Chapter 29 - 29: A Good Man
"I thought you had an Enhancer-type System!?"
Harvey could not help but back away a few feet as he saw what Van wrote on the paper, "Unique-type? You had a Unique-type system!?", He said as he dramatically groveled on the floor, "You have betrayed me!"
Seeing Harvey wiggling on the ground like a worm, Van could not help but release a deep sigh as he shook his head, "I have… other skills"
"You have other skills!?", Harvey repeated Van's words, "What other skills!? I want to know but I know it's a secret, ack!", Harvey continued to wiggle on the floor as his voice wept. He didn't even care that some of his other classmates were looking at him weirdly.
"I thought we were going to be together in our extra classes!", Harvey then started dancing for some reason.
"Let's go, Van", Beatrice quickly pulled Van away, "Before you get infected by whatever he has"
"O...okay", Van could not help but chuckle awkwardly as he exited the room.
"I'll wait for you guys in the gate, okay!?", Harvey said as he dramatically stretched his hand towards the retreating backs of Beatrice and Van, "Promise me, promise me you will come!"
Harvey's words echoed throughout the classroom, with his other classmates hurriedly trying to leave the room as they did not want to get involved with whatever it was that was happening.
***
"Oh, you're Beatrice Williams from Jacobs' class?"
"You know of me, ma'am?"
"Of course, Lang told me all about you"
Van and Beatrice were currently inside the faculty room, submitting their applications to the female instructor in charge.
"Lang will also be the one handling the extracurricular classes for the Mage-type freshmen", the female instructor smiled, "So he told me how excited he was that someone like you would be under his wing"
"I… I see", Beatrice could not help but smile as she heard the instructor's words.
"Then next is…", the female instructor then looked at the next paper in her hand. Her eyes instantly narrowed as she was having a hard time understanding the squiggles that were on the paper. It looked like a chicken stepped over it, she thought.
But then, as soon as she could crack the code on the paper, her eyes quickly widened. "Evans? The Van from Jacobs' class?"
"Y...yes?", Van tilted his head.
"Ah!", the female instructor clapped her hands, "You're pretty famous inside the faculty! Weren't you the most prominent student during the showdown?"
The female instructor's excited words traveled throughout the faculty room, garnering the attention of the other instructors.
"Oh, is that him?"
"He looks so small"
"Is he the one considered to be the top 1 freshman this year?"
"Maybe, did you see how he won the games?"
"You saw it!?"
"Sshhh!"
The female instructor stood up as she reprimanded the other instructors. "Sorry about that… as you can see, they like to chit chat here", she said as she awkwardly chuckled. She then continued checking Van's application form.
"!!!", she once again stood up in shock as she reached the last part of the paper, "You were a Unique-type!?"
Her words once again traveled throughout the faculty room, once again garnering the looks of the other instructors.
"Oh my, oh my", the female instructor awkwardly cleared her throat, "This year is going to be exciting", she said.
"There's only two unique-type from the freshman this year, including you", she continued. She then signed Van's papers and gave him back to him, "The Unique-type classes are during… oh, there's one tomorrow!"
"T...tomorrow?", Van squinted his eyes.
"Hm", the female instructor nodded, "You can attend tomorrow, but you may also go next week. It's your choice"
"O… okay"
"As for Beatrice. Your classes would be during Monday-- Beatrice?", the female instructor could not help but call for Beatrice's attention as she looked lost in thought.
"Ah, yes!", Beatrice instantly nodded as the female instructor snapped her fingers in front of her. Her eyes, a bit dejected.
The two then bid farewell to the female instructor as their papers were handed back to them.
As they made their way to the gates, Beatrice let out a deep sigh.
"You… really are a Unique-type?", Beatrice said, finally saying what was on her mind, "Does that mean… you didn't use all of your skills when you fought with me? Does that mean… you actually held back?", she said before lightly biting her lip.
"What? No", Van quickly shook his head, "I still don't know how to properly use my other skills"
"I… I see", Beatrice once again let out a deep sigh. There was, however, still a tiny hint of disappointment in her eyes.
***
"So, we're teaching him how to write, well, mostly Beatrice"
"I see, I see"
At the Academy gates, Harvey was currently having a conversation with his brother, Gerald. Gerald was all smiles as he listened to his brother's words, always nodding with every word that was coming out of Harvey's mouth.
"Ah! There they are!"
As soon as Harvey saw Beatrice and Van approaching, he quickly bid farewell to his brother, "See you around, bro!"
"Yeah", Gerald smiled as he waved his hand.
"Van, how did it go, man!?"
Gerald could not help but let out a tiny sigh as he saw his brother's happy steps. 'It is good that you are gaining friends, brother', he thought. But then he placed his attention towards Harvey's smaller friend.
Ever since Harvey introduced them a week ago, he could not help but feel like he had met the little boy before.
'...Wait', and then, he realized something, 'Van? Isn't his name John?'
'Van…'
'Van…', his eyes started to shake as he once again looked at the little student, '...Evans'
His eyes quickly widened as he remembered the little beggar that their group beat up in the arena more than a week ago.
'Could it be…?', his eyebrows then started to tremble. 'No, without a doubt, it's him!'
'A beggar like that…
...clinging to my brother!?'
***
'He definitely recognized me'
Van and the group were now chilling in his house, but Van couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows as he saw the look on Gerald's face earlier. He was sure of it, Gerald finally recognized him.
Van then looked at Harvey with a complicated expression. Should he… avoid Harvey from now on?
"Van, why aren't you writing anymore?", Beatrice said as he noticed Van's frown, "Which part are you having trouble with?"
Van, however, did not answer her as he continued to stare at Harvey. And after a few seconds, he opened his mouth.
"Harvey, can you tell me more about your brother?", he asked, his tone slightly cold.
"My brother? Of course", Harvey quickly stopped whatever it was that he was doing and looked at Van, "What do you want to know?", he said, his tone obviously excited.
"Anything"
Beatrice also placed her attention towards Harvey as she too was slightly interested in knowing more about Harvey's famous brother.
"Well…", Harvey placed a finger on his chin, "He's always been good to me", he said.
Hearing Harvey's words, Van could not help but squint his eyes.
"You see, my father liked to hit us when we were kids", Harvey continued, "Every little mistake, he would hit us with his cane. And my brother… he would always take the blame for me. In a way, he's my hero"
"I see", Beatrice could not help but let out a sigh as she nodded, "As expected of the heir of Lauder Armaments"
Van, however, could not help but look to the side.
'A… good man?'
Meanwhile, while the three were having a conversation, Gerald and his group of friends were in a dark alley.
"P...please don't! I just wanted food!"
"F*cking beggars!"
The sounds of Gerald's shoes echoed throughout the dark alley as he stomped his foot repeatedly towards a skinny man.
"No… no!", the skinny man could only curl in a ball, blood already profusely bleeding from his nose as his jaw loosely hung from his face.
"Gerald, stop!", one of Gerald's friends tried to pull him away, "You will kill him!"
"Sh*t, what's up with him today?"
"F*ck man, let's get out of here before someone comes!"
The group then all nodded in agreement as they quickly exited from the dark alley.
Gerald, however, continued on kicking the skinny man all over his body, his eyes crazed beyond reason.
"F*cking beggars!"
His words, completely drowning the skinny man's cries.