Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Noble Pushed to Sixth
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Lion's Castle was home to hundreds of clubs, large and small.
But the [Club Maintenance Ranking] that evaluated their performance had remained unchanged for years.
Magic Tower, Thistle, Noble, and the Tactics and Swordsmanship Clubs.
The so-called five major clubs monopolized the top spots.
But today.
"Noble's been pushed down to sixth."
An upset had occurred.
The Archery Club, which had hovered around tenth place, had rocketed straight to second in a single leap.
The whole school must have been buzzing.
"The guy pulling the strings behind the Archery Club has skills beyond imagination."
Student Council Vice President's Office.
A boy lounging obliquely with one arm draped over a neck pillow muttered in a languid voice.
Each time he fanned himself, the rustle of his robe's hem softened the atmosphere.
"He lured Jang Yeon-ju in to bring the Bow Saint on board and earned Gu Gwang-seon's endorsement to rake in this much maintenance pay. What a schemer."
The report submitted by the Archery Club made no mention whatsoever of the Bow Saint.
It simply outlined the general sequence of events, the operation details, and the maintenance breakdown.
But Vice President Ban Hui-yeol saw right through the truth.
There was zero chance the Archery Club could have pulled off this operation on their own merits.
"Just who the hell is he?"
The one who ousted No Jun-yeop as the Archery Club's rule and propped up Baek Do-jin as a figurehead.
'Is it really Loren? Or...'
Ban Hui-yeol's eyes narrowed as Kang Jae-hyeok's infuriating face flashed in his mind.
"Why am I the only one working?"
The girl buried in paperwork finally snapped, unable to hold back her grumbling.
"Keep slacking off and I'll really tell the president."
"...You commoners might not get it, but nobles can't skip tea time. My head's aching from pondering the kingdom's welfare. Grant me a brief respite."
"Ugh, what a pain."
"......"
What a bold girl.
Ban Hui-yeol clicked his tongue and sat up straight at his desk.
"If I'd known the Student Council had girls like you, I would've joined Noble instead."
"You would've fit right in."
"...Such insolence."
Noble.
A club with entry requirements far stricter than even the Student Council, which gathered only the top elites.
It was a gathering of nobles, after all.
He could picture those leisurely elites, who wanted for nothing, now scrambling with fire at their feet.
Could the Archery Club really handle their relentless competition?
'It won't be easy.'
There would inevitably come a time when Baek Do-jin's backer had to step up personally.
'Watching this play out for a while should be entertaining.'
Ban Hui-yeol folded his fan and resumed his work.
***
"Jae-hyeok, what brings you to the staff room? If you had business, you should've just called the teacher. Why drag your precious feet to this humble place?"
"...?"
Staff room.
The teachers blinked in confusion at Kim Jin-myeong's voice.
'Did I just hear some insane nonsense?'
'Nah, must've misheard.'
They chalked it up to fatigue-induced hallucinations and returned to their work.
Meanwhile, Jae-hyeok was making a request of Jin-myeong.
"I'd like to take the escort duty for Jae-kyung Pharmaceuticals this weekend. Is that possible?"
"Hmm? That's an all-day gig. Aren't you swamped lately, Jae-hyeok?"
Hanging with the Archery Club, forming a team, and so on.
Kim Jin-myeong had a full grasp of Jae-hyeok's recent schedule.
Jae-hyeok had explained everything in detail, given how often he'd come asking for favors.
"I arranged to buy some potions. Figured I'd pick them up in person and show my appreciation while I'm at it."
"The kid's something else. Why's a Lion's Castle student buying potions with money? How many do you need? Five should do, right? Or no, maybe ten...?"
"I already bought them."
Jae-hyeok wanted to meet Jae-kyung Pharmaceuticals staff whenever the chance arose.
It wasn't some proverb about distance breeding disconnection.
He simply valued the bonds he'd forged firsthand. Practicing formations together had been fun, too.
"Fair enough. Alright, I'll square it with the admin office, so go ahead as planned. But..."
Kim Jin-myeong looked a bit troubled.
"You know Jae-kyung already has their regular escort, right, Jae-hyeok?"
"Of course."
Jae-hyeok had originally filled in for a second-year on dispatch.
Nodding, Jin-myeong explained.
"That kid came back ages ago. Knowing their personality, they won't yield the weekend slot. They might even refuse to split the reward."
"I understand. That's only fair."
Jae-hyeok was a noble.
He had no intention of stealing someone else's rice bowl.
Besides, he was busy juggling Archery Club and team activities to hoard cash and credits.
"Thanks for understanding. You're a good kid, so you'll get along fine."
Relieved by Jae-hyeok's response, Kim Jin-myeong beamed.
He'd completely forgotten that the boy before him attracted trouble like a magnet.
***
Weekend.
Heading to the main gate to greet Jae-kyung Pharmaceuticals staff, Jae-hyeok ran into a boy with a distinctive look.
Are his eyes closed or open?
As Jae-hyeok stared at the boy's smiling, curved eyes.
"You're the first-year Kang Jae-hyeok, right? Teacher Kim Jin-myeong mentioned you."
The boy approached readily and offered a handshake.
"I'm Song Se-yeong, second-year."
"Pleased to..."
Jae-hyeok's expression hardened mid-handshake.
Song Se-yeong was still smiling, but he squeezed with crushing force.
Veins bulged at his temple, as if wringing out every ounce of strength.
"This is my little warning. No point being nice to a greedy junior eyeing a senior's rice bowl—you wouldn't hear it anyway."
"I never asked for a share of the reward. I just requested to tag along. Whose rice bowl am I stealing?"
"What you really want is connections to a big corporation like Jae-kyung."
Releasing the grip, Song Se-yeong said coldly.
"Jae-kyung isn't that easy to deal with. Don't expect them to welcome you this time either."
Song Se-yeong had worked with Jae-kyung for months.
He could predict they wouldn't cheer a newbie who'd been a nuisance on their one prior joint op.
Just then, figures appeared beyond the main gate's Gate.
Regaining his smile, Song Se-yeong warned Jae-hyeok.
"You're a noble, right? You might've sweet-talked struggling Teacher Kim Jin-myeong, but the world's not that kind. Ditch the delusion that everything bends to your will—this is your chance."
"Teacher Kim's struggling?"
"No need to play dumb so disgustingly. Using lackeys to snag info and twist it to your liking—that's your noble specialty."
"......"
"Clamming up when it's inconvenient? Classic noble move."
People emerged from the Gate.
Dozens of them soon reached the gate.
Jae-kyung Pharmaceuticals staff, visiting weekly to gather herbs.
Song Se-yeong, who'd built rapport over long hours with them, greeted warmly.
"Welcome. We'll make sure you have a smooth..."
"Oh, Se-yeong! Good to see you. But isn't that Jae-hyeok over there?"
"Right! Student Kang Jae-hyeok! How've you been?"
"Looking even handsomer since last time."
"I've been practicing formations a ton! Check on me later?"
"...?"
Song Se-yeong's eyes widened.
His tiny eyes didn't show much white, but his shock was obvious.
'Teacher Kim's prized pupil can't be a bad guy.'
Jae-hyeok scratched his cheek awkwardly and returned the Jae-kyung staff's greetings.
"Young Lord Jae-hyeok!"
Jo Seong-hyeon.
The Jae-kyung heir, smile plastered on his face, rushed over and hugged Jae-hyeok.
Song Se-yeong's jaw dropped.
He knew Jo Seong-hyeon was kinder and gentler than his status suggested.
But casual hugs? First time seeing that.
And it didn't end there.
"Why risk coming in person again? It's dangerous."
Jae-hyeok was scolding Jo Seong-hyeon, who was much older.
"Because I wanted to see you, Young Lord."
"You're hopeless."
"Haha."
'Is status really everything in this world?'
Kang Jae-hyeok and Jo Seong-hyeon treated each other like old pals.
A bond Song Se-yeong couldn't forge despite months of effort.
Their vibe screamed it.
No matter how hard you flail, born to a nobody family with no money or power, you'll never hang with us.
'...It's fine. I never planned to rub shoulders with types like that anyway.'
He just wanted rewards befitting his efforts.
Being happy with people like Teacher Kim Jin-myeong, who recognized his worth without prejudice—that was enough.
In that sense, he needed money right now.
Feeling slighted by Jo Seong-hyeon's unfamiliar attitude was pure luxury.
Forcing calm, Song Se-yeong mustered his sales smile.
"Time's short, so let's get going."
"Aw, we've got plenty of time today."
"?"
To gather the herbs Jae-kyung needed, they'd usually roam till late night.
Plenty of time? What?
"Right, totally. With Jae-hyeok here, we've got leeway."
"We can even squeeze in formation drills midway?"
"......"
Did Kang Jae-hyeok have some buff skill that boosted travel speed?
'I have no clue why he's going on about formations.'
Tch. Song Se-yeong shot Jae-hyeok a glance, tongue clicking inwardly.
"With the mood like this, you take point, Jae-hyeok."
Maintaining buffs on this many people would drain mana like crazy, but that was Jae-hyeok's problem.
For Song Se-yeong, shorter mission time was a win.
"Sure."
Jae-hyeok obligingly took the lead.
"?"
No buff skill.
Jae-hyeok's stride was ordinary as he led, and the Jae-kyung staff followed without any aid.
'What makes this faster...? Huh?'
Song Se-yeong tilted his head.
Jae-hyeok halted at a steep cliff—clearly the wrong path.
'This guy's clueless about routes?'
Song Se-yeong had no time to mock.
Bad press for Teacher Kim Jin-myeong, who'd vouched for a student who couldn't even guide properly.
"He seems nervous. He's still a newbie, so please forgive..."
Rushing to smooth things over, Song Se-yeong trailed off.
"Se-yeong, you coming up?"
Jae-kyung staff began scaling the cliff without complaint.
Even the notoriously prickly Manager Gu and team leads followed Jae-hyeok silently.
'Such bullshit.'
Do they obey nobles without question?
Unable to suppress his frustration, Song Se-yeong gritted his teeth, activated a skill, and climbed.
To catch the leading Jae-hyeok.
He wanted to win at least this.
"Haha! I win... Huh?"
True to his rep as a skilled second-year dispatch vet, Song Se-yeong summited first—then froze.
The swamp below and distant forest looked familiar.
One of the herb spots, upon closer look.
"...How do you know this shortcut?"
No way a months-old freshman knew it.
Even he, who'd studied the terrain for over a year at Lion's Castle, didn't.
Did noble intel networks mock even his year-plus of sweat?
Beyond frustration, despair crept in—then Jae-hyeok explained.
"I memorized the paths while training daily."
Jae-hyeok breathed evenly.
In stark contrast to his own ragged gasps.
It didn't feel like a lie.
'This guy...'
Had he been the one viewing the world through prejudiced eyes?
The realization hit Song Se-yeong, softening his gaze toward Jae-hyeok.
"But why're you standing around?"
Wham!
Jae-hyeok kicked his butt hard.
"Gyaaaaaaaah!!"
At the same time, in some professor's office.
"I was worried you'd never show again after twice."
Someone who'd checked the Gate logs for Jo Seong-hyeon chuckled darkly.
Hee hee hee hee!
The tamed monsters laughing alongside their master in the dim room made for a grotesque sight.