Chapter 31: The Weak and the Strong (I) |
Judy jumped up and ran to the door, while Deheen flinched and straightened his back.
“Your Grace… Are you all right?”
“What do you think?”
“…Nevermind.”
It was the first time that Deheen, who did not tremble even when before the emperor, was nervous. Ben couldn’t hold back his escaping chuckle.
All parents with children seemed unable to relax in front of the teacher.
“Greetings. I am James Griffith, who will demonstrate today’s class.”
James entered the living room and politely convey his greetings.
“Welcome. Please come this way.”
It was said he was young. He appeared to be in his mid to late twenties. He seemed bright, but he bore a strict face.
“Thank you for inviting me. I have tutored a total of six students since graduating from the academy.”
As soon as he positioned himself on the couch, James introduced himself, reciting his career accordingly.
There were many prominent children amidst the ones he taught, some that Deheen had heard of.
“Oh? I know Sera. She retained first place in the academy countless times.”
“That’s right.”
One of them was aquantained with Judy. James nodded indifferently, stating it wasn’t much.
Deheen began leaning towards James with great satisfaction.
“That’s very good. All right, let me introduce my children first.”
Esther, who had been waiting quietly, stood up and greeted him with modest grace.
“Hello, I’m Esther, the youngest.”
“We’re twins. I’m Judy, he’s Dennis.”
James studied the three children one by one, his gaze attentive.
The moment Esther made eye contact with his rust-colored eyes, she felt she had been caught, although not guilty.
“Today, I’m going to present a short demonstration. Please sign the contract if you favor my teaching.”
“All right. Let’s go now.”
They all stood up at once. The study room that Deheen had pre-arranged was located on the second floor.
A large blackboard, a round table, and a few chairs. In addition to the increasingly large area composed for dance practice.
The room was thoroughly supplied.
Esther, Judy, Dennis, and Deheen sat around the round table one by one.
James placed down his bag and commenced preparing for class when he belatedly noticed Deheen was also sitting on a chair.
“Your Grace… Will you also stay throughout the class?”
“Yes, I came here to judge.”
“…Yes.”
Deheen glared at James with an expression that suggested he would kill him if anything went wrong.
No matter how good James was, he bore no talent to face Deheen’s deathly gaze.
When Ben noticed the back of James’s hand trembling, he patted him on the shoulder, advising him not to feel pressured.
“He is just observing, so don’t feel too pressured and make yourself at home.”
But it was of no encouragement at all. No matter what Ben assured, it couldn’t be comfortable to teach a class in front of the Grand Duke.
His confident figure instantly disappeared. James gulped down his saliva, his sweat drowning him.
“Then… let’s get started.”
The class James had prepared was for a beginner’s level, presenting the history of the empire.
He was told to start from the basics of any subject.
James explained what could be difficult as concisely as possible.
He asked Esther basic questions and proceeded with the class according to her level.
“The story begins in the dark ages when all kinds of disasters were happening around the world.”
Esther knew this part well, given she was drained from hearing it while at the temple.
“…Every country covering the continent was lost in a mix of disasters. However, under the patronage of the Goddess Espitos, the Holy Saint and the First Emperor drove out the darkness. Those who survived the dark ages were the founding citizens of the Austin Empire.”
In the history of the Austin Empire, the story of the goddess and the saint could not be omitted.
There were even scholars who argued that the first emperor was a temple knight who served the saint.
This was the very reason for the abnormally concentrated power in the temple.
“I will explain the four generations in the next class.”
It was new and interesting to hear from a different point of view, although Esther already understood everything.
When Esther and Dennis burned with curiosity and their eyes ignited in excitement,
“If you don’t mind… Shall we spend a little more time?”
James, inspired by the children’s motivation, soon forgot about Deheen’s existence and continued his class passionately. Endless questions were asked and they underwent deep discussions.
Deheen watched the children pleasantly and quietly exited the room during the middle of the lecture.
★★★
After class.
The children’s evaluation of James was excellent. Deheen decided to hire him on the spot and moved on to the contract.
“Now, here is the contract.”
Ben was in charge of the papers, so he and James sat face to face in the drawing-room.
They exchanged records.
“I placed the provisions as I stated the other day, but in case you happened to forget, they can be read here as you sign.”
“Yes. But… Does his Grace favor his children?”
“That’s the way it is.”
“I had no idea.”
James was astounded. The rumors he heard of completely differed from what he had seen from Deheen till now.
Contrary to the stories that he brutally slaughtered infants, honey dripped from his eyes as he observed his children.
Ben agreed that he was also perplexed every time while handing over the contract already signed by Deheen.
“If there is no problem with the contract, sign here, if you may. I have the advance payment.”
A box filled with jewels was prepared in advance.
“Oh, I’ll take about this amount, I don’t need double.”
“Take it for now. Instead, the masters will join your lecture from time to time, so I’d appreciate it if you could be generous as you perform your duties.”
“Yes… Well, that’s fine.”
Throughout the conversation, James couldn’t look Ben in the eye.
Then, after he finally managed to muster his courage, the teacher slowly glanced at Ben and brought up his words.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. Many professors have said that ever since the academy was founded, there had never been such a competent student.”
James’ eyes as he glanced at Ben were filled with respect.
Ben tapped James on the shoulder, feeling somewhat modest.
“Haha, it’s all exaggerated. We’ll see each other often in the future, so let’s get along well.”
“Yes. Please teach me well.”
“How could I be of any help?”
Even so, Ben grinned as he didn’t mind the junior looking up to him.
“And the lady, please take good care of her. She has many scars that she conceals.”
“I will.”
Ben and James shook hands vigorously after exchanging the contract signed by both sides.
★★★
“Yes, it’s finally over!!”
Judy shouted vigorously. He had finally completed three weeks of his short-term swordsmanship classes.
He was so excited that he couldn’t help but grin like a fool.
Following the three weeks, Judy’s appearance had developed quite a bit. He lost weight and certainly improved his physique.
He grew a few centimeters in height and felt much older than before he entered the training.
The butler was very pleased with his young master’s appearance when he arrived to pick him up.
“Good work, Young Master.”
“How is it at home? Esther, how is she?”
“The lady is fine. Was the training all right?”
“Yes! I’m so strong now. Did you know I won first place in the last class?”
Judy kept bragging about his classes. The butler found it quite entertaining.
The boy kept chanting the same things, but he truly felt like he worked hard. He even gained more muscle.
“That’s great. Let’s continue the chat on our way home.”
“No, I’ve got a place to drop by.”
Judy abruptly created a straight face and shook his head.
His eyes shone the same way whenever he played with dangerous toys.
The place he stopped by was an abandoned town.
The village, which had been re-built before but unfortunately collapsed, was in ruins for a while, as people had been cut off from the place. He ran into one of the many abandoned shelters.
When he reached the house that was on the verge of collapsing, Judy placed his hands against his waist.
And proudly kicked the door.
“Hey, Sebastian! Get out!”
The name that burst out with a shout, was none other than Sebastian’s.
This was a place where Sebastian and his group often hung out at. This was the information Judy learned from a child who participated in his class.
Sebastian was stupid, but he had many followers since he was the heir to his family.
Judy came here to prey on Sebastian.
The boys who were playing around froze the instant they saw the surprise visitor.
“…Everyone, run!”
After a moment of silence, a tremendous commotion proceeded. Everyone started running and freaking out to avoid Judy.
Judy had already examined all the children, but Sebastian could not be seen.
“Have you already run away?”
Judy strode in, his voice provoking.
There was a wooden sword in his hand that he had brought in advance. It produced terrifying sounds as he dragged it against the ground.
Unfortunately, the boy who was furthest from the door couldn’t escape and could be found shaking.
Judy stood in front of him and asked bluntly.
“Do you know where Sebastian is?”
“I, I don’t know.”
It was an obvious lie as his eyes trembled violently.
“Are you going to tell me, yes, or no?”
“…….”
“Should I count to three?”
“…….”
“One.”
“Gee, I really don’t know…”
“Two.”
“He’s not here. Really.”
“Three…”
“H-H-He went that way!!”
Screaming, he covered his face in fear of really being beaten by Judy.
When Judy heard the answer he needed, his feet headed towards that direction without touching the terrified lad.
“Wow, those without loyalty.”
Fortunately, there were signs of Sebastian, proving that the kid was not lying.
Sebastian’s big body wasn’t something he could cover. He hid between the walls to hide, but Judy could discern his protruding stomach very well.
Judy giggled.
“Found you.”
He ran excitedly and aimed towards the protruding flesh with his wooden sword.
Then, kack! With a shout, Sebastian popped forward. His hands were sweaty and he was trembling unstoppably.
“What are you doing here, Sebastian?”
Sebastian seemed as if he were about to cry.
He bowed his head and made excuses to avoid Judy’s dark gaze.
“I was… I was just resting.”