I Became an Outcast in the Academy

1. Nightmare (5)

“Wow, she hasn’t left Lootla yet? That’s incredible.”

“Well, of course, she wouldn’t. She sold her family to get in, so if she were to leave just because of some criticism, it would be pretty unfair, right?”

“True, there are quite a few places lusting for her younger sisters, right? Starting from the royal family, to the Duke of Orphega, and even the Mage Tower and the Holy See.”

“If they can successfully sell their sister once, they’ll hit the jackpot. They’ll be set for life, so it’s better to endure, right?”

Although they were muttering amongst themselves, they were also loud enough for others to hear. I clenched my eyes tightly, pretending not to hear the students’ gossip.

‘…Hold back. There’s nothing much I can do about it anyway.’

It was unfair. It was unfair to be criticized for something I didn’t do, and it was shocking that my purpose for enrolling in Lootla to protect my sisters had somehow become twisted into a scheme to sell them off.

‘Those kids… It was Marcus Dein from the Dein family and Berdel Onshtein from the Onshtein family.’

I knew who they were and why they were spreading false rumors about me.

It was because they fell for Letitia and Seria’s beauty at the beginning of the semester, and after being rejected by them, they took their frustration out on me, eventually picking a fight and getting beaten up.

‘Of course, it was not just simple violence; it was a legitimate duel…’

Since then, the boys held a grudge against me and went around spreading all kinds of baseless rumors, just like now.

‘…But there’s nothing I can do now.’

It wasn’t that I couldn’t explain myself or that I didn’t know how to fight, so I couldn’t hit those kids who were spreading rumors about me.

However, in the current state where the public opinion in Lootla was focused on me being a terrible person, there was no point in making an explanation.

The same goes for trying to subdue them again in another duel.

No, in fact, the unfavorable comments about me might spread even more.

And most importantly… I didn’t even want to justify myself about the rumors surrounding me.

‘…Did they really hate me that much? Was I really an obstacle in their lives?’

My heart ached. I knew that I wasn’t a great person, and I accepted the fact that I couldn’t be the perfect older brother for them.

So I somewhat understood that they were embarrassed by the fact that I was their family, and that they dreamed of a more glamorous life than I could provide.

However, even so, I couldn’t understand this behavior of spreading baseless rumors to the point of trying to expel me from Lootla.

I just wanted to protect you all and be close enough to watch you become such wonderful people incomparable to me. Was that such a wrong thing to do?

Did you really want to chase me out of the academy by slandering me and turning me into garbage?

“Damn it.”

My chest feels heavy. But I couldn’t possibly share this problem with anyone else.

Especially not with a friend like Cartesia.

I already feel so pathetic standing in front of her, and the thought of receiving her sympathy makes me want to vomit.

Right then, while I was aimlessly wandering without any particular destination in mind, someone suddenly grabbed my arm.

“Brother, let’s talk.”

It was none other than Rettisha.

“Rettisha? Why on earth are you here?”

“It’s noisy here. For now, let’s move somewhere else. We can’t have a conversation in this bustling place.”

With a light sigh, Rettisha led me to a somewhat secluded location, still holding my arm.

Once we were alone, Rettisha put her hands on her waist and looked at me with a disbelieving expression.

“I heard everything. There have been strange rumors circulating about you lately, haven’t there?”

“What?”

It was absurd. No, before feeling absurd, I was getting angry, thinking she was treating me like a fool.

The person who can be called the mastermind behind those rumors is saying this to me?

Does Rettisha think I really know nothing and she’s deceiving me?

“I think I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not me. Spreading nasty rumors like this isn’t my taste, and I don’t have time for it. If I were the perpetrator, there would be no need to grab you like this right now, would there?”

“Mm.”

Indeed, that’s true. From what I know, Rettisha prefers confronting and crushing others head-on rather than secretly plotting, like a noble’s temperament.

“It’s a little upsetting that you think of me as the same as those other girls.”

“You even had the nerve to spit those words at me with the others not too long ago.”

“That was just me playing along with the rest. Actually, I don’t really care whether you leave Ruthra or not. I’m confident that I can rise to great heights on my own.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Although it was impudent to say as his only brother, I didn’t say anything because I knew that Rettisha was always like that.

Rather, I felt relieved by Rettisha’s attitude.

At least, it seemed certain that the person who spread these rumors was not Rettisha herself.

“Then what on earth is the reason for the busy-body who’s focused on climbing higher to personally come to see me?”

“I’m worried about you, brother.”

“…What?”

The words that came out of Leticia’s mouth were honestly a bit absurd.

“I usually try not to interfere with what those women are up to, but this time it seems like they’ve gone too far. No matter what, we’ve been living under the same roof as a family, and I can’t just sit still when I hear that my brother is in danger, right?”

Her words made me blink my eyes, almost involuntarily.

“…In danger? Me? Why?”

“What’s with that look? Haven’t you heard anything at all? Well, I just found out about it myself, so it’s not surprising if you don’t know either.”

Leticia stuck out her tongue playfully and continued.

“If you have ears, you probably know, right? Based on the rumors going around about you lately, there are some pretty serious people taking it very seriously. Especially those two idiots from earlier.”

“…Yeah, I do. Very well.”

“And it seems like they couldn’t just ignore the rumors even in Luutra. According to what I heard, they even had a meeting about the rumors surrounding you.”

“A meeting of directors just because of me?”

At first, it seemed like an incredibly unbelievable piece of news, but upon further reflection, it didn’t seem entirely implausible.

“Maybe it’s not about me, but they were worried about my sisters who are tied to me by blood.”

More precisely, it was probably because they were concerned about what might happen to my sisters who, despite their talents, were still royal-sponsored students.

If there were any strange rumors about those kids, the royal family couldn’t just stand idly by. After all, no investor in their right mind would watch the value of their investment plummet.

“So, as a result of their meeting, they decided that you and Eli should have a duel.”

“A duel? Eli and me?”

Suddenly, I widened my eyes at Leticia’s words. Who was supposed to be dueling with whom?

“Well, I don’t really know, but I can guess what those higher-ups are thinking. Considering the current rumors about you, they probably think that you need to prove your skills in front of others. And they probably want Eli to subtly show off her skills as well.”

I burst into laughter at the sudden revelation that Eli and I were to have a duel.

“This is quite blatant.”

If this duel had taken place six months ago between Eli and me, there would be no doubt about the outcome – I would have won.

Eli had followed me since we were children and had always wielded a sword tirelessly. But beating me, who had been constantly on the move on the mercenary battlefield, was an impossible feat.

However, now that Eli had awakened her own talent and received the teachings of many people within Luutra, I knew that I couldn’t guarantee my victory in a duel against her.

If it were an ordinary opponent, even a student at the knight level on the verge of graduation with arms, I would have had confidence in winning… but against the current Eli, who was also my sister, I had no confidence in wielding my sword against her.

“…Darn it.”

I could guarantee it. I didn’t know whose idea it was, but the game had been rigged so that I had no choice but to lose.

Without any unexpected variables, it was a well-set stage play designed for me to obediently leave the place called Lutera, all according to someone’s plan.

“It might be hard to believe, but personally, I hope you win this duel. It’s because, although you’re just an obstacle in my path, I don’t really want to see you get beaten publicly by someone else.”

“…So? What is it that you want to say?”

“I have something to give you. Since it’s obvious that you’re going to lose as it stands, I’ve prepared a secret card to help you.”

With a smile, Letisha tried to hand me a something wrapped in bandages, its identity unknown. But just then-

Smack!

A woman appeared out of nowhere and slapped my hand away as I reached to accept the mysterious item Letisha was offering.

“Don’t take it, Sian. It’s a trap that Letisha is giving you.”

It was Cartesia.