“One.”
As my arms bent, my face nearly touched the ground.
“Two.”
As I pushed up, my face slowly lifted away from it.
That’s right. We were currently being punished with push-ups under Lowell’s orders.
Our crime? Insulting an instructor.
The charge? Contempt of an instructor.
“One, two. One, two.”
Sweat dripped from my face onto the ground. Not that it was noticeable—the floor was already drenched with my sweat.
I had long since lost count of how many push-ups I had done.For the record, Rezé had passed out ages ago.
Lowell didn’t seem to care in the slightest, continuing the punishment without so much as a glance in her direction.
“Oh? You can’t keep going? Not even a hundred? And you call yourselves students of Annwood Academy?”
I had trained extensively, raising my stats significantly.
A hundred push-ups? No problem.
Two hundred? Still doable.
…If only Lowell wasn’t sitting on my back.
“You’re off balance! Balance!”
And to make matters worse, she kept shifting her weight, throwing me off.
Each push-up drained a ridiculous amount of stamina.
Thud!
The ground suddenly rose up and smacked me in the face.
…Which meant I had collapsed.
Maybe I looked too pitiful, lying there as one with the earth.
Lowell let out a sigh.
“Ugh… A man this weak?”
“Keke, that’s quite the sexist remark. In this day and age, those kinds of statements can be dangerous.”
“Oh? You wanna keep running your mouth? That’s it. A hundred more for you.”
Lowell poked my cheek with her finger.
She was a real pain in the ass.
If my body were in better shape, I would’ve smacked that arrogant head of hers.
‘Of course, given the current situation, I wouldn’t dream of it.’
The only thing I could do was add “Smack Lowell’s head” to my post-game bucket list.
For reference, the number one thing on my list was declaring my intention to marry Luna right in front of Caron.
I had to see what would happen when Caron completely lost it.
A curiosity only a seasoned veteran could understand.
“Stop bullying my friend!”
“You call this weakling a friend? I highly recommend cutting ties.”
“Zero’s not weak! He’s amazing—day and night!”
“W-Wait, what do you mean by that?”
Luna’s shocking statement made Ron tremble, gnawing at his nails.
His anxiety seemed to be getting worse by the day.
Well, to be fair, Luna’s words were a bit misleading.
But I didn’t even have the energy to correct her at this point.
“Hmph~ Is that so? Then what does that have to do with that insolent look you’re giving me?”
“…”
“Eyes down. Before I rip them out.”
Luna, who had been glaring at Lowell while maintaining her push-up position, quickly lowered her gaze.
Her soft pink hair cascaded downward, partially hiding her face.
But through the strands, I could see them—Luna’s burning eyes.
She was desperately holding back her anger.
“Tch~ Boring. I wonder where that feisty little kitten from day one disappeared to.”
Lowell strolled past Luna, taking slow, leisurely steps.
She wasn’t letting us off the hook.
Because from the start, her real target had never been us.
“What do you think, Delin? Should I make them do another three hundred?”
It was Rodelin.
“…I’ll do it. I’ll take their punishment too.”
“No, no. That’s not how it works. That’s not the proper attitude for someone in charge—for a Vice President.”
From the very beginning of the punishment, Rodelin had simply stood there.
She had tried to join in, but Lowell had blocked her every time.
Punishment was always harder on the observer than the one suffering.
Especially when it was happening because of them.
“If you’re going to take responsibility, then do it properly.”
“I’ll do anything within my power.”
“Really?”
Rodelin nodded.
Lowell, who had been smiling playfully, suddenly went cold.
“Quit the Academy and go back home.”
“…I can’t accept that.”
“You said you’d do anything. But this is a no?”
“…This is the fastest and most effective place for me to grow stronger. I can’t give it up.”
“And why do you need to get stronger?”
“That’s…”
For once, Rodelin hesitated.
‘Breaking the demon’s curse on her family—that’s Rodelin’s goal.’
A demon. Not just any demon, but the Second Legion Commander.
Only by killing it could her family be freed from its shackles.
Leaving the Academy wasn’t an option for Rodelin.
This was the only place where she could gain skill, experience, and connections—all three.
But she couldn’t say that out loud.
Too many people were watching.
“Hey, you sneaky eavesdroppers. Why don’t you just come out instead of lurking like a bunch of perverts?”
The bushes rustled, and Yuridia and Victoria emerged.
“We are observers, not perverts.”
“The way Lady Luna prioritizes her beloved over herself… truly brings tears to my eyes.”
Damn stalkers.
Not even surprising at this point.
“You two, come out too.”
At Lowell’s command, more rustling came from the bushes.
Two boys stepped out.
“Uh… Hello?”
“Zero! Are you okay? I’ll save you!”
Alex and Raymon.
It wasn’t surprising that Lowell knew them.
‘They’re the protagonists of this game.’
Even while we had been running around dealing with our own problems, the main characters’ stories had continued.
In Trash Village alone, they had likely run into Lowell at least twice and caused all sorts of incidents.
“This, this… What a gathering of arrogant brats.”
Lowell’s lips curved into a smirk.
“Hey, Vice President. Are you just going to let a bunch of delinquents like this run wild?”
“They’re not that kind of people. Watch your words.”
She could tolerate insults toward herself, but not toward her juniors.
Rodelin, the little lion cub, had defiance burning in her eyes.
“Hoo~ Nice look. Makes me want to crush it immediately.”
“…”
“Do you not realize that your actions are making things harder for them?”
“I think unfair punishment is the bigger problem here.”
“And that attitude is exactly what’s wrong. You’re a soldier, aren’t you? Then you should obey orders, even unreasonable ones. And for someone who dreams of being a soldier, you sure don’t seem to have much camaraderie.”
Lowell jabbed her finger against Rodelin’s chest.
But Rodelin didn’t back down. Her resistance only burned brighter.
“I’ve told you countless times—you’re not suited to be a soldier. And you don’t need to be one.”
“No matter what you say, I will become a soldier.”
“Even if it makes the people around you suffer?”
“…I understand now. You truly dislike me. Just hit me already! Stop tormenting others for my sake!”
“Oh, you little—! Fine! If that’s what you want!”
Lowell’s hand shot up into the air.
The intent behind the motion was obvious, even without words.
Everyone gasped in shock.
Smack!
Someone caught Lowell’s wrist.
It was none other than Ron—our instructor, known for his “half-assed” attitude.
“Rodelin, calm down. You’re misunderstanding.”
“What?”
“Lady Lowell would never do such a thing. Do you know how much she’s cared for you all these years?”
“What are you talking about—”
Crunch!
Before Rodelin could even finish her sentence, a dull cracking sound echoed through the air.
As we turned our heads to find the source, our eyes landed on a single figure.
Ron.
He was lying flat on the ground.
‘Did Lowell take him down?’
It had happened so fast that none of us even saw the movement.
Lowell placed one foot on Ron’s back.
“You talk too much. And you call yourself an Academy instructor?”
“Well… Everyone else seems to think so, so I just go along with it.”
With Ron’s usual carefree tone, the heavy tension in the air instantly lightened.
“…”
Lowell alternated between looking at her own hand and at Rodelin.
Then she clicked her tongue sharply.
“Tch! I don’t know what you think you know, but if you say a word, you’re dead.”
“Then I guess I won’t die. I don’t plan on telling anyone.”
“You little—!”
Boom!
Lowell stomped the ground, but no blood was spilled.
Ron had already leapt to his feet, dodging the attack.
Lowell’s eyes glinted sharply.
It meant that he could have dodged her first strike, too—if he had wanted to.
“What’s your name?”
“Ugh… Ron.”
“I see, Ron… I’ll remember that.”
“It’s an honor, senior.”
“You don’t seem to understand what it means when I say I’ll remember someone’s name. It’s for one of two reasons: either they’re an ally…”
Or someone who needs to be killed.
Lowell whispered the last part under her breath before turning to leave.
As she walked away, Ron looked at us and grinned.
“I’m obviously an ally, right?”
…Nope.
Anyone could see he fell into the kill on sight category.
Now who was going to be our instructor?
“Thank you for your help.”
Rodelin bowed deeply to Ron, causing him to flinch in surprise.
For someone as easygoing as Ron, formal gratitude seemed to be a bit overwhelming.
While he stood there dumbfounded, Luna approached me and whispered.
“If she’s trying that hard to hide something, it could be a weakness.”
“Keke, and what do you plan to do with Lady Lowell’s weakness?”
“…You’re not seriously asking that, are you?”
Luna stared at me.
I stared back.
Because I genuinely didn’t know the reason.
Oh! Maybe she was thinking about using it to help rescue Dolores?
But I doubted the game’s system would allow something like that.
“Haa… Never mind. I’ll figure it out myself, so stay out of it.”
Luna let out a deep sigh.
Her expression said, ‘Fine, I’ll just have to do it myself’.
Being treated like this by Luna… What a world we lived in.
“I got everyone caught up in this. I’m sorry.”
Rodelin bowed to each of us one by one.
“Do you and Lady Lowell not get along?”
“I didn’t think so… but I suppose we don’t.”
“To raise her hand against you… utterly unforgivable.”
“No, it’s my own shortcomings. And she only lifted her hand—she wouldn’t have actually struck me.”
But despite her words, Rodelin looked utterly defeated.
Her voice was hoarse, and her eyes glistened slightly with moisture.
“Stay strong, Senior. Like you always do.”
“We’ll defeat the demons! Just like always!”
“Thank you, both of you. But Raymon, my sister is not a demon.”
Rodelin turned to Alex and Raymon before finally stopping in front of us.
“Don’t be discouraged.”
“H-Here, have a carrot. It’ll… boost your courage!”
“Thank you, both of you. Carrots have that effect? What a truly perfect food.”
She took a bite of the carrot.
Even the way she chewed seemed lifeless.
That’s how shaken she was.
‘Is it because of the Lucid Family’s questline? Either way, this was definitely an interesting event.’
It was a rather shocking development, but it didn’t particularly move me.
I had already gone through similar experiences while progressing through the Lucid Family’s questline.
‘Because I know exactly why Lowell is acting this way.’
The reason Lowell was trying to crush Rodelin’s dream.
And the incident that had caused the rift between them.
I knew both of those things perfectly.
So the only thing I could say to Rodelin was—
“Keke, didn’t you say you two had a good relationship?”
Feigning ignorance.
“It’s true. My sister and I were close. As we got older… we drifted apart, but that’s still a fact.”
“And it’s also true that Lady Lowell passionately supports your dream.”
A level of sarcasm strong enough to make one’s head throb.
Rodelin let out a small chuckle.
“Both are true. But… maybe it’s time for me to prepare myself.”
Prepare herself. In other words, she was bracing for the possibility of growing even more distant from Lowell.
That was a good mindset.
She had no reason to care about a family or household that was willing to throw her away.
I hoped she would abandon them and pursue her own freedom.
She had the right, and the ability, to do so.
Of course—
‘In the end, she’ll still stay by her family’s side.’
That was Rodelin’s future, a reality I had witnessed thousands of times before.
Even if I helped her, the outcome would be the same.
And this time, this playthrough was a game where I was betting my real life.
I had already decided to focus on my own path—Rodelin’s future was as good as predetermined.
‘…I hope she overcomes it.’
A small prayer in my heart.
That was all I could do for her.
A late afternoon.
As I soothed Luna’s anxiety, we made our way to the location where a major hint would soon appear.
A small plaza next to the market.
We arrived at our destination, but nothing was happening.
‘Did we come a little too early?’
I scanned the area carefully. It was possible that we were simply ahead of schedule, but there was also a chance that an event I wasn’t aware of was taking place.
Before long, I noticed something unusual.
“Huff… Okay. We made it. We’re safe now.”
“Boss! Hurry up and open it!”
“I-Is it really okay? I mean, we did steal it…”
“Acela, it’s fine. We’re honest thieves.”
“A-Aha! Then it must be okay!”
The wild Trash Sprout Defense Squad—
No, the Trash Sprout Thieves had appeared.
–TL Notes–
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