"Th-that's the other thing I wanted to inform you about… I'm… well… It will not be a summer break for me."
"Oh…? Are you trying to get me involved in something? Sorry, but I really have other plans that I don't intend to delay."
Vicas shook his head and said while clenching his fists, to which Rotsard tilted his head before waving his hand from side to side to reject the unspoken invitation.
"Wha…? N-no! What I want to say is that… After some consideration and self-reflection… I've decided to quit the Academy…"
Vicas froze up for a moment before hurriedly clarifying what he meant, lowering his head again as he spoke.
"..."
Rotsard did not comment on that revelation.
After all, in the story, Vicas had been quietly expelled, bringing dishonor to his family name, while causing the justice-loving future hero to feel wronged.
After all, that expulsion was all the punishment that the antagonist faced, making the future hero experience the injustice of the aristocratic society.
…not to mention that Amelia Edemsworth, the real one, had to be raging over the fact that she could not openly label Vicas a criminal and put him on trial…
"..."
That thought made Rotsard frown and stare through the window.
The unshakable faith that Amelia had in fae was the only part of her personality he actually disliked. That girl simply did not even consider that Vicas's contracted fae was the actual sinner in this case, and tried so hard to put all the blame on the human that just thinking about it was making Rotsard angry.
Someone like that was bound to meet a terrible end.
"Won't you regret it?"
After taking a deep breath, Rotsard looked back at Vicas and asked, even though he most definitely did not want Vicas to suddenly change his mind, as that would definitely cause the reality to diverge from how it was supposed to go, leading to the world's destruction.
"...what I regret is begging my parents and uncle to let me enroll here in the first place…"
"!!!"
But even so, Vicas's sorrowful words took Rotsard by complete surprise.
"I am… not talented at all. I knew it from the start, but I believed that hard work would compensate for it. But then I was faced with reality…"
Vicas continued, now looking through the carriage's window towards the main building's door.
"Here, in the Royal Academy, everyone works hard, putting in all their effort. I was doing nothing less than insulting all those prodigies and geniuses by thinking that I am somehow special with my consistent training and studies… as if, somehow, every other student here wasn't doing the very same thing. This is the best educational facility in all of Nordensthele for a reason. The pressure I was putting on myself definitely made it easy for Strig to influence me… I feel so ashamed…"
Vicas declared while clenching his fists so hard his hands started to shake… or maybe he was just trembling while trying his hardest to hold back his feelings.
"Understandable. Just remember to not show that face to anyone else."
"Wh-wha…?"
Who knows? If it was Justin sitting in front of Vicas, maybe the bleached-blond-haired youth would have given him some words of encouragement or a heartfelt speech followed by constructive advice.
But the future hero wasn't in the carriage with Vicas Lazalarius.
Rotsard was.
And he shrugged, causing the fallen antagonist to let out a dumb-sounding voice.
"Vicas Lazalarius. You're not just some rural noble with manure stuck to the soles of thier shoes. Don't make that kind of face. Twisted with remorse and despair? That's just disgraceful."
"!?"
And Rotsard's words made Vicas's eyes widen.
"You make it look like you were doing it all just to satisfy your own whim."
"...and… I wasn't…?"
Rotsard scoffed, making Vicas stutter in confusion.
"Pffft. Please, say, what did you want to accomplish?"
Rorsard snorted, shaking his hand from side to side.
"...I wanted to be the most talented one… So I stole the talent of others…"
Vicas tensed up before admitting in a feeble voice.
"Mhmm. And why did you want to be the most talented student?"
"Huh? W-well, because the Lazalarius family deserves…"
As Rotsard nodded with a mocking smirk, making Vicas speak up, only to freeze up as if realizing something.
"...because… because the Lazalarius family deserves the most talented person as its heir…"
He then fumbled over his words before actually speaking his mind, looking quite shaken over his own motives.
"See? You had a proper goal. You wanted to accomplish it with shady means, and you were caught, so you were in the wrong. Well, honestly, you were just wrong because I kind of doubt you would be able to stop yourself from taking away from others and would eventually cause the downfall of your territory and the complete annihilation of your family all by your own hand…"
"!!!"
Rotsard added, slightly drifting off topic and causing Vicas to shiver over such a bleak future he barely dodged.
"The thing is, you started sacrificing others from the get-go. You have to at least TRY to make use of them first. Oh, right, that degenerate fae clouded your judgement so there was no helping it. Anyway… You have an understanding of administration and are a hardworker… Not common at all amongst men, you know? You're quite the catch for the ladies. You will not believe how many talented people in general don't attempt anything and just waste away, unable to make themselves of use. Why not try to gather some of those and put them to work for the good of your family and the kingdom?"
"..."
Rotsard scoffed and then interrupted himself in realization before changing his tone and pointing out, causing a transformation in Vicas's behavior.
The red-haired boy lowered his head, placing his hand over his mouth and furrowing his brows, his eyes darting from side to side.
"Since you're a high noble, you were merely lightly slapped on the wrist for something that would leave a lower noble in chains. Don't waste that opportunity."
"...!"
Rotsard leaned in and declared while tapping Vicas's shoulder, causing him to flinch and focus back on the beastly yellow eyes brimming with unwavering confidence and only a hint of mockery.
"I don't mean to be rude, but now that I think about it, it's kind of… ironic to hear that coming from you, young lord Vallhall."
After the initial wave of awe passed, Vicas was reminded who he was talking with and chuckled awkwardly.
"Fair enough… haaah… I will miss how they started to treat me here recently…"
"...pardon…?"
Rotsard nodded with a laugh, but that laugh changed into a dispirited sigh as the bleached-blond-haired youth leaned back and stared at the main building's door through the carriage's window, taking Vicas by surprise.
"My cousin will begin attending the Royal Academy with the coming of the new school year, and she won't miss a chance to tell everyone the truth about me… Alas, that's nothing for you to concern yourself about, Young Lord Dropout. Now, get the hel out of my carriage. Unlike you, I have limited time."
"!?!?"
*thump*
Rotsard shrugged as he explained, before glancing over at the bewildered Vicas and then proceeded to move his foot and, quite literally, although without much force, kicked Vicas out, leaving the red-haired boy shocked speechless on the ground.
"Regardless, I do wish you well. Hey! We're leaving!"
Rotsard then leaned out of the carriage and nodded at the baffled Vicas before shouting at the coachman and shutting the door right as the carriage started moving.
Alone inside, Rotsard ended up leaning forward towards the opposite seat.
He reached out and lifted the cushioned board, revealing a hidden compartment containing human remains, mostly bones, encased in ice.
"...sorry about that, I didn't plan on having passengers…"
The bleached-blond-haired youth muttered apologetically, lowering his head towards the remains.