"No, it’s not." Noa’s voice was louder, sharper than ever. "Test . Summon Instructor Zen and let show you his weakness."
None of the council mbers moved.
For a mont, they ignored Noa completely and went into a discussion.
"Are we really going to waste our precious ti on that brat?" soone asked, clearly uninterested in testing Noa.
"I don’t want to listen to this bullshit either."
"He is a pest we have to get rid of right this instant. It doesn’t matter what tricks he used... the fact that he has a worthless Graveworm is more than enough reason to expel him."
Amid the chaotic debate, Noa remained silent, his mouth sealed shut.
All he did was watch the situation unfold and see what these mighty elders would decide.
"Don’t tell you guys aren’t even slightly interested in checking what this boy is claiming. I am not taking his side, but I am intrigued. I want to see how he did ’beat’ Professor Zen.
Whatever it was, an artifact or sothing else, we can punish him later," the ginger woman from the council spoke up.
She looked to be the youngest mber of the board, and her eyes, hidden in lightness, shone in curiosity. But the way her thin lips curled into a grin made Noa shudder.
Guessing that she might be up to no good, he shook his head and waited for the final decision.
As soon as the woman made a suggestion, the air around the chamber shifted. It felt like the room itself was ignited, and unhidden greed flashed through everyone’s faces.
Soon, they spoke among themselves and voted silently.
"Very well," the bald man said after reaching the conclusion. "Summon Instructor Zen!"
Sothing or soone stirred inside the room.
They left through the gate to find the professor and bring him here.
anwhile, the muscular woman eyed Noa with interest. "If you didn’t use artifacts, talismans, or anything forbidden, how did you affect his mana flow? I an, that’s only possible when there’s a huge strength gap. But in your case, it was the other way around."
Noa knew this kind of question would be asked.
He predicted and even hoped they would try to dig up more information out of him.
Why?
Because he was ready for it.
And with an answer already cooked in his mind, he began,
"I was doing my research on beasts when I stumbled upon a mana pattern of various creatures. The Veilchild was one of them, and following the diagrams shown in the book, I managed to cut the connection between the beast and its tar. Of course, it only lasts a couple of seconds."
"Do you rember what the book was called? And where did you find it?" the silver-bearded man asked.
Noa didn’t hesitate.
"It was just a black book with no cover, one I stumbled upon in a local library. But it vanished after reading it once," he answered calmly.
Every possible question they could ask, Noa had already rehearsed in his head.
That’s why, even while spouting nonsense, his heart remained steady, and he didn’t seem nervous under their watchful gaze.
"That’s hard to believe," one of the angry elders doubted his claims.
"But it’s not impossible either," the ginger woman spoke in Noa’s favor again.
As a result, the crowd erupted into another wave of discussion. The story sounded like sothing that could easily happen to anyone.
It wasn’t so far-fetched that they could just dismiss it as a lie, especially when it made perfect sense and explained how Noa achieved what he did without artifacts.
"What other beasts did the book ntion?" the ginger woman questioned herself. "Do you rember any of them?"
Noa nodded. He had more lies up his sleeve.
"From common to rare rank, I know about 30 beast mana patterns. As for affecting their mana circulation, I can do it for 20 beasts."
The information he shared made him just barely valuable.
At most, he would be on the sa level as an uncommon-ranked tar.
Not because having this information was useless, but because no one could really use this thod in a direct confrontation.
Only the weakest of the bunch could depend on this slow process.
If it were an artifact and passively affected the beast of perhaps even a higher rank, it could have been a different case altogether.
Noa used his understanding of the world to the limit and created a perfect cover-up story with no plot holes.
That’s why he was so sure that he wouldn’t be treated as a threat, and this case would soon be forgotten.
A mont later, with a hiss of a mana release, the door swung open.
Zen entered, his expression looking sour.
But when his eyes landed on Noa, his face showed arrogance with a slight touch of annoyance. "You summoned ?" he asked politely, his head hanging low.
"Yes," the silver-bearded man answered. "This child claims that he can replicate the interference. Without an artifact, of course."
Zen’s brows twitched. "Why believe this worthless brat? Let’s just get rid of him!"
One of the elders gestured lazily. "Just humor us. Consider it as entertainnt before the verdict."
The professor nodded.
He didn’t want to experience the sa thing again. Especially not in front of the council.
However, their words were rules, and he had to live by them.
So he flicked his finger and summoned the Veilchild, and waiting for its two separate bodies to take shape, he glared at Noa.
He, however, didn’t react to the man’s piercing gaze.
He only called Ashe by his side, closed his eyes, and recited the patterns in his head.
Soon, Zen’s creature exuded oppressive mana to weaken Noa and Ashe alike, forcing them to drop to the ground in submission.
’Its mana functions in three pulses. One major, two minors. If I disturb the link between them with my mana, instability begins,’ Noa thought and moved his fingers.
Everyone could see how he shaped the pure mana and guided it towards the Veilchild.
It was thin. Raw. Weak.
Despite that, Zen and Veilchild flinched, their mana flickering out.
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