7

It's been almost a month since we all started at the academy, and by now, most of the students have found their place and settled into their groups.

You've got the groups of commoners who stick together, the noble kids who've known each other since childhood, and then there are the random mismatched groups that somehow just ended up together.

As for me, well, everyone knows I'm part of the Cillian-Annie-Elysia trio.

Cillian's been popular since day one, so naturally, there were students who tried to approach her. But in the end, none of them managed to join our little group.

Annie, on the other hand, floats around and manages to be friendly with everyone. No matter where she goes, though, she always finds her way back to the back row where Cillian and I sit.

And me?

For reasons I can't quite figure out, despite it being nearly a month, I haven't gotten close to anyone outside of Cillian and Annie. Sure, I exchange polite greetings with some of my classmates, and I'll wave if I see them around the academy, but that's about it.

It's strange, considering during our first swordsmanship class, some students came up to me, much like Annie did. So how did I end up like this? I'm beginning to seriously question my social skills.

I've tried initiating conversations myself, wanting to make more friends, but every time I do, Cillian shows up and starts talking to me. Naturally, I have to respond to her, which leaves my other conversation partner feeling ignored.

?

??

!!!

Now that I think about it... this is all my fault!

It's only natural people would be upset if I start a conversation and then abruptly switch to talking with someone else.

But I had no choice! My life is on the line here, after all! Surely I won't go through the entire academy with only Annie and Cillian as my social circle, right?

What? You're saying I've got Ian too?

Well, Ian's more like... you know, an extra?

Comparing people to things isn't polite, but he's kind of like an accessory that comes with Annie. That's the best way to put it.

Don't get me wrong, Ian's easy to talk to, and I consider him a friend, but since he's part of a different group, I mostly end up seeing him because of Annie.

Anyway, now that most students have settled into their routines, we're starting to pay more attention to what's happening outside our immediate class circles.

Which is why, as I was casually observing my surroundings, I noticed something I probably would have missed before.

"Um, here... the chocolate bread you asked for..."

A timid girl handed over a small loaf of bread, only to have it snatched away by a smirking girl surrounded by her group.

"What, no bread for me?"

"Where's mine? Where's mine?"

The boys and girls in the group all threw mocking comments at the timid girl, but she had no more bread to offer.

Instead, she shrunk back and muttered an apology.

"S-sorry... but this was what Senna asked for..."

"What the hell? If you're gonna run errands, at least get stuff for all of us! It's so selfish to just bring yours!"

"What's her problem? It's this girl who's being dense, not me."

Ah, this scene... I've seen it a lot before. Actually, I've lived it before.

Back when I was in the assassin guild, I was the youngest, so I often got dragged into doing errands like this.

Though back then, "errands" was just a pretext. They mostly called me over to vent their frustrations.

I never understood why they enjoyed picking on me in such a small guild, but it definitely left its mark.

So, what did I do?

I trained, of course. Grit my teeth and pushed through. If anything, maybe I owe my current level of skill to them.

Eventually, when those same bullies tried to give me more "errands," I'd just silently draw my sword and start dusting off imaginary dirt with my aura. That usually shut them up.

If anyone still didn't get the hint, I'd give them a little poke with my sword. Just a poke!

Soon enough, the only person in the guild who could boss me around was the guild master. The bullying stopped. Not because I got rid of them, but because they realized it wasn't worth it.

Anyway, back to the present.

It's pretty obvious what's going on here. The girl being picked on is technically part of their group, and they're hiding behind the pretense of friendship to justify their behavior.

I'm not exactly a hero or anything, so I don't really have any obligation to step in.

But the memory of my past is irritating enough that I can't just walk away either.

Still, stepping in won't make this bullying stop. Sure, I might interrupt it right now, but once I'm gone, it'll just get worse. Maybe they'll even escalate things, making her life harder in the long run.

So, I'll hold off for now.

But...

"Oh my gosh, it's been so long! I didn't know you were at the academy too!"

I grabbed the timid girl's hand, pretending we were old friends. Of course, the girl looked completely confused, having never met me before in her life.

Before she could say anything, I turned to the group of bullies.

"Sorry to interrupt, but do you mind if I borrow her for a bit? It's been forever since we last saw each other!"

I smiled sweetly as I spoke, but naturally, they didn't take kindly to the sudden intrusion.

"And who the hell are you? You think you can just—"

"Hey, hey! That's the girl who's always with Cillian..."

Luckily, one of them recognized me and stepped in to stop the others. Not that I cared, but it saved me some trouble.

"Thanks! We'll be on our way then."

I pulled the girl away before they could say anything else. She still looked bewildered, her head turning left and right as I led her away.

We ended up in a quiet corner of the courtyard, far from anyone's view.

Now that I think about it, if anyone saw us, they might assume I'm the one extorting her.

I continued leading her until we were behind a storage shed, completely out of sight.

The further we went, the more scared she seemed, but it's fine—I'll clear things up.

Finally, when I was sure no one could see or hear us, I spoke.

"Sorry for dragging you away like that."

"I-I don't know what I did wrong, but I'm sorry! If I messed up, I'll fix it, I promise!"

She looked so terrified that she was already apologizing.

"No, no, you didn't do anything wrong. I just wanted to talk."

"B-but..."

"Really, it's just a chat! You'll hurt my feelings if you keep being so scared."

It took a while, but after plenty of reassurance, she finally relaxed enough to hold a normal conversation.

"My name's Elysia, from Swordsmanship Class 1."

I bowed slightly as I introduced myself, and she hesitated for a moment before returning the gesture.

"I'm... wait, Elysia? Elysia?"

Her demeanor suddenly changed as she stared at me with wide eyes, looking me up and down as if searching for something.

What is it?

"But Elysia... No, with that silver hair and those red eyes, you must be..."

Now she was mumbling to herself, and it was giving me a bad feeling.

"Are you... Elysia Frenz?"

Had I ever said the name Frenz out loud since coming to the academy?

No. Even when talking with Cillian, I made sure never to mention it. The name was part of my fabricated identity for the mission, so I avoided using it unless absolutely necessary.

But this girl knew it, and she said it first.

"It's me, Yuri Attilia! We used to play together when we were little!"

Ah... this is bad...

* * * *

Thankfully, I managed to smooth things over. The Frenz family's downfall in a demonic raid years ago was common knowledge.

Using that, I explained how I barely remembered my childhood, since I'd been through so much after losing my family. It seemed to work.

"Oh no, I'm the one who should apologize for not recognizing you right away."

I waved my hand dismissively, keeping the conversation going.

"So, Yuri Attilia... Are you from that Attilia family? The one with the Sword Master?"

There are only eight Sword Masters on the entire continent, and one of them is Craig Attilia. That meant this girl was at least closely related to him.

"Yeah, he's my father."

Wait, what?

So the daughter of a Sword Master is being bullied? That makes no sense. No one in their right mind would risk upsetting a Sword Master's family.

Yuri must've noticed my confusion because she explained.

"I'm not really like my father. I'm not good with a sword... That's why my family doesn't pay much attention to me. And my father, well, he raised my brother and me to be strong, so..."

Her voice trailed off.

So, there's already a proper heir, and since she isn't gifted with a sword, she's been sidelined.

But still, she's an Attilia. Even if her father isn't directly involved, his name alone should be enough to make most nobles think twice before messing with her.

Then again, it's the academy. With all the students here, it wouldn't be surprising if a few powerful noble kids didn't care about the rules. After all, the academy's policy is to treat all students equally, regardless of status.

"Really, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I'd hate for you to get into trouble because of me, Elysia—oh! Sorry, I keep calling you that out of habit..."

"No, it's fine. You can call me Elysia."

Yuri smiled brightly, like she was genuinely happy to call me by my nickname.

"Thanks, Elysia! But seriously, I don't want you to worry about me. I'll be fine."

This poor girl... She's more worried about how this situation might affect me than her own well-being.

Even though she's the one suffering, she's trying to protect me.

...

It's been a long time since I felt this disgusted.