Chapter 43
Irix immediately rolled up his sleeves, and I tugged at his clothes.
“Still, since you came to find me, I’ll send you out. Hey, you guys.”
Everyone went quiet for a moment, looked at me, and then burst out laughing again.
“Why?”
“Why? Why, why, why, why?”
The over-the-top girl shook her head excessively and pouted. I pointed at the door.
“Out.”
She made another exaggerated expression. I felt like slapping her forehead.
“Whyyyy? We’re your frieeends. We don’t wanna gooo.”
“You’re not friends. I think you probably hated them a lot. So get out now.”
But she just kept giggling while repeating, “We don’t wanna gooo~.”
Irix shouted.
“You said you’d handle it! You’re not! I’ll do it myself!”
“No, no. Stop. You’ll only make more problems.”
“Just hit them lightly!”
“Please, stop.”
You’d hit them lightly, huh… The over-the-top girl giggled.
“Did you make a new friend? And we’re being left behind? Aww, so sad! Sob! Sooo sad! Sooo so sad!”
She pretended to cry. Irix groaned, trembling with the urge to punch.
No, don’t hit them. They’re civilians.
I looked at the group. Everyone was giggling, while a big, awkward-looking boy tried to bury himself in the corner as much as possible.
“Irix.”
“What!”
Startled by the loud voice, I bit my lip for a moment before asking,
“Do you know that guy?”
“That one?” Irix looked embarrassed. Yes, embarrassed. Just knowing that guy made him feel ashamed.
How did that guy even live that he disgusts even a future Blackmaster…? Ah, not curious.
“You know him?”
“I only know his name. He’s the son of the Deputy Minister of Defense.”
The Deputy Minister’s son? That’s a pretty high-ranking kid. But no matter how high, he’s still below the Prime Minister’s son. Luckily, the highest-ranking kid on my side is here. The rest aren’t from remarkable families. Because nobody recognizes Irix. They’re just ignoring him based on his clothes.
Irix normally lived without revealing his status. He didn’t attend school social events and only went to unavoidable family gatherings. The Deputy Minister’s son might know him from such events, but the others don’t know Irix at all. Meaning he’s not invited to noble family events and has no personal connections.
The over-the-top girl said pompously,
“Are we disturbing commoners from playing?”
“They’d probably get along better with us. Same commoners.”
The critical one spoke up,
“But what’s this kid even doing? Selling newspapers? Delivering groceries? Shoe-shining?”
Irix stared at them with a completely expressionless face. Even just watching for a few days, it’s obvious: he’s the most dangerous when he’s like this. He’s moved from the anger stage to the punishment stage. And the means of punishment: fists, fists, more fists.
The oblivious girl clapped wildly, shouting,
“Ah, he’s a goat herder! Elpini, the only people you know are goat herders!”
Everyone laughed uproariously.
“He’s still kinda cute. Perfect for a theater actor or dancer! The noble patrons will love him!”
“Live the good life getting allowance from grandmas and noble ladies! Lucky! Just lie down on a bed, and money rains down!”
“……”
I looked at Irix. He stared back at me coldly. Eyes saying, Solve it. Now. The fists saying, Solve it. Now.
If I don’t act immediately, it won’t end. And I was getting annoyed. I could feel the Ither overflowing. Even though Irix didn’t do anything yet, if left unchecked, all sorts of stray spirits could gather. This is a city—lots of people and gods around.
The over-the-top girl slumped her eyes downward.
“Still, Elpini, shouldn’t you be with people better than you to improve? Let’s stay friends!”
“Right, right. We gave this country girl a chance! A chance to talk with upper-class kids!”
Upper-class? The kid in front of you has the Prime Minister as a father and the Empress as godmother. He rules vast, fertile southwestern lands. By now, he’d been incorporated into the empire as a duke. If his great-grandfather hadn’t insisted so much, it might have been a grand duchy or a kingdom—but then likely conquered during the revolutionary wars.
I said again,
“Out.”
The girl giggled.
“Out?”
“Yeah. Out before I throw you.”
I pointed at the door.
“I don’t waaaant to.”
She shook her head, whining,
“Siroon~de, siroon~de.”
Ah, childish. Yeah, that’s the word for this situation. Annoying.
Irix growled.
“Senpai, if you don’t handle it in 3 seconds, I will.”
“Alright, alright.”
I was getting more irritated. The Ither’s flow grew stronger. Irix still hadn’t done anything. Ah, what to do… But I was too annoyed. The Ither’s flow thickened faster than I could grasp it.
A black stain appeared on the wall. Before I could act, it darkened instantly and turned into a hole. A black shadow emerged rapidly.
“Peregrion.”
Next… ah, yes.
“Absolute Command.”
I started the command, but before I could finish, the laughing faces of the kids in front of me vanished instantly.
“Huh?”
KABOOM—The front door flew off, and the steps beneath it caved in. The three kids disappeared instantly. The big boy, standing apart, was safe alone.
I looked past the collapsed wall. The gang lay sprawled under the fallen steps like discarded shoes. People passing by saw this, but in a fantasy world, it was just another day for them.
“What happened?” Irix asked. I explained honestly.
“Uh, I have Peregrion right now.”
Irix’s eyes widened.
“The black sheath the grasshopper-looking guy carried?”
Annoying. The black sheath… Originally, it was the first god you made submit.
“You gave me a viper before, and now you’re picking up gods?”
“Something like that happened.”
Irix frowned.
“Haah, really…”
But since it was done, there was nothing to be done. Luckily, no one got scolded.
“Then we need to train controlling the Ither immediately.” Irix said, voice tired.
“The Ither flows according to your mood, and Peregrion appears freely with it!”
So basically, loyal but disobedient like a guard dog that bites the delivery guy because it’s protecting the house. Of course, these were intruders.
“Senpai, the Ither’s spilling again.”
“Ah.”
“Calm down first. Get control of your mood.”
“Alright, got it.”
“Calm down, I said!”
“It’s the hardest part.”
Irix, you’re making me annoyed. The area around me darkens. Peregrion is trying to appear again. And this time, I’m hitting Irix.
When Irix placed his hand on my shoulder, the stain disappeared immediately. Peregrion also went back in.
“Senpai, you were mad at me, right?”
“You know?”
“Of course. The Ither is telling me.”
Not great. Having someone next to you who can read your mood completely.
I looked at the collapsed wall, the tilted stairs, the three kids fallen far away, and Maimon and Zephyr doing nothing.
“Maimon!” I called. Maimon smiled brightly and waved. Not exactly the mood for it, but that’s Maimon.
“Alive?”
“Yes. Alive, at least.”
“Why did you do this?” Zephyr asked. Seems genuinely curious.
“I told them to leave, they wouldn’t, so I forced them out. I misjudged my strength.”
“Really strong!” Maimon exclaimed. Zephyr and Irix stared at him blankly.
“Impressive.” Pure admiration.
I wondered, how did he graduate without failing? Even early graduation. Does he use a separate brain?
Irix, still holding his forehead, said,
“…Let’s go to our house. You can’t stay in a place like this.”
A duke’s mansion? Irix must have read my mind:
“Not the Berkart Mansion. I live separately from my father. Zephyr knows the location.” He pointed to Zephyr.
“Why don’t you know?”
“My father decided and only told Zephyr.”
Good, we have a place to stay, but I can’t leave this house as it is. Who should repair it? Not my house—this was arranged by a patron. Then I realized: why are Zephyr and Maimon here?
Irix glanced around.
“My father assigned them.”
“But why them specifically?”
“Pretend they aren’t here. It won’t be difficult. Almost as if they don’t exist.”
Soon I understood: one does nothing, the other is useless.
