Ignatius had completely passed out, his withered body curled among the rubble. His breathing had become extremely shallow, threatening to cut off at any moment.
Li Yuan withdrew his gaze, his brow slightly furrowed. Although the incarnation had been purified, the influence of the violent demonic qi remaining in the air had not fully dissipated. For ordinary people, even this residue was enough to affect their minds.
He looked up, scanning the wreckage of the academy, and then quickly swept his Divine Sense across the Outer and Inner Cities. Everywhere, people affected by the violent aura were tearing at each other. The City Guard's formations had completely disintegrated, and civilians were scuffling with bloodshot eyes, their various curses blending into a cacophony of noise.
After a silent sigh, Li Yuan raised his right hand with his fingers slightly spread, and a stream of spiritual spring water, so clear it was almost transparent, overflowed from his palm. Under his guidance, the spiritual spring water from the vast ocean within his small world rose into the air, transforming into a layer of mist so thin it was nearly invisible, spreading out in all directions.
A few breaths later, a light rain fell silently.
The rain wasn't heavy, just enough to cover the entire capital, cloaking it in a faint, ethereal shimmer. The moment the spiritual spring water merged with the ground, the residual violent aura in the air quickly faded and vanished, like ink being washed away by water.
In the Outer City, the civilians who had been tearing at each other suddenly stopped. They looked blankly at the scratches on each other's faces, then down at their own clenched fists, as if they had just woken up from a nightmare.
On the streets of the Inner City, the City Guards let go of each other's collars, gasping for air as they looked around. The frenzy on their faces rapidly receded, replaced by the bewilderment and relief of having survived a disaster.
Back at the academy, the students and teachers slumped around the display hall were the first to feel the change. The mana within them was no longer a hollow sense of depletion; instead, it felt as if a dried-up riverbed was being moistened by a trickle of water once more. Their mana began to recover slowly but steadily, and their wounds stopped bleeding.
Tyris pushed himself up from the ground, his expression as he faced Marcus a mix of shame and gratitude.
Marcus leaned against a broken pillar, using his one functional hand to touch his throat. He forced a smile toward Tyris that looked more like he was about to cry.
Others also regained their senses one by one, looking at everything in a daze.
Setis was the first to react. She felt the mana in her body being replenished by a continuous stream of warmth, as if she were connected to a hot spring, soaking into her parched frame. She soon recovered enough to barely walk.
She used her staff to help herself up. Her golden ponytail swayed gently in the rain, and though a few stray strands of hair clung to her cheeks, she didn't bother to brush them away. With legs that were still a bit weak, she rushed over to Li Yuan in a few quick steps and looked up at him, her eyes swirling with a cocktail of emotions—
The relief of surviving, gratitude for the life-saving peace talismans, immense confusion over the tea shop owner’s true identity, and a subtle sense of annoyance she couldn't quite explain that felt like, “So he’s actually this powerful.” So many emotions were jammed in her throat that her mouth opened several times, but after all those unspoken words, only one sentence managed to squeeze out.
“Who on earth are you?”
Li Yuan looked down at her, his face still wearing that same practiced, customer-service smile.
“A tea shop owner.”
“What tea shop owner can block the full strike of a Rank 7 spell with a fifty-gold-coin amulet?” Setis’s tone became sharp as she regained her usual competitive spirit. “And then slap a god into—”
“That was a fake,” Li Yuan corrected her unhurriedly. “It wasn't a god; it was just a stitched-together monster. Its strength wasn't much to speak of—hardly worth mentioning.”
Setis’s mouth opened and closed, her mind buzzing. She glanced back at Hogg, who was supporting himself with his staff. His face, young yet weary, was a complex mask that clearly said, “I don’t know either, but I know that incarnation was definitely stronger than me.”
She turned back and took a deep breath, seemingly ready to continue her interrogation, but Li Yuan raised a hand to cut her off before she could speak.
“Miss Setis, how is your body feeling? Has your strength returned?”
“It has—no, don't change the subject—”
“That’s good,” Li Yuan nodded, his tone remaining gentle. “You need plenty of rest now.”
Setis was so frustrated her ponytail practically stood on end.
Fortunately, Hogg walked over at the right moment. His wounds had begun to heal after being washed by the spiritual spring rain, and it wouldn't be long before he fully recovered. Though he still looked disheveled, he could at least move normally. He stood before Li Yuan and, instead of firing off questions like Setis, he simply lowered his head slightly.
“Sir...”
“Just in time, I was hoping to discuss this with you.” Li Yuan turned to Hogg, his tone returning to its usual composure. “Royal Preceptor, I hope that what happened today can be handled as discreetly as possible.”
Hogg was slightly stunned.
“I don't particularly like being disturbed,” Li Yuan continued. “If it’s convenient for you, I would like the credit for this incident—including the defeat of that fraud—to be attributed to you. After all, you are the Royal Preceptor; this credit is rightfully yours to claim, and it’s most appropriate for you to represent the event.”
Hogg remained silent for a moment. It wasn't that he hadn't expected Li Yuan to make such a request—after all, experts of his caliber usually had some strange eccentricities. For instance, he himself... liked to study new magic in his spare time.
But what truly made him hesitate was that the person before him had single-handedly resolved a crisis capable of destroying the entire capital, yet asked for nothing in return. It was difficult for anyone in Hogg's position to accept such a thing with a clear conscience.
“Sir, the credit for this—” Hogg began.
“Just convert it directly into gold coins,” Li Yuan interrupted with a smile. “But let’s not talk about that today. My original intention in coming here was to get him to compensate for my shop; stepping in was just a side matter.”
As he spoke, he glanced at the unconscious Ignatius on the ground.
Hogg’s lips twitched, but he eventually nodded. He knew that further refusal would only seem pretentious. Since the other party insisted, the best way he could repay him was to keep this secret buried deep within his heart.
Li Yuan turned back to Setis. The young girl was still glaring at him, but it was less out of anger and more to hide her embarrassment at not being able to process everything yet.
He lightly flicked his finger, and the two unused peace talismans in Hogg's hand floated up, spinning in the air before flying back to Setis and landing steadily in her palm.
“It’s better if you keep these,” Li Yuan said gently. “Carry them with you just in case.”
Setis looked down at the two slips of paper in her palm, feeling inexplicably moved and a bit joyful. She looked up to speak, but Li Yuan had already given her a slight nod of farewell. He then nodded to Hogg and finally offered a refined, polite smile to everyone else who was still standing there in a daze.
“Well then, I shall take my leave.”
As his voice fell, his figure vanished from the spot, silent and weightless like dust scattered by the wind.
Setis stared at the spot where he had disappeared, clutching the two peace talismans. After a long while, she squeezed out a somewhat aggrieved sentence under her breath: “...He didn't even say goodbye properly before leaving.”
Her tone sounded like a complaint, but her eyes uncontrollably began to redden. She rubbed them hard and carefully tucked the peace talismans into the inner pocket of her tunic.
Hogg turned around and surveyed everyone present. At this moment, there were only those sixteen people in the open space around the display hall, and they were all out of danger for now.
Beyond them, a large number of students, teachers, and civilians were still hiding in the various teaching buildings and shelters of the academy. They had felt the recovery brought by the light rain, but they had no idea what had actually transpired within it.
“Everyone.” Hogg's voice wasn't loud, but every word reached the ears of everyone present clearly. “I will provide a detailed report of today's events to His Majesty later. But before that, I need your cooperation—regarding that gentleman just now, I hope you will not reveal anything to the outside world... to anyone.”
Tyris and Marcus looked at each other and nodded almost simultaneously. The female ice-element teacher clutched the broken half of her staff and said in a low voice, “Don't worry, Royal Preceptor. We know what to do.”
Several lower-year students also hurriedly promised, and Adrian nodded silently—he knew better than anyone that the best way for him to handle this was to remain silent.
“Very well.” Hogg withdrew his gaze and held his staff high.
Wind mana erupted beneath his feet, and he soared into the air, hovering above the academy. Taking a deep breath, he infused his voice with mana, letting it spread in all directions.
“I am Hogg. I am here to inform you all that the crisis has been averted. All members of the Blood Moon Cult have been purged. Please cooperate with the subsequent aftermath efforts.”
His voice swept over the academy like rolling thunder, spreading through the Outer and Inner Cities and into every window of the palace. People on the streets stopped and looked up at the sky. The sounds of crying gradually subsided, replaced by wave after wave of cheering rising from every corner.
“The Royal Preceptor!”
“Lord Hogg! It’s Lord Hogg!”
The first to rush into the academy were Napa and Angela, who had been held up in the Outer City, followed by a squad of battered but excited City Guards.
They had been battling the Blood Moon Cultists in the Outer City for over an hour. Just when everyone was about to reach their limit, that violent aura suddenly vanished, followed by a light rain that healed everyone's injuries and restored their stamina at a visible rate. Without a second thought, Napa led his people straight to the academy, finding the path completely clear—the cultists who had been harassing the intersections had all exploded for some reason, leaving only empty red robes scattered on the ground.
Following closely behind were the Imperial Guards from the palace, led by Marz. His guards had originally been stationed around the palace, but after the barrier dissipated, they received the King's order and immediately rushed to the academy. The two groups arrived at the academy gates almost simultaneously and were stunned into silence by the sight before them.
The entire academy looked as if it had been torn apart from the inside by a giant hand. The ornamental trees on both sides of the main road were almost all snapped, their trunks lying crisscross over the pavement.
Several pieces had been blown off the memorial in Main Gate Square, and dozens of bodies were scattered around it. In the distance, several teaching buildings had large holes blasted into their exterior walls, and people were currently climbing out of the windows.
The ground was covered in ruins, but the survivors were beginning to regain their spirits. The wounded were being helped out of the wreckage, and teachers were starting to organize headcounts.
Napa immediately spotted Hogg walking from the direction of the main road. His state didn't look ideal, but he only appeared a bit disheveled; after the barrier was lifted and his Heroic Spirit rank power returned, his recovery rate far exceeded that of ordinary people.
“Teacher!” Napa hurried to meet him, his eyes scanning the startling wounds on Hogg’s body, his brow furrowed tightly. “Your injuries—”
“It’s fine, it’s all over.” Hogg waved his hand, signaling him not to rush with the bandages. “What’s the situation in the Outer City?”
“It basically stabilized after that aura dissipated,” Napa reported quickly. “The number of wounded is large, but the death toll is lower than expected—that rain was your magic, right? Many people who were about to give up managed to pull through. Angela is leading her team in the final sweep.”
“What was the situation with the people in the teaching buildings when you arrived?” Setis interjected, her tone urgent. “The Second Teaching Building—my brother and the others—”
“The teaching buildings are mostly fine,” Angela said, peeking out from behind Napa. Her black stealth suit was so covered in dust that its original color was unrecognizable. “Most of the teaching buildings have protective barriers. Although a few were breached, the people inside retreated to the inner buildings beforehand. But according to those inside, the cultists suddenly all exploded—there are many injuries, but no immediate danger to life.”
Setis breathed a sigh of relief, her grip on her staff finally loosening.
“You two arrived just in time,” Hogg said to Napa and Angela. “You are in full charge of the aftermath—no need to consult me for every detail; use your own judgment.”
Napa nodded. Having followed Hogg for so many years, he knew very well that when his teacher used this business-like tone, it meant the situation had completely settled.
Angela wanted to ask something, but Napa gave her a light pat on the shoulder, pushing the words back down her throat.
“This way.” Napa pulled Angela away to organize the personnel.
Hogg withdrew his gaze and looked at Setis and Adrian.
“You two, come with me to the palace.”
Setis blinked, her face showing concern. “Lord Royal Preceptor... I, can I go back to check on my mother and the others first?”
Reminded by her words, Hogg realized he was dealing with a girl of sixteen or seventeen. He smiled and waved her off.
“My apologies, that was an oversight on my part. Go and reunite with your family first. When you have time, just come find me at the Magic Tower in the palace.”
“Okay! Thank you, Lord Royal Preceptor!”
Setis bid everyone farewell and hurried toward the teaching buildings.
Adrian said nothing, silently following behind Hogg. Hogg used his staff to support himself as he walked, with the unconscious Ignatius being carried behind him by wind magic. The three of them walked through the increasingly lively main road toward the academy gates.
Along the way, people constantly emerged from various places. When they saw Hogg, they were first stunned, and then they erupted into deafening cheers. They shouted the Royal Preceptor’s name, and some even yelled the Second Prince’s name—those whom Adrian had saved from the cultists were excitedly telling everyone around them about the Second Prince’s heroic charge.
The students, teachers, and tourists who had been rescued or pulled from collapsed buildings were all shouting his name with all their might.
Adrian walked at Hogg’s side, merely nodding slightly at the cheers. His expression was calm, even colder than usual, but at this moment, the gratitude and reverence surging toward him felt like a different kind of mockery.
Hogg glanced at him but remained silent.
As they walked out of the academy gates, they were met by the hurried arrival of the City Guard officers. Upon seeing Hogg, they immediately saluted, their voices trembling with excitement: “Lord Royal Preceptor—”
“Clear the academy’s main gate; there are too many wounded for the carriages to get in,” Hogg ordered casually without stopping. “Also, send word to the palace immediately to notify all ministers to gather for a council.”
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