Yiertaya Academy.
Principal's Office.
"Knock, knock!"
A rhythmic knocking suddenly came from the door.
Kaiya paused, his body snapping upright as he exited the magic network system at lightning speed.
At the same time, he scrambled the items on his desk; a fountain pen rolled off and hit the floor with a crisp clatter, causing a brief moment of silence outside the door.
Then came an even more urgent and forceful knocking.
"Who is it?"
Kaiya was already fretting over how to handle the aftermath of the accident in the Wuxin Island secret realm.
The sudden knocking made his heart leap into his throat; at a time like this, he knew from common sense that no visitor would bring good news.
The knocking stopped, and a calm but powerful voice drifted through the crack in the door.
"Kross Bard, four-star hunter of the Sin Hunting Bureau. If you do not open the door, Assistant Kaiya, I will break it down. Do not bother thinking about escaping through the window; this is the highest point of Yiertaya Academy, and my people are watching."
Someone from the Sin Hunting Bureau... Kaiya's face darkened.
Kross Bard—the name sounded familiar.
Sorting through his memories, Kaiya quickly recalled the man's face.
When they first met, Kaiya wasn't the principal's assistant, but the Student Union President, respected and admired by the student body.
One afternoon, he had been leading the Student Union on an inspection of the academy, basking in his own glory.
A freshman calling himself Kross Bard had blocked his path in front of everyone.
The boy said: "I am Kross Bard. Please give me the time it takes for three sentences. This is the first."
At the time, Kaiya actually stopped.
The freshman's eyes were calm, yet sharp as a falcon's; just by looking into those eyes, Kaiya knew this student wouldn't disappoint him, so he was willing to give him a chance.
Kross's second sentence was: "I want to be the vice president."
That sentence caused the expressions of everyone else to shift, yet Kaiya remained composed.
His third sentence was: "You will be proud of making this decision."
After the three sentences were spoken, the atmosphere froze.
Some people didn't even bother to hide their disgust for him; it was the first time they had seen such an arrogant and rude freshman. Regardless of his ability, they disliked him immediately.
However, because Kaiya was present, no one dared to interrupt.
They were all waiting to see how President Kaiya would scold and belittle this brazen newcomer.
Yet, to everyone's surprise, Kaiya instead showed an appreciative smile: "Fine. From now on, you are the Student Union Vice President."
Kaiya's answer left everyone wide-eyed.
They couldn't believe he had actually agreed just like that.
That was the position of Vice President of the Student Union, a role many coveted, yet Kaiya had casually handed it to an insolent brat.
It was far too reckless!
What they didn't know was that from the first moment Kaiya saw Kross, he knew the guy was someone of immense capability whose ambitions reached far beyond Yiertaya Academy.
In the second year after Kaiya graduated, Kross was elected Student Union President with one hundred percent of the vote.
After Kross graduated, he joined the Sin Hunting Bureau without hesitation.
And in just one year, he had grown from a rookie into a four-star hunter.
His path to promotion was legendary, hailed as a miracle that could not be replicated.
Kaiya should have been happy for Kross's growth.
But now, the junior he had once thought so highly of had become the hunter coming to arrest him!
Kaiya's face was so pale it looked as if the blood had drained out of it.
He gritted his teeth and spoke with a muffled tone, "Come in, the door is unlocked!"
The door was pushed open, and four hunters in black-and-white uniforms entered first.
They moved with maximum speed to secure the room, cutting off all of Kaiya's escape routes.
Only then did Kross walk into the office unhurriedly.
After locking eyes with Kaiya for a few seconds, he bowed slightly and removed his soft cap.
"Greetings, Senior."
Kaiya sneered, pushing his inner guilt deep down as he spoke sarcastically, "I wouldn't dare accept that greeting. Some people become hunters and immediately start settling old scores with their former seniors. Truly a thankless white-eyed wolf!"
Kross was not provoked by Kaiya's words; he remained consistently calm.
"Senior Kaiya, I am not here to settle old scores," he said.
"If I truly didn't care about our past relationship, I would have burst through the door long ago and wouldn't have given you time to react."
"Enough nonsense. You broke into the Principal's Office with Sin Hunting Bureau personnel—what exactly are you trying to do?"
Kaiya's eyes sharpened. "This is Yiertaya Academy. Do you realize you are overstepping your bounds?"
Kaiya's shout was full of confidence, acting as if he had no fear of the Sin Hunting Bureau at all.
"Assistant Kaiya!" Kross shouted back in response.
This time, his gaze was aggressive, no longer showing a shred of sentiment toward the senior who had once helped him up. "The Sin Hunting Bureau suspects you are a cultist. Please cooperate with our investigation!"
Kaiya's whole body jolted, his heart thumping wildly, yet he showed no nervousness on his face.
He let out a contemptuous laugh. "What kind of joke is this? I am the eldest legitimate son of the Kritov family. You're calling me a cultist? Who would believe such a thing?"
"And..." Kaiya gritted his teeth, glaring at him viciously. "Even if I were a cultist, your Sin Hunting Bureau has no right to arrest me. Only the academy and the royal family have that authority!"
Under normal circumstances, anyone else would have been intimidated into silence by his fierce tone.
That blatant threat was undeniably a warning from the Kritov family, something anyone would have to weigh carefully.
However, Kross was completely undeterred. He said, "I have already reported this matter to the school board. Director Manerbo has already agreed to the investigation. Director Manerbo's opinion is the opinion of the academy and the royal family. Do you understand, Assistant Kaiya?"
"You... you!" Kaiya's face was extremely unsightly.
He never expected the other party to go to that old fossil Manerbo first.
The old man already had a major grievance with him because of his performance at Hero Square.
Now that his weakness had been seized, that old man definitely wouldn't let him go easily.
However, he couldn't understand.
"How are you so certain I am a cultist?" he asked in confusion.
Kross made a gesture.
Under his command, the four two-star hunters immediately set to work, beginning a comprehensive search of the office.
Kaiya didn't stop them; he only offered a reminder, "You'd better be careful. This is the Principal's Office. Some things here are classified."
Kross did not participate in the search; he simply stared at Kaiya, preventing him from taking any sudden, unexpected action.
In response to Kaiya's question, a cunning smile appeared on Kross's serious face.
"Assistant Kaiya, it would be best if you confessed here ahead of time."
"Your companion who was hiding in the academy has already been captured by our Sin Hunting Bureau. We have both the witness and the evidence."
Watching the expression on Kaiya's face twist into near-distortion, Kross couldn't help but smile triumphantly.
He continued in a low voice, "That companion of yours... she confessed everything, including your identity!"
Rate on N.U.
