Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 302: The mysterious owner of the restaurant

"Is this your child?"

As Zora asked, Harold shook his head immediately with a chuckle. "I don’t even have a woman. How would I have a child? I simply overheard your conversation and borrowed a child from someone nearby."

As his words fell, Reesa and the others finally relaxed.

So that was how it was. The situation wasn’t as outrageous as they had feared. Harold had only stepped in to help them.

"Zora, do you know this person?" Reesa asked curiously.

From the way the two of them interacted, it was obvious they weren’t meeting for the first time.

Zora nodded with a faint smile. "I’ll explain later. He’s Harold. We met before, more than once. You could say... he’s an acquaintance."

If it had only been their encounter in Ironspire City, she wouldn’t have dared to call him that. But after today, there was no doubt about it.

Harold had helped her twice. That was no longer a coincidence.

Turning her gaze back, Zora gestured lightly. "These are my friends from the academy."

Harold inclined his head politely. "Nice to meet you."

Alaric Von Seraph and the others returned the greeting. Their impression of Harold was quite favorable. After all, he had just resolved a major problem for them.

"Thank you for what you did earlier," Zora said sincerely.

Harold waved it off. "I was already here anyway. I hope you don’t mind."

Zora nodded. "I understand. You were just playing along with me."

Hearing this, the others felt even more at ease.

It seemed this Lord Harold was truly a gentleman.

"Mr. Harold," Reesa suddenly asked, eyes bright, "are you the owner of Leafway Restaurant?"

She hadn’t missed how the waiter addressed him earlier. And judging from today’s events, this restaurant’s background was anything but simple.

"Yes," Harold replied with a light smile. "Just a businessman. Not as free as you might imagine."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted, unconsciously, toward Zora.

She noticed it too, a trace of surprise flickering in her eyes. She had heard him call himself a businessman before, but she hadn’t taken it seriously.

Who would have thought he actually owned Leafway Restaurant?

A restaurant alone might not seem extraordinary, but this one... was on a completely different level.

"Lord Harold has an extraordinary presence and refined speech," Marcus said with admiration. "Leafway Restaurant is nothing like an ordinary restaurant. It truly suits you."

Harold smiled faintly, neither denying nor accepting the praise, while the atmosphere at the table finally eased into something calm and natural once more.

"You flatter me."

Harold smiled faintly, sleeves relaxed, bearing calm confidence. "If you have time in the future, come to Leafway Restaurant for a gathering. The treat will be on me."

His tone was light, neither ingratiating nor distant, as though such generosity were the most ordinary thing in the world.

Zora watched him quietly, a trace of doubt stirring in her eyes. The Harold before her now felt subtly different from the man she had met in the White Mountains. Back then, he had carried a heavy, oppressive gloom, as if shadows clung to his very bones. Now, that suffocating aura had thinned considerably.

Only his eyes remained the same. Those deep, black pupils still hid an unfathomable darkness, calm yet bottomless.

After a few more polite exchanges, Zora and the others rose to leave. They had been out long enough, and the two tutors had gone to meet the vice principal. By now, they were likely already back.

Harold did not detain them, simply walking them to the entrance of Leafway Restaurant before stopping.

"Zora, I really didn’t expect this," Reesa said as they stepped outside, her eyes glittering. "You even have acquaintances in the Leon Empire’s imperial city. And every one of them is extraordinary."

Zora smiled faintly. "We’ve only met twice. I helped him once, and he helped me once. I thought that was it and never expected to see him again at all. Harold helping today was honestly beyond my expectations."

Raphael and the others did not comment, but the admiration in their eyes was clear. Since meeting Zora, surprises seemed to follow her wherever she went. By now, they had grown used to it.

"I really didn’t think Ragnor and Dravenor would be that kind of people," Tiffany said, brows knitting slightly. "They swallowed their anger today because of Harold, but during the academy exchange... I doubt they’ll let us off easily."

She understood that sort of person well. Narrow-minded, vengeful, and obsessed with pride. A slight today could turn into a blade tomorrow.

Reesa draped an arm over Tiffany’s shoulder, grinning. "Why worry so much? We offended them the moment we met them. Whether today happened or not, they were never going to make things easy for us."

Tiffany laughed helplessly. "That’s true. Still, being careful won’t hurt."

Everyone nodded. This academy exchange was shaping up to be anything but peaceful.

"I’m really curious," Reesa added with a mischievous smile. "What kind of expression Ragnor will have when he finds out we’re students from the academy. I bet it’ll be wonderful."

Marcus, however, looked more thoughtful. "Zora, if Ragnor eventually learns that you’re not Mr. Harold’s wife... will that bring trouble to Mr. Harold?"

A hint of worry flickered in his eyes. Harold had stepped in today without hesitation. That kindness weighed on them.

They could leave the Leon Empire after the exchange, but Harold’s business was rooted here.

Zora paused for a moment, then shook her head. "Unlikely. If Ragnor truly feared Harold enough to back down today, he wouldn’t dare touch him afterward."

Her gaze sharpened slightly. "Besides, someone who can make even the imperial princes wary is definitely not simple. Harold knows exactly what he’s doing."

The others relaxed at her words.

As they walked on, Zora couldn’t help but fall into thought, "Who is this Harold, a restaurant owner who could command respect from even the imperial princes?"

*

When Zora and the others returned to the inn, Sebastian soon followed, accompanied by Vice Principal Gerrad.

Gerrad looked over the group, his usually gentle expression carrying a rare trace of displeasure. "You handled today’s matter correctly. How dare those Thunderclap Academy idiots try to trample on our Imperial Academy’s dignity?"

Even someone as mild-tempered as him could not hide his anger now. Thunderclap Academy’s actions had gone far beyond mere provocation.

Hearing this, Reesa and the others finally felt at ease. Since even the vice principal supported their decision, there was no need to worry about consequences.

"Everyone will stay at this inn for now," Gerrad continued calmly. "We’ll wait and see how Thunderclap Academy plans to resolve this. Since they invited us, they must eventually bring us into Thunderclap Academy."

A trace of pride flickered between his brows. Thunderclap Academy might be strong today, but the Imperial Academy was never a pushover.

Zora and the others returned to their rooms after understanding the situation. The vice principal would personally step in, and that alone was enough to put pressure on Thunderclap Academy.

Gerrad did not mention his other identity, but everyone knew it well. As a fourth-rank alchemist, his status alone commanded respect wherever he went.

At the same time, Thunderclap Academy was anything but peaceful.

Edgar’s face was dark and stiff. He had wanted to humiliate the academy, yet ended up placing himself in an awkward position instead.

Hector, the vice principal of Thunderclap Academy, stood with a gloomy expression. "Tutor Edgar, you went too far this time. A little pressure is one thing, but blocking them outright crossed the line. The academy is not something we can trample on at will."

The situation was clear. The academy had made its stance known. If Thunderclap Academy did not personally bring them back, the other side would not return on its own.

This exchange competition had been carefully prepared, all centered around the academy. If they failed to participate, all that effort would become a farce.

Worse still, news of this incident had already begun to spread. If the academy team truly left, Thunderclap Academy would be mocked for its incompetence.

Edgar clenched his fists, frustration burning in his chest. He merely ordered the guard to give subtle humiliation to the representatives of the Imperial Academy before eventually letting them in. Who could have expected that they wouldn’t even wait a minute and leave?

And if they boycott the competition, citing the reason of not having proof of identities as required by the Thunderclap Academy, he is now worried that he will be blamed for it.

"Vice Principal, this matter is indeed my fault," Edgar said hurriedly. "But things have already come to this point. I truly don’t know how to resolve it."

His eyes were full of urgency. He could only hope Hector would guide him, lest this incident damage his standing within the academy.

"You acted without restraint, so punishment is inevitable," Hector replied coolly. "As for how to resolve this matter, I will discuss it with the principal."

Those words made Edgar’s heart sink.

He understood that Hector was speaking the truth, yet it was clear he had no intention of shielding him completely.

What Edgar had not expected was the academy’s attitude to be so firm. The more he thought about it, the deeper his resentment grew.

When the exchange competition officially began, he swore inwardly that he would make sure the Imperial academy paid dearly for today’s humiliation.