Hero, Go To School! - Chapter 36

“Did that bastard hit..”

“The young master… is wearing clothes!”

Her voice, filled with fear, rang in my ears. I must’ve misheard. When I asked, “Huh?” the maid just shook her head with wide, stunned eyes, as if she’d seen something as impossible as a triangular moon. Was it really that shocking to see him dressed?

Well. I guess it was.

“They say when a person suddenly changes, something bad is bound to happen…”

“Ah.”

“You don’t think something’s… wrong with the young master again, do you?”

Ian, who had caused all that havoc over a single piece of clothing. The Duke and Duchess had begged and pleaded to no avail. What hope did the servants have? And when the ones who tried to dress him ended up bedridden from the beatings, the entire estate found itself facing an unexpected labor shortage.

Everyone had long given up on clothing him. Even the maids who once blushed at the sight of his naked body had grown used to it, some even seemed to enjoy it. So waking up one day to find him dressed like a proper human being must’ve come as a massive shock.

“Don’t worry. From now on, he’s not going to run around naked like some beast.”

“Wh‑what?!”

“So let the others know not to be too surprised either.”

Still dazed, the maid muttered an answer and quickly left.

Once she disappeared, I glanced over at Ian standing beside me.

_____________________

At the center of it all, Ian remained composed.

His eyes were locked firmly on my face. No, more than just fixed. His stare felt obsessive.

Why is he looking at me like that?

Well, I guess I get it. Even if the emotion isn’t truly his, it’s natural for someone to keep glancing at the person they’re drawn to.

Still, if he knows those feelings aren’t really his, shouldn’t he at least try not to make it so obvious?

Unable to stand it any longer, I spoke up.

“What are you staring at?”

“Why does your face look like that?”

Snap-.

My knees nearly gave out. What the hell did you just say?

His words caught me so off guard I was momentarily speechless. He wasn’t joking, either. His voice was deadly serious. Which only pissed me off more.

“Thanks for ruining a perfectly good morning.”

That’s when his warm palm cupped both my cheeks. He tilted his head, bringing his face close to mine.

“Your capillaries have burst. Did you not sleep?”

He asked with a frown, clearly displeased.

“…I didn’t sleep that well last night.”

Ian slowly pulled back. His hands withdrew from my face, and then suddenly, clap-, clap-, clap,- he struck his palms together three loud times.

Maybe because his hands were so big, the sound echoed thunderously. It was so loud that a servant who had been tidying the room cracked the door open and peeked in.

“Excellent discipline.”

My face twisted at the incomprehensible praise.

“Your unwavering vigilance, staying alert day and night in preparation for a surprise attack, is commendable. But you may rest now. I keep watch on your surroundings every night.”

Stunned, I asked back.

__________________________

“Every night? Don’t tell me you’ve been doing that this whole time.”

“Why do you think your nights have been so peaceful?”

Now that he mentioned it… I did think I’d heard the occasional muffled scream outside my door in the middle of the night.

I thought I was dreaming, but turns out that was Ian beating up innocent servants.

This bastard, seriously.

“Then when do you sleep?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve got it under control.”

“You’re with me all day, and at night you’re busy fending off imaginary intruders. When the hell do you sleep, huh? Don’t tell me you sleep with your eyes open.”

“I once spent six years on the battlefield. I lived in a constant state of tension, always ready for enemy attacks. After living like that for so long, I got used to catching sleep in short bursts. An hour or two a day is enough.”

His absurdly brutal routine left me completely dumbfounded.

“You’ll die young if you keep this up!”

“That’s good to hear.”