The Griffin Knights didn't appear—instead, a vice dean arrived. Leon was a bit surprised, because during his pursuit, he had sensed at least three powerful figures capable of killing him heading toward his alchemy laboratory...
With a vice dean present, it was clear Lafayette couldn't be killed now.
The vice dean landed, and the crimson disc beneath his feet dissolved into flames and vanished. In the distance, Lafayette, pale and shaken, looked as if he'd seen his savior—his eyes glimmered with tears...
"Lord Graham, it's so good to see you alive—I thought I'd never see you again..."
Lafayette's voice was choked with emotion—he'd truly been terrified just now. Leon had unleashed the aura of a Sky Rank powerhouse, yet Lafayette hadn't been especially afraid of him. But then, that bizarre ghostly wolf had caught him off guard, interrupting his curse casting. Worse, the strange power had turned the curse against him, leaving him helpless as Leon charged forward.
Especially the terrifying soul-rending power in Lord Shaun's claws—it had truly frightened Lafayette...
He'd thought he was doomed, but at the critical moment, Graham arrived...
"Lord Lafayette, what happened to you?"
Graham's face wore an exaggerated look of surprise, and his words carried a hint of the chant-like cadence used for incantations.
In an instant, Lafayette regained his composure, then shot Leon a resentful glare.
Damn that Archmage Leon Merlin! I never expected Lord Graham to show up—he's our Jackson Family's best friend, and my personal friend too. I even taught him a few Devil's Whisper curses...
Now that Lord Graham is here, it confirms that Archmage Leon Merlin came to steal my transcription results. Soon, he'll be forced to hand over everything he's copied—and cough up all the wealth he's swallowed, yes, the riches from the Blazeforge Realm...
With that thought, Lafayette's confidence surged. His tone grew indignant as he pointed at Leon.
"Lord Graham, thank goodness you're here! This Archmage Leon Merlin is despicable—he attacked my alchemy lab and tried to steal my transcription results. Our family's warriors died right in front of me, all at his hands..."
As he spoke, Lafayette pretended to be so grief-stricken he could barely get the words out...
Leon was speechless. This guy was the very definition of a thief crying 'Stop, thief!'—shameless beyond belief...
"Lord Graham, if you want, just cast a Time Reversal and you'll see everything. My alchemy lab has already been destroyed, someone tried to steal my transcription results, and I only chased that wretch here because of it..."
Before Leon could finish, Graham interrupted him with a stern expression.
"Archmage Leon Merlin, I'll get to the bottom of this myself. I don't need your instructions!"
That one sentence left Leon speechless. Glancing at Lafayette standing beside Graham, he began to understand—and promptly held his tongue...
Graham's tone remained stern; he ignored Leon and instead questioned Lafayette.
"Lord Lafayette, you say he came to steal your transcription results—be careful with your words. What evidence do you have?"
Lafayette gritted his teeth, acting every bit the wronged victim, and pointed at Leon.
"He didn't just try to steal—he used despicable means to snatch my transcription results before I even realized it. My closest friends and brothers died by his hand, right at my doorstep. His aura still lingers here.
It's all in his hands—one thousand five hundred, no, one thousand six hundred Runes of Truth, all transcribed and stored by him. Just make him hand over his Spatial Ring, you'll find everything!"
Graham's expression darkened. Sensing the area carefully, he detected that a Sky Rank powerhouse had fallen here—the aura hadn't yet dissipated. He stopped questioning and turned to Leon, face grave.
"Archmage Leon Merlin, what do you have to say for yourself now? A Sky Rank powerhouse has fallen here, and Lord Lafayette's alchemy lab was destroyed by flames. There's no one else around but you.
Hand over your Spatial Ring. If I find nothing of Lord Lafayette's inside, you'll get justice. But if I do—prepare to face Astral Academy's punishment!"
Hearing this, Leon laughed. If he still couldn't see that the vice dean and Lafayette were in cahoots, he'd have to question his own intelligence...
One thousand six hundred transcribed Runes of Truth—does anyone really believe Lafayette could pull that off?
Give him a thousand years to study the Whisper Crystal, and he'd never unravel that many secrets of the Runes of Truth.
Even researching the Runes of Truth directly on the Whisper Crystal, judging by the progress of everyone else this time, not a single person at Astral Academy has managed to decipher more than fifteen hundred!
That's because of the Whisper Crystal's inherent limitations—out of the 108,000 Runes of Truth, that cursed crystal only lets someone uncover a bit over a thousand at best.
Astral Academy's collection of Runes of Truth isn't about understanding the runes themselves, but about grasping the alchemical secrets within them—and those secrets aren't the same as the runes...
Everyone knows Lafayette's real level—even if it's not exact, it's obvious enough. If he claims to have deciphered sixteen hundred runes, anyone with a brain wouldn't buy it. Yet Vice Dean Graham believed him without hesitation, and wouldn't even let me speak. What's the point in arguing further?
This incident has blown up so much—the explosion of light just now must've been felt by everyone still alive at Astral Academy. Even those dozens of miles away could see it with the naked eye. Is this guy an idiot?
This chapter isn't over yet~.~ Click next page to continue reading the exciting story!
"That idiot, able to comprehend sixteen hundred Runes of Truth? What a joke! Shaun, look—there are countless Bull Beast hides flying through the sky. Oh no, I can't see anymore. Did the hides block out all the light...?"
Anderson conjured three hands, covering the eyes of all three faces, and the trio howled together...