"Wow...there's a lot more people than I had originally thought"
"I'd have to agree with you on that one"
As Kevin and Emma arrived outside of section B, a crowd of students was swarming the entrance making it hard to see what was ahead.
Each student was sporting a different colored uniform which ranged from, azure blue, dark green, and blood-red, representing the year they were in.
A three-meter tall wall surrounded the whole of section B and on top of the wall, an invisible high voltage electrical line was installed preventing anyone from trying to sneak into the compound.
In order to enter the compound, four gates which were respectively allocated according to the cardinal points, North, South, East, West, were tightly guarded by the staff hired by the academy.
Because the academy was mainly a medium to nurture talented individuals which would later be the future pillars of humanity, the information regarding the students was tightly secured by the academy.
If the information were to be passed to the wrong hands, potentially talented heroes that have shown good promise during their academic stay might become the target of demons and villains, which could result in them prematurely dying before their talent could leave an impact on society.
...This was exactly what the academy didn't want, and hence why they invested heavily in security for section B. Excluding the professors who were all respectively strong heroes, the security alone comprised of B and C ranked Heroes.
Section B was practically one of the safest areas within the academy.
After 10 minutes, Emma and Kevin were finally able to arrive at the entrance of the compound.
The lines were split into three, and at the end of each line, a student with a red blazer was handing leaflets to every person who entered the compound.
"Welcome to the elective fair"
Approaching Kevin and Emma, a blonde individual elegantly handed them a leaflet with a gentle yet confident smile on his face.
"Thank you"
"Thank you"
Without thinking much, Emma and Kevin took the leaflet and left, resulting in the blonde individual's smile to momentarily falter.
"Ehm..ehm..excuse me, freshman"
Quickly regaining his composure, the blonde individual hastily moved in front of Kevin and Emma, obstructing their path. Suddenly being blocked out of nowhere, both Kevin and Emma couldn't help but frown as they scrutinized the person before them.
Although he wasn't as handsome as Kevin, he could've been regarded as a fairly handsome individual with his relatively well-proportioned features, blue eyes, and confident demeanor.
"What do you need?"
Annoyed, Emma didn't try to hide her displeasure as she lightly glared in his direction.
Smiling amiably, taking no notice of Emma's attitude, the blonde individual couldn't help but take a couple of glances at Emma evidently stunned by her beauty.
Without even acknowledging nor glancing in Kevin's direction, the blonde individual focused his whole attention on Emma almost as if he was enchanted by her beauty.
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Fabian Parker third year ranked 14, may I have the honor of knowing this beautiful girl's name?"
As he introduced himself, the undisguised pride in his tone couldn't be concealed as his smile deepened and his back straightened.
His eyes which now fully focused on Emma, couldn't hide the desire masked within them as he took one step closer to her.
"That's enough"
Placing his hand in front of Emma blocking Fabian from approaching her, Kevin glared at him.
"Can't you see you're bothering her?"
"Who are you?"
Finally noticing Kevin's presence, Fabian couldn't hide his displeasure, as his head snapped in his direction.
"How dare you block this one's path?"
"You're being annoying"
"Quickly move out of my way or don't blame me for being impolite"
Frowning, just as Kevin was about to get angry, a mocking voice disrupted their confrontation as Emma walked in front of Kevin.
"If you don't fuck off from my sight, don't blame ME for being rude"
Imitating Fabian's tone, Emma arrived right in front of Fabian and lightly smiled.
Startled by Emma's outburst, Fabian couldn't find any words to say resulting in his face crumping up.
"Got nothing to say?"
Raising her brow, Emma looked at Fabian provocatively.
"You..dare!"
Trembling, Fabian pointed his finger in Emma's direction as he struggled to contain his anger.
Since coming to the academy, no, more precisely, his whole life, Fabian had never been this humiliated.
Being born from the prestigious Parker family which held a tremendous amount of wealth and influence, every girl who he had ever approached threw themselves at him.
Never in his 19 years of life did someone disrespect him so much.
Especially from a couple of first years.
Apart from those who were higher ranked than him, and had a similar amount of influence as his family, no one had the right to look down on him.
He, Fabian Parker, heir of the Parker conglomerate with a net worth of over a trillion U was actually being humiliated in front of everybody like this?
'Does this slut think that just because she's pretty she can mess with me?'
"It seems like you don't hold your seniors in regard, good...good"
Clapping his hands a couple of times, Fabian's face darkened and his previous gentlemanly demeanor completely vanished.
"Ah!"
Covering her mouth, Emma exaggeratedly looked at Fabian and exclaimed "I am sorry! I didn't realize you were a senior! I mean..." Looking at Fabian up and down, Emma shook her head "The way you talked made me think you were a spoiled brat, so I instantly assumed you were the same year as me"
"She's definitely enjoying this..."
Watching Emma who acted like she was wronged, Kevin couldn't help but bitterly smile
"What a drama queen.."
She could've just ignored him and told him who she was, as her background was enough of a deterrence for 99% of the people attending the academy, but she chose not to, meaning that she was trying to humiliate him publicly.
Looking around, Kevin noticed a small crowd that had already started gathering around them due to Emma's loud voice.
Sighing, Kevin started doubting whether asking Emma to help him was the right decision.
Noticing the crowd that had started gathering around them, Fabian who was on the verge of exploding forcefully suppressed his anger and alternatively looked at Emma and Kevin.
"It seems like the new first years are in need of disciplining huh?"
-Vam!
As soon as he finished his sentence, massive pressure engulfed the surroundings while blue light started emanating from Fabian's body.
"ghh..."
"Ughh.."
"Ahhh...what's going on?"
The crowd which had gathered due to the commotion suddenly felt an immense pressure bearing down on them, and because they were caught off guard due to the suddenness of the attack, most of the people found themselves sprawled on the floor struggling to move.
Kevin and Emma, who were the ones that were bearing the full grunt of the force, took a knee to the ground as their legs gave out due to the immense pressure they were facing.
Although both Kevin and Emma were extremely talented, they were in no way a match to a third-year student who had been vigorously training for three years under the care of the academy.
Even Kevin, who could've been regarded as one of the best even amongst the second years felt an unimaginable pressure bearing down on him.
[Detecting hostile force]
[Would you like to activate skill {Overdrive}? Y/N]
"N-no"
Dismissing the system message that appeared anytime a hostile force was detected, Kevin looked up at Fabian who was slowly walking towards Emma.
"Not so proud now huh?"
"pfftt, you don't know who you're messing with!"
"Oh? and how so?"
Raising his brow, Fabian knelt down at Emma's eye level and lightly held her chin up with his fingers.
Feeling Fabian's finger touching her chin, Emma monetarily froze before opening her eyes wide in disbelief.
"I give you three seconds to let go of me before things get really serious"
"Oh?"
Tilting his head, Fabian couldn't help but lightly chuckle as his hand gripped Emma's cheeks.
"Do tell me what you're going to do to me..."
"How dare you!"
Feeling Fabian's hand gripping onto her face, Emma's final restraint disappeared and just when she was about to call her guards, a powerful voice reverberated across the surroundings.
"STOP!"
Right after the shout, the pressure that was bearing down on everyone disappeared, and a tall individual whose skin was on the darker side appeared before the crowd.
He had braids that extended all the way to his shoulders, and his bulging muscles that were the size of a football made one wonder if he was a human.
"Stop this farce at once!"
Arriving in front of Fabian, the individual who seemed to be the instructor overlooking this area appeared before Fabian and loudly screamed at his face.
"Wh-at!?"
Feeling the spit that was being spewed on his face by the instructor as he shouted, Fabian who couldn't believe his eyes struggled to speak for a couple of seconds.
Actually, he knew this individual.
Hero Rank 459 Jerome Wilson a.k.a 'Diamond Destroyer', a rather well-known hero famed for his tremendous strength. His name 'Diamond Destroyer' stemmed from how he was able to crush diamonds with his bare hands. If not for his low agility, Jerome could've been ranked in the top 300.
Noticing that he was being scolded by instructor Jerome, Fabian was so shocked that he couldn't utter a single word. The reason he was shocked was not because he was being scolded, but rather by whom he was being scolded...
Diamond destroyer, who he had known since young, was actually supposed to be an individual planted by his family to secretly support him during his stay in the academy
Yet here he was berating him in front of everyone.
"Come to my office right now!"
Without leaving any time for Fabian to collect himself, Jerome grabbed him by the neck and immediately left without even looking at Kevin and Emma.
Looking at the instructor who hastily brought Fabian away, Kevin stood up. Had he been a split second slower Kevin would've been forced to take action.
"Are you alright?"
Extending his hand towards Emma to help her stand up, Kevin had a troubled look on his face as he looked at the people around him groaning in pain on the floor.
Without responding to Kevin, Emma emotionlessly walked towards the entrance.
Reading the mood, Kevin shut up and followed her.
It seems like a storm was brewing
...
"Release me at once!"
After finding a relatively secluded area, Jerome who was still holding onto Fabian who was flaying in his arms, finally let go of him.
"kuuhh...How dare you do this me!"
Holding onto his neck, Fabian glared at Jerome who had a tired look on his face.
"How dare you lay your filthy hands on me! Wait till I tell d--"
"YOUNG MASTER!"
Shouted Jerome as veins could be seen visibly bulging from his head.
Stopping abruptly, Fabian looked at Jerome in disbelief as never in his whole life did he see him ever lose his cool like this.
"Sigh..sorry"
Realizing what he had just done, Jerome let out a long sigh and apologized to Fabian.
Covering his face, Jerome took out his phone and quickly dialed a number.
"Young Master, you have seriously screwed up this time"
"W-hat?"
Noticing that things weren't right, Fabian's voice became slightly rushed as he looked at Jerome who was pacing back and forth in front of him.
—Hello
Finally, after a couple of seconds, a cold voice full of authority entered Jerome's ears.
"Master there's been an emergency!"
—...What happened?
"Sigh...it's regarding young master"
—What did he do?
"A conflict between him and the Roshfield child occurred during the elective fair...and judging from how they operate things might become difficult very soon"
—bring that child home, I'll handle the rest
Pausing for a moment, the voice behind the phone became slightly colder before giving one last command and hanging up.
-Click!
"R-R-Roshfield!"
Staring at Jerome in disbelief, Fabian looked as if he had lost his soul.
Never in a million years did he imagine that the child he was eyeing was actually the princess of the Roshfield clan, and whose father was the vice director of the Union.
No wonder she was so arrogant...
No wonder she didn't even flinch at the mention of his family's name...
Although her family was about the same strength as his family, because her father worked in the union, if he wanted to, he could immediately make things harder for the Parker family resulting in seven to eight digits losses.
Realizing what he had done, Fabian powerlessly slumped on the ground as he dazedly looked at the sky
"I fucked up big time..."
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Passing by stalls without even glancing at them, Kevin worriedly looked at Emma who remained silent throughout the whole time they were walking. After that accident, Emma had a gloomy air around her. It felt as if she had erected a tall barrier that prevented anyone from approaching her.
"Hey! Hey!"
Suddenly Emma stopped walking. Raising her hand slightly, she wiped away the corner of her mouth.
Looking down, her azure blue uniform now had a small red stain on it.
Noticing it, Emma quickly pulled her hand back to hide the small stain. But although Emma tried to be subtle with her actions, it couldn't escape Kevin's eyes which immediately widened in shock.
"Shit!"
Grabbing her hand, Kevin immediately dragged her out of the elective fair.
It seemed like the earlier confrontation had resulted in Emma sustaining some internal injuries. The fact that she refused to kneel even under all of that pressure goes to show how much willpower and determination she had.
Fabian's rank was most likely around the C range which was around two ranks higher than Emma whose rank was still E- borderline E rank.
Subjected to such pressure, Emma was bound to suffer internal injuries. If not for the fact that Kevin's rank was E+ borderline D rank, he too would've suffered serious internal injuries.
-Smack!
"Don't touch me"
Raising her voice, Emma smacked Kevin's hand away. A split second after realizing what she had done, Emma froze and lowered her head in shame.
"I-I'm sorry"
"It's alright"
Not taking it to heart, Kevin stopped and looked at Emma.
Her complexion had become a lot paler than before, and looking at her carefully now, Kevin could see Emma slightly shivering. Almost as if she was suffering from extreme cold.
'shit, how come I didn't notice this before!'
Cursing at himself, Kevin thought for a bit before gritting his teeth.
"Here"
Taking out a light green potion from his inventory, Kevin handed it to Emma. This potion was one of the rewards that he had gotten after completing a quest that the system had given him.
He had saved it in case he got severely hurt, but seeing Emma suffering, Kevin couldn't control his impulse and decide to give it to her...
In the first place, the only reason she got hurt was because of him. If he had not asked her to bring him around for the elective fair, none of this would've happened.
"...I appreciate your concern"
Looking at the potion Kevin had given her, Emma was slightly touched, but she still rejected it.
"I insist"
Noticing Emma's stubbornness, Kevin tried to forcefully put the potion in her hand, only to be rejected by her once again.
Seeing that he could do nothing to make her take the potion, Kevin gave up.
Her hand, which was slightly trembling, reached out for her pocket. Taking out her phone, she quickly dialed a number.
After a couple of rings, a pleasant and gentle voice could be heard from the other side of the phone.
—Young miss how may I help you?
"I need someone to pick me up"
—Is something wrong miss?
"Everything is fine...please come and pick me up"
—...as you wish young miss, I will immediately dispatch someone to pick you up.
Sensing something, the lady on the other side of the phone immediately called for someone to go to Emma's location.
-Tak!
Soon after hanging up her phone, a butler calmly walked in their direction. He donned a neat black blazer with a slight opening where his white unwrinkled shirt could be seen. A black bowtie hugged his neck and accompanied by his well-polished shoes that shined under the campus light, further added to his elegance. He had a full set of white hair which was a result of his age. At the edge of his eyes, which were obsidian black, wrinkles that extended all the way to his upper cheeks could be seen. Lastly, what stood out the most about him was his nicely trimmed mustache that rested below his nose.
"Young miss"
Elegantly bowing in front of Emma, the butler greeted Emma.
"Uncl-e Norman please bring me home"
"..hm?"
Noticing that something wasn't right, Norman looked up and saw Emma's pale face.
"M-miss!"
Rushing in to support her, Norman grabbed her shoulders in a panic.
"I'm fi-khhh"
Seeing the panic in Norman's eyes, Emma tried to brush it off, but as soon as she started speaking a red trail of blood fell from her nose. Soon she passed out in Norman's arms.
"Miss!"
Lightly shaking Emma's body, Norman looked around in panic. Taking out his phone he quickly called for backup.
After he finished calling for backup, he gently laid Emma on a bench. After making sure that Emma was okay, Norman's demeanor completely changed as he coldly looked at Kevin and asked.
"Tell me what happened"
Helplessly nodding his head, Kevin quickly recounted what had happened moments before.
As he listened attentively to Kevin recounting about the incident with Fabian, Norman's face became gloomier by the second.
"...the Parkers, good, good"
Standing up, an extremely strong bloodlust permeated the surrounding, suffocating Kevin. Fortunately, Norman was controlling his bloodlust as it could only be felt within a certain radius.
If one of those weaker students were to suddenly be exposed to this bloodlust, they would've suffered mental trauma.
Soon, two black cars arrived at the front of section B where a bunch of individuals with black suits came out. Forming a line, they pushed away all students that were trying to take a look at what happened.
Carrying Emma in his arms, Norman looked back at Kevin and said
"Tell the dorm supervisor that Emma will be absent for at least a couple of days"
Nodding his head helplessly, Kevin agreed
-Clank!
Closing the door to the car, the cars soon sped into the distance.
Staring at the departing cars, Kevin fell into deep thought before going back into the dorm.
...it seems like he'll have to visit the elective fair another time.
...
Parker tower, Ashton city
It was currently nighttime in Ashton city, and the lights coming from the cars drifting in the distance formed beautiful yellow and red stripes that stretched all the way to the horizon.
Inside of a large office, on the top floor of a tall glass building, the silhouette of a man looking down the busy streets of Ashton city could be seen.
"...that is all"
Standing a few steps behind the man, a butler kneeled on the floor as he read the report in his hand.
After the butler read the report, a deathly silence permeated the room.
Soon the silence was disrupted by the cold voice of the silhouette standing by the window side of the office.
"...Push the plan forward"
"Sir!"
Abruptly standing up, the butler immediately tried to voice his objection.
"k-hhukk"
...but before he could do that, the butler found himself facing the ground as an unimaginable pressure bore down on him. No matter how much he struggled he could not move. This was especially shocking since the butler himself was a B-rank Hero.
The fact that he could not move despite his high rank goes to show how powerful the individual he was serving was.
"...Do as you're told"
Without looking back, the silhouette once again spoke. This time, the butler didn't even dare to talk back as he could only nod his head on the floor.
Soon the pressure died down and the butler was able to regain his mobility.
"Call him to my room"
As the butler was ready to leave the room, his master spoke once again.
"Yes master"
-Clank!
Elegantly bowing his body forward, the butler left the office. Soon, the office became enveloped in silence as only the sound of the man's breathing could be heard.
-Knock! -Knock!
"F-father?"
The tranquil atmosphere was soon broken by the sound of a knock. The door slowly opened and a face could be seen peeking from the other side of the door.
Fabian, who was on the other side of the door, trembled all over as he waited for his father's permission to enter the room. His previous arrogance could no longer be seen as he resembled a scared rabbit trapped in a cage.
"...enter"
-Clank!
Obediently listening to his father, Fabian carefully entered the room and closed the door behind him.
Soon an awkward silence enveloped the room.
Sweat could be seen falling from Fabian's face as he stood with his back straight not daring to sit down.
Unable to stand the tense atmosphere anymore, Fabian was the first to break the silence.
"F-father?"
Turning around, the features of the silhouette were revealed under the room's lights. His facial features were similar to that of Fabian, however, despite his age, which was in the late fifties, there were no wrinkles on his face. If someone did not know about his age they could've easily mistaken him for a twenty-year-old college student.
What separated him from a regular student was his distinct sense of authority that could be felt from his demeanor. It felt as if he was a judge that dictated who was guilty and who was innocent.
-Gulp!
Swallowing a large mouthful of saliva, Fabian waited for his father to respond.
"...How do you plan to fix your mistake?"
"Y-yes"
hearing his dad's cold voice, Fabian stood up straight and fumbled on his words. He was too nervous to speak.
Frankly, Fabian since young had rarely ever spoken with his father.
He was the third in line of the Parker family, and wasn't doted on as much as his brothers. However...he still had everything.
His family, which was passed on for generations could be considered as one of the strongest in the current human domain. They managed to rise from the bottom to where they were now thanks to their business-orientated mentality.
The Parker conglomerate was responsible for selling and trading cores, monster parts, and skills. They had so much money that could last each member for generations.
Being neglected, Fabian spent lavishly to substitute the missing paternal love that he never received from his parents.
On the off-chance that he did meet his father, he would always be intimidated by his presence which exuded authority.
To him, his father never felt like a real father...he felt more like his boss.
"I want you to finish what you started"
Seeing that his son was still too timid to hold a conversation with him, Micheal Parker, the current CEO of the Parker conglomerate spoke up.
"eh?"
Not expecting what his father was telling him, Fabian looked at his father in confusion.
"You heard me clear...I want you to finish what you started."
"B-but woul-dn't that start conflict with the Roshfield family"
Smirking coldly, Micheal Parker looked at his son in contempt
"The deed has already been done, you think they'll do nothing after what you've done?"
Hearing his father's words, Fabian lowered his head. He was right, now that everything had already started it was too late to regret it.
"I've been planning this for a while, you've only pushed forward the inevitable"
"...so now I want you to go through with it to the end, I want you to thoroughly crush Emma Roshfield"
Staring at his son, Micheal Parker slowly walked next to him and patted his shoulder
"Prove your worth."
Feeling his father's large hands, Fabian felt something inside of him rise. It was something that he had never felt before...reliance?
As if a fire had suddenly ignited inside of his heart, Fabian Looked at his father in the eyes and asked
"But if I target her, wouldn't that make me the prime target of the Roshfield"
Smiling slightly, Micheal turned back to look at the busy streets of Ashton city.
"You have to mask your actions...hire some people to create conflict within the academy so that you can veil your true target. Emma Roshfield"
"Once everyone is too distracted with the conflicts, you will strike and deal a fatal blow to the Roshfield family's only successor"
Staring at the busy streets of Ashton city, Micheal Parker grinned coldly. Looking at the Roshfield tower not so far in the distance, Micheal Parker raised his hand and slowly clenched it.
"It's about time that the Parker family got rid of the Roshfield family"
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