I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 78



77 – Stubborn Supremacist

“As you expected, I led the downfall of Testarossa.”

The chilling silence that settled in the conference room.

The air around Zion crackled with magical energy, making the air tremble.

A force that conveyed intentions more certain than words. On the verge of exploding, anyone could see.

Rohan saw it and hurriedly opened his mouth.

“Continue the conversation. I will keep my promise.”

“!

The Grand Elder and Sion each interpreted Rohan’s words in their own way.

Grand Elder Levin Maxwell took it as a reaffirmation that he would take full responsibility under the name of Hex, as he had initially mentioned.

Sion recalled the promise he had made with Rohan in the dormitory.

.

Sion, who had been glaring at the Grand Elder, rolled his eyes and glanced sideways.

As he took in Rohan, who had given him a voice, and Clara, who sat beside him, a sense of calm washed over him.

He took a long breath, reining in the magic that surged with emotion.

I will endure. I must endure.

If he lost his reason and acted impulsively here, he might never get the chance to hear the answer for the rest of his life.

Sion could only silently thank Rohan for preventing that.

“Of course, from the princess’s perspective, there must be many doubts. The types of difficult questions the princess has been asking us elders have also varied since some time ago.”

.

“Time is short, so I will only tell you the significant information that will serve as a connection point.”

Levin Maxwell looked at Rohan as if seeking agreement while speaking.

When Rohan nodded, he began to reveal the past that Sion did not know.

“You must be curious about why the elders who follow me acted in such a way, and how we dealt with Weber Testarossa, who existed as the ruler of Tigrova before the appearance of the Great Tiger Emperor.”

The Great Elder, who claimed to be Hex’s messenger, was ordered to reveal the vessel’s mental strength along with his confession.

The Great Elder spat out the sentence, mixing a firm tone with straightforward words.

Sion clenched his fists and teeth, suppressing the emotions that were about to burst at the mention of harming his father.

“Your Highness’s father, Weber Testarossa, despite losing all authority due to his defeat, felt no shame. He even looked pleased, saying that the Great Emperor Seolho would grow Tigrova into a powerful nation.”

As Sion kept silent to cool his boiling anger, the Great Elder continued.

“Afterwards, he gathered us and proposed that we work together for the prosperity of the nation under the new ruler, the Great Emperor Seolho. He was so excited, saying that the elves of the coniferous forest should not leave Tigrova and should hold important positions.”

“What’s the problem with that?”

Maxwell emphasized this as if it were the most important matter.

Sion couldn’t understand what the problem was. It seemed like an ideal flow, even if they had been defeated.

“Your Highness, elves cannot be ruled by beastmen.”

“Why? For what reason?”

The Great Elder chuckled, seeing Sion question him just like Weber Testarossa.

Until now, he had carefully chosen his words for the princess. But thanks to Hex’s messenger, he was excited to reveal his true feelings transparently.

“How can you ask that? Noble elves are not beings to be ruled by the lowly beastmen. Isn’t that obvious?”

“…Great Elder, have you gone mad?”

Sion’s anger, which he had been struggling to suppress, leaked out, filling the conference room with a heavy atmosphere.

But the Great Elder, believing in Hex’s messenger, stood firm.

“Please refrain from harsh words as our guest is watching. I am sane. Look at how many elders agree with this sentiment.”

Levin Maxwell mentioned, pointing to the elders crawling on the floor.

Though Rohan was beaten up and didn’t look normal, no one with consciousness left argued.

There wasn’t even a hint of remorse in his eyes.

Rohan quietly watched the Grand Elder and Zion.

Levin Maxwell’s disposition was expressed more blatantly and aggressively than in Abyss City.

‘Crazy old man.’

An elf with extreme supremacism and stubbornness that couldn’t keep up with the times, developed a blocked mindset over the long years.

Rohan knew the old man’s values from the beginning, but the indiscretion of his mouth was astounding now that he had a shield.

The Grand Elder still didn’t stop talking.

It was disgusting to see him enjoying informing Zion of all the facts. Perhaps that repulsiveness was the secret that brought about the Reflux Praise Society.

“You didn’t accept our appeal not to get involved with the beastmen, so the discord was actually a decided matter.”

“Then what should my father have done?”

“Instead of settling down because a good ruler appeared, he should have challenged again to regain sovereignty.”

“You speak very easily, having never fought a battle.”

“Princess, it is the ruler’s duty, so the hardship is meaningless.”

Zion realized clearly.

He would never be able to understand this old man, no matter how long they talked.

“Look at the strength of Tigrova and the fame of the Great Tiger Emperor now. Father made the right decision according to the situation. The only mistake was not removing the trash and keeping them by his side.”

Even though Zion growled and showed an aggressive tone.

The Grand Elder, as if it didn’t matter, only recounted the truth of the past. He believed that as long as he poured out this part, he wouldn’t lose the argument.

Just listening to it made Zion’s stomach churn.

“I will continue to inform you. Even if my body is not in perfect condition due to defeat. How could we possibly harm Weber Testarossa with our strength?”

“.”

“Weber Testarossa was truly strong. Even to my eyes, which know nothing of battle, it was hard to believe he was the same being. He was a person who fit the phrase ‘one-man army’.”

“You guys… have joined hands with someone.”

“Yes. The high-ranking members of the Reverse Praise Society have stepped in.”

Without needing to deny it, he confessed plainly.

Although it was the first time Sion heard the name of the group, he could now guess where the elder thought Rohan belonged.

“If that was the case, you should have killed me too. Why did you deceive me and bring me here?”

With the question, the elf girl glared at the elder with a look that could pierce through him.

Her voice lowered, reminiscent of a beast ready to tear out his throat.

“It’s a simple story. Because the princess was a condition of the deal.”

“A deal…?”

“Think back to what you have been educated on until now, Princess. Haven’t you made great efforts to become the bullet that would bring down the ruler of Tigrova?”

From Sion’s perspective, there was no need to think deeply.

There were moments that came to mind immediately.

“Telling me to kill the Great Tiger Emperor and reclaim Tigrova, and instilling the ideology of looking down on humans and beastmen, was that also part of the deal?”

“It was both a deal and common sense of the world.”

“Ha…! Elder. Didn’t you choose the wrong background to support you? They seem to be quite cowardly.”

For the first time, Sion’s words had an effect.

The elder’s wrinkles and eyebrows trembled.

“Princess. Watch your words.”

“Look at the situation. It’s just the truth.”

Sion read the general flow.

It was clear that Seolho Daeje was a highly irritating figure to the bigwigs of the underworld, and that the group called the Reversal Praise Society had neither the merit nor the confidence to directly eliminate Seolho Daeje.

So, they intended to endlessly challenge him by nurturing blades with potential until the day they achieved results.

There was a feeling that they were up to other tricks as well.

‘Because of these b*stards, my parents…’

Rather than realizing that his life had been wasted, his parents’ faces were vivid.

Knowing the truth, he was beyond angry; he was simply dumbfounded.

“Great Elder. You turned your back on your kin and abandoned a wealthy life. What did you promise in return for nurturing me as a weapon in this ruin?”

“I promised many things. But if I had to pick the most representative one…”

The Great Elder’s face became ecstatic just from the thought.

He lifted the robe that covered his wrist, revealing an unnaturally smooth and elastic arm without a single wrinkle.

“Youth.”

“What?”

Did he hear it wrong?

A voice of disbelief came out of Sion’s mouth.

“Princess. As you know, I am not a martial artist. Being born as a long-lived species, I would live a long life compared to humans. But compared to those who have honed their martial arts, I was destined to live a short life.”

“.”

“That’s why it was so sweet and alluring. The chance to become young again.”

“You were deceived by absurd flattery. Betraying and selling out your kin to defy providence. Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Hex’s power is not flattery. I believe it because I have experienced it and seen it with my own eyes.”

Levin Maxwell remembers clearly.

The ability of Hex, an executive of the Reflux Praise Society, who played with and killed an elf by repeatedly making them young and old.

The power that briefly returned him to his youth as a sample, and the remnants of it that still remain within him.

“…Great Elder. You’ve gone mad. Completely mad.”

“The princess would not understand this fear. The ones who fear death the most are not children or youths whose blood is boiling. It is the elderly who are at the brink of the end.”

Rohan clicked his tongue as he watched the Great Elder mumbling, recalling the past when he faced the Reflux Praise Society.

Because he knows the truth.

Hex’s ability is not that versatile. There are many issues that the person concerned does not bother to mention.

“…”

Sion realized that it was meaningless to continue the conversation.

The person in front of him is a madman.

Now that he knows the reality and the background of the group, there is only one thing left to know.

“I will ask you one last time.”

“Go ahead.”

“Where are the kin you claimed to have escaped to another country?”

Levin Maxwell pondered for a moment as if trying to recall a forgotten fact.

Then he informed Sion in an exceedingly light tone.

“If you dig the ground in Tigrova, you’ll find some bone fragments.”

I heard everything.

Sion stormed into the room with a flash.

Smack!

Sion’s kick.

The elder, kicked while seated, rolled over the other elders sprawled on the floor.

“Ugh!”

If it weren’t for the robe he was wearing, he would have surely died from that blow.

So it’s bewildering.

From noble mtl dot com

Is it because the envoy who promised to protect him reacted too late?

“Elder. Right now, I don’t feel like I’m hitting a person, but hunting a monster.”

“!”

Sion walked closer, the sound of her steps echoing.

The elder looked to Rohan for help.

But Rohan was just sitting in his chair, watching him quietly.