BSS 23

Chapter 23

“Hansen, Philo! I’ll be counting on you.”

“What? You know them?”

“Of course. We’re traveling together.”

“I told you, they’re commoners.”

“Then they must be very skilled knights. I heard it’s several times harder for a commoner to become a knight than it is for a noble.”

The knight captain looked as if he doubted his own ears.

“Are you insulting the nobility right now?”

“Insulting? How is praising commoners an insult to you?”

“Well, the way you say it… it’s as if nobles are—”

“Sigh, I’d really like to stop this meaningless, vulgar conversation. I want a change of mood, not some old man nagging me.”

“O–old man? Did you just call me an old man?”

“That’s what we call people like you.”

Someone nearby let out a suppressed snort.

There were only knights around, so it had to be one of them. The knight captain’s face burned red as if it were about to explode.

“Who was that?!”

He shouted, furious, but I didn’t want to get involved anymore. Without even looking back, I left the dining hall.

I could feel Hansen and Philo hurrying after me.

[Masterrrr!]
[Yes! Understood!!]
[What did you “understand”?]
[Weren’t you about to order me to completely thrash that arrogant knight captain?]
[…Correct. You do learn, huh.]

As I kicked open the inn door and stepped outside, hurried voices followed.

“Young lady, please wait!”

“Let us accompany you!”

The sunny weather and bustling market atmosphere were pleasant.

People hurrying about always looked the same no matter where you went—that was what I was thinking as I entered the marketplace.

And immediately, I became someone everyone avoided.

“…Is this the miracle of Moses?”

The crowded people parted instantly upon seeing me, opening a path on both sides. It definitely wasn’t my imagination.

I saw it. Countless eyes silently saying they didn’t even want to brush past me.

“Young lady!”

“You mustn’t walk alone!”

“Ugh.”

I glared at Hansen and Philo who quickly caught up.

A girl escorted by two knights shining in armor under the sun… Of course I’d be the number-one target to avoid.

To ordinary people, nobles were nothing but trouble. Annoy them even slightly and you could lose a hand, a foot, or your tongue. Naturally, they hated nobles.

I probably looked like a walking bomb.

The most shocking thing about being born a noble in this world was that I could kill a commoner and suffer no punishment whatsoever.

Like how killing a pig isn’t a crime.

The perception was literally that level.

If someone killed an animal for fun, people would call them cruel and point fingers—but it wasn’t illegal. About the same.

My eyes met someone else’s—filled with fear.

‘What’s with those rabbit-looking-at-a-wolf eyes? I’m such a small, young boy…’

I pretended not to notice, but it wasn’t pleasant.

Nothing had gone my way today. And suddenly I questioned whether I even needed escorts.

“Hey. Can’t I just walk alone?”

“How could you even think that… Absolutely not.”

“Don’t you know? A noble lady walking around without attendants is dangerous!”

“Why? Like you said, I’m a noble. Who would dare threaten me?”

Not to mention I’m such a harmless and lovely girl.

I had plenty of confidence in my cuteness. Every time I checked a mirror, I admired how clearly the signs of future beauty were showing.

“The Academy is safe. But this place is not.”

“I don’t think the security is that bad.”

The streets were clean, the merchants looked friendly. I looked around, but the knights stayed firm.

“This city is far from the capital, so security is poor.”

“Philo is right. There are many pickpockets and homeless children. Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Especially cities on the border—criminals flock to them…”

Well, if that’s how it is…

“Oh!”

“Young lady!”

The moment they relaxed, I bolted into the crowd.

Their panicked yells came from behind, but I didn’t care.

Sorry, but I want to walk alone. Armor shines too much! Goodbye!

“Hmph! I hate being treated like a kid—”

My body suddenly lifted into the air. Easily.

“Young lady, why are you doing this? It’s dangerous!”

“If there’s somewhere you want to go, we’ll accompany you.”

I had forgotten. They were physically trained, strong knights. I was a weak, idle ten-year-old girl.

“Ugh, no!”

Dangling from Philo’s arm, I felt utterly miserable. I hadn’t even run ten steps before getting caught—infuriating.

“Put me down!”

“I cannot!”

“I don’t need protection!”

I struggled with all my strength, but Philo’s arm didn’t budge.

Damn it, how is he this unmoving?!

[Master, you have been captured.]
[Gyaaah! As if I don’t know that!]

I struggled, but it was hopeless. Between that and Rai mocking me, I was fuming—when a guilty voice spoke above me.

Philo was still holding me midair.

“Do you… dislike us that much?”

“Huh?”

“We apologize. You must hate that we’re commoners. If it were noble knights, you wouldn’t act like this.”

Oh wow. Poor pitiful commoner knights. Two of them, even.

Hansen, the red-haired knight who introduced himself earlier, also looked gloomy.

I stopped struggling and glanced at his sword. Sorry, by the way—that alloy? Yeah… Rai ate the mithril. I didn’t know it only had one percent in it.

The two large knights had completely misunderstood.

“If you’d prefer, we can ask for different knights—”

“Sigh! Stop. Hey, knights? If I cared about that stuff, then what you’re doing right now would be incredibly disrespectful. Isn’t it? A commoner daring to handle a noble like this—you could lose your heads, you know?”

They seemed shocked. Philo immediately put me down.

It was a joke, but watching their faces turn pale, I could guess how badly they’d been bullied.

“Please forgive us, young lady.”

“If we’ve offended you, we will accept punishment.”

Noble knights wouldn’t tremble like this.

I could only sigh at these two commoner-born knights with “sorry” stuck to their tongues.

Probably that terrible knight captain made them this way.

“Let’s make one thing clear. It’s not because you’re commoner knights that I dislike—”

“That you dislike…?”

“I just! Hate having escorts! I never asked anyone to protect me!”

I don’t know why, but I’ve always hated being protected. Being treated like a helpless creature without my say—it irritated me. Yes, I really am weak, but still, I hated it.

When I yelled, Hansen and Philo looked stunned.

“…But recently, the Bee Swarm has been active—”

“Hey.”

“Ah.”

Bee Swarm? Philo elbowed Hansen to stop him.

“Bee Swarm? What’s that?”

“There’s no need for you to know, my lady. We’re here to protect you.”

“Yes, we will keep you safe.”

I was not someone who could tolerate curiosity for long. Lazy as I was, I was also impatient.

I crossed my arms, tilted my head back, and glared up at Hansen.

“Tell me.”

“It’s really nothing serious.”

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll lie down right here on the street.”

I would absolutely never do that, but the two knights clearly did not want to test my temper.

After hesitating, they finally explained.

“Recently, a group called the ‘Bee Swarm,’ known for anti‑noble sentiment, has been growing in number. They’re commoners who strongly hate nobles… and sometimes kill nobles without reason.”

“What? Without reason?”

“Yes. There have already been several noble victims.”

“Bee Swarm… but why that name? Isn’t it too cute for what they do?”

“They didn’t choose it. Because they kill nobles while risking their own lives, people started calling them that. It’s mostly mocking… but despite the name, they’re extremely violent and indiscriminate. You mustn’t underestimate them.”

I see… so that’s the meaning behind it.

Bees die when they sting because their insides come out with the stinger. A one‑hit kill, at the cost of their life.

Meanwhile, the stung person doesn’t always die—so the damage is small compared to the risk.

But still… why go that far to kill nobles?

Because I’m a noble? Maybe. But I still didn’t get it.

“They’re weird. What do they think they’re accomplishing by killing nobles?”

“They believe that since commoners outnumber nobles, if they kill them one by one at the cost of their lives, eventually every noble will be gone. They want a world without nobles.”

“That’s stupid. If nobles disappear, they’ll just become the new nobles.”

“In any case, they’re troublesome. You must be very careful.”

I snorted loudly. I wasn’t scared at all. And I never even considered the possibility that I might run into them.

No way I’d be that unlucky.

Especially when I hadn’t left the Academy for two whole years.