A Failed Knight Who Went to the Academy To Get Married

004 A Tea Party for Jealousy

“Yuril! I’ve become the class president of the Knight’s Academy!”

Train shouted from outside the mansion, and Yuril showed his face at the window.

“Congratulations. Your hard work has paid off.”

As Yuril gave Train a bright smile,

Train smiled sheepishly.

“Just wait a little longer. I’m sure I can save you this way.”

“Really? How exactly are you going to save me?”

“Well…”

Suddenly, Train’s right hand throbbed.

Yuril’s expression changed as he looked down on Train disdainfully.

“What changes by becoming the president? Can you wield a sword, can you use magic properly?”

“Ah, no…”

“A coward who ran away? In the end, it’s all just excuses for your own happiness, isn’t it?”

Suddenly, wolves appeared from nowhere and pounced on Train.

Frantically, Train grasped his sword and thrust it into the chest of a wolf.

But it was not a wolf; it was Yuril.

Yuril coughed up blood,

Smiled tenderly,

And murmured,

“I’m sorry.”

***

“Argh!”

Train screamed, waking up.

He looked around frantically and found himself in front of the desk in his dorm room.

Judging by the pitch darkness outside the window, it seemed to still be night.

His body was drenched in cold sweat from the nightmare he had after a long time.

It seems he had fallen asleep out of exhaustion from reading the grimoire.

Train let out a deep sigh as he closed the book, as if the ground beneath him could swallow his despair.

“If even the grimoire can’t help, what’s the point of my coming to the academy?”

A sense of unknown despair and powerlessness overwhelmed him.

For the record, Train was completely unaware of the poison afflicting him.

That’s why, at times like this, he could only think of his own weakness.

“A week has passed and not a single clue found… and here I am, considering going to a tea party…”

He leaned his head back, zoning out for a moment,

then muttered to himself unknowingly.

“Is it really impossible for me to save Yuril?”

…He slapped his own cheek.

“No, I decided not to entertain such thoughts.”

He sprang up from his seat.

“At times like this, it’s best to wield a sword.”

Train picked up a wooden sword and went out to the back of the dormitory to take his stance.

Outside, where only the faint moonlight prevailed, it was incredibly dark,

but it was rather suitable for a solitary sword dance.

“Hoo…”

He began to swing the sword so slowly, it could be mistaken for a dance, not swordplay.

In fact, Train never let go of his sword, even after being bitten by a wolf.

While receiving treatment at Yuril’s mansion,

he would sneak out like this at night and wield his sword.

Even after coming to the academy, he trained alone like this almost every day.

Swinging the sword was the only time his mind felt truly at ease.

…But that calmness was quickly shattered.

“Argh!”

His right hand felt as if it was being torn apart, and he dropped his sword.

But he immediately picked it up again and resumed his stance.

“I will never give up.”

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

“Practicing your swordsmanship alone again today?”

Startled, Train dropped his sword once more,

as Lizbeth emerged from the shadows, laughing.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Ah, yeah… But ‘again today’? Did you know I train here every day?”

“Not just me, I bet almost everyone in the class knows?”

At that, Train muttered in frustration.

“Damn it! I didn’t want to be caught like this.”

Lizbeth’s expression hardened as she retorted.

“Why not?”

“Well, it’s just that—it looks silly in front of others—”

“Everyone knows about your injured hand too.”

“Even so—”

“Did someone laugh at you?”

“It’s not that, I just feel embarrassed—”

“Why should that be something to be embarrassed about? Isn’t it rather something to be proud of?”

…Finally, Train sighed in resignation.

“Yeah, you’re right. I was wrong.”

Only then did Lizbeth smile again,

Standing side by side with Train, she drew her greatsword.

“Mind if I join you for a bit?”

“Suit yourself.”

Train began to swing his sword again.

In rhythm with him, Lizbeth swung hers too.

Silently under the moonlight.

For a while, they just swung their swords slowly.

For some reason, it felt much more reassuring than swinging alone.

‘No, something’s off!’

Train thought to himself.

From a distance, it must look like nothing more than a silly couple flirting.

Traine laughed awkwardly as he spoke to Lisbeth.

“Just be yourself, as usual. You don’t need to adjust for me.”

“Don’t worry about it. Swinging slowly is also good for building muscle strength.”

At that absurd excuse, Traine was about to retort,

but he had already realized that arguing with her was a battle he couldn’t win.

So, he decided to change the subject instead.

“I’ve been invited to a tea party by a certain noble senior.”

“I’ve heard.”

“Is there really a chance I could be forced into an arranged marriage or something?”

“It’s not common, but I can’t say it’s impossible.”

“Is there a good way to handle it?”

At that question, Lisbeth paused and lowered her arms, lost in thought.

“That’s true… Simply putting up a wall would be rude to the other party.”

“So…”

“How about we promote Prince Sirian or what’s his name, Jeez, instead?”

At that, Train too lowered his arms and opened his eyes wide.

“Was there such a method! Is it legal?”

“If it was of any help, that’s good.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

For some reason, Lizbeth gazed intently at Train and muttered.

“I’m envious.”

“What? Did you want to go to the tea party too?”

“Not you, but that girl you cherish so dreadfully.”

Then Train laughed self-deprecatingly.

“She probably thinks of me as nothing more than a clingy guy.”

Lizbeth seemed about to retort something, but after a pause, she smiled bitterly and said,

“I really hope you can save her.”

“Yeah… Thank you.”

***

The day after school.

Prince Shiran stepped out of the classroom with Train and asked,

“Where is the place?”

“It’s in Senior Serbia’s dorm room.”

“Try to just pretend to eat the tea and snacks they offer, if you can.”

Then Jeez chased after the two and interjected,

“Inviting you to his room directly, seems like Train is quite serious about you, huh?”

“Quiet.”

Just then, a group of senior boys blocked the path of Train’s group.

The senior who had deliberately bumped into Train yesterday.

I thought he might be picking a fight again,

but for some reason, he approached Train with a beaming smile.

“Juniors, heading to the tea party?”

“Huh? Oh, yes…”

“Have a good time.”

After briefly placing a hand on Train’s shoulder,

he simply brushed past him.

Prince Siran looked at them suspiciously and muttered,

“What’s with those guys?”

“Tell me about it.”

Nevertheless, since nothing particular had happened,

Train and his group ignored them and moved on.

***

Upon arriving at Senior Serbia’s room,

there were already three waiting on the other side.

Somehow, it turned into a 3-on-3 meeting atmosphere.

“Of course, the ladies from the Magic Department are the prettiest! You’re not under some illusion spell, are you?”

Jeez teased smoothly, and the senior girls burst into laughter.

“Hey! You’re showing your hand too much!”

“As expected of the demon race, always so eloquent.”

“Still, as expected, the students from the Knight Academy are well-mannered.”

For a while, the seniors who had been playing along with Jeez’s eloquence soon started to take an interest in Prince Shiran.

“Why did Prince Shiran bother to enroll in the Academy?”

To which Prince Shiran replied indifferently,

“I’m just here to find some useful allies.”

“Does that mean you’re looking for people to help with the succession to the throne?”

“I couldn’t care less about such a throne.”

The seniors showed an excited response to his cold answer.

“Prince Shiran is always so refreshingly straightforward!”

“Honestly, I’d love to see Prince Shiran lead the country.”

“Me too, me too.”

Meanwhile, Train had been quietly sipping tea, pretending to drink,

when finally, a senior girl from Serbia asked Train,

“Train, aren’t your classmates bullying you for being a commoner appointed as class president?”

Train responded with a deliberately sullen expression.

“Thanks to Prince Siran and Jeez, there was no such trouble, quack.”

…

Everyone’s expressions froze for a moment.

About 3 seconds later, Train realized what he had said,

and opened his mouth again in a fluster.

“Ah, sorry! I must have been lost in thought for a moment, quack.”

Train covered his mouth with his hand.

Why did he keep imitating the sound of a duck on his own?

As the atmosphere turned a bit chilly,

Jeez draped his arm over Train’s shoulder and said,

“It’s a trendy catchphrase among the commoners these days! Quack quack!”

Only then did the senior girls relax their expressions and start to laugh out loud.

“Ahahaha! What’s that! Train, you’re hilarious!”

“The commoners really know how to have fun, quack!”

“Surprisingly, I might get addicted to this, quack?”

…In the end, thanks to that, the tea party’s atmosphere remained pleasantly lively.

After chatting and squawking with each other for over three hours,

the boys finally emerged from the room,

following the senior girls’ parting words of “Let’s meet again.”

As soon as Train stepped out, he said with a grave expression,

“Why am I acting like this, quack?”

Prince Shiran immediately pressed close to Train and placed a hand on his chest,

“What’s all this all of a sudden, quack!”

“Just stay still for a moment.”

Prince Shiran fiddled around Train’s chest here and there,

then stepped back and said with a nonchalant face,

“You’ve been cursed.”

“Quack?!”

“Hmph, it must be those senior guys’ doing.”

Train asked in great panic,

“Can, can this be undone, quack?”

“It’s a shoddy curse; it should lift in a day or two.”

“So, I have to stay like this the whole time, huh?” she exclaimed.

Prince Shiran chuckled mischievously in response.

“Be thankful to me. I know just the spell for such occasions.”

He then placed his hand over Train’s chest again and murmured,

“Grudge born from the hands of a foolish human, return to thy master.”

As a burst of light emanated from his palm and then faded,

Train cautiously opened her mouth.

“What? Is the curse lifted from me?”

“Not exactly. I’ve reflected it back onto the one who cursed you.”

“That’s amazing!”

“Then serve me as your elder brother.”

Train bent at a ninety-degree angle and shouted,

“Thank you, elder brother!”

“Alright.”

“But you seem quite knowledgeable about curses, don’t you?”

“…I had no other choice.”

In that moment, Prince Shiran’s expression turned somewhat dark.

As Train stared at Shiran for a moment,

Jeez casually placed his hand on their shoulders and said,

“Come on! If it’s settled, let’s hurry back. There’s nothing good about staying here at this hour.”

With that, Train and his group began walking towards the male dormitory.

…Along the way, they inevitably ran into the senior boys they had met earlier.

“What the hell did you do to me, squawk!”

Prince Shiran snorted in response,

“Don’t you know that curse magic is illegal?”

“Don’t make me laugh, squawk! Do you have any proof we did it, squawk!”

“Then do you have any proof that we did something?”

“This guy is really, squawk!”

Eventually, the senior tried to throw a punch at Prince Shiran.

But Train intervened, grabbing his fist.

“Let’s stop there.”

“How dare this punk to a senior—”

Train glared fiercely at the senior.

Overwhelmed by the intimidation, the senior couldn’t finish his sentence.

“If you have a problem with me, hit me. Don’t take it out on someone else.”

It wasn’t particularly about friendship or showing off.

He simply didn’t want to make a big deal out of it because the other party was a prince.

Moreover, he didn’t want to drag his friends into his own problems.

However, Prince Siran and Jiz responded each in their own way to Train’s words.

“Hmph. Trying to be cool for no reason.”

“Train! You moved me!”

Thanks to that, the senior became even more irritated and shook off Train’s hand.

“Fine! Then I challenge you to a duel!”

“What? Wait, there’s no need to go that far—”

But at the senior’s words, Siran and Jiz stepped forward as if they had been waiting for this moment.

“A duel sounds good. Since there are three of you, how about a 3-on-3?”

At those words, Jeez interjected.

“You’ll regret challenging the strongest trio of the Knight Academy!”

Train glared at the two with annoyance.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Why are you butting in without permission?”

Then, Prince Shiran and Jeez simultaneously grabbed Train’s shoulders from both sides.

“If there’s anything we owe you or that guy, we have to return the favor.”

“We can’t let you be the only man of honor!”