“I mentioned it before, but in a month, the dueling  assessments will take place. As you all know, the dueling  assessment is the most significant evaluation of this semester, so I’m sure you’re aware of the need to prepare diligently.”

After all the classes had concluded, Ethan Raven, the homeroom teacher for Class A, spoke in a grave manner during the end-of-class announcements.

However, regardless of his warning, no one in the class was unaware of how much impact the dueling assessment would have on their grades.

“Haah, I’m really wondering who I should choose as my opponent this time. Should I just pick someone stronger than me, even if I’m going to lose?”

“Aren’t you just going to end up getting beaten and then discreetly crying somewhere?”

“What?”

As the teacher earnestly urged the students and stepped outside, the classroom immediately turned lively.

The students gathered in small groups, chattering about the upcoming dueling assessment.

Yet, even in that chaos, a single woman hummed a melody with a nonchalant expression, seemingly unaffected by all the commotion.

“Hmm, hmm-hmm~”

This woman was none other than Claire Delphin Mascarena.

After ‘that incident’ during the magical beast training day, she had been facing judgment from her peers for being close to a guy like Jin, who seemingly had no background.

Of course, Claire herself wasn’t the least bothered by those disapproving looks.

In fact, it’s more accurate to say she had no time to concern herself with such gazes.

Because, at that moment, her mind was filled not with the judgment of others or the looming dueling assessment, but rather with thoughts of what to prepare for the dinner bento she would give to Jin that evening.

“Hehe.”

As she gazed at the bento she had carefully prepared yesterday, she couldn’t help but smile at the memory of him eating it all without leaving anything behind, despite all his complaints.

Jin.

A person without a surname suggests a lowly origin, and his behavior lacked any refinement, as he constantly spat out cheap words and complaints. It was difficult to find any redeeming qualities in him.

…Yet, at the same time, he hid a depth and consideration rarely found among his immature classmates—a man whose true self was veiled in mystery.

Looking only at the surface, he seemed outright rude and unrefined, causing her classmates to shy away from him. However, Claire realized that his demeanor was akin to a defensive mechanism meant to protect himself.

He pushed others away and behaved gruffly in an attempt to avoid mingling with anyone, yet he paradoxically didn’t actively push away those who approached him.

What could possibly have happened in the past? What experiences did he go through that made him so fearful of showing affection toward others?

To Claire, his attempts to distance himself and be harsh toward others appeared pitiful.

If she could, she wanted to embrace him and comfort him. The gap between his strong exterior and the fragility he hid within made it unbearable for her.

In that sense, she oddly felt a sense of relief about the significant accident during the magical beast training that had left Jin bedridden in the hospital.

Because had that accident not occurred and Jin not been hospitalized, Claire would never have learned so much about him, nor would she have felt any of the emotions she was experiencing now.

‘Jin.’

As she thought of him, a smile unconsciously crept onto her face.

Speaking of which, he seemed to really enjoy the scrambled eggs she made for him yesterday. What kind of food would he like today?

Should she make something with eggs again? Or perhaps that mushroom dish he had genuinely savored, even if he didn’t show it on the surface?

Oh, she remembered that while she was at the market yesterday looking for ingredients, she found mackerel at a pretty cheap price. Maybe she could make a fish dish today?

Jin probably didn’t realize it, but he had a rather unhealthy eating habit—he was picky and only enjoyed meat, completely neglecting vegetables.

Though there might be no immediate repercussions in the short term, such a diet would undoubtedly have negative effects on his health in the long run.

Then, it was her duty to take care of him. No, she was the only one who could ensure his well-being.

Going to the market after school to buy ingredients and preparing bentos was not a bothersome task for Claire at all.

On the contrary, it was a pleasant endeavor. It was another way for her to get closer to him and do something for the person who had been hurt because of her.
As she hurried toward the market to buy some fresh fish, it was then she heard a voice.

“Hey, Hugo. Who do you plan on choosing for the dueling  assessment?”

“The dueling assessment? I already have the perfect target in mind.”

Hugo Bright.

The eldest son of the Bright family from the southern Empire, known for his prowess in martial arts throughout Nineveh.

However, he was also a conceited, arrogant noble who held a sense of superiority over commoners and looked down on them for merely not meeting his personal preferences.

…And perhaps due to the incident that occurred on Jin’s first day at Nineveh, he was the main culprit responsible for spreading bad rumors about him throughout the academy.

“A perfect target? Who?”

“You know that guy—the one who’s just a lowly commoner, all talk and no substance.”

Hugo chuckled as he fixated on an empty desk in a corner of the classroom.

“I’m going to pick that guy during the dueling assessment and literally half-kill him. Since he considers himself a martial artist, having taken a few related classes, it shouldn’t be too hard to set up a match.”

At Hugo’s words, the boy who had been talking to him looked on with a glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes.

“But is that really okay? People say he might be hiding something.”

While it’s common for nobles to be born with innate abilities, making it easier for them to enroll at Nineveh even with limited skills, commoners face a tougher challenge. Unless they possess extraordinary talents, they can’t easily gain admission to such an elite academy, not to mention the astronomical tuition fees that only the most exceptional can afford.

“Hide something? What are you talking about?”

But instead of responding to the boy’s concern, Hugo simply smirked and laughed.

“Do you remember what happened during the magical beast training?”

At Hugo’s words, Claire instinctively flinched.

“Uh, how could I forget? I almost died that time. Why do you ask?”

“That commoner. Do you know why he was hospitalized for over a week with serious injuries?”

At Hugo’s remark, the boy glanced at Claire, who was nearby, before whispering his response.

“The teachers said he was the only one too close to that powerful magic, so he ended up getting hurt all by himself.”

“No, that’s not it at all. He wasn’t just caught up in the magic.”

With a mischievous grin, Hugo started to speak loudly enough that everyone in the class could hear, as if sharing a secret.

“While the other kids were either swept up by the magic or unconscious, I saw exactly what happened. That idiot got beaten to a pulp by that magical beast. I distinctly witnessed him facing off against a huge beast without any doubt.”

“The magical beast you faced during the training was an Orc.”

Ferocious, agile, and powerful, it was a magical beast that a student at Nineveh could typically hunt without difficulty.

And Jin, being a lowly commoner, had been thoroughly beaten by that very Orc. He had suffered such severe injuries that he had to lie in the ICU for over a week.

‘What a loser.’

Indeed, that guy was nothing short of a fraud.

He must have used some dirty trick to hide his weakness, and Hugo had foolishly fallen for it, mistaking him for someone powerful hiding their strength.

But the level of that commoner was just as low as expected.

Seeing him take heavy injuries from an Orc clearly showed his skills were utterly pathetic.

With that in mind, defeating him in the upcoming dueling  assessment shouldn’t be difficult at all. No, it would likely be as easy as flipping a palm.

The only question would be how overwhelmingly he could crush that bug.

“I’ll leave him crippled after that match. It’s not like he needs his hands, so maybe I should just break his ankles? Losing a leg won’t affect him too much in life, right?”

Listening to Hugo’s mocking words, a cold feeling washed over Claire from within.

“…..”
The reason… I don’t know. No, I didn’t need a reason. I just felt bad.

I was displeased. That chuckling voice was incredibly grating.

And I was irritated. What right did he have to speak of him in that way?

I was annoyed not just by Hugo’s dirty words, but even more so by the other students who seemed to subtly side with him.

What was it he just said? To break his ankles? To cripple him?

Claire’s gaze became cold. She couldn’t just stand by after hearing such words, so she started moving toward Hugo—

“I don’t know what you plan to do, but stop it.”

“…Kaya.”

Just then, a hand stopped her in her tracks.

“Why are you stopping me?”

“Do you really not know? Can you see the expression on your face right now?”

What was wrong with my expression? I was just trying to say something to that rude person who shouldn’t be speaking like that to a fellow classmate.

“…I see, so you weren’t even aware of yourself.”

As Erika Kaya sighed after saying that, Claire felt a slight resentment boil up at her demeanor.

Erika had been a friend of Claire’s for a very long time, but at this moment, for some reason, she felt a bit displeased with her.

“Don’t hold me back. I think I need to say something to him.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to calm down. In a situation like this, you intervening as a third party won’t change anything.”

“…What?”

Change anything? Why not? I was just trying to correct this unfair treatment he was receiving.

“There are issues that others can solve and issues that one must solve for themselves. This is clearly the latter. In a situation like this, nothing will be resolved by you stepping in. In fact, it will only worsen the situation.”

Erika continued to speak very calmly and coolly.

And Claire couldn’t understand Erika’s demeanor at all.

How could she remain so calm? How could she continue speaking as if nothing were happening?

Even when their ‘friend’ was being insulted for no reason, why did she act so unconcerned?

“If that’s not the case, then do you not trust that man? Do you believe he’s someone who can’t do anything without your help?”

“Of course not!”

“Then don’t cause trouble by stepping in unnecessarily and just stay put. That man isn’t someone who needs your protection, nor is he powerless.”

With those decisive words from Erika, Claire bit down on her own lips.

“What if Jin really, truly gets hurt by him? What if something happens? You know well enough that Hugo is quite strong. At least among the first years, it’s rare to find someone who can match him.”

Thus, she could only worry. What if, in the dueling  assessment, Jin really did get harmed by Hugo? What if he were to be crippled? What if he were to suffer an irreparable injury?

“That won’t happen. Because he’s quite strong.”

No matter how many times she thought it over, Erika could not conclude that Jin would lose to someone like Hugo.

To Erika, Jin was someone much stronger than her. Even Erika could easily suppress someone like Hugo with one hand; it was simply impossible for Jin to lose to such a bug.

“But still, there are possibilities!”

“Possibilities?”

Possibilities. There was no way Jin could lose to a guy like Hugo, but still, if Jin were to genuinely lose to Hugo and something were to happen—

“…I won’t stand by.”

“…What?”

“I promise. If that ever happens, I will not just stay silent. Because, because he—”

He might just be the one familial connection she has in this world.

He might be the one person closest to her in the entire world.

Pendragon would never forsake their family. And no matter what happened, they would protect their family.

No matter what, without fail.