Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Chapter 598: The Man Waiting in the Tower

Third Person’s POV

For a brief moment, he simply stood there and looked at the quiet lake and towering structure.

The scene felt strangely isolated from the rest of the academy and as if trespassing here was not permissible for the students.

However, his reaction lasted only an instant before he regained his composure.

Following behind the broad-shouldered man, he crossed the narrow bridge and eventually arrived before the tower itself.

The man pushed open a small wooden door built into the structure.

Beyond it was a winding spiral staircase.

Without speaking, he began ascending, and Ethan followed closely behind.

The climb seemed surprisingly long.

Round after round of stairs stretched upward until eventually they reached the very top of the tower.

There, a single wooden door awaited them.

The Initiator Deacon opened it before stepping aside and motioning for Ethan to enter.

Ethan briefly glanced at him before walking through the doorway.

The moment he entered, the man followed behind him and quietly shut the door.

Looking around, Ethan discovered that he had entered a spacious study.

The room was large and surprisingly elegant.

A massive table occupied the center of the room while bookshelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling.

Ancient murals decorated portions of the walls.

Various sculptures and magical artifacts rested upon shelves and display stands.

A thick maroon colored carpet covered the floor, muffling all sound of his footsteps.

Behind the large desk stood an imposing chair.

And behind that chair were enormous windows that overlooked the frozen lake and much of the academy beyond it.

The chair itself faced toward those windows, and Ethan immediately sensed that someone was sitting there.

However, he remained silent and, instead of speaking first, he calmly observed the room and waited.

As expected, the chair slowly rotated, and the figure seated within finally came into view.

It was an elderly man with long white hair streaked with faint shades of gray.

Despite appearing to be in his fifties, there was an indescribable age hidden within his eyes.

His features were refined and calm while a gentle smile rested naturally on his face.

Most striking of all were his eyes.

They were a cloudy, powdered-blue color, unlike anything Ethan had ever seen before.

Those eyes seemed peaceful at first glance, yet they carried a depth that made it impossible to determine what he was truly thinking.

The old man initially maintained his warm smile.

However, the moment his gaze landed upon Ethan, something changed, and a flash of confusion appeared in his eyes.

It lasted only a fraction of a second, and then it vanished completely.

Anyone else might have missed it, but Ethan did not.

His mind immediately became alert as the old man had clearly noticed something unusual about him.

At the same time, another realization suddenly surfaced within Ethan’s mind.

Combining the location, the authority displayed by the Initiator Deacon, and the atmosphere surrounding this place, he had already formed a rough guess regarding the identity of the old man before him.

But what surprised him the most was the fact that he could not sense anything from him.

He radiated no aura of a powerful expert, and his instincts surprisingly gave him no warning signs when he looked at this old man.

The old man simply looked like a kind-hearted scholar enjoying his retirement, yet Ethan knew that appearances could be deceiving, especially in a world like this one.

He knew that this old man was a powerful figure, as he wouldn’t be the undeclared hegemon of this city and the headmaster of the most powerful academy of the Northern Glacial Region otherwise.

While he was thinking these things, the old man finally spoke.

"So, you are the new student that Shixea referred to me."

His voice was calm and pleasant.

Looking directly at Ethan, he continued.

"Tell me, young man. What is your name?"

The moment Ethan heard those words, genuine surprise surged through his mind as Shixea had never mentioned this to him.

According to everything she had told him, his connection to her was supposed to remain hidden.

The entire purpose of this arrangement had supposedly been to allow him to approach Dominic IceHeart without revealing their relationship, gain his trust slowly, and finally backstab him.

Yet now this old man was openly mentioning Shixea’s name.

For a brief moment, Ethan wondered whether Shixea had lied to him yet again, or perhaps she herself did not know something.

Regardless, Ethan concealed all traces of confusion.

Maintaining a calm expression, he replied.

"Can you first tell me who you are, old man?"

His tone was neither respectful nor insulting.

It was simply direct.

However, the moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the room changed.

The Initiator Deacon’s expression instantly turned cold, and a terrifying aura erupted from his body.

The bloody pressure filling the room was enough to suffocate ordinary mages.

"Insolence!"

The shout thundered through the study.

Ethan felt the full force of the man’s murderous aura pressing toward him, yet his expression remained unchanged.

Even his eyes did not flicker.

Seeing Ethan’s composure and dare, the old man’s eyes flashed, and he merely smiled.

Raising a hand casually, he spoke.

"Leave us alone, Bob."

The moment Ethan heard the name "Bob," he nearly broke his composure.

For the first time since entering the room, genuine amusement surfaced inside him.

A terrifying figure like this being named Bob was simply too absurd.

Fortunately, years of discipline allowed him to suppress his reaction.

Meanwhile, Bob instantly withdrew his aura, and his expression instantly turned to stone again.

The transformation was immediate.

He bowed respectfully toward the old man.

"Yes, Headmaster."

Without another word, he exited the study, while not even glancing toward Ethan again.

Watching this interaction, Ethan’s evaluation of Bob immediately rose.

The man possessed immense self-control, and such people were always dangerous.

Once the door closed behind him, the old man smiled once again.

"I am Dominic IceHeart, Headmaster of New Moon Magic Academy."

His powdered-blue eyes calmly observed Ethan.

"Now then, young man, can you tell me who you are and where you came from?"