Chapter 181 Know Your Place... You Drifter
Northern stood silently for a couple of seconds; he was staring at Raven as she was at him too, keenly.
The most annoying thing to him was that he couldn't get a reading on what exactly she was playing at.
'I thought she was on my side?'
But he also had to understand that Raven was in the dark as much as everyone else was.
Perhaps, she truly thought that Northern had no ties to this monster and so wanted to end this interrogation in just one go.
'That's right... or she could be plotting something really sneaky which is getting on my nerves.'
While the latter thought seemed plausible, Northern didn't feel like that was the case.
He couldn't read her indeed, but he had a feeling like she was just honestly trying to end the interrogation.
Because... who really would have thought that a human had the ability to command such a terrifying monstrosity?
Either way, Northern had to give a response soon because his delayed response was beginning to send different messages to the party leaders.
They all observed him with suspicions inscribed on their faces.
"Ah... well, yes. I have met it... too."
Sage Gilbert locked his fingers and leaned his chin barely on them. His eyes were shooting lasers into Northern's soul.
"But I didn't even fight it."
Sage Gilbert looked at Terence.
"He's telling the truth," she whispered to him.
Northern, of course, knew what he was doing. The question was straightforward and needed a straightforward answer.
Since he had gotten a hang of how Terence's lie detecting ability or whatever it was worked, he knew that he just needed to give a correct answer.
He didn't need to spill the entire circumstances surrounding the whole situation and therefore, that way, he wouldn't be revealing any secret of his.
"How? When? What happened? Can you tell us all of it? Give us a report?" Gilbert demanded hastily.
"Like I'm a part of your group? No. I don't owe you any report, and I think I have answered your questions enough. Please get these chains away from my hands."
Gilbert stared at him intensely for a few seconds.
"I don't want to say anything... Headmaster, I think it's enough now," Annette finally put in.
"Me too... I think he has proven himself more than enough already. He has no obligation tied to us," Raven also added.
Which shocked Annette for a fraction of a second; she looked up at the young lady with one drifting brow.
Gilbert exhaled and unlinked his hands, then leaned back into the chair.
"Fine then, I will let you go, but I have no intention to release Ellis Ruthsworn. He owes us a report since he is a member of the castle."
Northern nodded in agreement, "I see, I see, that's okay. But know that I have signed a contract with him. If he tells any of you my secrets, I'm going to kill him."
Gilbert suddenly rose, his eyes gleaming with a fearsome orange light. The entire atmosphere shuddered.
He slowly placed his hand on the table, but in an instant, the table disintegrated into shards, shooting away with a blinding force.
The party leaders didn't even have the time to react before all this happened; in their eyes, the table was there one moment and gone the next.
And yet no one was injured, not even a scratch.
Northern felt his heart drop from his chest, his spit became dry, and it became somewhat hard to breathe.
But his gaze did not waver from the image of the terrifying man in front of him.
He made sure of that.
And he had talented eyes to keep up,
Which was why he was able to perfectly discern Gilbert's movement, even when others couldn't.
In the blink of an eye, the man split through the air and appeared in front of him, pointing a finger at his forehead.
"Headmaster!!" Annette shouted in that instance.
The twins were also already on their feet, sweating buckets.
Gilbert paused and turned his head halfway back. His few actions had caused the entire atmosphere to be torn by a different and powerful tension.
Northern himself could tell the difference!
'I guess this is how far my arrogance can take me...'
Not that he didn't understand the magnifying line between him and Gilbert.
He just didn't like this man, and others didn't know why.
"One more..." Gilbert's voice rang out gently, which was quite concerning considering the magnitude of tension that folded the atmosphere.
"One more from you. And I will show you the difference between us."
Northern glared into the man's eyes; several balls of sweat formed on his face and froze there, his eyes glimmered with a subtle blue glow, and his cheeks were trembling as he tried to smile.
He couldn't deny the fear that crawled through his spine with cold feet.
His palms were wet, and his legs were trembling. But his eyes didn't waver from the Sage's.
Gilbert looked at him for a few more heartbeats and expelled a heavy breath.
Immediately, the entire atmosphere loosened. It was as if the air that was being trapped in some sort of invisible jar suddenly escaped and refreshed the entire space.
"Leave. We will send Ellis Ruthsworn to you when we are done with him. Remove his chains," he commanded and turned away from Northern.
Northern stood, frozen in silence. He didn't say anything and just watched with a frown as the guys that brought him removed his chains.
Then they escorted him outside the hall.
Immediately he got outside the hall, however, he fell.
Northern felt the strength in his legs sap away at a horrifying speed.
He leaned his entire weight on his hands while he knelt.
"Uh? What is wrong with you?"
They wouldn't ever understand; they were outside, after all.
"Terrifying, truly terrifying," Northern muttered to himself.
Once again, he was made to remember the vast difference between him and several other drifters.
'Crap, I need to get stronger, I really, really need to get stronger.'
If he was getting complacent because of his past results, it all stopped now. From this moment, he couldn't afford to be nonchalant and passive about growth.
Because so far, that's exactly what he has been doing.