Chapter 63: Landlords
Although taking the blame for killing Lucas might have already been enough to pay the debt, it was more of a favour to William's instead.
After all, if Aur hadn't intervened, William would have killed the guy anyway, along with his first partner, the girl. So it didn't count at all. Instead, it was more of a debt that William accumulated.
"I will collect this debt one day." Aur's eyes glinted with a cruel gleam as he sneered.
…
Achoo!
William sneezed as he rubbed his nose. "Is someone talking about me behind my back?" A chill ran down his back. "And why is it so cold?" he thought with a frown on his face.
"We have arrived at the principal's office, Williams."
Suddenly, he was woken from his thoughts by a feminine voice. Looking at the familiar building, Williams couldn't help but feel bitter.
"Let's go in," Adriana said. William just nodded his head.
William was about to knock on the door, but Noah's stern voice sounded from inside.
"Come in."
"Yes, master." William looked back and saw that the teachers weren't following him, which made him frown.
"Go on," Adriana replied to William's questioning look with a frown on her face.
"Okay, teacher." William smiled as he glanced at her one last time. "You are a good teacher."
As he entered the hall, his vision was filled with old men sitting at a round table. In the centre, a relatively young man, his master Noah, was sitting. However, his previous casual expression was no more as it had turned into a stern one with an air of seriousness lingering in the room.
Seeing this, William frowned. "What happened here?"
He first greeted everyone with a bow.
"Good that you are seated. Tell me what happened to you during your assassination in detail, from start to finish." Noah's stern voice resounded in the entire room, and the expressions of all the elders became even more grim.
Hearing this, William felt a warm emotion towards his master. "At least my master cares for me," he thought with bitterness. "Unlike Asmodeus here."
"You think, kid, that I will lend you my power for free?" The cold voice of Asmodeus, tinged with a sneering tone, resounded in his ears.
"You..." William was speechless, but he couldn't properly retort either.
"Master, I wanted to give you my power, but all my power was lost when I was fighting the golden text. I haven't recovered my powers yet, so I couldn't give you any of my power. I am sorry, master." Suddenly, the cold voice changed to a teeming feminine voice, which made Williams smile.
"You don't have to worry about it, Lily. I don't blame you. However, Asmodeus is really a-" Williams paused with a sigh as he looked at everyone around him.
The book had told him that he can call her by the name Lily.
William took a deep breath and explained the entire process truthfully.
As Williams continued to narrate the story, Noah was bored, but he was still outwardly calm with a concerning gaze on his face.
".... after that, when the assassin was about to unleash his final blow, Angel rushed to my side and took the hit instead." William narrated as tears threatened to come out of his eyes, and the whites of his eyes had turned blood red.
"I am sorry to hear that from you, my disciple. I promise whoever did that to you will get my iron hands." Noahs' eyes narrowed as he unleashed his terrifying pressure, enveloping the entire room.
"Did any of you do it?" Noah said with a flat tone.
Gulp!
The elders broke out in cold sweats as they looked at Noah with horror in their eyes.
Everyone was silent, with cold sweat breaking out from their backs.
"Did anybody do it? I will grant you a painless death, but if you don't come out right now..." A smile formed on Noah's face.
"We haven't done anything, patriarch. You can check us if you don't believe us..." Suddenly, the second elder raised his hand and spoke in a monotonous tone with narrowed eyes.
"Hmm, really?" Noah smiled.
"Yes, village leader." The second elder spoke in a dead tone.
"Very well then, I will believe the second elder for now." Noah's smile brightened as he wore a contemplative expression.
The elders were stunned. "He let us go so easily?" They couldn't believe their eyes.
"Now, who could it be that can try an assassination attempt inside the academy and still go scot-free?" Noah asked with a questioning tone.
The elders were stunned when they heard this. "You should already know the answer, why are you asking us?"
However, nobody voiced their opinion, and not a single word was spoken, which made Noah frown.
"Trash." Noah said with a smile on his face. "I will personally go to the landlords to visit them and see what they tell me about it. I have let them get arrogant for so long that they dared to step on the head of my disciple, even trying to kill him despite my warning. Do they really think nobody could stop them in this village?"
The elders' eyes widened when they heard this as they looked at Noah with shock written on their faces.
"Is this kid William worth fighting the entire landlords for?" They looked at the golden-haired handsome boy who was completely expressionless.
The only power who could keep the landlords in check was the leader himself because there was no other tier three wizard except for him in the village. However, previously the leader had turned a blind eye to almost everything the landlords did, but now he was suddenly in a rage because of his disciple.
"William, you can leave now. I will settle the debt with the landlords for you. This is my promise to you," Noah said with a strange smile on his face.
"Thank you, Master." Williams bowed as he returned back, however, his expression was still cold.
Noah sighed, seeing Williams leave as he became silent again.
"What are you still doing here? Go away now." Noah looked around with cold eyes.
The elders all hurriedly nodded their heads and quickly left the place with terrified eyes.
Once Noah was all alone, his youthful appearance faded, his black hair turning white, and his face filled with wrinkles.
"I don't really have time anymore, but these landlords are going to give me trouble again…" Noah sighed, his face aged.
"This will be troublesome, however, it is all worth it as long as I can make Williams reach tier two wizard. With his talent, it might take five years to reach." Noah frowned when he thought of this.
His eyes turned cold as he contemplated his situation.
Swish!
The wind blew from the window, and Noah also disappeared with the wind as if he was a dust blown away by the wind.
After Williams returned to his room, he tightly shut the door and sat in a meditative position on his bed.
"Asmodeus, tell me what I should do to gain power?"
"You really are desperate for power now?" The cold voice of Asmodeus rang in his head.