"Apologize. On your knees. Now."
Cespor, the navy blue demon, looked down upon Huberos with an expression of complete disdain.
His woman stood beside him as he pointed his finger to the ground, ordering Huberos to lower himself in apology.
At this, a vein popped within the forehead of Huberos.
'He thinks he can force me to bow before him? He thinks that I'll succumb to the pressure of those around me?'
Huberos was filled with an emotion which he could not exactly comprehend.
Within the slums, he would do the most disgusting things, and was constantly looked down upon by any who saw him. Even so, he would continue his shameless acts in order to survive- for both his own sake, and for the sake of his family.
Even now, he wanted to believe that he was no different.
He wanted to believe that he had not changed from those times, and that there was no reason he should care about bowing before this man.
After all, if he bowed before him he would likely be spared of a worse fate.
It was the logical thing to do.
The demon before him was nothing more than a spoiled brat. If Huberos gave him what he wanted, he could avoid invoking the wrath of someone above him.
Logically, bowing would be the right decision.
However, there was something else which Huberos was concerned about.
'If I am to bow here and now..... then I will become a dog for the rest of my life.'
Through the small amount of time which he had been treated as the Lord of the house, he had been introduced to the concept of pride.
And this pride stopped him from doing that which he normally would have done without thought.
Right now, every bit of his being rejected the very idea of bowing before this overgrown brat.
"The way you spoke just now, it was as if you were ordering me to do something."
Standing up with a smug grin, Huberos' small fangs did not even peek out of his mouth, for they were so short that to even call them fangs would be a disgrace.
"However, what if I were to tell you to apologize instead?"
As soon as Huberos made this statement, he could feel the hatred of everyone present as if he had just cracked open the floodgates to their burning rage.
He knew well that he had taken the wrong action.
He knew well that this decision would set his place in stone as someone who was hated by all.
Yet even knowing this, he could not do anything else.
For bowing before this man here and now would be a disgrace to everything he was.
It would send a message to all that the peasant who had somehow made it into this school by chance was nothing more than a shameless dog who loyally obeyed the other nobles.
"I see. So you will not apologize then."
Turning around with his hands folded, Cespor let out a disappointed sigh.
"Huberos Garefol, you are nothing more than a peasant, so perhaps you do not understand the grand consequences of such a statement- however I will tell you this."
Speaking in haughty tone, the boy did not so much as look back as he walked off with his woman in toe.
"Clutching onto your pride when you are in no situation to have any pride in the first place is the easiest path to destruction."
And with that, the navy blue demon walked off.
However, Opus still stood before Huberos, and he did not appear to have any intention to walk away any time soon.
"He is a merchant through and through. He does not wish to be caught up in such a fight, so he will simply walk off without an apology and take measures for the future. Perhaps you should consider yourself lucky for that, however I cannot simply do such a thing."
Stepping forth, Opus eyeballed Huberos.
"I will wait here until you apologize. And until you do, you will not leave here."
The students who had circled around the two flared with resolve, prepared to block any attempt for Huberos to escape this ensnarement.
Sitting down on the bench as he began to pick his teeth with one of his claws, Huberos merely grinned.
"Won't you get hungry if you go a couple hours without a feast?"
It was then that the bell rang.
"No.... even before that. Wouldn't it be dishonorable for a top student such as yourself to show up late for class?"
As Opus heard the bell ring, his expression turned quickly to one of irritated concern.
He wished to stay behind and wait for Huberos to apologize, however he had to get to class.
Furthermore, forcing all these people around him to skip their classes would be nothing less than scandalous.
"I will get that apology from you. If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the next. And do not forget this, Huberos Garefol."
Pointing a finger towards Huberos, Opus shouted with determination.
"Until the day in which you apologize, I will make you regret ever crossing my path."
"I'm trembling. Do your worst, noble. What will you do? Denounce me publicly?"
Opus walked off with irritation, however he quickly returned to his pretty boy state as his female clutched his arm.
"Let's leave that fool. He doesn't understand his place, but he will soon enough."
And so, the crowds left Huberos and returned to their classes.
Soon enough, Huberos too stood up, showing up to class after everyone had returned, and just before the bell rang for class to start.
Sitting down in his seat between the two, Huberos once more faced straight forward, though he could now feel the glances of the entire class on him.
'I may have done a stupid thing..... however.....'
Closing his eyes, Huberos thought to himself with resolve.
'Even if I were given a hundred chances to redo everything, I would do the same thing every time. My actions just now..... were determined.'
----
That afternoon as Huberos finished up classes, he headed to his locker alone.
'Today.... cannot be said to have been a good day.'
As Huberos reached the lockers, he found his own and opened it.
It was as he opened it that a number of bags of trash and other various garbage flooded out, covering him in filth and staining his uniform.
"How..... irritating."
Pulling a banana peel off his own hair, Huberos looked to see a message which had been taped inside his locker.
[Since you love eating garbage so much, we thought that we should all pitch in so that you can eat your fill. Ah, but wouldn't that be cannibalism?]
Grabbing the message and crumpling it in his hand, the eye of Huberos twitched just once as a vein spread across his forehead.
With a smile and a laugh, Huberos chuckled to himself as he closed his eyes in irritation.
"Heh. Heh. How vexing."
Looking around, Huberos could see that there were many around him who were chuckling to themselves at the scene, yet Huberos did not approach any of them nor try to start a fight, for doing so would only further tarnish his own reputation.
'I will not give into their provocations. They believe that I am some fool who will lash out in violence if they provoke me, therefore they will try to do so. The moment I do, they will be raising this to the level of the school, and it will go beyond these petty tricks. Therefore..... I will not play into your hands.'
Picking up the garbage, Huberos began to load it into the bags as he cleaned the area.
'You wish to see how long I can endure? Fine then. I'll show you what it truly means to live in squalor.'
----
Splash.
A putrid smell filled the locker room the next morning as Huberos was covered in a white and sticky substance from head to toe.
"This is..... rotten milk."
Grimacing as he wiped his glasses off, Huberos stared at the contraption before him.
'Someone must have gone through a great amount of effort to set this up beforehand. I suppose I should stop using my locker.'
Closing the locker door, Huberos walked off to retrieve a large amount of paper towels and clean himself off.
'Irritating... so very irritating. I will smell horrible the entire day. Should I go home? But then I will miss important information from my classes....'
Huberos began to bite his nails as he thought.
'Whatever. I must stay here to attend classes. I will endure this and show those fools that they cannot irritate me.'
With a grin, Huberos headed to the bathroom.
"Oi!!! What is that pervert doing in here!?!?"
"Agh!!! He's covered in white stuff!!!"
"Isn't that the peasant!?"
"Kya!!!!"
Huberos was run out of the female bathroom with even more bursting veins as he heard the chuckles of some around him.
'Irritating..... irritating.....'
Biting his clawed nails, he could feel them becoming sharper and shorter as Huberos was humiliated further by all around him.
It was later that day that he saw the front line of the school newspaper.
"Peasant who is given title of noble, or pervert who shouldn't be in this school?"
And posted on the front page was a picture of Huberos covered from head to toe in white liquid, exiting the female bathroom.
"Irritating... irritating....."
Crumpling up one of the newspapers and throwing it into the trash, Huberos continued about his day with wrinkles on his head.
"Agh!!"
"It's the pervert!!!"
"Get away from him!!!"
As he walked through the halls he was given glares of disgust, and occasionally the women would run and scream at his appearance, scared to even be around him.
"Irritating..."
The week passed, and a number of similar events occurred.
Sitting in wet paint.
Being tripped up in the halls.
Showing up late to classes due to the vast amount of time he spent cleaning himself off.
After a week of the continuous and increasing bullying, Huberos sat within his desk at his manor.
His brow was furrowed. His lips furled, and eyes thinned with distaste.
How many times had the mocking laughter of his peers filled his thin ears?
How many times now had he seen a look of horror as someone watched him pass in the halls?
How many times had he heard others refer to him as 'small fanged' or 'short horned'?
"Lord Huberos.... is something the matter?"
Ferdinand stood at the front of the room with a concerned expression.
"Irritating..... this school is an irritating place. However..... there is nothing to concern yourself with, Ferdinand. Focus on your household duties, and I will focus on my own."
"As you wish, Lord Huberos."
The butler left the room, and Huberos opened his own mouth, grabbing one of his canines with his claws.
"All because of these short little things....."
Grabbing his head, Huberos frazzled his own hair so that it swirled about his head.
"Why... do they all serve those idiots like dogs? Because of their massive horns? Because of their long fangs? Because of their prestigious bloodlines?"
Bursting veins in anguish, Huberos rested his head on his desk, his eyes filled with hatred.
He bit his lip.
A single drop of blood flowed from his lip, the bite having been small as a result of the tiny tooth which created the injury.
'I suppose it is time to fight back.'
----
"Please don't turn over your tests until I say to start."
Huberos found himself in class after a week of preparations.
His goal: To take the number one spot on the rankings for the first test of the semester.
"Alright. It looks like everyone has their test. You may start."
The sounds of scribbling pencils filled the classroom as the students began.
Despite their ruthless actions towards Huberos which would suggest their classlessness, the students of Regalis Academy took their lives, positions, and reputations very seriously.
The length of ones fangs was said to be a measure of physical prowess. The longer fangs one had, the greater athlete and warrior they were said to be.
This was merely a legend and had not been proven, yet while there were exceptions, it typically held true.
Similarly, the length of one's horns was said to measure the intelligence of a demon.
Huberos found out these things after repetitive mocking.
"We already know how dumb he is based on what he did. I wonder if he's also weak?"
"Probably."
Fortunately, Huberos had prepared well for this exam.
He had ensured to attend every single class despite the constant bullying and turmoil, and quite literally trudged through a field of enemies on a daily basis for this.
And as soon as he flipped his test, he knew it had paid off.
Each and every question was beyond simple.
He had seen it all before, whether in class or during his own study sessions late into the night.
He would be able to get a high score on this test, for certain.
As he made his way through the test, he became more and more confident that he would score very high.
However, there was one issue which remained in the mind of Huberos.
Would he score higher than the two who sat at his sides?
There was no way for him to know for sure, therefore he did his best to ensure that he didn't miss a single question.
If he got a perfect score, then he would certainly defeat or tie with them.
And to those snobby nobles who looked down upon him as lesser, even a tie would be shattering to their pride.
'What? You're proud of getting a perfect score on an exam that was so easy that even a peasant like me could do so?'
Huberos grinned to himself as he finished his test, standing up to turn it in and take his leave.
He was first to finish, to the surprise of all.
'Wow. Did he really just give up?'
'I guess small horns really do mean small brain.'
Huberos could tell the thoughts of those around him just by their expressions, but he would surprise them.
When his name showed up as a top contender in the rankings, not a single person would be able to mock him for his small horns any further.
'First I will defeat them in academics, and then I will defeat then in athletics. By doing those two things.... I will show all the people of this academy that their misconceptions are false. And then..... what will our two little princes do from there?'
Exiting the room, Huberos stopped himself from chuckling.
'I cannot wait to see.'
----
Number 200.
No matter how many times Huberos checked the list, the spot in which his name was placed among the rankings did not change.
Number 200 out of 200 students.
'This.....'
A couple days later after the tests had been graded, Huberos name showed up as the last name on the rankings.
'How.....'
Wrinkling his face as he was unable to comprehend the results, Huberos heard a voice behind him as a crowd began to gather.
"Well well..... I suppose that legend is true then. Small horns truly do mean a small brain."
Turning around, Huberos witnessed Opus as he stepped forth with his woman beside him.
'No..... this is not possible. Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. I studied harder than anyone in this academy. I worked harder than anyone in this academy. I am smarter than anyone in this academy. They are all..... they are all idiots! Hah..... hah..... I see...'
Frowning with irritation, Huberos closed his eyes.
'So this entire school is under the control of your family. No.... rather, your father holds enough influence for them to overlook the meddling of a couple of children.'
At the number 1 spot was Opus van Handacia, and at the number 2 spot was Cespor di Fergarius.
It was impossible for Huberos to take the 200th spot.
If he was somewhere in the middle which was inconspicuous, or even 3rd or 4th place below the two, then perhaps Huberos might not have suspected any foul play here.
However, for him to be placed at 200 and for those two to be placed at number 1 and 2, there was only one explanation.
The tests had been meddled with.
'Hah..... I suppose they truly do deserve those spots above me in intelligence. For I wasn't even able to predict such a simple trick.'
"Huberos Garefol, what do you have to say for yourself? Ranking at number 200 is just beyond pathetic. You were so arrogant before, yet these are the results you produce? I dare say you aren't even fit to be in this city, much less this academy."
Speaking with pride, Opus walked forth as his woman clung to him.
"That's right. How filthy.", the woman stated. "And to think that he has been caught pursuing such unsavory hobbies in his free time.... on school grounds. It's quite a surprise that this garbage hasn't been thrown out already."
Closing his eyes and opening them with a frown, Huberos stared straight into the eyes of Opus, who gloated before him.
The people around once more gave Huberos their mocking glares, laughing quietly as Huberos took the center of attention in shameful manner.
"Then..... is it not time that you bow before me in apology, Huberos? Perhaps at this point you realize your own place?", Opus asked.
At this, the crowd became quiet and all eyes were focused on Huberos, who seemed to be bursting with veins on not only his forehead, but also his arms and eyes.
"Duel me."
"Eh?"
"Opus van Handacia. You wish for my apology, yet I see nothing to apologize for."
'This fool..... he believes he can mock me like this and get away with it.....'
"It is common practice within this academy that if there are disagreements between two parties that they are to be resolved in a fair duel."
'In his mind he is leaps and bounds above me in every way..... he is intent on humiliating me in every possible manner.'
"Therefore, if you wish for my apology, why don't we duel over it?"
'I'm sick of your games. I'm sick of your stuck up attitude. I'm sick of your lackeys, and their mindless following of you.'
"After all, the length of ones fangs are supposed to represent one's physical prowess. So long as you are not terrified to face a short fanged person like myself, you will surely accept without doubt."
'I'm sick of everyone looking at me..... like I am worth less than them.'
Biting his lips as he stared down the man in irritation, blood formed two lines running down Huberos chin.
"And if you lose..... then you will bow before me and apologize for ever being born."