Chapter 72: Rosia - Who is the liar?

Two days later. Lucien had awakened two days prior, and now, he was swinging his sword, training as he did every day. The difference this time was that Morlan was sitting nearby, sipping tea, his gaze filled with admiration as he watched. "Phew!" Lucien let out a breath, gripping the greatsword tightly before swinging it. Whoosh! The sound of rushing wind echoed, followed by a crescent-shaped arc of green light shooting out. BAM! The light shot forward and struck the ground, erupting into a deafening explosion. Dust and debris flew into the air, leaving behind a shallow trench—three meters long and nearly twenty centimeters deep. Though the trench was small, Lucien smiled proudly. "Very good!" Morlan spoke up, "I didn’t expect you to not only recover quickly, but also make such a significant leap in strength." "If you keep this up, it won’t take more than a month for you to reach Level 2." Hearing Morlan’s praise, Lucien’s face flushed with excitement. "Thank you, Master. It’s thanks to the Blood Bean soup and the medicinal herbs you gave me that I was able to grow stronger so quickly." In his heart, he silently added: ’And thanks to Master Lilith as well.’ Morlan gave a small nod, smiling. "Seven days from now is the day of your duel with that boy. With your current ability, killing him will be an easy task." When Morlan mentioned Lathel, two blazing flames seemed to ignite within Lucien’s eyes. "Yes, Master," he replied. "If no one helps him, I won’t just defeat him—I’ll kill him." Morlan nodded slightly. "Don’t worry. His strength during the Trial Tower was likely due to Professor Lyra’s assistance." "The duel between you and him will be overseen by me and the other Professors. I... will make sure he doesn’t cheat like last time." After hearing that, Lucien’s confidence returned in full. He was about to say something when a voice called out from afar. "Lucien, something’s wrong!" Lucien and Morlan turned to see a large, round figure struggling to run toward them. With every step, the fat on his body jiggled violently. Sweat drenched his clothes as if he had just taken a bath. "Ha... ha... ha..." Billy finally reached them, unable to speak right away as he panted heavily, his pale face on the verge of fainting from exhaustion. "Breathe!" Lucien urged. "Deep breaths in, out... don’t rush." "No... I... ha... ha..." Billy waved his hand, trying to catch his breath. "You... you need to come outside. Outside... outside... ha... ha..." "Calm down." Lucien sighed, puzzled. "What could possibly make you this flustered and frantic?" "Lucien, you... the students outside... they..." Billy stammered. Suddenly, a strong sense of foreboding welled up inside Lucien—just like what he had felt inside the Trial Tower. ’Strange... could something really have happened that puts me at a disadvantage?’ Lucien took a deep breath and shook his head. Although he knew his instincts were rarely wrong, he hoped that this time... they were. Too many troubles had already given him enough of a headache. All he wanted now was to quietly train until the day of his duel with Lathel arrived. Billy took a deep breath and said, "The students outside... they’re saying you’ve colluded with the Demon Clan. They’re claiming the Vice Dean is just like you—both working with demons." "They... they’re demanding to see you and the Vice Dean." "What?!" ... "Bring Lucien out here!" "That’s right, get him out here!" "That bastard’s colluding with the Demon Clan, betraying humanity. You think hiding inside means no one will find out?" "Vice Dean, we need an explanation." Outside the Vice Dean’s private residence, at the gate, a group of furious students stood shouting, their faces filled with murderous intent. At the entrance, Aris and Irelia were trying to hold them back. "What right do you have to falsely accuse Lucien and the Vice Dean?" Irelia shouted angrily, her face as red as a chili pepper. "What right?" a voice called out, silencing the crowd at once. A girl stepped forward—stunningly beautiful, her seductive figure clad in a tight-fitting light armor. A dagger hung at her waist, and her golden hair fluttered like strands of sunlight in the wind. "Rosia?" Irelia frowned, glaring at the newcomer with intense displeasure. "This whole thing—it’s your doing, isn’t it?" Seeing Irelia’s furious expression, Rosia smirked with disdain. "Hahaha... Irelia, don’t flatter yourself. You’re not that important." "I’ll admit we’ve had some personal differences, but not enough for me to lie to everyone like this." She shrugged casually. "Besides, everyone wants answers from Lucien, not you. What right do you have to stand here and block me?" "You..." Irelia gritted her teeth, her eyes burning red with fury, yet she had no words to refute her. "Ah! Or maybe... the rumors are true?" Rosia teased. "You and Lucien are in love, and now you’re protecting your precious lover?" "Ah! If you’re in love with him, that must mean..." Rosia gave her a sharp, mocking smile. "You’re with the Demon Clan too." "Shut your mouth!" Irelia roared, her hand instinctively gripping the sword at her waist, and then— Clang! Irelia drew her blade, and the crowd erupted. "Look! Rosia was right—she’s with the Demon Clan too!" "Bitch! Kill her! Don’t let her harm humanity!" "So what if your father is a Professor? You’re nothing but a whore!" "What a joke! Father’s a Professor, but his daughter colludes with demons. Disgraceful!" "You..." The words cut into Irelia like knives. Her eyes welled with tears, but she bit her lip, refusing to let them fall. "Enough!" Aris suddenly shouted, her voice echoing over the crowd. The students fell silent. Rosia glanced at Aris, a flicker of realization in her eyes, but she remained quiet. "You say Lucien colluded with demons? Do you have any proof?" Aris said coldly, her voice firm and unwavering. "If all you have is slander, when the Vice Dean finds out, do you think you’ll still be standing here screaming?" Irelia glanced at Aris, breathing a quiet sigh of relief, silently thankful. ’Thank goodness Aris is here... I might’ve lost control otherwise,’ she thought. Rosia looked at them, her expression gradually souring. "And who are you supposed to be? This doesn’t concern you—" "I’m the Vice Dean’s personal disciple. Aris," she said, frowning. "With that status, I believe I have every right to speak here, don’t I?" Her eyes were sharp as twin blades, stabbing directly into Rosia’s. Rosia flinched slightly, a trace of unease flashing through her heart as she took a step back. "You... do you even know who I am?" she asked through gritted teeth. "I don’t care," Aris replied coldly. "If you people don’t leave right now, I’ll report this directly to the Vice Dean. You’ve insulted the Vice Dean and another student—what kind of punishment do you think that offense deserves?" Aris’s icy words sent a chill down everyone’s spine. Even Rosia, unwilling to back down, snapped, "So what? I just want to know whether Lucien has truly colluded with the Demon Clan or not." "If he simply shows himself and proves otherwise, that’ll be enough. But you keep blocking me—and everyone else—from learning the truth. That only makes us more suspicious." "You truly intend to stand against the Vice Dean?" Aris frowned, her voice suddenly filled with killing intent. The aura she radiated was so terrifying that the students present couldn’t help but tremble. After all, most of them were just flowers grown in a greenhouse. They were low-tier students, with time to gossip because their talents weren’t high—no matter how hard they trained, they couldn’t rise in rank. But Aris was different. Her level might be lower than a few of them, but she was a true knight—one who had taken lives. The killing intent she emitted was not to be underestimated. "Enough!" At that moment, a voice full of authority rang out. Three figures approached from the distance: Morlan, Lucien, and Billy. Lucien saw everyone’s eyes turn toward him—eyes filled with displeasure and anger. He immediately thought of the rumor they must’ve heard. ’These bastards... it must’ve been Lathel. Yes, it has to be him—he’s the one who spread this damned rumor so that everyone would think I’m working with the Demon Clan.’ Lucien cursed inwardly. Morlan frowned as he swept his gaze across the crowd, his presence alone pressing down on the shoulders of every student gathered there. They lowered their heads, unable to meet Morlan’s eyes. Moments ago, they had marched in with bravado, even daring to insult the Vice Dean. But now, it was as if they had lost their voices. No one dared to speak or look up—only able to stare at the tips of their own shoes. Morlan frowned deeper. His voice boomed with authority: "If you cannot give me a convincing answer, then every single one of you will be punished for slandering a fellow student—and me." Silence... The entire crowd froze, speechless. No one dared to move. "Vice Dean," Rosia suddenly spoke up. Irelia, Lucien, and Morlan all turned their attention to her. "I heard from another Professor that... Lucien colluded with the Demon Clan, and that he lost control inside the Trial Tower. Is that true?" "Nonsense!" Morlan roared. His voice, heavy and powerful, startled Rosia—her beautiful face clearly showing fear. "Which Professor told you that?" Morlan asked, frowning. "I’m sorry..." Rosia stammered. "I... I can’t reveal the identity of that Professor. But... I only want Lucien to prove it." "If... if he’s really not part of the Demon Clan, then he should just remove the bandages on his left arm. That’s all." "If I’m wrong, I will... apologize to him and compensate him. But if I’m right, then we’ve uncovered a follower of the Demon King, and it’s better to eliminate him early—before he endangers humanity." Morlan’s brows furrowed, his gaze sharp as fire, piercing straight through Rosia. "Huh! Lucien is my personal disciple. He has no obligation to prove anything." "Besides, his arm was injured. Wrapping it in bandages is perfectly normal." Hearing that, Rosia grew even more confident. Her fear faded, replaced by calm composure. "Ah! Then let’s say I didn’t say anything. If Lucien refuses to prove it, then I can’t dismiss the current rumors." "You..." Morlan’s expression darkened, his eyes slowly filling with killing intent. "It seems... I’ll have to teach you all a lesson—to show you clearly that you cannot speak recklessly." Rosia flinched and stepped back in fear. "Wait." Lucien suddenly spoke up. He looked around at everyone, then turned toward Rosia and said gently, "I’m sorry. I believe you may have misunderstood." "What do you mean?" Rosia frowned. Lucien took a deep breath and said, "My arm—its condition is a side effect of my innate talent, not because it’s some kind of monster’s arm." "And that rumor... is false. Even if I die, I would never commit something so vile. I’m willing to swear it on truth and soul." "You..." Rosia’s brows knit tightly. She knew all too well—swearing upon one’s truth and soul could have dire consequences for one’s path forward. "Then why not just let everyone see that arm?" Rosia pressed on. "If you’re not a follower of the Demon King, then simply unwrap the bandages and let everyone see your arm." "Professor Morlan is here, and so are many others. If your arm’s deformity is truly due to your innate talent, then surely they’ll recognize it." "This..." Lucien hesitated. Although he truly hadn’t colluded with the Demon Clan, his arm was a different story. It was indeed a monstrous arm—grafted onto him by Master Lilith, pieced together from parts of Hurriclaw. But... would anyone believe him?