Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Roland was a top student in school, but this didn’t mean that he was a completely well-behaved child.
He and his childhood friends played together since they were young. Where there are many people, there are many quarrels—the six of them fought with other kids a few times and became the neighborhood overlords. After they grew up and went to elementary school, they were unrivaled, and then when they were in middle school, they also fought hoodlums a few times.
As for high school… They even fought in a few big fights. In reality, apart from Roland and Schuck, the other four all had major demerits on their record. However, in the last semester of their senior year, the school erased their demerits.
Generally speaking, as long as the offense wasn’t too excessive and if the student wrote a repentance letter, the school generally wouldn’t let their students graduate without any stains on their records.
Since Roland was young, he had been in many group fights, so he wasn’t the type of person who could particularly restrain himself.
However, as he gradually grew older, he was more and more able to control his impulses.
If Roland were still in high school, or even freshman or sophomore year in college, If someone dared to speak so arrogantly to him, he wouldn’t even wait—he would just roll up his sleeves and smack them.
But he wasn’t so impatient now. After becoming a part of the working society, he developed some basic patience.
“First, this is a sub-branch and not your headquarters,” Roland said with a smile, “a small remote place that the king has no ability to interfere with, and the headquarters can’t interfere much with, either.”
Once he said these words, the expressions of the people below changed drastically.
“Aldo, this lowly man, how did he teach…”
The magic apprentice, who had just hurled insults, reached out his hand and pointed at Roland, shouting furiously.
Then, Roland waved his hand through space and a giant blue hand immediately appeared out of thin air. With a peng, this person was smacked into a wall, falling unconscious.
“Chairman Aldo is undeniably an official mage, and one at the elite level. You, a magic apprentice, directly insulting him as a despicable lowlife, isn’t that a bit too excessive?”
Although Roland was facing the unconscious magic apprentice when he said this, everyone below clearly knew that these words were directed at all of them.
After a temporary silence, the expressions of the people below changed drastically again. The few magic apprentices looked at their fellow apprentice off to the side and walked forward indignantly. Mental power surged as they were about to retaliate, but another Hand of Magic appeared in midair.
The two giant Hands of Magic were so large that they seemed to be able to squeeze all of them in their clutches.
All of a sudden, they didn’t dare to move.
At this moment, one of the youngsters at the forefront suddenly started to smile. “You must be Mr. Roland. Your usage of Hand of Magic has really been brought to perfection, as expected. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
After hearing this youngster speak, the other people’s murderous expressions were suppressed, but the gloominess and ruthlessness still lingered on their faces.
Roland looked at him and asked, “May I ask who you are?”
At this moment, Roland still stood high up on the stairs, looking down on them and giving off a feeling of superiority.
In negotiations or confrontations, the one who held the high ground would have an intangible oppressive power.
The youngster naturally noticed this point. This made him quite uncomfortable, such that he had to take a deep breath. He said in a displeased manner, “Towering above us, is this the proper way to treat guests?”
“Barging in through the host’s door, is this the proper attitude of a guest?” Roland laughed lightly. “Come on up. Since you guys have displayed the attitudes of unwelcome guests, don’t expect me to have a good attitude.”
The other people scowled in an unsightly manner at these frank words.
If these people were in the capital or at the headquarters, they would exercise some restraint.
However, in Delpon, which they saw as the countryside and just a sub-branch, so what if they were arrogant?
It wasn’t like they had never been to other sub-branches, and each and every time they were treated as great lords.
However, now that they were slapped on the face once, they felt extremely resentful.
Besides, this sub-branch, Aldo’s Magic Tower, was one that had been treated as a joke at the headquarters. Before they departed, they already harbored feelings of superiority and a derisive attitude.
However, unexpectedly, the moment they entered, they were met with stern rebuke.
After Roland arrived on the second floor, the magic apprentices followed behind the two youngsters, their expressions full of disdain and impatience.
“Mr. Bard, why are you letting this guy go? He’s just a normal deputy chairman.”
“Yeah, Mr. Bard, with so many of us, should we still be afraid of him?”
The youngster named Bard clicked his tongue, a grudging look all over his face. “We should be scared. When he used Hand of Magic, the mental power ripples were clearly already that of an official mage, and I reckon close to one at an elite level.”
A youngster who also appeared to be a noble frowned and said, “Aldo is also an elite mage, we still degraded him to a dog. Now he doesn’t even dare to appear in front of us. This brat is just a deputy chairman, how could he dare act violently toward us?”
“He did dare… he knocked one of us out. If Aldo wasn’t lying, this person forcibly turned a level-zero trick into a level-two spell—it’s natural for him to be lofty.” At this moment, Bard, whose young face could label him as inexperienced, had a surprisingly shrewd and ruthless expression in his eyes. “We don’t know who or what he’s relying on right now, so it’s best to endure a little first.”
The youngster on the side gave this some thought and nodded in agreement.
It was rather the magic apprentices who still had resentful expressions. However, they didn’t dare to disobey Bard.
Two people went to support the magic apprentice who was knocked out. Then, Bard looked around the Magic Tower, snorted, and said, “I’ll talk to him directly. You guys spread out around the Magic Tower and see if there are any other people. Find ways to rope them to our side—tell them if they cooperate, the headquarters will remember them.”
The rest nodded. They threw the magic apprentice who was knocked out to the side, and dispersed.
Meanwhile, Bard walked up the stairs.
There was no one on the second floor, no one on the third floor, and no one on the fourth floor… At this very moment, Bard was somewhat flustered and irritated, and on the fifth floor, he finally saw Roland standing at the head of the stairs.
After catching his breath, he looked at the surroundings and discovered that this was a magic lab.
There were no receptionists, no party, not to mention beautiful women, and singing and dancing.
Bard was extremely unaccustomed to this. As a noble, without a party and beautiful women by his side, he felt that he’d lost half his meaning in life.
However, the current circumstances didn’t allow him to think about these things.
“Sir, what are you implying by waiting for me here?” Bard asked with a frown.
Roland instead asked in confusion, “Didn’t you all come to investigate whether the derivative spells of Hand of Magic were created by me? I naturally have to demonstrate this a few times for you.”
Bard took a deep breath. “Sir, do you really not get it or are you just faking it? We rushed here all the way from the capital, and you not only don’t welcome us but also don’t let us rest. Instead, you immediately start with tests. What are you trying to do? Drive us out of here quicker? Looking at your appearance, you should also be a person with high class—you should know basic etiquette.”
At Bard’s criticism, Roland mockingly said, “I believe in reciprocating kindness with kindness, and an eye for an eye. You guys treated me like a dog the moment you entered. I naturally won’t treat you as humans either.”
Bard had never been rebuked like this by someone his own age. He was startled for a moment.
In the capital, even the descendants of great nobles paid particular attention to maintain appearances, and if they truly wanted to harm someone, it would be in the shadows.
This place truly was a crude and savage small city in the countryside.
Bard didn’t speak, so Roland continued, “How about it? Let’s start now.”
