It's Not Like I Want to Play the Role of a Misunderstood, Good-for-Nothing Prince in a Villainess Story! - Chapter 50 – Problem Teacher, Part 2

“Hey hey, you talk big to me, your teacher, and that’s all you’ve got?! Where’s that attitude from earlier?! If you have complaints about my methods, at least show it with strength! Come on!”

During class one day, as I continued swinging my sword unchanged, I heard loud voices.

Looking over, a student and Hens were arguing.

Or rather, wasn’t that the guy who had been scolded by Hens before?

But wasn’t he one of Levin’s followers?

Though the blade was gone, the student was being hit with a practice sword, so why was no one protecting him? Looking closer, Levin seemed like he wanted to protect him but was hesitant.

When a sword was pointed at him by Hens, Levin quickly backed off.

His push was weaker than it had been in the classroom.

Suddenly feeling a gaze, I looked and saw Toprak had also stopped his sword and was silently looking this way… Wait, why was he looking at me?

Wasn’t he always erasing his presence and watching me? Even when I occasionally found him during swordsmanship class, he was alone at a subtly distant location—maybe he had no friends?

Pfft, a prince who was a loner! …That was me.

“Teacher Hens, please calm down.”

Ramsey mustered his resolve and went to say that, but instead, he was yelled back at.

I felt the atmosphere getting worse and worse.

It could not be helped.

“Now now, he’s bleeding, isn’t this going too far? Won’t you calm down?”

“What, do you have complaints about my methods too?”

“No, not complaints, just wondering if you’re getting too heated.”

“Don’t act superior because you’re royalty. Here you’re a student, I’m the teacher. You’ll follow my methods.”

“Well, that’s the school rule, so I’m doing that…”

Precisely because I was following school rules, I was properly using polite language even toward teachers of lower status.

“Even if you’re royalty, I know your reputation well. There are misjudgments. It’s fine this time, so stay away.”

“Well, sorry for being as rumored.”

This was no good—blood had rushed to his head, and he would not listen. Should I leave him alone until he calmed down a bit more?

But I needed to at least give first aid, or this guy was going to be pitiful.

“Oh right, I had something I wanted to say anyway.”

As I tried to back away while protecting the beaten student, Hens spoke to me.

“What is it?”

“What’s that incomprehensible sword form? I don’t know who taught you, but it’s ungainly and worthless. The one who taught you that is trash. I’ll say it outright—you should change teachers. To think royalty can’t even get a proper teacher…”

“Huh?”

Trash? Rubert, who taught me thoroughly practical swordsmanship, was trash?

Ha ha ha, I see, I see. Trash, huh. Ungainly and worthless, huh.

I thought it was an ideal form for using a sword combined with magic, but ha ha ha.

Interesting. I had thought I would leave him alone, but let us do this.

“Teacher Hens.”

“What?”

“Want to have a match?”

“A match?”

Against the frowning Hens, I grinned.

“Let’s duel with practice swords. Pure swordsmanship only. If you win, teacher, I’ll practice the forms you say from now on and swear never to oppose you again.”

“Oh?”

“In exchange, if I win, please never speak arrogantly again. To this… Teacher Ramsey as well.”

“To Ramsey too?”

“Wait a moment, Prince, let’s stop this. The odds are bad.”

Hens laughed through his nose.

“Fine, I accept. You proposed the duel, so you won’t say ‘never mind, I quit’ midway, right?”

“Yes, of course. Now, everyone step back.”

Before I even said to step back, everyone had already formed a clean circle, watching.

Quite the spectacle.

“Excuse me!”

Ramsey approached again.

“What?”

“Not ‘what.’ He may not look it, but Hens is strong with the sword. He was sent here partly for his personality, but also because he has considerable skill with just the sword.”

“Hmm.”

Glancing, his stance certainly looked strong.

“How strong? Like advanced level?”

“No, I don’t think that much, but comparable…”

Then it was easy, was it not?

“It’s fine, you’re worrying too much. Leave it to me.”

“Ramsey, how long are you doing that? Hurry and get in the referee position.”

“Ugh, fine! I warned you!”

Ramsey left.

But I could not help laughing through my nose.

Not even advanced level—to mock me with just that much.

“The rule is to make your opponent say ‘I give up.’ That’s all. …Then, both parties, no foul play.”

“You think I would?”

“I won’t either. It’s a winnable match, so I’d hate to lose by foul.”

“Ha, such a smart mouth… don’t forget your promise, Prince.”

“Yes yes, you too please.”

“Begin!”

I immediately took my sword stance.

Right hand forward, left hand back, half-body—it should not be visible.

In contrast, Hens adopted a standard middle stance.

Holding the sword with both hands, he gradually approached.

“I’ll warn you—don’t even think of using magic. Well, I’ll finish you before you can use magic anyway.”

“It’s fine, I don’t need to use such a thing.”

“Talk big!”

Hens leapt in one bound.

He swung the sword down from overhead.

A blow that, if I lacked strength and failed to receive it, would sink into my head along with my sword.

If only Hens had strength like that super-strong Larba.

A dull sound rang out.

Since there was no blade, the practice sword was made sturdily and would not break easily.

The force transmitted directly, though.

“Wha…”

Hens showed an expression of shock that I had leisurely caught the sword he swung down with both hands using just one hand.

Though force was going into the downward swing, he did not seem able to push my sword.

When I deflected the sword, after one backstep, Hens gritted his teeth.

“Guh… ooooh!”

He kept showering sword strikes with fierce spirit.

“Hmm.”

Frankly, they were not much.

His strength was weak, and his sword flashes were far sharper than those from Garim and Debut.

Well, those guys were proper advanced swordsmen, so maybe I should not compare, but even so…

“Opening!”

I vigorously knocked up the descending sword.

With a high-pitched clang, the sword he was gripping with both hands left Hens’s grasp.

It rotated in the air, fell to the ground, and rolled.

I pointed my sword tip at the stunned Hens’s neck.

“Want to continue?”

Hens tightly closed his mouth, his face reddening while he started to tremble.

“Hm?”

When there was no answer, as I tilted my head and tapped his neck several times with the sword, Hens slowly lowered his gaze.

“I give up…”

He muttered quietly.

Immediately after, loud cheers went up.

Even guys who were not particularly close to me were applauding.

This was not due to my popularity, but rather due to Hens’s low favorability.

Phew… after sighing, I turned around and headed toward the student receiving treatment.

I thought his name was Zaik.

“You okay?”

“Y-yes. Um…”

“Hm?”

“Sorry for doing this for me.”

“Not really, I was just irritated at him.”

Calling Rubert trash and all.

Ah, right. I needed to restate the promise. And while I was at it, have him apologize about Rubert.

“Teacher Hens?!”

“Wait, that’s my sword—”

The wind moved.

I heard the sound of something running from behind.

Reacting to the voice I heard, as I turned around, the instant I visually confirmed, I struck sideways at the sword being swung down with that momentum.

CRACK!

“That’s dangerous!”

“It grazed me, it just grazed my leg!”

The sword minus the base flew toward an unknown student, but that was fine.

Hens was frozen with his mouth open again.

The sword with only the handle dropped from his hand with a plop.

“Teacher, that’s not okay.”

I struck Hens’s face hard with the flat of my sword.

Hens made a weird sound while blowing away and stopped moving.

Haah… that felt good.