Sword, Magic and Academic Society

The bloke (Red) heaved a sigh.

"I’m not aware of the idiocy that bum has caused, but I want you in our ranks, Mad Hound. Well, I did clarify with him that I had no intention to cause trouble, but it seemed to have been a waste.

Anyway, I’ll be blunt. I called you here to invite you to our Rose Family, and of course, I promise to make sure that you get your due treatment too. You’ll basically act as my right-hand man, the chief aid. If you do well, you might succeed in my position too.

The Rose Family will one day control the entire underworld, thriving in the shadows of the Royal Capital, and you have a chance to be its leader. Sounds great, right? So, what do you say?"

The other people present stirred on hearing Red's statement.

"Chief Aid, for real!?"

"He would be the No. 3 basically! Why would we take orders from a brat?!"

"No, this is going overboard, Red-san!"

Wow, these guys were really pea-brained. I rejected the offer without delay.

"Keep that offer to yourself. I have no interest in it. Also, I really wish you would stuff this inside your brain— Don't contact me ever again."

I said and glared back at Red when the short man sitting in front of him chuckled in delight.

"Hahaha! I really gotta say you're every bit of a unique gem that Red-san described. I intended to keep quiet but boy, your attitude in coming here, all alone, is really impressive. By the way, the name's Tomora.

......Say, don't you think an eventless life is quite boring? Look at us, we're the kings of this vast Yuglia Underworld. Just try to imagine: Anything you desire, it would be yours for the taking. Loads of money, an entourage of your dream girls, fine wine and food! Just say it and it's yours!"

"Keep that offer to yourself. I have no interest in it. Also, I really wish you would stuff this inside your brain— Don't contact me ever again."

I repeated my previous phrase word-for-word. Yeah, I wasn't a bit interested in my heart at all. Girls of my liking? What crap.

However, since I had a reputation of wearing my heart in my sleeves, Tomora continued, unfazed.

"......Just say the word, and I’ll even dispatch two or three dames at your address right this instant."

?!

What utter bullshit! Don't think you can sway my heart with something like this!

As a former Japanese person, it was utterly nauseating for me to treat people as mere objects!

Also, putting aside my abysmally negative interest, the Academy would never allow an outsider in its premise!

"......Given your fame, I’m sure there should be plenty of girls in our expansive Rose Family who're your fans. They've hardly done any heavy work, so I believe you won't be disappointed one bit. Of course, I believe you have your reputation to take care of, so we can also arrange a hidden residence too."

?!

Deep breath Haa~. What a crass offer. Did he really think that I was so cheap?...... But I was sure now, this guy was the spy. He was too dangerous.

"K-K-Keep that offer to yourself. I have no interest in it. Also, I really wish you would stuff this inside your brain— Don't contact me ever again."

Once again, I repeated my words, with more resolve than ever.

I had just done so when Chabul Rose hollered from behind.

"What is this crap! I did say you can bring this brat in, but what's with this nonsense?! Also, what was that about being the next leader candidate?! Since when did our Rose become so cheap! Hey, Mei! Go to the Western Branch and call some capable explorers!"

Mei, the goat-bearded man, scurried out of the room at his order.

◆◆◆

“And you, brat. Do you know I just need to call and there’ll be 30 to 50 explorers lining up for me the next moment? Now guess for yourself where I’m heading next.”

"......No idea. Pray tell me, what do you want to do?"

I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. Chabul made an evil expression and replied.

"You're not going back until you nod your head."

Yeah, a brain-dead fella, alright. So he was just there for appearance's sake. His reply was just as expected, not even scratching the surface.

I turned my gaze from Chabul to Red and Tomora, and asked 'What's your answer?' from them.

"H-How dare you ignore the boss of this place! I see, so you really don't care about what'll happen to your meager society, haaa?!"

......I took a deep breath and turned around.

"......What're you talking about? I left 'Apple' already."

Perhaps he felt that his words were finally being taken seriously when I replied, he twisted his face back into that freaky expression again and continued.

"Haha, so that was your naive hope, huh? You must have thought that this would keep them from getting caught up in fire, but pity for you! Not that I expected anything better from a brat. Adults play dirty, leaving no opening unchecked. So if you don't want your brethren to be killed—"

"Kill? You’re saying you're gonna kill them?"

They accepted me with open arms, and looked after me much like a family member would have. I could feel my mind regaining its extreme calmness.

"I did, so what? Finally ready to accept how insignificant your existence is? Believe me, try to ignore me anymore, and I’ll make sure to torment so cleanly no one would be able to find any clu—"

I took a step toward Chabul.

"Stop right there, you little shit!"

Flustered, one of the bodyguards stood in the way and shouted a cautionary warning. But seeing that I wasn't stopping, he tried to stab me with his spear though it seemed to lack force behind it. Perhaps the cramped space and the presence of many people inside interfered with his attack.

......Hah, did he think he could stop me?

I side-stepped to dodge the spear, slipped past the bodyguard and stepped onto the desk placed in front of Chabul. I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and vaulted over the desk.

The instant I landed, I smashed Chabul's face on one of the glass windows, still holding on to his nape.

"Arrrghh!"

Fresh blood splattered, and the glass shattered into pieces.

With how it had shattered, it appeared to be a tougher variety of glass, but far from the tough glass that the central military post used. Well, those had an absurd price and one needed more than just money to even acquire them. I believe I could have smashed this bastard's face again and again on one without fear of it being shattered.

4th story, hmm...... We had been trained to jump down from the third floor in practical class, but I believe I could easily shrug the impact and remain unhurt if I jumped from this floor.

Anyway, this secured my escape route. Moreover, this also helped me regain my enhanced hearing, albeit limited, since the barrier from the detection prevention tool was constantly interfering with it.

It was worth it to nick the tool with my dagger, placed below the table accompanied by the sofa, the first time when I entered the room.

Mentally patting my back for that action, I half dragged Chabul outside the window and gave him a shake.

"C-Chief!"

"You little shit! Remember, if you dare let go, you won't return in one piece from here!"

......Excluding Chabul, 4 out of the 12 people in the room weren't even showing any concern for him. Believing I couldn't see them, they were currently taking it easy.

'Good grief,' Red shook his head while Tomura was suppressing his urge to laugh out loud.

Sure enough, they couldn't hide their tails… So four spies, huh?

"Come now, no one is going to save you. Who do you think are, Mr. Popular? Oh wait, do you even realize that if I was attacked, I may not be able to hold on to you? Though you can try… so long as you don't mind becoming a pancake after falling from this height."

I was sure people like him were the ones most afraid of death, so I taunted him.

"You little! You really take us for granted for showing you some respect, huh!? If you value your life enough, pull me back in the room right now! And you all, catch this little shit! There's no way he's gonna release me!"

Chabul shouted as he glanced at the ground.

Did this guy really say that he was being polite? He still has arrogance in him despite barely hanging on a thin thread himself, a misstep enough to send him to his afterlife.

I dragged Chabul back in the room, took a step on the right and smashed him again on another window.

The glass shattered once again, spraying the fresh blood like a fountain. My enhanced hearing recovered more of its efficiency.

"Uggghhh!"

"Are you sure I need to understand my position? Please, don't delude yourself that I would quietly let go of you. Well, pity for you, I’m not that upright of a guy. I don't do things half-heartedly. You see that direction? If I throw you now, the small fries who're waiting to catch you, would never be able to stop your fall."

"Y-Y-Y-You dare do that and you're dead meat! Mark my words! I-If you want to return alive—"

I once again pulled Chabul back into the room and then smashed his face onto another glass window, shattering it.

"Aaaaahhh!!"

"Hmph, you're really bad at jokes, you know? You think I believe your nonsense? I bet you would still want me dead no matter if I drop you now or if I pull you back in. Don't you want me dead? Then why do you think that I’ll leave you alive? At least listen to yourself.

Anyway, you're going to die, and there's no changing it. What happens after that would depend on what the actual living will do. Goodbye, and have a safe trip to the true underworld."

I channeled my Body Strengthening to its peak and held Chabul in a throwing stance as I was about to throw him straight down.