Episode 45: Gratitude to the King

The student cafeteria, built adjacent to the main school building.

At the Royal Military Academy, students are required to have breakfast and dinner at their respective dormitories, but lunch is always taken here at the cafeteria.

The academy has a large student body, and the cafeteria is designed to be spacious to accommodate them.

Here, nobles and commoners alike line up together, receive the same food, and eat at the same tables.

It could be said that this is one of the few places where the academy’s stated principle of “treating nobles and commoners equally” actually holds some semblance of truth.

“Ugh… damn it, another lousy meal, huh?”

A student a few spots ahead in line grumbles.

He’s the third son of an earl, and I think he’s in my class. Moses, was it?

“Who’d eat this dog food garbage?”

The meals served in the cafeteria are designed with nutritional balance in mind and aren’t bad in terms of taste.

But to nobles accustomed to luxury, they probably seem plain and unrefined.

Suddenly, Moses glances back. For a brief moment, our eyes meet.

But he quickly looks away. …Hmph, I can smell a villain from a mile away.

The line moves forward, and Moses receives his tray of food. As he does, he whispers something to the cafeteria staff.

With a few students between us, I wouldn’t normally be able to hear what they said.

…But with my hearing enhanced by magic, I clearly catch their conversation.

“Hey, that silver-haired guy’s Siegfried. …Do it like we planned.”

“B-But…”

“You defying me? A mere commoner?”

“N-No, I…”

“Then do it. Put… sand in his food.”

A brief exchange between Moses and the staff member.

A little while later, it’s my turn.

“H-Here you go…”

The staff member, face slightly tense and wearing an apologetic expression, hands me my tray.

The meal consists of bread, soup, roast beef, and fruit drizzled with honey. From a commoner’s perspective, it’s quite a lavish spread.

I take the tray and sit down at a corner of one of the long tables.

“Yo.”

Sitting next to me is Leon Vague.

“What’s up, Princess?”

“I told you, quit calling me Princess!”

Leon snorts, clearly annoyed. He’s already finished eating, as he’s not holding a tray.

And yet, he deliberately chose to sit next to me… what, does he want attention?

“What do you want?”

“Nah, it’s not like I’ve got business with you or anything. Just happened to spot you. I mean… you’re always stirring up trouble, so I was just wondering if you’re doing alright. Not that I’m worried or anything…”

“I see. By the way, is this kind of meal normal around here?”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

I scoop up some soup with my spoon and show it to Leon, who’s giving me a suspicious look.

Along with a gritty sound, what emerges from the bottom of the soup is… sand and small pebbles.

“What the hell’s that?”

Leon stares, dumbfounded. I lift the roast beef, and sure enough, there’s sand stuck to it too.

“What’s going on? Why’s there sand in your food?!”

“I see. So this isn’t normal, then.”

“Of course it’s not! …Someone’s messing with you? Go tell the cafeteria staff to get you a new one…!”

With Leon’s words at my back, I stand up, tray in hand, and head toward Moses, who’s been sneaking glances at me from a nearby seat.

“Oh? What’s the matter, Siegfried-kun?”

“There’s sand in my food.”

“Oh dear, that’s quite unfortunate. And… what does that have to do with me?”

“Hand it over.”

I slap Moses across the cheek.

A sharp smack echoes through the cafeteria.

“Gah…!”

Moses clutches his cheek, his face a mask of shock.

“W-What are you doing?! Even my father’s never hit me…!”

“Hand it over.”

Ignoring his protests, I slap his other cheek.

Another sharp smack.

“Guh…! W-What’s wrong with you?! Are you seriously accusing me of putting sand in your food?! Where’s your proof…!”

“Perish the thought. I’d never suspect a classmate like you.”

I flash him a sly, villainous smile.

“T-Then why…?”

“Didn’t I tell you in class? I was admitted to this academy by direct order of His Majesty the King. I must devote myself fully to my studies. And to do that, maintaining my health is crucial. Which means I need to eat properly. So—Moses. Hand over your food.”

“W-What kind of logic is that?!”

I slap his cheek again in response to his outburst.

“Gah!”

“Understand, Moses. I don’t want to do this. But it’s all for His Majesty the King… Even if it means taking food from a classmate, I must keep myself in top condition…”

I continue slapping Moses’ cheeks. Right, left. Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap.

“Gah! Gahh! Gah-gah-gah-gah!”

Smack, smack, smack-smack-smack… The rhythmic sound reverberates through the cafeteria.

“F-Fine…! I-I’ll give you my food…!”

“Good.”

I stop slapping him. By now, Moses’ cheeks are swollen red, puffed up like a certain famous character modeled after red bean bread.

For the record, I prefer the character modeled after a germ over the one based on red bean bread. …Fits my villain vibe, you know.

“I’m truly sorry, Moses. But consider this the will of His Majesty the King.”

Shoving all responsibility onto King Luverios, I snatch Moses’ tray.

Luckily, Moses had been too busy watching me to touch his food.

“Here, take mine in exchange.”

I offer Moses my sand-filled tray.

Tearfully, Moses looks down at the gritty meal I’ve handed him.

“N-No way I’m eating this… this sand-covered garbage…!”

“Oh? You can’t eat it? Hmm, now that I think about it… didn’t you call the cafeteria food ‘dog food’ earlier?”

“Y-Yeah, exactly! It’s bad enough already, but with sand mixed in…!”

“…Is that treason against His Majesty the King?”

“H-Huh?! How does that even…?”

“This is the Royal Military Academy. Complaining about the food served here is tantamount to complaining about His Majesty’s will, is it not?”

“How does that make any sense…?!”

Yes, it’s flawed logic. I know that full well. But…

“Whether you actually feel that way or not, it’d be easy to report that you’re dissatisfied with His Majesty.”

“H-Huh?! You’re going to slander me to the king…?!”

“Of course not. I’m merely speaking of possibilities, Moses.”

Truth be told, King Luverios doesn’t trust me in the slightest.

Even if I reported Moses, the chances of it being taken seriously are slim. But… the man in front of me doesn’t know that.

“—Eat, Moses.”

I say coldly.

“Do that, and we’ll let today’s events slide.”

“Ugh… uhh…”

After a moment of hesitation, Moses picks up his spoon, scoops some soup from the surface, and brings it to his mouth.

“I trust you understand… scrape the bottom of the soup and eat everything, Moses.”

“Guh… ugh…”

Moses digs to the bottom of the soup, bringing the sand-filled liquid to his mouth.

His swollen, red cheeks tremble as he forces himself to swallow.

“Well then…”

Glancing at Moses, who’s grimacing in agony as he eats, I start on my own meal.

Compared to Fine’s cooking, it’s obviously inferior. But for someone like me, who prioritizes nutrition, it’s more than adequate.

“…I’ll eat gratefully. My thanks to His Majesty the King for providing this meal.”

Saying that aloud, I bring the food to my mouth, not harboring even a shred of actual gratitude toward King Luverios.