Chapter 98: Collins Lindsay Must Die!

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Collins Lindsay Must Die!

By this point, the dispute had grown beyond the question of whether Jonathan possessed a forbidden talisman. It had become a contest of influence between Collins, the young master of the Lindsay family, and the powerful local figures who had chosen to support Samuel.

Collins had expected his family name to be enough to stop them. Clearly, he had overestimated his influence.

* * *

On the arena, the referee had just officially declared Mira the winner and confirmed her advancement to the next round.

Jonathan, meanwhile, was being prepared for transport on a stretcher when Samuel and the others arrived.

"Jonathan, hand over your spatial ring," Samuel ordered sternly.

Jonathan’s expression changed. He instinctively pulled his hand toward his body, but his injuries left him with little strength to resist.

Before he could protest, one of the officials removed the ring from his finger.

A moment later, its contents were emptied onto the ground. Weapons, cultivation resources, and assorted personal belongings scattered across the arena floor.

Then everyone noticed the blood red talisman among them.

The atmosphere changed instantly as Jonathan’s face drained of color as countless hostile gazes settled on him.

There was no longer any room for doubt.

The object was unmistakably a Life-and-Death Talisman.

Samuel’s expression darkened.

"Jonathan, do you understand the severity of what you’ve done?" he demanded.

"Where did you obtain this artifact?" He stepped closer, his powerful aura pressing down on the injured student.

"And don’t try to tell me you brought it here by accident. Were you planning to use it against Mira during the match?"

Jonathan’s lips trembled.

Despite the influence of his father and the Sinclair family elders, he was still an eighteen year old boy facing the full authority of the Extraordinary Division.

Under Samuel’s pressure, the composure he had tried to maintain quickly crumbled.

His eyes darted toward Collins. It was only a brief glance, and he quickly looked away, but the people surrounding him were far too experienced to miss it.

Suspicion spread through the crowd.

Collins noticed the reaction and knew he had to act before the situation spiraled further out of control.

"Could this have come from the Sinclair family elders?" he asked, directing his attention toward the others.

"Perhaps George Sinclair or Paul Sinclair gave it to him."

He spoke as though he had merely thought of a reasonable possibility, but his intention was clear.

He needed to distance himself from the forbidden artifact and shift the blame elsewhere.

The Lindsay family was powerful, but it could not afford to be dragged into a scandal involving a prohibited item and an attempt on another person’s life.

Jonathan lowered his head.

For a moment, he hesitated. He had always looked down on the two elders, especially when compared with his father and George.

After weighing his options, however, he decided that protecting Collins was more important than protecting them.

"Yes," he admitted quietly. "They gave it to me."

A murmur swept through the spectators.

Collins immediately adopted an expression of deep disappointment.

"Jonathan, how could you be so foolish?" he said, shaking his head.

"Do you realize what this means? Possessing and using a forbidden artifact is a serious crime. You’ve nearly destroyed your own future."

He paused, allowing his words to sink in before continuing. "At least no one died, and there’s still a chance for you to make amends."

Collins turned to the assembled officials.

"My family is preparing an expedition to hunt demonic beasts on the Snowbound Plateau," he said.

"It’s a dangerous undertaking, and someone with Jonathan’s cultivation would be useful. Rather than sending him straight to prison and wasting his potential, perhaps he could join the expedition and earn a chance to redeem himself." He spread his hands, presenting the suggestion as a generous compromise.

"What do you think?"

Jonathan’s heart lifted. He understood what Collins was doing.

The expedition offered him a way out of the immediate crisis, and he could avoid facing the full consequences of his actions.

As long as the others accepted the proposal, he might escape imprisonment altogether.

Unfortunately for him, Xavier had no intention of allowing that to happen.

Xavier stepped forward, his expression turning cold.

"I don’t understand something, Collins," he said. "Is this city your family’s private property?"

Collins’s smile stiffened.

Xavier continued before he could respond.

"Who gave you the authority to decide how a criminal should be punished?" he demanded.

"Since when does being the young master of the Lindsay family allow you to override the law?"

The arena fell silent. No one had expected Mr. X to challenge Collins so directly.

More importantly, Xavier had exposed the flaw in his proposal: an influential family could offer to employ Jonathan, but that did not give it the right to decide whether he should face criminal charges.

Xavier looked at Collins without the slightest hint of deference.

"If Jonathan has committed a crime, let the authorities handle it," he said. "Your family doesn’t get to make the decision for everyone else."

Xavier’s blunt question caused Collins Lindsay’s expression to darken.

For a moment, the young heir looked as though he wanted to lash out.

However, he quickly suppressed his anger and forced himself to speak calmly.

"Mr. X, you’ve misunderstood me," he said.

"I have no intention of interfering with the kingdom’s laws or deciding how criminals should be punished. I simply think it’s unfortunate that someone with Jonathan’s talent has ended up in this situation. It would be a waste to throw away his future without giving him a chance to make amends." He paused, then added with a thin smile, "Of course, the final decision belongs to you. My family won’t interfere any further."

His words sounded reasonable enough, but everyone present understood the warning beneath them.

Collins had made his position clear.

Anyone who went against his wishes would risk offending the Lindsay family, and he was confident that few people would willingly invite such trouble.

Several spectators exchanged glances before turning toward Samuel Bush.

As the Vice Minister of the Extraordinary Division, Samuel was the only person present with the authority to take Jonathan into custody.

Whatever happened next would ultimately depend on his decision.

Samuel did not hesitate.

"Upholding the law and bringing criminals to justice is my responsibility," he said.

"I have no intention of abandoning that duty simply because someone might be displeased with my decision." His gaze settled on the injured Jonathan.

"Take him into custody. We’ll deal with the matter according to the law."

He did not bother to consider Collins’s feelings.

The Lindsay family might possess considerable influence, but Samuel had never relied on its favor, nor did he have anything to gain by allowing a criminal to escape punishment.

As Vice Minister of the Extraordinary Division, he had a responsibility to protect the kingdom and its people. He would not compromise that responsibility to appease a wealthy family.

"Very well. Very well indeed!" Collins exclaimed, his smile growing colder.

"Minister Bush, your dedication to justice is admirable. The Lindsay family certainly respects your principles." He gave a short laugh before continuing.

"I’ve said everything I wanted to say, so I won’t interfere any further. You may handle the matter however you see fit. Just remember that Jonathan is a talented young man, and I still hope he’ll have an opportunity to redeem himself."

Having delivered his final warning, Collins turned and walked away.

He had no intention of remaining at the academy while the investigation continued.

The situation had become too dangerous, and the longer he stayed, the greater the chance that someone might discover his involvement.

For now, withdrawing was the wisest choice.

The Lindsay family had deep roots in the region.

Once he returned, he would have plenty of opportunities to find a way out of this mess.

* * *

With Collins gone and Jonathan taken into custody, Mira finally approached the people who had stood up for her.

"Minister Bush, Vice Principal Johnny, Uncle Solomon, Mr. X, thank you for your help," she said, bowing slightly, her gratitude genuine.

Throughout the confrontation, Mira had struggled to contain her anger.

She had wanted to expose Collins’s schemes and confront him directly, but she had forced herself to remain composed.

Her mother had only recently returned to her life, and Xavier was someone she could no longer afford to put at risk.

As long as she lacked the strength to protect the people she cared about, she could not act recklessly whenever someone provoked her.

Mira understood Collins’s intentions.

He had repeatedly shown an interest in her, and she knew that his attempts to protect Jonathan were not motivated by kindness.

Yet the Lindsay family was far too powerful for her to challenge openly at her current level. She had to be patient.

Samuel gave her shoulder a reassuring pat.

"Don’t thank us too much," he said. "We haven’t solved everything yet. We’ve only dealt with the immediate problem." He looked at her seriously.

"Mira, focus on your cultivation. No matter how many powerful people stand behind someone, their influence has limits. Ultimately, the strongest person is the one who can protect themselves."

"Thank you, Minister Bush. I’ll remember that," Mira said, nodding.

She had already learned how cruel the world could be. When someone was weak, even defending themselves could be treated as an offense.

But once they became powerful enough, people who had once looked down on them would suddenly become friendly.

The Lindsay family might be difficult to challenge now, but that did not mean it would remain beyond her reach forever.

One day, she would become strong enough that Collins would no longer dare to threaten her or the people she loved.

After exchanging a few more words with the others, Xavier prepared to leave.

"I have something to take care of, so I’ll leave the rest to you," he said with a smile.

He turned toward Mira and added, "Keep working hard. You’re doing well, but don’t stop here. Give it everything you’ve got and aim for first place in the Barley Cup."

"I will, Mr. X!" Mira said, looking at him gratefully as he departed Stormvale Martial Academy.

However, Xavier was not leaving simply because he had other business to attend to.

He had already decided that Collins Lindsay had to die.