"THIS IS BULLSHIT!"
Rotsard stomped his foot and roared in a disgraceful display.
"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!? HOW CAN I LOSE TO A FILTHY PEASANT?!"
The bleached-blond-haired youth's howl rose to the heavens, but no one spoke up against him.
Not pathetic enough, huh…
"DON'T THINK FOR A SECOND THAT THIS IS OVER, YOU FILTH! I WILL-GAGH!?"
To make things look worse for himself, Rotsard started walking away but still looking and growling at the future hero, and as he walked, he purposefully tripped and fell.
"This…! This is NOT over!"
Snarling as he crawled up, Rotsard scrambled back up to his feet and rushed off, not going back to the dormitory but rather straight to the already waiting carriage.
Despite not knowing whether he was watched or not, Rotsard made sure to sway and stumble as he went, acting just as if the duel took everything out of him and he was barely keeping himself up from extreme exhaustion.
The funniest part?
He was watched.
"A wounded beast is the most dangerous."
The headmaster, who watched everything from his office's balcony, leaned against the railing and said with a serious expression.
"If you believe that's what's going on, then you should have your eyes checked, kid."
Someone staying out of sight back in the headmaster's office scoffed in annoyance, shaking their head at the remark.
"Then, what does it look like in the eyes of a Great Fae of Nature?"
The man asked and looked over his shoulder with a wry smile.
"It looks like the carnivore is training the other one himself because he believes that none of your staff is good enough."
"..."
The being inside the office scoffed and declared without a second of hesitation, causing the smile to disappear from the headmaster's face.
"Then, are you saying that everything he does is just an act for some greater purpose?"
The headmaster inquired, as despite his own opinions and suspicions, the words of a Great Fae of Nature weren't ones to be taken lightly.
"Stop with the roundabout questions, kid. What you actually want me to tell you is how strong that carnivore is."
"..."
The being inside the office scoffed, causing the headmaster to go silent and look away like a child caught in a lie, turning just in time to see Rotsard entering the carriage.
Not confirming anything, but also definitely not denying it either.
"I'll put it that way. Forget about the Vallhall family's patriarch. That carnivore is so strong that at one point I suspected him to be the human form of that abhorrent wolf terrorizing the north."
"Th-the Grand White Wolf Fae!? Him!?"
The Great Fae of Nature said hesitantly, causing the headmaster to straighten his back and call out in disbelief.
"You asked for my opinion so I've shared it with you. Since the show is over, I'm going back to the kitchen."
The being declared dismissively and began to leave.
"Huh?! Now, wait a moment! Please, change the barrier back to one defending against the spells!"
"...haaaah…"
*click*
The headmaster flinched and hurriedly called out, causing the being in his office to stop and let out a tired sigh before snapping its fingers.
"Done."
"...a-already…?"
The Grand Fae scoffed, causing the man to gulp down his saliva and ask.
"It feels like I've told it to you and all of your predecessors thousands of times already, and you still don't get it. Changing the way the already existing great barrier functions is easy. Creating it from the ground up... that's what takes a lot of time and an enormous amount of resources."
The Great Fae of Nature pointed out with a sigh and actually left the office without giving the headmaster a chance to say another word.
Meanwhile, back on the ground level, as Rotsards was entering the carriage, he stopped, hesitating for a second, before getting in and closing the door.
"..."
He breathed out and relaxed, leaning into the generously cushioned seat before looking at a certain red-haired individual, who should have little-to-no reason to be there.
"I'm sorry for inconveniencing you, Young Lord Vallhall. I wanted to have a word with you in private."
Vicas Lazalarius, the already defeated antagonist of the first volume of the story read to Rotsard by the deofol, lowered his head and said apologetically to Rotsard from the other seat.
"..."
Rotsard did not answer immediately. Instead, he first glanced down at the seat the uninvited guest took, and furrowed his brows.
"I'm not immediately going back to the Vallhalls. If you think you can travel with me partway to Lazalarius territory for the summer break, you better take out your baggage while you can, because you're wrong."
As Vicas seemed determined to remain silent until his presence was acknowledged by the bleached-blond-haired youth, Rotsard had no other choice but to speak first.
And there was a fair bit of annoyance and even a hint of hostility in his voice.
"I wanted to personally thank you for helping me back then. I had no idea that the fae I had a contract with was using me… that part had to be explained to me by my uncle."
"..."
Vicas lowered his head even more and began to reveal, while Rotsard watched him with a grim expression.
"By any chance… how did you know that it was actually a juvenile vampiric fae and not an average dark fae bat? Even my uncle only figured it out after I told him it spoke right by the end…"
Vicas asked, curiously glancing upwards at Rotsard's face.
"That's news for me. My starting point on old faefolk is that they are untrustworthy creatures, on occasions even worse than deofols with how they trick us humans into trusting their supposed good intentions."
"...!?"
Alas, the answer he received seemed to shake him deeply as it was one going directly against the doctrine of the most widespread faith of their land.
"I-is there a reason for that…?"
Choked up by the shock, Vicas stuttered, momentarily forgetting the original purpose for the meeting.
"Back in the day, my mother used to always take me with her to visit her parents. There were always a couple of other territories we had to travel through to get there. Most of them were poorly managed and hence plagued with yearly peasant uprisings. One time, around eleven years ago, we got caught up in a really violent one on our way back…"
Rotsard spoke up while looking down with a vacant look in his yellow eyes.
"My mother was a devout believer. She was also considered someone beloved by the faefolk. But when she was in danger and tried to summon them for help, not a single one came. Not one she was contracted to, not even one from amongst the swarms of the ones who always visited her, and not one from the famed Vallhall household's protectors. With no other options, my mother hid me away, made me promise to stay silent no matter what, and did her best to defend against a mob. The problem was... since she always relied on a fae's help, her mastery over standard magic wasn't good at all. And she was captured. And she was murdered. I couldn't see her, but I heard her desperate screams. The betrayal in her voice as she begged the faefolk to come to her aid… is not something that I can ever forget. And neither is the mockery the peasant made of her before killing her, cheering over the fact that faefolk turned their backs on a hateful noble. That's why I hate them both, faefolk and peasants alike. One is a backstabbing filth undeserving of trust, the other is a mindless, bloodthirsty mob that goes berserk at the slightest inconvenience and starts slaughtering. Both are worthy of each other, and I am merely treating them accordingly."
"..."
Rotsard leaned back as he explained, leaving Vicas completely speechless.
"Did I satiate your curiosity? Off you go then, stop overthinking and enjoy your summer break."
"...!"
The bleached-blond-haired youth breathed out before shooing the red-haired boy away with a dismissive gesture, which actually made Vicas flinch and come to his senses.