312 Puppeteer
Before going to the Sanctuary of Mages, Asher had a lot of things he needed to do.
What was happening inside World Academy didn't concern Asher, as none of the students, even those in the Fourth Year, posed a threat to him.
The only people Asher would have to go all out against were Jayden Hargrave and some of the other Fourth Year rankers like Reece Williams.
He wasn't going to use Time Dilation in front of everyone; it was an ability he would employ only when facing an adversary far too powerful for him.
Just as with Louis Rothschild, Asher had used Time Dilation solely to escape from him.
Even the current Asher would struggle against a Peak S Rank Hunter, even if he used Time Dilation.
At that time, although Asher was only at peak D Rank, he had caught Louis off-guard and left him in a state of confusion.
"Sigh, my reward was delayed, so I can't even get a weapon for myself," Damian muttered.
Dexter Wright was not only preoccupied with tending to his own needs, but with many SSS Rank Equipments damaged, his hands were full.
This meant that only those who chose the Sanctuary of Mages could visit it for now.
Asher removed his safety braces that restricted his mana to D Rank. Although his physical capabilities were of a C Rank Hunter, his mana output was limited to the peak of D Rank.
Asher glanced back, seeing Damian and Amelia in conversation, discussing their errors.
Without a word, Asher departed and returned to his room.
Upon arrival, Asher entered the living room where he activated the hologram on his ID Bracelet.
Several news articles and rumors, posted by various individuals, began to appear.
Asher scrolled through them, wanting to see if his artifact's usage had garnered any significant attention.
He stumbled upon one particular anonymous article that hadn't received much notice, and it was about Louis Rothschild.
"The Troublemaker of the Rothschilds is at it Again" was the title of the article, and it wasn't surprising to see such articles about Louis.
However, this time, no one, not even Louis himself, could have imagined that his actions were being influenced.
Due to his status and James's interference, Louis Rothschild's name had never been associated with any major scandals, but his public image left much to be desired.
Inside the Rothschild Manor,
James gazed at Louis, who sat across the room, eyes fixed on the floor.
"Do you realize the magnitude of problems your actions could've caused if they were exposed?" James exclaimed.
Louis remained silent, listening.
"Answer me!" James demanded, his mana flaring up.
"He mocked me," Louis finally responded.
"Mocked?" James echoed incredulously.
"I know everything, Louis. He was merely discussing the matter concerning Zephyr," James clarified.
Louis felt humiliated, his fist clenching in frustration.
Yet, he didn't act against James.
From a young age, James had asserted his dominance over Louis, ensuring that the latter always knew his place. This was why Louis never dared to challenge James and his authority.
After all, James was an SS Rank Hunter, while Louis was only a Peak S Rank Hunter.
The power gap between them was evident, especially since James had access to the family's assets, including the artifact bequeathed by Dalton himself.
"Reflect on your actions," James advised, trying to reign in his temper.
"I don't want to hear of any further incidents from you. And don't you dare bring further shame upon me," James warned, his words cutting deep into Louis.
'So he still blames me,' Louis mused, swallowing his rising anger.
Just like James said, the Hunter whom Louis had beaten severely had been discussing the night the Vault was breached. His tone had led Louis to believe he was being ridiculed.
After facing James's reprimand, which included serving in the Guild until further notice, Louis exited the room.
However, his role was not as a Team Leader, but merely as a regular member.
Due to James's order, Louis had lost his position within the Guild and now he had to work his way up until his punishment period was over.
'Only because he is older,' Thoughts like this started popping inside James's head.
'All this is happening because of that bastard,' Louis thought as he walked the empty hallway.
He remembered the gaze, and he still suspected it belonged to Asher Greville, but he had no proof.
"One day, I will prove it myself," Louis muttered as his eyes went cold.
It wasn't possible right now, but he knew one day he will meet the Heir of the Greville Family.
Far from Rothschild Estate, inside the Williams Family's Mansion.
A fairly middle aged man was looking at the reports he was given when a particular ring on his hand started shining.
He frowned as he knew what this private communication line was used, and it had been years since he had used it.
He touched the ring and three faces appeared in front of him, and he was familiar with them.
"What happened?" he asked.
"We called this meeting to discuss an important issue," One person spoke up and rest of them including James went silent.
After all, this man was comparable to Dalton Rothschild himself.
It was Osbert Tarvian.
"It seems Vincent Williams is not as busy as I heard," Another man spoke and he was none other than the Neville Family Head.
"Why don't we stop for a second?" Allister Head interrupted.
"I have a question that is bothering me for a while," He said.
"Did you see the report and the person, Erwin whose dead body they found there," Allister Family's Head spoke as Osbert silently listened.
His words made Neville raise his eyebrow, as he wanted to know the answer.
For the past few days, the seed of doubts had been growing inside his mind, and he got alerted when this question was asked.
"I did and it seems he was captured," Osbert replied with authoritative tone.
His words made the other three a bit uncomfortable but with him saying it like this, Neville Head had no other way but to accept his words.
"You don't need to worry about that at all," Osbert added.
"What about the Product?" Vincent asked while maintaining his calm face.
The only reason he was present in this meeting was because of the partnership deal that Williams and Tarvian had agreed upon.
And the product they were going to release and the project that Osbert was working on more than a few decades.
"Wagxon will deal with it," Osbert said.
"And I only called this meeting because of this new problem Zephyr," Osbert said.
"Somebody in the High Council has to be involved with them," The Allister Family's head said.
"And it can be one of us as well," The Neville Head said but everyone went silent.
Yes, one of them could be related with Zephyr, and it was a possibility that all of them were aware of.
"Are we here to point fingers at each other?" Vincent asked.
"And where the hell such a person came from out of nowhere?" Vincent asked another question.
"You are the only person here, that would do such a thing," Allister Head said with annoyed look on his face.
"After all, it didn't took you long to switch your colors a decade ago," He scoffed.
"Enough," Osbert stopped their conversation.
The reason he called this meeting was to make sure that the recent incident hadn't made any of them back down on him.
If he sensed even a hint of betrayal from one of them, he was ready to take actions.
And it wasn't if all of them didn't knew that Osbert was trying to see who was still with him on the idea they worked on for decades.
"The product will come out next year, and I believe everyone will do their part," Osbert said.
Seeing that there was no disagreement, Osbert came to the next thing that he called this meeting for.
Zephyr and what to do with them.
Having someone like Zephyr, was a good cover for them to do certain things, but there existence was equally dangerous for them.
"His actions thus far seemed like he wanted to damage the High Council," The Neville Head spoke first.
One by one, they all keep giving their opinion and at the same time judging each other in their conversation.
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