Chapter 167: Recomendation Letter for Academy
The two staff members stood there and chatted excitedly without realizing Gara and Fian had already reached them.
"Then that must mean he doesn’t just prepare the bathwater... he bathes with h—"
The woman froze mid-sentence, her lips snapping shut. Her coworker blinked in confusion, then turned to see what had shocked her so much.
And there they were... the very two men they had been gossiping about.
Gara and Fian passed by without a word.
Gara only snorted inwardly, while Fian struggled to contain his flustered nerves. For the first time, he began to imagine what it would be like if those staff fantasies ever came true.
Gara, meanwhile, was simply grateful Madha had other business today. If he had been with them, he would’ve heard their nonsense talk.
Or worse, the two female staff members’ imaginations might have gone in a different direction, fantasizing about him having two husbands instead.
All Gara could do was click his tongue silently.
Still, Gara was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected Fian to speak so much to someone else. Did that mean Fian wasn’t comfortable talking in front of him?
He didn’t dwell on it. Once they stepped out of the Slave Association building, Madha was already waiting at the front.
The three of them headed straight for the mayor’s hall. As usual, Kala greeted them with her warm smile.
"Are you here to take on your fourth mission?" she asked.
Gara shook his head politely. "We’d like to request a statement letter and a recommendation from Mayor Danan to bring to the Academy."
At the word Academy, Kala’s eyes widened. Slowly, her aged face lit up. She quickly guided them to the guest hall, then hurried off to find Baron Danan.
They didn’t have to wait long. Baron Danan appeared at the doorway, beaming brightly.
"I’ll give you a recommendation letter! Of course I will!" the baron declared with enthusiasm, striding over and shaking each of their hands.
In truth, a letter of recommendation from a small-town baron wasn’t worth much.
But it was still required as both formal proof of identity and an acknowledgment that they were officially recognized.
Whether or not they could enter without exams would ultimately be decided by the Academy itself.
Last year, Gara and Madha had been accepted directly thanks to Langga’s offering. This year, however, things were different. They wouldn’t know until they got there.
Fian, who hadn’t received Langga’s offering last year, was given a recommendation this time. His dual talent, both of which were considered strong, was too rare a potential to overlook.
Thanks to Baron Danan’s excitement, the letters—normally something that would take several days—were completed that very afternoon.
The baron even walked them all the way to the mayor hall’s front doors, chattering nonstop. His main request was simple, that they not forget their roots.
It wasn’t an exaggeration. For a mayor of a small town, the social standing of a Liner who successfully mingled in the capital far surpassed that of a baron.
He was confident that at least one of the three would pass the Academy entrance. After all, their Talents had been acknowledged by Academy professors the previous year.
And they had ties to Captain Tristan Cakra, someone who had once held a significant position in the capital, though the details of that connection were unclear to him.
Once they left the mayor’s hall, Gara and the others walked so fast it was almost like a race.
Only when the building was out of sight did they finally slow down. Baron Danan’s enthusiasm was a little overwhelming.
Instead of heading straight home, they made a detour to the town prison. Madha greeted the guards stationed there, who didn’t bother stopping the three newcomers.
But Gara specifically asked to enter alone. Though uneasy, Madha and Fian agreed.
The prison lay underground. As Gara descended, he was met by a long corridor lined with barred doors on either side.
The place was dimly lit by only a handful of fire bulbs, their glow weak and sparse. The stench hanging in the air struck Gara’s nose sharply, making him scrunch it in disgust.
He stopped in front of one of the cells. Inside, a woman with tangled blonde hair staggered toward the bars to see who had come to visit her.
"Father... is that you?" she muttered.
But her breath hitched the moment she saw that well-kept, handsome face illuminated by the faint glow.
She squinted, as if to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Of all people, this beautiful man should have been the last to appear before her.
The sight of Gara made her unstable emotions burst. "DAMN YOU! YOU’RE HERE TO MOCK ME, AREN’T YOU? I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL RIP YOU APART!"
Gara stood calmly in front of the cell, arms folded across his chest.
"Still not sober?" His voice was quiet, but it carried clearly enough to reach her. "Do you really not understand where you are right now?"
"No matter where I am, it’s still far better than a backwater brat like you!" Narin screamed, her face flushing red with fury.
"Really? Then tell me—why is the one rotting in prison, looking like that... you?" Gara’s gaze swept her from head to toe, dripping with disdain.
The insult only fueled her rage. "Just wait! My father will get me out of here and throw you in—"
"It’s been a month, and no one has told you about your foster father, has he?" Gara’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
A sudden chill prickled down her spine. "How do you know about my father? What could possibly have happened to him?!"
"He’s abandoned you," Gara answered lightly.
"No! That’s impossible!" Narin shrieked, her voice breaking into hysteria.
"Believe what you want. But isn’t it strange? Not a single bit of help has reached you here. Even commoners eat better in prison—because their families, mere farmers, can still bribe the guards. And you? Where’s your support?"
Gara’s words shattered what little hope Narin had left.
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