Chapter 39 Chapter39-Putting on a Play
By the time Howard and his party returned to the shore, night had already fallen.
Instantly, a servant behind Caitlin pulled out an extinguished torch.
Once ignited, the flames illuminated the vicinity.
"The sky has darkened, and your strength is rather inferior. If you encounter monsters that lurk in the night, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to withstand them," Glyn pondered for a moment before speaking, "Caitlin, how about you leave these servants here to temporarily protect my students?"
"Why don't you, I, and this esteemed gentleman here return to Adia together?"
Saint City was too fragile.
Although the Church was stationed there, its functions were too limited to handle matters related to heretics.
Hence, returning the potions to Adia was the wisest choice, and it could potentially secure a higher reward.
"That can be arranged," Caitlin replied with a smile. "But you will have to give up an additional five percent of the profits. After all, they are here to protect me."
"Fine," Glyn conceded with a twitch at the corner of his mouth, ultimately agreeing.
Three students had already died during this expedition to the ruins.
If anything more happened to anyone else, he feared the tutor would scold him.
Losing a few students was within acceptable limits, but absolutely no other issues could arise.
After finalizing their arrangements, Caitlin directed her numerous servants and guards to safeguard the elite team of students, and then left with Howard and Glyn.
Indeed, since Howard had spoken up earlier, and considering the students had been in a crisis and mentally unstable at that time, they wouldn't have noticed his voice.
If he stayed any longer, there was a high chance he would be recognized.
Howard wasn't ready to confront Headmaster Jay just yet, so it was essential to conceal his identity.
It was only upon leaving the Silent Forest that Howard bid farewell to Caitlin and Glyn.
"You both can handle the task of handing over the potions. For the time being, I need to stay in Saint City," Howard said, surprising both Caitlin and Glyn.
However, being intelligent individuals, they knew better than to inquire about his reasons and nodded in agreement.
"Rest assured, once I receive the reward, I will personally ensure that your share is delivered to you," Glyn stated gravely.
Giggling, Caitlin chimed in, "You don't have to worry about it. Darling, I will naturally be the one to give it to you."
Howard wasn't concerned about these matters.
He was well aware of Caitlin's identity, and knew he could hold her accountable should she renege on the deal.
Besides, being the daughter of the mayor of Saint City, she wouldn't withhold the rewards.
Without saying much more, Howard blended into the night after bidding Caitlin and Glyn goodbye.
Watching Howard's disappearing silhouette, Glyn suddenly said, "Do you know his level?"
"I have no idea," Caitlin shook her head, adding with a hint of frustration, "He is very mysterious, but I really like him!"
"Be careful, I have a feeling he isn't as simple as he seems," Glyn chuckled, "It's hard to imagine such a figure appearing in a remote small town like Saint City."
"Enough, as if you're so great! Let's hurry back to Adia, I am already anticipating what kind of reward the Church will grant us," she spoke amidst laughter.
Within the echo of their laughter, Caitlin and Glyn promptly headed in the direction of Adia.
Once people awakened their talents, their physical capabilities would enhance along with the level upgradation.
For Caitlin and Glyn, who were around level 40, traveling by foot was much faster than by any carriage, unless it was a peculiar mount.
Meanwhile, Howard was rushing towards Soulspark Academy.
By the time Howard resumed his life at the academy, the playground was filled with over a hundred students and a dozen teachers.
Seeing Howard return safely, Margaret finally let her heart rest.
As for Sterling, she didn't care in the slightest.
In Margaret's perspective, Howard was more important than everyone else in the academy combined.
She even harbored thoughts of leaving with Howard when he moves on to a higher educational institution, even if it meant giving up her position as a teacher, just to be with him.
But just because Margaret didn't care didn't mean others felt the same.
The others became instantly anxious upon realizing Sterling was missing.
At this point, Howard displayed the composure of a professional actor.
"Headmaster Jay!"
"Oh my God, the Dark Mausoleum is just too terrifying. It's filled with corpses and all kinds of skeletal monsters," Howard's whole body trembled, depicting a fearful figure as if still seized by the terror.
"Sterling... he sacrificed himself to protect me, he... he was burnt to ashes by a skeleton beast that could spew flames," he narrated, his sobbing demeanor instantly throwing all the students into a frenzy of panic.
Even some teachers widened their eyes in disbelief.
"My God, is the Dark Mausoleum really that scary?"
"Sterling was one of the most powerful individuals in the entire academy; if even he died in the Dark Mausoleum, we better stay away from that place in the future."
"That's right, we were even envious of Howard before, thinking how a wasteful person with an F-level talent awakening managed to get personal guidance from Sterling, not knowing that venturing into the Dark Mausoleum would be so dangerous."
"Ah, poor Sterling."
Listening to the people's remarks, the corner of Headmaster Jay's mouth twitched involuntarily, feeling a mix of shock and anger boiling within him.
He was shocked because the top creatures in the Dark Mausoleum generally did not come out; Sterling and Howard should not have encountered unbeatable monsters.
What enraged him was that he had reminded Sterling to deal with Howard in the peripheral map and not to venture too deep, yet he had disobeyed.
However, Headmaster Jay quickly sensed that something was off.
If they had truly encountered an unbeatable monster, Sterling would have undoubtedly fled; after all, the task he had assigned to Sterling was to ensure Howard's death, regardless of the means.
Would Sterling save Howard? Absolutely not!
With this realization, it dawned on Headmaster Jay that Sterling must have been tricked to his death by Howard.
This filled him with immense rage, but regrettably, plotting against a student was a taboo.
Even if he knew the reason, he couldn't explode with anger at this moment since he couldn't vocalize his true intentions.
If it came to confrontation, letting others know that he ordered Sterling to kill a student from his own academy would be the end of his tenure as headmaster, wouldn't it?
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Headmaster Jay had no choice but to suppress his fury and offer a comforting smile to Howard.
He said gently, "Oh, my dear Howard, it is indeed regrettable that Sterling died to save you, but it was a heroic act."
"All of you students are our children, our pride. In the future, the significant responsibility of fighting against invading groups will fall upon your shoulders."
At these words, Howard appeared to be moved to tears on the surface, but inwardly he was furiously deriding Jay.
Nice words, but ugly actions!
A sanctimonious hypocrite, disgusting!
However, Headmaster Jay's speech genuinely excited the other teachers and students, stirring them to a point where they seemed ready to die for Jay in an instant.
Margaret was the only exception; she knew all too well about the many dirty deeds that Headmaster Jay had perpetrated.
"Well then, my dear Howard, I presume you must be feeling quite terrified now. How about you stay in the academy tonight?"
"No, no."
Howard quickly waved his hand, gritting his teeth as he said, "Sterling died to save me, and I am filled with grief and rage. I have decided to go to the Magic Guild and rigorously practice magic, so I can avenge Sterling in the future!"
"…"
"It's good that you have this determination."
Headmaster Jay sighed, "I believe Sterling would be smiling down on you from the underworld, knowing about your resolve."
Seeing that Howard wasn't taking the bait, Headmaster Jay couldn't press any further.
After exchanging a few more words, he dismissed the meeting.
As the numerous students departed, they discussed the horrors of the Dark Mausoleum.
The group of teachers displayed solemn faces, each one seemingly lost in their own sorrow.
Regardless of how Sterling had conducted himself in life, they had known him for many years, and his sudden death undeniably brought a feeling of sadness.
Only Margaret remained indifferent. Once Howard left, she quietly followed him.
Not until they had left the street where Soulspark Academy was located did Margaret rush forward, grabbing Howard and heading towards her home.
"Oh, we haven't seen each other for just a short while, and you're this eager?" Howard, knowing Margaret had no ill intentions towards him, went with her without any reservations.
"You, always giving people a headache," Margaret said with annoyance. "I told you to go to the Silent Forest, yet you insisted on staying there at night. Now you went to the Dark Mausoleum and encountered such a situation. Can't you be a bit more cautious now that you've realized the F-level talent?"
Howard caught the worry in Margaret's words and laughed, "You don't seriously believe that after realizing the F-level talent, I would lack the ability to survive in the wild, do you?"
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
Margaret paused, giving Howard a careful look.
She noticed that he bore no signs of the fear and apprehension he had shown back at the academy.
Instead, he carried a full-blown momentum, resembling a true strongman.
"Let's get home first. Then, I'll properly scold you!"
With a teasing smile at the corner of his mouth, Howard reversed their roles, taking the lead and pulling Margaret towards her home.
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