Inside the silent lecture hall.
　When Kirill recognized the owner of the voice, he stood up hurriedly and apologized for his mistake.

I'm sorry. Was it too loud?

Who said you could open your mouth, commoner?

Ugh. ......

　The one who looked down on me was a boy of Kirill and his friends' age.
　His swollen cheeks and the freckles dotted near his nose caught my attention in a bad way.
　He was one of the students in the same sorcerer's course as Kirill.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a look at a few of them.
　This is because he is the son of the highest-ranking family among the noble children currently in the school.

　Although his face is by no means a handsome man, everything he wears looks expensive, and at a glance, one can tell that he is a nobleman's protégé.
　A few of his cronies are around him, and like him, they have an unfriendly stare towards Kirill and the others.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

''Rion-sama. I'm not sure if you would like to talk to your classmates in the same sorcerer's course in such a manner?

You will be quiet!

　His father, who has no mercy on Eleanor, the Viscountess, is Count Klassel.
　He was called LION, and he was her fourth son.

　After being blackmailed, Eleanor reflexively stifled her reflexive retort, but Kirill caught the cold narrowing of her eyes at the edge of her vision.
　The boy in question, who had been subjected to the cold gaze, had already turned the point of view to Kirill.
　He began to raise his voice in an irritated manner without noticing Eleanor's expression.

''If you've been listening to me since just now, you have no respect for a noblewoman!　To top it all off, call me names, etc. ......, know your place!

It's none of your business.

　Rai stood up from his seat for a completely different reason than Kirill, who had stood up from his seat to avoid being rude because the other party was a nobleman.
　His eyes had a challenging glint in them, and he didn't seem to care that the other party was a nobleman.

''Hey ...... Rai, don't do that.

　Ignoring Kirill's voice that tried to stop him, Rai took a bite out of the boy called Rion.

'I don't know if you're a nobleman or what, but it's none of your business to meddle in other people's friendships from the side. First of all, he said he doesn't mind, so it's not a matter of what other people say.

　Kirill broke out in a cold sweat at Rai's manner as if to challenge him.

''You, what a mouthful you have for Rion-sama!

　The boy's cronies became furious at Rai's rudeness.
　All at once, the boy's cronies were furious at the boy's disrespect.

　The boy, known as "Rion", is more emphatic in his words.

It's up to you to do as you please," he said, "if you lowly people want to form a clique with your own kind. At best, you can get along with other commoners. But don't drag Miss Eleanor into it!　She's not someone you commoners should be talking to casually!　In the first place, even for you commoners to be in the same room with a nobleman is an inherently unforgivable act!

　In contrast to Eleanor, who is in a sense an eccentric who does not seem to be a nobleman, this boy is a typical 'nobleman that the people hate' who wears the status of a nobleman as an umbrella to show off his authority.

　Not only do some students from commoner backgrounds, but even some students from noble backgrounds are frowning at him.
　Kirill was relieved to see that not all of them had the same values as this boy just because they were nobles, forgetting the situation he was in.

'Miss Eleanor, you have a problem too. Don't you have any pride in being a nobleman, to allow your name to be used against a commoner!

　The brunt of this is also directed at Eleanor without mercy.
　In Rion's value system, Eleanor's very existence would be unacceptable, as she would allow her commoner counterpart to call her out.

''I have pride too. However, it may be quite different from the pride that Rion-sama has in mind.

　But Eleanor didn't take a step back, looked straight into the other's eyes and replied.

'It is the duty of a nobleman to make them understand the differences in their position. We are by nature superior to the commoners and must be able to handle the subordinates. We are born to be superior to the commoners, and we must be good at using our subordinates.

"'Born to be'? ......?　With all due respect, Master Rion, you seem to have some illusions about being a nobleman.

Illusion?

　Rion frowned as if he couldn't hear it.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you have arms and legs, you eat from your mouth, and if you are cut by a knife, blood will flow, and eventually you will all die. There is not much difference. It seems a bit simplistic to be proud of your aristocratic family just because you happen to be born into it.

　Apparently, the flow of the conversation was shifting in a strange direction.
　The hostility that had been directed at Kirill and Rai had turned to Eleanor before I knew it.

'...... Are you trying to tell me that I'm stupid?'

I'm sorry about this. I'm afraid I misspoke.

　With a cold smile on her face, Eleanor makes a token apology.

''Holding a title is a sign that a nobleman is better than a commoner. It's only natural that those who are capable would use those who aren't.''

"Competent lead others, I agree. But I don't agree with you that having a title alone makes you superior.

Do you think a viscountess would challenge me, the son of a count?

　Leon's voice is angry.

　Eleanor is the eldest daughter of the Viscount Milmeus family, but she is not a legitimate son.
　Of course, if he is not a legitimate son, then Leon is in the same position.

　But what is important here is the family status and title of each of them.
　His opponent, though a fourth son, is the son of an earl.
　Eleanor, on the other hand, was the daughter of a viscount.

　A normal young lady would never argue with you and accept Leon's point of view with open arms.
　But unfortunately for most of the people present here, Eleanor was no ordinary young lady.

It's your father who is an earl, not the fact that you yourself hold the title. According to the laws of the kingdom, neither I nor Master Rion are merely dependents with no authority themselves.

What?

　Rion couldn't help but shout at Eleanor's words.

''Rion-sama. How were your scores on the regular exam you took the other day?

What does that have to do with this story!

　Eleanor lightly brushed off Rion's agitated words and took a glance at Kirill.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a good score," he said, "Kirill here got a score of 9137 points, placing him in third place among all first-year students, but how is the score of Rion-sama, who you said yourself was 'excellent'?　By the way, I scored eight hundred and ninety.

Guh. ......!

　Rion chokes on his words.

　Both Kirill and Eleanor had always been named in the list of top grades since they entered the school.
　Not to mention Kirill, Eleanor's score of eight hundred and ninety points could be said to be excellent enough.
　In fact, there are only a few students who rank higher than her.
　And among those countless students, Leon's name was not included.

''Also, in practical skills, Kirill's rating was ninety-seven out of a hundred. Now, what is Rion-sama's rating?''

Yeah, that's ......

　The boy named Rion is not incompetent by any means.
　His family has always produced excellent sorcerers, and he has received gifted education before entering the school, and he has achieved excellent results.

　But that's only in comparison to the ordinary students.
　It's just that Kirill is even better than that.
　It could be said that it was simply the wrong person to compare it to.

''As Rion-sama himself said earlier, if a superior person is going to stand above those who are not, then this Kirill is the person who stands above me and Rion-sama?

It's a tirade!

　Eleanor's cronies make a fuss at her words, which outright deny the significance of the nobility's existence, but she counters them with a cool look.

'Huh?　I suppose that makes more sense than the argument that being a nobleman alone makes you superior?

Bullshit!

　Rion, who had been stunned, albeit briefly, by the unrealistic logic released from Eleanor's mouth, comes to himself and raises his voice.

''The evaluation of practical skills is on the table!　No matter how faithful you are to what the textbook says, if you actually fight, the strongest person wins!

'Oh?　So you're saying that in a real battle, Master Rion can win?

Of course!

　Eleanor's momentum grows with every word she exchanges, and Leon's heat rises.
　Kirill and Rai were taken aback by the two of them leaving themselves behind and continuing to exchange ideas.

It's a good thing that you're just talking about it, because that's just an empty theory.

'Then maybe if we actually show them the difference in power, they'll agree!　I will teach him that the hubris of Kisama and others is the delusion of fools!

I will respectfully accept that challenge!

　The lecture room was filled with a buzz.
　It's not surprising that the child of a nobleman, who should be a gentleman, has challenged the young lady to a game, and the young lady has said she will accept the challenge without even showing any signs of hesitation.

　Kirill is upset that something terrible has happened, and Eleanor's subsequent words make him even more upset.

''Kirill's ability, you may as well know it to the fullest!

What?

　Kirill couldn't believe his ears.

'If Kirill wins, please do not interfere in our friendship at all. Even if Kirill and Rai call me by my name, you will not interfere in any way!

I'm gonna make sure you never hear another word out of that tiny little mouth of yours!　Wash your head and wait for me!

　Finally, he pointed a sharp index finger at the confused Kirill and said, and then Rion went back to his seat with his cronies in tow.

'No, what?　Wait--

　Suddenly, Kirill's thoughts came to a halt, and separate hands were placed on his shoulders from both sides.

'Kirill, you must win!

Hey, Kirill!　If it's a legitimate contest, I don't care if the opponent is a nobleman or not. Blast them all!

　The Viscountess and her warrior course friend who turned to me with a look that said, ''Do it.

''What?　How could I?　Wasn't it Eleanor-sama who took the match!

'What are you talking about? Are you going to force a woman to do something so dangerous?

''No, if Eleanor-sama hadn't provoked me like that in the first place, I wouldn't have to go through all this ....... La, lai!　Rae is more than qualified for this kind of thing!　For me...

"If I'm a fighter, they're not going to care. You know what they're going to do, unless they're both wizards, they're not going to admit defeat.　By the looks of it,

That's right. ......

　The bell for the start of the lecture rang out as if to tell Kirill, who was nodding off, that his time was up.