"I… why did I sleep for so long?" Bighead Stone looked confused. "Why is everyone staring at me?"
"You… you're alive!" Isolde screamed with joy. "Thank goodness! You survived!"
Everyone else was equally shocked.
They had never imagined that someone whose soul had started to dissipate could still be saved.
While it wasn't quite a resurrection, it was pretty close.
"When did I die?" Bighead Stone scratched his head, baffled. He jumped off the bed and patted the spot where he had been injured. "It's itchy here. I remember being hurt and passing out, but I guess it was just a dream."
The terrifying wounds he had were completely healed.
In fact, Bighead Stone seemed even more full of life than before.
Everyone could tell that he was fully recovered!
While they were happy for him, they were also deeply shaken by Daniel's abilities.
In less than a minute—no, in just ten seconds—Daniel had not only healed Bighead Stone's physical injuries but had also restored his shattered soul.
His power far exceeded what anyone present could imagine.
"Daniel, you are… truly…" Lady Isolde didn't even know what to say.
Aldric, full of excitement, said, "If we publicize this, no one in Riverside City will ever dare oppose Crossbridge Academy again!"
Not just Riverside City, perhaps even larger cities nearby would have second thoughts before crossing them.
"No." Daniel shook his head. "No one is to speak a word about what happened today."
Although they didn't fully understand, no one dared to question Daniel's decision. They all nodded in agreement.
"Now that everyone's here, tell me exactly what happened last night," Daniel said as he sat down. "I want every detail."
"Yes," Rowan steadied himself and began, "I didn't want to draw attention, so I only brought Bighead Stone and a few others to Dragonscale Bank."
"The process of handing over the mana stones to Lady Claire went smoothly, without any incidents. We were in her office the entire time, and no one else came in."
"After Lady Claire finished counting the mana stones, she gave me two chests of mana and even disguised them, making the chests look like ordinary baskets full of empty magic bottles."
Daniel nodded. By this point, he already had a good idea of what had happened.
Since the problem didn't seem to be with the academy, it had to be at Dragonscale Bank.
Lady Claire was unlikely to be the culprit.
If she wanted to double-cross them, she wouldn't have given away two more valuable chests.
That meant someone had known about the academy's large transaction with the bank and had been monitoring them.
In the past, when Daniel handled things himself, the spies never detected him.
But when someone else went in his place, these people, like sharks smelling blood, pounced immediately.
The rest of the story unfolded as Daniel expected.
Even though the academy group was carrying what appeared to be worthless empty magic bottles, they were attacked not long after leaving Dragonscale Bank.
"At least four Tier-Platinum individuals, well-trained, and they seemed to be part of an organization," Rowan said.
"The four of them attacked so swiftly that we didn't have time to react."
Bighead Stone, who had been carrying the chests, was the most severely injured.
The attackers didn't speak a word or make any noise throughout the assault, suggesting that they had done this many times before.
"Who could it be?" Isolde wondered aloud. "I originally thought it was someone from Dragonscale Bank, but there's no way the Riverside City branch could muster that many high-level experts."
"And what would be the point of robbing their own goods? Aren't they afraid of the reputational damage if they're found out?"
"Daniel, could it be…" Isolde lowered her voice, "the Shadow League?"
The Shadow League was a mysterious organization on the continent.
They seemed to have some grand scheme in motion, and their members were frequently involved in assassinations, robberies, and other notorious activities.
The mere mention of their name struck fear into the hearts of many.
The others' expressions grew grim as well.
"Hmph, it doesn't matter who it is," Daniel said as he stood up. "The injured should rest. Everyone else, proceed as usual. I'll take care of this. Those who dared to attack our academy will disappear from this world forever."
With that, his form flickered and vanished from the room.
Everyone was stunned.
A moment later, someone muttered, "Daniel has changed so much. Have you noticed?"
"Stop talking," Aldric said sternly. "No matter how much he changes, Daniel will always be our respected headmaster! Didn't you see the light he just emitted? That was pure Greater Blessing."
"Anyone capable of wielding such magic could never be tainted by evil."
"So, I don't want to hear any more of this kind of talk!"
It was rare for Aldric to lose his temper.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
What was wrong with change?
Daniel's father had passed, and he had suffered a great blow—of course, his personality would shift. Besides, ever since his transformation, every decision he had made had been perfect. The academy itself had undergone a complete transformation.
…
After leaving, Daniel reappeared at the site where the Crossbridge Academy members had been attacked.
The bloodstains on the ground were still visible.
This was the main road between the academy and the city.
A faint golden light flickered in Daniel's eyes.
In the next moment, the scenery around him dimmed slightly, as if a thin layer of black gauze had been draped over everything. Within this black veil, faint golden threads stood out starkly.
Those were traces of Daniel's mind power marks.
He had left a small mark of mind power on every member of the academy.
Using the marks at the scene, Daniel reconstructed what had happened in his mind.
"This area was also covered by a silence magic array and a phantom magic array. Their preparations were thorough."
Faint trails of mind power spread in another direction.
These were traces left by the attackers.
There was always some transfer during contact, and this applied to mind power as well.
These attackers had brushed against a tiny bit of Daniel's mind power, leaving behind such traces.
Daniel flew off in the direction of the attackers.
Before long, he saw several people dressed in Dragonscale Bank uniforms on a hillside ahead. They appeared to be searching for something.
Leading them was none other than Lady Claire.
Her expression was grim as she directed her subordinates. "Search carefully! Don't miss any clues!"
Suddenly, as if sensing something, Lady Claire looked up sharply.
She met Daniel's cold gaze head-on.
"Daniel!" Lady Claire's back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
She had never imagined that a single look from someone could instill such fear in her.
Daniel spoke directly, "Who did it?"
Crossbridge Academy had been attacked right after leaving Dragonscale Bank—there was no way Lady Claire hadn't heard about it. Her presence at the scene of the attack and her search efforts made it clear she knew something.
"It… it was Lady Tina from Lakecity's Dragonscale Bank," she whispered. "I'm sorry. This was supposed to be an internal struggle. I had no idea she'd be bold enough to target a client."
Daniel wasn't fully convinced. "Evidence."
"Lady Tina and I have never gotten along. She's been trying to take over my position in Riverside City."
Claire explained, "Based on the volume of transactions I've done with you, Daniel, I should have been promoted by now, but Lady Tina has been involved with the chief steward of Lakecity, and they've been blocking my application. She even secretly came to Riverside City to spy on me."
That day, after failing to find the mysterious client, Lady Claire bypassed Mr. Dick and submitted an application directly to the headquarters.
Due to her outstanding performance and the unjust delay in her promotion, headquarters began investigating Dick's actions.
As a result, the scandal of bribery and illicit favors between Lady Tina and Mr. Dick came to light.
Lady Tina was reassigned to the smallest town, and Dick was demoted to second steward, stripped of his authority to make personnel changes.
Claire was promoted smoothly.
"These two have hated me ever since. Lady Tina certainly has the ability to mobilize four Tier-Platinum assassins."
Lady Claire apologized sincerely, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly and ensure you get justice, Daniel."
She was incredibly nervous inside.
This was a serious matter.
If Daniel pursued it, she might lose him as a major client.
Not daring to offend Daniel in the slightest, Lady Claire humbly said, "This was my failure. Whatever punishment you deem appropriate, I will accept."