Chapter 56

If the starting point is Schlaphe Hall, then hell unfolds.

The seniors scam the freshmen, obstructing their paths while not making any effort themselves.

Sure, you can tolerate that. As long as you’re not directly affected.

But these bastards test the limits of patience no matter how hard you try to endure.

The tyrants of Schlaphe Hall.

The money-loving giant Makdal, and…

“Let’s collect the advance payment first, shall we?”

The effeminate pervert Bidon, who only loves men.

– Especially this guy, he’s the most dangerous.

“Oh, Makdal, that’s too harsh.”

Even the most talented playable characters are like unbloomed flowers.

In front of the third-year duo from Adele Hall, the natural course of action is to endure and survive the years of hardship.

But I decided to resist their tyranny.

“The rich should pay more taxes, right? Now, quickly, hand over 1,000 coins.”

I couldn’t stand by while the oppressed suffered, driven by deep compassion and a strong sense of justice.

And with friends who understood loyalty, my heart was always fortified.

“Hmm? Suddenly, a shadow looms over us?”

“Look behind you, Bidon. I’ve never seen someone bigger than me.”

Aslay, with a fierce look, was towering over them.

Even the visibly scared Limberton was with him.

“Look at those chiseled muscles. Such wild charm in a man.”

“And the little guy next to him is just the right size to be used as a cup table.”

The moment Makdal reached to touch Limberton’s head, Aslay grabbed Makdal’s wrist.

Squeeze!

“Heh, looks like you have some strength. Grr!”

The veins in Makdal’s arm bulged as he tried to resist.

However, Aslay wasn’t even using his full strength, slowly increasing the pressure.

“Ug

As Aslay twisted Makdal’s arm slowly, sweat started to drip from Makdal’s forehead.

“B-Bidon, you might have to handle this one!”

“Oh dear, why is a magician showing off strength?”

At that moment, Limberton widened his eyes and asked in surprise.

“A magician? That giant?”

“Kiddo, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Someone who looks tough on the outside might be gentle inside, and someone who seems elegant could be hiding a beast.”

Bidon said, raising his index finger in a familiar gesture that made my eyebrows twitch.

I urgently burned the ‘Noble Blood Ember.’

“Enough.”

I wasn’t talking to Bidon, but to Aslay.

“Aslay, that’s enough.”

Aslay released Makdal’s wrist, and Bidon squinted and smirked.

“Heh, looks like a lot has changed since we last met? You’ve become a more impressive man.”

I was now certain.

Aslay might be able to beat Makdal, but Bidon would be too much…

“Well, okay. We just came to say hello, so we’ll leave now.”

Bidon’s victory gesture was something he only showed to those he was certain he could defeat.

From experience, I knew that I had never won a fight after seeing that gesture.

Bidon patted Makdal on the back.

“Makdal, you went too far. 100 times is too much.”

“W-Wait, Bidon. Didn’t we agree to do things my way this time?”

Makdal looked at Bidon with a childish expression.

Then Bidon’s atmosphere turned frighteningly serious.

“Makdal.”

“Okay, okay. It was a joke.”

Just by calling his name, Makdal backed down immediately.

Though they were both second-in-command, Bidon was clearly a step above Makdal.

“Hmm, but that wild-looking guy isn’t skilled at using aura. He’s too raw.”

Bidon commented, passing by Aslay.

Once the duo had disappeared, Aslay approached me with a puzzled look.

His expression seemed to ask why I had stopped him.

“Aslay.”

I pointed to his arm, and his eyes widened.

His forearm had a deep indent where the skin was pressed in.

It must have been Bidon’s doing when he passed by.

“Ugh…”

Aslay grabbed his left arm with his right hand, but as soon as he let go, it fell limp.

His left arm seemed paralyzed.

Sweat started to drip from his forehead.

“Now you see? You would have lost if you fought.”

“…”

Then, suddenly, Aslay looked at me with an intense gaze.

A look full of expectation.

Ever since I caught the leader, he occasionally gave me that look.

Surely, he doesn’t think I can beat Bidon, does he?

The main characters would need at least three months of intense training to beat that Bidon…

“…We need to go to the infirmary first.”

And maybe get his head checked too.

***

Having just gotten out of the punishment wing a day ago, the fresh air outside was still intoxicating.

Makdal and Bidon wandered aimlessly around the academy.

“But Bidon, why did you back off?”

“Hmm? Oh, that? I got more intrigued than before.”

“You mean Hersel?”

“Yes, the moment I showed my killing intent, he stopped it. Has he been training? He seemed to know how it would end.”

“So you backed off…”

“Well, he still wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”

Makdal scratched his cheek with his index finger in confusion.

“Then you could’ve just smashed him there.”

“Oh, why would I ruin such a handsome face?”

Makdal made an “ah” sound and nodded.

“Right, Bidon, you’ve wanted him for a while.”

“Yes, so this time, I’ll take it slow. You’ll help, right?”

Makdal chuckled.

“Sure, I’ll be careful not to mess with him.”

At that moment, they heard harsh words coming from near Burgher Hall.

“You think I don’t know? Pretending to earn money while flirting with men!”

“If you live in a filthy place, know your place.”

Two women were surrounding a third with menacing faces.

“It’s a misunderstanding… I was just here to do some sewing.”

“Don’t lie till the end!”

One of the attackers poured a drink over the victim’s head.

The assailants laughed gleefully.

“Tasty, isn’t it?”

“What are you doing? Drink it up. When else will a beggar like you get to taste something like this?”

The victim was a second-year from Schlaphe Hall.

“Are you going to intervene, Bidon?”

“Since we’re collecting taxes, we should work for it. And make a point.”

“True, that makes sense.”

Bidon started walking stealthily.

The two women gasped and trembled when they noticed him.

“B-Bidon.”

“Today’s your release day?”

Bidon narrowed his eyes and grabbed the two women by their heads.

“Aaah!”

The women screamed from the pressure.

Bidon spoke softly.

“How could ladies do something so vulgar?”

“S-Sorry.”

“B-But… that girl…”

“And spilling sticky drinks on the ground attracts bugs.”

Bidon pressed their heads towards the wet floor.

“You know I hate bugs, right?”

“P-Please forgive us…”

“We won’t do it again, please…”

Bidon stood them up and sent them away.

After the commotion settled, the second-year girl thanked Bidon with a rigid face.

“T-Thank you, senior.”

“Not senior, call me big sister. But dear, you must’ve suffered while I was in the punishment wing. Such a delicate thing. This won’t do.”

Bidon smiled radiantly, causing the girl to break out in cold sweat.

“Tell everyone to gather by 6 PM tonight. You know what that means, right?”

The girl nodded, trembling as if recalling a dreadful memory.

At 6 PM, the freshmen and even the third-years gathered in front of the dormitory for training disguised as punishment.

Of course, this was nothing but torture to satisfy the duo’s sadistic pleasure.

The tyrannical duo were cunning.

Externally, Burgher Hall kept an eye, but Schlaphe Hall, always at the bottom, remained a blind spot for the professors.

It was the perfect condition for them to openly extort money under the guise of protection fees and commit character assassinations and physical assaults.

Within the closed environment, their justifications, although flimsy, kept dissenters quiet.

They minimized friction with external forces and presented themselves as necessary evils to stifle complaints.

Additionally, in a positive light, the punishments could be seen as training.

They crushed the students’ spirits with force and, if there were complaints, told them to get stronger.

And the professors viewed this favorably.

“To the professors, it just looks like they’re training the students of the lowest-ranked dormitory. Unless we present strong evidence, they’ll just keep turning a blind eye.”

I spoke to Ricks, whose face was still swollen from being beaten.

As someone with a relatively upright character, he had resisted the duo’s injustice yesterday and got thoroughly beaten for it.

His entire group had been trashed…

Such upright fellows.

At that moment, Bidon’s loud voice echoed, even reaching us.

“Just because you’re a magician, doesn’t mean you can neglect physical training. What will you do if I approach like this?”

Bidon shouted, slapping a female student’s cheek.

Makdal, meanwhile, was laughing as a male student tied to a post was getting hit by other students in a line.

The one getting hit was the one who had reported the duo, sending them to the punishment wing.

Hell was unfolding on the ground.

Unable to bear it, Athera, who had lost her authority, spoke.

“I can’t keep getting you out of this for long.”

Thanks to Athera, the representative of Schlaphe Hall, Aslay, Ricks, and I were able to avoid the training.

The official reason was that we were assigned to repair the fortress wall.

Since the duo extorted 30% of the daily wage as a fee, they generously allowed outside work.

More money meant more profit for them.

“Remember, I’m only helping because you promised to get rid of those guys.”

She was really rubbing it in.

I had intended to survive using a similar method from the start.

It didn’t matter if it wasn’t here.

“And that little guy, Limberton, right? If he keeps making weird comments, he’ll be kicked out immediately!”

Poor Limberton had been berated by Athera for making creepy comments.

– Your muscles seem really stiff. Can you take off your armor? I’ll give you a massage. And when it comes to it, you’ll undress the rest yourself.

Now he was walking around with a cup on his head, serving as Makdal’s walking cup table.

Despite being beaten, Ricks hadn’t lost his resolve, clenching his fists.

“Why do the seniors keep enduring this? If we all work together and report them to the professors, they’ll go back to the punishment wing…”

Athera sighed, as if too tired to explain, so I answered instead.

“Those guys are smart. They never get caught openly.”

Even during fake sparring, they hit inconspicuous areas like the belly or thighs.

When using excessive violence, they frame it as students fighting among themselves, slipping through like eels.

“Of course, some might have evidence. But the scariest thing is they work as a duo. If one goes to the punishment wing, the other won’t leave the informant alone. And even if both are sent, the victim might be too scared of retaliation to speak.”

Given the atmosphere, no students would dare oppose them.

Ricks dropped his shoulders and said.

“So, we have no choice but to use force.”

Then, they all looked at me with eyes full of expectation.

It seemed they genuinely believed I could defeat Bidon after the leader’s subjugation.

Maybe the rumors of me surviving the giant bird added to it.

I glanced at Limberton, who had become a walking cup table.

– If I told the truth, would I get kicked out immediately?

Better to dodge the topic for now.

“Ahem, even if I crush them, it’ll be a problem. They’ll just hide and do the same things in secret. It’ll be harder to catch them then.”

Ricks nodded in understanding.

“That’s true. They’ll still stay in Schlaphe Hall even if we beat them…”

Athera also agreed.

“Hmm, Hersel makes sense. Poking the bear might backfire. We should start by gathering solid evidence. And we need to convince the victims that we have the means to send them to the punishment wing.”

It would have been better if she had stopped there.

“And if Hersel beats them badly enough to send them to the hospital, their reputation will be ruined. The victims will no longer be afraid and will come forward to expose their crimes.”

Ricks exhaled in admiration.

“Indeed… If we have someone to protect us from retaliation, we can unite.”

“Yes, but they won’t believe us just by words. We need to show them that someone has defeated those guys.”

“If the entire Schlaphe Hall rises, the duo’s punishment wing stay will be extended… Hersel, this is a great plan. So, you’ll wait until we gather evidence.”

Ha, no, you demonic bastards.

You guys need to endure for three months, train, and then beat them with your numbers.

That’s the proper way.

Ricks asked Athera.

“Senior, how do we gather evidence? I don’t think the victims will just hand it over. It would be good to have material evidence.”

“Material evidence? They keep a ledger in their room for those who didn’t pay taxes.”

“Getting it would be a suicide mission…”

Why does it feel like my improvised plan is getting more convoluted?

“…Indeed. This seems impossible from the start.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Actually, if you beat the two guys so badly that they can’t even lift a spoon, the victims will come forward with evidence on their own.

They’re just too scared to report, but if safety is ensured, they’d be the ones who want those guys dead the most.

Then there will be a thorough investigation, and their ledger disguised as a book with lewd illustrations will be found.

They’d rot in the punishment wing for at least six months.

But they started coming up with convoluted strategies instead of the straightforward way.

“Ah! I have a good idea.”

Athera scanned the men with innocent eyes.

“One of you could pretend to like Bidon and let him attack you on purpose. Then, gather evidence and report him.”

All the men, except me and the clueless Aslay, grimaced.

Honestly, it was a pretty good idea.

Sexual harassment is taken very seriously, so even the professors wouldn’t stay quiet.

That would surely send Bidon away.

Makdal, who even loses to Aslay, could be beaten and sent away once the victims are safe.

Then Bidon’s sentence would naturally be extended.

This seemed like a solid plan.

“Of course, I recommend Hersel. Bidon seems particularly fond of him.”

But it was the wrong method.

“Peace built on sacrifice is fake.”

My words made everyone solemn.

After a few seconds of silence, Ricks spoke.

“I’ll think deeply about that, senior. And Hersel, just wait a bit. We’ll gather the evidence somehow.”

This place is definitely a madhouse.

Five days later, there was an announcement for a tree-planting event organized by a professor.

I decided to endure here just until then and then move to another safe place.

Late at night, Limberton was serving as a cup table in Makdal’s room.

“I’m thirsty.”

“…Yes.”

Makdal, lying on the bed, drank a gulp of water.

“Ah, it’s a bit warm.”

“Should I get more?”

“No, it’s fine. You can leave now.”

As Limberton was about to leave, a sketch on the desk caught his eye.

A drawing of a woman changing clothes.

“Hmm, I didn’t get paid, so I guess I can borrow one book?”

Besides, there were plenty of similar books on the shelf.

Thinking it wouldn’t be noticed, Limberton secretly took it.

Not realizing it was the tax ledger…