A Disaster-Level Assassin Has Been Freed

Chapter 127: Nadan Royal Academy (3)

“…”

“…”

“…”

Silence.

Stillness.

Quiet.

The room fell silent in an instant.

I, the academy students, and everyone else widened their eyes, staring at Sheratiya Viyan. Her voice was that loud.

‘What do I do?’

With all eyes on her, Sheratiya struggled to manage her expression to hide her embarrassment.

It was an unexpected situation.

She had definitely, definitely intended to avoid a fight, to ignore whatever they said… but her temper had flared up without warning.

‘At least it’s not the worst situation.’

That’s right.

The silver lining was that the other party was “academy students,” who were at least somewhat reasonable.

If it had been bandits or mercenaries, a physical fight would have been inevitable, but these were educated people. Since the fault was clearly theirs, they were likely to realize their mistake and apologize.

‘Alright. Let’s handle this with words.’

Nodding to herself, Sheratiya kept her sharp gaze and pointed at the one who had insulted her first.

“You.”

“Uh, me?”

“Yes, you there! Repeat what you just said, clearly.”

“W-Well, that’s…”

“You can’t, can you? Why? Because it was rude. Because it’s not something you can say proudly in front of others!”

“Uh, ugh…”

The student who had spoken after her stammered.

He had no choice. Her words were irrefutable.

No matter how much he’d been rejected, badmouthing someone was wrong, and saying it loud enough to be heard was even more unacceptable.

Of course, a shameless person might have deflected with a “When did I say that?” but the one she pointed at was, at least, someone who’d received character education at the academy. He was a normal person whose face flushed when confronted with rightful criticism.

‘Damn it! I was just trying to act tough to avoid being teased, and now this!’

‘Who knew they’d hear… Well, my voice was a bit loud.’

‘What do I do? Should I apologize now?’

‘But my pride… Getting rejected wasn’t enough, and now I’m caught badmouthing? My academy life will be…’

Overwhelmed by complex thoughts, the student couldn’t move.

Seeing this, Sheratiya smiled inwardly. It seemed things would resolve more easily than expected.

‘Perfect. He’s softer than he looks.’

No need to press harder. Pushing too much could backfire, so softening her tone with a gentle smile to reassure him and accepting a modest apology would suffice.

With that thought, Sheratiya relaxed her stern expression.

Just as she was about to gently admonish him in a softer tone…

“Hold on, didn’t you mess up too?”

“What did you say?”

“Am I wrong? You called us punks, didn’t you?”

“That’s because you were talking trash first…”

“Whatever! Did you call us punks or not?”

“Wait! So even though they insulted my escort, I can’t say a word?”

“Did you or didn’t you?”

“Look…”

“Did you or didn’t you?”

“…”

‘Damn it.’

Sheratiya’s expression twitched slightly.

She had no choice.

Just when she thought it was over, another guy stood up out of nowhere.

He seemed to be a friend of the first guy, his face red, likely from drinking heavily.

‘It’s impossible to reason with a drunk.’

What happens when someone’s drunk?

They lose their shame.

They get nosy.

That’s why he could butt into his friend’s business and act so brazenly.

“Hm.”

Among the many watching, one shook his head and stood up.

Me.

Sheratiya’s contradictory words and actions were bewildering, yes.

But separately, I believed the fault lay with them. And seeing them bully her with such illogical aggression was even more distasteful.

‘But if I get involved, it’ll only get messier, right?’

I shifted my gaze.

The academy students came into view.

Most had drunken faces, staring at Sheratiya, looking ready to jump up if their friend faltered. Two were already eyeing me, about to stand.

‘I can’t let that happen.’

I quickly moved.

As expected, two students frowned and stood as I approached.

I ignored them.

Reaching their table, I spoke to the young man sitting deepest inside.

“Stop them.”

“…Are you talking to me?”

“Yes. I’m talking to you.”

“Why me? Why not talk to the ones involved?”

“Because you seem like the leader of this group.”

“…”

“…”

An awkward atmosphere settled.

The young man who’d badmouthed first.

The drunk one arguing with Sheratiya in his friend’s place.

The ones who stood to glare at me, and those still seated.

All of them stopped talking, looking to the young man called the leader.

‘What? Did I say something wrong?’

Tilting my head, I voiced my thoughts aloud.

“What’s this? The vibe’s weird. Did I make a mistake?”

From what I could tell, he was the leader.

Not only was he the strongest, but everyone’s attitude toward him was that of a superior.

Yet, strangely, not only the other students but even the one I’d called the leader seemed uncomfortable with my words.

As if it was a known fact they didn’t need to voice aloud.

“Hm, first off.”

While I continued to wear a puzzled expression, the young man called the leader took a sip of his drink and spoke.

“I’m not a leader. I’m the representative of the Knight Faculty students at Nadan Royal Academy, but that doesn’t mean I rule over anyone. It’s closer to being a role model who leads by example.”

“Oh, I see.”

I nodded.

I didn’t think his words matched his demeanor, but I let it slide, curious about what he’d say next.

But then.

Whoosh!

What came next wasn’t words.

It was presence.

A dense aura, like thick fog, surged out, pressing heavily on me.

“?”

Of course, I didn’t feel particularly threatened.

I’d been facing formidable opponents lately.

There was no way I’d be intimidated by the presence of someone who wasn’t even a Graduate.

So, I could only harden my expression, pondering the intent behind his actions.

‘Why’s this guy acting like this?’

The timing was perfect.

To others, it looked like I was stiffening under the pressure of his presence, which brought faint smiles to the knight students’ faces.

The young man called the leader was no exception.

Satisfied with my expression, he withdrew his aura and continued.

“You’re stronger than I expected.”

“…Thank you?”

“I’m sorry. Approaching me so boldly and calling me the leader felt threatening… so I showed a bit of my strength too.”

Finishing his words, the young man raised his chin slightly, looking at me.

As if to say, “Now you know where we stand.”

Of course, I didn’t understand his intent.

I just kept thinking, Why does this guy keep acting weird?

“Oh, okay.”

I didn’t voice that thought.

Doing so might spark another fight. I kept staring at him with a slightly blank expression, and soon, his mouth opened again.

“Let me be honest. I’m sorry. My friends were rude.”

“Oh…”

“They got a bit carried away with drink, so their words were harsh. I ask for your generous understanding… and please, take this.”

Swish.

Grab!

I deftly caught something thrown at me.

It was an invitation to a ball hosted by the Shepler Count Family.

Puzzled again, I asked dumbly.

“What’s this for?”

“Compensation for the rudeness.”

“Compensation?”

“Yes. It’s a bit awkward to say myself, but it’s a selective ball… I think it’ll be a good experience for you.”

“…”

“Of course, if it feels burdensome, you don’t have to come.”

With that, the young man gave a slight nod.

This time, I understood. It meant the conversation was over and I should leave—an undeniably arrogant gesture.

I glanced at Sheratiya Viyan.

She looked just as dumbfounded, but not for long.

“Thank you for the invitation. We have urgent business, so we’ll take our leave…”

With that, she signaled me with her eyes.

I obediently nodded to my escort charge and quickly left the establishment.

Creak.

Thud!

Thus, the brief commotion ended without incident.

The young man called the leader, or rather, Andy Shepler, the second son of the Shepler Count Family, let out a smirk and said.

“Why’d he step up if he was just gonna run scared?”

“Haha, right?”

“Did you see? The moment Andy unleashed his presence, his face froze!”

“Oh, I saw. It was a sight! Well, no surprise there. Not even an upper Expert, but a top-tier Expert! How could a newbie like that handle the presence of Nadan Royal Academy’s greatest prodigy?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Honestly, it’s a miracle he didn’t wet himself. Hahaha!”

They all loudly mocked and ridiculed me. Their voices were so loud that other patrons frowned.

But no one said a word.

What could they do?

In a gathering of noble heirs from the Nadan Kingdom, including the second son of the Shepler Count Family, and wealthy merchants’ sons, only someone with reckless courage would dare speak up.

“She probably didn’t know, right?”

“Probably not. If she did, she wouldn’t have raised her voice like that.”

One patron muttered with an uneasy expression.

He wasn’t pleased.

As an academy student, he maintained a minimum standard of conduct, but he couldn’t count how many times their arrogance had made his blood boil.

Insulting someone wasn’t enough—they suppressed them with presence and drove them out.

And to top it off, flaunting their family’s status with an invitation!

“The invitation was a bit much.”

“Yeah, too far. It’s obvious they’d just be humiliated if they went.”

The man across from the patron nodded.

The ball hosted by Andy Shepler, second son of the Shepler Count Family, was famously lavish and extravagant. Showing up underdressed would only lead to scorn and embarrassment, so it might be better sold to a vain noble lady.

“Of course, that’d bring even more ridicule…”

“Ugh, stop. It’s ruining the drink.”

“Yeah, yeah. I just wish those knight students would stop causing trouble.”

Muttering quietly, the two patrons downed their drinks.

At that moment, outside the establishment, I still wore a puzzled expression.

‘Why did he suddenly unleash his aura?’

It was truly a mystery.