Novel Full Chapter 272: Obvious
Chapter 272: Obvious
Two men with abyssal black eyes were sitting opposite each other in the highest spire of the academy.
What would truly shock you is that these two were not that far apart in age at all; in fact, you could consider them to be peers. Such was the difference in lifespan between humans and the long-lived vampires.
Maximus, who had a neutral expression on his elderly face, replied, “That is indeed what I said.”
’How troublesome…’
’This will complicate things.’
“And he also somehow managed to escape while surrounded by a plethora of mages and warriors far more powerful than him?” he asked again.
After all, he was among this ’plethora’ of mages who had been evaded by a junior.
Dorian’s frown deepened.
He threw a string of questions. Too many things were simply amiss here. Nothing he had heard so far made any sort of sense.
All of Dorian’s questions were valid, and Maximus had no choice but to answer. He had no business playing games with someone as powerful as Dorian Silverfang.
While they knew that he was way past his prime, he was still believed to be greatly powerful; after all, it was well known that old age only reduced your peak strength by so much.
People only thought he was so powerful because he fought in a certain famous battle, while someone like Dorian was only known among the upper class of mages. However, even they did not know the full extent of his power simply because he never showed himself openly.
So he was well aware of his own strength in comparison to the vampire elder.
He knew what manner of monster that man was, so even if someone far weaker than Dorian had come as Lucius’ envoy, just by stating that Lucius had sent a message directed to him, Maximus would have to give that person proper status and respect in such a setting.
“Duke Dawncrest claims to have found something on the boy. Apparently, he has a subordinate who is sensitive to such things.”
“Is that so…” he said finally.
So the moment he heard the name, he had already decided to do his own investigation and check the validity of these claims.
’I don’t like where this is going.’
“If that is all the information you have on the boy for me, then I am going to be on my way.”
It was obvious where Maximus’ thoughts had gone. He had begun to suspect that they had found out about the Origin Core and that they were hunting Elion for it.
“In my opinion, your accusations against him are unwarranted and made up; however, that is not my concern. I will be doing my own investigation.”
He continued, “That aside, judging from the manner in which he left, he is very unlikely to return. Even if he has reasons to return, I doubt he would come back to the academy. Most probably, he will end up in the city.”
“Now, if you will excuse me, old friend, I have places to be.”
He sighed deeply in his seat.
His fate was simply too pitiful.
“How uncouth…”
It had been two days since the selection tournament had ended.
Among those who truly understood what the incident meant, there was an uproar.
As for the matter of Elion being a heretic?
Their organization simply didn’t care for such things.
It was not beneath them to accept contracts that involved killing an unborn child along with its mother.
A supposed “heretic” meant nothing.
The students, the lesser nobles, the onlookers.
But shock quickly turned into noise, and noise turned into a single, dominant narrative. While opinions had initially been divided, those who shouted the loudest were the ones who believed that a heretic should be killed without question.
Their voices drowned out the rest.
Elion was a demon.
Whether they had been there to observe, to intervene, or simply to curry favor with Duke Dawncrest and Maximus, it didn’t matter.
They had been made fools of.
Some of them had left the battlefield with red faces and clenched jaws, their pride wounded more than anything else. Others said nothing at all, but the humiliation lingered all the same.
Dawncrest had not wasted the opportunity.
Then there were the students of the academy.
After all, how could the great mage Maximus be wrong? He had done far more to earn their trust than this fledgling talent ever could.
They were the ones who had witnessed Elion’s rise firsthand, his sudden and unnatural growth in strength, and now, with everything that had happened, they connected the dots in the worst possible way.
And so, without hesitation, the more shameless individuals flocked to William’s side, offering him their support, reinforcing the idea that they had always stood on the “right” side.
There were plenty of exceptions.
No surprise that academy life had been a little difficult the last few days.
After that, people simply chose to avoid them.
At least they still had each other.
Aria, however…
Even after receiving Elion’s message from Mira, it did little to calm her.
Elion’s absence seemed to make her jumpy; his presence had become something she depended on and craved like a drug, and she had become like a person addicted to him.
The withdrawal was setting in.
Of course, her parents and sister had been shocked about Elion’s supposed heretic status, but they had their hands full trying to calm her down, and they hadn’t even left the city two days after the tournament ended, but Aria rarely visited them.
Their reaction was exactly what one would expect once they connected the dots.
By now, Madam Gale had grown tired of hearing her husband repeat the same thing over and over again.
That the boy was bad news all along.
What truly infuriated him to no end was that foolish daughter of his had yet to come and see them!
Mira was actively avoiding them at all costs.
On another note…
And with Elion gone…
The outcome was obvious.