Oran Knight is out (1/2 chapters for today)
Attendance Number 2: Faulante Bell Maria
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**Today’s Diary**
There are nobles in this country. Some even live quite close. Yes, for example, my classmates.
Falaunte Bell Maria from Team B is one of the three nobles enrolled in Class 1-C. However, she doesn’t act like a noble at all. She always listens to everyone’s stories with a gentle smile and her fluffy red wavy hair swaying as she does so.
She’s a little younger than me. I used to think that nobles just had servants, ate delicious food, and boasted, but it seems they have their own struggles.
—
There were nobles in this country. When I lived in the countryside, they seemed like characters from a distant world, but after enrolling in the Oran Knight Military Academy, they suddenly became something very close to me.
The children of nobles came to school to learn about a military class that only nobles can become Knights (or Ritters in German). Knights didn’t fight on the front lines. Instead, they commanded from the rear and orchestrated the battle strategies. The planning and commanding of the troops’ operations were carried out by the Knights. The most important thing for a Knight is to return alive. The second was victory.
Heinz told me that for Knights, being captured by the enemy was a disgrace which was worse than death. So, they have a noble’s sense of pride in escaping at all costs and setting foot on their homeland again.
“Wow, that sounds tough,” I thought, but then Heinz, looking somewhat disheartened, added,
“No matter who they abandon, in the end, they just want to survive themselves and protect their own kin.” (Heinz)
He explained it to me and I was a bit impressed by how cleverly they think. It was because of this military class, each class team was centered around Knights. In other words, each class has at least three to four noble children assigned to it.
In 1-C, the nobles were Maria, Saxon from Team A who approached me on the first day, and Roy from Team C. Heinz told me that in every class, the students with attendance numbers 1 to 3 are nobles. In some cases, up to number 5 could be nobles, so I should be careful in my dealings. Moreover, the smaller the number, the higher their noble status. Saxon is number 1, Maria is number 2, and Roy-kun is number 3.
Maria’s family, the Bell Household, had a long history and was a noble family that was once having blood ties with the princess. However, in recent years, their prominence has waned, and they were subtly encouraged by the princess to do better. This was why Maria was apparently sent to the academy. I said “apparently” because all this information came from Heinz. Maria herself was reluctant to talk about it. In fact, she was a quiet girl who seldom initiates conversation.
While I find Maria’s personality agreeable, a Knight’s role is to plan strategies and lead the troops. I wonder if she’ll be okay? At least for us in Team B, Heinz is the one leading our activities, so we don’t seem to have any major issues during practical training. The reason I’m mentioning all this now is that Maria is standing right in front of me, trembling while holding a kitten.
… I haven’t done anything, you know?
—
One of my recent enjoyments was exploring the school grounds after classes. Unexpected encounters, like the one with Rick the other day, make it interesting. Heinz suggested I should go into town, but getting a permit for a short trip was a hassle, and I didn’t have much extra money. Although I received a one-time allowance upon enrolling, I’d prefer to save it for my sister’s medical expenses. Moreover, the vast school grounds have many places I haven’t seen yet, so it seems I won’t get bored for a while.
As for today, I was walking around the Military Building. The Military Wing was used by clubs. I hadn’t been inside yet, but soon there would be club’s greeting, and I was waiting for that. Then, I heard a faint “meow” from behind the building.
The Military Wing was H-shaped when viewed from above, and the courtyard side of the building was poorly lit and there were few people wondering around. The sound came from that poorly lit area. Curiously, I headed in that direction. I heard a small scream, “Kyaa,” and found Maria trembling while holding a kitten. Her back was turned to me, and she seemed to be hiding the kitten because someone approached.
“Um… Maria…?” (Lux)
I tried to speak gently, but she flinched before slowly turning to face me. When she confirmed it was me, she finally relaxed and showed a tearful face, saying, “Lux-kun”.
“What’s with that kitten?” (Lux)
The still very small kitten was squirming in Maria’s arms, trying to escape.
“Well… actually, a few days ago, a mother cat was raising her kittens here, but…” (Maria)
Maria had visited the Military Wing on some errand when she happened to notice the mother cat. Since then, she’d been secretly looking forward to watching the kittens every day after school.
“But someone seemed to be bullying the mother cat by shooting her with rubber bullets, and she hasn’t been able to come near her since…” (Maria)
Our guns could also fire rubber bullets as practice rounds. I learned upon arriving at the academy that even shooting bullets requires magic power. Magic bullets involved magic in both the gun and the bullets, while rubber bullets only involved magic in the gun, greatly reducing their power. The slingshot I received worked on the same principle.
Anyway…
“Are you sure someone was shooting at her? Could it be a misunderstanding?” (Lux)
“It’s not a misunderstanding. Yesterday, when I got close, I heard a ‘yelp,’ and when I ran over, the mother cat was fleeing, and there were rubber bullets nearby… Today, I found more rubber bullets here, so they might have aimed at the kittens.” (Maria)
“…No wonder they were scared. That’s unacceptable.” (Lux)
“Yeah… but I don’t know what to do. I think I know where they were shooting from…” (Maria)
“You do? Do you know where they were shooting?” (Lux)
“Uh-huh. Based on where the rubber bullets were yesterday and today and the shooting angles, it’s likely from around there by the Military Building.” (Maria)
Maria pointed to the fifth floor of the Military Building.
“I see… maybe we can do something. Do you think the culprit will come again today?” (Lux)
“Probably. I came early today, so they couldn’t hit the kittens. If we leave, they might come back.” (Maria)
“Okay, then. Let’s hide and wait for them. If we go to those bushes, they won’t notice us.” (Lux)
Maria looked at where I was pointing and made a troubled face.
“If we go that far, I don’t think they’ll notice, but in return, we won’t be able to see the culprit’s face. Even if we chase after him after he’s shot, he’ll get away.” (Maria)
“Well, for that distance, this is enough.” (Lux)
I showed him the slingshot that Rick had given me and puffed out my chest a little.
—
Although she was interrupted just now, that woman was finally gone now. The culprit, who had been watching from a poorly lit room through a narrow gap in the window, waited until the boy and the girl were completely out of sight. Carefully checking the surroundings to ensure no one was around, he slightly opened the window and aimed a long-barreled rifle at the courtyard.
Just as a kitten peeked out…
“Gaah!” (??)
It wasn’t the kitten that cried out. A rubber bullet, shot with incredible force through a small gap, hit the culprit’s forehead directly. The blow wasn’t enough to knock him out, but the sharp pain surged through their head. As he recoiled, another two, three, four, and then five rubber bullets hit their face, making his head bob up and down. The fifth shot hit their right eye, causing him to collapse to the floor in agony. The assault then ceased.
If he shouted loudly, someone might come. The criminal writhed around on the floor, making inaudible noises. In the thrashing, he hit a table leg, causing a heavy dictionary to fall off the table and strike his face, finally knocking him unconscious.
The number of rubber bullets the culprit had shot at the cat in the past two days totaled five.
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