### Chapter 36: Miss Peilo Runs Away
“I-I don’t feel well.”
“Hahaha!”
Giant Ram laughed heartily as he stomped over to me, his towering figure casting a colossal shadow that overwhelmed my petite form, and I could faintly smell his sweat.
“Miss, in the last basic training class, there was another delicate lady just like you, so fragile it made my heart ache. She lied to me, saying she was on her period and felt unwell, so she wanted to rest. Do you know how I dealt with her?”
“Cough…”
So someone had already done that?
I felt a bit uneasy, scratching my cheek.
“No, actually—”
Before I could finish, he cut me off: “The entire afternoon, I made her stand in the sun and swing her sword until she collapsed from exhaustion. That’s the royal academy’s education system for you.”
Ram slapped his rough, calloused hand down hard on my slender shoulder.
I sank a little, my eyebrows knitting together.
…Why is he just like Pagos? Not gentle at all—he actually hurt me.
Although I felt a bit annoyed, after all, he was my teacher, and he did have a point. I didn’t want to hear it, but I couldn’t disrespect him either.
“Teacher…”
I looked up, blinking my eyes at him, my little hand waving gently at the side of my face, signaling him to lean down and listen to me. I wanted to quietly tell him that it wasn’t that I didn’t want to attend class; I just needed to investigate something important related to the Heretics… Yes, that’s it.
If he didn’t believe me, he could go ask Principal Grandma.
I had my excuses all planned out, but Ram didn’t give me a chance to speak.
“I know what you want to say, so put away those weak excuses. You little ladies can’t handle even a bit of hardship… A stomachache, and you want to leave my class? Fine!”
He turned around and faced the row of students standing obediently on the training ground, bellowing like a thunderclap: “Listen up, all of you! If you don’t want to take the physical training class, feel free to leave, no problem! Although it’s a required course at the royal academy, I, Giant Ram, never force anyone! I allow you to leave at any time, on the condition that—”
He paused, scanning the faces of the students in the front row, and unsurprisingly, no one dared to meet his gaze.
He seemed quite satisfied with that and continued: “The condition is that you have to make me feel like you can protect yourselves well. If pirates or robbers come, you should be able to take them down easily, rather than curling up in an alley, helpless against a few scoundrels! As long as you can thump your chest and say you can do it! Alright, step forward and pass my test, and I’ll count you as having completed the physical training course!”
“Is anyone there?”
The students exchanged glances and no one responded.
“Very good.” Giant Ram seemed even more pleased, nodding repeatedly. “Since you understand you’re as helpless as a worm, then settle down and attend class! You’ll do what I say, no excuses, got it?”
“Got it!”
This time their response was crisp and loud.
Giant Ram turned back to face me, his towering frame leaning down a bit.
“Beautiful young lady, looks like you’re the only one left.”
He grinned wide, his smile devilish, like a cat toying with a mouse. I weakly stepped back, hands crossed over my chest.
What does this big guy want to do…?
“Miss, what’s your name?” he asked.
“Peilo…”
“Alright, Miss Peilo. I’m telling you, you’re no longer at the royal academy.”
…?
I tilted my head in confusion.
“You’ve left the safe and cozy birdcage of the royal academy and are now alone in some remote alley or the wild in the royal city… Whatever. There’s no judging authority around, and your guard is gone. And now I’m here, blocking your path like a robber with ulterior motives… Come on, show me how you plan to escape.”
Hmm…
I widened my eyes, popping my right hand’s index finger into my mouth, biting my nail while staring at him.
“Teacher…”
“What?”
I carefully measured my words, saying gingerly, “That… doesn’t seem right?”
Once I understood what he was getting at, I felt a bit distressed.
Of course I had to run; there was no way I could ride those horned horses; that was out of the question. I just wanted to find an excuse to fool him, but now… how would I escape without him losing face?
Even though this big guy looked fierce, he seemed like a good teacher…
What should I do?
Feeling a little overwhelmed…
“Well, it is a bit unfair.”
Giant Ram, of course, had no idea what I was thinking. His smile widened upon hearing my words.
“Making the delicate young lady face an experienced warrior? Now that I think about it, I might be putting you in a difficult position… Regular robbers wouldn’t have my level of skill.”
Saying this, he put both hands behind his back.
“Here’s the deal: I won’t attack you, I’ll just block your way with my body. If you can run past me and out of the grounds… no, just thirty meters away, I won’t stop you, and you can leave my class. How about that?”
“Pfft—”
Someone in the back couldn’t hold back, and their chuckle sparked a chain reaction, erupting laughter from the students.
“Hahaha!”
“Teacher Ram, please don’t bully our little fairy by the Ceylan Lake, she has a bad temper!”
“Watch out for your nose bridge!”
“Ahahaha—”
Ugh…
Hearing what they said made me a bit angry. I shot a displeased look at the crowd, but they just laughed even more freely, as if I were some amusing creature.
There was no malice, but I hated this…
“Who dares to laugh! Step forward if you do!”
Giant Ram roared, and the students immediately quieted down.
“I didn’t say I want to skip class…” someone mumbled.
I looked up at the giant figure before me.
“Teacher, do we really have to do this?”
“Come on, don’t waste everyone’s time.”
“…You won’t back down?”
Hearing my skeptical tone, Ram grew a bit impatient.
“I, Giant Ram, never go back on my word!”
“Oh.”
“Peilo, run!”
I don’t know who started it, but soon the whole training ground erupted with my name being chanted.
“Peilo!”
“Peilo!”
The roars escalated, many infused with mockery, until it transformed into, “Peilo, your nose bridge!”
“Peilo, nose bridge!”
“So here I come!”
“Bring it on.” Giant Ram grinned viciously.
Slap.
I dug my feet into the ground, raised my right fist, and jumped.
Ram seemed taken aback that I would attack directly, raising an eyebrow in surprise, his eyes sparking as he swayed to the right to avoid my oncoming strike.
But… too slow.
My little fist swung halfway, transforming into a kn*fe-hand aimed at his sturdy neck. The sudden change caught him off guard, and realizing he couldn’t dodge, he instinctively raised his arm to block.
He also said he wouldn’t use both hands…
In the next moment, I quickly retracted my right fist, my left hand forming a V shape, shooting toward his eyes with lightning speed, stopping just an inch away before flicking against his forehead.
Bam.
“Ahh—!”
Giant Ram let out a howl, his head snapping back from the impact.
All this happened in an instant. In my slowed-down perception, the nearby students had their mouths wide open, brimming with excitement. I even caught a glimpse of Sarah’s face, an expression of worry still lingering amidst the chaos.
Thud.
Feet on the ground, I turned around.
And just took off running.
Whoosh—
Moments later, the training ground erupted behind me.
“Teacher Ram—!”
“Peilo ran away! She runs so fast!”
“Wow! Our little fairy by the Ceylan Lake… has defeated Giant Ram! How is that even possible!”
“Did you see clearly…?”
“Looks like she poked his eyes?”
“Uh… not the nose bridge?”
“Wait, wait, stop right there—!!”
Far behind me, I could hear Ram’s furious roar, but I turned a deaf ear.
After all, you said it yourself: your words need to count…
I ran out of the training ground, past winding roads, until I finally stopped in front of the academy library.
Actually, I wasn’t just afraid of having to ride those horned horses during class… I had important business at the library.
That’s it.
