Chapter Chapter 76: 10. We came, we saw, we won (1) (1/2)

RATH 76

TL: Eevee

10. We came, we saw, we won (1)

Yugrasia’s main auditorium.

Inside, Nerkia was passionately shouting.

“Everyone aside from the first years should know. The day the imperial festival begins, the headmaster and the other teachers would encourage us.”

Sure it was called encouragement, but in reality it was just a boring ceremony which dragged down students’ morale with torturously boring speeches.

“But this year, the teachers have chosen me to convey their words for them.”

And thus, Nerkia compressed all the teachers words as thus.

“Before the imperial festival begins, what the teachers want to say is this. We are all thinking of how to congratulate you all, so wait just a bit longer!”

Not even the teachers believed that the students of Yugrasia would ever lose to the other academies’ students.

Would the students that even defeated them, the teachers, ever have a chance of losing to their fellow students.

To the teachers, there would be no greater disgrace than that.

“And so I told them, if you think for too long, then you might not be able to congratulate us when we win!”

People in the positions of a leader all have their own unique talents.

People who lead from the front, who lead the way for others to follow behind them naturally.

People who managed to control everyone despite seemingly never doing anything.

Or people who hid in the shadows, pushing others in front so the person themselves might not be revealed.

And then there were those who grasped the hearts of people with overwhelming charisma.

But Nerkia’s leadership adhered to none of these types.

He was the first to run from night study despite being the student council president, when the offer of exemption of night study came he desperately requested to become a traitor despite being student council president, and when the other students came to school during the holidays, he was the one who came up with the truancy plan despite being the student council president, that was the existence named Nerkia.

Meaning, this boy was the type of leader that was extremely gifted at dragging on all the aggro onto himself.

And he also had a tongue that could deceive people even amidst all the heat on him.

“Now with that, both the teachers and I have said everything we need to say. Need I say more? Ah, but just in case, I’ll ask anyway.”

Nerkia made a disgustingly irritating face that you might see on one of those old variety programmes as he said.

“If there is still anyone who believes we cannot win, raise your hand and ask. Whether it is possible for us to win or not.”

At those words, a deathly silence fell around the auditorium.

Nerkia looked down at the silence with a satisfied smile, before he nodded and continued.

“Alright, it doesn’t look like there are any idiots here who’s thinking that. Then, let’s go.”

With those words, Nerkia strode over to the auditorium’s main doors with light steps, opened them, and moved onwards.

And following behind him were standard-bearers holding the flag of Yugrasia.

And behind them, followed the rest of Yugrasia’s students.

“That actually looks quite impressive.”

“Owner? Don’t ya have ta go?”

“I need to leave last. If I meet someone I know in the middle of the streets of the capital then I’m getting dragged away then and there.”

Even if the princess has left the empire, if one of her subordinates remained in the capital then they could recognise me.

Although of course my face is a highly common type in the continent, but better safe than sorry.

The enemy is the Karuan Empire.

Unlike most countries which began as a revolution from a single nation, even from their very beginning they swept up their surrounding nations and began as an empire, it was a nation that was different from its very roots!

A fighting race almost akin to the Super Sai*ans(1), they had never lost in a war since their founding!

And especially that bloodline where beginning with the emperor, not a single normal or rational person were to be found in that insane imperial family, a veritable den of monsters!

And if I get caught then I forcibly become one of those monsters.

What the heck, no matter what I choose it ends in a freaky dead end route?

“Owner, owner, ya shiverin’? The floor’s all shaking?”

“Mm. I need to calm down.”

Just imagining the horrifying ending made my foot shiver without me knowing.

Relax, relax. Calm down.

I’ll be alright just as long as I survive this year. People are only ever suspicious at first.

Even if they could suspect me this year, come next year, or the year after, all they will think of me is as a teacher of Yugrasia.

As long as I manage to hold out until then, Plan Darkest Under the Lamppost is a success!

And since the princess wasn’t even around, these were the greatest conditions.

“Now let’s get ready for us to head out as well.”

“Us, I dun even have anyfin’ to pack?”

“Take your lunchbox then.”

“Uwit? Even if you talk about my lunch, there’s nuffin in it aside from magic stone fragments? I wanna eat tasty things too!”

“Shut up, and keep gathering mana.”

Even now, her magic power was starting to run low because I’ve used her this way and that since the beginning of the school year.

Even if I told her to go back to her bat form and recharge, she’s telling me to not break her promise of letting her stay in that form and is still burning mana.

At this rate, if enemies come in with ranged attacks or a human-wave tactics like that time with Sia then that’s it for me.

“You need to eat magic stones every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Since I’m not a devil I’ll allow you to eat magic stones as a snack.”

“Owner, I look like an idiot ta ya? Whatcha pretending to be nice, and telling me to eat more magic stones? Owner doesn’t know how awful magic stones taste like!”

“Well, of course! I don’t eat magic stones after all!”

“Uwiiiiiiiit! If it wasn’t for next year I’d just throw it all away, but I have ta store plenty of mana so I can play for next year!”

She’s saying “hmph this isn’t for owner, but for me!” like some standard tsundere, but she doesn’t look at all like a tsundere.

“Professor Nicerwin, it’s Professor Aruhan.”

“Ah, yes, come in.”

“Mmm… good work, Professor Nicerwin. With Professor Muam at the lead, half of the teachers have already left.”

Professor Aruhan momentarily flinched on seeing the metal bat swinging her legs around as she grumbled, but he soon came to me with a sheepish look on his face and gave me the list of teachers that had left in advance.

“Will you be the one leading the teachers that leave this afternoon, Professor Nicerwin?”

Hell no, do I look crazy to you.

All that was on today in terms of the imperial festival was the declaration of the opening of the imperial festival, and then the party that only the teachers, the students and their parents attend in the afternoon.

And if you were to talk about the parents of the students of the Four Great Academies, then that would mean that they were all important people within the empire, which in turn meant that it was a party that the people high up in the imperial court would attend, that is to say, a party that would be just right for me to get caught in.

So why would I go?

“No, I still have some duties left over, so I will be leaving tomorrow at dawn. I will leave you in charge of leading the teachers this afternoon, Professor Aruhan.”

“I understand.”