GCHPM 11

Chapter – 11

I was invited by Lord Jeff and Lady Mia to come to the dining hall.

At first, I thought about eating in the bathroom like I used to do back in my high school days before I was reincarnated, but I decided to accept the kindness of these two.

“Ah~ It’s really nice weather today, isn’t it? The warm sunlight, just like my heart, is shining upon the beautiful Mia~ And Kanato, of course, too.”

For some reason, he seemed to be in a good mood ever since we danced together, and his steps were remarkably light.

Still, this academy is truly magnificent.

After we exited the building that looked like a gorgeous medieval church, we were greeted by a small rest area built like a gazebo made of marble and high-quality stone, with a table that looked like it had been crafted by artisans.

And the colorful flowers were all turned toward the sun, with people who appeared to be servants watering them.

Eventually, I reached the dining hall.

There, two familiar faces waved at me.

“Big brother!!”

It was Lina, calling out to me loudly, and Lady Elena, gazing at us with a gentle demeanor.

I let out a sigh of relief.

The three of us took our seats.

Then, for some reason, the surroundings became noisy.

“Look, look… those commoner siblings are having a meal with Lady Elena and the others.”

“Lina used to always eat alone, but now she’s with noble people we can’t even get close to…”

“Isn’t that kind of inappropriate?”

“Seriously, who are they?”

“Don’t you think that girl Lina is getting carried away just because she’s got a bit of a big chest and looks cute?”

Mostly the girls were sending aggressive glares toward Lina, and as for me, almost everyone was glaring at me.

In a state like this, even lunch wouldn’t taste good.

The disdainful voices toward us seemed to have reached Lady Elena’s ears as well. When she shot a murderous glare at everyone, the place fell silent, and everyone resumed their meals.

I tried to distract myself by casually changing the subject.

“Um, so Lord Jeff, you knew Lady Elena already?”

Lady Elena answered.

“Jeff’s father is a count, but he’s quite a capable man who runs several businesses in unconventional ways. My father also relies on him.”

I see.

Like father, like son, huh.

“But I think this is the first time we’ve all had a meal together at school like this. Ahaha.”

Lord Jeff added cheerfully, and Lady Mia next to him nodded in agreement.

If that’s the case, then why did we all gather here?

That question naturally came to mind.

There must be some purpose.

Just as I was getting suspicious, a servant-looking person arrived with a wagon full of delicious-looking food and began placing dishes on the table.

The combinations looked absolutely appetizing.

For now, let’s just eat.

After all, eating a lot and building up strength is important.

We each said our grace and began eating.

I was still bothered by the stares from around us, so I wasn’t really in the mood, but I put a sandwich in my mouth. Lina was also munching away on her salad.

Then, some dressing got stuck at the corner of Lina’s mouth. Seeing that, Lady Mia quickly wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“Miss Lina, that’s no way to eat.”

“Wh-wha?”

“The food isn’t going to run away. Eat slowly.”

“Okay. *Munch*. Thank you very much. Um…”

“Mia.”

“Lady Mia…”

The daughter of a baron’s family just wiped the mouth of my commoner sister.

Lina sent a gaze of admiration toward Lady Mia.

This was quite a surreal scene.

As for Lady Elena, she alternated looking at Lady Mia and Lina, nodding in satisfaction before continuing her meal.

“I’m sorry, Lady Mia. I should have taught her proper manners…”

“It can’t be helped. Please don’t worry about it.”

Lady Mia answered with a gentle smile toward Lina.

After that, we finished our meal and enjoyed some tea time.

Naturally, the conversation then moved on to the main topic.

“Lina’s brother.”

“Yes.”

“You want to know, don’t you?”

Lady Elena gave me a meaningful look.

“…Yes.”

“The reason I gathered you all here is none other than—at this school, the—”

She was about to explain, but suddenly someone interrupted and cut her off.

“Lady Elena! What is the meaning of this!?”

A man with brown hair sent me a contemptuous look, then furrowed his brows and protested.

Upon seeing the brown-haired man, Lord Jeff narrowed his eyes and spoke in a cold tone.

“Oh? If I’m not mistaken, you’re Bern Graham, the Disciplinary Committee Chairman of Central Magic Academy, aren’t you?”

At that, the man named Bern clenched his fists and said,

“Jeff Elgin… the eldest son of that count’s family who only cares about making money and has not a shred of noble pride.”

When the man named Bern spoke in a provoking tone, Lady Mia stood up this time and said with a chilling attitude.

“Lord Bern. Would you please watch your mouth? Lord Jeff and the Elgin family are not people you should look down upon.”

“Look at him—eating with such filthy commoners, isn’t he? Lowering his own reputation—that’s exactly the Elgin way of thinking, isn’t it? Ahahaha!!”

The man named Bern put force into his glare and provoked Lord Jeff with all his might.

Then,

“Lady Elena. You are an indispensable noble presence in this kingdom. Your beauty, strength, and wisdom are known not only within this country but across all nations and even among other races. And yet, for you to be with such commoners… this is not just a matter of discipline—it’s something that could shake the very foundation of this academy!”

With veins bulging at his temples, the man named Bern passionately ranted, occasionally sending glances toward Lina that infuriated me greatly.

As for Lady Elena, she closed her eyes and said nothing, only taking a deep breath in and out.

Then Lord Jeff spoke up.

“Bern, there’s something you’re misunderstanding.”

“Huh?”

“It’s simply that you’re deluding yourself. Without knowing anything about these commoners, you keep spouting shallow words… Now I fully understand why the Graham family has fallen so low~”

“What did you say!? Weak commoners are meant to be ruled by us nobles—they only have meaning when we give them roles! Don’t act like you know everything just because some commoner first-year got lucky and took first place!”

Bern retorted excitedly.

Lina’s expression gradually darkened, and she trembled with frustration, hanging her head in regret.

Then,

Finally, Lady Elena spoke.

“Indeed, the vast majority of commoners are weak and cannot use magic. Lina probably can’t beat you either, Disciplinary Committee Chairman.”

“Exactly right. Those are words befitting the wise and beautiful Lady Elena.”

Just as Bern was crossing his arms in delight at having his opinion affirmed, Lady Elena’s expression changed.

“However, this man named Kanato, who is glaring at you right now, is an exception. You don’t even come close to Kanato.”

“Wh-what?”

Bern let out a foolish sound and stared at me.

“Pfft!! Ahaha!! Me, lose to some pauper-looking commoner like this? Lady Elena, what on earth are you saying?”

“You can’t win.”

“!!”

Bern, looking half-furious, approached me.

“Hey you, do you really think you can beat me—the Disciplinary Committee Chairman, who’s about to reach Level 4!? Hah!?”

His voice was low, and his gaze was as if he were looking at garbage.

But right now, I didn’t care about any of that.

“Um, Lord Bern.”

“What?”

“There’s something I’d like you to apologize for.”

“Apologize? Me?”

“Yes. Because—”

I paused, suppressing my excitement as much as possible, and spoke.

“You were looking at my little sister with lecherous eyes.”

At my words, he curled the corners of his mouth and said,

“Your sister is, without a doubt, the most beautiful-looking commoner I’ve ever seen. So what? I’m the second son of an earl’s family. Shouldn’t you be thanking me instead?”

I glared at Bern with killing intent.

“What’s with that expression? You’re just a commoner. You want a duel? If so, I welcome it. After you lose pathetically in front of me, taking your beautiful sister wouldn’t be such a bad idea either.”

And so, he and I agreed to have a duel after school.