Chapter 648: The Service Of Vengeance
Northern returned to his room and tossed a bottle of water to Aster before dragging a chair out from the table and sitting on it, folding his arms.
The blabbermouth gulped down the water in one go, not even pausing for a breath.
Afterward, he crumpled the noisy plastic bottle and panted heavily.
"Thank you very much, fella. I really needed that."
Now that Northern was back, Aster seemed slightly less distressed, though far from being at
ease.
"My name is Lael."
Silent seconds passed between them before Aster chuckled nervously.
"Ah. Oh, I see. Thank you for giving me your name. You have a great name."
Northern's unchanging expression quickly killed Aster's forced cheerfulness. The boy shivered slightly under the weight of Northern's gloomy blue gaze.
Northern stayed silent. The room grew deathly quiet, the only sound being Aster's erratic breathing. Embarrassed, Aster tried to steady his breath. He succeeded for a moment, but Northern's silence only intensified the pressure building inside him.
Finally, Northern broke the silence.
"So, Aster, why were you being chased by the disciplinary committee? And don't you dare lie to me. What did you do? Or better yet, what did you guys do?"
Northern's emphasis on "guys" wasn't accidental.
The big guy from earlier had mentioned "them," and from Aster's urgent approach, Northern deduced the boy had come to him out of sheer desperation.
This likely meant Aster had narrowly escaped some tight situation and couldn't risk returning to his own room, knowing full well he was being hunted.
Whatever they had done must have been insane-something significant enough to warrant a curfew imposed by the disciplinary committee.
Northern couldn't help but feel a rising thrill. He was certain this was going to be an interesting story.
Although, deep down, he prayed it wouldn't disappoint him.
Aster hesitated, clenching his fists as he steadied himself. Finally, his voice broke through, low and gruff with fatigue.
"This is a top secret. Please, promise you won't tell anyone."
"I'm not the one with an SSS-class talent for talking, remember?" Northern replied dryly.
Aster's face twisted in confusion. "Someone has a talent for talking? Is that even possible?" "I didn't think so either-until I met you," Northern said with a polite smile. Aster groaned. "Ah, man, that's tough..."
Suddenly, he fell silent, his mind replaying their conversation. His eyes slowly widened in realization.
Pointing to himself in disbelief, he stammered, "Are you talking about me? Wait, really? How can you be so mean?!"
Northern's smile turned sharp. "Looks like you've regained some energy. Start giving me answers."
Aster straightened his back and crossed his legs on the ground, his expression turning serious.
"I don't know if you've heard of the Milhwa Festival..."
'Don't tell me this is about that,'
"Your face tells me you have," Aster continued. "As you know, the festival is coming up again -a time for each school to showcase their strength. The Milhwa Festival used to commemorate the relationship between the two schools. It was more of a friendly gathering than a competition. But over the years, as the discrimination from the Combative School against us non-Combative students grew, the festival lost its meaning.
"To make matters worse, the Student Union has always been made up entirely of members from the Combative School. It's been like this for over a hundred years. They practically own this entire academy, leaving us with no ground to prove our significance to the world. Some people don't even know that Milhguard Academy has non-Combative courses!"
Northern nodded, 'He's got a point. Even I was shocked to find out there's a blacksmithing course here.'
Northern could almost see the pain biting deep into Aster's heart as he spoke with unparalleled passion.
'If only he put this much passion into talking less, life in the academy would be better-for me, for example.'
"It was this discrimination that led to the formation of an underground organization." Northern's interest piqued, a faint light sparking in his eyes. 'An underground organization?'
He continued listening intently.
"The organization's goal was to win the Milhwa contest and uphold the values of the school. But our base just got revealed."
Northern crossed his legs, a sweet smile tugging at his lips. The next second, his expression turned cold and serious.
"A supposedly underground organization getting their identity revealed? Isn't that just hilarious?"
Aster clenched his fists, his teeth gritting as pain etched itself into his face.
"There was a traitor among us. Someone sold us out, told the disciplinary committee our location. And it happened at the worst possible time."
Northern raised an eyebrow. "Worst possible time? You mean the festival?"
"No," Aster replied, his usually unserious demeanor replaced by a stern look. "The organization was about to push for a motion for the entire non-Combative school."
Northern tilted his head. "What motion?"
"The motion to establish our own student union authority. This would give us a platform to fight for our significance openly."
"I see. That way, the organization wouldn't need to operate in the shadows anymore, and the fight against discrimination could become official," Northern surmised.
"Exactly. But before we could proceed, the disciplinary committee came after us. Their excuse? Eradicating a gang of school bullies spreading violence in the academy."
Aster's chest heaved with anger as he spoke, his breaths labored.
"Well, it looks like you guys got yourselves into a lot of trouble. Let me guess-your underground organization was purged overnight? Against the Combative School and the disciplinary committee, you probably stood no chance."
Aster bit his lip, his gaze fixed on the wooden floor in shame.
Northern leaned back, his grin widening in amusement.
'Well, this isn't entirely disappointing. And as luck would have it, I just happen to be in need
of a few people...'
He stood, raising his chin with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Hey, Aster..."
The boy looked up at him.
"Do you want vengeance?"
Aster's eyes widened in confusion. Vengeance? How could he even think about vengeance when he stood no chance against a school that trained the best drifters in the Central Plains
and possibly the entire world?
Yet something about the air around Northern compelled him to dare.
"I can see doubt and faint faith in your soul," Northern said, his voice low and steady. "You'll
have to trust me on this, Aster."
Northern bent down, placing a firm hand on Aster's shoulder. He smiled.
"I can help you become powerful enough to achieve your vengeance. All you have to do is
work for me."
Stars lit up in Aster's eyes. "You'll help me?" he whispered.
"Yes. But remember, there's always a price to pay."
"I don't care about the price! Please, help me grow stronger. I want to destroy the Combative
School and the disciplinary committee!"
Satisfied, Northern gazed down at Aster, a dangerous light glimmering in his ocean-blue
eyes.
'Now, that's more like it.'