Chapter 64: I Have a Bad Feeling. A Very Bad Feeling (2)
Chapter 64: I Have a Bad Feeling. A Very Bad Feeling (2)
“It’s true. You passed the entrance exam for the Law Faculty, which is considered difficult even within the Academy.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I remember it clearly.”
Patrick looked at Baron Schneider with eyes full of disbelief.
Seeing his son’s expression, which practically screamed, ‘My father doesn’t seem like the type?’ the Baron let out a long sigh.
“I passed the exam, but I couldn’t go to the Academy. Do you know why?”
“Because we didn’t have the money?”
“Exactly. The Law Faculty is a five-year course, but in reality, you have to plan for ten years of study if you actually want to graduate. To graduate from such a place, enter a judicial institution, learn the ropes as a bureaucrat, and finally work as a full-fledged legal professional... that takes a good twenty years.”
“…….”
“With our family’s finances, it was impossible to support a son studying in the capital for twenty years. That is why, despite passing the exam, I had to decline the admission myself.”
“I see.”
“But you know, Patrick... do you know what I regretted more than not being able to enter the Academy?”
Ah, I shouldn't have asked. I'm getting sucked in...
However, he couldn't just ignore his father, who was staring at him intently.
“What was it?”
In the end, Patrick asked in a tiny voice, barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz. The Baron spoke with a face full of remorse.
“It was the sight of my parents, who felt so incredibly sorry that they couldn't send me to the Academy.”
Dammit, he’s got me.
Was he really summoning the deceased grandparents right now? Was that allowed?
The Baron continued in a voice thick with regret.
“Every parent wants to provide the best education for their child. Now that I am a parent myself, I finally understand. I understand how my father and mother must have felt, seeing me disappointed and being even more heartbroken than I was.”
“No, I mean, everyone has their own perspective, right? Maybe they were actually fine with it.”
“I still remember it. My father’s voice as he held my hand and told me he was sorry…”
“Uh, that’s… well…”
“My mother also said it through her tears. She just kept apologizing and crying…”
“Eeeeh… I mean, that is…”
“She was a woman who lived frugally her entire life. She sold all the jewelry she brought with her when she married and never once indulged in luxury, yet she apologized to me, her son, because she didn't have the money.”
“Eh… that is quite unfortunate, but…”
“On the day my father found out I had declined the admission, he drank wine, something he usually never touched…”
“Fine, I get it! I get it already!”
Finally, Patrick let out a loud shout.
This was low. Truly low. But the problem was…
“I’ll go. I’ll go, okay?”
Low or not, he had no way to refuse.
His father was going on and on as if missing out on the Academy was the family’s greatest sorrow—what else could he do?
“Ooh! Yes, a wise decision.”
“…….”
Seeing his father’s expression shift instantly into a bright smile, Patrick’s face soured.
Was what he just said actually true?
Was I just baited?
But seeing Lawrence standing next to him, dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief and sniffing…
‘It doesn’t seem like he made it up.’
And what could he do? He had already said he would go.
As the Radiant Dragon Hero, he had a reputation to uphold; he couldn't go back on his word.
If his friends from his past life knew…
[You went back on your word all the time.]
[What is this guy talking about? He was a habitual liar every time he opened his mouth.]
[Didn't you say promises were made to be broken?]
Yeah, they probably would have said that.
Ah, shut up, you bastards.
Anyway, there was no helping it this time. Fine. Even if there was nothing for him to learn at some Academy, his parents said they wanted to see their son succeed…
‘Let’s just go as an act of filial piety. And let’s get it over with as quickly as possible.’
And so, Patrick’s admission to the Academy was decided.
* * *
“Hey, did you hear?”
“About the Young Master going to the Academy?”
“For real? The Young Master? To the Academy?”
“It’s the Knight Department, right?”
“Then maybe the Administration Depart—ah, no. Considering his obsession with money, that might actually suit his aptitude better.”
“Ummm… but you know.”
The soldier who brought it up spoke with a serious expression.
“Is it really okay for our Young Master to go to the Academy?”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
A terribly heavy silence descended.
What kind of place was the Academy? Was it not the kingdom’s finest educational institution, selecting only those with exceptional talent among the nobility to nurture them into assets for the nation’s future?
To that Academy, renowned for its tradition and honor…
“Our Young Master is going.”
“To the Academy.”
“The Academy…”
As they spoke, Oliver voiced the thought the other soldiers were thinking but didn't dare say out loud.
“The Academy is doomed.”
“Hey, man.”
“You shouldn't say that, no matter what.”
“Yeah. Even if everyone’s thinking it, how can you just say it?”
It seemed everyone was thinking the exact same thing.
Oliver grumbled as he spoke.
“No, let’s be honest. Think about what our Young Master will do once he gets there.”
At Oliver’s words, the other soldiers took a moment to imagine it. They imagined the scenes that would unfold at the Academy after Patrick’s admission.
[Ho-ho, so you’re a senior?]
[Ho-ho-ho, so you’re a professor?]
[Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho, so you’re the Chancellor?]
[Like I give a damn. Get over here. You’re dead. You’re not coming!?]
After finishing their flight of fancy, the soldiers looked at each other, smiled brightly, and said:
“It’s doomed.”
“Yep, doomed.”
“They might as well take down the sign now.”
“Why would Count Parmas do such a thing? Doesn't the Count’s daughter attend the Academy too?”
“Do you think that man knew what he was doing?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. He’ll go down in history as a traitor to the ages.”
The soldiers found the culprit for this entire incident not in Patrick, but in Count Parmas.
Patrick was already an unstoppable force. He was a disaster akin to a natural phenomenon. Therefore, if the Academy were to fall, it was only right to find the culprit in the Count who had thrown that disaster into the Academy.
* * *
Once it was decided he would enter the Academy, Patrick had to prepare various things.
He was told he would live in a dormitory, but he still had to pack his personal belongings. He could buy bulky items once he reached the capital, but he needed to pack everything he could take with him. And…
“One servant is allowed per person?”
“That’s right. Since most students are children of nobility, servants are permitted. Though it is strictly limited to one.”
“Tsk, tsk. A bunch of kids gathered to study, and their spirit is already rotten. They’re given food and a place to sleep; why do they need servants?”
“Then are you not going to take one?”
“Now that I think about it, it seems like a good rule. Assign Chandler to me.”
“…….”
Why? If everyone else is doing it, it’s more comfortable.
Thus, Patrick finished his preparations for the Academy by packing a few bags and designating Chandler as his servant. Or so he thought.
“The one following the Young Master is me.”
Until April stepped forward like this.
“You’re coming to the Academy?”
“Yes.”
“You??”
“Yes.”
“To the Academy?”
“Yes.”
Seeing April answer without a hint of hesitation, Patrick let out a hollow laugh and said, “No.”
It was a firm refusal, as if there was nothing to even think about.
And April was just as firm.
“I will go.”
“Hey. Does that even make sense?”
Patrick barked.
Usually, people would flinch when Patrick acted like this, but there was no change in April’s cold, stoic expression.
Patrick said to her, “You... you are aware of your own beauty, right?”
“Yes. I am.”
As long as there were mirrors in this world and one wasn't blind, how could she not be aware?
After recovering from the extreme stage of the Nine Yin Blocked Meridians, April’s beauty was so radiant it seemed to glow just by existing. And he was supposed to take her to the Academy?
It was obvious what would happen.
[Ooh, what a beautiful woman. What? A commoner? I am the delinquent son of a high-ranking noble. If you quietly become mine, the House of Baron Schneider will be safe.]
It was all too obvious that something like that would occur.
Taking April to a place crawling with the sons of wealthy, high-ranking nobles was no different from taking a nap covered in blood in the middle of a pack of hungry wolves.
“For once, Patrick is right.”
“Indeed, April’s beauty will certainly cause problems.”
In a rare turn of events, Baron Schneider and Butler Lawrence agreed with Patrick’s opinion.
But this time, April was resolute.
“Where the Young Master is, is where I must be. If I cannot fulfill that role…”
April pulled two twin swords from her robe and offered them politely to Patrick with both hands.
“Then I no longer have a reason to exist. Please, strike off my head with your own hands, Young Master.”
“…Wait, time out.”
Patrick left April in that state and moved a few steps away with his father and Lawrence. The three men huddled together and began whispering.
“What do we do? She seems serious.”
“She is certainly not a child who makes jokes.”
“This seems to be no ordinary resolve.”
They knew that April followed and idolized Patrick blindly. Even during the recent subjugation, hadn't she barely held herself back only because Patrick insisted?
To her, Patrick’s admission to the Academy was a disaster on the level of a cataclysm. Once he entered the Academy, she would have to be separated from him for several years.
For her, whose only joy in life was being by Patrick’s side and being useful to him, that was a punishment worse than death.
“What do you mean, ‘what do we do’? Just take her with you.”
At that moment, Ava stepped in and spoke.
“You’ve come, Madam?”
“Yes. I came because I figured this would happen.”
Ava gently stroked April’s shoulder, then took her hands and pulled her forward.
“She wants to go this badly, so just let her. In fact, April will be much more helpful than Chandler.”
“No, I mean, she’d be helpful. She would, but…”
“Madam, think of April’s beauty. She’s already causing a string of lovesick fools to pop up even in our territory. If we take her to the capital, it will definitely be a problem.”
Hearing that, Ava chuckled.
“You’re all forgetting one thing.”
“What is it, dear?”
“Our son is entering the Academy, isn't he?”
“That’s right. It is a joyous occasion for the family.”
“A joyous occasion? Yes, I suppose it is. However…”
Ava gazed at Patrick for a moment before smirking.
“That alone is enough to ensure problems will arise anyway.”
“…Huh?”
“Now that you mention it…”
Baron Schneider and Butler Lawrence only realized it then.
Patrick’s admission to the Academy. It was such happy news that they had forgotten, but thinking about it now, that in itself was already a problem. There was no way trouble wouldn't follow him.
In such a situation, what did it matter if April was added to the mix? What was the point of worrying about pouring a bucket of oil onto a forest fire that was already burning out of control?
Then Ava spoke as she gently stroked April.
“It’s not like we can keep April locked up and hidden forever. This child also has the right to proudly show her abilities to the world.”
“Ummm…”
The Baron groaned.
Actually, she was right. Her presence was overshadowed by Patrick, but April was also a powerhouse who had reached the 6-Star Realm. At her age, being in the 6-Star Realm was a talent that earned her the right to kick the asses of anyone else claiming to be a 'genius.'
In fact, it was a reward… no, that was going too far.
Regardless, April possessed dazzling ability and talent. And yet, just because her beauty might cause trouble, they were supposed to keep her locked in the territory doing maid work forever?
She might not complain even if they did, but…
‘Thinking about it conscientiously, it’s not right.’
While he didn't show it as openly as Ava, Baron Schneider also cherished April like a daughter. He was well aware that a parent who only keeps their child locked away because it’s dangerous is the worst kind of parent.
“April, do you truly wish to follow him?”
“Where the Young Master is, is where I belong.”
“Fine. If that is your wish, I shall respect it.”
“Father.”
“Quiet. What is it now?”
“It’s obvious what kind of trouble will start if she goes to the capital.”
“Then you can just protect her, can’t you?”
“Why are you increasing the amount of annoying work I have to do?”
“I’ll give those exact words back to you.”
“Ah, seriously, I’m going to lose my mind.”
No matter how much he complained, it was useless. Now that his mother and father had joined forces, he had already lost the battle of public opinion. And above all…
‘This girl might actually kill herself.’