Chapter 183: Memories of a Father [2]
"Then there was another time," the baron continued, his gaze distant, "when he took on five cave goblins alone to buy time for his classmates to escape during a field trip. Strangely, his classmates completely forgot he was even with them."
"And when their teachers realized he was missing, they searched everywhere, the entire forest, before finding him staggering out on his own, uniform in tatters, looking like he’d bathed in his own blood..."
The table fell into a heavy silence.
The candlelight seemed to dim as the weight of the baron’s words settled over them.
Even the usual background sounds of the castle - the distant creak of wood, the faint whistle of wind against the obsidian reinforcements - seemed to fade away.
After a long moment, the baron cleared his throat, his fingers tightening around his water glass. "The teachers... they must have been so terrified that when they found him that some of them actually fainted." His voice carried a bitter edge. "But instead of being grateful, they labeled him a ’monster.’ His classmates avoided him even more after that. The school officials..."
He let out a dry chuckle.
"They had the audacity to suggest we transfer him to another institution, claiming it was because he was ’too advanced’ for their curriculum. As if we couldn’t see through their hypocrisy."
Aeron’s knuckles whitened around his fork, his golden eyes flashing with quiet anger. Lumin’s normally composed expression darkened slightly, while Zephyr’s gaze grew more intense, though he remained silent.