章 30: FIEF STATUS ISSUING (III)
How could a kid, not even at Tier I, instill fear in a proud Tier IV experienced Prime and Hero?
While such a scenario was theoretically possible, whether his memories were sealed or not, it was more likely to occur after his growth.
Stare's brows furrowed as he returned to Imma's proud expression while the man continued selecting the other students' Fief Status. 'Nah... I must be overthinking,' Stare quickly dismissed the thought.
For now, the most important thing was to get into the same class as Y-204. Regardless of whether Y-204 was deliberately avoiding him, Stare needed to speak with him and, if possible, be near him to keep an eye on him.
As Stare pondered this, he hadn't noticed Imma approach him and stare intently into his eyes.
"You must be the kid that bitch kept talking about," a familiar haughty voice brought him back from his thoughts, and Stare found himself facing the shirtless red-haired guy.
For some reason, Stare had a suspicion about whom Imma referred to as the 'bitch,' and he couldn't help but inwardly curse. 'How many staff members and teachers had that man talked to about me?' he thought in annoyance.
Before he could respond to Imma's gaze, the man nodded abruptly and moved on to the next person, but not before muttering a threat into Stare's ear.
"I would definitely enjoy mashing up that pretty face of yours."
Stare's words were caught in his throat as he silently cursed "Just A Guy" once again.
Joel, who had been close to Stare, also received Imma's nod, leaving only one student left—Bobby.
Imma reached Bobby, who had been brimming with confidence and, without even sparing him a glance, turned back with disinterest, heading back towards the podium.
This turn of events shocked the group, including Joel, as everyone had expected Bobby to easily pass Imma's examination.
Bobby quickly grabbed Imma's hand as the man was about to return to the stage. His expression was one of pure confusion as he stared into Imma's amber eyes.
"I... don't... I don't understand. You forgot to nod, you just walked past me, sir," he said with a shaky voice.
Imma, however, didn't show concern and wore an irritated expression as Bobby's grip on his hand suddenly ignited in flames. Despite the flames burning his palm, Bobby maintained his grip, displaying a mixture of pain, confidence, and determination.
Tears welled up in his red eyes from the pain, but rather than loosening his grip, he held on tightly.
Imma recognized Bobby's determination and seemed slightly impressed as he responded more fittingly this time. "Let go, kid... you don't have the spark I'm looking for. Being a Supporting Hero would suit you better; you're not exactly Main Hero material."
Bobby remained silent for a while, tears slowly falling from his face, he then slowly released Imma's hand, his expression turned despondent, and tears silently streamed down his cheeks. His palms were severely burnt, but he appeared more affected by an inner pain than the physical one.
Just as Imma was about to make his way back to the stage after being released, he felt another grip on his hand. Flames immediately engulfed his entire body as he turned around, looking extremely annoyed.
"I told you to let—"
His words were silenced as he saw a different person holding his hand: the handsome kid with black hair and green eyes the 'bitch' had talked about.
"If there's truly anyone in this hall who's Main Hero Material, it won't be those pesky Elites who got everything handed to them, it won't be anyone in that group of Main Heroes you selected, me included, not even you is exactly Main Hero Material," Stare declared, his tone filled with defiance and resolve.
"...If there's truly anyone in this hall who's a Main Hero Material, then it would be this weird kid whom you just wrote off."
No matter how hard he tried to remain silent, he couldn't stand by while Bobby's dream was shattered. Even if it meant antagonizing the Elites, Imma, and perhaps the entire school, he couldn't allow such an injustice to occur. Whether it was part of the Oracle Path or not, he no longer cared.
Imma simply looked at the unwavering expression on Stare's face, which showed no signs of wavering, despite the flames on his body continuing to burn steadily.
"Aren't you scared of antagonizing these so-called Elites or that I'll burn you alive?" Imma asked, a small smile on his face.
Stare remained silent in response, his gaze locked on Imma.
"Although I admire strong-willed people, I dislike it when their determination contradicts my decisions," Imma added, finally breaking the silence.
Everyone in the hall expected Stare to suddenly be engulfed in flames, including Stare himself, who anticipated an attack at this point. However, to their surprise, the flames on Imma's body suddenly extinguished as he forcefully withdrew his hand from Stare's severely burnt palm, picking out another lollipop stick from his pocket and sticking it into his mouth.
"You know what, after some consideration, you're not Main Hero Material either. You can join your friend in the Supporting Heroes Hall."
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