Book 1 Chapter 571
571.
“Alright! Choose! Choose! These are the specialties of Rumeria City!”
“From the distant southern continent! Rare foods from beastfolk from the desert lands have arrived!”
“Come and see the jewels crafted by dwarf artisans!”
“This is mithril cloth woven by elves.”
Countless merchants filled Rumeria City, continuously touting their wares.
As the world's center and the city where Rumern was located, it was always a bustling city with many merchants and crowds, but this time, the atmosphere was quite different.
Normally, most of Rumeria City's merchants were human.
However, now, merchants of many races had set up shop.
It was rare to see merchants of various races gather on such a scale anywhere else in the world.
But now, it was a special situation with the world festival called the Hero's Festival taking place, and the fact that four hero academies gathered to compete made even more races flock to it.
Where people gathered, merchants gathered.
Therefore, it was not unusual for so many merchants to gather.
Even among the same race, conflicts inevitably arise when countless crowds gather.
Furthermore, if various races with different values gathered, conflict would be unavoidable.
“Hey! Hey! How many times do I have to tell you not to cross over here!”
A human merchant was glowering at a beastfolk merchant in a harsh voice.
“I just put it down for a moment because I had a lot of luggage, didn't I? Besides, I’m clearing it away quickly right now, aren't you being too harsh?”
“Harshness, my foot! If you come to someone else’s land to do business, you should at least show some basic manners!”
The human merchant irritably kicked over the boxes the beastfolk merchant had stacked up.
Clatter!
All the food ingredients the beastfolk merchant had prepared spilled out.
Seeing that, the beastfolk merchant’s eyes turned fierce.
“What is this nonsense!”
The enraged beastfolk merchant bared his fangs and sharpened his claws.
At that sight, the human merchant flinched and trembled for a moment, but then let out a groan.
“Oh dear~ A beastfolk is threatening a human!”
Both merchants operated street stalls selling food.
However, since beastfolk were a race famous worldwide for their excellent cooking skills, customers rarely came to the human merchant's stall.
Moreover, the beastfolk’s prices were much cheaper.
For him, who had taken advantage of special events in Rumeria City every year to sell at high prices, the beastfolk merchant's stall, which attracted crowds of customers, was naturally an eyesore.
When the human merchant groaned, the beastfolk merchant backed away with a flustered expression.
“Ah, no! You were the one who started the trouble first…!”
“Oh dear~ Oh dear! All the existing merchants are dying because of these outsider merchants!”
It was then that the human merchant raised his voice as much as possible to create a bigger commotion.
“Looks like something happened?”
Someone appeared from among the crowd.
“What’s going on?”
The human merchant, checking the attire of the boy with light orange hair, smiled triumphantly.
Conversely, a look of dismay clouded the beastfolk merchant’s face.
“Oh dear~ Rumern student! Look at this! That beast-like beastfolk is causing trouble for me, an innocent merchant!”
“You, you were the one who started the trouble first!”
As the beastfolk merchant protested, Kal, a student from Rumern, raised his hand.
“Let’s hear the whole story. Could the beastfolk merchant explain the situation first?”
At his words, the beastfolk merchant explained the situation.
“Hmm. Hmm. I see.”
Kal nodded, and it was then that he was about to listen to the human merchant’s story.
“Before you explain, you’ve gone to a lot of trouble. First, please take this as pocket money.”
“Oh my, what’s this.”
Kal feigned a laugh, looking at the human merchant who was slipping a money pouch into his pocket.
The beastfolk merchant looked at him with a disgusted expression.
After listening to the human merchant’s lengthy explanation, Kal nodded.
“I see. You must have been in a difficult situation.”
“That’s exactly what I mean!”
“So, apologize.”
“Excuse me?”
“You may be angry about losing customers, but you shouldn’t act like that. If you hadn’t overcharged in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened, would it? The Hero’s Festival is a celebration held to promote harmony among races and for everyone to enjoy themselves, isn’t it?”
Seeing Kal’s faint smile, the human merchant’s shoulders trembled.
“If you’re a Rumern student, you should take the side of your fellow humans! What kind of behavior is this!”
“Heroes don’t particularly take sides with a specific race, you know?”
“No, you just took a money pouch…”
“Oh? Wasn’t this pocket money?”
Kal hooked the money pouch on his finger, spun it around, and put on a sly expression.
“Ugh! Even if you’re a Rumern student, a mere second-year is going too far! What’s your name?! I’ll formally complain to the Rumeria City Merchant Association!”
In the end, the infuriated merchant exploded in anger.
Even if he was a Rumern student, an unknown student being reported to the Rumeria City Merchant Association could put him in a rather difficult situation.
Moreover, Kal, who acted politely, secretly seemed easy to deal with, so he was underestimated.
It was when Kal scratched his cheek at the merchant’s words.
“This is ridiculous. Is a street vendor threatening a Rumern student right now?”
From behind Kal, a southern girl with light brown skin, Jueun, appeared.
Seeing Jueun, who had her arms crossed and eyes raised, people around began to murmur.
“Isn’t that Jueun Torbina?”
“The top student of Rumern’s first-year magic department?”
Those who recognized Jueun began to murmur.
Seeing that, the human merchant was flustered.
“How brave, threatening the acting student council president of Rumern.”
“Isn’t that Eliza Helgin?”
“The heir to the Helgin family?”
“By the way, wait, what? That student is Rumern’s acting student council president?”
People who heard Eliza’s words looked shocked.
As the situation unfolded, the merchant’s face turned pale.
“Th-that is. I…”
Looking at the merchant, Eliza said irritably.
“Tell the representatives of the Rumeria City Merchant Association. Tell them to appear at Rumern immediately.”
“Oh dear! I didn’t recognize you! Please forgive me just this once!”
The merchant prostrated himself on the ground, but Eliza merely scoffed.
“Alright, let’s go, Kal sunbae.”
Jueun also pushed Kal’s back, and they left the spot.
Eliza, returning through the crowd, said with a pitiful look on her face.
“Unable to properly utilize his own status. How foolish, Kal Thomas. Well, I suppose it’s natural for a commoner.”
“Are you looking down on Kal sunbae right now? He’s just not flaunting his authority all the time!”
Eliza looked at Jueun, who was rebelling against her words, with cool eyes.
At that, Jueun slightly recoiled her neck, but then defiantly lifted her chin.
It was then that Eliza clenched and unclenched her hand, watching Jueun.
“Now now, everyone calm down.”
Kal stood behind Eliza and placed his hands on both her shoulders.
“Let go.”
Eliza slightly snapped and shrugged off Kal’s hands.
Seeing Eliza, Kal slyly raised both hands and shrugged his shoulders.
“That was intentional just now.”
“What?”
“Merchants are originally people who would even risk their lives for money.”
Since Kal came from an alchemy family and engaged in commercial activities with it, he was well-versed in the ways of merchants.
Initially, Kal was also a member of the Merchant Club, and most first and second-year students at Rumern often used Kal's distribution network when they urgently needed items.
“Since it’s an unprecedented festival in history, the Merchant Association will probably want to make excessive profits.”
Kal shrugged.
“But the Hero’s Festival isn’t just a simple competition. It’s also a place of harmony for everyone to enjoy.”
Kal recalled Leo’s words.
He had said he wanted to create a festival where everyone could gather and enjoy themselves.
Kal stopped walking.
The streets of Rumeria City, where countless races came and went, were quite different from usual.
‘Yes… it’s a bit like Gadsthrone, which I saw in Lord Dweno’s world.’
A city from the distant past where everyone helped and harmonized with each other.
A legendary city now vanished into the annals of history.
‘Perhaps Leo genuinely wants to create a world of harmony.’
It’s not merely to prevent division in the face of a great threat.
‘Perhaps after everyone unites to overcome the crisis, he wants to pass on this solidarity to future generations.’
“Surprisingly, division and conflict often start from small things.”
Kal shrugged.
“If you come to enjoy yourself and get overcharged, it feels bad, doesn’t it?”
“Is that so?”
“You can just give them that meager amount of money.”
As Jueun and Eliza looked bewildered, Kal clicked his tongue.
“This is why noble young ladies are like this.”
“Did you just treat me like a child?”
“You’ve got a lot of nerve, Kal Thomas.”
Jueun glared at Kal and shook him vigorously, while Eliza smiled coldly.
“Anyway! Even if they do business fairly, the profits are enormous, so we can’t let them ruin the festival atmosphere by making excessive profits! My father, the head of a small business family, always said! To create a festival everyone can enjoy, we must first eradicate overcharging! This is something even Lena sunbae agreed with.”
Kal clenched his fist.
“Since a merchant from the Rumeria City Merchant Association so nicely picked a fight with the acting student council president, Lena sunbae will use that as an excuse to pressure the Merchant Association, won’t she? In the first place, the reason I could come out to Rumeria City at this busy time for final preparations was to create leverage to pressure the Merchant Association.”
***
“Any method is fine, just come up with a pretext to pressure the Merchant Association.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“You’ll have to figure that out yourself, won’t you?”
“Wouldn’t it be over with just a word from Hark sunbae?”
Kal said, looking at Hark who was working next to him.
“The mayor of Rumeria City isn’t a king. He’s not in a position to order the Merchant Association. We can only persuade them with moderate methods.”
“What are those moderate methods?”
“Either pick a fight. Or find a pointless fault.”
“That sounds good. I don’t think there will be any repercussions.”
Kal sighed at their methods, which by no means seemed moderate.
‘Right, what Rumeria City faction would dare hold a grudge against the successors of Zerion and Rigard? I’m different, though.’
As a commoner, Kal felt burdened by making an enemy of the Rumeria City Merchant Association, which wielded powerful influence worldwide.
***
Kal, having finished his explanation, shrugged.
“Now I’ll subtly step aside, and Lena sunbae and Hark sunbae will seize the opportunity to crush the Merchant Association.”
“Is that why you brought me and Jueun Torna along?”
“Yes. The moment a dispute arose, I knew you or Jueun would punish the opponent in a way that would make them suffer. And for the same reasons as Hark sunbae or Lena sunbae, there would be no reason for the repercussions to fall on you.”
“So you used me, huh? How cunning.”
At Kal’s words, Eliza curled the corners of her lips.
‘I thought I was being taken for a fool.’
Although she had been used, Eliza wore a subtly satisfied smile.
“Anyway, since we’ve got some money, shall we go eat something delicious?”
Hahaha! Jueun muttered, looking at the smiling Kal.
“Kal sunbae, you look incredibly happy.”
“Hey, hey! Of course, I’m happy now that I’m finally free! Once the Hero’s Festival starts, I’ll be liberated from that work hell too!”
“But that’s only for a limited time, isn’t it?”
Kal’s future, already chosen by Lena as a high-performing talent, was obvious.
Even after the Hero’s Festival ended, he would be exploited to the bone.
At that, Kal flashed a refreshing smile.
“Hey. Anyway, with my grades, third year is out of the question. Being the acting student council president wasn’t bad, in a way to mark my last time at Rumern! In fact, you could say I was lucky!”
‘This is the first person I’ve seen who looks happy about being expelled.’
Jueun wore an incredulous expression.
‘But with Kal sunbae’s grades, third year would be difficult.’
On the one hand, she was worried.
Kal himself had revealed that his goal was to just endure the first semester of first year.
But since he had survived until the second semester of second year, it was undoubtedly a highly satisfying school life from Kal’s perspective.
However, Jueun felt it was a pity.
His meager mana capacity by Rumern student standards.
Even his not-so-great magical talent.
Alchemy was superb, but as a magic student, he was full of flaws.
Even so, Kal’s abilities outside of academics were outstanding.
‘Is there no way to help Kal sunbae?’
While Jueun restlessly fidgeted.
Eliza also stared intently at Kal’s retreating back.
***
Eliza, who had crushed the Merchant Association representatives that rushed over, muttered with a serious expression.
“Whatever you tell him to do, he gets it done, doesn’t he? He’s truly versatile.”
Eliza, who was stroking her chin, her eyes sparkling.
“Leo. How can we make more use of Kal?”
Eliza asked with a serious face in the student council president’s office.
To that question, Leo, who was reviewing documents, said.
“That’s a problem Kal needs to solve.”
“There’s an easy way. I also have the authority of the acting chairman of the board.”
Seeing Eliza smiling sweetly, Leo gave a faint smile.
“No.”
“Why? Isn’t it good to go around with your best friend?”
As Eliza narrowed her brow and spoke, Leo said indifferently.
“If he’s merely going to end up as a junior that Lena sunbae can easily exploit, then that wouldn’t be so bad.”
“So you’re saying no?”
“You’ll need to develop a better eye for people.”
“What?!”
At Leo’s words, Eliza looked indignant.
Eliza was always composed, but her composure often wavered in front of Leo.
Eliza, who had been looking at Leo for a moment, scoffed with an “Hmph!” and then twirled her hair.
“So, in your opinion, Leo, do you think Kal can make it to third year on his own?”
“That’s impossible to know. But isn’t overcoming limits our school’s motto?”
Leo chuckled.
“If it’s Kal, he will overcome his limits and achieve results that everyone can accept.”