Linia Doldia.
The Doldia clan, guardians of the Great Forest — she was of the Doldia.
Granddaughter of Gustav, their chieftain.
Daughter of Gyes, their warrior-chief and chieftain-in-waiting.
Purcella Doldia.
The Doldia clan, guardians of the Great Forest — she was of the Doldia.
Granddaughter of Buldog, their chieftain.
Daughter of Telteria, their warrior-chief and chieftain-in-waiting.
The Doldia clan.
Among the beast-race, they were a special existence.
Their roots stretched back approximately 5,500 years.
All the way back to after the First Human-Demon War.
The total war between humans and demons — the Human-Demon War.
The victors of that war were the humans.
The humans treated the demons like slaves and grew arrogant.
One after another, they declared war on the other races.
The beast-race living in the Great Forest, which held vast timber resources, were no exception.
A massive army bore down on them.
In the face of that threat, the one who stood up was the "Beast God Guer," who at the time led the beast-race.
Against the despicable humans, Beast God Guer rallied the beast-race together and fought on the front lines himself.
Wielding raw power, sometimes relying on clever strategy, sometimes aided by other beast-race tribes, he is said to have ultimately defended the Great Forest to the last.
The title "Beast God" refers to the man who sits at the apex of the entire beast-race — a hero's name.
And that Beast God Guer was none other than the founder of the Doldia clan.
Therefore, the Doldia clan stood at the top of the beast-race living in the Great Forest.
That alone might not sound like much.
However, in the present day, the beast-race could be found not only in the Great Forest, but distributed across the Central Continent and even the Begaritt Continent.
Their total numbers were not as great as those of the human race.
But they were by no means negligible.
To be specific, it was estimated that even now they possessed enough military strength to wage war against the Millis Papal State.
That was the kind of powerful race they were.
And Linia and Purcella were the granddaughters of the Doldia chieftain.
Direct descendants of the Beast God.
Children of special significance.
In the future, they were to become chieftain, or perhaps the chieftain's wife.
If one were to draw a human analogy, they would be those with succession rights to the throne… princesses.
Moreover, princesses comparable to those of the
For that reason, upon their enrollment, they were the most prestigious students of all.
So why had they left their homeland to study in this faraway land?
Because the previous generation of prince and princess had been far too incompetent.
The next generation — namely, them — were just as thick-headed as the previous prince · princess Therefore, the chieftain worried about this matter, and commanded the two of them to go study in a distant land and acquire knowledge.
The reasoning was that in a place where their power held no sway, they might return having learned some sense.
And yet.
There had been one miscalculation.
The two of them had been sent to the Magic University precisely because "the status of being granddaughters of a beast-race chieftain would not carry weight there."
As beastfolk, they had braced themselves for persecution.
What awaited them instead were teachers who treated them like a sore spot, and other students who fawned over them.
Yes, their status had worked after all.
The position of the Doldia clan — the power behind it.
The two of them let it go to their heads.
At first they had been somewhat timid, but before long they discovered that with the Voice Magic passed down through the Doldia clan, their superior agility and physical strength, and their natural talent for brawling that came with their racial traits — combined with the chant-casting magic they learned in class — they could easily overpower upperclassmen. From that point on, their behavior began to deteriorate.
Boycotting, extortion, bullying, loafing…
They did just about everything delinquent students do, and by the end of their first year they had become the boss of the pack.
However, their reign of dominance came to an abrupt end.
When they advanced to their second year, a princess arrived from the Asura Kingdom.
Ariel Anemoi Asura.
Second Princess of the Asura Kingdom.
Someone who, until quite recently, had been building factions and jockeying for political power.
She showed up with two bodyguards in tow, strode into Linia and Purcella's territory as though she owned the place.
And what really grated was that the teachers who had been groveling before Linia and Purcella until now promptly switched to groveling before Ariel and her entourage.
Even so, they endured for six months.
Grumbling about how unfair it was all the while, but for some reason they held back.
But their patience soon reached its limit.
Ariel was extraordinarily capable, and in her very first year she had joined the student council.
Ariel, praised as a model student, and themselves, labeled as delinquents — it felt to Linia and Purcella as if that contrast was deliberately rubbing it in.
Of course, the delinquent label was entirely their own doing, so this was pure spite on their part.
Linia and Purcella began making trouble for the Asura princess and her party.
It started with petty harassment like spitting on the ground right in front of them when they were walking, then deliberately bumping into them, splashing water on them, escalating to stealing their underwear and dumping it in front of the boys' dormitory, and finally culminating in an ambush carried out by a gang of delinquent students.
And they were beaten to a pulp by Fitz-senpai.
Nearly twenty attackers were defeated by Fitz-senpai alone.
The two of them were thrashed mercilessly as well.
Once the incident came to light, discussions were held among the faculty.
The nearly twenty attackers were expelled without exception.
However, Linia and Purcella were not expelled.
Presumably, the school judged that expelling young ladies of the Doldia clan would be too problematic.
With the delinquents gone, Linia and Purcella's stock crashed.
The Asura princess's party came to be regarded as heroes by the student body.
Incidentally, they too were nominally classified as "special students," but at the princess's own request, they received treatment equivalent to ordinary students.
Of course, Linia and Purcella were not pleased about that.
Not pleased, but the gap in combat power was glaringly obvious, and they had no pawns left to play.
At best, when last year's special students —
They used Zanoba to gather information about the princess's group, but they had no real plans for revenge.
Recently, they had settled down somewhat — their behavior was still a bit rough, but they attended classes diligently.
One could say they had reformed.
For me as a new student, the whole story was nothing more than proof that Fitz-senpai was incredible.
A closed chapter.
Or so it should have been.
--- Zanoba's Perspective --- I am Zanoba Shihrone.
The beginning of the affair was, yes, one evening.
Master was teaching
The training method Master called "an experiment" was a peculiar one.
At the start of each day, Master would have her cast a spell once through chanting, and then for the rest of the day, without any chanting instruction whatsoever, would have her produce earth bullets purely through chantless casting.
When I first saw it, I thought there was no way that could lead to chantless magic.
However.
One month.
Yes, in just one month, Julie succeeded in producing earth bullets.
Without chanting.
It was astonishing.
According to Master, Julie's magic still had a long way to go before reaching the desired level.
It was true that Julie's chantless earth bullet generation only succeeded once in several attempts.
She ran out of magic power quickly.
There were many days when she failed to produce a single one the entire day.
But compared to me, someone without any talent…
No. I simply needed to contribute from a different angle.
Still.
That even such a young child could use magic without chanting — truly remarkable.
Master had said, "It's thanks to Fitz-senpai's advice," but I couldn't make heads or tails of that.
It was Master who taught her.
This was a case where I should simply say, as expected of Master.
My judgment in becoming Master's disciple was not wrong.
In parallel with this, Master was also teaching Julie the human language.
To my surprise, she could understand it — albeit in broken fragments.
Come to think of it, she had lived on the Central Continent with her parents for several years, so it was only natural.
Perhaps for that reason, teaching her seemed surprisingly easy.
That merchant had been lying to me.
No, there was no reason for him to lie — perhaps Julie simply hadn't been willing to speak.
For me, Julie had been an excellent purchase.
She was a perceptive child.
If I told her to fetch this, she fetched it.
If I told her to carry that, she carried it.
She was skilled at reading my intentions.
Almost like Ginger, really.
Normally, when purchasing a slave, the buyer would brand them or apply some kind of magical seal to prevent escape.
But Master did not seem to approve of such things.
When Julie was purchased, no such treatment was applied.
Master intended to treat her not as a slave, but purely as a disciple.
That was precisely why I had decided to treat Julie as my junior disciple.
Not a slave but a junior disciple — thinking of it that way, she seemed inexplicably cute.
Now then.
The incident in question had occurred after class.
After Master's lesson ended, I was telling Julie about the magnificence of figurines.
This was an important time.
Without passion, no great work can be achieved.
Julie, who would form the backbone of Master's grand plan, had to understand the beauty of figurines.
That day was no different.
Today, I planned to use the "
With that thought in mind, I took a figurine out of its lockable storage box.
Master was tidying up to leave and watched me, then suddenly spoke.
"Come to think of it, what happened to the
Cold sweat — this was exactly that feeling.
The thing I had been dreading being asked about, dreading being asked about for so long — and now I had been asked.
Without thinking, I nearly blurted out that I had left it in the Kingdom of Shirone.
But I bit my lip hard and held back.
I do not lie.
I will never lie to Master.
"The truth is… I do have it, but…"
My mouth wouldn't cooperate properly.
My hands were shaking.
If Master learned the truth, they might disown me as a disciple.
Thinking that, my body felt heavy as lead.
"You have it? I'd love to see it again — could you bring it out?"
Master's voice, bright with anticipation.
My chest ached.
With tremendous effort, I pulled one of the lockable boxes from under my bed.
With trembling hands, I turned the key and took out its contents.
The instant Master saw it — Master's eyes went blank.
"What the hell is this…?"
Master's voice was trembling.
Flat, without inflection, yet trembling all the same.
I wanted to cry.
Nothing had ever frightened me this much.
Master's magnum opus.
The "1/10 Roxy figurine" had been…
…brutally dismembered into five separate pieces.
The head had been removed. The parts meant for clothing were shattered.
The arms were broken at the elbows, and the legs bent at unnatural angles.
A mangled corpse.
Only the staff was sturdy enough to have survived intact.
"What is the meaning of this, Zanoba? I — hey, what happened here, huh…?"
That Master — angry.
The same Master who normally spoke in that flat tone, politely using formal language.
Their words were slurring.
"Didn't I ever tell you how grateful and respectful I am toward you-know-who?
Didn't you know how much of my feelings I poured into sculpting this figure?
Didn't you know that?"
I could tell with perfect clarity that Master was truly furious.
The same Master who, when mocked by Linia and Purcella, merely bowed his head.
The same Master who, when Cliff got in his face, only looked dejected.
The same Master who, when Luke made fun of him, just wore a troubled expression.
Murderous intent radiated from them.
Julie, frightened, hid behind me.
I wanted to hide too.
"Are you… are you making fun of Roxy?
Tell me — are you, perhaps, my enemy?"
"N-no, no! No!"
I shook my head frantically.
I had heard Master talk about Roxy countless times.
What a wonderful person she was, someone who deserved the utmost respect — Master said so constantly.
Behind those words, I had sensed something beyond mere admiration — something close to fanaticism.
Yes. The same thing one felt from the Knights of the Millis Holy Temple.
Honestly, I couldn't care less about Roxy.
But if I said so honestly now, Master would use magic.
If Master used magic in earnest… I wouldn't even be left as cinders.
People called me a "Divine Child of Superhuman Strength," but this body of mine was not particularly resistant to magic.
"I would never! This was my most treasured possession — the stake in my duel with Linia and Purcella!
When I was defeated in the duel, it was brutally destroyed and trampled underfoot — but I would never, never make fun of Lady Roxy!"
"A duel?!"
I continued my explanation.
I told the truth, and nothing but the truth.
During our first year, Linia and Purcella had challenged me to a duel.
At that time, we had each wagered something precious.
I had brought forth the "1/10 Roxy figurine."
As a Divine Child, I had never lost a battle in the Kingdom of Shirone.
Therefore, I had no doubt of victory.
The "1/10 Roxy figurine" was on the line.
Even if they used high-level magic, I had steeled myself to endure it and strike back with my fists.
But those two had suddenly used a strange technique.
Because of it, my freedom was taken away.
And then they toyed with me.
I was utterly helpless, defeated, and forced to relinquish the figurine through tears.
It could not be helped. I had lost.
Having that magnificent thing taken from me — it could not be helped.
Anyone would want it, after all.
Thinking of it that way, I had found some peace.
But as it happened, those two females — who understood nothing of value — "What is this thing?" "It's gross, nya" — they said things like that, dropped the figurine, kicked it, crushed it, tore it apart, and kicked the pieces every which way.
And then — Master's murderous intent subsided.
"I see. You were upset too, huh."
A hand patted me on the shoulder.
I had been understood.
Thinking so, I raised my head, and — shamefully — let out a small "Hic."
"If that's what happened, you should have said so from the start.
If I'd known, I wouldn't have been grinning like an idiot."
The face that spoke those gentle words seemed almost translucent.
The tone was different from usual.
The anger had passed, and Master had gone somewhere else entirely.
Master never spoke much about figurines.
Lately, I had even begun to think that perhaps Master didn't love figurines all that much.
But I was wrong.
The heart Master kept hidden burned hotter than anyone's.
"Let's make them understand what they've done."
Tonight, those two would die.
I was certain of it.
I nearly trembled with fear.
But a few seconds later, that trembling transformed into trembling with joy.
I realized that by gaining a powerful ally, I could avenge the figurine.
"Yes, Master!"
---
To steal someone's handiwork, then deliberately stomp on it and destroy it.
An outrageous act of violence.
It was the same as smashing someone's computer with a bat.
Breaking someone else's things so casually!
Ugh, damn it.
They were pathetic creatures, and I would not forgive them.
Most unforgivable of all was what they did to the Roxy figurine.
Even if it was just a figurine — they trampled Roxy underfoot.
I had once mocked the practice of "fumie" — the test prints stamped on the ground to identify hidden Christians.
I had thought there was no way such a thing could actually be used to identify them.
But now I understood.
The feelings of a true believer.
The humiliation of having one's faith trampled before one's own eyes.
The truth of the Shimabara Rebellion.
The humiliation of Canossa.
The Crusades, forced through despite all reason.
I had to make them realize.
What those two foolish females had done.
I had to make them understand.
That if you live life doing whatever you please, retribution will come.
"Are you ready, Zanoba?"
"Y-yes."
"We will take them alive. We won't kill them. We must deliver the punishment of a god who has been defied."
"Punishment. I see."
"In the immediate term, I intend to capture them one at a time."
"But they always move together as a pair."
A two-woman cell.
Pack animals were remarkably clever about these things.
"You're right. Cunning beyond what you'd expect from beasts. And even though it's two against one, they had the combat ability to completely seal off the actions of Zanoba, a Divine Child… this is going to be a rather difficult fight."
"Not at all. With Master on our side, it should be easy."
"Don't overestimate me. Victory always comes to those who remain humble."
I kept myself composed.
Calm.
Cool.
In my adventuring days, being cool was the difference between life and death.
I would be cool and collected, and then I would utterly destroy those beasts.
"I'll share the plan."
"Roger!"
"Their combat ability is an unknown quantity, but I've already grasped how they fight.
One of them uses high-speed movement combined with magic and other means to create confusion, while the other uses Voice Magic to neutralize the enemy.
Simple, but both of them possess comparable physical abilities.
Even if the rear guard is attacked, they can immediately swap roles."
The one under attack focuses on evasion, while the other relentlessly uses their paralysis technique.
How had Fitz-senpai broken through that coordination?
I should have asked.
Oh well.
"But this time, it's two against two.
If it comes down to raw power, Zanoba, as a Divine Child, I don't believe you'd fall behind them."
"…No. Even if it were two against one, I believe Master alone would be sufficient."
"Zanoba. You look up to me as your Master, and that makes me happy.
However, in close-quarters combat, I was always beaten up by my childhood friend who's two years older than me.
I've trained a bit since then, but honestly, I have no confidence whatsoever."
"Wh-what?! There's someone who can beat up Master?!"
"Of course there is. I know at least three."
Three people just among those I knew. If I looked harder, there would surely be more.
And who was to say Linia and Purcella weren't in that category?
Against Eris, I could win if I used my magic eye and magic.
But we had never actually fought in earnest.
Linia and Purcella were about the same age as Eris.
I should assume they had comparable strength.
"Master, you're being far too modest."
"Zanoba. Victory must be certain.
We must never allow a situation where Lady Roxy is trampled upon ever again.
Ideally, I'd have Fitz-senpai and
Unfortunately, both of them seem busy, so this time we'll handle it ourselves."
Elinalise never really participated in personal squabbles.
She'd been cared for by Roxy too, you'd think — but no. "It's just a figurine, it's not like Roxy herself was attacked," she would say.
Heartless woman.
"Understood! Then let's immediately send a letter challenging them to a duel.
In my homeland, it has been tradition since ancient times to attach a knife and a single flower to the letter.
Among the Doldia clan, the equivalent custom is apparently to smash a rotten fruit against the other party's head.
I've never personally witnessed that custom, so it may well be a lie, but I was told that was how they signaled a challenge in my case.
What would Master prefer?"
"We'll ambush them."
"Wha — isn't that dishonorable…?"
Hmph, dishonorable was fine.
This was not a duel.
This was a holy war.
Because it was a holy war, dishonorable tactics were acceptable.
In the name of religion, anything was permitted.
Victory was all that mattered.
--- But I gave up on the ambush.
I couldn't think of a way to fool the Doldia clan's keen sense of smell.
In the end, it came down to simply waiting in ambush for them to arrive.
Head-on. Fair and square.
A separate building, somewhat distant from the main campus.
I scouted the route from there to the dormitory and staked out a spot with minimal foot traffic.
A small plaza bordered by trees, with rather poor visibility.
I stood there in a wide-legged stance, Zanoba at my side, waiting.
The time was dusk.
There were few passersby.
It wasn't as though I had any particular philosophy about duels needing to be held in the evening — it was simply the time their classes ended and they would emerge from the building.
My reasoning was that near the end of the day, their magic power would be somewhat depleted.
They were late, though.
For people who were supposed to be beyond the pale of delinquency, they sure attended every last class faithfully.
In the afternoon they should have been slacking off on the roof or something.
I stood with arms crossed, Zanoba at my side, waiting in that wide-legged stance.
Dusk passed. The surroundings grew dark. All traces of other people vanished.
And then they appeared.
"What do you want, nya?"
"What is it?"
They spotted us standing there like statues.
Linia glared at me suspiciously.
"Hey, you lot. Standing around like that is in the way, nya.
Clear the path, nya."
Linia spoke, but neither of us moved.
Purcella sniffed the air with quick, darting breaths.
Purcella licked the corner of her mouth and grinned.
"Linia, looks like those two are itching for a fight, nya."
Linia heard that and fixed her gaze on Zanoba, standing behind me.
Then she let out a single sigh.
"Zanoba, aren't you embarrassed, nya?
Bringing a first-year along for a rematch… that's just sad, nya…"
"Hmph."
Zanoba snorted and turned his head away.
Linia's forehead twitched with a blue vein.
"Tch, that attitude really rubs me the wrong way, nya. Makes me want to tear apart the other figurine too, nya."
"Master, allow me to handle this—"
Zanoba scowled and started to step forward, but I grabbed him and held him back.
I was just as furious as he was.
The other figurine — that would be the Luijerd figurine.
They were talking about smashing the statue of my benefactor and friend.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about.
They're the ones who should be ashamed — always clinging together in a pair.
After all, they're the ones who brag about not being able to do anything without their pack."
"What did you say…?"
Linia and Purcella glowered at us with expressions that might have produced a visible "!?" in the air above their heads.
But honestly, they still weren't that terrifying.
I knew people who radiated far more frightening killing intent.
Those people wouldn't bother with words — they would simply attack.
Punch, drag to the ground, mount, raise a fist, and deliver a tirade.
These two were tame by comparison.
"Listen here, new kid — don't get too full of yourself, nya.
You look like you know the old man, so I was gonna let it slide, but if you keep running your mouth, I'll kill you, nya."
What was that supposed to mean?
As though we were picking a fight for no reason.
"Come on, if you understand, then disperse, nya.
We've already graduated from causing trouble — we're model students now, and we're busy, nya.
Take your little brawl somewhere else, nya."
Linia waved her hand dismissively.
There was an old saying: hate the monk and you hate the cassock too.
I used to find the "nya-nya" speech quite entertaining, but given the current situation — where I was genuinely angry, all I felt was that I was being mocked.
"Enough with the nya-nya already.
Do all beastfolk talk with that atrocious human speech?
I know a beast-race person who speaks properly.
You're not babies — pronounce things correctly, would you!?"
"Nya!?"
!?
Linia's mouth flew open. Her pupils contracted.
She exhaled a hot breath of fury, and her tail shot straight up.
"You… I'll strip you naked and soak you with water, nya!"
That had already happened to me before.
That threat was second-rate.
Besides, now that I heard it said out loud, it sounded downright ridiculous.
"Geez, Linia, you snap so easily… that's so fucked, nya…"
Purcella muttered that, baring her fangs while pressing a hand to the corner of her mouth.
I recalled the time Gyes had done the same thing.
Voice Magic.
"FWAAAH!"
As if triggered by Purcella's movement — Linia kicked off the ground.
A sharp crack, and Linia's body vanished sideways.
<Linia moved about three steps directly to the side before wheeling around to attack> Not bad. Decent speed.
But I had already activated the Eye of Foresight.
Not so fast that I couldn't track her.
"Zanoba! Purcella is yours!"
I kept my eyes on Linia while directing Zanoba.
As I spoke, I thrust an arm toward Purcella.
Voice Magic was hard to detect with the magic eye. Better to stop her before she could cast.
But I didn't know the flow of magic power behind Voice Magic.
So I wasn't sure if Disturb Magic would work on it.
Instead, I conjured a massive cloud of dust and sand directly in front of her face.
"…! *cough!* *cough!*"
Purcella inhaled sharply, sucked in the dust cloud, and broke into violent coughing.
"SHAAAA!"
At the same instant, Linia charged.
I could see her.
Slow, clumsy, all brute force.
Honestly, I probably could have dodged her without the Eye of Foresight.
She wasn't even close to Eris's level.
Eris was faster, sharper, more beastlike than actual beastfolk, more tenacious, and stronger.
I met her charge with a counter.
My palm strike landed cleanly on her chin.
That alone was enough — Linia's legs buckled.
I pressed the attack.
I drove my fist into her temple and slammed her to the ground.
I planted my foot on her chest.
Looking down, I hurled an earth bullet at her.
A satisfying crack rang out.
"Gig nyaan!?"
Linia lost consciousness without much fuss.
I lifted my foot from Linia, who was now crumpled like a squashed frog.
The impact of the fight had hiked her skirt up.
Hm, white today.
I turned my gaze toward Purcella and Zanoba.
As planned, Zanoba had gone after the one who used Voice Magic — the rear guard.
Purcella was on all fours, trying to put distance between herself and Zanoba like a dog.
Zanoba couldn't catch up.
On all fours, Purcella was fast.
Actually, Zanoba was just slow too. Was he a throw-type character or something?
All he had was arm strength. Not enough cardio.
I conjured a mud bog directly in Purcella's path.
Her feet were suddenly caught in the soft ground, and she plunged face-first into the muck.
"Wafu!?"
At the same time, I continued casting earth magic, hardening the mud around her.
"What?! What is this?!"
Purcella struggled, trying to pull herself free from the hardening earth.
I fired an earth bullet with my left hand.
"Giyaan!?"
With a satisfying crack, Purcella lost consciousness.
It was over.
"Hah… alright, come on out!"
At my signal, Julie emerged from a nearby thicket, carrying a large burlap sack, and trotted over.
She worked together with Zanoba to bundle the two of them into the sack with practiced efficiency.
Still, that was almost anticlimactic.
Was this really all they had?
If it were Eris, she would never have even considered attacking from the side.
Her fists always took the shortest path.
Moreover, she would never have let that initial counter land.
Even if she had, she would have aimed for a non-vital point and avoided the concussion.
That way, a single temple strike wouldn't have put her on the ground.
And even if she had been knocked down, she would have immediately closed the distance and attacked.
There was no way she'd let someone plant a foot on her chest.
The instant that happened, she'd have grabbed the knee or ankle and broken it.
Though even broken bones wouldn't stop her from firing earth bullets.
The same went for Purcella.
If it were Eris, when the ground turned to mud beneath her feet, she wouldn't have lost her footing.
She would have maintained her balance or stopped just in time and pulled herself free.
Of course, Eris hadn't been able to do that from the start either.
She had learned to handle such things through accumulated experience fighting me.
But
A high-level swordsman with ample real-world experience could avoid a simple mud bog.
Besides, even nowadays, monsters didn't get caught in mud bogs.
Even a stray dragon wouldn't…
Wait. A stray dragon actually did get stuck in a mud bog, didn't it?
…Hold on.
Could it be that Paul and Eris were actually incredibly strong?
I mean, I'd heard they had talent, but…
"As expected of Master — there was no opportunity for me to contribute."
Zanoba returned, the burlap sack slung over his shoulder.
I cut off my thoughts and turned to face him.
"No. I'm honestly surprised myself."
"Oh, come now — you're too modest. Come, let's return to our rooms."
"Yeah."
We set off down the darkened path.
Being careful not to be spotted by anyone.
"Julie, watch your step."
"I — I'm — fine."
Somehow, Julie's eyes as she looked at me seemed to carry a hint of fear.
I was thinking of naming the subtitle for this chapter "Rudeus vs. Linia & Purcella"
"The Good-for-Nothing Rudeus"
"Two Pets Coming Home!? A Pet Pandemonium Erupts!"
…but decided against it.