The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 27

The guards were one of nine armed forces in Lion’s Castle.

Unlike the teachers who had the principal above them, the guards’ immediate superior was the chairman of the board, Seol Su-Ah.

Guard Captain Byeon Cheon-Ju delivered his report to Chairman Seol Su-Ah.

“Circumstances surrounding the fraudulent admission of first-year Class B student Kang Jae-Hyeok have been revealed.”

Because the captain came from the Association, he wasn’t one of Seol Su-Ah’s close confidants and knew nothing of her involvement in Jae-Hyeok’s admission.

The captain continued, “He stormed in just before the Leech King’s second explosion and finished the raid as the number one contributor.”

“Is this true?” Seol Suh-Ah asked. As she flipped through the report, the smile disappeared from her face.

It was a rare sight to see the chairman’s expression change.

She must be quite surprised by my report. Byeon Cheon-Ju took it as a good sign. He would probably gain credit for discovering this scandal. He responded vigorously, “Yes! There were eighty witnesses and no room for manipulation. Further research also revealed that he outperformed his classmates during his usual training. I estimate that Kang Jae-Hyeok is at least level 30. And yet, he is in Class B.”

A level 30 or higher student pretending to be level 1 was quite the scandal.

At level 30, Kang Jae-Hyeok would need only ten more levels to classify as a C-class player. Those stats alone were enough to act as a gangster among the freshmen, the majority of whom were still level 1 one newbies.

No matter how low the grade of his Skill, a level 30 freshman had to enter class A at least. That was the only way to maintain balance within a class, ensuring that fair training could be conducted.

“You must thoroughly investigate student Kang Jae-Hyeok and the person in charge of his entrance examination. Reveal the truth and punish them severely.”

“I need to give him a reward. A very big reward.”

“Huh?”

“He saved many students’ lives, so I have to give him a big reward.”

Byeon Cheon-Ju was taken aback by the unexpected reaction. “H-however, the fraudulent admission...”

Seol Su-Ah told him, “I was in charge of Kang Jae-Hyeok’s admission.”

"......!"

Seol Su-Ah regained her smile, and Byeon Cheon-Ju knew the expression said nothing of kindness or favor.

That professional smile wouldn’t change even as she blew the head off an S-class boss monster’s shoulders.

“I confirmed with my own eyes that Kang Jae-Hyeok was level 1. Captain Byeon, do you think I would make a fraudulent admission to Lion’s Castle?”

“N-no way!”

“You think I’m incompetent, then?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Are you sure? I clearly heard you doubting me. Come, speak honestly. I’ll listen and then correct what needs correcting.”

“I-I do not doubt you, Your Excellency. That is out of the question!”

Thump!

Byeon Cheon-Ju slammed his forehead against the table. His true master was the president of the Association, but he had no intention of disrespecting a National Treasure.

A National Treasure was a transcendent.

Regardless of factions or forces, he couldn’t afford to become enemies with a National Treasure.

He could be killed without anyone knowing.

Damn, I thought it was weird when she started talking about a reward. I ended up poking the beehive without knowing it, he thought.

Seol Su-Ah waved her hand through the air, and the large door of the chairman’s office swung open.

She used Formless Energy! Byeon Cheon-Ju’s face paled on seeing the power unique to transcendents.

“What do the other captains think?” Seol Su-Ah asked.

At Seol Su-Ah’s order, the principal, the search team captain, and the captains of the second and fifth assault teams entered the room cautiously.

The captains were vigilant and didn’t reply. The door had been opened with a Formless Will, and inside they saw the captain of the guards with his head lowered.

They’d come at a bad time, but they weren’t in a position to retreat either.

Unlike Byeon Cheon-Ju, both they and the principal were senior members of the Association.

She asked again, “Do you think Jae-Hyeok’s admission was fraudulent?”

“That's the opinion of others, not mine, Your Excellency.” The principal spoke first.

He wiped the sweat from his bald head with a handkerchief and continued. “Most of the staff suspect student Kang Jae-Hyeok was admitted fraudulently. They believe it’s impossible for a level 1 player to do so well in a C-grade raid. Of course, I know that you were in charge of the admissions evaluation and don’t doubt you. But... Isn’t it possible for the magic power detection device to have malfunctioned?”

“You think I wouldn’t notice if it was broken?”

“No one doubts Your Excellency’s administration over the test. However, there is a hypothesis that Kang Jae-Hyeok could have used some trick to fool the device's reading. I naturally disagree, but the suspicions of the staff members are growing uncontrollable.”

The principal was someone who had been given his position by the Association to keep Seol Su-Ah in check. He had outstanding skills and popularity, and his background was great. His standing was enough to speak against a National Treasure.

He gave a hint, and the captains who came with him added their opinions.

“Based on the data accumulated by the assault teams, there is no possibility that Kang Jae-Hyeok is a level 1 student. I think the suspicions of the staff members are reasonable.”

“The search team agrees.”

Seol Su-Ah wondered, “Is it possible that Kang Jae-Hyeok has a Bloodline Skill?”

“Your Excellency, this joke is too much.”

The awakening rate of a Bloodline Skill was very low.

Prestigious families worldwide worked hard to increase their number of offspring, hoping for more Bloodline Skills to appear, but they hadn’t produced any results.

Even if the number of relatives was increased to tens or hundreds, there were very few cases where two consecutive generations in a family developed a Bloodline Skill.

That was why the Shinra family was amazing.

“Even if Kang Jae-Hyeok developed a Bloodline Skill like you think, it would be difficult for him to perform so well at level 1. Isn’t every Skill supposed to be supported by stats to be effective?”

“That’s right. In addition, would he have joined our school if he had developed a Bloodline Skill? The moment he awakened it, he would’ve revealed it to the media and gone on active duty, claiming to be the heir of the Kang family.”

Indeed. It was common sense.

Even with a Bloodline Skill, it was nearly impossible for a level 1 player to assume a significant role in a C-grade raid.

And yet, the non-awakened Kang Jae-Hyeok had taken number one in contributions.

The person who was most flustered by this situation was none other than Seol Su-Ah.

She thought, What are his stats? How hard has he been training for eight years?

She laughed as she re-read the report. Then she got down to business. “The bottom line is that you think we should re-examine him?”

“That’s right. Convince the public through an open process, Your Excellency.”

It wasn’t an unreasonable request. Originally, the admissions process was conducted publicly.

However, she hadn’t expected the members of the Association to make such an obvious demand.

They must’ve received an order to get rid of the Yaksha’s son. The old members of the Association definitely found the child’s performance quite disturbing. Well, she was also surprised by the performance.

Talent inevitably reveals itself.

The child she’d hidden away had shown himself in just ten days.

Then, there was only one path forward. Confront everything head-on and break through.

This was also the path that Seol Su-Ah wanted.

“I will be greatly disgraced if the admissions evaluation I conducted behind closed doors is found to be incorrect. As a bonus, I will receive charges of being involved with the Kang family.”

“No way. They will simply think it was due to a broken magic power detection instrument. Also, why does it matter if Your Excellency takes care of the Kang family? It isn’t a crime.”

Deliberately putting on a serious expression, Seol Su-Ah lingered without reply. Her expression didn’t change. She simply stared at the principal, one finger tapping against the desk.

Tap, tap, tap.

Suddenly, her hand stopped.

“Okay. I will go along with your suggestion. If it’s proven that Kang Jae-Hyeok lied about his level at the time of admission, we will take appropriate action. Apart from that, I have to give him a reward first. It is true that he saved the lives of several students.”

“But... ”

Seol Su-Ah stared. “Is there a problem? I’m rewarding a child who defended his peers.”

“......”

In addition, tell this to that old raccoon, the president of the Association. He will be held accountable if it is proven that there is nothing wrong with Kang Jae-Hyeok’s level.”

“Held accountable?”

“That old raccoon will understand. You don’t have to know.”

“......”

The principal and captains exchanged looks but didn’t change their minds.

No matter how one looked at it, Kang Jae-Hyeok’s admission was fraudulent.

“I will tell him.”

***

“Dammit! They should be giving him a reward, not talking about redoing his admissions evaluation!”

Kim Jin-Myeong was furious when he saw the official document stating that Kang Jae-Hyeok was to perform a re-examination after an error was detected in the examination equipment.

“What’s the problem? Even if Jae-Hyeok was admitted fraudulently, he saved a few lives thanks to that!”

“You should be careful. Rules exist to be followed.”

Kim Jin-Myeong exclaimed, “Vice Principal!”

The vice principal said, “In addition, is there anything wrong with a re-examination? Isn’t it just a matter of proving that there is no problem with Jae-Hyeok’s admission? I don’t know why you’re so agitated.”

Kim Jin-Myeong explained, “I’m concerned about how he will feel. He risked his life to fight for his classmates, but in return, he is met with suspicion instead of praise! How sad and indignant would you be?”

“There are doubts because it is suspicious. Common sense dictates that he can’t be level 1.”

“The person who was supposed to be in Class A was transferred to Class B to manipulate his grades. As expected of a gangster who received twenty demerit points in a week. He is very skilled at making trouble.”

“The bloodline of the Yaksha is like that. Just look at Kang Dae-Seong and Kang Hyeon-Ah.”

The other teachers interjected. Clearly, they had been listening in.

Kim Jin-Myeong’s face turned red as if he were about to explode.

Park Joo-Bong, the teacher of Class A, suddenly interrupted. “Kang Jae-Hyeok isn’t a gangster. There are no demerit points.”

Park Joo-Bong was indifferent to cliques and politics. This was the first time he took part in such a thing, so he attracted the attention of the teachers.

“Teacher Kim Jin-Myeong and I awarded him merit points. He became an example by taking risks to save the students. Shouldn’t he be rewarded? Isn’t that right, Teacher Kim?”

Kim Jin-Myeong’s expression slightly improved.

“You are correct. Isn’t that right, Teacher Gu?”

Kim Jin-Myeong and Park Joo-Bong both stared at Gu Baek-Gi, who was sitting in the corner like a mouse.

He was the first-year Class C teacher who was also present at the raid site.

“...Me?”

“Didn’t Teacher Gu also see Jae-Hyeok’s performance?”

“Yes?”

“Hmm, should we have a meeting with Park Si-Woo?”

“Me too! I just gave Jae-Hyeok ten points! I’m writing it down now!”

Gu Baek-Gi had a gloomy expression.

The stinging eyes of fellow teachers from the Association stabbed him in the back of his head, but he had no choice.

***

Two days later, the news of Kang Jae-Hyeok’s admission review spread throughout the school.

Most of the third-year students didn’t remain in Lion’s Castle, but of the few who did, their reactions were mixed.

“Who is Kang Jae-Hyeok?”

“He’s a freshman. I don’t know him, and I’m not interested.”

“He is a complete loser if he really lied about his level to get into Class B. Do you want to take a look?”

“It’s fine. There are always one or two such people every year. What is the big deal?”

As for the response from the first- and second-year students, it was largely negative.

“If it’s Kang Jae-Hyeok, isn’t he the Yaksha’s son?”

“It’s said he played a big role in the Leech King raid, but his achievements point to a fraudulent admission.”

“It just doesn’t make sense for a level 1 player to be so active in a C-grade raid.”

“Did he try to pull some trick out of fear he would be compared to Shinra Kyeong if he entered Class A? The actions of a fallen aristocrat really are disgraceful.”

Among the first years, even the students who had been helped by Jae-Hyeok were suspicious of him.

Meanwhile, Jae-Hyeok smiled excitedly when he received the news of his re-examination. “Finally.”

He would finally remove the stigma of being an Awakener.

He had been extremely frustrated when he couldn’t communicate the truth, especially in Skill-training class.

Why did he have to take that class?

“Huh? Baek Do-Jin, what happened to your eyes?”

“Some bastard swore at you, so I beat him up,” Do-Jin said. Both his eyes were extremely swollen.

“There isn’t a single day when you don’t fight someone. Do you still have the energy to train?”

Baek Do-Jin replied, "Of course! Bring it on, Chae Dai!”

“My name is Chae Da-Hee!”

Jae-Hyeok’s stats had risen sharply recently, causing him to reduce his individual training time.

Instead, he took turns sparring with Do-Jin and Da-Hee in one-on-one or one-on-two sparring matches, which was two times more difficult than swinging his sword alone.

In this way, the total time he spent training had increased.

His physical strength, mental strength, achievements with the sword, and combat experience all rose sharply.

[The resonance between Skills will soon be complete.]

[A new Initial Skill is about to awaken.]