19 Chapter 19: Invitations

It was unfortunate, but the moment I stepped out of my house, I was immediately mobbed by people from the mass media.

Okay, that was an exaggeration. There was an enchantment that kept intruders out, so unless they could survive flames that went up in excess of a thousand degrees Celsius, they wouldn't be able to directly barge into our house. It might sound pretty far-fetched that Dad would set up such a dangerous barrier, but given his reputation and vocation, they were necessary precautions. More than once, enemies had tried to sneak into our home or break into our house, only to trigger the enchantment's fiery wrath and get incinerated.

There were even a few who tried to kidnap me to use me as a hostage to ransom Dad, but as usual they got burned when they stupidly attempted to abduct me. They probably tried to kidnap me on my way to school and back home, but Dad had trained me well enough to detect people stalking me, and to escape them.

Worst case scenario, there was a police station nearby, and I could just run toward the authorities for help. So I didn't have to worry about that. Why do you think my stealth skills were maxed? That was the reason why I was able to avoid my schoolmates yesterday. I was used to avoiding people and escaping.

Now, if only I could apply that to matches, but being in an enclosed ring without cover was an entire matter altogether…

"There's quite the furor out there," Dad remarked as he glanced outside. I sighed and nodded when I saw what was waiting for me outside the window. Dad seemed to realize what the reporters were here for, and he snickered. "I told you that you've become quite the celebrity."

"Damn it." I shook my head in resignation. "Looks like I'll have to take the long route today."

"Good luck!"

"Why don't you just burn all of those guys for trespassing on our property?" I asked Dad half-seriously. Dad grimaced.

"I would love to, but your old man will get locked up for homicide. This isn't America, you can't shoot people just because they step into your backyard. Besides, they can't take a single step in, or they'll get incinerated by the enchantment."

Already the fiery barrier had flared to life, keeping the horrified reporters at bay. A few of them realized their folly, and were retreating.

"Can I be a hikkikomori for the rest of the week?" I asked reluctantly. I had a near-perfect attendance record, and I didn't want to miss class over something as stupid as this. Not to mention that I needed to catch up in combat magic classes.

"I don't care, but I know you aren't the type to skip classes." Dad gave me a knowing stare.

Damn it. He was right. Steeling myself for the ordeal ahead, I went toward the backyard in an attempt to leave by a secret, alternate route.

*

It didn't take me very long to reach school. I managed to give the reporters the slip and get onto the bus. Fortunately, my fellow passengers didn't seem to recognize me. Not everyone paid attention to social media or the national tournament of mages. Many of the adults didn't seem to care about who was the strongest student mage in the country, nor did they watch the matches.

That was only natural. Even back during my era, while soccer stars or eSports celebrities were extremely popular, they usually only found a niche audience. Chances are, your friendly neighborhood grocer hadn't heard of Maru, Innovation or Gumiho of Starcraft 2 fame, or the salaryman wouldn't know any soccer stars if that wasn't his interest. Hell, my neighbors next door probably didn't even know about my achievements.

Dad only happened to know because he did keep regular tabs on promising new mages and students from the Federation, as part of his job. When he went on missions to eliminate monsters or track down rogue mages, he usually recruited teams. And many of the teammates he approached were graduates from these top schools.

Otherwise he wouldn't have paid much attention to something as niche as battle mages' tournaments, particularly at the school level.

However, the obscurity I enjoyed in the public space was immediately shattered the moment I set foot into school. Though I tried to be discreet as possible, I was almost instantly mobbed by my schoolmates, the majority of whom wanted to enjoy being in the company of a short-lived star. No doubt the moment I returned to my losing ways and maintained my last rank, everyone would drop me like a hot coal and I would return to being a loser.

Already I could see scornful looks and disdainful expressions from a significant number of the student population who kept their distance and watched me from afar. However, my view of them was blocked by a group of classmates.

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"Hey, Richard! That was a great match yesterday!"

"I didn't know you had such a powerful summoned beast! Two of them, even! How long have you gotten them for?"

"Did you always have them, or are they recent additions?"

"Since last year," I mumbled, trying to find a way out of the crowd. A few of them snickered, though I could tell it was mocking laughter.

"Good thing I smashed him before he summoned them then."

"Yeah…I can't imagine what would happen if I allowed him to summon even one of those summoned beasts."

"I would have been blown away, no doubt."

"No wonder it always takes him so long to summon them. With creatures possessing power of that magnitude, there's no way he could bring them into our material plane right away."

So a good number of them approached to make fun of me. They were aware that despite my victory over the representatives from Crowley's Grand Arcane Academy yesterday, I was still ranked at the bottom. With such a glaring weakness, there was no way I could be considered a real powerhouse or high ranker. As long as they could pummel me before I summoned my celestial guardians, they would win easily.

The feeling of being mocked was pretty terrible, and I suppressed a flare of anger. Pushing past them, I headed toward my classroom.

"Well, I've to get to class. See you guys later."

They must have heard the hostility in my voice, for many of the surrounding members sniggered. But at least they kept their distance. I could still feel their condescending gazes on my back.

Despite their scorn, they weren't the only ones who approached me. There were a few who genuinely admired me, especially those who were also ranked near the bottom. I recognized a guy who was just three or four positions above me.

"Hey! Student Richard! You have a moment?"

"Um…" I paused and studied him. Even though I knew who he was, his name eluded my memory at the moment. Fortunately, he realized that and laughed sheepishly.

"I'm Dong Fang Yue Chu. We had a match before."

"Oh, right. Yeah, I remember."

I wasn't lying. I remembered the match – it was pretty close, particularly because Dong Fang Yue Chun took almost three minutes to lie me flat on my back, and I was so close to summoning Vermillion Phoenix that time. If I hadn't slipped up at the last second and allowed him to land that last attack, the result would have been very different, and I would have gotten my first and only win.

Unfortunately, reality wasn't created from "what-ifs" but existed from the web of choices and results produced from our actions. As much as I wanted to, there was no magic or technology that would allow me to reverse the flow of time and return to that pivotal moment to change the outcome of the match.

A good thing, too, because I bet Hal Gunther would love to go back in time and make up for his stupidity yesterday. As much as I abhorred the attention this little victory garnered me, it did feel good burning his arrogant ass into a crisp.

"I'm forming a society, and I'm hoping you'll join it! How about it?" he laughed. "We low rankers ought to stick with each other…but I know you have promise! If you join us, you'll definitely be the ace in our team. I'll get you the resources you need to rise to the top!"

As tempting at that sounded, I was all too aware of how prevalent false promises and scams were, even in this day and age of heightened security. But I wasn't blunt enough to refuse him outright, so I merely nodded.

"I'll think about it."

"Great! Please add me as a friend!" Dong Fang Yue Chu was fumbling for his smartphone, wanting to exchange contacts. I hesitated a little, but since it would be rude and overly blatant to reject him, I went and swapped numbers with him.

Sighing, I waved goodbye to him and proceeded to my classroom. Just like yesterday, the first lesson today would be combat magic, and I wanted to arrive early to get a front seat. Teacher Fielding should be taking charge again…

Unfortunately, I found myself mobbed by my classmates, especially those who were in the same class as me.

"Oh! You're finally here!"

"That was a great show yesterday!"

"You're a summoner, aren't you? What are you doing in this class?"

"Isn't he a second year student? Did you miss out on this basic combat magic class last year?"

"Um…" I was taken aback by the flurry of questions as my classmates swarmed me. They didn't even give me a chance to answer one question at a time, rattling the inquiries off like a bloody machine gun.

"Student Richard?"

I turned at the familiar voice. To my surprise, Alicia Violet was waving at me from around the corridor. All my classmates went still when they spotted her.

"President Alicia!"

"My idol…"

"What has she come for?"

"Idiot! She just called out to Richard, didn't she?"

"You have a moment?" Alicia asked. I hesitated, but when my classmates pulled back and opened up a path for me, I seized upon it.

"I guess so." I proceeded to where she was, and we disappeared down the corridor, distancing ourselves from my curious classmates and staying out of earshot. "Thank you."

Alicia giggled. "You seem to have become pretty popular since yesterday."

"It won't last for too long," I muttered. "They'll all forget about me by next week."

"I doubt that." Alicia smiled. She had a pretty smile, and I found myself dazzled for a moment. Blinking, I bowed my head.

"Anyway, you saved me. I honestly didn't know how to get out of situations like that."

"Hmm…I'm glad I could help you." Alicia raised a hand to her mouth and chuckled softly. "But that wasn't the only reason why I called out to you."

"Eh? Do you need me for something?" I looked at her in bewilderment. If Alicia needed a favor, she could approach her members in the Black Rose Society for help. She didn't need to approach me in particular.

"Yes." Alicia nodded, her smile still bewitching as ever. "Do you remember the offer I made to you the other day? An invitation to join the Black Rose Society?"

"Uh, yeah…" I suddenly had a feeling where this might lead.

"The offer still stands. Student Richard, would you like to join our Black Rose Society?"