My Disciples Became Scoundrels - Chapter 82

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Young Lady’s gaze touched the White Jade Token, then lifted to my face. In her eyes gleamed a joy as pure and unguarded as a child’s.
“I must say, I prefer Dein. To have mastered the White Jade Token to such a degree—truly impressive.”
Her attention remained fixed on me alone. Even as the Black Panther Man offered a brief farewell and withdrew, she did not spare him a glance.
“Then for the Hunting Festival, you’ll come with Balanus and me! Three of us can go, so bring two others of your choosing.”
“As you wish, Young Lady.”
I smiled in return, then cast a quick glance around the room. Multiple stares converged upon me.
Some held curiosity, others jealousy, possessiveness, wariness, resentment…….
Few of them were kind, but it mattered little. What I needed was not their affection, but their keen attention.
I offered them a smile as well—the final curtain on this little performance.
* * *
The morning of the Hunting Festival dawned bright and clear.
At the entrance to the dense forest stood tables utterly at odds with the setting.
Across snow-white tablecloths lay teacups and wine bottles; servants hurried back and forth with platters.
The nobles drifted leisurely between them, conversing in low tones. Though dressed for the hunt, they remained elegant—as if out for a pleasant picnic.
Of course, such pleasantries extended only to the nobility. We combat personnel stood apart at a distance—all save one.
“Young Lady, you are truly magnificent. The Emerald Necklace shines beautifully, but it cannot compare to the radiance in your eyes.”
“Hehe, how kind. And Gai, you look quite dashing yourself today, don’t you?”
Gai sat beside the Young Lady. While other nobles dared not approach her table, he had already claimed a seat.
The man’s scheme had borne fruit. His preparation had been no trifle.
Arkel, standing beside me, spoke with a complicated look in his eyes.
“……Is this acceptable?”
“For now, it seems manageable.”
Gai, at least, knew when and where to draw the line. He offered only flattery—no hint of seduction.
Though he did cast the occasional meaningful glance at other noble daughters and ladies of leisure.
Still, the man was far from trustworthy. Arkel fidgeted with his sleeve cuff as he spoke.
“Perhaps it would have been more stable to bring Bella instead.”
“She refused, so there was no choice.”
When selecting the three to attend the festival, I had prioritized conduct above all. This event, after all, was fundamentally about appeasing noble sensibilities.
I had attempted to teach them basic Noble Etiquette, but neither Cesare nor Jenia had grasped it in so short a time.
「What, do I really need to take a test on this? Once I’m deployed, I’ll handle it fine. I learned all this when I was young, you know.」
「Cesare, you got two out of ten correct. You’re certain you learned this as a child?」
「The past is irrelevant.」
Cesare struggled with simple study, while Jenia lacked understanding of human sentiment—a serious liability.
「Jenia, you mustn’t stare directly at a noble for too long. But neither can you avoid eye contact altogether.」
「How many seconds is ‘too long’?」
「You must read the situation—gauge what makes the other person comfortable. Shall we practice?」
Jenia had stared at me for approximately three minutes straight. Beyond that, she struggled to grasp the subtleties of Noble Speech.
Bella was different. She mimicked others well and moved through the etiquette with practiced ease.
「Where did you learn Noble Etiquette?」
「I once posed as a Marquess’s betrothed. I served as a tutor in a Baron’s household. I even dealt with a dissolute young master.」
……What trials had she endured? I regarded her with a bitter sort of pity, when Bella simply shrugged.
「Even so, Gai and Arkel are better suited than I am. Someone needs to assist the Young Lady with the hunt.」
Gai did indeed belong in such settings. His ability aside, he moved among nobility with an almost unsettling grace.
Now he was sipping a glass of wine offered by the Young Lady herself, raising it to his lips with practiced elegance.
“This wine is truly exceptional, Young Lady. I find myself wishing I could share it with others, rather than savoring it alone.”
“My, how considerate. You’re thinking of the others, aren’t you? Dein and Arkel, do come sit with us.”
Gai glanced at me with a smug look—as if crediting himself entirely for this success.
As I moved toward the table, the black panther approached and fixed an unblinking stare upon me. The Young Lady stroked it absently.
“Genevieve seems to have taken a liking to Dein.”
“How fortunate.”
That gleam in its eyes looked far less like affection and far more like a predator’s hunger—yet Gai only poured more wine into the Young Lady’s glass.
“Genevieve’s coat is like velvet. You must be caring for her wonderfully. She’s been with you since she was small, I’ve heard?”
“That’s right. Isn’t she adorable?”
“Utterly charming. But do you have no interest in ordinary dogs or cats?”
The Young Lady scratched beneath the black panther’s chin, handling it as one might a house cat.
“Dogs and cats are tedious. There’s no thrill that compares to raising a beast of prey in the palm of your hand.”
The panther’s eyes narrowed beneath her touch. Whether tamed or simply subjugated, it was impossible to say.
“That’s why I prefer to patronize the Guild and Domus. You could all kill me in seconds if you wished…….”
The Young Lady gazed at me, a smile playing at the corners of her eyes.
“It’s the pleasure of something that can never truly happen.”
The Young Lady’s eyes were indeed bright. That same gleam shone when she looked at Genevieve.
Now I understood why someone of her station had come to the banquet. Perhaps she needed a new pet.
She handed me a glass of wine. The deep crimson liquid exhaled a truly honeyed fragrance. As I took the glass in silence, Gai chattered away beside me.
“Harm you? How could we ever do such a thing to you, Young Lady? To harm you would be to make an enemy of the Morban Duke’s House.”
“My, Hayden is so clever! Someone who listens well and thinks sharply is simply charming.”
“If I listen well, will you favor me the way you do Genevieve?”
The two of them laughed brightly.
While the Young Lady was feeding a cookie to Gai, an armed attendant approached. The Young Lady’s escort.
“Young Lady. It’s time to prepare for the hunt.”
“Very well. Come along, Genevieve.”
“It would be best to leave Genevieve behind, madam.”
At those words, the Young Lady’s face registered shock as she clutched the black panther tightly to her chest.
“Genevieve is my baby. How could I leave her? We always go everywhere together.”
“Once stimulated during the hunt, she becomes difficult to control.”
The Young Lady looked at me. Her eyes sought my opinion. I nodded quietly.
“It’s true. If Genevieve sees prey, she might bolt suddenly, and you could lose her.”
“Lose her?”
The Young Lady hesitated, then entrusted the black panther’s leash to a servant. Her gaze, thick with reluctance, never left the beast.
“Genevieve, I’ll be back in no time. Don’t cry and be good. Understand?”
While the servants held back the rearing panther, the Young Lady mounted a snowy white horse. Suddenly, I felt someone’s gaze upon me.
I turned to find the Black Panther Man standing there. He seemed to have come as an aide to another nobleman.
A decent patron, then. Yet his gaze toward me smoldered with jealousy and anger. His employer clearly displeased him.
“Dein. Shall we go now?”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
The Young Lady gently urged her horse forward. As other nobles dispersed one by one, we too entered the forest.
The moment we stepped in, she drew a crossbow. Her hands moved with familiarity—she’d handled one before.
“Now then, shall we focus on enjoying ourselves rather than winning?”
It was a question, yet not quite. Just as Arkel was about to nod, Gai cut in quickly.
“Of course we should enjoy ourselves—and win, Young Lady! Isn’t that why we came?”
“My, Hayden! Our hearts beat as one!”
Arkel glanced at Gai, then at me. As if asking: is that right? Noble Speech—the art of roundabout discourse—seemed difficult for him.
Just then, a rustling sound came from some distance away. I seized the reins and brought the horse to a stop, then spoke to the Young Lady.
“There appears to be a pheasant nearby.”
“My? Where?”
I gestured to Arkel. He formed an Ice Blade and drove it down into the brush.
―Squawk!
In that instant, the pheasant burst from the undergrowth. With a metallic click, a crossbow bolt was loosed.
The crossbow shot twice and missed. Only after Arkel blocked the escape route with an Ice Wall did the third bolt strike the pheasant.
She had some experience, but her marksmanship was rather poor. Then Gai began clapping enthusiastically.
“Young Lady, nice shot! Brilliant! You’ve brought down the pheasant!”
“Thanks to your assistance.”
“Oh, it’s your skill, Young Lady. Even with the escape route sealed off, the pheasant is so quick.”
He really does flatter well. I began clapping from beside him, and Arkel awkwardly followed suit.
“I feel my skill is still lacking. What do you make of it, Arkel?”
Arkel paused a moment before speaking.
“There’s still room for improvement—”
“—which you don’t have! You shoot quite well!”
Gai abruptly cut in and stole his words. While deliberately stepping on Arkel’s foot.
The Young Lady stared at Arkel for a moment, then began riding again. In that gap, Arkel grabbed Gai by the collar.
“You knew what you were doing when you stepped on me.”
“Brother, there are too many eyes watching! Besides, I didn’t step on you on purpose—there’s a reason, I promise.”
He glanced at the escort, then released Gai. Under Arkel’s piercing gaze, Gai whispered.
“Arkel. You really don’t understand a woman’s heart? You’ve never been in love?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Wow, you really haven’t, have you? Aren’t you thirty-three?”
“I was in prison. I couldn’t.”
“Do you really think that was the problem?”
Arkel fell into solemn contemplation. I tapped his shoulder as he pondered.
“What the Young Lady wants isn’t truth—it’s praise. Speak only good of her, always.”
“……Yes.”
From her expression, it seemed she hadn’t quite grasped it. For Arkel, it was a difficult truth to accept.
As we wandered searching for prey, I spotted a deer in the distance. Arkel and I agreed to drive it together.
While we prepared the drive, the Young Lady spoke with barely contained excitement.
“Genevieve will be so pleased! Of all the meats, she loves venison the most…….”
―Thwip!
With the sound of air splitting, the deer collapsed. An arrow protruded from its head. The Young Lady started in alarm.
“My deer……!”
“Young Lady. It has been a long time since we last met.”
The sound of hoofbeats came from the opposite direction. The Marquess’s Daughter leading the group was of an age with the Young Lady, yet the presence she carried was entirely different.
Her grip on the bow was practiced, her handling of the horse assured. That she had just pierced the deer’s skull with such precision was no accident.
Archer, hunter—these words suited her far better than “Marquess’s Daughter.” The Young Lady smiled warmly toward her.
“Marquess’s Daughter. How long it has been. I must say, your archery skills are quite impressive.”
“You are too kind. Your passion has always been remarkable, Young Lady.”
They exchanged pleasantries, yet the atmosphere was tense. I leaned close to Arkel and whispered.
“She’s saying: you can’t even shoot an arrow, so your only gift is enthusiasm.”
“……Is that a coded insult?”
Then I glimpsed a familiar face behind the Marquess’s Daughter. He was speaking to her.
“You truly are remarkable, my lady.”
“It is thanks to your aid. I was wise to bring you along.”
The man regarded me with unmistakable satisfaction. It was the Black Panther Man. The Young Lady’s eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze upon him.
……Something about this doesn’t sit right with me.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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