I Became a Time-Stopper at the Academy

20 – Public Proposal

Chang—!

The [Blunt Sword] I held collided with the [Blunt Sword] Held by Julian.

Shortly after, he kicked my wrist and made me drop the sword.

Then he stabbed the point of a blunt knife right up to my throat.

I raised my hands and declared surrender.

“Sir Joel, is the Marquis’ deficit really true?”

Julian asked as he drew back his sword.

… I wanted to answer that the body itself was the margrave’s son, but the soul was not.

I can’t do that.

“I don’t think it has much to do with the class.”

He frowned at my answer.

“Sir Joel doesn’t seem to understand at all why Marquis Jahe is respected by other nobles and people! Sir Joel was able to enjoy a good life because he kept the peace of the imperial subjects, no, the continent, with overwhelming force. Sir Joel must learn his conscience as a human before swordsmanship!”

All the other cadets applauded and responded to Julian’s shout like a speech.

I didn’t understand why he became my mentor, but now I understand.

They’re trying to embarrass me and flatter themselves.

Ah, come to think of it, at this point he is already a candidate for adoption of Marquis Jahe.

That’s why he boldly told me in this way.

“Supreme Julian, you are talking too much!”

But then, Lando, who I was taking a swordsmanship class with, appeared in front of me.

It’s gossip anyway. I hear it all the time. .

“Am I saying too much? Junior, what’s your name?”

“This is Lando.”

“Lando, point out where I am going too far.”

“Joel is a noble enough to be respected!”

At Lando’s words, the cadets around him burst into laughter.

I hurriedly grabbed him by the shoulder and whispered.

“I’m grateful, but it’s not good to fight against seniors. Do this.”

“Just one more word.”

I never thought Lando would be more angry than me.

He’s happy, but thinking that he must have already been filmed by Julian made me a bit confused.

Exclaimed Lando, staring at Julian.

“Joel may be inferior to Julian in swordsmanship. But I don’t think that’s all there is to aristocrats.”

“It seems that Junior Lando doesn’t know much about the status of Marquis. The Marquis is—”

“Yes, I don’t know. I do know one thing though. The fact that Joel-sama and Eliane-sama, who cared for me, are better nobles than the other nobles who ignored me, saying that I was a country boy.”

The surroundings became quiet as if a rat had died.

Because there are no brazen people who openly shout out what’s wrong with calling a country boy a country boy.

Later on, I’m just slandering you behind my back.

Julian cleared his throat and lowered his head slightly in my direction.

“I think I overdid it when I said I had no conscience. I’m sorry, Sir Joel.”

Then the quiet surroundings became noisy again.

He said he was a true knight who could honestly admit his mistakes.

… They really only interpret what they want to see.

“It’s okay. I know very well that I am damaging the family’s honor by not being good at swordsmanship.”

“I will teach you as much as I can from now on.”

“No, you don’t have to.”

Julian stared right into my face.

As if asking what he was thinking.

He smiled lightly and continued.

“I have already given up on swordsmanship. I had no choice but to attend because the course cancellation period had passed.”

“Still, I would like to properly inform you as a senior, at least for this semester, Sir Joel.”

“Wouldn’t it be okay if you coach other first-year juniors besides me? I believe that the senior will correct the personality of the junior who cursed Lando for being a country boy.”

“… ….”

Julian left in front of me, glancing at me.

Landau bowed and apologized.

“Sorry, I got mad at the moment, so I presumptuously….”

“No, it’s rather fortunate to know that Lando is on my side. However, I want you to think about the future and act on it from now on.”

“Okay!”

Since there is no mentor, I will just play quietly, right?

With that in mind, I moved to sit near the parade ground.

But the instructor blocked my way.

“Cadet Joel.”

“Yes.”

“In particular, this instructor will teach Joel cadet one-on-one.”

“… Yes?”

After that, the instructor said that the basic physical strength was a mess, and repeated running the parade ground and exercising the muscles….

It’s hard, help me.

***

After the afternoon lecture, a maid approached Elianne.

Then she carefully put her mouth in her ear and whispered.

“When I fed black tea to a pair of male and female cats, both cats showed heat symptoms even though they were not in heat. Also, when they were mated and immediately diagnosed by a healer, they said that the female seemed to be pregnant from just one copulation.”

Eli Anne let out a long sigh.

After feeding her with powerful aphrodisiacs and fertility drugs, she tried to conceive her child by half force.

She suggested black tea until the end, so I was suspicious….

Even if she is not engaged, the moment she gives birth to her child, she has no choice but to marry her child’s father.

Because it is a virtue for imperial nobles to faithfully believe in church doctrine, abortion was never permitted.

“The technique is dirty.”

Wouldn’t it be better if Julian himself seduced him and fell for the mood, or would he mix the medicine with black tea?

Even the slightest resentment about him fell away.

Eliane walked to a restaurant for dinner.

A man was standing outside the main building holding a bouquet of roses.

Wearing a tailcoat, not a cadet uniform.

“Elianne.”

“… Are you Julian? What are you doing?”

I glanced around her.

Cadets gathered regardless of grade.

Julian got down on one knee and took out the diamond ring case he had seen yesterday.

“I love you, Elianne. Please date that Julian on the premise of her marriage.”

Clap clap clap—.

Ellie Anne didn’t say anything yet, but the cadets around her started clapping their hands.

Some of the female students even shouted, “I envy you, Miss Elianne!”

Public Proposal.

It is usually coordinated in advance and is one of the methods used when announcing engagement to the outside world.

In the eyes of an outsider, it can only be seen that the engagement was agreed upon in advance.

‘I got hit.’

Even if you reject it right now, even if you falsely accept it and then reject it later, both of you will see it as breaking up your marriage.

Even if you now accuse this man of drugging his tea, it will be considered that he is forcibly insisting on refusal.

She doesn’t want to get married, so she even gets the stigma of trying to turn her partner into an ugly criminal.

Anyway, Julian is very popular….

How can I avoid this situation?

Ellie Anne’s head began to throb.

If you don’t know about it once, but if you break up your marriage twice, you will be suspicious that there is something wrong.

If that happens, regardless of age, the road to marriage can be blocked.

Moreover, since it is embarrassing to the candidate chosen by the Marquis of Jahe, the ties with the Marquis of Jahe are virtually cut off.

“Huh?”

At that time, a familiar voice came from behind.

My ex-fiancé, Joel.

I was going to use him to break through the current situation, but I gave up.

Anyway, since I was helped during the dungeon expedition….

A duke’s daughter must always put the interests of the family first.

Her mother also wants to be engaged to Julian, a promising adoptive candidate for the Jahe family.

I was afraid of what would happen if I lived under the same roof with Julian, who even uses drugs, but I have to endure it for the sake of my family.

Because it’s a duty.

“Yes, gladly—.”

“Wait wait wait.”

She made up her mind and was about to propose, but Joel interrupted.

Julian looked at him, frowning.

“What is it, Sir Joel?”

“I object to this engagement.”

“… Yes? No, what does Sir Joel have to do with it?”

Ellie Anne opened her eyes wide and turned her head towards her Joel.

What the hell is this guy thinking?

Julian Malmatana Now that he has broken off his engagement, he has no relationship.

Joel let out a long sigh.

Then he cleared his voice.

He stood next to Julian.

Soon he got down on one knee.

He had nothing in his hand, but he cried out.

“Elianne, I was so lonely while you were gone. It was only after you left that I realized how precious your existence was. Please come back to me!”

“”… ?!””

Julian glared at Joel next to him.

Joel just grinned.

He got up from his seat and said to Julian.

“Come on, senior Julian. Now, shouldn’t Elianne take some time to think about it? Who will you choose between me and my seniors?”

“No….”

“You wouldn’t do anything unsportsmanlike to tell me to decide right away, would you?”

“… ….”

Julian clenched his teeth and approached Eliane.

Then, after giving her a small kiss on the back of her hand, he said, “Please choose me.”

***

Once the worst was averted.

If Ellie Anne agrees to Julian’s proposal, she will not be able to join Lando’s warrior party.

It’s hard to lose her because she’s excellent among her deal porters.

After Julian and the cadets around him went to another place, they approached Eli Anne.

“Now I can just drag it out and make it lazy.”

“Yes? Are you Yuyamu?”

“You’re not really going to choose between me and Julian, are you? I helped you because I thought you were embarrassed, was it my stupidity?”

“Oh, no. Thank you for that….”

Eli Anne lowered her head slightly.

I already know from the story of the game that Julian pretends to be an honor student on the outside, but he is behind the scenes.

Perhaps, as the story goes, she noticed that he was trying to give him drugged black tea.

This is a rather obvious episode in which Landau reclaims Ellie Anne, who was inevitably engaged due to her family circumstances, through a duel.

But the duel part takes quite a bit of time.

… As she may have to take on the difficult mission of capturing Delia’s father alive, she could not be wasted time in a duel with Julian.

So I intervened in the middle.

“Joel.”

“Uh.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Tell me.”

“What did you not like about my fiancee?”

… Huh?

No, why are you saying something different because you are wearing it yourself?

I said it as if I had suggested breaking up the engagement.

“Joel, you have been hiding your true feelings from me all this time. After entering the academy, you couldn’t hide it….”

Really?

Ah, are you comparing Joel before I became possessed with me now?

Looking at it from the outside, it looks the same, but the contents are different, so you might be mistaken for a sudden change.

You can’t say that the soul has changed.

Rolled her head on how to smooth it out.

“Have you ever really liked me, Eliane?”

“Yes?”

“Nothing, right? Why should I show my true feelings to a girl who doesn’t even really like me? What would you do if you were like that? Did you really think I was an idiot who couldn’t even notice that?”

“Oh, no, that… ….”

Elianne couldn’t answer.

I deliberately let out a deep sigh and continued.

“I will be banished from my family anyway, so for now I just live my own way. Nothing to do with you You’re not really accepting the fake love confession earlier, are you?”

“…… Yes, it is. I asked something strange. Sorry.”

Somehow, she was slightly teary-eyed.

Did I push myself too hard?

“Boss, Mr. Landau will be waiting for you at the restaurant.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

I waved her hand to Ellie Anne and walked to the restaurant.

There is only one thing I want from her.

No, there are two.

One is to steadily develop your skills as a delporter mage.

The other one will fall in love with Lando and become his strong support.

My relationship with her would be just right now.