Harem System In A fa Chapter 272: Obvious

Chapter 272: Obvious

anwhile...

Two n with abyssal black eyes were sitting opposite each other in the highest spire of the academy.

Only one had solid black pupils, while the other had completely black eyeballs, and one looked far older than the other.

What would truly shock you is that these two were not that far apart in age at all; in fact, you could consider them to be peers. Such was the difference in lifespan between humans and the long-lived vampires.

"So you an to tell

that Elion Nova is under suspicion of being a heretic who has made a contract with a demon?" Dorian asked.

Maximus, who had a neutral expression on his elderly face, replied, "That is indeed what I said."

Dorian frowned deeply.

’How troubleso...’

When he ca to Grimholt looking to et this boy in Lucius’ stead, this was the last thing he had expected to hear.

’This will complicate things.’

But he had to gather more information. He wasn’t going to take these people’s words too seriously.

"And he also sohow managed to escape while surrounded by a plethora of mages and warriors far more powerful than him?" he asked again.

Maximus paused slightly. His expression remained as calm as ever, but it was obvious the question irked him.

After all, he was among this ’plethora’ of mages who had been evaded by a junior.

"That is also true," he admitted after the pause.

Dorian’s frown deepened.

"And who made this accusation? Has he been proven guilty? Have you confird that he is indeed a heretic?"

He threw a string of questions. Too many things were simply amiss here. Nothing he had heard so far made any sort of sense.

It was now Maximus’ turn to frown.

All of Dorian’s questions were valid, and Maximus had no choice but to answer. He had no business playing gas with soone as powerful as Dorian Silverfang.

Unlike what most people believed, Maximus had long since stopped being one of the most powerful warriors in the world.

While they knew that he was way past his pri, he was still believed to be greatly powerful; after all, it was well known that old age only reduced your peak strength by so much.

However, in the face of the true hidden experts, even he had to act restrained.

People only thought he was so powerful because he fought in a certain famous battle, while soone like Dorian was only known among the upper class of mages. However, even they did not know the full extent of his power simply because he never showed himself openly.

But Maximus was unfortunate enough to have known Dorian during their younger days. After all, he had suffered at his hand quite a bit.

So he was well aware of his own strength in comparison to the vampire elder.

When you reach this point, it also becos quite clear that Maximus must also be familiar with Lucius.

He knew what manner of monster that man was, so even if soone far weaker than Dorian had co as Lucius’ envoy, just by stating that Lucius had sent a ssage directed to him, Maximus would have to give that person proper status and respect in such a setting.

So he had no choice but to answer.

"Duke Dawncrest claims to have found sothing on the boy. Apparently, he has a subordinate who is sensitive to such things."

Dorian began to think, a pondering expression appearing on his face.

"Is that so..." he said finally.

Honestly, he never liked Dawncrest and his family’s ways. They were all nothing but power-hungry brutes, like most of the human kingdom’s nobles, but this family in particular was unsavoury.

So the mont he heard the na, he had already decided to do his own investigation and check the validity of these claims.

Either way, this whole situation was bound to complicate things greatly for their clan, and for Celeste most of all.

’I don’t like where this is going.’

Dorian got up.

"If that is all the information you have on the boy for , then I am going to be on my way."

"Wait," Maximus stopped him. "Why is the vampire clan interested in a student of my academy?"

It was obvious where Maximus’ thoughts had gone. He had begun to suspect that they had found out about the Origin Core and that they were hunting Elion for it.

"Forr student, you an," Dorian corrected. "And you should know that I am not going to answer that, even if he was once a student under your care."

"In my opinion, your accusations against him are unwarranted and made up; however, that is not my concern. I will be doing my own investigation."

He continued, "That aside, judging from the manner in which he left, he is very unlikely to return. Even if he has reasons to return, I doubt he would co back to the academy. Most probably, he will end up in the city."

"Now, if you will excuse , old friend, I have places to be."

Dorian gave Maximus a respectful nod, and then he simply vanished into thin air, without a trace, leaving behind a conflicted Maximus.

He sighed deeply in his seat.

Another opportunity had slipped out of his hands yet again.

His fate was simply too pitiful.

The gods seed stubbornly intent on seeing him wither away and die of old age in this lifeti.

"How uncouth..."

...

It had been two days since the selection tournant had ended.

And just as expected, the aftermath of Elion’s rather... complicated exit had thrown the academy, and even parts of the city, into complete disarray.

Among those who truly understood what the incident ant, there was an uproar.

The first pair, Cain and Vivian, had watched the event unfold with bated breath, and for a mont, when Elion was surrounded, they had wondered if perhaps the old man was wrong, and if the boy was really about to die here, but things ended up going well, from their perspective at least.

As for the matter of Elion being a heretic?

They didn’t take it to heart in the slightest.

Their organization simply didn’t care for such things.

If one were to look at the kind of work they handled on a daily basis, it would beco painfully obvious why. Morality was a flexible concept to them, and lines that most would never dare cross ant very little in their world.

It was not beneath them to accept contracts that involved killing an unborn child along with its mother.

Compared to that...

A supposed "heretic" ant nothing.

Then there were the general masses.

The students, the lesser nobles, the onlookers.

They had been shocked, to say the least.

But shock quickly turned into noise, and noise turned into a single, dominant narrative. While opinions had initially been divided, those who shouted the loudest were the ones who believed that a heretic should be killed without question.

And so, naturally...

Their voices drowned out the rest.

Before long, the consensus had ford.

Elion was a demon.

The second group were the mages and warriors who had taken to the skies to surround him that day.

Whether they had been there to observe, to intervene, or simply to curry favor with Duke Dawncrest and Maximus, it didn’t matter.

What mattered was how it ended.

They had been made fools of.

They all felt like they had received a slap to their faces by a young mage, no less.

So of them had left the battlefield with red faces and clenched jaws, their pride wounded more than anything else. Others said nothing at all, but the humiliation lingered all the sa.

Duke Dawncrest and Halbrecht were in this group, mostly Halbrecht.

Dawncrest had not wasted the opportunity.

He had seized it imdiately, declaring that Elion’s escape was proof enough that his accusations were true. To him, there was no need for further investigation, and the majority could not help but agree with him.

Then there were the students of the academy.

Most of them had been quick to side with the masses.

After all, how could the great mage Maximus be wrong? He had done far more to earn their trust than this fledgling talent ever could.

Among the first years, it was even worse.

They were the ones who had witnessed Elion’s rise firsthand, his sudden and unnatural growth in strength, and now, with everything that had happened, they connected the dots in the worst possible way.

To them, it all made sense.

And so, without hesitation, the more shaless individuals flocked to William’s side, offering him their support, reinforcing the idea that they had always stood on the "right" side.

Of course...

There were plenty of exceptions.

Despite that, it ca as no surprise that those closest to Elion found themselves isolated and alienated. Though no investigation, accusation, or anything of the sort was handed out, Mira, Aria, Isolde, Tessa, and even Lyra and Aria’s friends were not left out.

No surprise that academy life had been a little difficult the last few days.

At least William did not have the guts to confront them. Well, he had tried once, but Mira had put him in his place so thoroughly that it left everyone stunned into silence.

After that, people simply chose to avoid them.

Which, in its own way, made things easier.

At least they still had each other.

If anything, the isolation only strengthened their bond, forcing them closer together, leaving them with no one else to rely on but themselves.

Aria, however...

She was the most affected of all.

Even after receiving Elion’s ssage from Mira, it did little to calm her.

If anything, it made things worse.

Elion’s absence seed to make her jumpy; his presence had beco sothing she depended on and craved like a drug, and she had beco like a person addicted to him.

And now that he was gone...

The withdrawal was setting in.

The more days that passed without his touch, the more irritable she beca. It didn’t help that he hadn’t touched her for a few days, even before he left.

Of course, her parents and sister had been shocked about Elion’s supposed heretic status, but they had their hands full trying to calm her down, and they hadn’t even left the city two days after the tournant ended, but Aria rarely visited them.

As for Mira’s parents...

Their reaction was exactly what one would expect once they connected the dots.

They hadn’t t Elion, and they hadn’t seen Mira since coming here, but there couldn’t be that many first-year students nad Elion, let alone one powerful enough to cause such an incident.

By now, Madam Gale had grown tired of hearing her husband repeat the sa thing over and over again.

That he had been right.

That the boy was bad news all along.

Even without ever eting him.

What truly infuriated him to no end was that foolish daughter of his had yet to co and see them!

And she had no intention of doing so.

Mira was actively avoiding them at all costs.

She rarely left the academy grounds, and during the tournant, when they had tried to intercept her at the arena, she had managed to evade them every single ti with the help of the others.

On another note...

The rankings for the hidden realm spots had finally been decided.

And with Elion gone...

Well.

The outco was obvious.