I blinked slowly.
Then carefully placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Jin."
"Yeah?"
"...Did you inhale oxygen at any point during that?"
"What?"
"No, it's nothing."
I shook my head in genuine disbelief.
Honestly, it wasn't every day you encountered someone capable of speaking that fast without stopping once to breathe.
Forget Mana techniques.
This guy's lungs were the real supernatural phenomenon.
Meanwhile, Jin continued staring at me expectantly, completely unaware that he had just assaulted my hearing with an entire paragraph.
Eventually, I sighed.
"Well… you heard right."
My tone became lighter.
"I got kicked out of the family."
The moment those words left my mouth—
Jin's expression twisted dramatically.
Like I had just informed him the world was ending.
"Damn…" he muttered quietly. "You really got disowned…"
"Mhm."
Honestly, though—
There was one particular thing from his earlier rambling that caught my attention.
Battle For Throne.
A small smirk almost formed on my lips again.
It seemed my little plan had worked perfectly after all.
From the very beginning, I already knew there was a high chance I'd get expelled from House Valtor eventually.
Honestly?
The moment the Patriarch started beating me half to death, the relationship was already beyond repair.
Which was exactly why I challenged him.
Not because I actually believed I could defeat that monster in combat.
Absolutely not.
I'd rather fistfight a protagonist then fight him.
No—
The challenge itself was the weapon.
Because according to imperial noble law, a direct blood heir possessed the legal right to invoke a Battle For Throne.
It was an ancient tradition dating back centuries.
If a family head became unfit, corrupt, or incompetent, an heir could formally challenge for succession through combat or official duel rites.
And more importantly—
Refusing the challenge carried consequences.
Heavy consequences.
Normally, noble families accepted such challenges immediately to preserve pride and authority.
Even if the challenger was weaker.
Even if the outcome was obvious.
Because declining meant fear.
Weakness.
Cowardice.
And House Valtor?
A family obsessed with reputation and dominance?
The Patriarch refusing publicly?
That definitely would've caused damage.
Probably not enough to truly threaten the family itself.
But still—
Rumors would've spread everywhere already.
—The Valtor Patriarch refused his son's challenge.
—The Count feared public embarrassment.
—The great House Valtor avoided succession rites.
Nobles loved gossip more than breathing.
And anger?
Anger clouded judgment.
The Patriarch had been so furious during our confrontation that he completely overlooked the political implications.
Exactly as I intended.
Honestly…
For a man constantly preaching about dignity and noble honor—
That was a pretty embarrassing mistake.
All according to plan.
Well…
Mostly according to plan.
Getting punched unconscious definitely wasn't part of the strategy.
Still.
A victory was a victory.
At that moment, Jin suddenly grabbed both my shoulders firmly.
His round face turned strangely serious.
"…But don't you worry," he declared dramatically. "Your friend is with you."
Friend.
Yeah.
Fuck you too, bastard.
Look—
I understood that Jin genuinely cared about Damian.
As far as he knew, they had been close since childhood.
The two of them grew up attending noble gatherings together, studying together, causing trouble together.
Eventually, that relationship naturally evolved into friendship.
Or at least—
Something resembling friendship.
But the more Damian's memories surfaced inside my head…
The more I realized something important.
Jin wasn't merely an idiot.
He was a catastrophic idiot.
The dangerous kind.
The type capable of ruining lives accidentally while believing he was helping.
And unfortunately—
Damian listened to him far too often.
Including during the single worst mistake of his life.
The Noble Society.
Just remembering that ridiculous name gave me secondhand embarrassment.
An unofficial student faction Damian created shortly after entering Imperial Academy.
Officially, it was introduced as an organization meant to "preserve noble dignity and unity."
In reality?
It was just a glorified bullying club formed by arrogant noble teenagers drunk on family status.
Pathetic.
And Jin?
This oversized meatball standing in front of me had been one of its loudest supporters.
Honestly, the academy had only been open for ten days before they already started targeting the protagonist.
Ten.
Days.
That's all it took for Damian and his group to look at Kevin—the hidden Crown Prince pretending to be a commoner—and decide:
"Yeah. Let's ruin this guy's life."
Genius strategy.
Truly revolutionary thinking.
And the worst part?
Damian originally hadn't even cared much about Kevin.
The protagonist only caught his attention because Jin kept feeding the fire constantly.
Memories surfaced faintly again.
Jin talking excitedly beside Damian after class.
"That commoner's getting too popular."
"He's making nobles look bad."
"People are starting to admire him."
"You should put him in his place, Damian."
"Make an example out of him."
And Damian—
That emotionally unstable idiot—
Actually listened.
I rubbed my forehead slowly.
God.
The amount of disaster packed into these memories was exhausting.
Back then, Damian could've simply ignored Kevin entirely.
The protagonist would've continued building relationships quietly.
The story would've progressed normally.
But no.
Instead, Damian allowed his fragile ego and Jin's stupidity to drag him directly into the protagonist's path.
And from that moment onward—
Everything spiraled downward.
Kevin crushed the Noble Society publicly.
Several members withdrew from the academy afterward out of humiliation.
Others abandoned Damian immediately to protect their own reputations.
Jin himself received a three-week suspension.
Meanwhile, Damian nearly got expelled completely.
Honestly, the protagonist dismantled their entire group in less than a month.
It would've been impressive if it wasn't my current life.
And somehow—
Even after all that—
Jin still looked weirdly proud while standing in front of me.
Like none of this was his fault whatsoever.
Amazing.
Absolutely amazing.
The only fortunate thing was that he belonged to Class F while I belonged to Class A.
Meaning I normally wouldn't have to see him often.
Honestly?
The academy administration placing him in Class F felt less like academic sorting and more like divine judgment.
"Ahem."
I slowly removed Jin's hands from my shoulders before he accidentally dislocated something.
"Jin."
"Yeah?"
I stared directly into his eyes.
Then spoke carefully.
"...Have you ever considered the possibility that maybe we made terrible decisions?"
He blinked.
Then laughed loudly.
"HAHA! Of course we did!"
…
Wait.
That wasn't the response I expected.
Jin leaned closer before lowering his voice dramatically.
"Honestly though, Damian…"
He paused slightly and began again, there was madness in his eyes.
"We should've used every resource available to put him down. Like hiring one of your family's professional snipers to blow his brains out from half a kilometer away. Then we wouldn't be in this mess."
'W-What?! The Fuck is idiot talking about?!'