Chapter 105: Alone [20]
The other Grand Cardinal said in a slightly surprised tone, "Ohh, that kid. If I remember correctly, he defeated your son, as well as that girl from the royal family, all by himself. And now he has defeated them again even while being exhausted. I guess the son of two geniuses is even more of a genius than we expected."
Solarius merely made a disappointed expression and said, "That son of mine is just trash, nothing more. He could not even defeat a kid with a lower cultivation level than him. I guess I need to teach him a lesson."
He then paused and added, "As for that Asher, he is just a kid. Let him live for as long as he can. He is nothing for us to worry about. Or maybe, in the future, he will become bound by something that we can use to control him."
The other Grand Cardinal laughed and said, "Yeah, maybe he will end up like Olivia, and then we might gain an even better tool to deal with those demons. Nothing is easier to control than desire and emotions, especially when they bind someone to others."
Then the other Grand Cardinal said, "What are you going to do about the compensation?"
Solarius thought for a moment before replying, "It’s just some compensation, nothing to make a fuss over. Why create trouble with that insane man over something like compensation?"
The other Grand Cardinals nodded, and then one of them asked, "But what did they ask for as compensation?"
Solarius looked at them and replied in a calm tone, "It’s nothing much. He is probably asking for them to use at the Southern Border in case of war. He asked for some Grandmaster-rank Light Bombs."
Solarius then called for the girl who had delivered the message. He wrote a reply and ordered her to send it to Edward Astrean.
After the girl left with the message, one of the Grand Cardinals revealed a creepy smile, his expression filled with lust. He then said in a disgusting tone, "By the way, would you guys like to join me tonight? I just received a new batch of goods. It’s completely fresh."
Solarius looked at him and said, "You can enjoy yourself alone."
He then started walking toward the door to leave.
The same man called out again, "Ohh, don’t be like this. You were the same once, so don’t try to act innocent now. Anyway, lust is part of being human. There’s nothing to be ashamed of."
Solarius did not even look back and simply left without saying anything.
...
Later that evening.
Astrean Estate.
Edward was in his office as usual when he received Solarius’s reply. After reading the message, Edward leaned back in his chair and muttered in a low tone,
"What the hell is Asher even going to do with two hundred Light Bombs?"
At 8 PM on the same day.
At Elyndor Academy.
In the cafeteria.
Asher was having lunch with his teammates when the results were announced.
Just like always, it was Aria who announced the results.
Rank 1 = Asher Astrean with 45,600 points.
Rank 24 = Noah with 5,100 points.
Aria was ranked 82nd, and Adam was ranked 168th.
Asher looked at Adam and said,
"Wow, there are 32 students more useless than you. Be happy."
Adam had an expression as if he had lost his soul. Muttering to himself, he said,
"I am going to get killed by my parents."
Asher shook his head at his muttering and then said,
"They should not kill you. You can still be used as a fan in winter."
Adam ignored Asher’s insult and turned to Noah.
"How did you even manage to reach rank 24? You survived until rank 30 and even eliminated some students."
Noah made a proud expression and said,
"I am no longer the same Noah you know. I am a contractor of a spirit now. I have become strong. I can fight those at Gold Rank 1 easily now, but only if they are alone."
Asher looked at him and said,
"You are just lucky, nothing more."
Noah was about to reply, but Asher continued,
"Why can’t you fight two? Just make an Earth Golem, then tell your spirit to use it as a physical body and control it. That way, you can fight multiple opponents at once."
Noah looked at Asher and was about to dismiss it as another useless suggestion, but after thinking about it, he said,
"I can try that. Why didn’t I think of that?"
Adam immediately replied,
"Because you are an idiot."
After talking like this for some time, they went to sleep.
Asher returned to his room and went to bed. Before falling asleep, he muttered,
"Only one day left until I reach Master Rank."
The next day.
While having lunch.
Adam said to Asher,
"You do remember that tonight there is a party for students from both academies to increase cooperation between the different races, right?"
Asher looked at him and asked,
"What cooperation? I literally eliminated every single one of them. They see me as their nemesis, even though I only cut off their limbs and beat their princess."
For a moment, nobody said anything.
Then Adam said,
"Yeah, you are right. You did nothing excessive."
Asher nodded.
"I know. You don’t need to tell me that."
Then Aria said,
"There is going to be food there."
Asher immediately replied,
"Okay, I am coming."
That same night.
In a garden.
In the academy garden, elves, dwarves, and human students danced together beneath glowing lanterns and starlight. Elves twirled gracefully, dwarves stomped to the beat of drums, and humans joined both styles with laughter and excitement. Surrounded by blooming flowers, magical lights, and music, the students celebrated friendship and unity on a warm, joyful evening.
Meanwhile, Asher was sitting in a corner, eating food while everyone else danced together.
Aria walked over to him and asked,
"Why aren’t you dancing like everyone else? Got no partner?"
