Just as he told the nurse, Rotsard showed up for the lectures. Although, he got a little bit of attention because he seemed to return to how he was at the start of the first year and wasn't taking any notes.
For a change, Amelia Edemsworth, who already heard her contracted fae's lacking report, was the one who couldn't keep her eyes away from the bleached-blond-haired youth.
For some reason, he was somehow able to act both dismissive and attentive at the same time as he was sprawled comfortably on his seat with an aloof expression.
There was no way that anyone would be able to tell that there was anything wrong with his limbs. His acting was so good, actually, that Amelia had no reason to suspect that anything was off. Rotsard was acting exactly as the character he was supposed to be.
Before Amelia knew it, the first lecture of the day ended, and the teacher left the classroom.
Then…
"..."
"...!"
Rotsard glanced over at her!
"!"
"!!!"
His first glance was very casual and inconspicuous, but then he had a second take, turning his whole head so fast that it was surprising his neck didn't snap, and he stared at Amelia with eyes full of innocent awe, to the point that the girl caught looking blushed so hard her face turned crimson.
Amelia hurriedly lowered her head and put up her arms to shield herself from the embarrassment…
"...?"
But when she dared to have another glance and saw Rotsard staring with the same expression as before, she felt that something wasn't right.
As she lowered her arms and looked for the actual object of Rotsard's awe, her brows furrowed the moment she found it.
Right by her side, her neighbor, the future hero Justin, had summoned his contracted fae and was playing with it.
Justin's contracted fae was a juvenile Grand Fae of Light in the form of a bear…
Well, calling it a juvenile was a bit much, though.
Because Justin's fae, Polaris, was a bear cub.
And it wasn't some millennia-old fae that looked like a bear cub.
It was a newborn fae, so young that despite being a Grand Fae, it couldn't actually speak.
Polaris's golden fur was shining even without sunlight directly on it. Its adorable black nose twitched each time Justin booped or nuzzled against it, and its trusting golden-brown eyes were always seeking its master… well, more like a caretaker.
Truth be told, Polaris… wasn't the fae that the future hero was supposed to have according to the story that Grand Fae imparted onto Amelia, but, well… it was the closest one possible considering the circumstances.
…and Rotsard… the very same Rotsard who openly hated on the faefolk and didn't feel shame in comparing them to deofols, was gazing longingly at the golden bear cub as if it was the cutest thing in the world, and there was nothing he wanted more than to hug and pamper it.
"..."
Amelia stared in shock at the bright-eyed Rotsard.
She recalled a detail that felt relevant.
In the story that she heard from the Grand Fae, the character of Saria Vallhall advised the hero Justin how to deal with the rage of her family...
The secret method was…
To bring along a baby.
Apparently, every member of the Vallhall bloodline had such strong parental instincts that they couldn't help but fawn over and protect babies and children, forgetting all about their own fierce nature and turning into just the gentlest and most forgiving people.
Was Rotsard the same…?
Actually, wasn't his parental instinct so strong that he would even melt over a baby fae of all things?
That was quite the discovery Amelia made with her accidental observation journal…
…that said…
"...hmph…"
She did pout and looked away in slight disappointment…
"!!!"
Only to flinch and bite her lips while turning red again over the realization that she was sulking because she wasn't the one Rotsard Vallhall was paying attention to…!
*WHAM*
"ROTSARD VALLHALL!"
"!!!"
Just then, the classroom's door was slammed open, and a burly fourth-year student entered the classroom with a shout. That commotion caused many to flinch, but more importantly, it scared Polaris so much that it flinched and cowered before disappearing into a flash of light, returning to the separate layer of existence where faefolk resided.
"..."
"!!!"
Just one look at Rotsard was enough to send chills down everyone's spine, and even before the bleached-blond-haired boy turned to the intruder, his beastly yellow eyes had bloodlust in them.
And… the temperature inside the classroom ended up actually dropping!
"The HEL do you want, trash!?"
"...!?"
At Rotsard's hateful snarl, even the challenger ended up flinching in shock as if he did not expect that kind of reaction to his appearance.
"H-HMPH! I'm here to challenge you to a duel! Even if the Academy isn't willing to punish you for what you did to senior Treedor, I will!"
The fourth-year student scoffed to regain some of his gusto and declared while pointing his finger at the bleached-blond-haired youth.
"I agree. Go ahead and organize everything for today after the lectures. Now get out of my sight before I'll take care of you the same way I did with Henry Treedor."
Rotsard scoffed, waving his hand dismissively, too angry to look at the challenger for more than a few seconds.
"Y-you coward! You ambushed him from behind like a coward that you are and…!"
"I ALREADY AGREED TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU LATER! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT, OR I WILL SHATTER YOUR SPINE TOO!"
The fourth-year student tried to scoff and insult Rotsard, but the bleached-blond-haired youth snapped back at him with such viciousness empowered by the literal frost spreading out all around him that the challenger just shut his mouth and backed off.
"D-don't try to get out of it! Underclassman Justin beat you, and I will be no different!"
"...just get out already… And tell others intending to challenge me to come watch the duel too, I will accept ALL of their challenges after I'm done with you."
The challenger said with a lot less courage than before, but Rotsard merely shook his head and scoffed at him with disgust.
"Today, after lectures! And don't you dare cheat! Uhnnpgh...!"
"..."
The fourth-year student was already outside the classroom, but he still ended up sticking his head back in and calling out in an attempt to save some face, and yet, the moment he met with Rotsard's glare, he instantly backed off, letting out a weird sound, and left.
After that, the classroom filled with murmurs, none of which were taking Rotsard's side, obviously.
As for the bleached-blond-haired youth himself… he glanced a few more times at Justin, but the future hero clearly had no intention of summoning his contracted fae again…
"..."
Which only made Rotsard's expression turn more and more grim…