Chapter 38: Gavin

Athena’s mind was filled with countless questions.

Meanwhile, Gavin took the hat off and asked.

“Can we talk inside?”

“Y-Yes!” Athena hurriedly invited him in.

As Gavin entered the main hall, Shirley came out of the kitchen and was shocked.

“Sorry for visiting you out of the blue,” Gavin said as he sat on the sofa and glanced around.

His gaze moved towards the kitchen, then the bedroom and alchemy room, and soon landed on the portrait on the left side wall. It was an image of a deep-blue-haired young man. He had short eyebrows, a fleshy nose, olive skin, and an oval face. But the most unique thing about him was his eyes. His left eye appeared crystalline white, while his right eye appeared deep blue as if a whole world was hiding within. He wore a neat black coat over his formal dress and a bowler hat on his top.

His attire appeared similar to the Rune Era, but his facial structure was foreign.

“Whose portrait is this? And who drew this? It looks so real!” Gavin was genuinely surprised by this portrait and asked curiously.

“T-That’s-” Shirley didn’t know how to respond and soon decided to keep silent.

On the other hand, Athena thought of something and soon responded proudly.

“That’s my brother’s teacher. He is a Wizard like you, Mr. Gavin. And my little brother painted this masterpiece.”

Her words caused him to pause in surprise.

‘A wizard took that useless kid as his disciple? That doesn’t even make any sense. Does he have other intentions?’

“Interesting. May I know his name?” Although Gavin asked casually, Shirley felt a strange chill in her heart.

Meanwhile, Athena furrowed her brows for a second and soon nodded.

‘I don’t want to expose Raven’s teacher identity. But if I don’t do something, this guy might go after Raven’s life.’ She still remembered that this Prime Minister was the one who suggested Emperor Ian to kill his brother.

‘I will never forgive him!’ A cold glint appeared in her eyes.

But she hid her hostility and spoke.

“Charles Nightwind. That’s what my brother said when we asked about his teacher. Other than his name, we know nothing about him.”

“Charles Nightwind? I don’t think there is a wizard in that name in Crows Misery Academy, though." Saying so, Gavin once again looked deeply at the portrait.

Strangely, he stared at it blankly for more than ten seconds and soon blinked as Shirley broke the long silence.

“H-How did you find our location, Lord Gavin?” She asked with a hint of wariness.

“The inheritance bracelet,” Gavin responded without noticing anything odd, pointing his finger at the bracelet on Athena’s hand.

“As long as she wears this, it’s impossible to hide away from the eyes of our Emperor.”

Shirley could only show a bitter smile and asked further.

“If so, why wait for 15 years? Emperor could’ve brought us back to the palace long ago, right?”

“Did you come here to take me back to the palace?” Athena instantly gripped her sword and looked at him warily.

Instead of responding, Gavin asked another question, causing Shirley and Athena to be confused.

“Did you hear any recent news about Viser Kingdom?”

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“No.” Both shook their heads in unison.

Gavin let out a deep sigh and spoke solemnly.

“It seems the news about the Crown Prince hasn’t reached here. Crown Prince Daniel is no more. Yesterday, the Viser Kingdom invaded the western fortress with an overwhelming force and imprisoned all the soldiers and high-ranking officials.” He paused for a moment and soon added in a grieving tone.

“Shockingly, two hours before the invasion, Crown Prince Daniel was assassinated in his mansion, and all his servants and attendants were killed. Moreover, multiple assassination attempts happened to other Royal Family members, too. That’s why the Emperor ordered all Royal members to return to the palace within a week.”

“Assassination of Royals? How could people from the Viser Kingdom sneak in without anyone noticing? Did some noble betray the Empire?” Shirley asked.

Meanwhile, Athena shook her head and spoke icily.

“What does this have to do with us? I have never even seen the Crown Prince, nor do I care about his death. I have long severed ties with that damned royal family. Look at you showing a grieving face! But you are the same person who tried to kill my little brother just after he was born. I’ll never forgive you or that bastard father of mine!” Her voice echoed in the hall like a raging fire.

“Athena! Watch your words!” Shirley was panicked by her harsh words and moved near Athena to shut her mouth.

Gavin shook his head at her shouts and answered calmly.

“I made rash decisions that day, but my words are still the same. Although that child manages to stay alive with your help, he is only around 5 to 6 years old to live. Anyway, the Emperor ordered me to bring you back right away. If you resist, I might resort to use forceful action.”

As he spoke, a suffocating feeling appeared in the main hall, causing Athena and Shirley to pant heavily.

But Athena still resisted the power with all her might and angrily asked.

“W-What about my brother?”

“Empire doesn’t need a burden, Athena. Also, your father has arranged a political marriage for you with a Duke’s son of the Vega Empire.” Gavin’s words caused Athena’s face to turn red.

“I-I’ll kill you!” She instantly unsheathed the sword and was about to move, but some invisible force completely froze her.

Meanwhile, Gavin slowly stood up from the sofa and waved his hand.

In the next instant, a shadowy figure appeared before Shirley, gripped her neck, and slowly lifted her.

“I’m not here to negotiate with you, Athena. If you refuse to obey the Emperor’s orders, I will have no choice but to use forceful methods.”

The shadow figure’s grip on Shirley’s neck tightened as he spoke, causing her hands and legs to shake fiercely.

“N-NO!!! I’ll come back to the palace. Leave my aunt alone!” Athena said in a raging voice.

“Well, that’s a good decision. And your aunt is coming with us too. After all, we also need someone to take the blame for taking away the sword princess for more than a decade, right?” Gavin’s lips twisted into an eerie smile, causing Athena’s eyes to widen.

A second later, complete darkness enveloped the hall and extinguished the lights.

…

Athena and Shirley had long disappeared from there when the light returned.

Only Gavin sat on the sofa calmly and slowly clapped his hand before opening his mouth.

“Jonas.”

A second later, a shadowy figure appeared from the corner of the main hall and knelt before him.

The human shadow covered his face and body in a black suit and even held a twin dagger in his waist.

“Your orders, my lord.” A young man’s voice came out of the shadow.

“When that brat returns, kill him swiftly. Make it look like an assassination attempt from Viser Kingdom.” Gavin said with a sly grin and slowly stood up before looking at the portrait.

“Also, do a background check on this man. We don’t need any unexpected variables in our plan.”

“Yes, my lord.” The human named Jonas nodded his head and soon disappeared in a blink.

…

Unaware of anything, Raven slowly walked past the town square and soon went to the northern gate.

As he exited the town through the northern gate, his attention was drawn to a gathering of more than a hundred children, all roughly the same age. Their collective gaze was fixed upon a blonde-haired lady instructor, her calm eyes capturing their unwavering attention. Bathed in the sunlight, her features became apparent – amber eyes, a gracefully high nose bridge, a heart-shaped face, and pale white skin.

She was none other than teacher Elizabeth.

“Raven, you are late.” She smiled and glanced at the twenty-plus police officers standing behind her.

“Did you guys check the woods again? Is there any abnormality?” She asked.

Meanwhile, a tall, muscular policeman with a musket stepped forward and answered.

“There has been nothing but low-rank monsters roaming in the 5 km surroundings, Lady Elizabeth; moreover, Superintendent Athena personally went farther into the woods yesterday and cleared all the intermediate-rank monsters and a large group of goblins.”

“Oh? Athena, huh?” She had indeed kept her eye on the hero of this town and had long sent the report to her dad.

‘And she is also one of the potential seeds I have kept my eyes on. But what surprised me is that Raven and Athena are siblings.’ Shaking her head, she turned around and looked at 40 students standing before her.

“You guys will be entering the Mirage Woodlands from now on and starting the test immediately. You must explore the woods using your knowledge and survive until tomorrow morning. You must stay in the woods and survive for the next 21 hours, whether encountering a goblin, wolf, or other creature.”

“Those who come back before 6. A.M. will be disqualified from the test and unable to pass the graduation test. As for the ranking, the more monsters you hunt, the more points you will get. A single goblin’s left ear can earn you 1 point, a kobold’s left ear can earn you 2 points, and a wolf’s left ear can earn you 3 points.” She paused as she observed the students’ anxious faces and then shouted.

“Test starts now. GO!”