"Have you heard the news? Aidan killed someone!" whispered a student to their desk mate.
"I heard too, he actually did it." The desk mate clutched their chest, their face drained of color.
"A lot of guards saw it happen. Aidan was chasing after the man, and when the man begged for mercy, Aidan wouldn't allow it, and he just chopped off his head!"
"And that's not all. Aidan killed the man, didn't even spare his headless body, dragged it back to the dormitory, and hacked it into mincemeat."
"Is this for real?"
"It couldn't be more real. I came early this morning and saw the bloodstains still lingering in the cracks of the cobblestones."
"Oh my, why would I lie to you! The elder summoned Aidan just now, it's all because of this!"
The young boys in the academy paid little attention to their lessons, all quietly gossiping amongst themselves.
Murder, for these fifteen-year-old youths, was still too unfamiliar and too terrifying.
From childhood to adolescence, under the protection of their families, they had at most engaged in sparring matches, or dealt with matters like slaughtering chickens and dogs. As for murder, it remained relatively distant from their reality.
"Aidan killed someone?"
"I heard it was a servant from the Duke's household."
"Oh, I know about this very well. Last night, I saw it with my own eyes. The Duke's eldest daughter, Elara, brought a group of servants to cause trouble for Aidan."
"It's the Duke's household, this is bad news, Tristan is in trouble now."
Many of the youths turned their gaze toward Tristan.
Tristan sat pale-faced in his seat, having just learned the news this morning. Aidan had actually killed someone, and he had killed Garrick, someone Tristan was familiar with!
Tristan was quite familiar with Garrick; among the servants, he was active, skilled at flattery, and had diligently practiced martial arts. Just a while ago, Garrick had even sparred with him, and now he was killed by Aidan!
Because of this, Tristan's shock and disbelief were twice as strong as the others'.
Beyond shock, there was also worry and fear.
Facing a murderer like Aidan, sixteen-year-old Tristan would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid. In fact, not only was he afraid, but the other youths were afraid too.
Aidan had robbed them serval times, and each of them had clashed with him at some point.
"I actually fought with such a brutal murderer? And yet here I am, still alive." Many of them patted their chests, feeling a wave of fear wash over them.
Aidan's act of murder aside, the crucial point was his dismemberment of the body, chopping it into mincemeat, and it's rumored he even fed it to his own wolf.
This was incredibly brutal!
Such horrific criminal acts deeply shook the innocent hearts of the youths...
In the room, only The Elder and Aidan were present.
The Elder sat while Aidan stood, neither speaking a word. The Elder gazed silently at Aidan, a complex glint flashing in his eyes.
Early that morning, guards reported to him about Aidan's violent act of murder. This news left him both shocked and doubtful.
As an Ascender of the Confluent Tier, responsible for instructing new ascenders, he naturally knew the combat capabilities of Novice Tier Ascenders.
For Aidan to have killed Garrick, even with the help of Essence Conduit, it's not a normal thing.
In fact, guards had reported yesterday evening about Elara's incursion into the academy with Aidan. At that time, he didn't pay much attention nor did he intervene.
He was The Elder, tasked with nurturing future Ascenders, not protecting them. As long as no students were killed or injured, he encouraged clandestine conflicts.
Elara's trouble with Aidan was something he welcomed.
Firstly, he knew that regardless of victory or defeat, such battles would benefit Aidan's growth. Secondly, he wanted to dampen Aidan's momentum.
Aidan had repeatedly blocked the academy's gates and robbed all the students, which was too audacious. It needed to be suppressed.
But what he didn't expect was Elara's failure, leaving behind her servant Garrick. And Garrick, unexpectedly, couldn't match Aidan and was killed!
In this world, strength was paramount. Murder was nothing uncommon, especially in the world of Ascenders, where it could be considered an exceedingly ordinary occurrence.
But for a sixteen-year-old youth to kill someone for the first time, that was no simple matter.
The Elder still vividly remembered his own first killing. At that time, he was already an Ascender of the Awakened Tier, twenty-four years old, when he killed a "Forsaken Ascendant" during a conflict.
After killing someone, he felt nauseous and disoriented. For several days, he lost his appetite and couldn't bear to eat. Sleep was also elusive, haunted by the angry glare of the person he had killed whenever he closed his eyes.
Now, looking at Aidan, his expression was as calm as ever, showing no signs of disorientation. There was no discomfort whatsoever, as if he had just slept soundly last night, and killing was simply nothing to him.
Especially when The Elder heard that after Aidan killed this servant, he didn't stop there but dragged the body back to the dormitory, hacking it into mincemeat in a fit of rage. Such ruthless methods were terrifying to contemplate!
So, as The Elder looked at Aidan now, his gaze was filled with complex emotions.
On one hand, he marveled at Aidan's indifference to life, his mentality as cold as ice. On the other hand, there was a hint of admiration; Aidan was inherently a fighter. Having just acquired the wolf's fang conduit not long ago, he had already begun fighting alongside wolves and killing. Ordinary youths, even those super geniuses, might not achieve such feats. This was the talent for combat! If cultivated, fighting for the castle would be the enemy's worst nightmare.
The trouble lies in how to handle this matter afterward, especially since it involves a significant force within the castle - the Duke.
"Aidan, do you know why I summoned you?" The elder broke the silence in the room with a deep voice.
"I do," Aidan nodded. "I used an essence conduit in the academy, violating castle regulations. According to the rules, for a first offense, I should be punished with compensation of thirty essence geems."
He skirted around the issue, avoiding any mention of Garrick's death.
The elder was taken aback, not expecting such a response from Aidan.
His expression darkened, and he snorted coldly, "Don't play dumb in front of me! I'm asking you, what happened with Garrick's death?"
Aidan narrowed his eyes. "Hmph! Garrick was insubordinate and malicious. Last night, not only did he block my door, but he also tried to kill me. In self-defense, I had to use the essence conduit and managed to kill him. I suspect he might have been a spy from another castle. I implore you to see the truth, sir!"
The elder frowned upon hearing this, unsure of what to say for a moment.
With Garrick dead now, Aidan could say whatever he wanted. He was just a mortal, not an ascendant; if he died, he died. The elder didn't care about that. What concerned him was the reaction of the Duke. Garrick was the Duke's servant, and he died within the academy. As the academy's overseer, the elder needed to provide an explanation to the Duke.
After a moment of thought, the elder stared at Aidan and questioned sharply, "Then tell me, how did you handle Garrick's body?"
A cruel smirk played on Aidan's lips. "I dismembered Garrick's body and put it into a wooden box. At dawn, I placed it at the back door of the Duke's mansion."
"What?!" The elder was astonished, almost rising from his seat.
Aidan not only killed their servant but also dismembered the body and left it at the Duke's mansion's back door. It was a blatant provocation!
For the elder, who was solely focused on calming the situation, this was undoubtedly a genuine catastrophe.