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Chapter 52




Chapter 52. The Rascals
Right after leaving the dark market.
Aster entered a quiet alley and took off Carahen's robe, stuffing it into the subspace.
‘Hehe.’
His face was full of laughter.
Why wouldn't it be?
Two subspaces.
He had plundered half of the dark merchant's lifetime collection in an instant.
‘Well… I don’t know if it’s really half.’
Are the dark merchants somewhat cunning?
They might have set up a couple of secret warehouses as a precaution.
However, even if that’s the case, the current feeling is enough to make him generous enough to forgive them.
‘It must be quite bitter. It must hurt a lot.’
Though he said it hurt, the smile on his face was so radiant it could hardly be contained.
Perhaps, at this moment, the dark merchant is pounding the ground and weeping, cursing Deculan?
He certainly would.
After all,
‘I carefully, very carefully, selected and collected them.’
Look.
Shiny.
Between the entrances of these subspaces, there are gold coins and jewels emitting a brilliant light.
Without any repercussions, he gathered only those that could be disposed of at any time, anywhere, and in any way without raising suspicion about their origin.
Should he say he plundered the slush fund?
On the other hand, it also gave him a chance to reconsider Deculan's notorious reputation.
‘These rascals.’
How much mischief must they have done to make even the ruthless dark merchants fear them? They must have committed unimaginable mischief.
Hmm, in his past life, he also engaged in mischief, but not to this extent. Really.
Anyway, with his pockets now well-filled, it was a good thing.
However…
“Hmm.”
Aster sat down on a pile of boxes in the alley.
‘What a nuisance.’
He crossed his arms and frowned.
The emotion in his eyes was clearly spite.
The dark merchant, who had bowed to Deculan's infamy, and the story he heard from him had disturbed his mood.
‘I had a bad feeling… There must have been some hidden agenda, right?’
The dark merchant cautiously revealed that the mastermind was Evelyn.
One of the three major merchant houses in the eastern continent.
The golden leaf of Goldrin!
If judged solely by financial power, she is a daughter of a family that far surpasses any noble house.
How widespread the rumors about her are in the academy.
Even Aster, who is not particularly interested in academy life, has heard them so often that he is sick of them.
The rumors go like this.
‘Proper conduct.’
She has as much dignity as any noble daughter?
‘Good interpersonal relationships.’
Despite her success, she is kind to everyone, regardless of their background.
Is that all?
‘Good attitude in class.’
A model student, second to none.
But who would have thought?
‘She’s up to such nonsense behind the scenes.’
According to the dark merchant’s speculation, it goes like this.
- That… She might be trying to set up a black market for buying and selling grades in the academy.
“Black market? Black market?”
Crack.
The box he was holding shattered as he clenched his fist tightly.
Originally, a righteous troubleshooter.
‘Setting up a black market in the sacred academy?’
He can't stand to see such a thing.
If Damian had been a bit more cunning and cheated, he might have lent a hand, but that was only in case.
The righteous yardstick, which only stands firm when necessary, was shouting fiercely.
“My stomach… My stomach hurts.”
People are like that.
Losing a penny oneself is less painful than seeing someone else gain a penny.
Some choose the righteous path and end up becoming a tutor they never expected to be.
Others spend money to easily and comfortably handle money?
This is not justice.
As a righteous troubleshooter who advocates for good and opposes evil, he cannot stand by and watch!
‘Next week, at lunchtime, right?’
Aster recalled the schedule for meeting with Devay and the seller.
A week from now.
It will be a week full of worries.
He has so much experience causing trouble that he doesn't know which method would be best.
Of course, if the dark merchant tells Evelyn about today's events, the schedule might change…
‘But that’s unlikely.’
Why would he do something that would undermine his own credibility?
Anyway.
‘Slowly, slowly, let’s think about it.’
He needs to be cautious.
How to cause trouble in a way that will be talked about as a good deed.
If he’s going to cause trouble, he should give a big lesson, as a person should.
“By the way, did you say B-12 area?”
This was the immediate concern.
The condition Purion set in exchange for the study materials.
Help with personal combat training.
In a way, this was also part of the "Make Damian a Model Student" project.
Aster gathered his thoughts and moved towards the main street.
* * *
B-12 area, building 13, basement.
Private training ground, "The Sage's Rest."
In a personal waiting room, Purion was waiting for Aster with a stern face.
‘Aster, this guy…’
It had been about two hours since he suddenly said he had something to do.
His patience was wearing thin.
He did say he would be there by five at the latest, but that didn’t mean it was okay to come at five.
Feeling annoyed was only natural.
However, Purion’s irritation wasn’t just because Aster was late.
The bigger reason was…
“…”
On the opposite side.
A silver-haired girl sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed and her eyes closed.
It was Dalia de Dina.
‘How dare you make Dalia wait?’
She had never liked him from the start.
- Personal combat training, can we ask Aster for help?
A few days ago, Dalia suddenly mentioned Aster.
To be honest, he had already noticed that Dalia was paying attention to Aster.
After all,
The battle with Hikster, the second son of the Dolanpega family, was a fresh shock even to Purion.
But suddenly?
‘They don’t even know each other?’
Of course, considering Dalia’s usual personality, it wasn’t particularly special.
Her straightforward way of speaking was the same even in front of the esteemed head of the family.
But would Aster, who has been watching him in the same M3 class, nod in agreement with such a way of speaking?
‘That’s not the case.’
From observing Aster, he found that the guy lacked enthusiasm in everything.
How to put it.
He doesn’t seem like a student who came to learn.
No matter what lecture he attended, he was indifferent.
Leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, he would listen to… or rather, observe the lecture.
Yes, observe.
There is no better word to describe it.
He wasn’t sleeping, nor was he doing something else. He just quietly observed the lecture as if watching a play.
Asking such a guy for personal combat training?
‘Even leaving Damian, who is right next to him, to his own devices?’
A good friend should guide someone who is misbehaving onto the right path.
- Friend, what is the professor saying?
- I don’t know. But, aren’t you going to sleep? It’s nap time.
No matter how annoying it might be, suggesting a nap during class to a friend!
Over the past few days, after observing his behavior, he offered the study materials as a bribe.
‘For some reason… he seemed to want to improve Damian’s grades.’
He thought this might motivate him.
Honestly, it felt a bit bitter.
‘My… my precious study materials…’
These were materials he had gathered with great effort before entering the academy.
Some of them were so rare that they couldn’t be found on the market, and couldn’t be bought even with money!
But.
‘Sigh.’
It was better than seeing Dalia humiliated by that rude black-and-white zone vagrant.
Yes, that’s why.
He tailored his approach to her rude nature, and obediently followed his instructions while savoring the humiliation.
All for Dalia.
But.
‘How dare you make Dalia wait for 2 hours, 17 minutes, 31 seconds. 32 seconds. 33 seconds…’
His anger was boiling.
When the time reached 2 hours and 18 minutes, Purion finally lost his temper.
“Dalia!”
“…Yes.”
A flat, emotionless voice.
Even though she didn’t open her eyes, Purion was used to it and didn’t mind.
“Let’s reconsider. While it’s true that the guy defeated Hikster, he’s not someone we can learn from. There’s no way such a rude person has the necessary qualities.”
Teaching and learning are the freshest of all human activities.
A noble act that only humans and those with education can perform!
In Purion’s view, Aster was definitely not someone with such qualities.
Moreover,
“The guy’s combat style is not that of a mage. What mage would engage in a fistfight? That’s… that’s… Yes. It’s something only black-and-white zone vagrants do!”
While it was impressive, if the opponent hadn’t been Hikster, the entire battle would have been just a fistfight.
It was not the kind of behavior a mage, who nobly seeks the truth, would display.
And Dalia learning such a combat style?
‘Unthinkable!’
It would be more cultured to seek instruction from students in the martial arts department.
However, Dalia remained silent, as if she didn’t know or care about Purion’s frustration.
She just closed her eyes and kept quiet.
“Rather…”
In the end, Purion, frustrated, said something Dalia hated the most.
“Rather, let’s request a famous combat mage from the family. Or, bring in the family’s mages…!”
Purion stopped speaking, realizing Dalia had opened her eyes and was glaring at him.
“That’s not acceptable.”
A flat, but chilling voice.
“…”
Purion finally sighed deeply and sat back down.
“Sigh, okay. …I’m sorry.”
After all, she was a child struggling with her limited talent.
A child who, to step on the shadow of the young master and the second son, trained day and night despite her limitations.
But.
‘Isn’t it okay to get some help from the family…?’
Purion was extremely frustrated.
There would be no one to criticize her for actively seeking help from the family.
But she refused to take the shortcut.
Receiving instruction from the family’s mages at the academy was, in her view, improper.
A stubborn attitude.
‘Her obsession with personal combat training is probably… because of the young master and the second son.’
To match their academic achievements during their time at the academy.
Purion admired Dalia at times, but at other times, he was so frustrated that he wanted to see inside her head.
Just as he was feeling disheartened,
Rustle.
“…?”
A faint noise from somewhere.
Rustle, rustle.
Purion turned his head in curiosity.
When his gaze reached the source of the noise, his eyes widened.
“…When did you…?”
Aster was standing in a corner of the waiting room, holding a box of macarons, and had just taken a bite of a crispy macaron. He then opened his dull eyes and spoke.
“Not fighting anymore?”
“…No, we weren’t fighting.”
“What a pity. I was curious to see who would win between the collateral and the direct line. It’s a rare sight, isn’t it?”
“…”
Purion was speechless at Aster’s calm attitude.
After a moment,
“Huh, but how did you get in here?”
“You were taking too long. When I mentioned your name, the staff guided me in.”
“Ah.”
Purion recalled that he had given the staff a heads-up.
But, that aside,
“Exactly… when did you get here?”
“From ‘Let’s reconsider’?”
“…”
It means he heard everything from the beginning to the end.
Purion’s face turned pale.
But Aster, ignoring Purion’s reaction, sat down on one side of the sofa.
“…”
Dalia, with her eyes wide open,