The road ahead (3)

There were a variety of majors that were offered at Cradle. 

Among the numerous options available, the most prominent choices were combat and managerial majors. As their names imply, one emphasized combat, while the other centered on developing managers. Although both majors pertained to a similar domain, their respective paths diverged significantly.

So… 

Their reactions were somewhat expected. 

"Combat major, unranked…?" 

The Manager of Clever Roses seemed stunned as he struggled to process my words. The same could be said for the girls who blinked slowly. 

Of them all, Mia seemed to have been struck the hardest as her face underwent a series of changes before settling towards guilt. 

I wanted to reassure her that there was nothing to be guilty of, but alas, it was too late as the manager of Clever Roses spoke,

"Ah, so you're from the combat major. I was wondering why you didn't seem familiar to me." 

While his expression remained unchanging and stoic, I could discern a layer of sarcasm in his words. His eyebrow slowly raised as he closely scrutinized my body. 

"Judging from how you're unranked, it must mean that you dropped halfway, right?" 

With a disappointed sigh, he lightly shook his head, and the gaze he fixed on me transformed into something that was akin to that of a senior observing a misguided junior. 

How uncomfortable... 

"No matter how badly you're doing, you shouldn't have dropped out. There are millions of people a year who apply here every year, and only a select thousand are selected each term. Dropping out is a waste of the opportunity that is given to you…" 

As he spoke, I caught a glimpse of the girls' expressions in my peripheral vision, with a particular focus on Mia and Olivia. The more the manager talked, the more Mia's face appeared crestfallen, and Olivia's countenance grew progressively darker.

On the other hand, the members of Clever Roses didn't have any noticeable changes in their expressions beside the slight curl of their lips. It was faint, but discernible, especially because those subtle cues were aimed at Mia and Olivia.

So that's what it was… 

And it was that slight curl of their lips that revealed what needed to be revealed. 

"…Aish, I'm more curious about Emblem of the Sun. How could you have possibly have managed to pass their audit when you don't have the right qualification—" 

"Are you done?" 

"Aha?" 

Interrupted mid-sentence, the manager shot me a look that appeared as if he had just consumed a pile of shit. Not that it made that much of a difference to me. His face looked the same to me. 

'I've already confirmed what I needed to confirm.' 

I held my gaze on the manager. To be honest, the information I had shared wasn't entirely accurate. It wasn't far from the truth, but it wasn't the complete story. I just couldn't be bothered to reveal everything. Why would I when he was simply a stranger to me? 

But that was only partly the reason why I didn't share the entire truth. 

A test. 

I wanted to test him. 

There was something that I needed to check, and now that I managed to confirm what I needed to confirm, there was no longer a need for me to take on the verbal abuse. 

I was just about to open my mouth to speak when all of a sudden… 

"Why are you all here?" 

A gentle yet aged voice echoed all around. Despite its gentleness, it had an immediate silencing effect, causing everyone to abruptly halt their conversations as if an unseen force clung to their mouths. 

Turning my gaze toward the source of the voice, I gradually closed my eyes.

'It's been a while…' 

"It's about time for classes to start. I don't see a reason why everyone should be here at the moment?" 

"Ah, professor Hilliam." 

"Professor Hilliam." 

The girls' expressions all underwent a sudden shift, and they collectively lowered their heads upon seeing the women up ahead.

'What a nostalgic scene.' 

Although her countenance remained calm, bearing hints of gentleness, not a single one of the girls, whether from Clever Roses or including Olivia and Mia, dared to display any hint of dissatisfaction. There was an undeniable aura about her presence that seemed to suffocate the surroundings. 

Professor Veronica Hilliam, a retired Tier 4 Star Chaser—once renowned as one of the industry's most brilliant figures.

Her power and intellect were what had distinguished her in the past and continued to make her famous to this day. It was nice to see that, even at her age, she retained the same vitality and charisma as she had in her prime.

"Since there's still some time before class starts, I won't be punishing you guys for staying here, but I hope you do—" 

Her words trailed off as her eyes landed on me. Her hazel eyes, initially as serene as a still pond, displayed a subtle tremor.

I waved my hand at her. 

"It's been a while, professor." 

The gazes of everyone present fell on me. 

Simultaneously, Professor Hilliam snapped out of her momentary state and blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Unable to conceal her surprise, her expression underwent a slight change.

"Liam, oh my. This is a bigger surprise than I anticipated." 

She covered her mouth with her hand and approached me. Her head came to a stop just at my shoulders, and the once imposing aura surrounding her began to dissipate gradually.

"I didn't expect you to ever come back here. I'm genuinely surprised by your presence. Did something change, or…?" 

Closing her eyes, she focused her attention on me. Seeing her do that, I shook my head. 

"The situation is the same, professor. Nothing has changed besides the fact that I no longer have the time to wait. I have already changed my goal." 

I gestured towards Mia and Olivia, who struggled to hold their curiosity in check and I proceeded to explain.

"You can say that I'm now a manager, and managing the two of them. It's actually my second day managing them." 

"…A manager?" 

With a peculiar expression, Professor Hilliam fixed her gaze on me and briefly glanced at the two girls before redirecting her focus back to me. She didn't say much, but I could tell from her expression that she was trying to say, 'you're not playing around with me, are you?'. 

"It's the truth." 

"...No matter how I look at you, I just can't seem to imagine you as a manager. When did you make up your mind, and do the others know?" 

"They don't." 

I shook my head. 

Would they even care at this point? 

I had been out of touch with all my friends for quite some time. By now, they probably had forgotten all about me. Not that Professor Hilliam would be aware of this.

"I see." 

Nodding her head, Professor Hilliam turned her gaze toward Olivia and Mia. When I looked at them, I saw them alternating their gazes between the two of us as if trying to determine what our relationship was. 

"She was my professor back when I was studying here." 

Only when I told them directly did the two of them fully understand as Mia's eyes blinked incredibly fast. She obviously wanted to say a lot of things, but was forcing herself back. But her expression crumbled the next moment. 

"They're good seedlings." 

The sudden compliment by Professor Hilliam seemed to have struck the two of them as their eyes opened slightly. Well, I couldn't blame them. Despite her gentle personality, it was extremely rare for her to praise anyone. 

Somehow, her praise felt great. 

Go, praise them more. 

"I was previously worried about them since things weren't going great for the two of them, but I'm no longer worried." 

Rubbing her chin in contemplation, Professor Hilliam's focus remained on Mia and Olivia. After a thoughtful nod, she checked her watch and interlocked her fingers.

"Well, enough of that. Classes will be starting shortly, so it's best if everyone returns to where they came from. I've already wasted enough of your time, so I won't make things difficult for you all." 

Shifting her focus back to me, she bestowed her trademark gentle smile.

'Ah, it still makes me shudder to this day.'

"Having learned that you're in charge of these two. I'll definitely be running into you again. It's been a pleasure reuniting after all these years. When the time is right, I'll be sure to ask you plenty of questions. But for now, I'll bid my farewell."

"Yes." 

I nodded and turned my attention to the girls, waving at them before departing. Beside me stood the manager of Clever Roses, whose expression appeared even more troubled than earlier. He didn't shoot me a glare, but he maintained a noticeable distance as if he preferred not to be associated with me.

That worked out for the best since I also didn't want to interact with him. Just the thought of talking to him made my head throb. 

'How nice of him.' 

It was only as I made my way through the Academy's main gate that I could finally draw a deep breath.

"Haaa." 

I thought I was going to suffocate. 

*** 

'Liam Marken.'

The name rolled off her tongue as she watched the familiar figure disappear into the distance. Professor Hilliam pursed her lips, reminiscing about the past.

As she recalled the past, a bitter smile gradually crept onto her lips.

'It's been almost a decade, huh?'

Time sure flew faster than she thought. It felt like she had blinked once and suddenly found herself a decade older. Yet, the memories of the things she had witnessed remained as vivid as the day she had first seen them.

Not that she could forget what she had seen back then... 

Eventually, she shook her head with a sigh.

"A pity." 

She voiced out, unable to hide her true feelings. 

"Umm..."

A quiet voice, almost a whisper, broke the silence, capturing Professor Hilliam's attention.

"...Professor."

Mia, her fingers fidgeting nervously, approached her hesitantly. Professor Hilliam couldn't help but smile when she saw Mia's expression. How could she not, with Mia looking like that? 

The members of Clever Rose and Olivia trailed behind Mia. They appeared uninterested, but it was more likely an attempt to mask their curiosity. Especially Olivia who stepped closer. 

"Yes, Mia?" 

"About our manager..." 

Mia continued to fidget as if trying her best to say the right words. But she didn't need to elaborate, as the Professor understood what she was trying to ask, so she beat her to it. 

"You're curious about your manager, aren't you? How he was back when he was a student?" 

"Y... yes." 

Seeing that her thoughts had been read, Mia lowered her head in embarrassment. 

"You don't have to worry." 

Patting Mia on the head, Professor Hilliam smiled gently. 

"You're in good hands. Just trust whatever he says, and good things will come to you." 

"...Really?" 

Mia looked up at her with a doubtful look. Seeing her like that, Professor Hilliam opened her mouth, but as the words were coming out of her mouth, she stopped. 

"You don't have to worry, he's s—" 

The words just refused to leave her mouth. It was as if something was stopping her from speaking. 

So...

"Yes." 

Eventually, she settled for a simple yes. 

Right, a simple yes. 

Because she couldn't tell her the truth. 

'A monster.'

The truth about her manager, and what kind of monster he truly was.