Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance

I really have to get rid of him for the sake of a peaceful future.

 

Eileen stared at the ceiling with cold eyes. Her bangs rose and fell with the rage of her breath.

 “What a day – my dear Miss Cordelia! And by comparison… Eileen, have you finished transcribing the Elemental Friendship Book yet? You’re still transcribing a 679-page book that shows a lack of affection for the Elementals!” 

As far as villain types go, Luis Roban was definitely a Bat.

 

Whereas in the original he took advantage of Cordelia’s seemingly weaker position as Duchess to mock her and express his own inferiority complex, this time he seemed to be targeting Eileen.

 “You may not have the talent, but you have the fingers, so you should play Noh!” 

Weak skills, ambiguous position. Luis’ sadism flared when he found a tasty prey.

 “Are you sure a spirit-friendly scribe can help you with a spirit contract?” 

When Cordelia asked, looking uncomfortable, Luis changed his tone and placed a loving hand on her shoulder.

 “Well, then. Don’t you trust this master? Even at the Academy, inferior students have to build their foundation by scribing first… ouch!” 

Cordelia made a small whirl around her shoulder and slapped Luis’ hand away. Just as a flustered Luis was about to open his mouth to say something, Lynn, who had suddenly appeared, bared her teeth.

 “Oh… that’s it for today’s lesson!” 

Luis stormed out of the room, his eyes following the pathetic figure as Cordelia looked back at Eileen.

 “I can’t believe you’re using a fiction book as a textbook. I think we should ask for a new teacher.” “Not yet.” “He can’t teach anything right, what kind of teacher is that, and besides, Eileen, he’s ignoring you!” 

After a moment of reassuring Cordelia, Eileen sipped the last of the tea in her cup.

 “Don’t worry. I’ll get rid of him soon enough.” 

I’ve made it through two weeks of this crappy class.

 

‘Cordelia has proven her superiority enough this week.’

 

Eileen sighed tiredly and leaned back in her seat.

 

‘That’s what you call being green.’

 

Eileen needed something dramatic. A little performance that would take them away from their uncomfortable origins and cement Cordelia as a duchess once and for all.

 

They had already earned their place in the Duke and Duchess’s favor, but some of their longtime employers still looked down on children from humble beginnings.

 

‘Unearned genius.’

 

The way to appease those who categorized and judged others by status and tradition was surprisingly simple. How many of us can hold our heads high in the face of overwhelming forces that would have us bow down?

 “The Munchkin is official.” “What? What did you say?” “Nothing—” 

Eileen laughed sheepishly and patted Cordelia’s head.

  

* * *

  “I barely made it out.” 

Lucian, who had been bemoaning the horrors of swordsmanship class, collapsed on the table. A red blister clung to his tiny palm.

 “That’s because you ran away from class last time.” 

Cordelia sneered at Lucian. Lucian was about to retort when Eileen spoke up.

 “I told the two of you to get out of my room.” “We’re not fighting!” “I’m serious!” 

‘No, just get out.’ 

 

Eileen threw her hands up in the air, tired of the endless tangle of little people who never gave her a moment to be alone.

 

She didn’t remember it being this hard in the orphanage, she thought to herself and buried her face in her pillow again.

 “I think there’s something going on here.” “Is that what…?” 

It was just a lack of sleep, but in the eyes of the children, she had already become a tragic heroine.

 

Soon Cordelia and Lucian, who were whispering to each other as they watched Eileen’s back solemnly, slipped out of the room.

 

They burrow deeper into the courtyard, away from the prying eyes of the users, and after glancing around, they speak again.

 “So, we’re going to capture a spirit and make it sign a contract with Eileen?” “Yeah.” “No, let’s just cut that teacher down first.” “Eileen says she’ll take care of it herself.” “Aha.” 

Tom, the gardener, smiled affectionately at the two little heads having an emergency meeting behind a bush in the distance. If he had overheard their conversation, he would have run to the duke in a huff, but he didn’t.

 “But how do you catch a spirit, I can’t even see one.” “Luis said there’s something called a spirit collar. It was originally made to catch spirits that got into trouble, but I have it. I can catch spirits. I need it.” 

Lucian’s eyes sparkled with excitement, even though Eileen would have gagged if she’d heard it was a foxball.

 “Okay! I’ll get it! I’ll catch a nice spirit and give it to Eileen!” 

The childlike development of children who never consider whether the spirit will reject Eileen or, conversely, whether Eileen will freak out, shone through in a bad way.

 

So did the plan work?

 

Absolutely.

 “Are you two out of your minds! Hands up!” 

The plan was foiled from the start by the Duke and Duchess’ loyal minions.

 

Within fifteen minutes of asking their trusted nanny for restraints, Lucian and Cordelia were taken to the duke’s office.

 

First stripped by the duke himself, they were soon forced to bow to Theresia’s fury at the news.

 “What a dangerous idea! How frightening to fight a spirit, and even if we were lucky enough to capture it, an angry spirit could have hurt Eileen badly!” 

Theresia clutched her forehead, her normally pale face flushed red with anger. It’s always scarier when someone who isn’t always angry is. Lucian’s eyes filled with tears like chicken shit.

 “Have you ever thought about what it would feel like for a spirit to be suddenly abducted? How do you think it would feel if the same thing happened to you?” “Theresia, that’s enough, you’re straining your body, and you two don’t put your hands down.” 

Isabelle, the maid who had served Theresia, helped her to a chair as she staggered away in anger. The duke, who had been staring at the children like a dead soul or grass, sighed.

 “So, Luis Roban, what has he done?” “He ignored Eileen!” “He’s an asshole!” 

He had a vague idea of what was going through their minds. The gentleman before him must have been a completely different person in front of Eileen, and his first thought before anger was pity for Eileen, who laughed and said she was having fun in front of him.

 

‘She still doesn’t trust us.’

 

A sinking feeling ran through the Duke and Duchess.

 

Eventually, the argument ended with the Duke and Duchess agreeing to sit in on the next lesson, leaving Eileen’s ears untouched.

 

As the two children lowered their arms in relief, Theresia’s cool voice reached them.

 “Uh-huh.” 

The duke ignored his son’s pleading look and sat down at his desk in his office. It was the start of a long third sermon.

  

* * *

  

The Duke of Gaudium wanted to solve this problem like a gentleman.

 

He would listen to Luis Loban’s lessons, and if he found them inadequate, he would speak well of them and dismiss them.

 

And if they were unexpectedly rude, he would punish them in some way.

 

The problem with Luis Loban, however, was that he was much ruder than they could have imagined.

 

As the Duke was about to knock on the door like a gentleman, he heard Luis Roban’s angry voice in his ear.

 “What little talent you have for a duke. You’re only a child now, but when you grow up, you’ll prove yourself worthless! You’ll be thrown out at once! You’re a lowly thing!” 

The duke stretched out his hand to knock, the veins clearly visible. Theresia, standing behind him, clamped her mouth shut.

 

Oslo, who had followed the duke, was about to open the door.

 

The duke stopped him and waved his hand at the door.

 Smash! 

The wooden door shattered instantly, sending splinters of wood to the floor like a crumbling sandcastle.

 

Through the kicking up of dust, the duke strode in, looking like Sura.

 

Luis, who stood dumbfounded, unable to comprehend the situation, gaped at the sight.

 “You want to die, do you?” “Heehee!” 

Luis Roban’s legs gave out and he fell to the ground, his face white and trembling.

 

The air changed as the duke, one of only three swordmasters in the realm, raged. Glass windows and teacups rattled, and the floor and walls cracked.

 

Theresia quickly followed the duke into the room, pulling the children into her arms at the same time. Eileen thought as she and Cordelia obediently fell into her arms.

 

‘Oh, he’s screwed.’

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