' If the kidnapper had heard Shion Lan's threat to kill him, he would confess everything. '
Asin Night thought as he stood on a roof near to Shion.
But he simply couldn't believe that someone like Shion would actually be capable of killing a person. He turned his gaze, he found Violet Night was visibly shaken.
' Did she really believe him? '
He didn't have the right to judge on Violet as he wasn't in her feet seeing the invisible aura of death and the indifferent cold gaze.
Shion had no intention of wasting time. He grabbed the kidnapper and turned to Violet.
"Hold your uncle back for a while until I finish dealing with this idiot."
Violet sighed with relief and thought,
' Is he really intending to kill him?!! '
However, she chose to follow Shion's instructions and moved off to search for her uncle. Meanwhile, Shion dragged the kidnapper to an abandoned place. After making sure no one was nearby, he thought to himself,
' Violet won't be able to delay her uncle for long… but this is a test. If he steps in to save or eliminate the kidnapper, then he's working with the Kito family. If he lets me extract information freely… then either the information is false, or he's actually clean… '
Shion let the stellar aura get through the kidnapper then he woke up. He looked around him to unfamiliar place with familiar face, "Now what are you going to do, you little bastard?" the kidnapper said mockingly.
Shion turned toward him. The man was still bound tightly by Violet's dark whip, yet he remained confident he could endure any torture—after all, Shion had no experience in that field.
But Shion smiled innocently.
Then, suddenly, a terrifying aura surrounded him—an aura of death.
He heard Shi Yun Lan's voice guiding him,
"That pampered fool has never seen how the Shi family deals with people like him."
Shion smirked slightly.
' As expected… Shi Yun Lan knows things I don't. Either memories I haven't seen—or knowledge from his world he refuses to share. Doesn't matter right now. '
The kidnapper looked at Shion in horror. That suffocating aura carried no emotion—no anger, no hatred. It was as if it was telling him:
You are already dead. Don't bother speaking.
Instinctively, the man struggled to break free, but no matter how hard he tried, the whip held him firmly. He tried to speak—tried to negotiate—but no sound came out.
Watching this, Shion tilted his head slightly.
Shi Yun Lan sighed in frustration:
"This will only break him. Ask directly."
Shion withdrew the aura, stepped forward, placed his sword at the man's neck, and released his stellar aura. His eyes filled with starlight, faint starlight.
"Will you cooperate?"
The pressure was overwhelming. The kidnapper couldn't even lift his head.
"Will you cooperate?" Shion repeated.
The man nodded violently.
Shion paused for a moment.
' This level of loyalty… I wouldn't wish it even on my enemies. He didn't resist at all. '
Still, his expression remained cold.
"Who sent you?"
"It was Sabo Kito! An elder of the family!"
"Did he order you to kill me… or capture me?"
"He told me to bring you to him. If you resisted, I should—"
His face twisted, unable to finish the word "kill."
Shion didn't care.
"Why does he want me?"
"I… I don't know, sir!!"
The terror in his voice was genuine.
Shion thought briefly.
' Was he trying to stop me? …Looks like I'll have to meet this man soon. '
"Tell me everything you know about this case."
But unlike Mel Tri, this man barely knew anything. He was just a subordinate—completely ignorant. So he asked more about his master.
Shion exhaled.
"Go back to your master. Tell him I'll meet him at the restaurant. If he wants to see me, let him come at sunset."
He sheathed his sword and left the kidnapper in a miserable state.
' Asin Night didn't appear… and the information was shallow. Either he's involved… or he knows nothing. Either way, I won't tell him everything yet. '
As Shion returned to the main street, he suddenly felt a piercing gaze. He turned quickly—but only caught a shadow disappearing.
"Too fast… I can't catch him."
"Don't worry. That's my uncle."
He turned to see Violet approaching.
"What about the kidnapper?" she asked nervously.
"I decided his life might still be useful. So I let him go—for now."
"What happened?"
Shion explained everything.
"Are you really going to meet that man?" she asked.
"According to that idiot, Sabo Kito is only fifth level. I won't die fighting him. At worst, I'll get injured—and we'll gain evidence."
He looked at her.
"What about your uncle?"
"I don't know his intentions. But he said he was sent by the headmaster to specifically monitor you."
Shion's eyes widened.
"Are you sure the headmaster sent him? Or is he using that as cover?"
"I don't know… he's not the talkative type."
Shion rubbed his temple, deep in thought.
' If the headmaster sent him, I might ask for help. But if he's lying… then I need to be careful. '
"Go back to the others. See what they found. I'll wait until sunset."
"Will you be okay?"
Shion smiled perfectly.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
They parted ways.
' I just hope this meeting with that elder ends things… because after that, nothing will be certain. '
...
Meanwhile, Solan Neumann and Jina Joul were thoroughly investigating the palace. Solan's spirits searched suspicious areas while Jina's golden eyes verified findings by talking to people.
Soon, a spirit informed them of Violet's return.
After she entered, Violet said,
"Shion will be late. One of the family elders wants to meet him."
Solan frowned.
"How could he walk into such an obvious trap? And how could you leave him like that?!"
"He said he could escape if anything happens… maybe his master gave him something."
Still uneasy, Solan secretly sent one of her spirits to watch over Shion.
Jina spoke,
"Suspicious clues… we have plenty."
She handed Violet several documents—hidden rooms, restricted areas, strange reports.
Violet scanned them, stunned.
"This… this is a complete setup. A perfect crime."
There were documents about human trafficking—and others denying it. Strange symbols resembling ancient magic. Reports on kidnapped children, discrepancies in numbers, letters between the Kito and Night families…
Jina added seriously,
"There's something else."
She revealed a recovered message,
"Monitor the other students. Keep them away from suspicion. You'll be rewarded with a high evaluation."
Shock spread across their faces.
"There's a student cooperating with them," Jina said. "And they might interfere with us."
"Who could it be?" Violet asked.
Solan thought.
"We can't pinpoint one."
"Why?"
"Furo Lebent… Shun Ranus… even that boy from the Shine family. All of them are suspicious."
She added,
"Furo was with Shion in his investigation and didn't go to the crime scene. Shun is known for his feud with his brother so it's reasonable if he cooperated with Kito family. Shine family doesn't make any progress and they still training as if they will get the high marks."
Violet thought for a moment and said,
"Sol, I want you to spread your spirits to monitor all of them. Can you?"
Solan said,
"I've already done it. The most one suspicious in my opinion is Shun, till now."
She reported what was happening as her eyes brightened with the spirit magic,
"He spread his fellows to observe Shion and follow him."
Jina frowned and said, "That Shun Ranus is really outrageous!!"
Solan noticed the change of the spirit within Jina as if there's a manipulation happening inside herself.
"We have to report Shion later."
Violet concluded the meeting with that.
...
At sunset, Shion entered the restaurant.
It wasn't that elegant to meet one of the noble in the second rank but it's suitable for discussion about forbidden things or making a deal without any suspicion.
He noticed something weird, the restaurant was empty. Well, there would be a noble after all.
Inside sat an old man—surrounded by guards.
The guards were strange as if they didn't breath, didn't has blood, weren't alive.
Shion frowned.
' This man… seventh level. Earth element. Not Sabo Kito. '
He turned to leave—
—but suddenly, immense pressure forced him down.
"Isn't it rude to ignore an appointment?" the old man said. "I've been waiting for over half an hour."
The guards released their auras—fifth level.
Shion stood firm.
Though the pressure was crushing, he didn't kneel.
As a wielder of the Art of Annihilation and Stellar Summet Art, he would bow to no one.
"I don't think you're Sabo. So who are you?"
"I don't want to hear that heartless bastard's name," the old man said, releasing killing intent.
Shion remained unmoved.
"You still haven't answered me. Who are you?"
The old man smiled faintly.
"As rumored… the young master of the Lan family. Promising—and fearless."
Then he leaned forward.
"Tell me, boy… aren't you afraid of death?"
Shion's patience snapped.
"For a seventh-level mage… you're just an old man who can't even control his own house."
The guards erupted in fury—but the old man raised his hand to stop them.
"Sharp tongue," he said. "Now… come."
Shion approached and sat across from him.
He murmured inwardly to Shi Yun Lan,
"Be ready… this won't be easy."
The old man gestured. Food and wine were brought.
"What will you do about this case?" he asked.
Shion's silver eyes turned cold.
"I will uncover the truth hidden by the Kito family… whether you like it or not."
And he prepared himself—for what was coming next.