Chapter 157: Brandon's Secret

Inside a relatively large room with golden details on the walls and white pristine marble floors, a young man stood before a beautiful purple-haired woman with eyes of the same color. She was wearing a black gown with golden accents.

The beautiful woman sat behind a desk, her elbows placed on the ebony desk, those purple eyes—belonging to someone who seemed like an experienced killer—staring directly at the green-haired youth.

Naturally, this youth was Brandon. After the ordeal in the Kingdom of Snowhelm, he had returned as fast as he could since he had nothing else to do in Snowhelm, and staying longer could expose his true identity as a citizen of the Vermilion Kingdom.

The person in front of him was none other than Bridget Lockheart.

She was the current vice principal of the Vermilion Royal Academy and was also a high-level Awakened. She was one of the few people you didn't want to provoke in the capital city of the Vermilion Kingdom.

Being in her presence alone was overbearing.

"You sought an audience with me?" Bridget spoke in a soft voice. Though low, it was domineering and assertive, leaving no room for delay.

Brandon nodded and started, "Y-yes, Vice Principal." His calm composure broke slightly.

Clearing his throat, he began.

"Just as instructed, I went to Snowhelm to assist Ren Silver..." Brandon went on to explain the mysterious letter Ren had received and what happened in the cave.

"After stumbling upon the two elemental crystals, I warned Ren about the dangers associated with caves such as this, but because of his stubbornness, he got us trapped in a frozen prison."

"That's something that arrogant noble would do," Bridget commented in a quiet voice that didn't interrupt Brandon's explanation.

Brandon continued explaining about the other factions outside the cave.

He hesitated for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "After returning from Snowhelm, I did some digging. It turns out that the person who initiated the attack that led to Ren's death was none other than Nox Aegis Cromwell, the grandson of the mad dog in the west."

Bridget's hand, which had been tapping lightly on the desk, ceased. Her sharp purple eyes locked onto Brandon; the weight of her attention made Brandon swallow nervously.

"Is that so?" she murmured, as a dangerous glint sparked in her gaze.

"The one who has been making waves in recent years?" Bridget furrowed her brows. The capital had been buzzing with rumors of the upcoming tournament, and Nox's name was on everyone's lips. The vice principal leaned back slightly in her chair, her fingers steepling as her mind began to turn.

Hendrix Armstrong,

Dean Armstrong,

Maria Armstrong,

Silas Armstrong,

Nox Aegis Cromwell,

and Jared Landon.

These people were the main dark horses of the tournament. Three of them were already enrolled in the Vermilion Royal Academy, while the others had yet to be admitted into any school.

The vice principal had already made plans to attend this tournament and personally hand over invitations to the most promising talents to bring to her academy before the other schools snatched them up. Therefore, she was very familiar with Nox.

Bridget narrowed her eyes, her purple irises flashing. She also knew about his unique class, which was one of the reasons why she had paid the most attention to him compared to the other participants.

As she thought, Bridget was oblivious to Brandon's twitching fingers and the nervous beating of his heart. Brandon noticed the slight change in the vice principal's expression—her calculating look. He clenched his fist to chase the nervousness away. He couldn't afford to mess up here and arouse suspicions. Sёarᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

After a while, Bridget finally broke the silence, gazing straight at Brandon as she said, "The elemental crystals... what of them?" check out m-v-l-e-m-p-y-r

This was very important information. For some reason, Brandon hadn't included it in his explanation.

Brandon straightened his back and quickly responded in a rushed voice, "He took all three. Right under everyone's noses."

"T-this..." Bridget's eyes sparkled with interest as she heard this. If the other noble households learned about this, they would probably bully the Cromwells into giving up the crystals. However, Bridget was only filled with growing interest and curiosity.

"I see." Bridget leaned back and a flicker of interest crossed her features. She wanted to know how the kid had done it. How was he able to snatch not one but three elemental crystals from several powerful Awakened?

Coming out of her thoughts, she asked, "You said Wendy Chai is with him, right?"

"Yes, Vice Principal." Brandon nodded respectfully.

"Hmm, good. We need to find a way to contact her." She nodded with a thoughtful expression. "We need to find out everything about that kid. You're dismissed."

"If that's all, I'll leave, ma'am," Brandon spoke as he saw the contemplative look on the principal's face. Bridget nodded without even looking at the green-haired boy, her head full of thoughts.

She was pondering a way to appease the Silver noble household. It was rare for students to lose their lives during missions, but there was always a possibility, and every parent was well aware of this before sending their children to the academy.

However...

'The nobles will always make a ruckus,' Bridget thought. 'I wonder how the Silver household will react to this.'

Bridget wasn't frightened by them... in fact, there were only a handful of people in the capital who could beat her. The Silver noble household, though noble, was not among these people. She was mostly worried that the Silver family would try to demand compensation, just like other nobles.

'And if we don't concede, they'll try to slander the academy's name.'

"Old man Nathan, you must be cursed," Bridget muttered to herself, a bitter smile curling up on her lips as she recalled the past. Then she added with a soft, pleasant chuckle, "It seems even your grandson inherited your temper."

Outside, Brandon walked along the long hallway, his boots clicking softly on the red luxurious rug that had cost thousands of gold coins. The walls of the hallway were adorned with intricate golden details, and a series of chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, giving the space a vibe of royalty.

From the windows on the walls, Brandon spotted several castle-like European buildings of all shapes... some with towering spires, others with grand domes. The structures were scattered across the landscape. Even the grounds were cobblestone, and students wearing the Vermilion uniform—crimson blazers with gold trim—walked and gossiped amongst themselves.

Vermilion Royal Academy, just like the name suggested, was breathtaking... it was an academy that was supposed to be meant only for noble children; hence, millions of gold coins had been expended to bring this beautiful school to life.

However, as of this moment, Ren wasn't taking in this beautiful scene... though he was looking outside, his gaze was vacant.

Brandon's mind flashed back to the events that occurred in the frozen cavern. The images were vivid, as if they had only happened seconds ago, and he clenched his fist, his eyes burning with determination.

'What happened inside that cave will forever be a secret... it's just so unfortunate that the blame will fall on the Cromwells.'