"Every time Horton humiliates me, I don't fight back. I feel ashamed, even pain, and he feels happy and comfortable. That happiness and comfort are the reward for bullying me. The more reward he gets, the more he'll want to bully me."
"That's a very apt comparison!" Hote widened his eyes and studied Suye carefully, never expecting him to say something so sensible.
Suye continued, "But when you eat honey, don't you sometimes get tired of it after eating for a while?"
"Yeah!" Hote said.
"Then you might put the honey down, but before long, you'll want to eat something better, or try more expensive honey, like the honey of magical bees."
"Exactly!" Hote replied.
Suye said, "Horton is the same. He keeps humiliating me, and if I always show the same amount of pain, he'll feel that the reward is getting smaller over time. Then he'll inevitably want a greater reward. Or, when something makes him unhappy, he'll want a greater reward to cheer himself up. What do you think he'll do?"
"Intensify the humiliation, or even hurt you!" Hote answered gravely.
"Correct. So I have to stop his reward at all costs and prevent him from developing the habit of humiliating me. Once he realizes that humiliating me brings him pain instead of a reward, he'll inevitably stop," Suye said.
"I understand now. You've become stronger." Hote stared at Suye seriously.
Suye smiled and said, "You don't understand."
"What do you mean? I know I'm stupid." Hote was helpless. People had mocked his stupidity from childhood into adulthood. He had joined the Plato Academy at twenty, and even after five years, he still hadn't advanced to Warrior Apprentice, breaking every record for the worst student in the Plato Academy. So even when people called him a big fool or the second-biggest fool, he didn't care at all.
"There are many reasons he bullies me. The reward I mentioned is only one of them. Simply knowing the reason would indeed make me act, but it wouldn't make me act so quickly."
"Then why did you act so quickly?"
Suye smiled. "I was thinking about what would happen to me if I didn't resist."
"What would happen?"
"At first, I would suffer. Then I would become afraid, terrified, depressed, begin doubting myself, and deny myself. In the end, I would become numb. I would let them bully me without ever resisting. I would become his toy from childhood, and all of it would become a scar on my heart—piercing and shattering. Even after I grew up, remembering this would make me panic and have nightmares. Even if I gained status, wealth, and power in the future, that scar would still remain on my heart, piercing and shattering."
Hote looked at Suye and vaguely felt a chill in his heart.
The Blue-Eyed Girl, who had been secretly listening to their conversation, gently clenched her right fist.
Suye continued, "If I submit now, if I kneel now, then I'll live under the shadow of humiliation for the rest of my life. I asked myself at the time: Am I willing to live like that? Am I willing to cover my wounds and wail every day? Am I willing to wake from nightmares and cry bitterly every time? I'm not! So even if I have to fight to the death now, I have to stop him from destroying my future!"
"But what if he really goes mad and kills you..." Hote's face filled with worry.
Suye smiled faintly and pointed at his heart. "Compared to death, I'm more afraid of living inside that scar."
"I think I understand, but I also feel like I don't." Hote awkwardly scratched his head.
Suye smiled. "Looking forward, I understood the cause. Looking backward, I understood the meaning. Once I understood both the cause and the consequence, I could only act."
Hote stared blankly at Suye. After a long while, he said, "You really are different now."
"Life forced me to be." Suye actually had more profound thoughts that he hadn't voiced. He reached out to pat Hote's shoulder, but couldn't quite reach it, so he casually patted his upper arm instead and returned to his seat.
The Blue-Eyed Girl had her Magic Book in front of her, but her gaze drifted slightly.
No wonder the Plato Academy is said to hide countless talented people. No wonder its mages are stronger than those of the Aristocratic Academy. Even the third-worst student has such wisdom, strategy, and knowledge. How extraordinary must the top students be? It seems that even though I'm already a Black Iron Warrior, I still have to put away my pride and arrogance and study seriously.
The Blue-Eyed Girl thought this, gently clenched her fist, raised her head and chest, and let her eyes blaze with Fighting Spirit.
Only then did Suye realize that he had been ignoring his new classmate. In a low voice, he said, "Hello, my name is Suye. What's yours?"
The Blue-Eyed Girl turned slightly. Her fair neck was as graceful as a swan's, and her gaze swept across the classroom like a flash of deep-blue light.
She pushed the Magic Book between them and placed her finger on the lower-right corner of the cover.
"Pallas?" Suye read aloud.
Pallas nodded, pulled the Magic Book back, and continued studying intently.
She doesn't say a single word. She's really aloof. But maybe she can't speak? Poor child... Suye thought.
Suye remembered that he had received a letter earlier, so he opened it to read.
It was from his other deskmate, Jimmy, who had sent it when Suye took his seat.
"A friendly warning: stay away from the Blue-Eyed Girl. I heard she's someone important. Even Rolon treats her with exceptional courtesy while keeping his distance."
Suye glanced at Pallas from the corner of his eye, then looked at Rolon and noticed that Rolon was quieter than usual today.
Rolon was different from the ordinary students.
He always wore black leather armor and carried a spear and Short Sword with him.
Rolon was considered an important figure in the class. He had enrolled halfway through the previous semester, yet he had ranked first in the final examination, surpassing the former top student, Lake.
Lake had a talent for remembering everything at a glance, which made many people unable to believe it.
There were many rumors about Rolon. It was said that his family was at least a Holy Domain earl family, or even a legendary marquis family.
Ever since he entered the class, he had acted as though he kept everyone at arm's length, associating only with a few nobles in the academy.
Whether because of his arrogance or the faint melancholy that always lingered in his eyes, he was especially popular with the girls.
The fact that Pallas, the Blue-Eyed Girl, made Rolon afraid to approach her showed that her status was even more extraordinary.
Suye replied to Jimmy with his thanks, then opened last year's mathematics textbook in the Magic Book.
Suye had already breathed a sigh of relief when he first looked through the textbook.
The first-year mathematics curriculum at the Plato Academy was extremely basic. Even the most difficult material was no more advanced than that of a fourth- or Fifth Year student at a Blue Star primary school.
However, Suye's memories of many simple mathematical concepts were unclear, and the vocabulary of this world was different. So he didn't let his guard down. Instead, he directly used the study method he usually relied on.
First, he took careful notes, recording every mathematical concept, term, and point of knowledge. Each time he recorded one, he explained it in his own words and then gave examples beneath the explanation. Whenever something was especially abstract, he even used analogies drawn from daily life.
By noon, he had extracted all the important points from the entire book and was preparing to move on to the next step when the bell rang.
"Let's go eat!" A shadow descended over him.
Suye smiled helplessly. Hote was far too tall. While other people played hide-and-seek, he could only play hide-and-elephant.
Suye nodded, closed the Magic Book, and stood up.
"You did great just now!" The classmate sitting on Hote's other side patted Suye's upper arm, gave him an encouraging look, and turned to leave.
Suye watched the back of the "top student" Lake and smiled. Ever since Rolon had taken first place from him, Lake had studied even harder and grown even thinner.
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