I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 76



75 – Pretending to be Bold -2-

Sion could sense the commotion outside.

The door was tightly shut, and the noise from the abandoned building and the seeping wind made it hard to hear clearly, but something was amiss.

Could it be that someone had come again?

The frequency of those who called themselves guests visiting was unusually high.

…Is it something I should be involved in?

Sion pulled the blanket over his head, his body in the worst condition.

How much time had he spent in a light sleep, unable to fall deeply asleep due to the hunger twisting his stomach and the cold piercing his skin?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Someone pounded on the door as if to break it down and shouted.

Princess! Im coming in!

A familiar voice. Sion opened his eyes to the urgent voice coming from outside.

Hmm…?

Clang! Clang!

The closed door rattled. It was the sound of a lock being undone.

In a daze, Sion put on the coat hanging on the chair. He sat on the bed, waiting for the door to open.

Have the elders decided to give an answer?

Indeed, it was a battle he would win if he just lay down and held out.

I thought it would take much longer, but the conclusion came faster than expected. In any case, it’s a happy event.

With trembling hands, I unlocked the lock.

Clang! The elder who entered through the door announced urgently.

“Princess! Please get dressed and come out quickly!”

“…What?”

“It’s urgent! You must prepare quickly!”

Sion doubted that this was the moment she had been waiting for.

She asked the elder, who was in a hurry as if he would bite his nails off.

“Are you finally going to answer my question?”

“That is…!”

The question was asked with a voice cracked from lack of water.

The elder made a face as if he realized his mistake, and Sion’s doubt turned into certainty.

“Whatever it is, if it’s not that, I won’t go.”

“Princess!”

“Leave the room. I refuse one-sided negotiations.”

The elder was perplexed. The errand given by the high elder was not easy.

He seemed about to tear his hair out and jump around from the sudden stress.

‘How should I persuade her…’

The basic principle of the elders was not to mention the Reverse Praise Society and related matters to the princess.

If it was decided to be discarded, it wouldn’t matter, but because of the possibility of unexpected results, he couldn’t bring himself to explain.

Now that the decision-maker, the Grand Elder, was absent, it was inevitable that the Elder would be at a loss for words.

“How long are you going to stand there like that? Get out of my room.”

At Zion’s cold response, the Elder clenched his teeth.

After taking several deep breaths, he threw out a bait mixed with facts.

“…The guests who have just arrived know everything the Princess is curious about.”

Zion’s eyebrows twitched.

A silence that felt like a millennium passed between the Elder and the elf girl.

“Hoo… Get out. I will prepare.”

“Princess! Please hurry as much as possible!”

“I understand, so close the door first.”

As Zion said, the Elder, who was about to grab the doorknob and leave, stopped moving at the sudden question that filled his mind.

‘Since he said he would evaluate the vessel’s qualities, should I also bring weapons?’

The man who came as a messenger of the Reverse Praise Society does not forgive clumsy mistakes.

If there is another waiting time for the same thing, this time, the violence will surely be directed at him.

Swallowing his fear and checking his intact gums, the Elder, with a tense face, told Zion.

“…You must dress neatly and bring weapons as well.”

After finishing his words, the Elder closed the door, saying he would wait.

As Zion changed clothes, he thought.

“Dressed neatly and even armed?”

Neatly dressed, but Sion only has one outfit suitable for the outside.

Knowing that, who could have come for them to say such a thing?

“Well, that’s none of my business.”

In fact, Sion doesn’t care who the guest is.

If the elder’s baited words are false, Sion won’t stay still.

Seeing them so flustered, it must not be an ordinary guest.

If the desired result isn’t achieved, Sion plans to ruin the meeting with the guest.

Clunk!

Sion, having finished preparations, opened the door and stepped out.

Dressed in a changed outfit, carrying a sniper rifle and goggles. The elder knows this is the best Sion can do with the current attire.

“As you said, I’m dressed neatly and armed.”

“I’ll guide you. Let’s hurry!”

The elder confirmed Sion’s appearance and led the way with quick steps.

Feeling the urgency, Sion asked,

“Where are we going?”

“To the meeting room.”

Sion raised an eyebrow at the elder’s words.

The situation is full of questions.

“Meeting room?”

Wasn’t this the place where the elders would jump up and down, saying I couldn’t enter even if I wanted to attend the meetings?

As the elder guided him there, Sion dragged his powerless body.

“Hurry up and go in.”

The moment he stepped into the conference room following the guidance, his head froze.

‘???’

Was he hallucinating?

He couldn’t understand the situation before his eyes.

Why was that elder standing still without receiving any treatment, even though blood was flowing from his mouth like a waterfall?

What were those blood-mixed corn kernels scattered on the floor?

“.”

Before he could question those things, the most important point for Sion.

Why were Rohan and Clara sitting there?

‘Is this a dream? A lucid dream?’

As a picture he had never imagined was thrust in front of him.

Sion’s mind concluded with an escape from reality.

“.”

However, the girl knew well that this was not a dream.

A bleak imagination, just in case.

The mere thought made sorrow surge from his chest. It seemed like tears would pour out immediately.

Rohan’s lips twitched with joy when he saw Sion’s face.

Suppressing his emotions, he glared at the elder.

“How could you waste so much time on just bringing someone here?”

“I’m sorry! Actually…”

“Go ahead and speak. If you give me an unacceptable excuse, I’ll put a knife in your mouth.”

“.”

The elders fell silent under the sharp threat.

Rohan checked on Zion, who was frozen in place.

And he was so shocked that his expression almost shattered.

While the elders were only looking ahead, showing no interest, Zion looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment.

‘No way.’

Did he misunderstand just by looking at the picture?

Rohan continued speaking to the elders in a disdainful tone to move things along as quickly as possible.

“Useless fools, I can’t trust your work at all. Go and check it out yourself.”

Rohan gestured to Clara with his chin.

This was how to convey meaning with just a glance. Clara knew exactly what to say to Zion.

“.”

The girl, who had been sitting in silence, lifted herself from the chair.

Without a word, she led Zion, who was holding back tears, outside.

Click. Click. Click.

As their footsteps faded away, Rohan stood up and grabbed the sword that was leaning against the wall.

“Shall we now hear the reason?”

Rohan slapped his palm with the scabbard. *Thwack! Thwack!*

The elders’ eyes trembled uncontrollably as Rohan closed the distance without hesitation.

“Hex must have told you to properly nurture the vessel, so what is this mess?”

“Th-that is…”

The Zion facing Rohan had a gaunt and haggard face.

He looked like he hadn’t eaten or drunk properly. He seemed much healthier when they suffered together in the dungeon.

Heat bubbled up from within.

“Idiots. Can’t you handle such a simple task?”

*Thwack!* Rohan began the beating with the thick scabbard.

He started to beat the visible elders into a state of combat incapacity, regardless of whether their bones broke.

*Crack! Thud! Smack!*

“Ugh…”

“Argh! My leg…”

The room echoed with brutal and dull sounds.

From noble mtl dot com

And voices squeezed out through the pain.

All the elders, except for the head elder sitting in his seat, were rolling on the floor, covered in blood.

The elders did not resist Rohan even once while being beaten.

‘Idiots.’

Even if they borrowed the name of the Reverse Praise Society, could it be resolved this easily?

Rohan buried the joy of having easily incapacitated the majority.

Using the anger that remained inside as fuel, he ground his teeth and glared at the High Elder.

“I don’t need the others. High Elder Levin Maxwell. Confess the truth.”

“.”

A troubled light flickered in the old man’s wrinkled eyes.

He was racking his brain to the point of death. Rohan did not give him any leeway.

“Have nothing to say? Then there would be no objection if I report this directly to Lord Hex.”

“Even though I was a politician who did not step onto the battlefield… I understand that a healthy body is crucial for developing strength.”

The High Elder finally spoke after a long silence.

Rohan was ready to tear into him as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Oh, you know that, yet you look like this? Go on, keep babbling.”

“However, I believe that hardship is an essential element for an intelligent being to gain wings.”

“You made him look like that for mental growth?”

“That is correct.”

Rohan suppressed a laugh as he watched the elder’s lengthy speech.

He was moving in a direction that was convenient for Rohan to exploit.

“You don’t know anything. Only a very few can rise from the abyss.”

“Yes, as you say. But I am confident that the bloodline of Testarossa belongs to that few.”

In other words, he was asking not to be discarded.

Rohan tapped the floor with the blood-stained scabbard and stroked his chin.

“Plans, you say. It was in an ambiguous state to call it an intended plan.”

“That’s because… the hardships have just begun.”

Words flowed smoothly.

Rohan’s eyes turned towards the entrance of the conference room.

‘When will they come?’

Rohan waited for Clara and Zion to return.

It seemed like the most ideal moment to keep his promise with Zion.

“Levin Maxwell.”

“Yes. Please speak.”

“I am astounded by the ordinary training you have devised. It’s so childish that it doesn’t even make me angry.”

“…I will push them harder. Just give me a little more time .”

Thud! The scabbard struck the floor forcefully, cutting off his words.

“I said I would judge the potential of the vessel today.”

“…”

The elder closed his mouth, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Levin Maxwell. You were confident that the vessel would overcome the mental hardships and grow.”

“That’s right.”

“Good. Then I must see the mental strength of this vessel with my own eyes.”

Rohan ordered the elder.

When the bloodline of Testarossa returns, reveal the truth that has been hidden until now.

The Great Elder’s expression was clearly flustered.

But at Rohan’s single statement that he would take responsibility, he nodded as if he had never been flustered.