Chapter 252 Mediation
Naturally, martial law was declared in Orendel. Wanted posters with Ghost's mugshot were plastered everywhere, and soldiers, intent on apprehending the wanted criminal, set up a tight, tight net. Without the Savior's covert assistance, the remnants of the Land Freedom Party would have been unable to continue their escape. The professor initially thought he would be stuck here for a while longer, but the next night, someone showed up.
"I want to go."
The professor paused as he wrote, then looked up at the young girl who had boldly rushed up to him. She had lifted her hood to conceal her features, still panting, her cheeks flushed with emotion.
"It seems that you haven't reached an agreement on the candidate." He winked and pointed this out sharply.
"No, sir, I'm sixteen and can make my own decisions." Fina timidly glanced at the strange man beside her who made her hair stand on end. The man was also looking at her. She couldn't help but shudder and quickly averted her gaze. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to appear more mature and resolute. "As long as I leave with you, my brother will eventually accept this fact."
She and her brother followed the trail left by Brother Saber and found the survivors. Perhaps because the current situation was too dire, and the name "Nova" was so eye-catching, their allegiance to the People's Party did not cause much controversy.
But was he going to Port Morris with a group of strange men to take his beloved sister, whom he had raised, as a hostage? No matter how Fina analyzed the pros and cons, her brother gritted his teeth, leaving Saber the eldest brother caught in the middle.
Fina knew that her brother was worried about her safety, but she also knew that this was the only chance for the Land Freedom Party to survive. The longer it took, the more dangerous it would be. So she decided to act first and ask for permission later. At this time, this sixteen-year-old girl was even more decisive than all the adult men around her.
...In fact, there is another point. A strange premonition tells Fina that this is an opportunity, an opportunity to truly leave her brother's wings and even allow a low-level person like her to accomplish something big.
Nova was silent for a moment, his brows slightly furrowed: "...Don't call me Master."
Fina thought for a moment, then tentatively asked in a low voice, "Well, Professor?"
The first team under this person was his own students. The girl thought nervously that the title of "professor" must have a special meaning to him.
She was gambling that this "ghost" had no ill will towards her.
As expected, the man glanced at her indifferently. Fina almost thought that he had seen through her little attempt to please others - but the black-haired young man still nodded nonchalantly: "Ms. Wood."
"Professor, you can just call me Fina." The girl breathed a sigh of relief and immediately tried to close the distance. "Whatever you need me to do, please tell me!"
Nova paused, then calmly changed his address. "Ms. Fina, I need you to first go and have a real talk with your brother who chased you to the inn door. Running away from home out of anger won't solve the fundamental problem. I won't pay for your family conflicts."
The girl was obviously stunned for a moment. His words were not harsh, but the expression on her face kept changing in various ways, and finally froze in a pale state that seemed to indicate an unknown level of emotion.
In reality, the professor didn't mind the girl relying on him to put pressure on her family, nor did he intend to embarrass such a young child. He watched the girl leave the room, whispering an apology in embarrassment. A fierce, hushed argument ensued between her and James Wood, who stood breathless outside the door. Ultimately, the argument ended with Fina wiping away her tears and standing before him with her head held high.
His brother agreed, and the other party solemnly told him that it would not affect the subsequent plans. The professor looked at her intently for a moment, until the girl began to pinch the hem of her skirt nervously, then he slowly said, "Then I'll give you half an hour. Pack your luggage and we'll leave tonight."
"Don't be nervous, you're not our prisoner." He thought for a moment, then tried to soften his tone. "I promise, no one will deliberately embarrass you. I just want you to do your job well."
——The so-called "hostage" is indeed not a joke, but there is no need to focus on how to please him. He does not have the habit of enjoying other people's trembling flattery.
Jophiel, the real prisoner, Yialos, who was standing aside: "..."
"Yes, yes!" Fina was stunned for a moment, then her eyes gradually brightened. With a touch of pride and shyness, she held up the handbag beside her: "I've brought the luggage - Professor, we can leave at any time."
…Even though this gentleman seemed a little stern and cold, Fina couldn't help but secretly think, he must be a good person. This thought became more and more firm on the way to Port Morris.
Besides not interrupting the man when he was busy working, Fina really enjoyed finding opportunities to talk to him. She had never been around such a... strange person before. He would explain the current situation in Port Morris to her and guide her like a qualified teacher when she asked questions. Although he had a sharp tongue and would sometimes scold her without hesitation, he never maliciously mocked her for her naivety or shallowness.
Fina was like a dried-up sponge. Unsure if she was up to the task, she desperately tried to absorb everything she had rarely encountered in her first half of life within the limited time available.
Her brother did love her, but he always treated her as a weak little girl, thinking only of saving a large dowry for her and then marrying her to Sabir's elder brother, whom both of them knew well, so that she could live a stable and happy life.
Before, Fina hadn't felt anything was wrong, just a vague feeling of being trapped, as if she were trapped in a can. But now, she realized with some shame that although she loved her brother and didn't hate her elder brother, Saber, she had felt an unprecedented sense of relief and freedom since leaving her family and friends, as if an invisible membrane had been broken through.
Among the companions, there was also a one-armed nobleman. Fina hated this kind of arrogant guy, and she was keenly aware of the other party's delicate position in the team, so she chose to keep her distance.
The last person was a weirdo who covered himself up tightly, even though he later revealed his facial features in front of her. Despite being in her teenage years when she was most easily seduced by beautiful looks, the girl was still terribly afraid of him. Whenever the savior was present, she would be as obedient as a timid quail huddled up in a ball.
"Are you afraid of him? Why?" Nova's eyes moved confusedly between Azuka and Fina.
It shouldn't be like this, the professor thought seriously and confusedly. He knew himself well. In the past, the students at Baita University were terribly afraid of him, but they were very enthusiastic towards him, the handsome teaching assistant - now it was the other way around.
The blond youth blinked innocently. "Maybe it's because I once corrected Miss Fina's bad word choice?"
He glanced at Fina, who was frozen in place, with a half-smile. The other party had a sad face and looked like she wanted to shrink into the cracks in the ground, but she didn't dare to get close to the professor.
...It does have a bit of the sharpness of a wild beast.
"...Just this?" Nova paused, then turned to look at Fina. Considering one of the parties was a minor, he offered some awkward but earnest mediation, saying, "Don't worry about him retaliating. Most of the time, Azuka is a reasonable person, a decent, gentle, and kind person."
After all, he was a man known as the savior—at least on the surface—but the worst parts of his character were not something that could be revealed to outsiders.
Fina forced herself to smile shyly and with relief, then secretly swore in her heart that she would never, ever offend the guy who made her feel creepy.
But Fina never thought that the first thing the professor would do when she arrived in Port Morris was to simply introduce her to people and then throw her into the "school".
Fina: “…”
Along the way, she imagined countless things about the job she would take on, even thinking about being an undercover agent or a spy, but she never thought about "going to school."
"Aside from swear words, your vocabulary is terrible." The professor disparaged her bluntly: "At least learn to read and write letters first, and understand your future job before anything else."
The other party is smart and sharp, good at judging the situation, thick-skinned, daring to fight, ambitious and ruthless, and his position is determined by his background. He may be a good candidate for politics.
The People's Party's military might was already overflowing, but civilian talent was hard to come by, relying almost entirely on him and Azuka. Now that someone finally seemed capable of sharing the workload, Nova wasn't above giving them a chance—assuming, of course, that the still-uninformed Fina Wood could prove herself capable and valuable far beyond a "hostage."
When Greven, who was in charge of guarding the house, finally saw his chief, he immediately showed an expression of great surprise.
He and Ashes looked noticeably more haggard, clearly tormented by the unprecedented work pressure. Even the usually reserved slave general became emotionally agitated, looking at people as if they were his saviors, which gave Nova a chill.
It was a day later after listening to the work report that the professor finally remembered to introduce the prisoners brought back to Port Morris to his own people.
"This is the Knight Commander of the Kite Heart Guards." Amidst the horrified gazes and gasps of the crowd, their chief calmly pointed in an extremely nonchalant tone at Jophiel Ialos, who stood there with a stern face, allowing everyone to stare at him.
To be honest, Yialos didn't quite understand why this man wanted to spare his life and even brought him into the People's Party's base, Port Morris, after most likely knowing that he was communicating with the royal city.
...You can't be trying to influence him.
The Knight Commander didn't think the rebel leader would be so... naive.
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