C19: Commoner Girl Rene (2)
After I got out of the training ground, I went straight to a place where there were no people.
After looking around and seeing that no one was there, I took a pill out of my pocket with trembling hands.
‘I thought I was going to die from enduring it.’
I poured the pill into my mouth and chewed it as it was. Intense magical power spread in my mouth with a bitter yet elegant sensation that touches the tip of my tongue.
‘Whoa. I will live.’
As the medicinal energy spreads and magical powers are supplied to the brain, the organ that had been damaged gradually returned to its original state.
I sat down on a quiet bench and caught my breath.
The first signal came when I stopped at the 2nd training ground. My fingers tremble slightly and my head feels dizzy. It was kind of like a chronic disease after I came into this world.
‘If it wasn’t for the medicine, it would have been a disaster.’
Still, I thought it was tolerable, so I checked up to Training Ground 1 and tried to take the medicine right away but I had to intervene in the freshmen’s fight. No I shouldn’t call it a fight since there was a clear distinction between victim and perpetrator.
So I intervened in the middle and managed to prevent things from escalating. Afterwards, while talking about punishment, I felt the wave that had subsided once soared. Feeling my body telling me to put the medicine in my mouth, I quickly settled the situation and tried to leave but there was a problem.
Who would have thought that she would boldly say things like fallen aristocrat there? For a moment, I didn’t even know if she was talking to me, and I thought deeply in my head for about three seconds.
I wonder if it was something the kid really said, and I had all kinds of complicated and long lines in my head, but my communication skills were poor. But the problem is that after hearing this, I can’t just go as a teacher.
‘I mean, why did you have to say that at that time?’
If I was alone I would have pretended not to hear it and passed it on, but there were too many witnesses around. In the end, in order to protect my authority as a teacher, I had to say something first, but my head did not work well, so there was nothing plausible to say.
-Originally, what you did is a clear challenge to the authority of the academy.
– It may be referred to the disciplinary committee according to the school rules.
-You may receive a penalty or even get attention from the president.
Well, I should have said these basic words, but I couldn’t remember them.
‘So I just spit out whatever came to mind.’
I was trying to manage the expression on my face that almost collapsed while I spoke. Maybe my face was a little distorted. There is a little bit of blood in my eyes.
‘It won’t be a big problem, will it?’
Anyway, Selina-sensei also came, so I succeeded in leaving in a hurry.
I got up from the bench, gulping the pills in my mouth. Fortunately, it is an early symptom. If this had gotten worse here, other people might have noticed my weirdness.
‘Is this the last medicine?’
When I saw that the medicine box was empty, I sighed. I put the extra medicine in the pre-mailed bag, but I didn’t know it was going to turn out like this because things went wrong in the middle.
‘Next weekend, I decided to meet him. To be honest, it seems difficult to hold on until then, so I’ll have to send him another letter and tell him to come earlier.’
If not, I have to rent a private medicine room and make it myself, but if I do, it will be recorded in the records, which is a big deal.
‘I hope nothing will happen until then.’
With my head getting clearer, I took a deep breath and set out on patrol again.
* * *
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”
“This is my job.”
Although she vehemently said that she was okay Selina took her to her infirmary.
Selina gave her a warm smile and waved her hand, but Rene was sincere.
“That……Teacher Selina.”
“Yes?”
“How is that kid?”
“You mean Dunema? I’m not sure.”
“Oh right……”
“Still, according to the school rules notified in advance, it wasn’t just a fight, it was a one-sided attack, so I wondered if she would receive disciplinary action even if she wouldn’t be expelled from school.”
It would be better if the academy would give stronger discipline to people with strong self-esteem like Dunema but both of them had a vague feeling that they wouldn’t.
She was still a freshman who didn’t know what to do, so the lenient punishment also played a part, but above all else, since her father is a count, they will try to take care of it.
“Why? Are you worried?”
“Nope. I’m just curious.”
To be honest, I don’t feel sorry for Dunema, who attacked this way. On the contrary, it was surprising that she was not expelled from school for what she did. I was just asking because I was confused.
“Are you worried?”
“Yes?”
“Your expression is showing it.”
“Ah……”
Rene nodded her head slightly.
“It just seems to be more intense than I thought when I came here. I thought Theon was a place full of dreams and ideals.”
“…….”
“But this time, when I spoke with a noble student, it didn’t seem like that at all. Even though the person who did the wrong thing will be punished, there is no guarantee that something like this won’t happen again in the future.”
“……yes.”
Selina also agreed with Rene’s opinion.
In Theon, royalty and commoners are said to be equal, but that was rarely true. Even if teachers mediate students as much as possible in a neutral position, there is no way that problems won’t arise when students are alone.
Even some aristocratic teachers discriminated against commoners and subtly favored noble students. As a result, some who were proud of being nobles looked down on the teachers just because they were commoners or fallen aristocrats. Dunema’s abusive language to Rudger was an extension of this situation.
“That’s right. To be honest, I also think that was harsh on Mr. Rudger.”
Rene put her hands on her waist and puffed her cheeks as if she was trying to prove she was mad.
Selina smiled softly as she looked at Rene, who had her eyes widened as if she didn’t know what the teacher would say.
“But it’s because Mr. Rudger passed on it. There is nothing more we can say.”
“Aren’t you mad?”
“Of course I am angry. I’m trying hard but it must have been Mr. Rudger who had the most complicated thoughts at the time.”
“Ah.”
Rene remembered the expression Rudger had made at that time. A shadow was cast on her face so she couldn’t see well, but she must have been terrified.
After she met those eyes, Dunema’s face turned white. Rudger was originally a terrifying teacher, but she couldn’t imagine how terrifying he would be if he was truly angry.
Even so, Mr. Rudger offered to take care of her Dunema’s mistake only this time. He must have been angrier with himself than anyone else.
It’s not just about surrendering to the other’s family and passing on it. Rather, it was more of a mercy for educating a student who was truly in need.
Sure enough, Rudger had consistently looked at her with her cold gaze. There was no way that a person who showed such an attitude would have resigned from the authority of the other person’s family.
When he admonished Dunema, he frankly told herself that she was right. Rene looked at him and was completely surprised.
“So I’m going to try to believe it too. She must have done something wrong, but we’re still young students, aren’t we? I think there is an opportunity to change.”
“Ah.” Selina scratched her head.
“Hehehe. Sorry. Did I talk too much like an aunty?”
“No. Teacher Selina is also young enough. I would have called you sister if we had met outside.”
“Oh, thank you for the compliment. Rene is a good kid.”
Selina herself would think she was getting older, but in Rene’s eyes, she was so young that if she wore her school uniform, she would only look like her senior.
She is beautiful and always smiling, Selina has already been the object of adoration by some boys but she’s not really aware of it.
In the first place, I wonder if the mid-20s are that old.
“Yes. Sister~. That’s a good word. I wish I had a younger sister like Rene.”
“I wish I had an older sister like Selina.”
“Really? Oh my, you’re pretty.”
“Hehe. Then, can you give me a little more points for the Elemental Studies class?”
“It’ll depend on how hard you work.”
Selina smiled and returned Rene’s prank.
“The time has already come. I’ll go look around the rest of the patrol area. You have to tell me if there is something wrong with your body.”
“Yes.”
Selina waved and left the infirmary.
She was left alone, and Rene looked at her body and thought she was fine, so she got up from the bed.
‘By the way, Mr. Rudger called my name.’
When she used the training ground, she wore comfortable clothes because she was afraid that her uniform would get dirty. Naturally, back then, she didn’t have a name tag, so no one knew her name. But Rudger Chelici called her name naturally.
‘Did you remember my name after one class?’
For Rudger Chelici, she’s just one of 80 students, and a commoner who doesn’t even need to be noticed. Still, Rudger remembered her name.
Suddenly, she remembered what he said to Dunema.
‘In Theon, everyone is equal.’
Like throwing a stone into a calm water surface, those words ripple through Rene’s mind.
If he had only said it but didn’t mean it Rene would have been disappointed but Rudger didn’t. Through his actions and his unshakable convictions he instilled hope for a fair Theon.
‘My first impression was obviously that he was a scary teacher.’
As a new teacher, I didn’t expect much when I took his first class. However, I was surprised by the innovation of source code that Rudger showed.
Even after Flora’s actions he mediated the situation, he ended up warning the student even though he had been insulted.
The figure that suddenly appeared and saved her in a moment of crisis was momentary, but it was like seeing a prince riding a white horse in a fairy tale. Involuntarily, her heart was pounding.
‘No. Mr. Rudger probably didn’t care just about me.’
I’m here to learn magic, not for dramatic encounters.
* * *
After the incident at Training Ground No. 1, nothing unusual was found on the patrol, so I was able to return to my dormitory with peace of mind.
When I got home, I immediately sent a letter to him. It was difficult to wait until next weekend, so he had to come earlier.
The reply came back early in the morning.
What was written on the inside was simple. The task at hand was finished earlier than expected, so he was going to come immediately.
The meeting point is in the factory area beyond the eastern commercial district of Leathervelk. I wrote the letter, thinking that it would be a suitable place for people not to see.
‘Today is Friday. Tomorrow is Saturday, so one day should be enough.’
It’s the first weekend after the start of the semester, so the students may be excited, but will the same thing happen as the day before?
With that in mind, I heard a strange story from Selina, who was having lunch with me.
“Werewolf?”
“Yes, werewolf.”
Rumors about a werewolf began to circulate in Theon.