Chapter 13

In the spring of the Red Clay Year, in the office of the principal of Pablo Dinah Academy in Shaburo Province.

The room was not large, but it was clean and tidy. This was a tradition of Pablo Dinah Academy, starting from the first principal, who advocated frugality and opposed luxury.

They were educators, not merchants or nobles. Their duty was to impart knowledge and experience to their students. Being extravagant to themselves but frugal to their students was what made a qualified educator.

At least, that's what Moren believed.

He had been the principal of Pablo Dinah Academy for over thirty years. He was very old, but he thought he could serve for another ten years because he loved it here.

But not everyone was willing to waste their lives here. They had their own pursuits and future aspirations. They stayed for their own reasons, and they left for their own reasons.

In recent years, three teachers had left. With the departure of the old, new ones came. Over the years, he had become accustomed to partings and reunions.

Now, someone was about to leave. He stood before Moren, very quiet, waiting for a response.

This person was both familiar and unfamiliar to Moren. This was not contradictory; people's perceptions change based on their judgments. He was like this, and he was like that, and in the end, there seemed to be no truth.

He was very young. When Moren first met him, his reaction was to frown, because of the aura he exuded, an aura that did not belong to his age.

It was a dangerous aura.

He had a request, and Moren did not refuse, for he had no reason to refuse.

"High Swordsman?" Moren raised his eyebrows slightly, seemingly surprised.

"Yes."

"When?"

"A few days ago."

"Preparing to leave?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I want to leave."

"Where are you going?"

"The capital."

"What for?"

"..."

The man did not answer, for it was his privacy.

"Young people always have their own pursuits. Leaving is normal. With your strength, as long as you don't provoke any big figures, you should be safe," Moren said to himself.

Xialan sat quietly in the chair where Moren received guests, his face expressionless as he listened.

Xialan had always been wary of this person. From the first time he met him, his reaction was wariness, because he was very strong. This was a swordsman's intuition. Even after becoming a High Swordsman, he was still wary, because the other person was still stronger than him.

He was always wary of those stronger than him. He was used to making others feel at ease, like a sword always ready to be drawn. To kill someone stronger, he had to wait for the moment they relaxed, and then strike with a fatal blow.

He was not an enemy, but he was still ready to draw his sword.

The old man was talking, and he was listening. When the old man spoke to himself, he didn't need to respond. When it involved himself, he would answer briefly.

"Do you remember my granddaughter?" Moren suddenly changed the subject.

His face became kind, and only when he mentioned his granddaughter did he seem like an old man.

"I remember," Xialan replied.

"If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have met."

"Yes."

"Do you know why I'm mentioning her?"

"No."

"She's in the capital. She entered the Royal Central Academy last year."

"Then?"

"Take care of her when you go to the capital."

Xialan nodded.

Maggie, Moren's granddaughter, he had saved her life three years ago, and he had a reason for saving her.

"I like that child, but I've dedicated my life to Pablo Dinah Academy. I can only see her once a year. I know she resents me, but she is still my favorite granddaughter," Moren said.

Xialan knew this, and he had known it for three years. When it came to other people's family issues, he would not speak, only listen.

"Before you leave, can you answer one question?" Moren asked. "When you saved Maggie, it was quite coincidental. Why was it so coincidental?"

Xialan understood his meaning. He had saved her the day before Moren returned from visiting his family, and Moren was suspicious because there were no such coincidences.

Indeed, there were no such coincidences, because he had inquired about the times Moren usually returned from visiting his family. He had a mission, and its completion was related to Moren.

"Passed by, helped out," Xialan insisted, not revealing the truth.

Moren's eyes stared directly at Xialan, his gaze sharp, as if trying to peel away a person. He was disappointed because Xialan's face remained cold, and his eyes showed no emotion.

"I think you have a reason for coming here, and I don't know what it is, but it's definitely not something as trivial as killing the young Duke Male."

Moren's words were abrupt, without any warning.

Xialan remained calm, his face and eyes unmoving. He could not move, or he would betray himself.

He was shocked inside. He thought he had been very secretive, but he had not escaped this man's observation. If the female student was an accident, then he was not, because he was strong.

"But I still thank you for saving my granddaughter," Moren said, no longer pressing the issue. He took something from a cabinet and threw it to Xialan. "This is for you. I think you will find it useful."

Xialan reached out to catch it, opened his palm, and saw a void ring.

The engraving on the void ring was elegant and intricate, clearly the work of a titled alchemist. He needed it for his journey because it could hold many things.

This gift was quite valuable, and he knew why Moren was giving it to him.

When he left the capital, they would have no further connection.

"Looks like you're satisfied?" Moren smiled.

"Yes."

"Do you need anything else?"

"A horse, a good one."

Xialan had once had a horse, but it died a few years ago.

"I think you already know where to find a good horse," Moren smiled and winked. "Do you need to say goodbye when you leave?"

"No," Xialan said.

"But I know some students will be reluctant to see you go."

"No."

"You're really cold-hearted," Moren shook his head. "But your teaching is excellent. Perhaps the students will resent you, but they will thank you in the future. It's hard to find a sword instructor as excellent as you. What a pity."

Xialan remained silent.

"Go on, this might be the last time we meet," Moren waved his hand. "I have a feeling."

"Thank you."

Xialan stood up, nodded in gratitude, and left.

Closing the principal's door, Xialan felt a bit relieved. He had been nervous in front of the old man because of his strength, but the old man had not shown any malice.

On his way back to his room, he saw a female student. She was holding a thick book in her arms, her head down, and her steps hurried. He recognized her; her name seemed to be Eliru, because he rarely saw her, perhaps she was deliberately avoiding him.

He thought she would drop out because of his threat that day, but she did not. She had only dropped out of the swordsmanship course. Since then, they had no further interaction.

"Sorry."

She seemed not to notice him, and as they passed each other, he whispered an apology.

The thick book in Eliru's hands fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. She felt like crying.

She had seen him from a distance, her former sword instructor, a nightmare in her heart. She had thought about running away, so she dropped out of the swordsmanship course. But she did not drop out of school; she had mustered the courage to face him.

But she was still timid, always avoiding him. Today, she had decided to face him, so she kept her head down, pretending to be in a hurry.

As they passed each other, her heart was pounding.

She heard his whispered words and knew she was free.

She turned around, but she did not see the sword instructor. She thought about rejoining the swordsmanship course, but she did not know that they would never meet again.

He had lived in this room for three years. It was simple, clean, like Moren's office.

Sitting in the familiar chair, eyes closed, he realized that in these three years, he had never truly felt at home here, or perhaps he had never felt a sense of belonging.

He had stayed here for three years because of a mission, a mandatory mission from the system. If he did not complete it, he would not be able to advance to High Swordsman.

Over the years, he had become accustomed to the system's presence. It provided him with power, determined his strength, and even decided his path.

He was like a puppet, but he had chosen to be this puppet.

Without it, he would not have his current strength. All he needed to do was continuously complete the system's tasks, both mandatory and optional.

When he advanced to High Swordsman, his level reached 30, and the system gave him a new mandatory task. If he did not complete it, he would remain at his current level forever.

He had to complete it because of the vow he made in the Fog Flower Year.

The new mission was in the capital, and he had to do something extremely dangerous, something that would have a significant impact on the nation.

He was used to danger and did not care about the consequences. What he needed was the reward from the mission.

Mandatory mission reward: Level cap increased to 35, new ability unlocked.

The system was cruel. It would not kill you for failing a mission, but it would make you despair by cutting off your future, your aspirations, and your beliefs. Therefore, he had to complete it.

Optional missions could help him level up, but once he reached level 34, no matter how many optional missions he completed, he could not reach level 35. It was a bottleneck, and only by completing the system's mandatory missions could he break through.

He had no choice.

The three years at Pablo Dinah Academy were the most leisurely and the most wasted of his life, but he had to stay because it was a mandatory mission from the system.

Long-term comfort could erode a person's spirit. He was used to dancing on the edge of death and despised comfort. He feared that he would unconsciously fall into comfort and lose his resolve.

He killed the young Duke Male, creating danger for himself, to keep himself alert.

Xialan began to pack his things. He had very few possessions.

A sword, a bag of gold, a few clothes and shoes. Except for the sword, everything else was stored in the void ring. A qualified swordsman never let his sword leave his side.

He was used to simplicity. He would buy what he needed with money, and he had money because he was strong.

The next day, the people in the academy realized that the young sword instructor had resigned and left. No one saw him leave, but someone knew.

At the window of the principal's office, Moren squinted his eyes, seemingly thinking of something and suddenly smiled.

On that day, a good horse went missing from the stables of the young Duke Male.