BXBX NOVEL Chapter 224: Conspiracy
He wore a complete set of gold-tier Meido brand equipment, all of which were low-grade relics, over a black long-sleeve shirt and fitted black pants.
The young man looked dashing—a pity that no one was there to enjoy him as an eye candy.
However, it appeared to be for the best, as Shye was lost in thought, his expression stern as he mulled over the words whispered to him by Dean Snowcrest.
A few moments later, he left the path, walking at a quicker pace toward a secluded area behind a huge oak tree.
"Crowley, this way," a familiar voice called out, catching Shye\'s attention and causing him to turn toward its source.
Following the voice, he soon saw Dean Snowcrest standing on a branch of another huge oak tree, looking at him with a stern expression.
As a fairly strong adventurer himself, climbing such trees wasn\'t a problem at all for Shye.
Although he couldn\'t simply jump on top of the branch as Dean Snowcrest did, climbing swiftly was easy for him.
"Dean Snowcrest, thank you for coming all this way for my sake…"
"Don\'t mention it, this is an important matter for you so doing this much isn\'t anything big."
Following brief pleasantries, there was a moment of silence as the dean and Shye exchanged glances, neither uttering a word.
"Crowley, I promised you that I would tell you what I know about your parents when you became strong enough, and you... are now capable enough to at least know what I know," Dean Snowcrest said, reminiscing about the time when Shye was nothing but a little squirt of a freshman.
Now, he looked like a fine young adult—time sure strikes differently.
Shye didn\'t reply. He simply stared at the dean with a serious expression and a racing heart.
Eight years ago, when he wasn\'t even a teenager, he and his little sister thought that their parents had already died.
Although it might still be true now, there was also a chance that they were still alive, hence, with a hopeful but anxious outlook, Shye awaited the dean\'s words.
Meeting Shye\'s gaze directly, Dean Snowcrest discerned his thoughts, feeling a slight pang in his heart for his favorite student.
Oh, how he wished he possessed more knowledge than what he currently held.
"First of all, I want you to know that you and your little sister have once been one of our most anticipated examinees when you two were young. Upon settling down in our mediocre city, your parents slightly caused an uproar."
"After all, there were only a few diamond-ranked adventurers who would choose to settle down here as the nearest expert adventurer zone was around two and a half hours away from the city, and our academy…as you know was fairly mediocre."
"Therefore, you two siblings were once considered among our most promising prospects for the future, prompting us to eagerly anticipate your enrollment in our academy. But then, the unfortunate news of the Crowley couple perishing upon taking up a mithril-ranked quest swept the entire city."
"Evelyn and I sent people to check on you and your siblings when your parents disappeared. But the reports showed that you, the older brother, had started training just two and a half years ago. So, we thought we had lost two great prospects... but we were wrong. I\'m sorry for giving up on you both."
After speaking his last few sentences, the dean\'s stern expression turned into one of pain and embarrassment as he offered Shye a deep bow of apology—gentle night winds caressing his skin as he did so.
There was no way for him to know what would happen in the future so he could only prioritize the deteriorating state of the academy at that time.
Naturally, Shye wouldn\'t hold the dean accountable for their sufferings in the past as he now understood that in the world they live in, only those who show promise and results would be treated well and since they didn\'t look promising when they were young, no one would care about them.
"Your Excellency, please raise your head. I\'m not a kid anymore and I now understand how this world works so there\'s no need for you to feel guilty about not helping us in the past. I would never resent someone who helped me grow into a fine rookie adventurer." Shye replied with a gentle smile on his face.
Upon hearing Shye\'s words, all the guilt that had burdened Sven Snowcrest\'s heart for the past four years instantly dissipated. As a dean, he knew that prioritizing the state of his academy wasn\'t wrong, fortunately, his favorite student didn\'t resent him for his decision.
Lighthearted, Dean Snowcrest lifted his head and returned Shye\'s warm smile, then gave him a thankful pat on the shoulder.
"Thank you, Crowley. Well then, I\'ll proceed with my story. At that time, I was genuinely disappointed with what had occurred. Consequently, I crushed a few high-grade long-distance communication talismans to contact some of my former party members who were operating in the Darkzero Expert Adventurer Zone. I asked them to discreetly investigate the Crowley couple\'s situation."
"What they found out reeked of utter conspiracy. The Crowley couple… wasn\'t a part of the Mithril adventurer party that was wiped out. They continued asking around and it seemed that the Crowley couple went missing a few hours before the party departed for the mithril-ranked quest, hence, they were replaced by two other adventurers."
"However, strangely enough, the disappearance of the two didn\'t stir any commotion. Not even their guildmates made any effort to search for them as if they simply ceased to exist. One of my former party members, Efren Mendoza, then dared to approach one of the couple\'s closest friends, Poruka Dotts, to ask about what happened."
"Efren said that Poruka…seemed to be scared to answer, hence, she simply pretended that she didn\'t know anything. Sensing that something was amiss, Efren didn\'t dare probe deeper. As a dean, I also stopped gathering information about the matter lest I implicate my academy."
"That\'s all I can tell you... If you\'re looking to investigate, you might want to start in Beelhorn City. Look for my friend, Efren, and your parents\' acquaintance, Poruka. They might be able to provide you with some leads.