Daru’s brows furrowed.
Indeed, there seems to be a misunderstanding...Didn’t Hailey already arrange for him to be the representative?
Was soone challenging her authority, or did the academy staff simply make a mistake in coordination?
Either way, Daru was not giving up his spot. He earned it fair and square, after all, plus everything would probably be fixed soon.
"No," he responded in refusal.
The smile on the gorgeous Nathalie’s face froze, and for the first ti in her career, she did not know what to do.
Still, she was a natural in her field. The event hostess found a way to ease things:
"I understand, Sir Finnley. The organizers are currently discussing the misunderstanding. You may stay and wait for their verdict.
A lavender-haired young woman erged from the entrance at that mont, walking towards a certain area with clenched jaws and fists.
A few dozen monts later, Lynn stood face to face with Daru.
"Move, F-ranker. You’ve been disqualified already. Bla yourself for being gone for too long," the forr snapped.
The latter, however, only t her gaze coldly.
"No. I defeated you and qualified fair and square. Plus, I made it on ti for the competition. I don’t see a reason why I would be disqualified."
The re fact that he dared retort the usual way made Lynn explode.
"You really think you’re qualified?! Look at the color of your trial na, you lowlife!" she snarled, "You might’ve defeated in Neo-Earth, but do you really believe you can do the sa in the Myriad Sword Realm? You, an F-ranker?! Don’t waste everyone’s ti and let the real rankers participate, you stubborn fool!"
To her further fury, Daru didn’t seem too bothered by her words.
"Hmph," he snorted dismissively. "What makes you think I can’t? I deserve to participate, and so I will."
Lynn gritted her teeth harder.
However, before she could erupt more intensely, a voice sounded from the side — in the direction of the main stage’s stairs:
"Daru Finnley, I, Helen Huffley, am in charge of this entire event. I confirm that with an approved petition, your participation slot has been transferred to Lynn Pemberton. Don’t cause trouble and leave, or do you prefer to be dragged off the stage?"
Daru and Lynn instinctively turned to look. The forr frowned while the latter’s furious scowl transitioned into a gleeful smile.
Lynn decided to let Secretary Helen handle the matter, bowing and stepping to the side.
While she didn’t think much of the fairly high-ranking academy personnel, Helen looked very pleasing to her eyes today, and she will rember this good grace.
Everything unfolded before the curious and expectant eyes of the onlookers.
Initially, the insiders were neutral, while the outsiders even found his standing his ground sowhat admirable, especially after he said he had won the spot fair and square.
But now that the "academy" has stepped in, officially announcing that he had been removed as a participant, they were just waiting for the spectacle of him bending to the rules or being humiliated.
Not to ntion, quite a number among the students of the Southern Bladeborn Academy hated him and his guts.
Most didn’t have deep-seated hatred for him, though, just a love for quality drama. Anyone will do, as long as sobody gets the shorter end of the stick.
And it seed like Daru was about to be the unlucky guy...until a chat window popped up in front of the secretary.
Helen froze, then trembled.
To make matters worse, Daru Finnley’s response ca as if mocking her:
"Do what you will. I’m not leaving."
What WILL she do now, though, when Principal Jebroham, for the first ti in her entire career, was reprimanding her furiously?
"How did I approve of the petition when you didn’t even ask for my signature?"
"I gave you authority, and this is how you use it?"
There were many more, but those were the lines that made her heart hamr, sending cold shivers down her spine.
The old man actually entered the Myriad Sword Realm just to send her a personal whisper through a sigil!
Helen might have a distasteful personality shown only to those she deed beneath her, but she was far from stupid.
She imdiately realized she made a blunder. A sensational one.
From what the principal was saying, soone important was supporting this Daru Finnley, though she struggled to wrap her head around the matter.
How could a re F-ranker have significant backing?!
Why was he being treated by whoever the superior of her superior was like he’s soone important?!
Helen was rooted in place, sweating coldly as she was drowned by the pressure of her situation, the weight of her mistakes, the fact that the principal himself was coming to personally "watch over" the event, and the unavoidable, impending humiliation.
Her career...
Soon, an old man landed from the skies, dumbfounding the excited onlookers.
How the hell was an elder of such age dropping from the sky like an artillery shell?!
Only when the students recognized and exclaid the old man’s na did the outsiders recognize him: the big boss of the event, Principal Jebroham Jackson.
The old man donned a flaming black armor set, a vermilion cape, and had no helt.
Instead, sharp black shades covered his eyes.
==
Dreadfla
HP: ??? / ???
==
Principal Jebroham was in so much of a rush that he forgot to change into appropriate attire.
It has been a long ti since he retired as an A-ranker Bladeborn, so this was his first ti in a long while entering the Myriad Sword Realm again. He was quite rusty.
However, that wasn’t his concern.
He removed his shades, at least, and locked eyes with the petrified Helen.
"You’re relieved from your position, Helen Huffley. You don’t need to co to my office starting tomorrow," the academy head declared with finality, his old yet powerful and stern voice echoing throughout the Crownspire Arena, as if he wanted everyone to hear.
In truth, he did want a few people to hear: Hailey Krauss’ agents.
His words crashed onto Forr Secretary Helen’s heart like a sledgehamr, pulverizing it into pieces.
Her hard-earned career. Gone.
"Leave, I don’t want to see your face again," the principal continued, albeit in a more private loudness.
Helen felt like her entire world was crumbling as she absent-mindedly walked off the main stage.
Jebroham watched for a mont before turning his attention to Lynn and bowing apologetically.
"I apologize, Miss Pemberton. I assure you, the academy is in no way trying to humiliate you. It was just that we must ensure fairness, so I can only allow you to be a spectator. However, since it is my forr secretary who caused this ss by abusing the authority I gave her, the academy will compensate you for this unpleasant experience."
Lynn, too, felt as if the weight of the world was crushing her.
The darned principal had worded it so well, but in the end, she was being kicked off the stage. Many in the crowd were probably enjoying themselves at her expense.
Still, what could she do except leave? Like Helen, she dragged herself off, her entire body as heavy as lead.
Principal Jebroham sighed, then turned to face Daru, locking eyes with him aningfully before turning to face the crowd.
He needed no microphones.
"Everyone, I apologize for the unpleasant interruption brought about by my staff’s incompetence. I shall ensure nothing of the sort will happen again. Miss Nathalie, please..."
Naturally, the mundane event hostess knew that the principal was asking her to take over and bring the event back on track.
Of course she would. It was her job, after all.
It didn’t take Hostess Nathalie more than a few sentences to get the crowd going again.
In fact, they seed more animated now after witnessing the drama that surprisingly ended up in a coback victory for the F-ranker.
The principal had made it clear that it was the secretary — now a laughingstock — who was in the wrong, venomously abusing her authority to kick a low-ranker, who qualified through fair ans, out of the competition.
Noravia’s Southern Bladeborn Academy is truly fair and impartial.
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