Reiner still couldn't believe it...
He ca here not expecting much only to be t with a shockingly pleasant surprise. He had severely underestimated Cedric and hadn't seen it coming, truly. He initially thought that Cedric was just another pretty boy with so skills, but it turned out that he was wrong. All of them were wrong.
Actually, he's being shaless here, saying that Cedric has given him a lot of face when in truth, he hardly deserved it. He did nothing for the boy yet the kid brought him an imnse present. He's actually feeling a little guilty right now.
"I'm glad I didn't disappoint you then..." Cedric replied, still looking and sounding a bit tired but the glimr in his gaze remained.
"You sure didn't." Reiner snorted lightheartedly. "Let's get outta here. You need rest. I won't be too late to tell you all I know about the academy once you've recovered."
Cedric had nothing to say to that, he simply nodded and together, they left the venue.
Word of the exam results was already spreading all around the capital, and with the internet, the rumors spread even faster. It's only natural since there will always be a group of people who have way too much ti on their hands.
By now, at least half of the population of the capital already knows who Cedric is. They already knew what he looked like though not completely since he always wore a mask to hide half of his features. Still, that didn't stop so people from fantasizing things about him.
His feats were already being wildly discussed online. As usual, there will always be a group of skeptics amongst them but faced with the overwhelming amount of evidence, they don't have a choice but to believe it.
Cedric was vaguely aware of what was happening. He already predicted that sothing like this would happen but he's too lazy to care.
The City Lord brought him to a fancy hotel though. Sothing only available to VIPs, and even then the fares are expensive. However, because of his blooming reputation, he learned that he was free to stay here now and in the future. They even handed him a mbership card right away.
If this way their way of extending an olive branch to him, well...it's flattering. The City Lord did tell him that this was only natural. He also said that he didn't need to feel burdened about owing them a favor. They always offer this kind of service to people like him since his future was deeply tied to the safety of Humanity as a whole.
Doing his part or becoming stronger was more than enough to repay this favor of theirs, so he shouldn't make a big deal out of it.
Understanding that, Cedric did feel relieved. He still feels squeamish about owing people so favors after all. Since they were already here, the City Lord told him to get comfortable and rest.
Cedric agreed and the City Lord left him to his room.
Making his way to the adjacent room, Reiner invited Arishem as well as the RMC's Chief - Lucas Brightstone into a video call.
"City Lord." Both Arishem and Lucas called out upon answering the call.
"Oh, Lucas eh? Been a while, Old Thing." Arishem jeered.
"Hello to you too, Old Freak." Lucas replied grumbling, he then turned his attention to the City Lord and said: "Hello, City Lord. How can this old man help you today?"
"At ease, Chief Lucas. I'm only here to share with you so good news and to ask you sothing."
"What is it?" Arishem asked, then his expression still as he focused, "Is this about the Entrance Exam?"
"Yes, it is." Reiner nodded while wearing a smirk on his face. "The kid did well, he's in first place."
"..."
"You're not pulling my leg, are you?" Arishem softly complained to the City Lord.
"Why would I do that? Besides, you can access the internet to confirm if I'm lying to you." Reiner snorted.
He then saw the two busying themselves. They should be confirming his words right now.
As for Lucas, he's a bit puzzled. How was he related to the person that they're talking about? He couldn't recall giving any suggestions to the City Lord. Hell, he wasn't even in the position to do that, so what is he doing here?
Nevertheless, he still searched the recent news about the Starlight Royal Academy's Entrance Exam. It didn't take long before he got the list of those who passed, and seeing the na in the first place, a frown appeared on his wrinkled face.
'Cedric Stormrider?' He mused inwardly, 'Why does this na sound familiar?'
"Hah! Would you look at that? He really did take the first place!" Arishem roared in delight upon seeing the results. "Damn! How impressive! We severely underestimated the kid."
The City Lord had nothing to say about his remarks because it was the truth. anwhile, Chief Lucas is still confused and it shows.
"Your mory is getting progressively worse, Old Thing. You should get that checked." Arishem snorted. "It's plain to see that you have forgotten about him even though barely a year passed."
"What do you an?"
"This kid ca from your departnt, Old Thing." Arishem chuckled. "He's the one you asked to escort to the Black Thread City. The one who miraculously changed his fate and escaped that repulsive place."
Hearing all that caused everything to co back to him. A stunned expression appeared on Lucas' face as he finally rembered who Cedric was.
"No way! Are you shitting !? This kid really got the first place in that exam!?"
Lucas was absolutely floored by this discovery. Who could bla him really? It was already shocking that the kid who, not even a year ago, was still struggling on a month-to-month basis suddenly changed his fate and was able to rejoin civilization. Yet now you're telling him that not only did the kid reclaim his status as a normal citizen, he even beca a heavenly genius?
How could he easily believe that?
"The data won't lie, Chief Lucas." Reiner stated, "This is indeed the sa kid who left your departnt. I couldn't believe it as well but we have no choice. I was there when he perford and everything was real."
"Here, watch his performance..."
Reiner then sent a compiled video of Cedric's performance during the Practical Exam. Arishem and Lucas watched it closely and they couldn't help but curse at how freakish the kid's abilities were.
"Holy hell! Sword Intent! How could that be? This kid's barely 20! How could he have such a matured Sword Intent?"
"Did he start cultivating from the womb? But even if that's the case, that shouldn't be possible! Besides, if he had achieved Sword Intent this early, how co he was brought to the RMC?"
"Geez, this kid's almost as fast as I am! Isn't that absurd? I'm at Tier 6 god damn it! He's halfway my level and you're telling he could almost keep up with ?"
"Sword Intent and now this? What the hell?"
As for their reactions to the 3rd Part, well...they got none. They just went completely quiet, trying their best to believe what they were witnessing.
Even Reiner himself was still left speechless after watching it again. He could sympathize with them, the kid was obscenely talented and it made everybody speechless.
"Damn...this is crazy!" Arishem sounds flabbergasted, and nobody could bla him. "He achieved all of this on how own? Is he the reincarnation of an Old Hero?"
"How much resources did you give him anyway? Did you empty the City's Treasury?" Lucas asked.
"That's the thing, Chief Lucas." Reiner sounded a bit helpless, "The only thing we gave to him was the Badge for participation and the Book of Laws, which he was already destined to receive anyway. Aside from that, there's nothing. That's all him."
"...City Lord, I think I'm way too old for pranks like this." Lucas stared at him with a serious expression.
"I'm not pranking you, Chief Lucas. We really didn't do a thing. I basically just told him to participate and that's it. The rest was all him. That's why I'm feeling guilty right now." Reiner replied in all seriousness.
"Right, feeling guilt makes sense. After all, we could be said to be his guarantors. His performance will be seen as directly related to us because that's the norm. After all, we can't just give the badge to soone and call it a day...like what you did." Arishem chided on the side.
"Given how stellar he perford, we will most likely receive a hefty sum of resources from both the Academy and the Royal Family for raising a talent like him. And given that we didn't even do a damn thing for the boy, we really should be feeling guilty." Reiner added, sounding strangely defeated.
"Well...what did he say? Did he demand anything?" Arishem asked.
"He didn't." Reiner replied, "He's resting right now, he was too tired after reaching the 10th Step of the Test of Will. I didn't have the ti nor the courage to ask him yet."
"Well...I don't think that's a problem then? I don't think he's that type of person anyway." Chief Lucas interjected.
"How can you tell?"
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