Chapter 96: Chapter 96

C96: Banquet of Flames (1)

Only 1 chapter today.

Rudger was a bit perplexed because he didn’t know that Rene would be in a place like this.

“Rene, what are you doing here?”

“Uh, that’s…….”

Rene pondered whether or not to say this, but she didn’t have anything to hide anyway, so she decided to be honest.

“Part-time job……It’s.”

“Part-time job?”

“Yes, I heard they’re looking for people to serve here, so I got a recommendation from a senior I know. I heard that the pay is good and the job doesn’t take long.”

“Is it a part-time job?”

I wondered if it was necessary to entrust it to Theon students, but surprisingly, this kind of thing happened quite often.

Leathervelk once had an agreement with Theon. It is said that Theon’s students are specially hired for various necessary tasks in Leathervelk.

The same is true of the bulletin boards that exist in Theon. The purpose of the agreement was to hire Theon’s students for less difficult work and give them the opportunity to earn the necessary funds.

This was also good for Leathervelk because they could have the opportunity to meet Theon’s students and put a face stamp on talented people who would become great wizards in the future, along with a positive image of the city.

Even with these banquet halls, it was not uncommon for some students to come as part-time workers.

“Besides me, there are several other seniors, so it’s okay.”

Line smiled and replied.

According to Henry this was an easy part-time job and she could earn a lot of money but she didn’t expect that it would be a banquet hall where teachers and important people gather?

“……Yes, I see.”

“Would you like a drink?”

“Yeah.”

Rudger took a glass from Rene’s tray and immediately drank it.

It was a little unexpected to have Rene in a place like this, but it wasn’t really a problem. It was just a little surprising.

This wasn’t something he needed to worry about.

‘But.’

Whenever he sees her, he suddenly remembers what happened in the past. It’s even more so when he sees her standing still and looking at him having a drink with sparkling eyes. She has the same appearance as Rene and he couldn’t get her out of his head.

“Rene. You…….”

“What?”

Rudger, who was suddenly going to say something to Rene, could not finish his words properly.

“No, it’s nothing.”

I can’t tell her because of that promise. Giving her the book it’s the only thing I could do.

“Don’t overdo it, go home early.”

All Rudger could say was, after all, just some advice.

“Oh, yes. Thank you. I’ll be on my way.”

“Yes.”

After Rene bowed her head and backed away, Selina, who found her late, approached Rudger and asked.

“That kid just now was Rene?”

“You know her? I thought she wasn’t in your class.”

“Yes. We got to know each other the other day but what is Rene doing here?”

“She said she had a part-time job.”

Selina clapped her hands.

“Aha. That’s right. I think I heard that some students who don’t get scholarships make money from other jobs. No wonder my assistant was here.”

“Your assistant?”

At the word assistant Rudger remembered how Selina took the students to the Fantasy Forest for the test.

“Who is it?”

“It’s that kid over there.”

Selina raised her hand and pointed to one side. There was a girl with dark brown hair and long braids over her shoulder.

He couldn’t see her face well because she was wearing big glasses, but Rudger recognized her immediately.

“Her name is Joanna Lovett, a freshman who entered Theon and I took her as an assistant because she has a deep knowledge of spirituality.”

“I see.”

Joanna Lovett? It was his first time taking her name because she was not a student taking his class.

Rudger stared carefully at the figure. She stood still with a tray that had now been emptied, looking like the other students who were working here.

‘Hmm. Come to think of it, among the people on the scene at the time, I didn’t pay much attention to the assistants.’

Esmeralda wields a high level spirit of fire, so that was the reason why he thought she would be at least a teacher. With Esmeralda’s real identity unknown, Joanna Love could not escape from the suspects list.

Just as I thought so, Joanna Lovett, who was standing still, began to move.

‘What is she trying to do?’

Rudger watched her movements closely. She was now glancing around secretively so that no one else would notice her, but Rudger could tell.

Joanna moved cautiously, placing a silver tray on the table at the center of the banquet hall.

‘Where are you going?’

After she put her tray down, she went back to her place and stood still.

‘Was she just trying to put an empty tray away?’

Maybe I’ve become too sensitive.

Rudger looked away from Joanna Lovett and glanced over the banquet hall and he could hear people talking.

“Did you hear the news this time?”

“What do you mean?”

“They’ve been saying that the back alley vagrants have been acting extraordinarily lately.”

“You mean the low class? That’s what happens all the time.”

“If it was the same I would have lost interest but this time it’s a little unusual.”

“What is so unusual?”

The middle-aged man who opened his mouth nodded and cleared his throat.

“Would you believe me if I say they’re doing business?”

“Hahahaha.”

The laughter was indistinct because everyone was talking, but Rudger, who was listening, certainly heard it. It was obviously a laugh.

“Huh. The lowlifes doing business? Did you see it wrong?”

“I didn’t see it either, I just heard the rumors, but I don’t think it’s just false rumors.”

“It’s not a false rumor?”

“I don’t know what’s been going on in the back alley recently, but they said the guys who were fighting everyday are now holding hands.’

He said everything he knew.

“They cleaned up the slums and started using a building as an office. People said they even saw a large amount of fabric going into it.”

“Huh. What the hell are they doing?”

“I heard they’re trying to get into the clothing business but they don’t have a chance.”

“Hahaha. That’s right. What can the lower class do since the luxury clothing stores are holding the market as tightly as they are now?”

Overhearing this, Rudger realized that what he had ordered was going well.

‘You’re moving faster than I thought. Since people noticed what’s happening, it must have been quite a while since you started moving in earnest.’

They tried to pretend not to, but they were desperate and the strategy that Rudger showed them was more than effective and a little overkill.

People who used to roll in the dark, dirty mud found hope. They who lived their entire lives down there realized that they might be able to go up, so how can they stay still?

And that strong desire will be a huge wave that no one can stop.

“No matter what the lower class do, it’ll be from there.”

“That’s right. What about the money they need for business? Will the back alley prostitutes, beggars, and bastards come together change anything?”

“It’s amazing that there’s someone who’s funded them. I can’t even borrow money because my credit rating is low.”

“Isn’t it because the royal family is all for the common people these days? So the lower ones are climbing up.”

“It’s ridiculous. They’re just going to eat the piece of bread that rolls down from the top, and are going to enjoy some kind of wealth.”

“Don’t be so angry. Still, we don’t have to step up and trample on them, do we? What can they do? They’ll just destroy themselves. Let’s have wine while watching the scene.”

“Ha ha ha ha.”

Eventually, they couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter among themselves.

‘You fools.’

Rudger shook his head. They won’t be able to laugh in the future. They’re just individuals who can’t read the tide of the times. The human world is so small, and on the contrary, the world is so huge. More than what we see, what we know by knowledge, and what exists on a map.

From their point of view, the immeasurably huge world inevitably seems to stand still but that doesn’t mean the world has stopped.

‘The world is moving endlessly toward the future.’

History proves it.

Nothing seems to have happened in a day or two, but a surprisingly big change will happen in a year and two since the world is changing in every moment.

‘You’ll find out soon.’

After thinking that far, Rudger stumbled in his seat without realizing it.

“Teacher Rudger, are you okay?”

“It’s nothing. The floor is a little slippery.”

Selina asked anxiously. Rudger responded lightly, but couldn’t come to his senses because of the ringing sound in his head.

“Are you all right…I’ll….”

“I’m going to get some fresh air.”

The words around him began to be eaten up by the noise.

Rudger cleared his breath and left immediately. Selina looked worried, but she didn’t follow him when he refused.

He came out on the balcony. There was no one here because the banquet was in full swing.

“Whoo.”

Rudger held on to the marble railing with his hands.

The noise, which was not heard properly, began to take on the shape of a clear language.

[Accepting…]

[Let’s…Let’s…Let’s…….]

[You’re…You’re chosen….]

“Shut up.”

Rudger ignored the voice and took out his pills. Unlike the usual two or three pills, he put as many as he could in his mouth this time. At the same time, his voice, which had become increasingly distinct, began to be crushed again, as if trapped behind a fog.

Soon the noise gradually decreased and disappeared like an echo leaving the mountain.

“Whoo.”

Rudger sighed with relief and stared at the night view of Leathervelk over the railing on the balcony.

The city, where light flowed everywhere, was shining brilliantly in the dark and Rudger felt the night breeze over his body.

He closed his eyes for a moment and thought about what he should do in the future, what he can do and soon the answer was clear in his mind.

* * *

‘Rudger Chelici?’

Chris Benimore, wandering around to take a break, unwittingly hid behind a wall when he saw Rudger Chelici standing alone on a balcony.

‘What are you doing here alone?’

It was 30 minutes ago that he defeated the wizard hired by Luke in front of everyone.

Chris Benimore had also watched the duel. He had hoped Rudger would be brutally defeated there, but the reality was not the same as his wishes.

Rudger knocked down his opponent with overwhelming force in front of everyone. The speed of his casting was instantaneous, and Chris realized it was the [source code] magic.

‘He’s a formidable man.’

As he thought so, he struggled to ignore the growing sense of inferiority he had in his heart.

‘By now, you should have been surrounded by people and hearing all kinds of praises.’

But he was alone on the balcony.

‘You’re eating something?’

The man, who was usually expressionless and emotionless, was now so exhausted that he was unrecognizable.

He took something out of his arms and began to pour it into his mouth.

‘Is it medicine?’

Is it what he usually eats? Does he have a chronic disease?

Chris Benimore reached a conclusion at this moment.

’Too much medicine it’s harmful to the body but there’s only one kind of medicine that isn’t.’

A drug that restores mana.

‘Although there are very few magic recovery drugs in the form of pills, it cannot be said that there are none. Are you eating them because you are suffering from a lack of magical power?’

If yes, why? Chris’ head was spinning.

‘It’s because of the duel a little while ago.’

Rudger knocked down his opponent using a series of colorful magic in front of everyone. The magic power was not great and it was all second and third-tier magic, but Chris could tell that Rudger was now struggling with a lack of mana.

Chris Benimore was the first to notice the weakness of Rudger.

‘I see. That’s why he ended the magic duel quickly.’

The hidden secret of Rudger Chelici, unknown to others, was that the amount of magical power he possesses is absurdly low.

‘So far, you must’ve been regularly taking a magic pill to not get caught.’

Chris Benimore couldn’t help but smile since he found Rudger’s weakness that no one knew about.

‘The magic festival is about to take place. I can do it there.’

Chris Benimore ran away before he fully recovered, fearing that he might be caught by Rudger.

* * *

‘Is it over?’

The cause was that he used too much magic during the magic duel a while ago. At first, he thought it was okay, but he didn’t notice that he was running out of magic because he took his time talking to other people.

‘I have become too lax.’

He used to live with a pill in his mouth like a habit, but he forgot even that. There were so many other things to care about, but it seemed necessary to reflect on himself a little.

‘At least I managed to narrow down the list of suspects and I’m one step closer to discovering Esmeralda’s identity.’

When he came back to the banquet hall thinking that screams erupted from everywhere.

“Ahhhhh!”

“A monster, a monster!”

Everyone shouted in a tearful voice. Rudger, who had just returned to the banquet hall, could also see that in the center of the banquet hall the figure of a giant of blazing fire appeared on the table.

‘It’s Esmeralda!’

Rudger realized that the Black Dawn Society First Order Esmeralda summoned the spirit.