CHAPTER 48: 48 - GOING BACK [2]

"What are you doing here?!"

Eve exclaimed while pointing her slim index finger at me.

"Why is Raven here?"

"I don’t know, he just disappeared last Wednesday."

"And why is he in the office having a private conversation with Eve’s father?"

Then I heard whispering behind her, and as it turns out... It was Blake, Alec, and Adelle.

Aoi and Curtis are also with them. Aoi is showing a confused expression while Curtis is glaring at me.

I looked at the group and opened my mouth.

"Sir Clifford and I were talking about business."

I casually said. I can’t think of any plausible lie to explain why I’m here with Clifford, so I just said the truth.

Eve, not convinced by my answer—frowned and looked at her father. The others did the same.

Clifford looked at me with a frown.

I just shrugged my shoulders and relaxed myself.

Seeing that, he let out a sigh and shook his head before looking back at his daughter and the others.

"We really were talking about business."

He firmly said.

The others looked at me with disbelief. I just ignored them and turned my head back to Clifford.

"So what’s your answer about my proposal?"

I asked Clifford. He frowned and pointed at Eve and the others.

"Let’s talk about it later."

He replied.

"Hmm? I don’t really mind them hearing about it, but sure... Let’s talk about it later."

I said. I still have a lot to do before I could start with the businesses anyway.

After that, Clifford looked back at Eve’s group.

"Do you guys know each other?"

Clifford asked, looking back and forth between me and them.

"I’m Raven’s friend."

Alec answered immediately.

"Me too!"

Blake exclaimed, raising his hand.

"Me three!"

And Adelle followed too.

I’m actually happy to know that they consider me a friend, but I didn’t show it on my face.

Then not long after that, the others answered too.

"We’re acquaintances."

Aoi sternly stated.

"I don’t know him."

Curtis grumbled while still glaring at me.

Though, I don’t really mind his answer and just ignored him.

Then Clifford looked at Eve, my eyes followed too unconsciously.

"We’re in the same class."

Eve said with a frown.

’Well, at least she remembers me being in the same class as her.’

I thought. She usually forgets stuff she’s uninterested in, the same as me.

Well, not that I care if she remembers me or not.

After hearing their answers, Clifford looked at me with a questioning gaze.

His eyes were asking me if what they said was true.

"It’s just as they said... Hwaaaa..."

I casually mumbled, then yawned as I’m pretty exhausted.

Clifford, who knows why I’m exhausted, ignored my rudeness.

"Why did you not tell me then?"

Clifford asked. Or to be exact, he’s asking me why I didn’t tell him that I know his daughter when we were in the [Mysterious Woodland].

Shrugging my shoulders again for ’god-knows-how-many-times’...

"I forgot."

I replied half-heartedly.

I’m lying, I didn’t forget, I just didn’t have a reason to tell him at that time. And if I told him that now, Clifford might make me Eve’s bodyguard in the academy. I don’t want that, sounds troublesome.

Anyway, accepting my answer, at least for now—Clifford brought his attention back to his daughter.

Though, he frowned at me before doing so.

"Eve, what do you want?"

He asked her with a strict tone. He’s acting calm, but Clifford is actually a sucker for his daughter.

"I want to borrow a training room for us to use until our assessment test."

Eve quickly stated her reason for visiting.

"Sure, there are plenty of vacant training rooms here, you can use any room you like. Want me to send heroes to train you guys too?"

And Clifford immediately answered, still trying to keep his strict father facade.

’What a doting father.’

I thought, shaking my head after seeing his bad acting.

"That would be very helpful."

Eve didn’t decline her father’s suggestion as she answered happily.

But it was then when—

"Can Raven come with us?!"

Adelle exclaimed while looking at Clifford and Eve.

"Of course, Raven is a very good kid after all. I owe him a lot."

Clifford then replied to Adelle with a smile.

Eve frowned and looked at me.

"Well, why not, if Father agrees."

She said after a while of silence.

"Yay! Do you want to train with us, Raven?"

Then that’s just when Adelle asked my opinion about the matter.

I shook my head.

"I already have a plan on how to train myself."

I said in a bored tone.

"Oh, too bad then..."

She mumbled with a disappointed tone.

Alec and Blake also seem to be quite disappointed too.

Eve and Aoi don’t really care that much.

But Curtis sure is happy with my answer.

’Well, I asked Oscar and Ruby to train me, and there’s also Levina so sorry.’

Clifford can’t train me anymore in swordsmanship because he has to work on things in the guild.

So I’ll just ask Ruby.

Oscar said he’ll happily train me as thanks for saving the girls in the dungeon.

While Levina just wants me to master my electric attribute as fast as possible.

"Well, we need to go now, Father."

As the room was getting more awkward as time passed, Eve spoke.

Clifford just nodded, still thinking his act is convincing everyone, though it’s the contrary.

"Bye Sir Clifford!"

"Nice seeing you, Sir Clifford."

Adelle and Aoi respectively said, then bowed their heads a little.

"It’s nice meeting you, Sir. Don’t worry, I will protect Eve with all of my might."

Curtis said as politely as possible.

’Umm, ew.’

I thought. The others might have thought so too, as they all frowned at his words.

"Goodbye, Sir."

"Thanks for lending us a training room."

Blake and Alec followed and bowed their heads.

"See you at the academy, Raven!"

Adelle exclaimed, waving at me.

I nodded my head.

"Yes, see you."

Then I replied.

After that, they all left.

"I need to go too, I have an appointment."

I said to Clifford as I walked toward the door.

"You’re busy for a normal student, huh."

Clifford teased.

Looking back at him, I opened my mouth.

"I’m gonna be busy now, then enjoy my freedom later in the future with a lot of money."

I said with a grin, and after that.

Click—

I left the room.

*****

Meanwhile... On Alec and the others’ side...

They’re currently on their way to the training area in the [Coldvale] guild building.

"Too bad he can’t join us, huh."

Adelle muttered, she’s talking about Raven.

"Why do you want him to join anyway?"

Aoi asked her with a frown.

Not that Adelle cared as she just placed her hand on her chin.

"Aren’t you guys curious about how he fights?"

Then she replied with a question too.

And that got everyone’s attention.

"Now that I think about it, because the shooting range is divided by rooms... No one has ever saw him shoot a gun."

Alec mumbled as his curiosity was piqued.

They were all already assuming Raven can fight, forgetting that he’s supposed to be a non-combatant Awakened.

"As a person who uses long-range weapons, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about his fighting style."

Aoi honestly said.

"I don’t know how he fights, but I know he’s hella strong!"

Blake shouted, and everyone’s attention turned toward him.

"Why do you think so?"

Adelle asked.

"Just a gut feeling."

Then Blake proudly responded. That didn’t convince anyone—in fact, it made everyone doubt his words more.

"He’s strong."

Then suddenly, Eve declared that.

"Huh?"

"Hm?"

"...!"

Her words surprised everyone.

"Do you have a reason why you think so?"

Aoi asked this time. Eve looked at the others, then opened her mouth.

"I can feel it."

She said seriously.

"Oh! So you’re the same as me—just gut feeling, huh."

Blake, who couldn’t read the mood, exclaimed, smiling at Eve weirdly.

"Well, I’m stronger than him, so no need to talk about that lame guy."

Then Curtis followed with a boastful tone.

"Well, Alec is stronger than you, so shut up."

Eve shot him down with clear annoyance in her voice.

Curtis immediately shut up, but when Eve averted her eyes from him—he glared at Alec.

Alec just smiled awkwardly.

And at that moment, Adelle spoke again.

"But he’s really mysterious, huh."

She said, pertaining to Raven.

Her words was met by silence, so she just continued.

"He’s having a private conversation with Eve’s father, the guildmaster of the number one guild, [Coldvale]. They said it’s about business, but how did Raven do that? Even my mother can’t talk to Eve’s father about business easily."

At her words, the others halted their steps.

"..."

They started to wonder too.

’What did Raven do?’

This question was carved into their minds.

"Raven also has a relationship with Miss Ruby, an S rank hero. He’s also stupidly smart, and sometimes... the presence he gives off just feels really different. He acts so mature, it’s like he’s already in his 30s."

Adelle listed and stated all the things she found weird about Raven.

"Why is someone like him not known? He’s actually way smarter than any of us."

She added.

They might not want to admit it, but they really think Raven is smarter than them.

Raven is a genius—he’s a gem. But that gem didn’t shine. No one discovered it. Why is that?

That kind of question was attacking their heads.

Then, after a while of total silence, lost in thoughts about Raven—

"Well, who cares, let’s just go."

Curtis grumbled and started walking toward their destination.

The others followed in silence.

In the midst of that silence, the bored Adelle talked again.

"When I saw Raven with Eve’s father earlier, I thought that Eve and Raven have a secret relationship."

Then she laughed.

At her words, the others halted again.

Aoi, Blake, and Alec were showing surprised expressions while looking at Adelle.

While Eve and Curtis were glaring at her.

Adelle noticed that she said something she shouldn’t have.

"Sorry, let’s just go."

She apologized awkwardly.

And with that, they all continued marching to the training area—

But now, with a weird atmosphere around them.