In fact, he did it on purpose. Informing about leaving tomorrow was to make Hilda anticipate it, and then suddenly leaving earlier would bring her an unexpected surprise, causing emotional fluctuations.
With no time to lose, Feld left the Orne Blacksmith's Shop and bid farewell to Orne. He activated the teleportation disc and appeared in the teleportation plaza of the Haidis Academy. He didn't immediately go to find Hilda, as he wasn't sure where she was and it was class time. He took this opportunity to visit Mentor Holan and "Veena" in the library.
Upon arriving at the library, Holan was teaching. They were the students Feld had encountered before, the ones who were foolish enough to attempt hunting monsters, the same group he had scared. However, Feld noticed that their gazes were unusual, and even Holan's expression seemed strange.
Feld felt a bit nervous and asked, "What's going on?"
"Bro, did you really defeat the president yesterday?" a student named Jelic gazed at Feld with shining eyes.
Only then did Feld realize that it was because of yesterday's events. Not only killing Okot, but also defeating President Hilda at the Haidis Academy had spread. For the Haidis Academy, any event related to Hilda was a big deal. He anticipated that there might be trouble ahead.
However, Feld didn't mind. Instead, he nodded in acknowledgment, "Yeah."
After getting a confirmation, the students looked at each other and then crowded around, "Bro, what level are you? To actually defeat the president?"
"I saw it with my own eyes yesterday, it was so cool! I thought you were doomed to lose!"
"Bro, what's your relationship with the president?"
Facing the students' chatter, Feld looked helplessly at Holan, who just smiled and didn't intervene. Feld had to wave his hand and gesture, "We're just friends, as for the level... it's confidential as an external personnel of the academy." He glanced at Holan sneakily.
Upon hearing this, Holan nodded slightly, and her mouth relaxed. But Feld knew things were far from over. Indeed, Holan took a step forward to help him out, "Alright, your task is to focus on studying and not to inquire about these things."
"Review on your own, I need to have a private conversation with this mercenary gentleman."
With that, she motioned with her chin towards Feld and then turned to walk towards the private room in the library.
Feld sighed and exclaimed, "Ah, my cursed charm..."
Holan sat on the sofa, legs crossed, staring sharply at Feld, her tone filled with skepticism, "Explain clearly, what is your relationship with Hilda?"
Feld didn't appreciate this line of questioning, so he deftly changed the subject, "I'm a bit thirsty."
Raising an eyebrow, Holan retorted, "If you're thirsty, drink water. What's that got to do with me?"
Feld, feigning weakness, flopped onto the table, "I'm so pitiful..."
"Who would've thought that a future legendary mercenary like me would die of thirst in the Haidis Library while the beautiful mentor is right there, and she even owes me a candlelit dinner..."
He employed his previous strategy, adding a touch of self-sacrifice this time, shifting the focus from the landlady to Mentor Holan.
Hearing Feld's complaint, Holan couldn't help but laugh and got up to make him a cup of tea.
"Satisfied now?" she said somewhat resignedly, placing the cup in front of Feld.
Feld immediately perked up, sitting upright and sipping the tea with a contented expression on his face.
"Now, can we talk?" Holan leaned on her cheek, looking at Feld.
"Talk about what?" Feld pretended to be clueless.
"Hilda, what's your relationship with her?" Holan pouted, clearly not satisfied.
"We're friends, didn't I say that?" Feld looked innocent.
"Friends?" Holan looked skeptical. "Can friends casually enter her private garden?"
"You knew?" Feld asked in surprise.
Holan rolled her eyes, explaining, "You left in the direction of the Student Union area. Since I didn't see you outside, you could only be in the Student Union building or the garden."
"There are many people in the Student Union building, and I didn't see you two, so it had to be the garden. And that leads to Hilda's dormitory, which has always been her private space. Besides the principal, no one else can enter without permission."
With that, Holan straightened up, getting closer to Feld, and asked sternly, "Tell me honestly, what is your relationship with Hilda?"
Feld's mouth twitched, forced to admire Mentor Holan's deductive skills.
"We really are just friends," he said helplessly.
Holan still looked disbelieving, continuing to stare at him. Feld sighed and asked, "What do you think our relationship is?"
Holan hesitated for a moment, then raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat annoyed by Feld's cunning.
This dishonest big guy actually threw the question back at her!
"Feld, this isn't good..." Holan said somewhat dejectedly.
"What's wrong with me?" Feld asked innocently.
"You...you..." Holan bit her lip, unable to find the right words, and finally said, "You promised Veena to protect her!"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with our relationship?" Feld looked puzzled and took another sip of tea.
Holan was momentarily speechless, looking somewhat angry, her chest rising and falling unevenly. Finally, she turned her face away, refusing to look at him anymore.
Feld tried to call out to her, "Mentor Holan?"
She didn't respond.
"Beautiful mentor?" he tried again.
Holan remained silent, even turning her face to the other side.
Feld grinned and could only scratch his head, saying helplessly, "Alright, I admit..."
Holan immediately perked up, ready to hear what he had to say.
"Our relationship is...complicated." Feld pretended to struggle with his words.
At this, Holan's eyes flickered with disappointment, and she seemed to be blocked by something inside, her breathing becoming rapid.
But she tried to stay calm and said, "Go on, I'm listening."
Feld looked regretful and shook his head, "If I had known that making deals with the Student Union President was illegal, I wouldn't have done it..."
Holan asked in surprise, "Deal? What deal?"
"Her sword broke while fighting the wolf demon, and I'm a part-time blacksmith," Feld explained.
"I heard she comes from a wealthy family, so I thought she must have money. That's why I proposed a deal to help her craft a sword, and she would pay the corresponding fee."
"We had a fight yesterday, but it was actually to understand her fighting style better, so I could customize the most suitable sword for her."
"This is the responsibility of an excellent blacksmith."
"Do you remember my heavy hammer? That's my forging hammer. I just used it to forge a dagger for Kiki."
Kiki proudly showed off her cat's stab, "It's true, it's this one!"
Holan took the dagger, surprised by its exquisite craftsmanship and sharpness. The dagger was engraved with an "F," clearly a recent creation by Feld for Kiki.
"But you know, I'm still an excellent mercenary. I felt her combat skills needed improvement, so I couldn't help but give her some guidance," Feld continued.
"So our relationship is complicated. We're friends, but also business partners. To some extent, it can also be said that I'm her teacher, as she wants me to guide her and improve her combat skills."
"So...she took you to the garden for this?" Holan asked.
"Yes, we were discussing the design of the sword and correcting some of her combat deficiencies. After that, I teleported away," he smiled wryly. "If I had known it was illegal here, I wouldn't have done it."
"I heard that private weapon trading in big cities is illegal, I should have applied for a trading permit from the Craftsman Guild first..."
Although he said that, he secretly gave Kiki a thumbs up under the table, praising her cooperation.
Indeed, after hearing Feld's "confession," Holan seemed embarrassed and guilty. "Actually, trading here is legal..."
"Ah?" Feld pretended to be surprised. "Private weapon trading is allowed here?"
"Yes." Holan nodded.
"Really? I thought I was in trouble!" Feld widened his eyes.
This performance was Oscar-worthy! He patted his chest, relieved. "You scared me, but luckily, everything's fine now. I can relax."
"The orphanage's renovation costs are covered now. I'm planning to build a swimming pool in the yard and then tear down the old house and rebuild it. It will require a lot of money."
Seeing Feld's carefree smile, Holan felt guilty, realizing she had misunderstood him.
She had thought that there was some kind of intimate relationship between Feld and Hilda, but now that she thought about it, how could that be possible?
They hadn't known each other for long, and she knew Hilda's personality well.
Even if they became acquainted in a short time, they could only be ordinary friends, not what she had imagined.
Hilda seemed aloof, but she was actually friendly to those around her.
Moreover, Feld had only traded with Hilda to help Veena and raise funds for the orphanage's renovation.
Instead of helping, she had misunderstood him because of rumors and even questioned him.
Thinking of this, Holan's eyes moistened, and she cautiously said to Feld, "I'm sorry..."
"Why apologize?" Feld looked puzzled.
Seeing Feld's
innocent expression, Holan felt even more guilty. Nervously rubbing her hands, she hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip, lightly placing her hand on Feld's.
"I thought...anyway, I misunderstood you. I'm really sorry..."
At that moment, she was no longer the rational mentor, but more like a girl who had made a mistake, eager for Feld's forgiveness.
Feld watched all of this, finding her both adorable and ridiculous.
And he secretly praised himself for his performance. Although the fear of illegal weapon trading was fabricated, there were indeed places where such behavior was not allowed and required a permit.
But as a freelance mercenary, he wasn't worried about this issue at all.
Even if it were illegal, he had nothing to fear. As long as he could make money, that was fine. After all, he was a mercenary who operated on the edge of the rules.
So, most of his words were true, just ignoring key legal details.
Through this conversation, Feld successfully dispelled suspicion and used Holan's guilt to put himself in a favorable position.
Beautiful mentor, you're still too young~