Chapter 46: Past Worries

Up through the spiraling staircase, a dining table was laid out with a delicious array of food. It was the weekend before the deciding match, and as the dishes started to disappear, Fang spoke. “Valeria, there’s something I have to tell you – I’ll be participating in the competition arranged by the chamber of commerce this Tuesday.”

She froze and put down her fork.

Hearing this ‘competition’ for the first time, Mii curiously asked, “What competition?”

“It’s a friendly competition to compare pointers with other students from the various classes,” Fang explained.

Innocent, Mii happily said, “That’s great, you’ll definitely learn a lot by attending it.”

“Yeah, and my match will be with the representative of class two; the hopes of class eight are riding and I can’t disappoint them.” Though Fang replied to Mii, he directed his gaze to Valeria.

He had the freedom to choose, however, Valeria told him that he’d be exploited in the competition, and warned him.

“Class two?” Mii looked at Fang in surprise. “Fang, isn’t that the top class in the college?”

Most institutes generally followed the same arrangement of classes, with class one and two containing the most excellent talent.

“Yes, it is!” He waited for a response from Valeria, but silence filled in the air.

Finally, Valeria let out a sigh and showed neither approval nor disapproval. Her expression was unclear; Fang didn’t know if she agreed with his decision.

A regretful voice broke the quiet. “I wish the competition was held on the weekend, but since it isn’t, I can’t go. Fang, I believe that you’ll win!”

Fang smiled. Although Mii’s support was reassuring, he sought after Valeria’s thoughts.

--- --- ---

After dinner, Fang arrived in the training area. The match was only days away, and he needed to fit in as much practice as possible. As he started to warm up, a woman entered the room.

Her clothes remained the same from the dining room – Valeria didn’t come as an opponent, but with a different purpose that Fang figured out immediately. While Mii was there, she didn’t discuss the competition, yet, she hadn’t given up on that topic.

“Fang, do you really plan to participate?”

He nodded decisively. “Yes, and even if you oppose, I’ll be going ahead with it.”

She calmly strolled around the room, taking long, soft steps. “I’ll respect your choice, but let me give you a warning again, you’re the enemy of William’s family now. They will do anything, cruelly and mercilessly to put you down. Likely, you could end up crippled and ruined. So, think again, and yield on that pride. Think it through rationally.”

Fang could hear the ill-disguised worry in her voice, and to reassure her, he turned towards Valeria and slightly moved his hands out. “Valeria, you don’t need to worry; I’ve thought this through. Even if William tried to overpower me, I’ll be unscathed, because of this…”

While he was speaking, a slight bit of energy appeared on his hands. The dim room lit up tremendously bright for a couple of seconds, then returned back to a faint glow.

This is…

Valeria stared at Fang, her red lips unable to conceal the joyful amazement. It was something she never expected, she underestimated him grossly.

Her tone took a complete reverse dive, and she firmly said, “Well then, I’ll fully support your decision!”

--- --- ---

The sun dropped into the horizon on this Tuesday night as people flooded into the lively practice grounds. Today was the day that the competition hosted by the chamber of commerce would start.

Students hurriedly rushed into the various arenas, separated by year. Only the representatives of each class would participate, but the results of each match concerned all the classes, as it directly related with their standings in Garden College. As well, there was no doubting the excitement that the strongest of each class would bring in a serious fight.

To the side, many seats were temporarily constructed for the honored guests of this competition, which included the teachers as well as the sponsors. At the center of the seats, a man remained sitting. Draped in black attire, and his features arranged meticulously, he looked like a generous figure. Yet, the pressure that he gave off indicated that he wasn’t just a merchant; his level definitely was at the soul level, higher than the majority of masters.

Engraved on a plate with large, bold characters was his name – Richard.

This person was the main sponsor of the tournament, the chairman of the largest business in Minuet City.

His son, William, had entered as a freshman and being the prefect of class two, he naturally came to visit the match that William would be joining in.

As the crowd began to settle down, it was nearly time for the competition to begin. On behalf of the committee overseeing this event, the vice president came up. “Today, the chamber of commerce is generously sponsoring this competition in our college with scholarships designed to reward great achievement. From Garden College, we’d like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the businesses that made this possible. We’ve invited the president of the association of businesses, who kindly made his time available to attend this event. Please give a warm welcome to Richard!”

Applause echoed through the arena as Richard stood up, waving with a perfect smile until he arrived at a podium. With a loud, enthusiastic voice, he started to speak.

“Seeing all these youthful, talented students brighten my heart today – you are the hope of the future. With that in mind, I sponsored this competition to promote excellence and friendship. Although only one representative may be participating from your class, I believe in the support from all your fellow students will foster a sense of unity. Friends are important, and with stronger bonds among yourselves, I believe you’ll have the resolution to become stronger!”

Hands clapped vigorously once more, everyone seemed to have a good impression of the chairman that spoke. His motivational speech gave a comfortable feeling, and felt genuine.

However, Fang glared at the figure descending down. If this person was truly kind and believed in the principles he spoke about, how did that incident happen with Valeria? Surely, Valeria wasn’t lying about her own family being torn to pieces because of that monster?

His gaze wasn’t the only one. Mixed in the crowd, fervent eyes full of hatred glued on the confident speaker.

Although Fang clearly displayed ability that exceeded her expectations, there wasn’t a doubt that Valeria would miss this event. Yet, knowing that the situation would be complicated if she appeared as the head of the chamber of commerce when it was controlled like a puppet with wealth, she discreetly came in. Her attire drew curious looks from the surrounding crowd, but they turned their attention elsewhere as the competition began.

--- --- ---

The first bracket commenced with class one pitted against class five. As the son of a renowned, prominent military icon, there was no competition. Quickly, the representative of class one unleashed a series of rapid blows that crushed through the feeble defenses of class five’s prefect, and the result was called.

Even though they had lost, class five didn’t hold any grudges; the difference in strength, ability, and skill was too much.

Then, in the second bracket, class three faced off against class four. Similarly matched in power, the match commenced with intense bursts of energy until at last, bruised and battered, the class four representative won thrillingly.

For the third bracket, people eagerly awaited in anticipation.

High and low – class two compared to class eight would obviously be superior. However, a certain event had forged the two classes into mutual antagonists. With difficulty, class two had suppressed their anger to stomp on top of class eight, but today’s competition was a chance to unleash all that. This hostile relationship between the classes was well known throughout the school with the story of Fang’s victory, and it was the cause for this expectation.

Cheers from class two resonated as William proudly went up to the stage. His appearance indicated full confidence, after all, his father was practically in charge of the event and with his strength, he held no doubts about his victory.

On the other side, a quiet worried voice came from Blue. “Fang, I heard that relations between Richard and Valeria weren’t good as they work in the same area. Be careful, if he discovered that you and Valeria are close to each other, you might be in danger.”

Fang simply replied, “Thanks for the concern, but I know.”

Then, he patted his roommate’s shoulders and walked up the short platform

Blue sighed. Who cares about you… it’s just that you shouldn’t get hurt because you’re mine!