure drinking and utility water. Back when the academy was founded, it used to be a small swamp.”

“Oh, is that so? You seem well-versed in the academy’s history, Baron. You must be quite fond of your workplace. By the way, do you enjoy fishing?”

“I can’t say I’ve taken much interest in it.”

“I see. I’m actually quite fond of it myself. Seeing such a clear and vast lake….it feels like a waste to just pass by. Have there been any rumors? Like huge ripples forming in the lake, or strange objects being sighted?”

“I haven’t heard anything like that. Why do you ask?”

“Lakes this big usually have something acting like a guardian. And it’s usually one of two things: something huge like a monster… or an actual monster.”

Just then—

Splash!

Before everyone’s eyes, the water suddenly shot straight upward.

“Whoa!”

A towering splash easily over two meters high.

Neigh!

The horses were startled while drinking and reared up in panic.

The nobles, drenched by the spray, were thrown into chaos.

“What on earth…!”

“Was that a projectile?”

“Don’t tell me… the lake really does have a guardian?”

“Calm down. At the very least, it doesn’t seem to be a dangerous situation.”

After pushing the panicked nobles back to a safe distance, I examined the figure now visible on the water’s surface.

Its identity was…

“A person.”

“What?”

“Looks like someone fell from the sky.”

“Is that even possible?”

Instead of replying, I used telekinesis magic to lift the person out of the water.

He was unconscious but still breathing.

It looked like he had simply fainted.

There were no visible injuries.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be a student at the academy…

Come to think of it, if you follow the lakeside trail southeast from where we were riding, you eventually reach the student dormitories.

Did something happen over there?

“Seems the students are enjoying some rather intense water play on this fine day.”

The nobles looked dumbfounded.

“…Haah. Youths these days are certainly full of energy. Thanks to them, I’m soaked.”

After I placed the unconscious student on the back of my saddle, I turned to the nobles and spoke with a polite request.

“Looks like I’ll have to return this absurd lost item. Would you care to come along?”

Not a single one refused Winter Winslet’s invitation.