Karl defined Frey's emotions as feelings of hurt.

He said Frey felt hurt because Lucy had left her behind and moved far ahead.

So, after parting ways with Karl, Frey went to the library and opened a dictionary.

In the dictionary, hurt was defined as feeling disappointed or left out.

Since Frey didn’t know what it meant to feel disappointed or left out, she looked up those words too, but the dictionary seemed to enjoy playing word games.

Disappointment referred her back to hurt, and being left out pointed her back to disappointment.

As a result, Frey failed to understand the true meaning of hurt.

“Useless.”

Closing the dictionary, Frey rested her forehead against the bookshelf and thought back to what Karl had told her.

“Lady Kent, you feel hurt because Lady Lucy has left you far behind. Perhaps you thought of her as your rival, and that’s why you feel this way.”

Karl was probably right.

The red feeling that had settled in her heart appeared after she realized that Lucy was far stronger than she had thought.

To get rid of this red feeling, Frey would need to reach where Lucy stood, just as Karl had said.

“I guess I won’t be calling you a scrub swordsman anymore,” Frey imagined Lucy saying with a laugh.

And at that moment, Frey felt it.

The red color that had been filling her heart started to fade.

But as it faded, another, unknown color began to take its place.

Startled, she quickly opened the dictionary again and looked up the word hurt.

That red color that was in my heart… was hurt.

But now that the red was fading, what was this new color?

Frey tilted her head in confusion and recalled something Karl had said.

“I’m here to help. After all, I’m a professor. I can’t ignore a student’s struggles.”

Would she be able to understand this new feeling if she accepted Karl’s help?

With that thought in mind, Frey stood up. She was the type to act before overthinking.

The day after I called Frey a scrub.

I had been worried that she might not want to see me anymore, but Frey showed up for morning training just like always.

“See? She wasn’t hurt that easily, was she?” Grandpa said smugly, as if to say I told you so.

Ugh, Grandpa. I knew that too.

But when a girl is feeling anxious, isn’t it your job to comfort her? Not tell her, Your mouth is always dirty anyway, so what’s there to worry about?

This guy definitely wasn’t popular when he was alive.

What’s the point of being a world-saving hero and a noble paladin if you don’t know how to empathize with others?

Even if people were drawn to his achievements and appearance, they probably ran for the hills once they got to know his personality.

‘Good morning, Frey.’

“Good morning, scrub swordsman.”

“Lucy.”

I let out a sigh of relief as I greeted Frey, but then she called my name.

Huh? Something’s different about her expression today.

What should I say? Normally, Frey’s gaze is kind of unfocused.

But today, it’s sharp. Almost as clear as when she’s swinging her sword.

“I’m going to beat you.”

‘Huh? What?’

“Hah, you think you can beat me?”

“Yeah. I won’t let you look down on me again.”

Even though the Mesugaki skill twisted my words, Frey didn’t care.

She kept speaking with absolute conviction.

“When we spar for the final exams, I’m going to prove I’m not some worthless scrub.”

With that, Frey finished what she had to say and walked away, declaring she would go off to train.

“It seems you’ve given that girl a newfound drive for improvement.”

‘...So, that means she doesn’t hate me, right?’

“Did that sound like she hates you?”

No. But I just wanted to make sure.

Even though Frey declared she would beat me, my daily routine didn’t change much.

The only difference was that the spot where Frey used to be was now empty.

For example, during sparring classes.

Frey used to be the one who sparred with me. Well, to be exact, no one else volunteered, so it always ended up being Frey.

I mean, I’m not exactly a popular opponent.

I have a reputation for being a jerk, and no one in our grade can match my skill level.

So who in their right mind would volunteer to spar with me?

After all, anyone who sparred with me would end up hearing things like:

“Are you really dumb enough to challenge me, scrub? Do you enjoy getting beaten up? Are you a masochist? Should I stomp on you? Just kidding. I wouldn’t want to dirty my shoes on a scrub like you.”

Unless you’re as weird as Frey, who else would want to spar with me?

So, I figured I’d end up sparring with Karl or Anton during class, but to my surprise, someone actually volunteered.

The girl who slapped me during the entrance exam... Uh, what was her name again?

I see her often, but I still don’t know her name. Every time we meet, all I hear is scrub or bitch coming from her.

“I’m going to crush you today, you trash.”

Scrub Lady glared at me with eyes full of rage, but that didn’t change the outcome of our sparring match.

The gap between us was just too wide.

Scrub Lady wasn’t that weak. In fact, among the first-year students, she was definitely in the top ranks.

She couldn’t hold a candle to Frey, but she’d probably have a decent chance against someone like Arthur or Jackal.

The only problem was that her opponent was me.

I’m a monster who can even take on seasoned knights from noble families.

So, during our sparring session, Scrub Lady didn’t manage to land a single hit on me.

To be honest, sparring with her was boring.

Her attacks bounced off my shield, nothing more.

And swinging my mace felt risky because I was afraid I’d accidentally break something of hers.

Ugh. This isn’t training. It feels like a waste of time.

Next time, if she challenges me again, I’ll just ignore her and spar with Karl instead.

Scrub Lady, who had been recklessly swinging her sword, lost her balance and collapsed forward.

She had exhausted herself by swinging with all her strength without pacing herself.

Maybe I should end it here. Any more, and she might get hurt.

‘Miss, maybe we should stop? You look pretty worn out.’

“Don’t get up, Scrub Lady. Even if you stand up, all you’ll do is crawl on the ground. Just admit you’re a worthless scrub and stay down there. It suits you.”

I must not like her very much because the Mesugaki skill translated that with extra venom.

If I keep going, I might end up stepping on her head while mocking her.

But then again, it’s not like the Mesugaki skill is being harsh for the first time. She should be used to the way I talk by now, right?

“...Sob.”

But then, I saw tears start falling from Scrub Lady’s eyes as she lay there, and my mind went blank.

Wait. What?

Huh?

No, hold on. Why are you crying all of a sudden? You’re not that kind of person.

You’ve always gritted your teeth and tried to fight back, even when I hit you hard.

What did I do that was so terrible this time? Sure, I’ve been mean, but you’ve badmouthed me behind my back too! You’re no innocent victim here!

What are you doing, crying first and making me look like the bad guy?

As I looked away from Scrub Lady, trying to suppress her sobs, I noticed everyone around us staring.

Their gazes were cold.

Even someone as dense as me could tell that their looks meant, There goes Lady Alrn again.

Sigh. I could already see my reputation sinking.

Why does the Lucy stock have so many disasters?

Every time it seems like I’m climbing, something happens to drag me right back down. It’s like a rollercoaster that’s mostly just drop after drop.

Maybe it’s because I’m using “stock” to describe it? Would it be better if I called it something else?

If I called it Lucy Inc., would it be more stable?

No. That just feels like it would get delisted even faster.

It’s probably the name Lucy that’s the problem.

Just as I was lost in these thoughts, trying to escape reality, Karl approached from a distance.

“Lady Alrn. Lady Baines. Shall we step outside for a moment?”

Yeah, better than standing here in the middle of all these stares.

By the way, so her last name was Baines? I’ll remember that this time. I can’t keep calling her Scrub Lady forever.

Outside, Karl consoled Lady Baines, and she finally broke down in tears.

She had been holding it in out of pride, but once the dam broke, there was no going back.

Watching her cry loudly like that left me feeling… conflicted.

Sure, she’s been my enemy, but she’s still just a teenage girl. Seeing someone younger than me crying like that, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her.

I mean, I already got my revenge for the slap ages ago, so there’s no real reason to hate her anymore.

Maybe I should try to make peace.

Isn’t it the responsibility of the older person to extend the olive branch? I could show some maturity.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to break through the wall that is the Mesugaki skill and apologize, but it’s better than not trying, right?

If I succeed, my reputation will improve a little. If I fail, well, things will stay the same, so there’s nothing to lose.

After some time, when Lady Baines finally calmed down, I approached her.

Lady Baines glared at me with swollen eyes.

That’s a pretty direct display of hostility. If she’d looked at me like that back when I first came here, I might’ve been scared.

Not anymore, though.

I’ve faced countless people with that same hateful look in their eyes. I’m used to it by now.

‘Are you okay?’

“Okay? Scrub Lady? Ha. You’re so ugly with those tears streaming down your face.”

“Shut up and get lost, Lucy Alrn.”

‘I’m sorry. I was wrong.’

“Pfft. Look at you. Crying after getting beaten up like that. If you’re mad, what are you going to do about it? Scrub Lady. What can you do besides cry? Worthless~ Scrub~ Crybaby~ Ugly~”

“I said shut up!”

Yeah. This is tough.

I knew it would be, but experiencing it firsthand is rough.

At this rate, making up with people who hate me might be impossible.

Looking back now, making peace with Arthur was nothing short of a miracle.

If that petty Evil God hadn’t sent Arthur and me off separately, Arthur might still hate me to this day.

Wait. Now that I think about it, hasn’t that petty Evil God done more to help my relationships than the Scrub God?

...Scrub God! Step it up!

If this keeps up, I might start believing in the Petty Evil God instead of you!

Ding!

[A new quest has been issued.]

[The Reason You’re Not Popular!]