Chapter 38
Naturally, Sarkegar and Eleris were not there; only Loyar was.
Upon entering, the club members I encountered asked me how I was finding life at the Temple, to which I responded appropriately.
Of course, I didn’t mention anything about me pummeling the kids over there.
“I’ve heard that a prince and princess of the empire have enrolled at the Temple as well.”
“Yeah.”
“How are they? Isn’t it dangerous?”
Loyar seemed worried about me. Enrolling at the Temple was, in a way, embarking on a quite risky adventure, and now my peers included two members of the imperial family.
“For now, nothing much has happened, but the prince seems to be trying to pull me to his side.”
“Hmm... that does sound dangerous.”
“If things really start to look bad, I’ll manage to escape somehow with my ring.”
I tried my best to reassure her. It seemed that Loyar was contemplating the possibility that my life at the Temple might ultimately lead me into danger.
In any case, reporting to her wasn’t the only reason I’d come.
“There’s something else I need you to look into, if possible.”
“What might that be?”
“It’s actually something that Sarkegar should take care of.”
I wasn’t sure how much of a noble Count Argon Pontius was, but with Sarkegar’s shape-shifting ability, gathering the information I sought would be relatively easy.
“The princess seems to possess some sort of supernatural power, but it’s being treated as a state secret.”
“... Did you just say that the princess has a supernatural power?”
“Yes. I would like you to look into that. It’s not urgent, but just the fact that there’s something I don’t know about her makes me feel uneasy.”
It seemed necessary to find out what Charlotte’s power was.
Loyar, who might not have thought of this, frowned.
I wanted to know about this confidential supernatural ability that the princess possessed, and whether it was a genuine power, or a lie made up in order to facilitate her enrollment in the Royal Class.
If it were a dangerous power, I would need to be cautious.
“I’ll pass the message on to Sarkegar.”
“And how’s the subway business scheme going?”
At my question, a smile spread across Loyar’s face.
The Rotary Club had shifted their strategy from begging and selling candies to becoming subway peddlers.
“It’s going very well.”
“Oh? How well?”
Loyar explained that sales had increased to much higher levels. Along with candy, they were also selling simple snacks, and it seemed that the response from the consumers was good.
Whatever the case, managing subway peddlers felt strange.
“We are considering which toys to sell now, but even as it is, it seems quite satisfactory.”
“Make sure to instruct everyone not to fight with the passengers or cause any trouble. Tell them to leave the car or move to another one if there’s a dispute, and that if they start causing harm to the passengers, there will be sanctions from the imperial capital. And that would mean closing down the business.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
This was an unlicensed business. If the peddlers started becoming an inconvenience and a source of displeasure, the city guards could be called in to intervene and drive them out, or there would be a chance that guards would be permanently stationed in the trains.
The ideal case would be for the income to stabilize enough that we could cut ties with the Thieves’ Guild. The idea that the group I belonged to was under the thumb of some other group didn’t sit well with me.
As I was about to leave, Loyar called out to me.
“Your Highness.”
“Yeah?”
“Do not go visit Eleris or Sarkegar directly.”
‘Speaking of which, I was just about to stop by Eleris’s place.’
“Why not?”
“While it may be acceptable for you to come and go out of our club since you are a native of this place, visiting Eleris’s shop or Count Pontius’s house could be seen as unexpected and suspicious.”
“Ah... Yes, that does make sense. But do we really have to be that cautious already?”
“Yes. You were already being followed just now.”
‘What? When? And moreover, you detected that?’
“I didn’t take any action since they appeared to be your classmates. But from now on, you will need to be careful in your movements.”
I hadn’t even considered the possibility that there might be people tracking me for any reason. That was careless of me.
Stopping by the Rotary Club was within reason, since this place was a part of my cover story. However, it would have been risky to make the unusual move of going to Eleris’s shop or Count Pontius’ household.
I couldn’t believe that I was being tailed.
I was not a superhero, so suddenly stopping in an alleyway and saying stuff like “Alright, come on out, I know you’re there” was never an option.
I had a rough idea as to why I was being followed and wasn’t too concerned about it. Whoever it was was probably curious about what kind of person I was.
From now on, I would have to refrain from going to the Rotary Club as well. Loyar also said that, if necessary, she would convey messages from her side.
There was also the possibility that the prince would send someone to follow me, so when contacting Loyar, I had to be sure to check my surroundings thoroughly.
It was a relief that I had stopped by the club first. If I had headed somewhere else instead, I might have been in a bind.
And also...
—There comes the poor little beggar.
Right then, I was facing a situation that was much more annoying than having my identity exposed.
***
After receiving the warning from Loyar, I headed straight back to the Temple, partly to deal with those I suspected had followed me.
However, in the Class A dormitory lobby, the guys who had stayed in the dormitory were all looking at me with arrogant, scornful eyes. It seemed like rumors that I was a beggar had already spread like wildfire.
And there, at the front, was Kaier and Erhi, glaring at me.
“Hey, you! Weren’t you hanging out with the beggars by the bridge? You’re a beggar, aren’t you?”
I nodded in response to Erhi. “Yeah. I come from the gutters. So what?”
My quick and unfazed response seemed to have caught them off guard, and their expressions grew even more absurd.
It looked like they were going to mock me if I denied any connection with the beggars, but my forthright acknowledgment that I indeed was from the streets seemed to throw them off.
I looked at Erhi and Kaier.
“Seems like you guys were all set to taunt me for being a beggar or make a fuss about it. But you know, I’m sick of getting all worked up and punching someone over such lousy trash talk now. It’s annoying.”
I sighed with my arms crossed.
“If I were you, I would actually think twice before messing with someone that is from the streets.”
When I stepped forward, not only did Kaier flinch, but Erhi also took a step back.
“What’s your problem? Why are you acting tough when you’re just a beggar...?”
“Don’t come any closer... You filthy thing, rolling around with those beggars...”
It was funny how they kept running their mouths even as they cowered.
“Do you really think someone who’s lived through tough times on the streets would be affected by your petty provocations? And what do you think a person like that might do when they snap?”
I took another step toward them, and they both retreated another step.
“What if I suddenly snap, huh? What if I lash out? Aren’t you scared that might actually happen?”
I rolled my eyes and approached them, and they retreated step by step until they finally stumbled into a chair and collapsed into it. They seemed so petrified by my fierce words that their faces turned pale.
“You kids might be too young to realize this, but you shouldn’t mess with someone who has nothing to lose.”
Did they think that they could just trample over me just because I was a beggar?
You see, real adults would understand that people with nothing to lose are much more dangerous, as they think that others have nothing to lose as well.
“Someone who thinks they’ve hit rock bottom might just lash out without a second thought. Do you want me to show you? Huh? Shall I demonstrate? Shall I play along with you guys? Speak up. What do you want?”
“Y-you... you little...”
“Do you want me to show you what happens or not?!” I snapped loudly at Kaier.
“No, no... don’t...”
“Next. You, Erhi. You gonna say something or what?”
“What... what are you going to show us... what are you talking about?!” Erhi shouted back with some semblance of spirit.
“I’m asking if you want me to show what your left eye looks like. Do you think that just because you might be stronger or fitter than me, I won’t be able to use a knife on you?”
As I vividly described my violent intentions, Erhi’s face turned ghostly white, and he wildly shook his head at the imagined image.
“Yeah, if you want to see what happens, then go ahead, keep spying on me like you did. Do it, I dare you to.”
I smiled like a psychopath, and the two kids looked like they might wet themselves right there.
Those who were watching us secretly were no different.
If they thought that I was a mere beggar, they must have been caught off guard. But now, having realized I might actually be more of a crazed psycho, their expressions changed significantly.
“If you’ve got too much time to spare on a weekend, go kick a ball around or something. Acting all high and mighty, when you can’t even act your age, sheesh...”
I tapped their stunned faces with a slight flick of my wrist and then left the scene.
***
It seemed likely that Erhi and Kaier were the ones who had tailed me. I had half-expected Heinrich to come looking for me in a fit of excitement after hearing that I was a beggar, but he did not.
The news of my beggar background would probably spread, and thanks to the show I’d just put on, rumors of me being a loose cannon who was willing to risk it all might also begin to circulate.
While it was guaranteed that my infamy would grow because of this, it was still better to have those who got on my nerves avoid me. At the moment, I was acting tough, using sheer willpower and aggression, but with enough training, I planned to become genuinely strong.
However, there was another matter to consider.
Aside from all my tough talk and bluster, the important thing was my locked ability. The real issue was figuring out how to unlock this sealed power of mine.
As the afternoon approached, I still had no solid plan, just concerns.
Just as I was pondering what next steps to take...
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on my door.
‘What is it now?’
Was it time for me to “show” something again? Had someone come to provoke another confrontation so soon? Was this deja vu?
“... Hmm?”
When I opened the door, I was greeted by an utterly unexpected figure.
A beautiful girl in training attire, an apprentice who loved cheongukjang, stood there.
It was Ellen Artorius.
“You’re being summoned to the training grounds.”
She said that I was being “summoned.” What did she mean by that? Who had sent her to fetch me to the training grounds?
“Who is summoning me?”
“I don’t know. It seems like a senior.”
‘A senior?’
This was sudden and unexpected.
“The others are all there already.”
What did she mean when she said that the others were already there?
***
It seemed that someone had to come and get me, and nobody had been willing to, so Ellen had been the one to do so. But this episode of being summoned by a senior was perplexing.
The training ground was in the form of a very large gymnasium. All the first-year Class A students, excluding those who were away for the weekend, were already gathered there.
Everyone was there except for Vertus and Riana de Granz, who had a large mansion within the imperial capital. So there were a total of nine people gathered... But what were they doing?
“Is this kid the last one?”
Ellen nodded, and I could see my classmates maintaining a push-up position, and a child trying her best to look as menacing as possible standing in front of them.
The child spoke up.
“What are you doing? Don’t you see the others? Get down, now.”
“...”
“You’re not getting down?”
The child wasn’t in uniform, but she definitely looked younger than me. I was young, but she looked even younger, perhaps about middle-school age.
But... she was a senior?
Ellen took her place and adopted the push-up position next to where the others were lined up.
The child looked at the line of students that were face-down, and said, “Guys, it seems your friend is a bit slow on the uptake, don’t you think?”
My classmates were all looking at me, glaring venomously, signaling me to hurry up and get down.
Why on earth were these dignified young nobles obeying the words of this little child?
“A senior’s word is not to be taken lightly!” the child shouted angrily.
“A small child like you is supposed to be a senior?”
“What did... you say?”
My sudden, loud retort colored her expression with bewilderment.
“Senior my ass! A runt like you, making a scene here. One slap looks like it’d be enough to twist your neck, you puny thing. What are you so proud of, squawking like that?”
The expressions of my classmates, who were still in push-up position, turned bizarre.
“Y-you... do you even know who I am...?”
“I don’t care who you are, now get lost before I give you a flick on the forehead. Shoo!”
“Ahh!”
My hand came up swiftly, and the child panicked and backed away. Her face turned ashen blue with fear.
Her expression reflected both bewilderment and shock.
“You, you... you better brace yourself.”
“Yeah, good luck with that.”
The little brat, her face turning a shade of frosty blue, glared at me, grinding her teeth before striding out of the training ground.
Everyone else was looking at me with disbelief, as if they’d just witnessed another episode of my madness.
This time, however, my madness seemed to be met with a sort of welcome relief.
“What are you guys doing still down there? Get up.”
With uncertain expressions, the others hesitantly began to rise. I turned my gaze not towards the others, but specifically towards Kaier.
“Hey, what’s all this about?”
He was the easiest target now.
“Uh... well, it’s just that... That was... um...”
Kaier hesitated, as if obeying my command and explaining the situation was a blow to his pride.
“Hey, speak up!”
My menacing demand finally prompted him to stutter.
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