NOVEL NEXT Ch. 122
Chapter 122. What Will You Do for Me? (1)
Everyone thought.
Patrick Schneider's birthday.
What kind of hellish tragedy would result from forgetting his coming-of-age birthday, a once-in-a-lifetime event?
The descent of a demon king from the demonic realm?
A great catastrophe on par with the end of the world?
No matter what happened, it wouldn't be strange at all.
But....
“I am... a firefly... I have... no friends....”
This, they had not expected.
Patrick, with a genuinely hurt expression, crouched in a corner, displaying the epitome of wretchedness?
‘This is crazy!’
‘Why is he like that?’
‘Just go on a rampage already.’
‘What? This is scary. Mommy.’
This was something they couldn't have imagined.
It is human nature to feel wary and fearful when encountering an unknown entity.
Alex and the rest of his companions were at a loss as to what to do upon seeing Patrick in such a state.
In the midst of it all, Alex cautiously approached.
“Hey, Patrick?”
“...Why?”
“You know? We're in the middle of the Arcana right now, so we didn't have a chance to pay attention. You know this is a very important tournament, right?”
“……”
“Once the tournament is over and we go back to the Kingdom of Atronia, we'll celebrate your coming-of-age ceremony as grandly as possible. So for now, if you could just let it go....”
“No. It's okay, senior. Don't worry about it.”
At Patrick's words, Alex couldn't believe his ears.
“It's okay?”
“Yeah. It's okay.”
“Really okay?”
“Yeah. In the first place, why would seniors care about the coming-of-age ceremony of someone like me?”
“No, that's not it….”
“I'm just a poor country noble and a junior, right? Why would seniors care about someone like me?”
“……”
“You can just suck me dry and then throw me away. Isn't that how the world works?”
Wow... is that how it becomes?
Is that how you can interpret it?
With Alex's jaw agape, Patrick stared into the void with an empty expression and continued to speak.
“To be honest, I thought we had gotten a little closer while I was making various efforts for you seniors. Well, I guess it was just my misunderstanding.”
“……”
“I worked really hard hoping you seniors would get stronger... Thanks to that, four of you seniors won in the first round of the Arcana... Yeah, that's good. It was a good thing. Why would the birthday of a guy whose usefulness has ended be so important….”
“……”
“Come to think of it, my role ended there, so why did I expect you seniors to care about my in·sig·ni·fi·cant birthday?”
“……”
“I was shameless. I was shameless. Haaa... What did a poor country noble bumpkin like me expect? You seniors are all from well-to-do families, how could someone like me dare....”
“……”
‘This is crazy.’
‘Just hit me instead.’
‘Just go on a rampage and destroy everything!’
‘Stop hitting my conscience! It hurts!’
It felt like the place deep in their hearts called conscience was being bitten by a mad dog and torn to shreds, left, right, up, and down.
The craziest part about this was that Patrick's words were correct if you only looked at the results.
Let's say Gerard was just unlucky.
But the other three all passed the first round of the Arcana.
The representatives of the Kingdom of Atronia, who had until now been eliminated without even winning a single match in the first round.
How was that possible?
They also knew the reason.
It would have been impossible without the practical training Patrick had put them through.
At the time, it was so hard they ground their teeth and cursed Patrick, but thinking about it now, it was clear that they had achieved definite results in that short period.
Thanks to that practical training, they were able to leave a record of victory on the glorious stage of the Arcana.
They all knew that.
But....
“Masterrr. This must be why people should die when they get old. I shouldn't have been hanging out with young kids at my age, but I didn't even know that….”
“……”
What was the youngest brat saying?
And who was this Master?
Logically, it didn't make sense.
It didn't, but....
“Sigh, I should just die. Why did I live so long to….”
‘Hk...’
‘Don't do that.’
‘Please….’
‘Just go on a rampage instead.’
Looking at that heart-wrenching and pitiful sight, they couldn't bring themselves to offer any words of comfort.
Just then, the door to the waiting room opened and someone entered.
“What are you all doing here?”
The ones who entered were Professor Leyte and Professor Baroq, the supervising instructors for the Kingdom of Atronia.
Seeing the two of them, Alex and the others' faces lit up.
“Professor. Well... huh? What are you holding in your hands?”
Alex was filled with dread even as he asked.
The brightly wrapped boxes and ribbon-tied bundles held in the two professors' hands.
Could those possibly be what the world commonly calls ‘presents’?
Why did the professors bring those presents?
‘No way...?’
The worst thing about a bad premonition is that it's often right.
“Hahaha. Today is Patrick's coming-of-age ceremony, isn't it? So we prepared a small gift.”
“I prepared one too. Take it, Mr. Schneider.”
Professor Leyte and Professor Baroq each gave their prepared presents to Patrick.
And then....
“Ooooh... thank you. As expected, Professor.”
Patrick immediately revived.
Smiling brightly as he received the presents, the professors smiled warmly and said.
“Hahaha. Do you like it?”
“Of course.”
“You haven't even opened it yet….”
“It's the thought that counts. Only the th·ought. What does the material thing matter? Just this th·ought alone makes my heart overflow with gratitude.”
Don't look this way when you say that.
And don't emphasize the word ‘thought’.
Alex and the others desperately avoided Patrick's gaze.
And Patrick, looking at the two professors again, smiled brightly and said.
“Thank you, Professor. I will cherish it for the rest of my life.”
“Hahahaha. Mr. Schneider is very polite.”
Professor Baroq, who still didn't know Patrick well, spouted nonsense.
Professor Leyte next to him said, ‘That's a bit much,’ but he didn't seem to hear.
And Patrick stared intently at Alex and the others next to him and said.
“This is what's expected of an adult who knows com·mon sen·se and po·lite·ness, right?”
“Hmm, of course. It's a once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Keeeuuuh... right?”
“Of course. It's a time that should originally be spent preciously with family, but you are suffering here alone, separated from your family to enhance the honor of the nation, are you not?”
“Aah... for you to recognize that….”
Patrick wiped his eyes, then straightened his posture and exclaimed proudly.
“I believe it is the duty of a noble to willingly endure this for the honor of the nation.”
“Hahaha... indeed, you are splendid. You are a true noble and a true knight.”
“You praise me too much. This is all thanks to the teachings of the professors.”
“Hahaha. You're so humble.”
Ah, this is what they call a sight you can't bear to watch with your eyes open.
That's what the group felt.
‘Damn it, how was I supposed to know?’
‘You could have at least told me.’
‘Unreasonable. Unreasonable.’
‘This isn't right.’
In fact, the professors probably knew Patrick's birthday because they had the students' personal information organized in documents.
But how would they, as fellow students, know Patrick's birthday?
He didn't even tell them himself, so how?
But....
“Keeeeuh... The wound inflicted by the seniors' indifference and ingratitude is healing. Thank you, Professor.”
The opponent was who he was....
Such a universally valid reason wouldn't work on him.
“Hmm? What's going on?”
When Professor Baroq asked Patrick, Patrick spoke as if he had been waiting.
“Well, you see.”
“Mhmm, go on.”
“The seniors... it's my once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age ceremony....”
“Oh dear….”
“I thought it was a surprise party at first….”
“Oh my, but it wasn't?”
“So... that's how... it ended up like this.”
Patrick, today, explained the situation by asserting his own point of view 150%.
And Professor Baroq, who heard the explanation....
“Tsk tsk tsk, that was too much of you all.”
He unhesitatingly took Patrick's side.
“No, Professor. It's not that we intentionally didn't celebrate it, we just didn't know….”
“Alex Rowensky!”
“Yes, Professor.”
“You, the senior of the highest year, what were you doing not even taking care of the youngest junior's affairs? And you call yourself the top student of the Academy's highest year?”
“……”
“No matter how strong Mr. Schneider is, he is still a young junior who hasn't even had his coming-of-age ceremony. As a senior, you should have paid attention, shouldn't you?”
It's unfair.
No, the words are right.
The words are right, but....
Still, it's unfair?
Pay attention as a senior?
To him?
...To him?
“I'd rather adopt and raise Cerberus from hell….”
“What did you say?”
“N-nothing, sir.”
Professor Baroq glared at Alex.
In fact, unlike Professor Leyte, he still didn't know Patrick's true nature well.
Above all, after his own level had risen a dimension higher while sparring with Patrick in the previous mid-term evaluation, he had become one of the professors who rather cherished and doted on Patrick.
Such a person looked at Alex with a displeased expression and said.
“What's wrong must be corrected. Start taking care of him from now on.”
“There's no need to... I will do so.”
Meeting Baroq's gaze, Alex hurriedly obeyed.
If you were to pick the most ill-tempered professor in the Atronia Kingdom's Academy, the man who would be ranked number one was Professor Baroq.
“Ahem, let's do well. Understand?”
“Yes, Professor.”
And as the professors left, Patrick looked at Alex and said.
“Senior. Alex senior.”
“What? Bastard.”
“What will you do for me?”
“……”
“You said you'd take care of me, didn't you? What will you do for me?”
‘Oh, Yupinel. Why... for what reason....’
How can a human be this detestable?
Alex ground his teeth and said to Patrick.
“What do you want? You demon bastard?”
“Umm... well... what should I ask for?”
Patrick put a finger to his lips and made a thoughtful expression.
And after a few seconds, he clapped his hands and said.
“Ah, that would be good. Since preparations are lacking and anything that costs money would be too much, let's just do something that doesn't cost money.”
“What's that?”
“Senior.”
Patrick put his arm around Alex's shoulder and said.
“You know what ‘Yaja Time’ is?”
“……”
“Just for today, let's reverse the hierarchy. It'll be fun, right?”
And so, the gates of hell were opened.
***
“Bella. Stop peeling fruit and come massage my shoulders from behind.”
“...Yes. Broth... er.”
“Gerard, the left leg, Kalin, the right leg. When you massage, your rhythm has to match. Got it? I hate disharmony.”
“...Understood.”
“Yes. Patrick... brother.”
“Keeeeuh... nice. That's it. Just like that....”
After turning his seniors into massage machines, Patrick sipped the wine Alex brought and reveled in his carefree paradise.
Then, after finishing the wine, he frowned again.
“By the way, why isn't that bastard Alex back yet after slacking off to get ice?”
“Should I go... find him?”
“No. He'll be here soon. If he doesn't want to die, that is.”
Just then, Alex ran in breathlessly and shouted.
“Ice, I got the ice... I did.”
“Tsk tsk, you're so slow.... I already finished the wine, didn't I?”
As Patrick shook the empty wine bottle, Alex ground his teeth and said.
“...I'm... sorry.”
“Can't our Lex be a little quicker?”
“I did my best….”
“Ahem, where are you making excuses. When an adult speaks, you should just say, ‘Yes. I understand.’”
“……”
“Tsk tsk tsk, slacking off. Back in my day, when an adult spoke, we'd just act like we were dead and….”
‘This is crazy.’
‘I'm going nuts.’
‘Stop with the ‘back in my day’ crap.’
‘How old is this bastard really? Isn't he lying about his age?’
How could a guy who just had his coming-of-age ceremony be so skilled at being a nagging old man?
He was nagging as naturally as if he had been born a nagging old man from birth.
“This is all for your own good. Hmm? Are you listening?”
“...Yes.”
“...I'm listening.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, I'm not saying this because I have a grudge. This is all golden advice that will become your flesh and blood in life….”
They just wished for this long day to pass quickly.
Ding. Dong. Ding.
The bell tolling the stroke of midnight rang.
At that, Patrick, who had been diligently enjoying his power down to the very last minute and second, stood up from the sofa with a bright smile.
“Ah, that was fun. Everyone worked hard.”
“……”
“……”
In front of Patrick, four seniors were sprawled out as if they had been completely burnt out.
Patrick looked at such seniors and said, amused.
“Should we play like this every year from now on? I don't need presents.”
At that, the fallen seniors raised their heads like zombies and said, grinding their teeth.
“Take the present.”
“Take the present when I'm asking nicely.”
“I'll kill you if you don't take it.”
“I'll kill you even if you do take it.”
At their words, Patrick shrugged and said.
“Well, it's your money, so it's your loss. I'm going then. I have a match tomorrow.”
With that, Patrick took the wine he was drinking and returned to his room.
And the four companions left behind collapsed like corpses, not lifting a single finger.
“Ah, another fulfilling day today.”
Patrick returned to his room in a cheerful mood.
Now that his birthday had passed, he was legally a 16-year-old adult.
“Hmm, it's a shame I couldn't get congratulations from back home. I could have extorted a whole bunch.”
A blessing upon the Schneider fiefdom....
Anyway, since he had fun, he should probably go a little easy on his opponent tomorrow.
With such a commendable thought, in his own way, Patrick entered his room, washed up, and was about to lie down on his bed when....
“Congratulations on becoming an adult, Young Master.”
“Whoa! You scared me.”
Patrick jumped in surprise at the sudden voice.
The owner of the voice was familiar, but since there had been no sign of anyone's presence, he couldn't help but be startled.
“Make some noise when you move around. What are you, an assassin?”
“My apologies.”
The target of Patrick's rebuke was April.
She, who had secretly followed him all the way to the Arcana tournament venue, had now entered Patrick's room.
But....
‘Why is she dressed like that today?’
Her attire was a little strange.
It wasn't the butler uniform she wore at the Academy, nor the maid uniform she wore at the fief.
She was wearing a red dress that clung to her body, revealing her figure clearly, and she had makeup on.
Skin whiter than usual and red lips.
A dress that revealed the sensual lines of a woman's body.
Even her expressionless face, which made it impossible to know what she was thinking, at this moment, only added to her beauty.
‘For a moment, I thought she was a enchantress.’
Still, wasn't he Jin Cheon, the Radiant Dragon Great Master who had once aimed for the top under the heavens?
With the steel-like mental discipline of that time, he could maintain a righteous mind even in the face of April's beautiful appearance....
Sssshh.