The “King” and “Queen”
The day after the kidnapping and successful rescue of Letitia Barrow/Odrant, the members of Class F were secretly gathered in a secluded area of the Royal Academy courtyard. All except Alban and Letitia.
“—So, why have you specifically summoned us to this out-of-the-way location?” Ester asked Matthias, who was seated on a bench, as she elegantly tossed her golden ringlets. He had been the one to call the Class F members together.
“…Why? You already know the answer, don’t you?” Matthias countered.
“…”
“It’s about Baron Alban Odrant. All of you know it.”
Matthias glanced at his classmates, assuming they all shared the same sentiment.
“That guy’s got a screw loose. Trying to rush into a place guarded by a hundred men, all just to save his wife.”
“…Mmm. Only true strength and courage could allow such a thing,” Rowen said, nodding in agreement. As the most aggressive combatant in Class F, he had already accepted that Alban’s strength surpassed his own in mind, body, and spirit.
Matthias sighed softly. “I’m asking everyone here: could any of you do the same thing?”
“…………”
“Diving alone, without hesitation, into a battlefield where a hundred enemies await, all for the sake of one’s beloved… Without a thought for risk or self-preservation. Is there anyone else with the spirit and skill to do that?”
“I-I don’t think so…” Shanoa replied. She, of all people, had been rescued by Alban and Letitia. Shanoa still had a bandage on her forehead and a plaster on her face, but she didn’t seem to care about the remnants of the incident. “There’s no one with a heart as strong as theirs, not in Class F… N-No, I don’t think there’s anyone in the whole Academy…!”
“Right?” Matthias sighed again, his shoulders dropping slightly. “My father taught me my whole life that ‘there’s nothing money can’t buy.’… But Baron Odrant is on a different level. I feel like he’s fundamentally different. You definitely can’t buy that kind of spirit with money.”
Matthias stood up from the bench, looking straight into the distance.
“…I feel like I’ve finally been forced to understand. I can’t compete with that guy; that is the character of a King. I—I recognize Baron Odrant as the Class F King.”
“I agree! ☆” Laki said, raising her hand with a saccharine smile. It was the same unsettling, manufactured grin. “Al-kun is the only one who could be the Class F King, yup, yup! ♡”
“I… have no objection…” Carla agreed, her dark figure motionless.
“Caw!” added Dark Assassin-maru on her shoulder.
“Rowen, how about you?” Matthias asked.
“I have already been defeated in a duel and was beaten to the dungeon objective. I follow the strong,” Rowen stated.
“And Ester?”
“Well? It’s quite against my will to follow anyone, you see? But I suppose I can reluctantly grant him recognition?” Ester said, tossing her hair.
“Just admit it, you ain’t got the guts to pick a fight with that monster.”
“Nonsense! I-I-I’m not scared at all! If it was a one-on-one fistfight, I’d have a chance, I tell you!” Ester protested.
“Alright, alright. And Leonil—I don’t even need to ask, do I?”
“Of course! I’m his Knight!” Leonil declared with the sharp clarity of a loyal dog.
But then, he looked down slightly. “Though… this whole incident made me realize it even more. That person is truly amazing. I have to catch up to him.” Leonil sounded genuinely frustrated.
Leonil, a commoner, had been training his swordsmanship since he was a child. Born into a family that was far from wealthy, the only thing he could do for a game was swing a wooden sword. To him, who had been engrossed in swordsmanship since before he could walk, the sword had become his spiritual pillar. He believed that even without authority or power, his swordsmanship was second to none. That conviction was what had gotten him into the Royal Academy.
However, Alban’s single remark: ‘Leo, have you… ever cut a living person?’
—Leonil was stopped in his tracks. He had never cut a person with a sword. He had cut down monsters. He had hit people with a wooden sword. He had accidentally injured training partners. But he had never intentionally cut someone with the purpose of killing.
Perhaps that’s the difference between me and Baron Odrant, Leonil began to think. It was as if he were asking: Do you have the resolve to cut down others for the sake of the one you hold dear?
I still have a long way to go. Baron Odrant is truly an amazing man to possess that kind of resolve. Leonil’s respect for Alban only grew stronger.
Matthias looked at Leonil with a mixture of exasperation and disbelief. “Alright, then… You’re the last one, Ivan Scottish.”
“…”
He addressed the final classmate. Ivan looked utterly ravaged. His head and half his face were bandaged, and one arm was supported in a sling. He was clearly a wreck.
“Honestly, I thought you’d leave the Academy. You’ve already dragged the Scottish family name through the mud,” Matthias stated bluntly.
“Perhaps. …But I still have things I must do. Besides, I must atone for what I did to the Odrant couple, or that would truly be a disgrace to the Scottish Dukedom.” Ivan looked grim.
“Oh yeah? Well, then—”
“Yes… of course,” Ivan confirmed.
▲ ▲ ▲
—Two days after the Letitia kidnapping incident, Matthias suddenly informed me that “The entire Class F has agreed to make you the King.”
I was initially taken aback by the sudden change of heart—Why?—but arguing about it would have been an even bigger pain. I reluctantly accepted the position, officially becoming the King of Class F.
“…Still, being the King is a pain in the ass…” I muttered as I walked down the Academy corridor after school.
Wait, how did I even end up as the King, anyway? Ah, that’s right. Letitia recommended me.
In that case, I have no choice. If I had to weigh living a happy, loving life that meets Letitia’s expectations against having a peaceful life that betrays them, I’d toss peace away at the speed of light. Flirting with Letitia is five hundred trillion billion times more important. I would never betray my beloved wife’s expectations? Absolutely not.
…Though, what a pain in the ass is still a pain in the ass.
In contrast to my mood, Letitia, walking beside me, gave a small chuckle.
“Fufu, you’ll just have to accept it and do your best. I’ll help you, so don’t worry,” she said.
“If Letitia helps me… well…”
“Besides, I’m proud. Everyone has finally recognized your abilities.”
Letitia’s boastful smile was so cute. My wife is the best. If I can see that smile, it’s worth every effort.
Just as I nodded to myself, she paused for a beat.
“…Say, Alban, would you listen to me for a moment?”
“Hm? What’s with the serious tone?”
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot. How can I repay you?”
“Repay… me…?”
“You took me as your wife, helped me get revenge on Mauro… and with this latest incident, you came to my rescue like a Prince Charming on a white horse. I really am nothing but saved by you.”
“Hey, I just did what any husband would do—”
“Please, just listen,” Letitia insisted, stopping quietly where she stood. She looked directly at me with her beautiful eyes.
“So I decided. As repayment, I will first make you the ‘King of this Academy.'”
“The King of the Academy…?”
“Yes. Being the class King is just the beginning. I will eventually make Alban Odrant the King of the Academy—no, I will make him the most formidable noble in the entire Kingdom.” She spoke with an incredibly strong, determined voice. “I decided that to achieve that, I will wield my own capabilities to the fullest.”
“Th-That’s a pretty grand ambition, isn’t it…?”
“Not at all. You possess the right kind of character.”
Character? Me, a mere lazy, villainous noble? I couldn’t exactly picture it, but—
“Would me becoming the Academy’s King make you happy, Letitia?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“I see. Then I guess I have to do my best to please my cute wife.”
If Letitia is happy, I don’t care. Her smiling is the most important thing in my life.
I took Letitia’s hand again. Hand-in-hand, we headed to our favorite spot, Shanoa’s tearoom.
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