The Thunder Emperor decided to meet up with an old acquaintance. Someone who might be able to help him with his mission.

Of course, this person had a grudge against the Academy and its current Headmaster, so he knew that he would be successful in recruiting him.

“That old man isn’t that strong, but he still knows a lot about the Academy…’

The Thunder Emperor muttered as he decided to meet up with Charles Blackwood, the previous Headmaster of the Vermont Academy.

Many people may have thought that he died after fighting against the Masked Devil. But he knows he had survived through a strange Dark Arts.

He got this information by simply bribing the servants of the Coulston Family.

Soon, the Thunder Emperor left his tent and rode his horse toward an abandoned cabin in the woods. He used the lightning pulse magic of his staff to signal his arrival. He didn’t want to surprise the old man that much after all.

‘He’s indeed here…’ He silently thought after his Magic Zone felt the presence of the old man.

As he reached the cabin, he dismounted from his horse and knocked on the door.

The door opened slowly, revealing a man in his sixties with gray hair and beard. He wore a black cloak and hood, hiding most of his face and body. He held a poorly made cane in his hand, supporting his limp.

This old man looked even weaker and older than before.

‘I guess that Masked Devil had really done him good. But… What’s this smell? Is he in the middle of concocting potions?’ He commented in his mind.

Charles also looked at the Thunder Emperor with recognition and resentment.

“Why are you here, Mountain Bandit?” Charles asked coldly.

The Thunder Emperor ignored the smell as he removed his mask and showed his face. He grinned and bowed mockingly.

“Hello, Headmaster,” he said sarcastically. “It’s been a long time.”

Calling him ‘Headmaster’ when he was about to ask for a favor may be wrong, but he knew what he was doing.

As expected, Charles just grunted after hearing how the man addressed him. He didn’t shut the door and continued staring at the Mountain Bandit.

“I need your help…” Thunder Emperor said as he explained his reason for coming here. He started explaining how the three Cardinals hired him to retrieve the Divine Sword and how he got the clue that it could be in the Vermont Academy.

Charles hesitated at first since he was still relatively weak after the Masked Devil sucked his vitality and destroyed his Spell Models. He hadn’t fully recovered yet.

However, he also couldn’t think of a better time to get revenge since he was already in bad condition, and he could tell that his ailment was worsening.

In the end, Charles decided to join the Mountain Bandit in his mission as long as he could act independently. He wouldn’t take any orders from Mountain Bandit and would prioritize his own goal.

The Thunder Emperor agreed with this as he only needed information from this old man after all.

Charles then asked to wait for him for about two more hours as he was indeed making a special drug that could help him recover his strength, even for a brief moment.

***

In the meantime, at the Vermont Academy, Vale realized that several Magic Zones had started spreading out and focusing on his location.

After reaching 100 Intelligence Points, his current Phantasm State had become so sensitive that he could tell the flow of energy within this Magic Zone.

‘As expected, my Formation Circle didn’t isolate the effects.’ Vale thought, clueless about the strange phenomenon that had happened in the sky above the Academy.

He only guessed that they felt that unique pulse of energy that had happened after he connected with the sword.

‘They’re coming…’ Vale squinted his eyes as he felt the energy of three people rushing to get to his dormitory.

He looked at the Lightning Sword or the Stormbringer, according to the memories of the sword.

He looked at it for a moment and gave a command. In an instant, the sword buzzed and turned into a ray of light before entering his body.

‘Incredible… I wonder why the Church of the Three Paragons wasted its full potential… Why didn’t they try the Soul Bonding Method on this sword?’ Vale thought as he couldn’t help but feel curious about this. If this sword was actually Soul-Bound to others, there was no way it could’ve been stolen in the first place.

“They’re here…” Vale muttered as he looked toward the door.

Knock… Knock.

Vale took a deep breath before he opened the door.

Professor Lucius, Professor Stella, and Captain Nova of the Order’s Fifth Squad were outside.

Unsurprisingly, they questioned him about the strange phenomenon outside the Academy. Vale was unaware of it, so he denied any involvement. 𝒆𝓪.𝙘

The three of them didn’t immediately believe his explanation as they had suspicions about him before coming here.

“Vale… Even if you’re not involved in the lightning, do you have some clue about the person who can control such powerful lightning? We learned that Sherman, the Elite Bounty Hunter, hasn’t given up his search for the Masked Devil yet. If he learned about this strange lightning, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him lurking around the Academy in a few days or so.” Captain Nova said after some time.

“I’m not involved, Captain Nova… I’m still quite tired, so if that’s all, I like to get some rest.” Vale said as he sent the three people away.

They inspected him several times using their Spells, but aside from sensing his strong Spiritual Energy, they didn’t find anything wrong.

“You can go ahead and rest.” Professor Lucius said as he coldly looked at Vale before turning his back.

Vale heaved a sigh of relief after seeing them walking away.

However, as soon as he closed the door, he heard the Headmaster’s voice inside his head.

“I don’t know what you’re doing inside your room, but make sure not to cause trouble. Remember, you need to participate in the Twelve Academies Competition… You have to get your chance to participate with your own efforts, or I won’t be returning your shadow even if you graduate.”

Vale’s eyes glinted as he heard the Headmaster’s voice… 𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮

He didn’t even bother to reply to the Headmaster as he stared at the Pocketwatch on his bed. He took it with him and kept it in his pocket, his thoughts unknown to anyone.

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