Rise of the Crusader

105 Cultured Society

The following day, Raphael, Devon, and Aiden headed to the cultured society, while Bane went to the profane society.

As one of the student clubs that was approved by the council, and administration the cultured society wasn’t to be underestimated.

They were renowned for producing individuals with terrific skills in casual conversation, business, and flirtation.

Raphael, Devon, and Aiden sat in what apparently appeared to be a lecture hall, with their eyes on the person who was a few meters away.

“Please, settle down. You already arrived late as it is, the least you could do is maintain decorum. Let those who want the knowledge acquire them without any disturbance.” The man at the front of the class said.

The man was of slender build, he had short black hair that was parted to carefully styled and brownish-grey eyes. He was then wearing rimless glasses and a fitted white designer suit.

“How come we are still late... It’s not like we walked, so how come,” Aiden mumbled a second after the man spoke.

Meanwhile, Devon chuckled when he heard Aiden. He stared at the people who were in the hall, some were wearing the academy uniforms, some had causal outfits, and a couple was wearing what Devon deemed as weird outfits.

“The number is greater than that of the previous set,” Devon muttered as he stared at the people in the hall.

.....

“Shh!! The lecture has started, you don’t want to miss any of what he is saying.”

As Devon heard Aiden, he nodded his head and opened the book in his hand. He took out the pen from his shirt pocket and focused his gaze on the man at the front of the class.

It wasn’t just Devon who opened the book in his hand, Aiden as well. And as Raphael stared at the people in the room, he also found each one of them holding on to a book and pen.

“For the latecomers, I’m Reynold Patterson. I’m a student of the tech division and also a proud member of the cultured society.” Reynold said.

“Now where did I stop,” Reynold said, taking a step forward.

“There are three things you need to learn in either a casual conversation, filtration, or even a relationship.” Reynold paused, “First, the power of a relationship lies to whoever cares the less.”

“One day, you might be with a chick, or perhaps you aren’t even with one, but then you end up thinking about love. Perhaps, the time you’ve spent together and the memories, at that moment you run.”

“You do not think twice, nor do you hesitate. Because maybe not the next day or the next week but sometime in the next future, that I can assure you, you’re going to get crushed.” Reynold stated.

Reynold paused, he stared at the people in the room, and said, “That isn’t a feeling you want to experience, trust me.”

“I’ve been there, and it’s hell!” Reynold declared.

Reynold suddenly raised two of his fingers, “Second, you don’t have a relationship with the one you can’t live without, instead you have a relationship with the one you can live with.”

“The moment you go for the first choice and the power of the relationship isn’t in your hand, then trust me, it’s only a matter of time before you’re crushed.”

“The last one,” Reynold raised three fingers as he spoke.

“I know you’ve probably heard that communication, selflessness, forgiveness, and focusing on the present and not the past, is the key to a healthy relationship, but let me be frank with you, those are all wrong,” Reynold exclaimed.

“The moment you have that concept, and you stick to them, and you find yourself drawn, attached to someone, nothing good could even come out of that. The world is a crazy place, and to survive in this sort of place, you have to be just as crazy as it is.”

Every word that came out of Reynold’s mouth was akin to gold before the people in front of him. They jotted down everything he said, and as they stared at him, their eyes flickered with joy and excitement.

A smile hung on Reynold’s face as he saw the looks on their faces.

Suddenly, one of the people in the hall raised a hand. And as Reynold saw the person, he spoke, “Do you have a question?”

“Yes,” It was a teenager wearing the academy uniform. “We have heard and assimilated all that you have said so far. But, how do we prevent all this situation?”

“How do we not get attached? How do we make the power of the relationship into our hands? What are the steps or actions we must take?”

The question was just kept from the teenager, and it was only after a few seconds that he stopped.

“There’s only one answer to all that you’ve asked,” Reynold responded. “You forget her or him. Whoever it is you feel this way for, you simply forget them.”

“H-How... How can I ignore or forget someone I’m attached to.” The teenager blurted a second after he heard Reynold’s response.

“Hehe.” Reynold suddenly chuckled. A smile then appeared on his face. However, the smile only lasted for a moment, and it soon turned into a bone-chilling frown.

“Do you want to have your heart crushed, destroyed, rocked? Do you want to be laughed at, insulted, humiliated, cheated on?” Reynold said as he turned toward the teenager.

As Reynold had spoken in a cold and displeased tone, beads of sweat appeared on the teenager. He flashed a rough smile at Reynold before then shaking his head.

“I... I don’t.” He stuttered.

“Good!” Reynold replied. “There’s no fun or joy in that. And if that’s what you want or perhaps anyone in this room wants, then please leave the hall.”

“The cultured society is to raise individuals with prestige and not some losers.” Reynold declared.

The teenager could see the glares he was getting from the people in the hall, and he quickly sat on his seat and lowered his head. He had no idea that the question he asked would make him an enemy to everyone in the hall.

“Feelings don’t just occur out of nowhere, there are signs, and before that warning becomes dire, I say you put an end to it.” Reynold said, “You might as well erase the existence of whosoever is making you feel that way.”

“Do you understand?!”

“Yes!” The loud voice of the people in the hall rang out.

Reynold placed his hand behind his back and a smile appeared on his face once again. He walked around the hall before then saying.

“Those are the three main details I will let you know about the relationship, now let’s move on to filtration,” Reynold said.

If the people in the hall had been excited earlier, then when they heard Reynold now they were overjoyed. A huge smile hung on the faces of each one of them, and they paid even more attention to Reynold.

Devon and Aiden’s cheeks were raised, their mouths parted, exposing their teeth.

“Raphael, you’re already in a relationship, you don’t need this. Or maybe if you are interested in...” Before Aiden could complete his words, Devon jerked his shoulder.

“Ahh, I didn’t say he has to,” Aiden exclaimed.

Devon shook his head and then focused his attention on Reynold, who had started talking.

Meanwhile, Raphael’s eyebrows furrowed as he listened to Reynold. He was trying to discern what was intriguing about what Reynold was saying that everyone including the two beside him was so excited about.

But regardless of how concentrated he was, he still couldn’t figure it out. Raphael didn’t consider himself a guru in all aspects, but he knew he wasn’t far from being one.

And to Raphael, everyone in the hall was simply scared. Scared of letting their hearts out, but it wasn’t like he could blame them, it was crazy out there.

Reynold walked around the hall, “When you first meet a girl that you’re interested in, or maybe you simply want to woo her.”

“The first thing you need to do is compliment her. Above the neck.” Reynold said, “Not below the neck but above, could be she has great lips, beautiful faces, eyes, cheeks whatever lines you can come up with.”

“And most important during this conversation, you look directly into her eyes. Don’t stare at any other areas of her body, just her eyes.”

“Then, the conversation should go on from there. But, this is where most people get it all wrong. During this conversation with her, make sure you’re the one dominating it. Flip the power dynamics if possible, but make sure you dominate the discussion.”

Reynold waited for a second before saying, “This is to let her know that you’re not some losers, and you’re here to play.”

“This is where I’m going to stop for now, and I’m not the one handling the casual conversation aspect,” Reynold said.

“If you want to understand more about what we’ve discussed, you can get your books at the academy mall. Go to the cultured society shop, and all the books you will need are there.”

After a few seconds, Reynold’s voice rang out.

“Now, let’s do the practical aspect of this. We are going to head out, and you will pick two random people, students, teachers, anyone, and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

“Let’s go!”