Chapter 571

571.

“Come on! Choose! Choose! It’s a specialty of Rumelia City!”

“From the distant southern continent! Rare foods from the land of the desert brought by beastmen!”

“Take a look at the jewels crafted by dwarf artisans!”

“This is a cloth woven by the elves using mithril!”

The countless merchants who filled Rumelia City ceaselessly called out to attract customers.

Even though the city, which was located at the center of the world and housed Lumeran, was always bustling with merchants and crowds, the atmosphere was distinctly different this time.

In ordinary circumstances, most of the merchants in Rumelia City were humans.

However, at the moment, merchants from many races had taken their places.

It was rare to see such a large-scale gathering of merchants from various races anywhere in the world.

But this was a special situation due to the Hero’s Festival, a global celebration where heroes gather. The participation of four Hero Academies, each competing for prowess, had drawn all races to the event.

Where people gather, merchants follow.

So, it wasn’t unreasonable to see such a massive number of merchants converging here.

Even within the same race, disputes are bound to arise when vast crowds gather.

Let alone when several races, differing in their very worldviews, come together—conflicts were practically unavoidable.

“Hey! Hey! How many times do I have to tell you not to encroach here?”

A human merchant was threatening a beastman merchant with a hostile voice.

“It’s just that I have a lot of baggage, so I temporarily placed it here! Besides, I’m clearing it up quickly, so isn’t it too greedy of you?”

“Greedy? What is this! You must show at least some courtesy if you want to do business on someone else’s land!”

The human merchant kicked the crates stacked by the beastman merchant in a fit of nerves.

Clatter!

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

When the beastman merchant saw this, his eyes turned fierce.

“What kind of nonsense is this?”

The enraged beastman merchant showed his sharp fangs and extended his claws sharply.

The human merchant flinched at the sight but quickly groaned,

“Ouch~ Look, the beastman is threatening a human!”

Both merchants operated street stalls selling food.

But since the beastmen are globally renowned for their culinary skills, the human merchant’s stall struggled to attract customers.

Moreover, the beastman’s prices were much lower.

For the human merchant who had been targeting special occasions like this annual event in Rumelia City to make a profit at high prices, the beastman merchant’s well-visited stall was inevitably an annoyance.

When the human merchant groaned, the beastman merchant stepped back, looking confused.

“What? What are you talking about? You started being unreasonable…!”

“Ow~ Ow~ All existing merchants are suffering because of these outsiders!”

Just then, as the human merchant raised his voice the loudest to create a commotion,

“Something seems to have happened.”

Someone appeared through the crowd.

“What is going on?”

A boy with striking orange hair approached, and the human merchant smiled in satisfaction upon recognizing his uniform.

Conversely, the face of the beastman merchant darkened.

“Ouch~ Student from Lumeran! Just look at this! This beast-like creature is threatening me despite me just running an honest business!”

“What? You’re the one who started causing trouble!”

As the beastman merchant protested, the Lumeran student, Kal, raised a hand.

“Let’s hear the whole story. Beastman merchant, could you explain what happened first?”

The beastman merchant then explained the situation.

“Hmm, hmm. I see.”

After Kal nodded in understanding, he turned toward the human merchant to listen to his side when—

“Before the explanation, let me commend your hard work. Here, take this as pocket money.”

“What’s this nonsense?”

Kal smiled craftily as he saw the human merchant sneak him a pouch of money.

The beastman merchant watched this exchange with disdain.

After listening attentively to the human merchant’s elaborate explanation, Kal nodded.

“I see. That must have been troubling.”

“Exactly what I said!”

“So, please apologize.”

“Excuse me?”

“Even if you’re upset about losing customers, you shouldn’t act this way. First off, if you didn’t overcharge, such issues wouldn’t occur in the first place, right? The Hero’s Festival is a celebration aimed at promoting harmony between races and making everyone enjoy it.”

Kal smiled gently, and the human merchant shivered.

“Just because you’re a Lumeran student, you should take the side of your fellow humans! What kind of nonsense is this?”

“Heroes aren’t biased toward any specific race, though, are they?”

“That’s not the point! You even took that pouch of money….”

“Oh? Was it not supposed to be pocket money?”

Kal twirled the pouch of money around his finger with a cunning grin.

“Urgh! No matter how you’re a Lumeran student, you’re far too overstepping your bounds for a mere second-year! What’s your name? The Merchant Guild of Rumelia City will make an official complaint!”

The incensed merchant finally erupted.

Even though Lumeran students, especially those unknown ones, could face difficulties if formally accused by the Rumelia City Merchant Guild, the merchant underestimated Kal because of his polite demeanor.

As the merchant spoke, Kal was stroking his cheek when—

“How absurd. Are you threatening a Lumeran student at a street stall?”

From behind Kal, a southern girl with light-brown skin revealed herself—Juen.

Juen crossed her arms with her eyebrows raised, and murmurs began to ripple among the surrounding crowd.

“Isn’t that Juen Thorbina?”

“The top from the first-year Department of Magic at Lumeran?”

People who recognized Juen began whispering.

Upon seeing this, the human merchant became flustered.

“Brave, trying to threaten an acting student council president!”

“That’s Eliza Hergin?”

“The heir of the Hergin family?”

“Wait, what? That student is the acting student council president?”

Hearing Eliza’s words, the people around them gasped in surprise.

Realizing this, the merchant’s face turned pale.

“Well, I….”

Eliza looked at the merchant and spoke irritably.

“Please inform the representatives of the Rumelia City Merchant Guild that I want them to show up at Lumeran right away.”

“Oh! I didn’t know! Please forgive me this one time!”

The merchant fell flat on the ground, crawling to beg for forgiveness, but Eliza merely snorted.

“Come on, let’s go, Kal senior.”

Juen pushed Kal’s back, prompting them to leave.

Eliza, who returned through the crowd, looked at them with a disdainful expression.

“You’re not even utilizing your position properly. How foolish, Kal Thomas. Well, it is expected from a commoner.”

“Are you belittling Senior Kal right now? He’s merely not resorting to authority without cause!”

Juen reacted strongly to Eliza’s words, who in turn looked at her with a cold gaze.

Juen flinched slightly but defiantly raised her chin.

As Eliza fiddled with her fingers while observing Juen, Kal stepped behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Relax, both of you.”

“Let go.”

Eliza shook off Kal’s hands irritably.

Kal shrugged, raising both hands in a casual manner.

“Did you just do that on purpose?”

“What do you mean?”

“Merchants are people who would put their lives on the line when it comes to money.”

Kal, who came from a family of alchemists and engaged in commercial activities, fully understood the behavior of merchants.

Initially, Kal was also a member of the Merchant Club, and most of the first and second-year students at Lumeran often relied on Kal’s network for urgently needed items.

“Considering this is a festival never seen before in history, the merchant guild will likely be tempted to take advantage of the situation.”

Kal shrugged.

“But the Hero’s Festival is more than just a competition, right? It’s also a festival for everyone to enjoy and come together.”

Kal remembered what Leo had said—about creating a festival where everyone could gather and enjoy.

Kal stopped walking.

The streets of Rumelia City, bustling with various races, felt different than usual.

‘It’s somewhat like Guardstron from Lord Dwenno’s world that I once saw.’

A city from the distant past where everyone helped each other and lived in harmony.

A legendary city that has vanished into the annals of history.

‘Maybe Leo really wants to create a world where everyone lives in harmony.’

It’s not just about preventing division before a great threat.

‘Maybe he wants us to continue the unity even after overcoming the crisis together as a legacy for future generations.’

“Unexpectedly, conflicts and divisions often start from small matters.”

Kal shrugged again.

“It’s not fun to get ripped off when you come to enjoy, right?”

“Is that so?”

“Just giving them that small amount of money would have resolved everything.”

Juen and Eliza, who didn’t fully understand, made confused expressions, so Kal clicked his tongue.

“That’s why you noble ladies are…”

“Are you calling me irresponsible?”

“Bold move, Kal Thomas.”

Juen glared at Kal and shook him, while Eliza smirked cruelly.

“Anyway! There’s no reason to spoil the festival when even legitimate trading brings enormous profits. My father, as the head of a family of small merchants, always said that in order to create a celebration for everyone, we must first fight against overcharging. Even Senior Elena agrees with this.”

Kal clenched his fist.

“Since a member of the Merchant Guild of Rumelia City provoked the acting student council president, Senior Elena will probably use this as leverage to pressure the Merchant Guild. Also, the reason I could come to Rumelia City during this busy preparatory period was to find some leverage against them.”

After finishing his explanation, Kal shrugged again.

“Anyway, I’ll step aside, and Seniors Elena and Hark will handle the Merchant Guild.”

“Was bringing me and Juen here for that reason?”

“Yes. The moment a conflict arises, I knew you or Juen would punish them in ways they wouldn’t enjoy. Also, there’s no reason for you two to get implicated, just like Seniors Hark and Elena won’t.”

“You’re using me, aren’t you? Crafty.”

Kal’s words made Eliza curl the corner of her mouth.

‘He thought he was going to be taken advantage of.’

Although used, Eliza inexplicably found herself smiling in satisfaction.

‘So, now that we have the money, let’s go eat something delicious?”

Haha! Laughing cheerfully, Kal said.

“Senior Kal, you look really happy.”

“Of course! Now that I’m finally free, it’s natural to be happy! Once the Hero’s Festival begins, liberation from that hellish workload too!”

“But that’s only temporary.”

Kal had already been chosen by Senior Elena as an exceptional talent, and his future was clear.

Even after the Hero’s Festival ends, he will definitely be overworked to the bone.

He smiled confidently in response.

“Hey, anyway, there’s no way I’ll make it to third year with my grades. So, in a way, acting as student council president suits me well! It was actually pretty lucky!”

‘He looks happy at the prospect of being expelled for the first time.’

Juen displayed a look of disbelief.

‘But with Kal’s grades, it’s going to be tough to reach third year.’

She was also concerned.

Kal himself had stated that his only goal was to finish the first semester as a first-year.

Yet, he had survived until the second semester of the second year. From Kal’s perspective, this must have been a satisfying school life.

Still, Juen felt regretful.

Lumeran’s average standard for students viewed his low mana amount as unsatisfactory.

His magical talent was also far from excellent.

Although his alchemy skills were splendid, riddled with flaws, he was not the ideal candidate from the Department of Magic.

Even so, Kal’s abilities outside of academics were extraordinary.

‘Is there any way to help Kal-senpai?’

While Juen tapped her feet anxiously,

Eliza was gazing blankly at Kal’s back.

*

Having dismantled the panicked heads of the Merchant Guild, Elena muttered seriously,

“He can do anything asked of him. This guy really is all-around capable.”

Elena, who had been rubbing her chin, suddenly sparkled her eyes.

“Leo-kun, how can we exploit Kal-kun even more?”

Inside the Student Council Room, Elena asked earnestly while examining documents.

“Kal has his issues to resolve,” Leo responded.

“There are easier ways. I do hold the acting principal’s authority also.”

Elena, beaming at Leo’s joke, smirked back.

“No.”

“Why? Isn’t it nice traveling together with your best friend?”

Elena frowned slightly and continued, which made Leo bluntly ask,

“If junior member Elena-senpai views him as someone easy to exploit, that wouldn’t be too bad.”

“What?”

Leo’s response caused Elena to frown in frustration.

Though Elena usually appears calm and collected, she frequently loses composure in front of Leo.

After a moment of staring at Leo, Elena huffed and played with her hair.

“Leo-kun, do you think Kal-kun can reach third year on his own?”

“That’s uncertain. But isn’t surpassing limits the lesson of our school?”

Leo chuckled.

“With Kal, he’ll surpass the limits and achieve results that everyone can acknowledge.”