Chapter 31

It was a tradition for the king to visit Elland Academy on graduation day.

For the king to personally verify with his own eyes the talented individuals who would lead the kingdom’s future, and for graduates to remember who they should pledge their loyalty to – this was an important process, so unless there were truly unavoidable circumstances, the king would definitely attend and the academy would proceed with graduation as scheduled.

Even usually troublesome students would never cause problems on this day.

“Is that real?”

“It’s real. I heard it myself.”

However, this day was different.

Students gathered in an empty classroom were having a serious discussion as if the world was ending.

That guy who had been obedient for the past year, taking whatever beatings and obeying whatever was said, suddenly went crazy or something and started indiscriminately beating up any notable students he came across. Those who initially laughed it off as baseless rumors changed their minds after seeing the victims’ conditions with their own eyes.

‘Urgh, ugh.’

‘Kill me… Just kill me…’

Friends hovering between life and death in conditions too horrible to look at.

They who had only gone as far as bullying a child who couldn’t resist when ganged up on immediately reported the situation to professors upon seeing those states, and could only feel relief after seeing Leon dragged to the disciplinary committee.

Until the next day, when Leon was walking around the academy energetically as if nothing had happened.

“That guy. He was blackmailing the professors.”

“Blackmail? How? And we’re talking about professors, not just one but multiple – you think that’s possible? How could a mere student do that to professors?”

“He had a magical tool. A magical tool that could store images and sounds. He said he’d recorded everything that happened at the academy until now in it.”

“There’s such a magical tool?”

“I confirmed it myself. I saw Leon entering a professor’s office with Professor Felix and thought it was strange so I secretly listened in. I heard Leon’s voice explaining the magical tool’s abilities and voices of other professors who weren’t present. He was threatening that if they didn’t follow his words, he’d reveal the magical tool to His Majesty at the appointment ceremony.”

“Insane!”

The students’ faces turned white.

They weren’t foolish enough to not grasp the reality of the situation.

Going to the king with clear evidence proving everything that had happened until now?

Though they might not receive severe punishment, their honor would be destroyed and it could even affect their families.

“No way! If he had something like that, why did he stay quiet until now?”

“He said he knew it’d be ignored if revealed within the academy, so he was waiting for a chance to meet His Majesty directly.”

“What a vicious bastard!”

“It’s hard to believe but considering what happened yesterday…”

Leon assaulting students and professors ignoring it despite seeing it with their own eyes. Students who had been furiously threatening to tell their families falling silent after a brief meeting with Leon, faces pale as sheets.

If Leon had a magical tool that could record everything, and if he threatened to reveal it to the king, everything made sense.

“Wait! If that’s true we can’t just sit here! What happens to us if that bastard reveals the magical tool to His Majesty?!”

“Nah. If that were the case, would the professors or students who got beaten up just stay quiet? They must have made some deal like not revealing the magical tool in exchange for burying what happened. It’s obvious.”

That made sense logically.

However, that theory lost strength at one student’s rebuttal.

“What if he shows only the records about people not involved in the deal and excludes those who made deals? Think about what we’ve done to him until now. If we do nothing believing he’ll stay quiet and he ends up revealing the magical tool, we’re all finished! Wake up!”

“Shit, then do you have any solution? Why are you just…”

“I do.”

“…What?”

“We can negotiate too.”

* * *

“So that’s why you called me?”

“Y-yes.”

Looking around, Yuseong let out a snicker.

About fifteen students filling the classroom.

He could vaguely sense the humiliation and rage they were desperately suppressing behind their fake smiles.

“……”

Slowly turning his head without saying anything, checking each student’s face one by one, Yuseong spoke with a satisfied expression.

“Negotiation. I don’t understand what you’re suddenly talking about.”

“We know about your special magical tool and that you’re using it to blackmail professors and students.”

“How did you find out?”

“That’s not important. What’s important is whether or not you use it. We want you to bury it without revealing it.”

“What will you do if I refuse? Use violence like you have until now?”

Gulp.

‘As expected.’

Some swallowed dry saliva while others broke out in cold sweat.

“If you want to talk, there are more suitable places, yet you call me to a classroom like this and block the door to negotiate. To me it seems more like blackmail than negotiation. Or is it confinement? Are you trying to keep me from leaving until His Majesty departs after the appointment ceremony?”

“Th-that’s a misunderstanding.”

“Really? Then can we move somewhere else?”

“…That’s not possible.”

“Of course not.”

The atmosphere grew heavy as they repeatedly clenched and unclenched their fists without speaking. Just as everyone was subtly reaching for weapons and drawing up mana, preparing for battle, Yuseong opened his mouth.

“Alright.”

“Huh? R-really?”

“I don’t want to fight a battle I’ll obviously lose.”

“R-right? Hahaha!”

It wasn’t a lie.

Even if he could use martial arts, the foundation was Leon’s body.

While he could handle one-on-one matches or take down unsuspecting opponents by surprise, facing nearly twenty students head-on in battle would be difficult.

‘With the plasma hatchet it’d be a different story, but someone might end up dead.’

Recalling the professors’ influence and the deals made over the past two days, Yuseong carefully tucked away the thought that had suddenly occurred to him.

“You thought well. Tell me if anyone bothers you from now on! I’ll take care of it.”

“Ah, want me to get you new equipment? I just got some gloves made from Black Ogre leather but I already had my old ones so I was just keeping them… You always use Orc leather gloves right? Try something different. Nothing beats Ogre leather.”

“Everyone move! Leon, want to go out somewhere after the appointment ceremony? I know this killer place.”

Yuseong smiled appropriately and went along with the students who were approaching friendlily as if they were decade-long friends.

Though everything seemed to be going well, Yuseong’s inner thoughts were the opposite.

‘So what will you do? Looking at these guys, ending it here doesn’t seem bad. Going along with them could make academy life not too bad from now on.’

-…What would you do, Mr. Yuseong?

‘Me? I’d obviously go all the way. I absolutely can’t stand seeing people I hate doing well.’

With those words, Leon set aside his hesitation and made his decision.

-I’ll go all the way.

‘Good.’

He didn’t say there was little to gain from going all the way, or that it could be dangerous.

Since he wouldn’t live in this body forever and would return after the quest ended, it was right to let Leon decide how to finish it since it was Leon’s life.

Bang!

Stamping his foot to draw everyone’s attention, Yuseong stared at a student in the corner.

As the students looked back and forth between the two with an ominous atmosphere, they tilted their heads recalling that student was the one who’d revealed Leon had a magical tool, that he was using it to blackmail professors and students, and had suggested negotiating.

“Dennis, get out. If you don’t want to die.”

“…Thanks.”

Creak!

As Dennis left and the door closed, Yuseong’s expression became completely serious as he began searching his chest. Though they tensed thinking he might draw a weapon, what appeared was something they never imagined.

“Wine?”

Red liquid and a sour smell when the cork was removed.

No matter how you looked at it, it was wine.

As the students expressed confusion about whether he wanted to drink together to become closer, or how he’d managed to bring alcohol into the academy in the first place, Yuseong nodded and said:

“I got it helping an agent. 1953 Armian wine or something? I don’t particularly enjoy alcohol, and I couldn’t sell it since it’s not from our world and someone might find it suspicious and track me down, so I was just keeping it, but I didn’t expect to use it like this.”

Splash!

“Ugh?”

“What are you suddenly doing!”

Though everyone was startled by him suddenly splashing wine, Yuseong continued explaining with a calm expression.

“Setting the stage. Even for reckless guys, it’s a bit unconvincing to say they caused trouble while completely sober right? Being drunk and not in their right mind would be a decent excuse.”

“What do you mean…”

Splash!

“Kuh!”

“With wine stains so obviously on clothes like this, is it a bit unnatural? Well, professors and other students will testify about your usual behavior so it should work out somehow.”

Splash!

“…This bastard’s crazy.”

The student soaked in wine spat out curses and other students’ expressions began twisting. Though they’d somehow managed to smile and humor him, they weren’t cultivated enough to maintain composure after receiving such humiliation from someone they’d considered lower than dirt under their toenails for over a year.

“Hey, surround him.”

“Want to fight? I’ll reveal the magical tool, you know?”

“Ha! Reveal? Think you can leave here? I was already about to explode thinking about having to match your mood from now on, this works out great. What negotiation, you’re getting beaten half to death today. If you don’t like that, hand over the magical tool.”

“Hmm.”

Humming while walking around the classroom, Yuseong spoke with an obviously mocking smile.

“And if I refuse?”

“…Then this happens!”

A fist suddenly flew at Yuseong’s face.

Seeing him fall back from a single strike, everyone thought ‘that’s more like it’ and sneered. Until they saw what happened next.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

After taking the hit to the face, Yuseong stepped onto a nearby desk and leaped high into the air, then kicked off the wall and threw himself toward the window.

While everyone wore dumbfounded expressions at his movements that completely ignored action-reaction, Yuseong closed his eyes and recalled something from long ago in the military.

The unit where Yuseong served still had considerable irrationality and violence.

They had to follow ridiculous rules just for being juniors and suffered violence for ridiculous reasons, but no one objected and the bad practices continued as if normal.

Until one of his peers started something.

‘Not doing your work properly?’

A light tap on the cheek.

But what happened after was horrific.

‘Kuhak!’

Like being hit by a heavyweight boxer’s punch, his peer spun 360 degrees in place then flew the other way, rolling pitifully on the ground, and the TV his arm caught shattered into pieces as it fell.

What happened after was simple.

The senior and peer were dragged away by the duty officer who immediately arrived, and within days most seniors were sent to the guardhouse or had their leave canceled, along with most bad practices disappearing.

That was just something that happened.

Crash!

“Kuhak!”

A heavy impact that couldn’t be negated even with Pain Nullification.

Though his vision blurred and an iron taste rose in his throat, Yuseong smiled.

“…What is this?”

Seeing a middle-aged man wearing an ornate crown, protected by several knights, looking this way, Yuseong quietly closed his eyes.