Not long after escaping from the swarm of enthusiastic seniors, Knox decided to wander around the campus. Watching students laugh, chat, and desperately advertise their clubs made the academy feel far livelier than usual.
Unfortunately...
He soon regretted that decision.
Why?
Because with Knox's fame, status, and, to make matters worse, his face, he could practically be considered a walking advertisement. The funny part was that this advertisement didn't even have to do anything. He only needed to walk around, and everything would come to him on its own.
Naturally, the hungry seniors descended upon him like a pack of hyenas.
Some promised money. Others offered status, rare materials, exclusive facilities, and every benefit they could think of. A few even went as far as offering themselves as future brides.
After an exhausting round of negotiations, explanations, and polite refusals, Knox somehow managed to escape alive.
"Huft... That was terrifying. I'd rather fight another Saintess than go through that again."
As Knox continued walking, he suddenly noticed someone being "courted" in a rather unusual way.
A person Knox was familiar with was surrounded by the president of the Kizen Curse Research Club, the president of the Haematology Research Club 'Sadam', and the president of the academy's so-called elite club, Noble.
The president of Noble was none other than Andre, the Third Prince of Dresden.
Back when Knox carried out his mission at the Dresden Royal Castle, he had been a little disappointed that he never got the chance to meet Andre in person.
After all, the Third Prince had been one of the more irritating characters in the original novel.
So back then, Knox could only settle for changing his target instead.
As for the student the three club presidents were desperately trying to recruit...
It was none other than Simon.
Seeing his friend being surrounded from every direction, Knox walked over with a grin.
"Hey, Simon. Looks like you're pretty popular."
"Hm? Ah, Knox!"
The moment Simon called his name, all three club presidents instinctively turned toward the newcomer.
The president of the Curse Research Club immediately turned pale.
Meanwhile, the president of Sadam's eyes lit up.
Unfortunately...
There was always one troublesome person in every crowd.
Andre looked Knox up and down before clicking his tongue in annoyance.
"Huh? Who are you?" he said arrogantly. "Hey, commoner. We're in the middle of an important conversation, so get lost."
Hearing Andre speak to Knox like that, the other two immediately darkened their expressions. Their faces seemed to say, if you want to get yourself beaten up, don't drag us down with you!
"Hmm? Who is this mushroom-looking guy?" Knox asked, tilting his head.
Hearing this nickname, Simon, the president of the Curse Research Club, and the president of Sadam immediately held back their laughter. To make things even worse for Andre, quite a few students nearby had also heard it, causing muffled laughter to spread through the crowd.
Completely ignoring the talking mushroom, Knox continued talking to Simon.
"Simon, if you're still thinking about which club to join, then don't join Noble."
"What?! How dare you...!" Andre shouted.
"Hmm? Why?" Simon asked.
"To put it simply, Noble focuses more on building connections than actual combat. The problem is that what you need the most right now is strength. So, I suggest improving your skills first. Building connections can always come after that," Knox explained.
Hearing Knox's explanation, Simon nodded. The advice was straightforward and realistic, making it difficult to disagree.
"Well, I guess you're right, Knox."
Looking at the scene before him, Andre's face flushed red as he shouted,
"You scoundrel! How dare a commoner interfere with the glorious recruitment ceremony of royalty like me!? State your name!"
Just then, a female student dressed like a maid, who had been waiting quietly behind Andre the whole time, hurried over to his side.
"Prince, please calm yourself! You cannot offend this person!"
"Huh?! What are you talking about, Catherine!? He's just a mere commoner!" Andre snapped.
"Prince! I truly advise you to stop talking like that! This person is someone even His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen would never want to offend! Otherwise, even a riot breaking out across the Kingdom of Dresden wouldn't be surprising at all!"
"Hah...? How could that be...?" Andre muttered weakly after hearing that even his father and mother wouldn't dare provoke the person standing before him.
"Your Highness, this person is Knox Aznable. The one people call the White Devil. His strength has already been acknowledged as being beyond that of a second-year student. You must have heard about what happened in the royal capital, right? The student who defeated the Royal Knights..."
"Moreover, this person is also the famous author whose works have recently been taking the continent by storm. His influence is already comparable to that of many nobles..."
"I'm afraid... if Their Majesties were to hear about what just happened today..."
Hearing Catherine's explanation, Andre froze.
The commoner standing in front of him was actually Knox Aznable.
The White Devil.
The student who had defeated Dresden's Royal Knights.
The genius author whose name had spread throughout the continent.
Most importantly...
If his father and mother were to find out about today's incident...
Andre immediately regretted every single word that had just come out of his mouth.
Then, Andre immediately changed his attitude as though everything that had happened just moments ago had never existed.
"Ha-haha! Good! You may be a commoner, but I'll acknowledge you! I, Andre, the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Dresden, shall personally protect you!"
Hearing that, Catherine immediately facepalmed.
"Pfft... Hahahahaha!" Knox burst into laughter.
"Protection? Who? Protect me? That's the funniest thing I've heard since coming to Kizen!"
Still chuckling, Knox wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes before looking back at Andre.
"Haha... Well, I have to admit, your offer is interesting enough."
"Then...!" Andre's eyes immediately lit up, only to be cut off by Knox.
"But, I refuse!" (Daga kotowaru!) Knox said.
"WHAT?!" Andre shouted.
"Because.... one of my favorite things to do is say 'no' to people like you!" Knox replied.
"Oohhh!"
Hearing what Knox had just said, the surrounding students couldn't help but murmur in admiration. None of them understood why, but somehow, those words sounded ridiculously cool.
While Andre, felt as though he was drowning in ridicule and humiliation.
Seeing the look on his face, Andre's Maid, Catherine, couldn't help but think that this good-for-nothing prince was about to explode. At that moment, she could only pray that whatever retaliation or consequences followed wouldn't end up dragging her into it.
As expected...
Andre didn't disappoint her!
He exploded.
"Fine! You dare mock me like this?! To think you actually refused the words of royalty! You're nothing but a mere author! Just wait! I'll ban your novels from being published and distributed throughout my kingdom! And that's not all! I heard you have some charitable foundation for those lowly orphanages? I'll freeze that foundation as well!""
The moment those words left his mouth, his maid, Catherine's expression immediately stiffened.
She wasn't the only one.
Several students nearby also reacted the same way, especially those from the Kingdom of Dresden.
After all...
None of them could imagine a future where they were no longer able to read Knox's novels.
Then, without warning, Knox expressionlessly took something out of his inventory and hurled it straight at Andre's face, making him stumble backward.
Thwack!
"Arghh! You...! Hm?" Andre instinctively grabbed the object before looking down at it. "This... a glove?" he asked with a surprised expression.
For nobles, especially members of the royal family, throwing a glove at someone carried only one meaning.
Knox looked at Andre with a venomous smile.
It was the kind of smile that seemed to say,
You are dead.
Then, he declared,
"Knox Aznable, first-year student of Kizen Academy, hereby challenges you to a duel!"