Chapter 221 - The Verdict

Hearing everything that his friends had told him about the state of the city, country and how they were able to leave the academy, he couldn't help but feel guilty.

What he gained over the past two weeks was definitely worth the risks he took, even after losing all the beast cores he acquired to the mercenary, but he had caused so much trouble for so many others.

Akegria Academy was afraid of retaliation, so for the time being, until everything smoothed over, they weren't planning on making any large movements.

"We truly were lucky for how everything turned out, but there is still more trouble to come. We should be fine, but your fight with the royal academy students has caused the friction between the two academies to reach an all-time high. This battle will only make things worse," stated Julia in a pessimistic manner.

"You are the likely scapegoat for everything and already don't have a favourable image within the academy, so it truly isn't looking good for you," added Cole.

"Damn it, he was merely defending himself. The Royal Academy is merely looking for an excuse to start a war with us and if it is conflict they are looking for, let's give it to them," exclaimed Milo, who was becoming infuriated by everything that had occurred and was occurring.

"Calm down, we need to think logically now. If I return to the academy, I should be fine and the rumour described an individual with white hair and yellow eyes. People that fit that description are rare, but I am sure there are at least a few dozen people in Akegria Academy that it could appear to be. Along with that, the great elder and most the other elders should be on my side," stated Damian.

"I also have nothing to fear and if I am asked, I will say I was merely defending myself. If I get punished for that, then I will have no choice but to turn my back on Akegria Academy," he added.

"Then we will stand with you and will face any obstacle together with you," they all reassured him in unison.

Damian smiled and appreciated that, but he didn't want to drag them down or bring them into his problems any further, and was also pretty confident that the academy would shelter him.

"Let us recover for a short while, then we will return and I will face all my problems head-on. " 

With that, Damian and his friends had managed to survive a tough encounter, but they couldn't claim to have been able to do so using their own power.

They all felt vulnerable and weak and knew that they were young and still had dozens of years ahead of them to get stronger, they were still disappointed in themselves.

Each and every time they were unable to overcome an obstacle on the path of their pursuit of power, they wouldn't give up.

They would work harder and, through any means they had at their disposal, would make sure that the next time they faced such an obstacle, they would be able to overcome it.

It was that disappointment in themselves, drive and ambition that allowed them to progress at rapid speeds and not only be greatly ahead of their peers, but also surpassing even adults from the previous generation.

Most others felt shackled and chained by the small country they were in that didn't seem to have the knowledge or resources necessary to surpass the Mortal Cultivation Level, but Damian and the other young prodigies didn't feel that way in the slightest.

Returning to the academy, Damian was instantly called over to the great elder and the other elders in the Aria Branch of Akegria Academy.

It was evident to most of them that Damian was the one that was involved in the conflict with the Royal Academy, but since he was the great elder's direct disciple, they couldn't take action against him without an official judgement.

"Do you admit your crimes of killing and severely injuring two royal academy students and are you ready to accept the punishment?" asked Elder Ray.

His hatred for Damian due to his previous disrespect and due to him previously having conflict with his son, Trevor, made it so that he was eager to use the opportunity to get rid of him.

"Your actions not only tainted our reputation and ruined the peace, but also put the entire academy and all of those within it, in danger. " 

"I was attacked and defended myself. I was already heavily injured at the time and barely survived. If you were attacked and fought back, would you have committed a crime?"

Damian's response was concise, confident, and directly aimed at Elder Ray, who was clearly trying to get him punished.

The elders and the great elder all spoke between themselves and there were a few that were openly against Damian, but most could see his potential and that he benefited the academy.

Such a young talent should be protected and nurtured, and since the great elder was obviously going to side with Damian, there wasn't much point going against him.

After a short while, the great elder announced the verdict.

"For now, you can return to your residence and you will not be allowed to leave the academy until everything has been cleared. Along with that, you are not allowed to get into any official battles until the Inner Academy Examination, which I am sure you are going to be a part of"

The great elder made it sound as though it was a punishment, but it was clear that it was merely a slap on the wrist that would give Damian time to train and prepare for the Inner Academy Examination.

Damian was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to see his mother until after he became an Inner Academy Student, but needed time to train and consolidate all the things he had learnt in his experiences over the past two weeks.

Kong stayed by Damian's side the entire time and shrunk to an even smaller size that made it seem as though he wasn't a threat at all and was merely a tiny, cute monkey.