Chapter Chapter 64: 8. If you do it, it works. (3) (2/2)
“Since we’re all the same year students in the academy, just call me Aris.”
“Lady Aris! It’s this!”
A small notebook.
‘Student Handbook’ was written on the cover, and Yugrasia’s emblem was stamped on it.
“Student handbook?”
“Yes, the student handbook we got during our enrolment ceremony! And…”
The section that she hurriedly showed me.
That section was the school rules.
“All the victims of the silver devil were listed here, milady!”
“What the…”
One page, then the next.
The student handbook that I’d chucked away the moment I received it, that was probably lying around somewhere in my dorm.
I stared at the contents named the school rules.
Hm. So it is. The people that were done in by the devil had all broken these rules.
“Alright, let’s go back and find my student handbook the moment I get home today!”
Thank goodness I kept my mouth shut against the silver devil’s actions.
If I had said something carelessly I might have been sanctioned as well for being a bad student in not adhering to the rules of the academy.
It’s not bad to just stick to the rules and live a chill life.
Yes, keeping to the rules is very important.
Because laws are there to be obeyed!
-Aris, you’re brainwashing yourself right now!
-I don’t have a choice in order to survive! Even if I deny reality nothing will change! So I need to change myself!
-Aris… sob…
The goddess is weeping. Am I really that pitiful?
No. I am not pitiful.
At the very least if I obey the school rules, I have no reason to be hit by that devil!
-Your self-brainwashing is way too natural now!
And so, after searching my room I thankfully found my student handbook, and I flicked back and forth through the pages to see if there were any rules that might catch me out.
“Skirt length? There were rules around skirt lengths as well?”
“Hang on, there’s also rules around hair length as well? Ah, I’ve got short hair so I’m alright.”
I controlled everything I could so that I could not be blamed for anything.
The person that feels delicious to hit, guaranteed by the silver devil herself, was none other than me.
The moment I let my guard down I will get hit.
I even became a swordsmaster in order to not get hit by that thing!
I can’t get hit now just because I didn’t follow the school rules!
-Aris, now that you’ve become a swordsmaster, haven’t you thought of taking a crack at that devil?
-But I’m screwed if I lose!
-That’s my contractor! How wise!
Even after I became a swordsmaster I still had zero thoughts about fighting the devil.
No, on the contrary if I attacked she’d smile and say “swordsmasters are sturdier, right?” and beat the crap out of me?
I’d have to become something like a legendary grand swordsmaster to be ready to fight against that.
And so after I did my best to follow all the rules.
“How could it be so perfect… not even a well-disciplined army would be able to maintain such order…”
For some reason or another, Father looked at the scene with surprise.
“Father?”
“You have a splendid teacher.”
As I looked at my father who had a look on his face that said he was truly satisfied, I wanted to scream that this was all the results of indiscriminate violence, but as I saw the silver devil beside Professor Nicerwin grin widely, I kept my mouth shut.
And so, our parents’ belief in Yugrasia’s system and trust in Professor Nicerwin grew ever greater.
***
“Now I never saw this coming…”
At Marquis Letia’s surprise visit I was a bit, no, very surprised but I gained better results than I could have hoped for.
When I changed the school rules with the new timetable, I simply added in a few school rules I remembered from middle and high school.
And as the metal bat went to punish the ones who didn’t adhere to those rules those rules that I’d just half-assed were kept absolutely perfectly.
And Marquis Letia who saw the results of that returned to his territory very pleased with what he saw, and praise for Yugrasia would echo through high society once again.
“This is all the venerable me’s power!”
“Yes, you’re the best!”
“Hahhn, more, praise me more! Build an Arcadia statue in the middle a’ th’ academy!”
If the students heard what she said they’d turn back and run even before they come into school.
“Eat up the magic stones.”
“Hiing, these taste bad.”
As if her desire to have fun outweighed her tears, she crunched on the magic stones I’d secretly snuck out from class.
If you were to simply listen to her you’d think she was munching on beef cartilage, but they were actually just rocks filled with magic power!
So of course they’d taste bad!
“Uwiiht, ya feed me these disgusting rocks even though you know they taste bad! At least give me some sauce!”
“Sauce for rocks? Want some butter and honey then?”
There was a time in the past where honey butter was trending, what would you call a rock with honey butter added to it?
Honey Butter Stone? Wait a second, that actually sounds quite catchy? I feel like I actually could sell it right now!
“Tho’ that sounds like it might be a pretty sweet rock. Don’t think it’ll be all that tasty tho.”
She’s talking pretty well despite crunching away.
“If I keep chewing on it it kinda tastes like walnuts.”
So she’s feeling the savoury taste of walnuts while chewing on rocks.
“I said it feels like I’m chewing on walnuts, I never said it had the crisp taste of ’em. But that reminds me owner, dontcha have to prep for the imperial festival since the letter’s arrived and all?”
“I do.”
The letter I got this morning was for the representatives of the Four Great Academies to gather for a preparatory meeting.
For Yugrasia’s representative I can just send the stuco pres Nerkia as the students’ representative…
“Owner going as th’ teacher’s rep?”
“That’s the problem.”
So I wanted to avoid going outside the academy as much as possible but…
“It’d be alright to trust the stuco pres, wouldn’t it?”
“What was my favourite phrase again?”
“Cut in ya foot by ya trusted axe! But owner doesn’t trust the stuco pres, don’t ya? So it doesn’t matter even if ya do get cut!”
Not even not getting cut, but doesn’t matter if you get cut or not…
“Alright then, I’ll trust him this time.”
And indeed our student council president Nerkia, responded very well to our faith.
“So cool! That’s our stuco pres for ya! He went and declared victory over all the other academies! So awesome!”
My faith that my trusted axe would cut deep, deep into my foot.