Just like William instructed, B1 and B2 started to gather information inside the academy. Most of the information they gathered was about the battle that had happened in the Garden.
There were rumors flying around that the Academy was under attack and the Headmaster was keeping a tight lid on it. The two birds knew that this was not the information that William wanted so they kept their ears open for any kind of gossip no matter if it was credible or not.
“Man those idiots, I shouldn’t have agreed to let them inside the academy.” Eumann, the Guard Captain of Silverwind Academy scratched his head in irritation. “Everytime those bastards come here, I get the urge to punch their faces.”
The other guards nodded their heads in agreement. Earlier, when they saw William and his summoned monsters beating the mercenaries, they wanted to join the fight and clobber the bastards as well.
However, they were duty bound not to interfere because this was something that the Emperor had decreed. It would become a dispute, so they couldn’t do anything about it.
“Look at the bright side, Captain,” one of Eumann’s trusted subordinates commented. “I doubt they’ll have the guts to return here after that one-sided beating.”
Eumann snorted because he knew that things weren’t that simple.
“Even if they don’t come back, the other side will send in more people. This time, those hired goons will be stronger and more brutal than the first batch.”
B1 waited just in case Eumann would say more, but half an hour passed and no further talks about Chiffon were discussed.
B2, on the other hand, went to see Kasogonaga and asked it for help.
“Those motherf*ckers,” Kasogonaga cursed. Due to the influence of the Rainbow Birds, the Deity of the Sky would curse from time to time, especially when it was around them. “Don’t worry, B2. I’ll ask my minions and share the news at a later time.”
B2 nodded and flew away. It still didn’t find any worthwhile information, so it decided to go to the places where many students gathered to listen to their conversations.
—–
Meanwhile in the Infirmary of Silverwind Academy…
“You’ve already seen Chiffon,” Gilbert said as he looked at the six mercenaries that had been patched up by their school’s clerics. “Now leave this place before I ask you to pay for the damages that you have caused.”
“Headmaster, do you think that this will end well for you?” the leader of the mercenary group, Dickie, sneered. “If my employer hears about this, he will definitely not sit idly.”
“Indeed.” Gilbert agreed. “I mean, if I heard that the mercenary group I hired was beaten black and blue by a teenager, I would probably be infuriated. Who knows? I might even kill you on the spot for being incompetent fools.”
Dickie flinched because the possibility of that happening was very high. Their employer was not a very understanding person, and once he got angry, heads would start to roll.
“In fact, I was just about to write a letter to him,” Gilberd said with a smile. “I will make sure to report everything that happened here. I’ll even ask him to pay for the damages that you have caused.
“Don’t you know that the Garden is one of our Academy’s attractions? Now that half of it is destroyed, it will take a while for it to be restored to its former glory. Guess what? That’s going to cost a great sum of money. I bet your Employer will be very happy when he reads my letter.”
Dickie was starting to feel anxious. If word of their group’s failure were to spread, they would definitely become fugitives in the Demon Continent and would have no choice but to stay in the Central Continent to evade their employer’s wrath.
This was something that they had to prevent at all costs!
Dickie cleared his throat, “Headmaster, we’ve known each other for a while. Why don’t the two of us compromise?”
“Hmm? Compromise?” Gilbert questions. “Are you going to pay me for the damages?”
“…No, but I have a better idea,” Dickie could tell that he was at a disadvantage in the negotiation.
The leader of the mercenary group knew that If he didn’t come up with something to keep the Headmaster’s mouth shut, things might get dicey for him in the future.
“How about this, I will give you this scroll that I stol– I picked up by accident,” Dickie said as he summoned a scroll from his storage ring. “A merchant was carrying this scroll and it seemed to be a prized possession. I was planning to sell it at an auction, but since the Headmaster and I are good friends, I will use this to pay for the damages I did to your academy.
“Not only that, I will also report that Chiffon is more miserable than the last time I saw her. I will continue to give this kind of report to my employer, everytime we visit in the Kraetor Empire. How does that sound?”
Gilbert thought for a while before nodding his head in agreement. If he could wrap things up in a peaceful manner then he and Emperor Leonidas didn’t need to worry about Dickie’s employer.
Also, he was very curious about the scroll in Dickie’s possession. Since he had nothing to lose in this exchange, he acted to reluctantly accept the Mercenary Leader’s offer.
“Fine,” Gilbert made a gesture for Dickie to pass the scroll to him. “I will compromise, but we will make a soul contract first. All six of you will sign it with your blood. Do we have a deal?”
“Of course!” Dickie answered in a heartbeat. He was worried that Gilbert would change his mind so he hastily gave him the scroll and waited for the Headmaster to finish drafting their contract.
Although he lost an ancient scroll that he was planning to sell in an auction, it was more important to keep his head on his body. His employer was someone that didn’t look at failure favorably.
After all six mercenaries had signed the contract, they hastily left the Academy to return to the Demon Continent. Dickie had seen the pure killing intent in William’s eyes, and he knew that the boy was serious.
This was why he didn’t bother to stay long in the Academy just in case the Half-Elf would come knocking on their doors.
Gilbert had asked the guards to escort the mercenaries out of the Academy to ensure that they wouldn’t do anything stupid along the way.
“Finally, everything’s been wrapped up nicely,” Gilbert sighed as he sat on his couch. “I swear that William brat will be the death of me.”
The Headmaster of Silverind Academy shook his head in helplessness before opening the scroll that Dickie had given him. He was a linguist and had studied almost all the languages in the World of Hestia, including the Ancient Language of the Firstborns.
The Firstborns were the first residents of the world when it was just formed. They were an ancient race that was said to have gone extinct during the Era of the Gods because they were hunted down by the other races due to their unique abilities.
Gilbert raised the cup of tea on the table and took a sip. However, he immediately spat it back out after reading the first lines on the very top of the scroll
“The Vault of the Vanished Warlord.”
The Headmaster’s hand trembled because he knew the backstory of the Vanished Warlord.
He was the ruler of the Firstborns, and was said to possess an incredible treasure that could rival the power of the Gods.
Gilbert had dedicated his life to finding the Vault of the Vanished Warlord, where the Priceless Treasure of the Firstborns was held.
“To think that I would find its location in this manner, Fate is really a fickle lady,” Gilbert muttered as he read the contents of the scroll. Five minutes later, the Headmaster of the Academy slammed his fist on the table in anger.
“Dammit! Why must it be on the 51st floor of Babylon?!” Gilbert cursed out loud. “So this is why no one had found it, even after all these years. It’s right there!”
The Headmaster of the Academy cursed for ten-full minutes before he finally calmed down. After reigning in his emotions, the first thing he did was to press his left palm over the scroll.
A moment later, a flash of light shrouded the room in white. Gilbert used his unique ability to create a perfect replica of the scroll that would lead him to the treasure vault that he had searched for his entire life.
The Headmaster didn’t settle for one copy. He made twelve exact copies of the scroll and translated the text into the language commonly used in the world of Hestia, this way he could look for people who would dare to challenge the place where none had returned alive.
