Chapter 27 Death Beckons
Kane Ashworth's POV
"I agree!" Domi chimed in. "If Cecilia doesn't wake up, the academy will investigate thoroughly. We'll all get dragged into this!"
Rowan acted completely unconcerned. "Look how scared you two are. Is it really that serious?"
"First of all, Cecilia will wake up. Second, even if she doesn't, she deserves it—you can't blame us!"
"As for the academy investigating, we didn't do anything. It was just an accident. What can they do to us?"
"At the end of the day, Cecilia's just a nobody freshman with no status or connections. The academy won't waste much effort on her. Trust me."
Eddie asked shakily, "But... what about Kane? What if he comes after us for revenge?"
"Exactly! We all know how powerful Dark Mages are—they're absolutely not to be messed with!"
"And it's not just their power—we can't handle their curses either!"
Rowan waved dismissively. "Relax. Kane has no proof. He can't do anything to us."
"Even if he does show up, we can seek the academy's protection. I don't believe he'd dare challenge the entire institution!"
Listening to Rowan's words, my expression turned ice-cold.
She'd miscalculated this time. Because for Cecilia, I would not only challenge the entire academy—I'd take on the whole magical world if I had to.
Gripping my Dark Staff, I tore the entire door off its hinges!
All three immediately retreated to the corner, trembling uncontrollably.
Rowan shook the hardest of all. Her earlier composure had vanished without a trace.
"What... what do you want? Why are you here again?"
"Yeah, we didn't provoke you! What do you want now? You think we're easy targets?"
I said nothing. I simply raised my Dark Staff. "You hurt Cecilia. I'm here to collect your lives."
Rowan's pupils constricted sharply. "You can't just throw around accusations! When did we hurt her?"
"Exactly! Don't believe whatever lies people tell you. What happened in class today was an accident—it wasn't our fault!"
"An accident." I found that laughable. "Since what happened in class was an accident, then what's about to happen next will be an accident too."
Indeed. If everything could be blamed on accidents, then calling what came next an accident was perfectly reasonable.
"Calm down! You have to stay calm! Getting yourself expelled over Cecilia—it's not worth it!"
"Just sit down! We can talk this through!"
Rowan was truly panicking now.
I remained silent, pouring massive amounts of magic into my Dark Staff.
Run!
That was probably the only thought in their minds.
The three of them leaped from the window and sprinted away, screaming for help.
"Help! The Dark Mage is killing people!"
"Kane's lost control! Someone save us!"
They were fast, but racing me on speed was clearly not a wise choice.
Within mere breaths, I'd cut off their escape route.
"Did you three plan this together?" I asked coldly.
Eddie and Domi immediately threw Rowan under the bus.
"No, no, no—you've got it wrong! We didn't do it—it was all Rowan!"
"That's right! Rowan came up with the plan, and she was the one holding the Black Orchid. We didn't do anything—please let us go!"
"Ever since we apologized to Cecilia last time, we haven't dared provoke her again!"
"Everything we're saying is true! You can verify it with other students from class. If we're lying even once, you can do whatever you want with us!"
They spilled everything in one breath, dumping all the blame on Rowan.
"No... you can't do this to me! We planned this together—why is it suddenly all my fault?"
Eddie pointed at her accusingly. "Shut up! Stop making false accusations! You arranged everything yourself—what does it have to do with me?"
"Exactly. At this point, stop being stubborn. Just admit it."
This had devolved into a blame-shifting circus, but I didn't want to hear another word. None of them were innocent.
"Enough. All three of you are guilty."
I raised my staff. A sphere of black flames surged toward them!
This was Dark Magic—completely different from what ordinary students learned.
They turned to flee, but I'd already summoned York.
The demon spirit wreathed in flames blocked their retreat. They felt Death himself beckoning.
"It's over! We're finished!"
"Someone save me!"
At the critical moment, a beam of blue light cut through the air, colliding with my black flames.
A thunderous boom erupted. The black flames scattered completely, and even I was forced back two steps.
Looking up, I saw a tall woman standing opposite me. Her robes weren't the standard deep blue but deep purple, with a massive golden key brooch pinned to her chest.
Her expression was impassive, her bearing transcendent. Simply standing there, the aura she radiated was suffocating.
Rowan's eyes lit up as she shrieked, "Ms. Moria! You're finally here! Save us! This Dark Mage is trying to kill us!"
"Ms. Moria! You have to help us!"
"Silence!" Moria snapped, then turned to me. "Stand down. Stop this now."
My eyes turned cold. "They must pay the price. No one can save them."
"If the Headmistress insists on interfering, I'll have no choice but to tear down the entire Star Ring Academy."
At those words, Moria couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.
She knew the nature of Dark Mages. She knew I meant every word.
A moment later, Moria turned to the three students. "What are you waiting for? Apologize!"
Rowan stubbornly turned her head away. "We did nothing wrong. Why should we apologize?"
"Exactly! He's the one breaking academy rules. We only—"
"Apologize!" Moria's voice sharpened, her gaze cutting like a blade.
Left with no choice, the three reluctantly bowed their heads. "We were wrong. Please forgive us."
"I'm not the one you need to apologize to. I don't need your apology."
I only needed their lives. As for apologies—completely unnecessary.
At that critical moment, Moria raised her hand. "Wait. I promise you—I will investigate this matter thoroughly and give you answers."
"Also, Cecilia has woken up. Are you sure you want to waste more time here?"
My pupils contracted. In an instant, I vanished.