# Chapter 10. The Young Lady Who Still Finds Love Difficult (3)
Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of the extras from before my enrollment in the Academy.
Apparently, the basic privilege of the reincarnated—a system that transfers the original owner’s past memories—didn’t work or apply to me.
The only reason I know anything about Rab from before my reincarnation is because I eavesdropped on servants’ gossip and rumors. Otherwise, adjusting would have been much harder.
Once the story begins with my enrollment in the Academy, there’s no problem, but right now, the timeline is one year prior to enrollment.
Of course, I don’t have the ability to recognize this group of delinquents in front of me.
“…”
I initially ignored them lightly.
How would I know if someone else named Rab, not as noteworthy as Cecilia but perhaps with a charming woman, hadn’t come around?
“Rab, why the cold shoulder? Ignoring me?”
Damn, my luck is abysmal.
I roughly estimate these guys were from a gang Rab used to hang out with in the past.
I did hear the rumors about their connection to a famous criminal organization, which is why the townspeople avoid them. But they dared to speak disrespectfully to the young master of the manor right out in the open…
I fail to comprehend why someone like Rab would willingly associate with such garbage.
“What?”
If I act too friendly here, it might significantly reduce Cecilia’s affection for me.
I don’t want her to grow feelings of disgust or aversion toward me.
The general concept I’m going for is a reformed young noble who’s cutting ties with his past to win the love of a woman he fell for at first sight.
“Rab, what’s with your attitude? Did you forget about our friendship? You’ve been gone for so long…did something happen?”
At this point, he should’ve realized I was in a bad mood and backed off, but this guy lacks any sense of perception.
I never thought it could be so exhausting to have some random guy approach me with such familiarity.
“Hey, Kaiji… Rab doesn’t look like he’s in a good mood. Should we just go today?”
One of the guys in the back whispered to the leader.
So, the leader’s name is Kaiji.
Judging from the fact that I’ve never heard of him in the original story, he’s undoubtedly just a low-level thug.
“Hold it! Hmm, hmm. Rab, you remember that tavern we went to last time, right? You seemed to like it too, didn’t you? If our generous wealthy friend here buys us a round, the women there would be thrilled, right? What do you say?”
Ah, I see.
These guys approached Rab for his money.
They flattered Rab with smooth talk, making him foot the bill for drinks and entertainment while using him as their financial source.
Considering the vast wealth of Rab’s family, it’s no surprise his allowance made him a perfect target for these guys.
They probably see Cecilia, standing next to me, as just another commoner Rab is close with or some barmaid.
“Hmm… It’s going to be tough. Right now, I’m showing my… cousin around the estate.”
Though the engagement between Cecilia and me will eventually become public knowledge, announcing it now would be premature.
If the news leaks that a reckless young noble is engaged to a duchess’ daughter, there may be many people who might use my character as an excuse to court her with ulterior motives.
Given Cecilia’s inexperience with social interactions, it would be the worst-case scenario.
Though there’s no internet or smartphones to spread information rapidly back in my previous life, this world, where magic exists instead of science, still sees efficient information exchange.
I’ve never personally used magic, nor witnessed it properly, so I can’t explain it in detail. I’ll leave the specifics for later.
If I reveal Cecilia’s engagement to me here, it’s certain the rumor will spread throughout the capital in a matter of days.
Currently, the rumor floats that the wealthy Count’s family and the poor Duke’s family share some sort of secret connection. Once word of our engagement spreads, things will probably get noisy on multiple levels.
It’s better for both of us if we keep this engagement hidden. I want to assist Cecilia in naturally transitioning into a relationship with the protagonist during our time at the Academy.
Fortunately, Cecilia’s face hasn’t been made public due to her parents’ decisions, and no one seems to recognize her—this is a stroke of good fortune.
“Cousin….”
Cecilia seems somewhat perturbed that I introduced her as my cousin.
But for her sake, this is the only excuse I can provide.
“You mean your cousin? What a stroke of luck! If your cousin joins us at such a fun place, she’s sure to enjoy herself-”
“…Kaiji.”
Did he assume that, with my cousin present, I’m still one of those wild and foolish types from Rab’s past?
Feeling naturally irritated by the greedy intentions flashing in his eyes, I stepped closer, lowering my voice and narrowing my brows.
Of course, I’m terrible at fighting.
While my current body is in good physical condition, I’ve always been the type to avoid getting hurt or hurting others, steering clear of disputes or fights altogether.
Even if this body is strong now, there’s no way I can take on a gang like this.
So, I’ll rely on sheer intimidation.
Getting them scared enough to run away.
“For someone of your lowly class, you’re not very familiar with noble etiquette, are you? You can’t even grasp it when I’m indirectly telling you to leave.”
“What?”
“What? That’s disrespect, my boy. You seem to have gotten the wild notion that associating with me makes you a noble. How ridiculous.”
“You little-!”
“Going to throw a punch?”
Hesitation.
“If you think you can handle the consequences, go ahead. Besides, our house knights are bored these days with no work to do. This would be perfect timing.”
“Guh!”
“You not throwing a punch? Pathetic. You’re no man at all. You’re more of a woman.”
“Grinding teeth— let’s go!”
Clutching his teeth so hard they might break, Kaiji turned around with his gang.
“Where are you going?”
“What…?”
“You should say goodbye properly.”
“…”
Biting his lips hard, Kaiji came before me, slightly bowing in a mock salute.
Even Kaiji knows better than to cause trouble where many people are watching.
If he harms me, not just my family, but Cecilia’s family (who I pretended was mine) would certainly get involved in this matter.
It would be pure suicide for a gang of street delinquents to pick a fight with two noble families.
“Sorry….”
“That’s right, you owe me an apology. Always remember that humble spirit from now on.”
Tsk, tsk.
I lightly tapped Kaiji’s head as he bowed and gave him a casual response.
I didn’t get a full look as he hastily left, but he was probably furious.
As much as I’m worried about retaliation, to demonstrate a clean break from the past in front of Cecilia, this level of performance was necessary.
Sigh… could it be they have ties with some real criminal organization and might send an assassin?
Should I strengthen the estate’s security for the time being?
*
“Damn pup… That idiot who only knows money! So he acts all friendly with us, and now he humiliates us like this?!”
Pah! Pah!
Kicked into nearby trash, Kaiji vented his anger after being humiliated by Rab in front of everyone.
“Kaiji, so what now? Without Rab, we can’t afford the expensive taverns or entertainment spots anymore, right?”
“Shut up, idiot! Do you even know how much Rab humiliated me?! Do you understand the implications?”
Terrified by Kaiji’s raging threats, his subordinates stepped back.
Kaiji has always been haughty and emotionally unstable, but having been scared by Rab, someone he always looked down on, seems to have truly infuriated him.
“Hey!”
“What? Wh… Why?”
“Right now, contact the boss. Tell him we have someone to kidnap.”
“Wait, are we going to kidnap Rab?”
“No, no, why are you so narrow-minded? It’s not Rab…”
Swoosh—
“It’s his cousin we’re going to kidnap.”
At Kaiji’s sinister low-pitched voice, the underling shuddered with fear.
“B-but that girl has no connection to us, right? What if we mess with her and-”
“Shit, does that matter?! Did you not notice how Rab looks at his cousin? Dripping with honey! Whether it’s simple affection or lust doesn’t matter. The important thing is that Rab cares for her.”
Grin.
“And while we’re at it, we can have a little taste of that girl, and we’ll also extort a hefty ransom from the Count’s family—”
“No, no way.”
“You’re saying it’s impossible? What’s wrong with you?!”
Kaiji searched for whoever interrupted him at this crucial moment.
But it was useless.
The figure had already been watching them from the shadows all along.
“It’s impossible—not impossible. I’ve been waiting for them to connect. Watching young love blossom is my only hobby. I can’t let some scumbag ruin it.”
“Shit, who the hell are you-”
Whoosh—
Crash.
“…?”
The sound of something hitting the ground.
It took Kaiji a few seconds to realize it was his arm.
“AAAAA!!!”
“Shit, what- Chough!”
“Sa… save me- Chough!”
The person in the shadows had already started severing the heads of Kaiji’s henchmen, one by one, with surgical precision.
Clack, clack…
“Feels kind of dull after a while, doesn’t it? I need to sharpen it after this job.”
“You… What are you? Do you know who we are? If you touch us, our bosses will-”
“The ‘Black Arachne’ organization, right? Don’t worry. I’ll eliminate them soon enough after dealing with you guys.”
A young woman calmly stating her intention to destroy a renowned crime organization.
Her words rang true in Kaiji’s instincts, filling his mind with fear.
The calmness of her tone induced a paralyzing dread, forcing Kaiji to kneel before her in terror.
“Pleas… Please, spare me…”
“Hey, look up.”
“Yes!”
Driven by a glimmer of hope, Kaiji raised his head swiftly, only to—
Swoosh!
“Hard to cut off a head when it’s already bowed.”
A few days later, it was reported that all the members of the ‘Black Arachne’ organization, notorious for drug trafficking, kidnapping, and the human trade, were brutally slaughtered.
This incident marked the premature end of what was supposed to become the large criminal group known as the ‘Seven Fiends,’ which would later pose a threat to the Academy.
And no one ever discovered that it all stemmed from the wrath of someone who saw the attempt to kidnap a young girl as unforgivable.
