Chapter 225 Delaying time is disrespectful to intelligence
"It seems this magic crystal is the key." Aaron tapped the crystal ball in the center, then stroked his chin, "You didn't have this equipment last year, so it must be newly made.
Let me guess, this is Gynes's doing, isn't it?"
Modo and Dika both remained silent, but at this moment, silence was equivalent to consent.
"Hmph!" Aaron sneered, "It seems the butler has learned his lesson well, actually making a magic item specifically for me."
"It proves to be very necessary," Dika chuckled, "We're already using it."
"This time I was careless, but I won't stumble in the same place twice," Aaron said confidently, "The method to break it is simple.
One is to be powerful enough; a powerful Wizard will have corresponding sensory abilities, even able to destroy this magic item from a great distance.
Of course, that point is still quite far for me.
The other is to conceal one's own existence, which isn't difficult for me."
Aaron looked at the two silent men and suddenly had a whim, "Why don't I try its effect first."
"Absolutely not necessary," Modo said immediately, but quickly realized he was too agitated. Just as he was about to explain, he saw the playful look on Aaron's face, and his heart sank.
"This thing isn't fake, is it?"
"It's definitely real," Dika interjected, "I'll stake the happiness of my latter half of life on it."
"Hiss! That's a bit too heavy a price, but your reaction makes it seem like you're trying to cover something up."
Aaron ignored the awkward and unpleasant expressions of the two guards and gently placed the compass on the table.
He walked around the table, but surprisingly, the needle didn't move.
"What's going on? Is it broken?" Aaron frowned, picked up the compass, and changed its direction.
The needle turned, but it didn't point at him; instead, it pointed at the ravenously devouring Abe.
"This, this, this..."
Aaron's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at Abe, then at the compass, and finally, as if by a ghost, his gaze fell on the magic crystal, or more precisely, on the drop of liquid inside the magic crystal. As if understanding something, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
"No wonder you didn't want me to test it. If I had been careless, this thing might have been used again. That's what you were thinking, right?!"
The two exchanged glances and nodded with difficulty.
They genuinely hoped this thing wouldn't be used a second time, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Who knew if Young Master would run away a third time!
"Who are you looking down on?" Aaron rolled his eyes, then placed the compass on the table, "You ungrateful little guy, stop eating for a bit and take a look at this."
Abe paused, looked at the compass in front of him, and sniffed lightly.
"This smell is a bit overwhelming!" Abe pondered with a dark expression for a while, and an incredibly awkward look appeared on his face, "It couldn't be my drool, could it?!"
"Alright! It's confirmed."
Aaron hadn't expected Gynes to be so playful, but he could also understand.
Making a tracker for his Young Master, no matter how good the intention, would be a bit presumptuous for a butler.
But making a tracker for a pet didn't seem so serious. After all, when at home, he was responsible for helping Abe lose weight, and knowing its exact location was essential.
And he and Abe were inseparable; if he ran away from home, with this cute pet tracker, they could accurately find their location.
"Goodness, I really learned something this time," Aaron couldn't help but exclaim, "Gynes truly has excellent methods. He's worthy of being my father's most trusted butler.
Not only did he create a sharp tool that could track me, but he also perfectly absolved himself of any blame. Even if one wanted to nitpick, there's no way to do it."
Hearing this, Abe seemed to understand something and sat down on the dining table in a wronged manner.
"I'm sorry, I held my master back."
"Sigh!" Aaron patted its dragon head and comforted it, "It's nothing serious. It just means you're too naive and easily deceived.
The probability of me running away from home a second time is quite low, but he still made such a thing, which can be considered diligent and well-intentioned."
Abe stifled his tears, "I knew why the butler was so nice to me recently. It turns out he was just deceiving a dragon."
Aaron looked at the drop of dragon's saliva in the compass, the corner of his eye twitching.
You've misunderstood. He's genuinely good to you. Otherwise, taking a drop of your saliva would be far too simple.
"Dika, Modo."
"Here!"
The two subconsciously sat up straight; they were well aware of the hierarchy.
"Don't be so nervous. I just have some questions I want to ask you.
My understanding of Gynes has always been limited to the past ten years. I want to know what kind of person he was before that."
Just as Dika was about to speak, Modo gave him a look, and he grudgingly swallowed his words back.
"We..."
"Signed a contract." x 3.
Aaron seemed to have expected it, calmly looking at the somewhat stunned duo, "Is it very surprising?
The two words I heard most this holiday were 'contract,' if not a hundred times, then at least eighty.
Every single one of you, when you don't want to answer, uses this excuse. Can't we have a little originality?"
Dika hesitated, involuntarily shrinking his neck.
Modo also lowered his head, looking at the floor, so embarrassed he could dig out a three-bedroom apartment with his feet.
"Gentlemen, look me in the eyes," Aaron pouted, disdainfully saying, "This isn't a secret. If I asked Gynes, he would definitely tell me, but it's a little sudden."
"Boss... he's a considerate person towards his subordinates," Dika said, "We were all trained by him. Once, when I was injured, he personally bandaged me."
Modo couldn't help but turn his face away, but the slight trembling of his shoulders showed he was struggling to suppress his laughter.
Aaron noticed this, "Do you have anything to add?"
"No, he's right. The boss really does take care of us."
"Hmm? I hope you're telling the truth, because I might just go to Gynes to verify if I have nothing else to do."
"Actually, he does!" Modo pursed his lips, "The boss did bandage him, but that time Dika was severely injured by the boss."
Pfft!
Aaron couldn't help but laugh, "Anything else?"
"The boss is very strong.
The six of us combined couldn't beat him, but that was a few years ago. Now, though..."
"We probably still can't beat him," Dika interjected. Modo was stunned for a moment and didn't deny it.
"I know that, tell me something useful."
"Reliable."
The two said in unison.
"If you consider the seven of us as a team, Lord Gynes is the undisputed soul.
He is our most respected teacher and our best friend."
"Uh..." Aaron blinked, looking at the two speechlessly, "You said nothing new."
"Young Master, you can't blame us," Modo said with a troubled expression, "We haven't read many books and don't know how to describe it."
"Exactly," Dika nodded in agreement from the side.
"Impressive," Aaron patted his forehead, "If you don't want to say it, then don't say it. Do you really need to be so circuitous?"
"Young Master, have you finished eating?" Modo changed the subject, "If you have, please come back with us!"
"I..." Aaron's face flushed. Looking at the still half-full delicious meal, "Why don't you help share some? Wasting food is always bad, isn't it?!"
"That means you're full," Dika smiled, then exchanged glances with Modo. The two tacitly stood up from their seats.
"Hey! What are you doing?
At least pay attention to the setting. There are so many Muggles here; it wouldn't be good to fight, would it?!"
"No need for such trouble; we can just Apparate directly.
Of course, not here, but it's possible once we're further away. Before that, we need to make sure you're within our line of sight," Dika said, gently grabbing Aaron's arm.
Modo, on the other hand, walked up to Abe, "I know your intelligence is very high, so please cooperate. Otherwise, not only will Gynes be angry, but even the Patriarch and Madam will be displeased."
Abe, who had originally planned to struggle, gave his master a helpless look and burrowed into the light purple backpack.
Aaron:...Damn! Do you have to give in so quickly?
"Wait, I still have something to do."
"We can't wait, Young Master, you're too smart," Modo shrugged, "The longer this kind of thing drags on, the greater the risk.
Delaying even a little longer is disrespectful to our intelligence, so... pardon us."
"I haven't paid yet!" Aaron said with a look of indignation, "I am, after all, the sole heir of the Gaius family. You wouldn't want me to have the stain of dining and dashing, would you?!"
Hearing this, the two looked at the dazzling array of food on the table and couldn't help but smack their lips.
This was not just a glass of vodka! Although they could claim reimbursement from Gynes later, since the Young Master had the ability to pay, they wouldn't go to the trouble... After paying the bill, Aaron followed the two guards out of the shop.
"A single meal cost four figures," Dika said with a hint of envy, "It feels so luxurious."
"This is a reward for successfully escaping. I won't be this extravagant later," Aaron said helplessly, "But I didn't expect to be found by you in less than an hour after running away."
"It's our duty."
"I know, I won't blame you," Aaron said lightly, "And I hope you won't blame me later."
Modo and Dika both felt a jump in their hearts, a feeling that things were getting out of control.
They had been guards for so many years, and they knew that the Young Master wouldn't scare people for no reason. If it was just bluster, that would be fine, but if not, it meant he still had a way to escape right under their noses again.
That compass was useless now. If the Young Master ran away again, they would have no chance at all.
Thinking of this, the two exchanged glances. Dika tightened his grip on Aaron's left hand, while Modo zipped up the backpack and held it in his hand.
Having successfully arrived at an open space, both of them breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from their hearts.
"Young Master, take care. The Patriarch and Madam will surely be happy to see you," Modo said respectfully, then gave Dika a look.
The two simultaneously used Apparition, but the grayish-white spatial vortex flashed and disappeared, failing to teleport them.
"What's going on?"
Dika was a bit bewildered, but Modo looked at Aaron.
"Don't look at me like that," Aaron slowly pulled out his magic wand, "I also learned the counter-Apparition spell not long after I learned Apparition.
Although not as proficient as you, it can still be effective within a ten-meter range."
"Young Master," Dika said wearily, "Can you stop playing around?"
"I'm afraid not," Aaron shook his head, "You have your duties, and I have my pursuits.
Honestly, I don't even know if I should run this time. Many people don't think highly of me, and I don't even have much confidence myself.
But this is my only chance. I'm not ready yet, but I know very well that once my parents return, I won't have the thought of running away from home."
"Young Master, you're forcing our hand!" Modo said meaningfully, "Boss Gynes's order to us was to persuade you to go home, but if you don't cooperate, we can tie you up and take you back."
"Then try it!"
Aaron quickly broke free from Dika's left hand and put some distance between himself and the two.
A brownish-yellow magic circle instantly appeared, and over a dozen brown chains flew out from underground, rushing towards the two's legs.
Dika and Modo simultaneously waved their magic wands, and the chains shattered inch by inch, the magic circle also dissolving into nothingness.
"Young Master, perhaps in a few years, we won't be your match, but today you still have to come back with us," Dika said calmly.
"Stop wasting time, hurry up."
Modo said impatiently, then waved his right hand forcefully.
The ground cracked, and gravel, mud mixed with a strong hurricane, swept towards Aaron.
"Hey! It's not that serious, is it?
What if you injure the Young Master?"
"Don't worry, I have a sense of proportion, and the Young Master isn't that weak."
Before his words fell, an icy blue light flickered slightly, and a blue ice shield appeared in front of Aaron.
Bang!
Soon, cracks appeared on the ice shield, and a powerful wind passed through the gaps, forcing Aaron back half a step.
He immediately waved his magic wand, a pale white glow appearing at the tip of the wand, and the magic power of an intermediate Mage was released without reservation, which finally blocked the gray storm.
"A high-level Mage!" Aaron gritted his teeth, "I really am no match for you right now!"
"It's good that Young Master knows," Modo cast spells while winking at Dika, signaling him to go and tie up the Young Master now.
Dika nodded, and just as he was about to act, a whooshing sound of wind came from his ear.
Turning his head, Aaron's magic power had actually overpowered Modo's, and the gray storm was blowing towards them.
"Are you kidding? Even if you're going easy, you don't need to be so exaggerated!"
"I'm not kidding," Modo's face was grim, "Things seem to be going wrong. Hurry up and help me, quickly."