Chapter 193: Rod’s Decision

“Captain, you were really impressive just now! No way—I realize I’ve already surrendered to your charm. Oh heavens, great God of Light, send me a lightning bolt! I certainly don’t look like someone who came down from Backback Mountain!” As they walked back to the academy, John shouted exaggeratedly, staring at Rod beside him.
With excitement on his face, he tried to act pitiful, which was utterly amusing.
Everyone couldn’t help but smile at John’s behavior and words, except for two people. One was Kiro, who looked helpless and frustrated, and the other was Alice. Unusually quiet, she followed the group toward the academy, her expression complex. Her eyes flickered as she stared intently at Rod, as if she wanted to say something, even showing a hint of shyness with her lips slightly pursed. If anyone she knew saw this, they would be shocked. Thankfully, it was already deep at night, and no one could see her like this.
“Senior Kiro, what do you think? The captain was really… beyond words. From now on, I, John, belong to the captain. Captain, you can’t abandon me! How can I survive on my own? Whatever the captain does, I’ll do the same. If the captain says go east, I’ll never go west—I’ll obey unconditionally!” Continuing to stare at Rod, John swore solemnly.
This made Rod smile bitterly. Was he really his man? Why did his words sound so awkward?
“Alright, John, stop joining in the fun. Do you know you can cause trouble? You’re still happy? I wonder how long you’ll stay happy. Rod, can’t you stop causing problems? Ugh, it’s the same every time!” Unexpectedly, instead of joining in the joke, Kiro sighed and spoke to John helplessly before turning his gaze to Rod and stretching out his hand in complaint.
Upon reflection, it was true. Ever since he met this guy, he seemed never to be quiet. Wherever he was, chaos ensued—starting from Fire City, then Iron Bar Town, and finally the Imperial Capital. When had he ever been trouble-free? He always caused some issue before feeling satisfied. Rod was truly afraid of this guy. This time, it was even worse—he had directly offended the city guards! Kiro even wondered if letting him continue his antics would force a hole to be created in the Imperial Capital before he’d be satisfied.

“What’s there to fear? It’s just the city guards. What’s there to worry about? That Gil is nothing but a minor official. A baronial title, huh? Does he really think he’s someone special? Not to mention our Potter family—even John could easily crush him. Can he really turn the world upside down? Kiro, why are you so timid?” As soon as Kiro finished speaking, before Rod could defend himself, surprisingly, Alice was the first to speak up in his defense. Glaring at Kiro with a look of disdain, she said coldly, “Yeah, Alice is right. Senior Kiro, you’re overthinking it. He can’t cause any trouble. Don’t worry, nothing will happen. Besides, the captain was just punishing those who deserved it. I hate those people just by looking at them. Even if they didn’t kill anyone now, so what if they did? Even if they caused a big deal, what then? Can’t the Potter family, my old man, Marshal Okaz, and our Holy Light Academy handle this situation?” Seemingly in complete agreement with Alice, John also hurriedly agreed, “You… Hey, yes, he might be insignificant to you and John, and you can easily crush him. But have you thought about it? You are who you are, but Rod is still Rod. Don’t be naive. Yes, you have strong backing, so he dares not do much, not even to Rod right now. But what about in the future? Will he always stay by your side? Rod is already on the blacklist, as you all know. You even saw it just now. Have you thought about what might happen if he tries to pull some tricks in secret?” Rod was completely speechless at the words of Alice and John. Only those spoiled elite kids could say such ignorant things, with no experience at all, simplifying human nature too much. As for Kiro’s words, Alice, John, and the others all opened their mouths but couldn’t find any words to refute them. For a moment, the scene froze in silence, the howling wind adding to the chill. “Forget it, Kiro. I’ll handle this myself. Don’t worry. That guy can’t do much to me. Anyway, I’m already on the blacklist. Let him try to do something. Since the storm is coming, let it come even harder!”

At this moment, Rod, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke. He looked at Kiro with a bitter smile. Rod knew everything Kiro had said and understood the reasoning behind it all too well, but he didn’t care. Since he had already taken action, he was fully prepared for anything—why should he be afraid of such things?

“You… Hey, forget it. Just consider me meddling. You decide for yourself, you hopeless guy!”

Furious at Rod’s indifferent attitude, Kiro gritted his teeth, clenched his fists tightly, and eventually stopped even bothering to look at Rod to avoid getting angrier.

“Alright, let’s go back quickly. There’s still no news from Lucia and Linda. Let’s see what tricks those men in black are up to!!” Rod broke the silence and spoke to everyone as they watched the gloomy scene.

“Hurry up and leave!” Nearly driven mad by Rod, Kiro finally remembered there was still the most important thing he had forgotten. His expression turned serious instantly, and he hurriedly spoke to the group.

Under the dark night sky, the group rushed toward the academy. In the silent atmosphere, they soon reached the academy’s entrance. Under the cover of darkness, the academy’s gates appeared even more majestic, with their starkly written characters exuding immense authority.

Entering the academy, the night was quiet, with only the sounds of insects and owls in the air. The peaceful environment was quite pleasant, and it turned out that the academy at night was even more beautiful than during the day. If not for his bad mood and the distractions keeping his mind preoccupied, Rod would surely have stopped to enjoy such a beautiful night view.

“Everyone, go back first. I’ll handle this. Don’t get involved!” After a brief silence, Rod spoke to the people around him in a firm voice.

“Rod, you…”

“Captain…” Hearing Rod’s words, the group was momentarily stunned before looking at him anxiously, worried that he might take some extreme action. They had seen those people’s strength—tonight, even with so many people working together, they hadn’t been able to defeat them and had even lost two hostages. Rod going alone? Wasn’t that seeking death?

“Stop talking. I’ve made up my mind. Especially Alice and John, listen carefully—don’t get involved in this. Don’t use the power of your families either. Otherwise, don’t blame me if I’m ruthless!” With a determined gaze fixed on the two of them, Rod spoke firmly.

“Captain…”

“Kiro, I’m leaving this to you. You should know how I handle things!” Ignoring the two people’s words, Rod said calmly to Kiro, then turned and walked toward the dormitory under everyone’s astonished gazes, leaving a group of stunned people behind.

“Alright, Rod is right. Stop talking. Leave this to him to handle. Don’t worry, he knows what he’s doing and nothing will go wrong. Alice, be careful and don’t cause trouble. If you want Rod to die sooner, don’t act on your own. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. The same goes for you all—don’t spread word about this. Alice, if anyone asks where Lucia and Linda are, just say they went home.”

After Rod left, Kiro seriously gave instructions to the others. The situation was already causing him a great deal of headache. Indeed, as Rod had said, it was best for them not to get involved.

Getting involved would only make things worse, not to mention spreading the news—what would happen then was hard to imagine.

“Got it. We won’t get involved. Hmph, what’s the big deal? I’m going back!”

With a resentful grunt, Alice spoke unhappily before turning and heading back to her dormitory.

“John, keep an eye on her. If she causes any trouble, you handle it. Keep a close watch on her these next few days! You all too—well, it’s getting late. Go back quickly!” Seeing Alice leave, Kiro smiled bitterly before giving orders to John and the others.

They all headed back to their own dormitories. What was supposed to be a fun night had turned out this way, leaving them feeling heavy-hearted!

……

“Nightingale, Crow, talk among yourselves. What did I tell you before we acted?” Under the dark night sky, in a small forest far from the capital, four figures stood in the four directions—east, west, south, and north—fighting. In the middle of them, two women were tightly tied up, struggling on the ground.

“This mission failed. They’re our best chance to make up for it. Silverwing, do you really want to be punished by the organization?”

The man known as Crow didn’t care at all about Silverwing’s words. Instead, he smirked coldly and asked Silverwing calmly.

“Viper, what, do you want to fight? I guarantee you’ll regret it!” Nightingale’s eyes turned cold as she suddenly produced a pure white bone whip, looking at Viper with a cold smirk as she asked.