Chapter 28: Duel (1)
They say effort never betrays you.
My savior Butler declares that it's over.
"Let's end it here. Good work. Today's lesson is over."
Shit! I survived.
Finally thinking it was over, I stopped running. Then my legs gave out and I collapsed.
This is freaking exhausting! Damn.
[The Goddess Who Sees Fate says you worked hard.]
It feels weird hearing something like that from someone who's usually just obsessed with me.
I'd like to respond, but I'm too exhausted and just nod slightly.
But wait. What's going on? Why is it so quiet around here?
Feeling something strange, I look around and see an unexpected situation.
Since there are many knight aspirants, I thought at least half would endure until the end.
But contrary to my expectations, only five people including myself remain on the field.
And except for Illin, everyone else is breathing quite heavily.
What the... Could it be that I have better stamina than I thought?
While I was pondering this, a quest completion message appeared before my eyes.
[You have completed the "Endure the Long-Distance Run!" quest.]
[You are rewarded with 400 points.]
400 points... I ran until I nearly died for this. Sigh.
Clearly I've gained something, but somehow it feels like I've lost.
I push away the system message and get up to drink some water.
As I walk toward the water bottle, I notice something.
Why do I feel so many stares?
Feeling the intense gazes, I look around. Most of the students on the field are staring at me with their mouths wide open in shock.
I guess I really do have good stamina.
I thought they just gave up because they lacked willpower, but judging by their reactions, that's not the case.
The doping effect is definitely good.
Of course, it's not like I haven't been doing a lot of strength and endurance training, but without the experience potion, I definitely wouldn't have lasted until the end.
Without it, I probably would have given up halfway too.
But still, it's surprising that I'm in the top five.
Most of those who dropped out early aren't knight aspirants. But excluding them, everyone else is a knight aspirant.
So they must have been training every day. Yet despite that, only four people besides me lasted until the end.
Hmm. Well, they probably just distributed their stamina poorly at the beginning.
No matter how good your stamina is, if you don't pace yourself well at the start, you'll burn out quickly.
Thinking about it that way, it's not strange that I lasted until the end since I paced myself well.
Rather, those who endured without managing their stamina are the real monsters.
I convinced myself of this as I gulped down water.
Gulp! Gulp!
Damn... I finally feel alive!
It felt like drinking water after finding an oasis in the desert after days without water. Of course, I've never experienced that, but that's just a figure of speech.
Anyway, after downing an entire bottle in one go, I wiped my mouth with my arm. Then I headed to the shower room to wash off the sweat.
***
Meanwhile, at that moment.
The Constellation was watching the screen while sipping sweet orange juice.
"Hmm... this is unexpected."
The Cain she knew would never have completed that long-distance run.
Of course, she's only been watching him for nearly a month, but still, judging from his behavior so far, she could tell.
Basically, Cain is lazy, good at acting like a lunatic, and indolent.
Moreover, among those traits, his acting is definitely the most outstanding.
She thought about the acting he had shown so far.
Making alcohol mixed with holy water look like an amazing potion, acting as if a Constellation had really descended—just these two things were dizzying enough.
And then yesterday's bravado, scamming Kim Su-yong and then pretending to genuinely worry about him while naturally guiding suspicion toward the Cult.
His acting skills need no explanation—he's a complete human trash.
The problem is that he can't be definitively labeled as "evil." His actions are garbage that can't even be recycled, but when you think about it, he hasn't caused tremendous damage like the Cult. Potion scams are common in this world anyway.
Not only that, but apart from the potion scam, all his targets so far have been either people who provoked him or the Cult, which could rightfully be called "evil."
In other words, while his actions are trashy, he doesn't pick fights with or kill innocent people.
And he has some decent aspects too.
For whatever reason, unlike his usual laziness, he trains diligently every day and treats his people with endless kindness.
Of course, not me.
Anyway, I've gone off-topic, but such a person ran all the way through a stamina test that was neither training nor beneficial.
Why? What for?
Setting aside Cain, normal people move according to cost-benefit calculations.
The others clearly ran thinking it was training.
No, not just them, but all knight aspirants probably thought the same while running.
But while most ran hard, they didn't push themselves to the brink of death.
Hmm... but Cain was different from them.
It's no exaggeration to say he ran until he was on the verge of death.
There's no reason to run like that without any benefit.
It's suspicious.
Did Cain also run thinking it was training?
That would make sense, but the problem is he had an expression that showed he really didn't want to run.
His face seemed to say, "Do I really have to do this all the way?"
Looking at his reaction, it doesn't seem like that's the case.
No matter how much I think about it, I can't understand. There must be a reason, but I can't find it.
"Really. This is the first human I've failed to understand."
I've watched many humans, but this is the first one I can't comprehend to this extent.
I can't even predict him.
***
Illin stared blankly at Cain.
Jenny poked her side with her elbow, wearing a mischievous smile.
"Well, well. Are you looking at him with a face of someone in love?"
"Wh-what?! It's not like that!!"
Illin shouted abruptly in response to Jenny's question.
"Hmm. Really? But Illin, it seems like you're in trouble."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Right now, looking at the faces of most girls here, it seems like quite a few have fallen for Cain."
At Jenny's words, Illin looked around frantically.
Just as she said, female students were staring at Cain with slightly flushed faces.
Seeing this, Illin's expression turned to one of crisis.
Jenny continued with a bright smile.
"Certainly. Cain had a weird personality in the first semester, but his looks are outstanding. Aren't you afraid someone might steal him from you?"
"Ugh! He's the one who broke off our engagement... I don't have the right to like him..."
"Now you finally admit it."
Honestly, even though school had only started a day ago, she had been trying hard to deny it.
She thought she was over Cain, that it was just lingering attachment.
But as Cain continued to show behavior different from his ruffian days, she couldn't properly deny it anymore.
Illin frowned with sweat on her forehead.
Jenny, seeing her expression, smiled confidently.
"Don't worry, big sis will help you."
***
"Whew... showering after exercise definitely feels good."
With a refreshed feeling, I walked to the cafeteria with leisurely steps.
Since nobles also attend, the academy cafeteria was cleanliness itself.
It's similar to the mansion's dining hall.
Looking at it this way, I'm newly impressed by the isekai cafeteria.
In some places, they treat soldiers who protect the country terribly, but here, even though it's just a student cafeteria, it's like a high-class restaurant.
What am I thinking about? Let's check the menu.
Pork cutlet, beef soup, beef steak, vegetable salad, ramen, etc.
Various foods were spread across the menu.
But... why is ramen there?
Of course, there's nothing wrong with having ramen.
But it's absurd that the word "ramen" exists in this game world.
I bet the creators just added it because they were craving it while making the game.
There's no other explanation that makes sense.
Anyway, ramen... should I eat it?
Honestly, the food provided by the David family isn't bad.
To be frank, it's so delicious it melts in your mouth.
I probably couldn't even taste it on Earth.
But.
No matter how much gourmet food I eat, my taste buds have already been conditioned by MSG.
Not only that, but before being Cain, I'm Korean.
Noble food that tastes foreign is delicious, but it's also a bit rich.
As I was contemplating what to eat,
Nearby students glanced at me and whispered.
I'm used to drawing attention now, but why are they talking with such surprised faces?
Curious, I amplified my hearing ability.
"Did you hear? Cain ranked 5th in the stamina test today?"
"What?! Are you kidding? How could that ruffian rank 5th against knight aspirants? You mean 5th from the bottom, right?"
Shit! No, you bastard!
Based on Cain's past actions, it's not unreasonable to think that way, but 5th from the bottom is too much.
I wanted to correct them immediately, but knowing it would just make me look stupid, I just perked up my ears and listened quietly.
"I thought so too at first, but all the students who took PE today are saying it. Judging by their reactions, it seems like 5th from the top, not the bottom."
"C-crazy. Is that even possible? He was so weak in the first semester!"
The classmate who was listening nodded.
"That's what I'm saying. Hey, but why did he come to the cafeteria?"
"Yeah. Normally, he wouldn't come, saying the cafeteria is dirty or the food is inferior."
"Exactly. He'd usually eat food from his mansion or sit alone drinking alcohol."
Deciding there was nothing good to gain from listening further, I reset my hearing to normal.
[The Goddess Who Sees Fate says she agrees with them.]
Given that the Constellation has the same reaction as them, it seems like Cain really did complain about food here.
Cain, this bastard needs to go to the military to straighten up.
He needs to eat military slop to realize, "Ah... I'm a fortunate bastard."
Whatever. What's the point of thinking about it? Let's just order.
"One ramen, please."
"O-okay."
The cafeteria lady nodded with a nervous and surprised face at my order.
I went to an empty table and sat down.
Hmm. Will kimchi and pickled radish come with it?
Wait, is it even the ramen I know?
I felt a bit ominous, but the thought of eating ramen after so long made my mouth water.
As I wiped the drool from my mouth, someone sat down across from me.
It was none other than Jenny and Illin.
What? Why? Why are they suddenly sitting in front of me? I was planning to enjoy my ramen in peace.
In fact, other male students would probably envy me for eating with Illin.
But from my current perspective, I didn't care about Illin—I just wanted to eat my ramen.
Knowing it's an awkward situation, they avoid my eyes.
Jenny scratches the side of her head and laughs awkwardly.
"Hahahahaha. Come to think of it, I'm not hungry. You two enjoy your meal~"
Saying that, Jenny stood up.
Seeing this, Illin, apparently not having expected it, stared at Jenny with wide eyes.
That gaze seemed to say, "Didn't you say you'd help?"
Jenny mercilessly ignored Illin and fled at the speed of light.
In the end, only my ex-girlfriend and I remained at the table.
[The Goddess Who Sees Fate asks why that girl keeps following you.]
Ah. You're here too.
Anyway, since the Constellation isn't physically sitting at the table, it's ambiguous whether to include her.
Well, now that it's come to this, I actually had something to say to Illin. Good timing, even if it's a bit awkward.
"I'm sorry."
Surprised by my sudden apology, Illin flinched.
"Um... why are you apologizing all of a sudden?"
"About the broken engagement talk during the break. You must have had a lot to think about then. I felt really sorry for just saying what I wanted to say and leaving."
Hearing the reason for my apology, Illin bowed her head.
"No, at that time, I was also thinking about breaking off the engagement with Cain. Honestly, I don't deserve an apology from Cain about that... Um, do you still feel the same way as then?"
Since she's bowing her head, I can't see what expression she's making.
But judging by her trembling voice, I can guess.
"...Sorry. I still feel the same way."
"I-I see."
Somehow, I ended up rejecting Illin once more.
But what can I do?
Honestly, I know she's an attractive woman, but if I were to accept her, it could deviate significantly from the original story.
No, actually, it's already deviating quite a bit.
According to the original story, Illin should be living her academy life with a near-death expression because Cain died.
But unlike the main story, I survived, and due to the butterfly effect, she's living a relatively decent life.
But this part can't be helped.
Honestly, I intend to follow the main story, but I can't die, can I?
It's impossible to die in the first place.
Anyway, although it's somewhat different from the original, I still need to follow it as closely as possible.
If it completely changes from the main story, I'll have to find out information about the future while dying.
Shit. That can't happen.
So we just sat there awkwardly, not saying anything and just glancing at each other.
After about three seconds in that state, someone else approached.
Oh. Could it be Jenny?
Thinking it might be a saving grace, we turned our heads with inner joy.
But contrary to expectations, it wasn't Jenny but Ogtin.
Moreover, he approached with a completely murderous gaze and furrowed brows.
Ogtin stopped in front of me. Then he slowly took off his glove.
Huh? No way? Shit, not that? Not such an obvious development? I won't accept it anyway, you crazy bastard!!
But ignoring my inner thoughts, Ogtin threw his removed glove at me.
"David von Cain. I challenge you to a duel!"
Fuck!!