Chapter 321: Lavinia’s Worries
Lavinia sighed for the umpteenth time after the young noble had left her alone.
Ever since Alex’s victory over Prince Garen two days ago, his popularity among the First and Second Years had skyrocketed.
Even the Third and Fourth Years who hadn’t taken him seriously in the past had no choice but to pay attention to him now.
Their curiosity naturally led them to gather more information about him.
Of course, others had done the same in the past.
The Student Council President, Theo Ashborne.
Princess Aeris, the older sister of Prince Kaelen and Lapiz, had also tried to secure any and all information regarding Alex.
Even Prince Edward had ordered the kingdom’s intelligence division to run a background check on this mysterious young man.
Last but not least, the current President of the Merchant Alliance had mobilized the crest club’s resources to uncover Alex’s background.
The moment Alex won the duel, the Merchant Alliance seized the opportunity and started selling information about him to curious students.
That included all of his exploits on the Floating Islands of Thaloria, as well as his adventures in the Etherion Domain that the famed Clawford Tribe controlled.
The aspiring knights, who were awed by Alex’s performance, focused on one thing and one thing only.
Alex’s Job Class.
The Merchant Alliance naturally sold this information as well, so it had only been a matter of time before everyone learned of his Job Class.
Oathkeeper.
For most people, it was their first time hearing of such a Job Class.
After careful digging, it was revealed that this was a Hidden Class that could only be obtained in the Etherion Domain.
As such, Prince Edward and some of the noble families of the Kingdom of Avalon approached Lavinia, hoping that the Clawford Tribe would allow them access to the Etherion Domain so others could also claim this Hidden Job Class.
Though overwhelmed by such requests, the royals had directly asked her about it, so the only thing Lavinia could do was relay the news to her grandfather and let him decide how to handle this matter.
Frankly, the young lady was happy for Alex—he was finally receiving the recognition he deserved. But the aftermath of the duel also left her feeling quite stressed since the exposure of Alex’s Hidden Class had made quite a headache for the Clawford Tribe.
As one of the Pillars of the Kingdom, they were duty-bound to the King. If he himself was asking the Clawford Tribe for a favor, they were obliged to agree.
Although Prince Edward claimed that he had conveyed the news to his father, the King had yet to issue an official decree asking for access to the Etherion Domain.
Perhaps Lavinia’s grandfather needed to travel to the Capital City of Harmonia and talk with the King about this matter in private.
She could only wait till their discussion was over to know what they had talked about.
Even so, she was not sure whether there could be multiple Oathkeepers at the same time.
Unlike other Hidden Classes such as Horizon Striker, Ninja, and Demon Slayer, the Oathkeeper had only made its appearance after hundreds of years.
Alex had shared the requirements needed to unlock the Hidden Class to Ramza, believing this Job Class was very important to the Clawford Tribe.
He could have kept it a secret, but after talking to the first Oathkeeper, Leonard Hartwell, the young man realized how much the founder of the Clawford Tribe cared for his people.
As such, Alex decided to spill everything he knew about Hidden Class. That way, someone else could continue their legacy and pick up the mantle after Alex had passed on.
It was his responsibility to pass the torch to the next generation, allowing the Clawford Tribe to prosper.
’Asking for permission to enter the Etherion Domain is understandable... but why did some of them propose marriage to me?’ Lavinia thought.
Her grandfather never planned to use Lavinia or Cairo as tools to gain any advantage through political marriages.
Ramza believed that everyone was free to choose whom they wished to love and spend their lifetime with.
"I wonder what he’s doing right now," Lavinia muttered as she decided to take a stroll in the academy to clear her mind.
She had only been walking for ten minutes when she saw Daisy, Dim Dim, and a Forest Wolf taking a stroll some distance away from her.
"Dim Dim," Lavinia called out to the little bun, who immediately looked in her direction.
The Dim Sum God smiled and greeted Lavinia with a wave of its little stubby hand.
"Dim!"
The students had already gotten used to seeing Daisy and Dim Dim patrol the academy and no longer treated the Doom Cow as a dangerous monster.
But this was the first time Lavinia had seen the Forest Wolf, which she assumed was one of the Beasts Fran was rearing on her farm.
The Forest Wolf was only a meter tall and still looked quite young.
Based on its presence alone, Lavinia estimated it to be a Rank 2 Monster, making it a decent challenge for the First Years.
"Is this a new friend of yours?" Lavinia asked.
Dim Dim nodded. "Dim!"
"What is their name?"
"Rex."
"That’s a good name." Lavinia smiled. "Is he friendly?"
Dim Dim pondered for a while before shaking its head.
"Dim."
"Oh? You’re training him so that he will not randomly attack people?"
"Dim!"
The Forest Wolf eyed Lavinia, his gaze sharp like his claws. However, he didn’t make any move to approach her. He simply held his ground, knowing that if he didn’t, Daisy would stomp on him without fail.
Rex was the new addition to the Farm Beasts that Fran was taking care of. She had come across the injured Forest Wolf a few days ago and tended to his injuries.
Thinking it would be best if Rex stayed with them until he was fully recovered, the kind dwarf told the other Beasts on the farm to be friendly to him.
Naturally, Dim Dim, the ever-friendly bun, decided to befriend Rex.
However, the Forest Wolf growled at the Little Bun, which made Daisy smack the wolf’s head in anger.
Since then, the Forest Wolf treated Dim Dim as a "must-not-be-offended" little creature. It had been easy to engrave in his mind since all the Farm Beasts would emit killing intent the moment he tried to intimidate Dim Dim.
Fortunately, the Forest Wolf didn’t hold a grudge against the little bun, especially after eating some of its pork dumplings.
Since then, Rex decided to stay at the farm instead of returning to the Mistral Weave Forest, where every day was a life-and-death struggle.
Of course, Dim Dim was more than happy to have a new friend.
However, since Rex might be treated as a wild monster if it was spotted in the academy, Dim Dim decided to take him along during their daily patrols. If the students became more accustomed to the Forest Wolf, they would be less likely to react badly.
Rex was also wearing a collar with a badge that represented Fran’s club, which ought to let the students know that it was not a wild monster but a tamed one under the academy’s management.
Lavinia, who understood Dim Dim’s intention, lightly patted the little bun’s head, making its smile widen.
Suddenly, she remembered what she had wanted to ask Dim Dim earlier and decided to quickly ask the question now before she forgot it once more.
"Dim Dim, where is Alex?"
"Dim Dim."
"He’s at Fran’s farm?"
"Dim!"
Lavinia frowned before nodding her head in understanding.
"Thank you," Lavinia said. "You can continue your patrols now."
"Aye!" Dim Dim gave the young lady a salute before urging Daisy and Rex to resume their patrol.
With this information in hand, Lavinia decided to visit Fran’s farm, which she had never been to before.
Since they were classmates, she believed that it wouldn’t be out of place if she came to visit her, right?
With these thoughts inside her head, she decided to go to where Alex was and complain a bit about her circumstances.
Although she knew that this was a terrible excuse, she truly wanted to vent a little bit of her frustration at the young man, who was currently waiting to eat Fran’s homemade cooking, which he loved very much.