It wasn’t just the rank slit.
A gold badge was also shining on Cheshire’s chest, who had been wearing a white name tag all along.
“W, what? It’s Dos?”
“Wasn’t that kid in Grade 6?”
“Hey, what do you mean that kid? He must feel bad. Speak quietly.”
The surroundings were buzzing.
It was a more shocking atmosphere than when I came out with my Grade 4 badge.
‘Phew, I almost got into trouble.’
After quickly assessing the situation, I quickly got up and hid behind Cheshire.
And I stuck out my tongue at Bruce.
“H, h, how…”
Bruce’s face was now completely pale.
He raised his finger and pointed to Cheshire, trembling with disbelief.
“W, why…”
“Finger.”
Cheshire said.
“Do you want me to break it?”
“Heup.”
Bruce quickly lowered his finger pointing at Cheshire and hid it behind his back.
I looked around again.
Cheshire hadn’t done anything yet, but all the children were shaking with fear.
There’s only one thing that’s changed.
The white name tag has only become a gold badge—.
“….”
Cheshire strolled to Bruce. I didn’t want to miss it either, so I clung to the back and stuck out my head.
“Ah, that… C, Cheshire…”
“….”
Bruce smiled awkwardly. Cheshire remained silent.
I glanced up at Cheshire.
‘Oh, I’m scared.’
And I immediately put my eyes back on it.
The terrifying eyes that were really angry.
Cheshire seemed to be contemplating what to do with Bruce. Will he let him go or will he scare him off?
I’m sorry for Bruce, but if you get hit by Dos, it will hurt a lot— If you do something wrong, you might die—.
“C, Cheshire.”
I’m trying to stop it because I don’t want that—.
“Guys! let’s go!”
“W, w, we’re done!”
Jem and Rom finished their measurements and came out wearing white badges.
The two, still unaware of the fight in the hallway, approached us puzzled and startled.
“What, what happened? Did you two change badges?”
Jem tilted her head as she looked at Cheshire’s and my badges.
Then, soon after, she felt the awkward atmosphere of confronting Bruce and shut up.
“Do you want to try something you like?”
Cheshire asked. His voice was horrifyingly low.
“E, eung?”
He pulled me from behind and put me in front of Bruce.
Then he said
“Kneel down.”
Then, the children who were watching from all over the place gasped in surprise.
I was also surprised and looked back at Cheshire.
“Why is your expression like that? It’s what you like.”
“….”
“Didn’t you tell Rom to get down on his knees and crawl whenever you feel bad?”
Really? Stunned while listening, I alternated between Bruce and Rom.
Bruce was breaking out in a cold sweat, and Rome hesitated, not knowing what to do.
Cheshire even put Rom next to me.
“Kneel down.”
At the urging words, Bruce looked around. Everyone around him avoided their gaze.
Eventually, Bruce hesitated and knelt down in front of Rom.
“….”
Bruce was always proud, but it was amusing because there was no expression of displeasure on his face. I was laughing inwardly.
If he looks unhappy, he’ll go against Cheshire’s temper.
‘I guess I really don’t fit in here.’
Even though Bruce, who tried to attack me, was on his knees, my heart didn’t feel any better.
“Open your mouth too.”
Cheshire ordered.
Feeling a bit strange, I turned to him and stopped him.
“You know, Cheshire, I…”
“I’m sorry, Lilith. I’m sorry, Rom. It’s my fault.”
Bruce opened his mouth.
I sighed and looked back at Bruce.
* * *
“No, really, what’s going on here? Is this possible?”
“I, i, it’s amazing. B, but I thought Cheshire wasn’t G, Grade 6. Because h, he’s so strong.”
At the training ground’s pergola.
Jem and Rom were constantly surprised by Cheshire’s rank, which they had never imagined.
Even kids who were out for a walk looked at us, who were all wearing badges, and whispered.
To be precise, Cheshire with the gold badge and me with the green badge.
“Have you seen the look on Bruce’s face? Laughing while kneeling down? He always makes a fuss when Lilith says something!”
Jem said as if she was refreshed inside and added.
“It’s nice to have a real badge!”
“J, Jem. S, stop it.”
“Eung? Ah!”
When Rom poked her in the side and looked at me, Jem covered her mouth with her hand.
I just laughed.
“Haha, what? Why do you keep looking at me? I’m fine.”
“A, are you r, really okay?”
“Eung, Rom. I’m really fine.”
“B, but you h, haven’t said anything since e, earlier…”
“Ah, it’s just, well.”
After putting on the badge, I felt a sense of skepticism about this atrocious class society that I felt again.
“Lilith.”
At that time, Cheshire, who had been quiet, called me.
“…Do you not like it?”
“Eung?”
“Bruce. He knelt down in front of you.”
“No, it’s refreshing! Phew, he’s such a bad boy! Did he really intend to kill me?”
“….”
Despite deliberately pretending to be bright, Cheshire had piercing eyes.
“Hmm.”
So I told the truth.
“Bruce needs to be punished. So, it’s not that I don’t like it… but it’s a bit weird like this.”
All the kids were watching me.
“Everyone ignored Cheshire until yesterday, but now, when they see his face, they get scared and try to avoid him.”
I raised my eyes and saw the children running around the training center.
The majority of them were both amazed and afraid of Cheshire’s rank.
They must be thinking what to do if he gets revenge for harassing the white name tag so far.
“Actually, I haven’t felt… that well until now. That class is scary.”
I’m Dad’s daughter and everyone thought I was a Dos. So there was nothing to be ignored.
Also, most of the people I met since I became an aristocrat were on the side of the main character.
People who don’t judge others based on their rank.
“The butler and the maids who work in my house are all powerless commoners, but my Grandfather, Aunt and Dad are all kind to them.”
I added, grabbing Cheshire’s arm.
“It’s the same with twin brothers too, right? Among my brothers’ friends, there are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-grade friends, but my brothers treat them all the same.”
“That’s right.”
When Cheshire agreed, Jem and Rom nodded in amazement.
“But when I came here… Because I came and got a rank again… It’s just, I realized that my family was unusual.”
“….”
“It would be nice if everyone were like our family.”
“Lilith.”
“Eung?”
Cheshire called me.
“It’s not unusual. I thought so too at first.”
He looked straight ahead and spoke.
“Uncle said that. This country that crushes people by class is strange, so don’t ever get used to it.”
“Right. Everything my Dad said is right.”
“Eung. And one day, there will come a day when everyone won’t think your family is weird.”
Cheshire looked at me.
Has Dad already told Cheshire something? Or is Cheshire convinced alone to do something for my Dad?
Either way, the outcome was already decided with the main character’s victory.
I smiled and nodded.
“I’m sorry if you’re paying attention to Bruce kneeling earlier.”
“Hmp, no? I told you it’s not? Honestly, Bruce should have been beaten at least once! Right, guys?”
“Right, of course!”
“I, I know I s, shouldn’t be like this, but it w, was refreshing. T, thank you Cheshire…”
Jem and Rom helped.
Cheshire smiled and looked up at the sky.
“Perhaps he also realized what happened today. Because I’ve only seen him kneel for one badge.”
“Eung. That’s right.”
I agreed.
“This is something strange. Bruce must have felt it too.”
We looked up at the blue sky in silence for a while.
“Lilith Rubinstein?”
It was around that time that researchers in white coats flocked to find me.
“What? Why are they looking for Lilith?”
“H, huh?”
Among the puzzled children, I stood up calmly.
“I’ll see you later, guys.”
Enoch Rubinstein’s daughter has a Grade 4 and there’s no way I won’t be retested.
So it was already expected.
I’ll give them Grade 4 again and again.
* * *
Emperor Nicholas von Pavilion, as always, was looking at the map of the continents hanging on the wall of his office.
A kingdom attached to the edge of the continent like an insect will disappear before the end of the year.
In the hands of his loyal subject, Enoch Rubinstein.
“Your Majesty, this is Ramon.”
It was his aide.
He must have brought the long awaited report.
“Come in!”
Nicholas was delighted.
It was Enoch’s daughter, who was fortunate enough to graduate from the training school in one month.
How long he had been waiting for the day when he would be informed of the child’s rank.
“I, Your Majesty…”
“So, did you find anything useful this month?”
After asking while sitting in his seat, the aide came over and bowed his head and reported.
“Twenty-one people received ranks this month. Nine Dies, one Nuveno…”
“Ramon.”
After cutting off the aide’s words, Nicholas gestured toward the folder in his hand.
“There is no need to report every bug. Just give me the front page.”
Nicholas felt something strange by then.
If it were his aide, he would have started talking about Enoch’s daughter as soon as he came in.
“How many Dos came out?”
“Two, two came out.”
Nicholas, who was nervous for a moment at the expected answer, was relieved.
There was no change.
Two Dos.
It must be the youngest son of the Duke of Schmidt and the daughter of Enoch.
“What is it?”
However,
Nicholas’ face hardened as he looked at the list of two received Dos.
It was a bloody reaction.
The aide became contemplative and trembled with his head bowed.
Eventually, Nicholas, who was facing the list, slowly lifted his head.
“Lilith Rubinstein is.”
“Your Majesty…”
A voice like frost.
The aide quickly bowed down in front of the angry Emperor.
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