abnabooks Chapter 41 The Curtain Falls and the Truth
Chapter 41 The Curtain Falls and the Truth
Hick met the angry and questioning gazes with a calm and composed expression, responding simply in a matter-of-fact tone:
"This is the mentor's order. The mentor has already gone to handle it personally."
The instructors' faces stiffened immediately, but some of them were still unwilling to give up and pressed on sharply:
"These are...all the surviving apprentices?! Where are the others?!"
Hick's eyelids drooped slightly, his voice remaining steady, yet carrying an undeniable sense of finality:
"Yes. The others... have probably all perished in the flames, with no chance of survival."
"Good! Good! Good!"
Neo's face instantly turned ashen, veins throbbing on his forehead; his prized disciple was clearly not among the survivors.
"You've caused such a horrific loss of apprentices! I wonder how you two, master and apprentice, will explain yourselves to the main tower! You…"
"You needn't trouble yourself with this, Neo."
A cold, flat voice abruptly cut off Neo's roar.
Pello's figure reappeared in the arena like a ghost, standing just half a step in front of Hick, like an iceberg that shut out all the noise.
He didn't even glance at Neo and the others, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the still burning, scorched earth, then casually glancing at Heath.
Neo and the other mentors fell silent instantly, their faces filled with unprepared astonishment!
Wasn't Pelosi supposed to be handling it? What was he handling? The scene is still a complete hell on earth! What did he just "handle"?!
Neo opened his mouth, wanting to argue further, but Perot's emotionless voice rang out again, like a cold, iron law crashing down:
"Oh, by the way. I'll leave the scene to you all to 'handle'."
He turned his head slightly and gave Hick an unquestionable order:
"Hick, take the men and head back to the tower."
"Yes, Master."
Hick bowed and accepted the order, his movements swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
He turned and led the group of apprentices, who had survived the ordeal and had various expressions, away in silence toward the wizard's tower.
Watching Hick and his apprentices disappear into the dust, Neo and the other mentors' faces were ashen.
Wasn't it Pelosi who handled it?!
Why are those who came to demand answers being ordered to stay and clean up this mess?!
Not even a word of explanation, not even a glance?!
This is utterly humiliating!
"This is outrageous! Pero... he's utterly lawless as the tower master!"
Instructor Neo trembled with rage, growling at his colleagues as if seeking allies:
"I must go to the main tower! I will file a complaint against him with the Council of Elders! Such blatant disregard for the lives of apprentices, such reckless behavior—he is unworthy to be the tower master!"
then……
Under the disdainful, helpless, or indifferent gazes of his companions, Instructor Neo angrily flung his sleeves away!
They reluctantly joined the others in "dealing with" the chaotic "scene" that still reeked of destruction.
His movements were filled with frustration and helplessness.
Those mentors who had come to watch the spectacle, drawn by the earth-shattering explosion, could only exchange wry smiles and resignedly join the ranks of those "cleaning up the mess."
A tremendous commotion, violent elemental fluctuations...
It's impossible that the main tower was completely unaware.
While the formal wizards cast spells to quell the subterranean fires and guide the lava, they were fully aware of the situation:
It's likely that the higher-ups in the main tower already knew everything that happened here, and even... tacitly approved of Perot's actions.
Neo's accusations are likely destined to be all bark and no bite. In the power arena of this Silent Forest, rules have always served only true power and predetermined outcomes.
As the commotion of the remaining apprentices returning to the wizard tower subsided, Hick was silently led by his mentor, Perot, to that familiar yet now unusually cold room on the top floor.
"Take it."
Professor Perot's voice was completely flat as he casually tossed an antique-looking, dark-colored ring toward Hick.
Hick caught it instinctively; it felt slightly cool to the touch.
He looked down at the source of all the events in his palm, his expression momentarily dazed, and his fingertips trembled slightly.
This... is the eye of the storm?
Now...it's mine?
"It's just a spatial ring; the quality is acceptable, but its strength lies in its sturdiness and durability."
Pelosi, as if commenting on a newly purchased piece of experimental equipment, completely ignored Hick's complex expression and continued on her own:
"The level three sorcery originally engraved on it—'Lava Fury'—has been completely consumed. Now, it's just a decent spatial container; you can wear it without worry."
Level 3 sorcery?! "Lava Fury"?!
Boom—!
It was as if that devastating roar had exploded in Hick's mind again!
The terrifying scene of the earth being torn apart, the forests being burned, and the sky being dyed into a hellish inferno instantly reappeared before his eyes with unparalleled clarity!
That destructive heatwave that almost scorched his soul, it turned out...
It all stems from this small, cold ring in my palm right now?!
The immense impact made him almost instinctively want to throw the ring away! It was terrifying! This tiny thing actually contained such devastating power?!
Did the mentor already know? If he did, then Clara's escape back then...
Thinking of this, Hick felt a chill in his heart. No wonder his mentor was so afraid back then. He was probably afraid of not only that cane, but also that ring from back then!
No wonder that even though the situation was under control, a mere level one apprentice still managed to escape by activating the teleportation stone!
And I am still just a tool, just like in the beginning!
"Disciple thanks Master!"
Professor Pelosi nodded, then made some arrangements for what followed, before waving her hand and saying:
"Well, you should study my lab manuals carefully these days. I also need to study what I just got. You can leave now."
"Yes, mentor!"
Hick bowed again, his movements meticulous, and then silently withdrew from the top-floor quiet room.
The heavy door closed silently behind us.
It isolated that cold, quiet room, and also isolated the person inside... an even colder presence.
Hick stood in the empty corridor at the top of the tower, the cold stone walls touching his fingertips, but nothing compared to the chill in his heart.
"Is this... a wizard?" he murmured to himself, his voice so soft it sounded like a sigh.
He thought that after experiencing life and death, he had understood his mentor's cold-blooded scheming.
But only now did he realize—
He never truly understood his mentor, Pelosi!
What he saw was merely a tiny, insignificant glimpse of the massive iceberg that occasionally appeared above the water's surface!
Beneath that calm exterior, even occasionally revealing "appreciation," lies an extreme pursuit of power, an absolute disregard for life, and...
A scheme as deep as the ocean, a scheme that inspires despair!
This ring, this devastating truth, was like the coldest wind, completely shattering any remaining naive fantasies he might have about the wizarding world.
He gripped the cold ring in his hand tightly, as if holding a heavy, bloodstained warning—
On this path of pursuing power, he is stepping into a bottomless abyss that is darker than the Silent Forest and more dangerous than the lava pit.
So...
Will I be able to adapt?
"Let's go extort some money from the Moreno family first!"
Hick toyed with a medal he had taken out of the ring, thinking to himself.