Chapter 235: "How could a D-rank Guide produce energy like that?"

Dean Marcus swallowed nervously.

"This isn’t a match, Lieutenant. It’s merely a playful event between students who wanted to display their talents before everyone. They agreed to participate willingly, and we only allowed them to—"

His explanation abruptly faltered when he noticed Corwin struggling beneath the weight of Ares’s pressure.

"Please, Lieutenant! Could you release him first? He’s one of our students!" Dean Marcus pleaded, his voice growing tense.

Ares glanced at the man lying on the ground before slowly withdrawing his aura.

Corwin finally managed to breathe properly again. His face was pale, and he remained on the ground for a moment, struggling to recover from the terrifying pressure he had just endured.

However, Ares’s expression didn’t soften.

He turned his gaze back toward Dean Marcus.

"If it’s truly a friendly event, then explain something to me." He pointed toward the enormous creature restrained in the arena. "Why was a Nether Beast brought here in the first place? And how could a B-rank Sentinel use his power against a D-rank Guide during a supposedly harmless event?"

Dean Marcus’s lips trembled.

He couldn’t answer.

The Vice Principal also felt his heart sink.

The situation was far worse than he had imagined. He had only just returned to the academy, yet a member of the Association had already caught them in such an embarrassing predicament.

Ares scoffed at their silence.

"Since neither of you can provide a legitimate explanation, I’ll have to report this to the Association. We’ll investigate the academy’s ethics and determine whether you’re conducting unauthorized activities that endanger the lives of young Sentinels and Guides."

Both men stiffened.

"Lieutenant, this—"

Ares didn’t give Dean Marcus the chance to finish.

His aura surged once again, spreading across the arena with such overwhelming force that everyone felt their bodies grow heavy under the pressure.

"Everyone, vacate the arena and return home immediately!"

His voice carried his Sentinel pressure, leaving no room for anyone to resist.

The students who had been watching the spectacle moments ago hurriedly moved toward the exits. Even the professors who had been standing idly by didn’t dare linger. They understood that the man who had suddenly appeared wasn’t someone they could afford to offend.

Only after the arena had begun to empty did Ares turn toward Aisha.

The moment he saw her condition, his brows furrowed.

She looked far too pale, and her breathing was still ragged. There were also faint bruises forming along her forearm.

Without wasting any more time, he looked at the Vice Principal.

"Where is the medical bay?"

The Vice Principal hurriedly pointed him in the right direction.

"It’s just around the corner, Lieutenant. You only need to follow that corridor."

Ares didn’t wait for another word.

He stepped forward, bent down, and lifted Aisha into his arms.

Then, under everyone’s astonished gazes, he carried her out of the arena.

They reached the medical bay in no time.

Fortunately, it was located close to the arena, and Ares’s naturally long legs allowed him to cover the distance in just a few strides.

Aisha, still cradled in his arms, couldn’t help feeling slightly perplexed by his actions.

She hadn’t expected him to suddenly appear at the academy, much less interfere in the situation so decisively.

However, she didn’t say anything until they arrived inside the medical bay.

Ares carefully placed her on one of the medical beds before turning toward the medical attendant on duty.

"Check her condition immediately."

The attendant was startled by the urgency in his voice. She hurried over and began examining Aisha, while Ares stood beside the bed with a frown.

Only after the attendant had started her examination did he look down at Aisha.

"Are you alright?"

Aisha nodded.

"I’m fine."

However, she soon raised a hand to her temple, feigning a headache.

Ares’s brows drew together even more.

"What’s wrong? Is your head hurting?"

"It’s nothing serious."

"You don’t look fine to me." He turned toward the medical attendant. "Please hurry. Check whether she’s injured and help her recover her strength."

The medical attendant nodded and continued her examination.

In truth, Aisha wasn’t in as much pain as she made it seem. She was exhausted from using her guiding ability, and her head was still throbbing slightly, but it wasn’t unbearable.

She was simply being cautious.

After all, she hadn’t forgotten the reason Ares had visited her at Zeke’s residence the previous time.

He had come to retrieve the miasma-suppressing pod.

Even though he had given her two days to prepare instead of forcing her to hand it over immediately, that didn’t mean the Association had abandoned its intention to take the equipment back.

And now, he had suddenly appeared at the academy.

How could she not be guarded against him?

After a few minutes, the medical attendant finally finished checking her condition.

"Aside from exhaustion and a few bruises on her forearm, she’s fine. She only needs to rest and replenish her energy."

The attendant brought over a nutrient infusion to help Aisha recover her strength before giving her a few more instructions. Once she was satisfied that the young Guide wasn’t in any immediate danger, she left them alone.

The room fell quiet.

Aisha looked at Ares, who was standing beside the bed, and finally decided to ask the question that had been bothering her.

"Why are you here?"

Ares hesitated.

His gaze briefly moved over her pale complexion before he looked away, seemingly considering how to explain himself.

However, before he could speak, Aisha asked another question.

"Did you come here to find me?"

Ares paused.

Then, he slowly nodded.

Aisha fell silent.

She had already expected this answer, but hearing him admit it still made her feel uneasy.

The last time Ares had visited Zeke’s residence, she had explained her reasons for keeping the miasma-suppressing pod. However, she knew that those words alone wouldn’t be enough to stop the Association from demanding its return.

Zeke’s condition was deteriorating, and the Association was desperate to find a way to stabilize him.

Would they really listen to a Guide like her, who had neither the identity nor the background to challenge them, when they could simply take the equipment that belonged to the Association by force?

She didn’t think so.

Even so, Ares’s decision to give her time had somehow changed her impression of him.

He could have forced her to surrender the pod that day. Instead, he had allowed her to prepare, despite knowing how important the equipment was to the Association.

Both he and Zeke were people she considered righteous and good-natured.

In the world she came from, kindness and other good qualities had become luxuries that people could rarely afford. Survival was everything. People could easily discard their morals the moment they became a burden, and those who insisted on holding on to them often paid a terrible price.

Meeting people like Zeke and Ares made her feel a little more at ease.

Unfortunately, that didn’t mean she could trust them with everything.

Aisha lowered her eyes, her fingers tightening slightly around the edge of the blanket.

Since Ares had come looking for her, the Association was probably still determined to retrieve the pod. She could only hope that Nykos’s reply would be positive.

As she thought about it, she realized that she hadn’t even had the chance to check her messages yet.

While Aisha was lost in her thoughts, Ares suddenly spoke.

"A while ago, the Association sent me here to investigate an abnormal energy reading." His eyes were directed toward the window across the room, as though he were recalling what had happened. "An energy spike was detected within the academy. According to the initial readings, it was something that shouldn’t have occurred unless several high-ranking Guides had used their abilities at the same time."

Aisha slowly raised her head but didn’t interrupt him.

"When my men and I arrived to investigate, we discovered that something strange had indeed happened. However, we couldn’t determine what had caused it, and there were no reliable leads. We collected the available data and continued investigating, but we couldn’t find anything conclusive."

Ares paused before continuing.

"Then, just as we were preparing to investigate further, I sensed another strange fluctuation. It appeared suddenly and disappeared within a second. Our equipment detected a spike in the energy wavelength, but even with our instruments, we couldn’t pinpoint its source."

His expression grew more serious. "Today, we returned to collect the subsequent data and check whether we could detect the same phenomenon again. But a few minutes ago, I felt that strange energy once more."

Aisha’s lips pressed together.

She remained silent, but her mind was already racing.

Ares finally turned away from the window and looked directly at her.

"The energy I sensed today was extremely similar to what I detected that day."

He studied her face for a moment before asking the question that had been troubling him.

"Tell me, Miss Aisha. How could a D-rank Guide produce energy like that?"