Chapter 68 : Chapter 68
Chapter 68. A Different Kind of Guy
“He eliminated the Black Market?”
Hans asked. His face was filled with bewilderment.
“Yes. The mayor of Graf announced it.”
“Then doesn’t that mean the Bureau of Inspection did it? Why is Maxim involved in that?”
“The city announced that they collaborated with Maxim to handle the matter……”
The student informing Hans trailed off, sensing the menacing atmosphere.
“You, did you look into this properly?”
“I heard the mayor say it himself when he came to the academy.”
“Himself? Where is the mayor now?”
“He should be in the principal’s office.”
Hans scowled and let out a long sigh. He went to the window and looked toward the principal’s office.
“Agh, damn it. Where is that bastard Fioren now?”
“He’s not reachable. He’s not in his dormitory either.”
At the student’s words, Hans glared at him pointedly.
The student, his face tense, breathed heavily.
“Hey, if he’s not there, shouldn’t you be looking for him? Does it end with just saying he’s not there? Huh?”
“I, I’ll go look for him.”
Hans stared silently at the student who had answered.
At this, the student, wondering if he had made a mistake, replayed his words in his mind.
“What are you doing? If you said you’d do it, you should do it. Are you an idiot?”
“Ah, ah! Yes!”
The student scrambled out.
Watching him, Hans spat out his irritation, “Ugh, seriously. Fuck.”
“What on earth happened?”
Alone now, Hans trembled his leg and bit his nails. He recalled the words he had said to Fioren, ‘Go to the Black Market and at least look around!’
“Why is this bastard suddenly out of contact… Don’t tell me, did something happen at the Black Market?”
Hans, his suppressed anxiety exploding, let out ragged breaths and paced around the room.
He thought and thought about what he should do right away. But no suitable method came to mind.
“Maxim, Maxim, Maxim. Should I meet with him first?”
He said it, but he didn’t feel like it at all.
Ever since Maxim woke up, Hans had been greatly bothered by the sense of incongruity emanating from him. No, it was more than just bothersome. His words and actions at the banquet, the anecdotes heard after his return to the academy. All of it came together as discomfort and displeasure.
“I have to do something. Something.”
He had ordered things to be done and was watching, but nothing was going as planned. He couldn’t afford to wait for things to resolve themselves over time. He felt an unknown sense of foreboding approaching him.
“It was my fault for expecting anything from idiots.”
Hans decided he had to move himself.
***
Cosca, sitting in the principal’s office, wore his characteristic expression.
Several professors, including Vice-Principal Potecus, looked at him with somewhat awkward expressions.
Even before any conversation began, an atmosphere of caution towards Cosca was blooming. The secretary, sensing this, cautiously approached Cosca.
“Please relax your expression.”
“Is it that strange?”
“To others, yes. Soften your face. Yes.”
Cosca widened his eyes and puffed up his cheeks.
The professors watching him, not knowing why he was doing that, just blinked.
“Ahem. Mr. Mayor, is there perhaps something you would like to do with the academy?”
In the awkward atmosphere, Professor Allegri spoke up.
“No. Not particularly.”
“Then, is the reason for your visit today truly because Cadet Maxim contributed to the crackdown on the Black Market?”
At Allegri’s words, Cosca tilted his head.
“Is there any problem with me visiting the academy to speak of a cadet’s achievement?”
“It’s not that, but……”
Allegri couldn’t bring himself to say, ‘Maxim shouldn’t have the ability to achieve such a great feat.’
Olivier let out a small laugh. She had a rough idea of the thoughts Allegri couldn’t voice.
Allegri’s face hardened. He had argued with Olivier about Maxim before, so her reaction was unpleasant.
“Ha, ha, ha. Since such good news has come our way, shouldn’t we create a good atmosphere?”
Principal Veridian, who had been watching Allegri and Olivier, did not let the atmosphere become uncomfortable.
Allegri and Olivier closed their mouths and avoided each other’s gazes.
Seeing this, Veridian made a short ‘tsk’ sound, then turned his gaze to Cosca with a gentle smile.
“My apologies. We couldn’t help but be surprised that the one who achieved such a great feat is none other than Cadet Maxim.”
“Is that so? May I ask for the reason?”
“There isn’t a special reason or anything like that. It’s just that his academic performance is not on the good side.”
“Ah, I see. That’s strange. I didn’t get that impression……”
Cosca paused for a moment and thought of Maxim.
‘He seemed like a robber, but he didn’t seem lacking.’
A silence followed as he thought.
The gazes of the others turned to Cosca.
“Ahem! I got the impression that he was bright, so hearing that his academic performance isn’t good is, how should I say… awkward? Or should I say strange? Anyway, that’s how it is.”
“Hearing you say that makes it even stranger for us. There’s no way Maxim is like that.”
Allegri reacted.
To this, Olivier sneered, ‘It must be prejudice.’
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Veridian signaled for Olivier to restrain herself.
“It seems clear that Cadet Maxim has achieved a great feat, so this is truly a good thing.”
“Yes, that’s right. It is a good thing. We have prepared a separate certificate of merit from our side. I think it would be good to have a presentation ceremony in front of the entire student body.”
“I will try to set a time.”
“Yes, thank you. And I was wondering if the academy could also provide a suitable reward.
You must know how dangerous a place the Black Market is.”
At Cosca’s request, Veridian stroked his beard and contemplated his answer.
“Mr. Mayor, how did you come to know Cadet Maxim and work with him on this matter?”
This time, Vice-Principal Potecus asked.
“Before, His Highness Maxim… Ah, I know he is called a cadet at the academy, but I am not a person of the academy. So, please understand the matter of titles.”
“Of course. Please speak comfortably.”
“Yes, thank you. First, I came to know His Highness Maxim when the Demonic Moon rose.
His Highness personally caught an Owlbear. I believe you are well aware of how dangerous an Owlbear is without me having to explain it separately.”
“An Owlbear?”
Potecus asked back as if he couldn’t believe it. The other professors had similar expressions.
“Yes. If the Owlbear had entered the village, there would have been tremendous damage, but thanks to His Highness, we were able to get through it without any major problems. So, I conveyed my gratitude. That’s when I met him.”
Exclamations like ‘Ha!’, ‘No way.’, and ‘Good heavens.’ flowed from the professors’ mouths.
They knew that Maxim’s return to the academy was delayed because a monster had appeared and he had to catch it. At that time, they had thought the level of the monster
Maxim had caught would not be that high. No, they thought it would be the weakest monster.
But hearing the specific name of the monster, they were beyond surprised; they were utterly astonished.
“Did he really catch an Owlbear?”
Allegri asked with wide eyes.
Cosca nodded and replied, ‘Yes, that’s right.’
“No, how could such a thing……”
“Please continue.”
Olivier brushed past Allegri’s reaction and urged Cosca to continue.
“For that reason, I requested his help in cleaning up the Black Market this time. Since he was capable of catching an Owlbear, I had no doubt that he would be of great help.”
As the explanation concluded, everyone covered their mouths and fell into thought.
“The last incident and this one, they’re both truly surprising results.”
Keller, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. Potecus nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. The term-start exam, the Owlbear, and now the Black Market. It seems to be a series of unbelievable events. Then, could we hear specifically what Cadet Maxim did?”
Upon receiving the request, Cosca cleared his throat and recalled what Maxim had said.
‘Don’t say I caught Gwanju, just say something moderate, like I commanded the troops and held off the small fry. You take the main credit. Wouldn’t that help you get to a higher position?’
Cosca didn’t know why Maxim had told him to say that. Even when he asked for an explanation, he was only told to do as he was asked.
‘Ah! Instead, I have a negotiation to ask of you. You must secure this. You must. Do you understand?’
And a difficult request was also hammered into his brain through rote memorization.
“Your expression… why is that? Are you uncomfortable somewhere……”
“No. An uncomfortable place… there is.”
“Th, there is? Where are you uncomfortable……”
Potecus looked flustered.
And Cosca, who realized his own answer a beat later, was also greatly flustered.
“Ah! No, no. There isn’t. It’s not that I’m uncomfortable, but I have a proposal. My words came out wrong.”
“A proposal? Didn’t you say you had no… such thing as wanting to work with us?”
Allegri asked, his brow deeply furrowed. His voice was filled with suspicion.
“It’s not about working together at the city level. This is a proposal for the student who helped us accomplish a great feat.”
Cosca, having regained his composure, continued speaking in a serious atmosphere.
Seeing this, the professors cautiously brought out the wariness they had momentarily suppressed. It was because of Cosca’s appearance. They worried if he would propose some strange deal, thinking they shouldn’t get involved in corruption…….
Cosca’s secretary noticed this.
“Our mayor is a man of integrity. The integrity level of Graf City is always in the top ranks.”
Cosca’s secretary earnestly pleaded with them not to judge Cosca by his appearance alone.
But the professors’ thoughts did not change easily.
“This is a proposal solely for the student.”
Cosca also sincerely conveyed that they should not misinterpret his intentions.
But the professors’ gazes remained the same…….
And so it was.
***
Piontek, Adellian, and Odekerkh visited the school garden. They are sitting on a bench, enjoying the peaceful afternoon.
“Do you really think this will make it possible to participate in the martial arts tournament?”
Piontek asked Adellian.
“I don’t know either.”
“Maxim said it would.”
“That’s just Maxim’s thought. We have to see the policy set by the school.”
“I know, but let’s just think about the possibility. The possibility. Odekerkh, what do you think?”
Odekerkh, upon being asked, scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders.
“Say something. Say it.”
“I, I don’t really know.”
“Right, it was my fault for asking.”
Piontek let out a sigh. He thought of Maxim.
‘Will it turn out as he said this time too?’
Ever since getting involved with Maxim, situations had flowed as he said they would. Even impossible situations turned possible the moment Maxim stepped in. So, he couldn’t help but have expectations that it would be the same this time.
“By the way, where did that guy Maxim go? I don’t see Michelle either.”
“H, he went out, saying he had s, separate e, errands to run.”
“Just the two of them?”
“Y, yeah. He said since they came together, they had to go together.”
Odekerkh answered Piontek’s question.
“Odekerkh.”
This time, Adellian called him.
Odekerkh looked at her and gave her a look that said she could say whatever she wanted.
“You saw Maxim fight up close, right?”
“Y, yeah. I, I saw.”
“How did he fight? Did Maxim take down Gwanju by himself?”
Adellian was extremely curious about Maxim’s skills. She remembered fighting alongside him, but she had never seen with her own two eyes which god he had sworn an oath to or how many circles he possessed.
“Um… w, with a sword, incredibly.”
Odekerkh, having started, recalled the moment he fought fiercely with Gwanju.