Book 1 Chapter 571

"Alright! Choose! Choose! These are the specialties of Lumaria City!"

"From the southern continent, the land of deserts! Come see the exotic foods of the beastmen!"

"Come and see the gems crafted by dwarven artisans!"

"This is mithril cloth woven by elves."

Countless merchants filled Lumaria City, endlessly hawking their wares.

As the center of the world and the city where Lumen resided, it was always bustling with merchants and crowds. However, this time, the atmosphere was distinctly different.

Normally, most of Lumaria City's merchants were human.

But now, merchants of many races had set up shop.

It was rare to see merchants of so many races gathered on such a scale anywhere in the world.

However, this was a special occasion: the Heroic Festival, a world festival, where the four Heroic academies competed, drawing people of all races.

Where people gather, merchants follow.

Therefore, it was not unreasonable for so many merchants to gather.

Even among the same race, conflicts often arise when a large crowd gathers.

How could disputes be avoided when people of different races with entirely different values gathered?

"Hey! Hey! How many times do I have to tell you not to cross over here!"

A human merchant was menacingly growling at a beastman merchant.

"I was just leaving it there for a moment because I have a lot of goods? Besides, I'm clearing it up right now, aren't you being too stingy?"

"Stingy what! If you're going to do business in someone else's territory, you should at least show basic courtesy!"

The human merchant irritably kicked the boxes the beastman merchant had piled up.

Crash!

All the food ingredients the beastman merchant had prepared spilled out.

Upon seeing this, the beastman merchant's eyes turned fierce.

"What is this!"

The enraged beastman merchant bared his fangs and sharpened his nails.

At the sight, the human merchant flinched for a moment but then let out a groan.

"Oh dear~ A beastman is threatening a human!"

Both merchants ran food stalls on the street.

However, because beastmen were renowned for their culinary skills worldwide, customers rarely came to the human merchant's stall.

Furthermore, the beastmen's prices were much lower.

For the human merchant, who had been selling at inflated prices to take advantage of the annual events in Lumaria City, the beastman merchant's stall, which was attracting customers, was an eyesore.

As the human merchant groaned, the beastman merchant, with a flustered expression, stepped back.

"N-no! You were the one who started causing trouble…!"

"Oh dear~ Oh dear! Existing merchants are all going out of business because of these foreign merchants!"

It was at this moment that the human merchant raised his voice as much as possible, creating a large commotion.

"It seems something has happened?"

Someone emerged from the crowd.

"What's going on?"

The human merchant, recognizing the attire of the boy with light orange hair, smiled with satisfaction.

Conversely, despair clouded the beastman merchant's face.

"Oh dear~ Student Lumen! Please look at this! That beastly beastman is causing trouble for me, an honest merchant!"

"Y-you were the one who started causing trouble first!"

As the beastman merchant protested, Kal, a student of Lumen, raised his hand.

"Let's hear both sides of the story. Beastman merchant, could you please explain the situation first?"

At his words, the beastman merchant explained the situation.

"Hmm. Hmm. I see."

Kal nodded and was about to listen to the human merchant when he said,

"Before you explain, thank you for your trouble. For now, please accept this as pocket money."

"Oh my, why thank you."

Kal chuckled slyly as he saw the human merchant slip a pouch of money into his pocket.

The beastman merchant watched this with a disgusted expression.

After hearing the human merchant's lengthy explanation, Kal nodded.

"I see. That must have been difficult."

"That's what I'm saying!"

"So, apologize."

"Huh?"

"You may be angry about losing customers, but you shouldn't have done that. If you hadn't tried to rip them off in the first place, this wouldn't have happened, would it? The Heroic Festival was held to promote harmony between races and for everyone to enjoy it."

The human merchant shivered as he looked at Kal, who was smiling faintly.

"If you're a Lumen student, you should take our side, the humans! What is this!"

"Heroes don't particularly take sides with a specific race, do they?"

"But you took the money pouch…"

"Oh? Wasn't this pocket money?"

Kal dangled the money pouch on his finger and spun it around with a sly expression.

"Hmph! Even if you're a Lumen student, a mere second-year is going too far! What's your name! I'll officially protest to the Lumaria City Merchants' Association!"

Finally, the provoked merchant exploded in anger.

Even if he was a Lumen student, an unknown student could find himself in a difficult situation if reported to the Lumaria City Merchants' Association.

Moreover, seeing Kal, who acted politely, he inwardly dismissed him as easy to deal with.

As the merchant spoke, Kal scratched his cheek.

"Unbelievable. Are you threatening a Lumen student, a stall owner?"

From behind Kal, Juien, a girl with light brown skin from the south, appeared.

As Juien stood with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed, the surrounding people began to murmur.

"Isn't that Juien Torbina?"

"Lumen's first-year magic department top student?"

Upon recognizing Juien, the onlookers began to whisper.

Seeing this, the human merchant faltered.

"How brave, threatening the acting student council president of Lumen."

"And that's Eliza Hergin!"

"The heir to the Hergin family?"

"Wait, what? That student is the acting student council president of Lumen?"

Upon hearing Eliza's words, the people's faces showed shock.

As the situation escalated, the merchant's face turned pale.

"W-well, I…"

Looking at the merchant, Eliza said irritably,

"Tell the representatives of the Lumarian City Merchants' Association to appear at Lumen immediately."

"Oh my! I didn't recognize you! Please forgive me just this once!"

The merchant prostrated himself on the ground, but Eliza only scoffed.

"Come on, let's go, Senior Kal."

Juien also nudged Kal's back and they left.

Back in the crowd, Eliza said with a look of disdain,

"Unable to properly utilize your status. How foolish, Kal Thomas. Well, I suppose it's natural for a commoner."

"Are you looking down on Senior Kal now? He just doesn't flaunt his authority unnecessarily!"

Eliza looked at Juien, who was rebelling against her words, with a chilling gaze.

At that, Juien slightly retracted her neck but then defiantly lifted her chin.

As Eliza's fingers clenched and unclenched while looking at Juien,

"Now, now, let's not get so worked up."

Kal stood behind Eliza and placed his hands on both her shoulders.

"Let go."

Eliza impatiently shrugged off Kal's hands.

Seeing Eliza like that, Kal, with his hands raised in a gesture of surrender, shrugged his shoulders.

"You did that on purpose just now."

"What did you say?"

"Merchants are people who would even give up their lives for money."

Since Kal's family was involved in alchemy and engaged in commercial activities, he was well aware of the merchants' ways.

In fact, Kal was also a member of the merchant's club, and most of the first and second-year students at Lumen used Kal's distribution network when they urgently needed something.

"As this is an unprecedented festival, the Merchants' Association will want to make exorbitant profits."

Kal shrugged his shoulders.

"But the Heroic Festival is not just a competition. The Heroic Festival is also a place for everyone to enjoy and harmonize."

Kal recalled Leo's words.

He said he wanted to create a festival that everyone could enjoy together.

Kal stopped walking.

The streets of Lumaria City, bustling with countless races, were different from usual.

'Yes… it's a little similar to Gardsron, which I saw in Lord Dwenol's world.'

A city from a distant past where people helped and harmonized with each other.

A legendary city that had now disappeared into history.

'Perhaps Leo truly wants to create a world of harmony.'

Not just to prevent division in the face of a great threat.

'Perhaps he wants to pass on this unity to future generations after overcoming the crisis by joining forces.'

"Surprisingly, division and conflict often start from small things."

Kal shrugged his shoulders.

"If you're here to have fun and get ripped off, it's unpleasant, isn't it?"

"Is that so?"

"It's fine to just give them a little money."

Seeing Juien and Eliza looking bewildered, Kal clicked his tongue.

"This is why ladies from good families are like this."

"Are you calling me childish right now?"

"You have a lot of nerve, Kal Thomas."

Juien narrowed her eyes and shook Kal vigorously, while Eliza smiled coldly.

"Anyway! Even if you do business honestly, the profits are enormous, so we can't let them ruin the festive atmosphere by price gouging! My father, the head of a small business family, told me! To create a festival that everyone enjoys, we must first eradicate price gouging! This is something Senior Elena also agreed with."

Kal clenched his fist.

"Since a merchant belonging to the Lumaria City Merchants' Association provocatively picked a fight with the acting student council president, Senior Elena will use that as leverage to pressure the Merchants' Association. In the first place, the reason I could come to Lumaria City during this busy period of final preparations was to create an excuse to pressure the Merchants' Association."

***

"Whatever the method, just find a reason to pressure the Merchants' Association."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"You'll have to figure that out yourself."

"Wouldn't it be over with just one word from Senior Hark?"

Kal said, looking at Hark, who was working next to him.

"The mayor of Lumaria City is not a king. He cannot order the Merchants' Association. He can only persuade them through moderate means."

"What are those moderate means?"

"Pick a fight, or find some trivial excuse."

"That's good. It seems there won't be any repercussions."

Kal sighed at their methods, which seemed far from moderate.

'Well, what power in Lumaria City would dare to hold a grudge against the heirs of Zerun and Rigard? I'm different though.'

As a commoner, Kal felt burdened by making an enemy of the Lumaria City Merchants' Association, which wielded immense influence globally.

***

After finishing his explanation, Kal shrugged his shoulders.

"Now I'll step aside, and Senior Elena and Senior Hark will find leverage and crush the Merchants' Association."

"Is that why you brought me and Juien Torbina along?"

"Yes. The moment a fight broke out, I knew you and Juien would punish them in a way that would make them suffer. And there would be no reason for you to be implicated, unlike Senior Hark or Senior Elena."

"You used me, didn't you? How cunning."

At Kal's words, Eliza's lips curved upwards.

'I thought I was being taken advantage of like a fool.'

Even though she was being used, Eliza wore a somehow satisfied smile.

"Speaking of which, now that we've secured some money, shall we go eat something delicious?"

Hahaha! Seeing Kal smiling, Juien muttered,

"Senior Kal looks incredibly happy."

"Hey hey! I'm finally free, of course I'm happy! Once the Heroic Festival starts, I'll be freed from that work hell too!"

"But that's only for a limited time."

Kal, who had already been chosen as a high-performance talent by Elena, had a predictable future.

Even after the Heroic Festival ended, he would be worked to the bone.

At that, Kal smiled refreshingly.

"Hey. Regardless, with my grades, I wouldn't even make it to third year. As a way to decorate the end of Lumen, the acting student council president position wasn't bad either! I can actually consider myself lucky!"

'This is the first time I've seen someone happy about getting expelled.'

Juien wore an expression of disbelief.

'But with Senior Kal's grades, third year would be difficult.'

On the other hand, she felt worried.

Kal himself had stated that his goal was only to survive the first semester of his first year.

Yet, he had survived until the second semester of his second year, so it was clear that Kal considered his school life quite satisfactory.

However, Juien felt regret.

His magical power was poor by Lumen student standards.

His magical talent was also not very good.

Alchemy was excellent, but as a magic student, he was full of flaws.

Despite that, Kal's abilities were outstanding outside of his grades.

'Is there any way I can help Senior Kal?'

While Juien was stomping her feet in frustration.

Eliza also stared intently at Kal's retreating back.

***

Elena, who had rushed over and dealt with the representatives of the Merchants' Association, muttered with a serious expression,

"He gets done whatever you ask of him. He's a real jack-of-all-trades."

Elena, stroking her chin, her eyes sparkled.

"Leo, how can I exploit Kal even more?"

In the student council room, Elena asked with a serious face.

Leo, who was reviewing documents, replied,

"That's a problem for Kal to solve."

"There's an easy way too. I also have the authority of the acting director."

Seeing Elena smiling sweetly, Leo smiled faintly.

"No."

"Why? Wouldn't it be nice to go around with your best friend?"

As Elena frowned and spoke, Leo said calmly,

"If it were just about ending up as a junior that Elena Senior finds easy to exploit, that wouldn't be so bad."

"You mean it's not?"

"You need to develop your eye for people."

"What?"

At Leo's words, Elena's expression became indignant.

Although Eliza was always composed, her composure often broke in front of Leo.

After looking at Leo for a moment, Eliza scoffed and twirled her hair.

"Leo, do you think Kal can make it to third year on his own merit?"

"That's hard to say. But overcoming limits is our school's motto, isn't it?"

Leo chuckled.

"Kal will achieve results that everyone will acknowledge by overcoming his limits."