Hearing Margaret’s words, Howard’s expression instantly shifted to one of surprise.
He suddenly recalled that the team leaders, Glyn and Caitlin, had already returned to Adia.
This meant that the elite team’s leveling journey would soon conclude.
Most likely, they could return to the academy today.
This also implied that representatives from the major academies, who had come for recruitment, might return earlier than expected.
Howard’s face became increasingly grave at this realization.
That mysterious figure was, in fact, the Inspector General of Adia – Rick Suleiman.
His status was no less than that of the city’s mayor, having oversight over the entire city, including every individual in its subordinate cities!
Years ago, his family had been annihilated, leaving only him behind.
In his quest for vengeance and justice, he rapidly ascended in power, achieving the prominent position he holds today.
Regrettably, all the evidence from that incident had been concealed by the Jeffers family and stored within Rand Bank, rendering even Rick Suleiman powerless to investigate.
A thought flickered in Howard’s mind: [It seems time to send out the evidence.]
Had he prematurely dispatched the evidence before, and had Rick Suleiman discovered it, he would have certainly rushed to Saint City.
However, the whereabouts of an Inspector General like him would undoubtedly be noticed.
An unexplained departure would arouse the suspicions of Headmaster Jay.
If he fled, all of Howard’s schemes would be for naught!
Therefore, Howard planned to dispatch the evidence while representatives from Adia’s major academies came for recruitment.
This way, even if Rick Suleiman hurried over, Headmaster Jay would simply assume his visit pertained to the academy recruitment process.
The Inspector General was responsible for overseeing recruitment malpractices, issues that had arisen numerous times in the past—highly talented students, lacking influential backgrounds, were replaced by others for the premium academy slots, thus squandering their innate abilities.
Such scandals had infuriated the higher-ups.
Their aim was to bolster the entire nation’s strength and had strictly mandated that recruitment prioritize talent. 𝘪𝑎.𝘤𝑜𝑚
Therefore, a visit from Inspector General Rick Suleiman at such a time would be entirely logical.
Headmaster Jay would likely believe that Rick Suleiman’s presence was to deter influential families from exploiting connections and ensure that the rare students with S-level talent were admitted.
He’d never suspect his own exposure, let alone consider fleeing.
When the moment arrives where Headmaster Jay joyfully assumes that he’s unearthed a student with an awakened S-level talent and expects a reward from Rick Suleiman, what awaits him would be a trap!
Indeed, Howard wouldn’t personally eliminate Jay.
Firstly, Jay, being the headmaster, would undeniably have many formidable henchmen around him, making it difficult to assassinate.
Secondly, murdering one’s own headmaster would surely be a tarnish to his reputation.
It would be far more strategic to use the tactic of using another’s hand to do the deed—eliminating Headmaster Jay while indebting Rick Suleiman.
A favor from a top-tier figure like him, Howard believed, would surely yield many advantages.
After deep contemplation, Howard reined in his thoughts, whispering, “Time to get up and hurry to the academy. The elite team might return today.”
Margaret’s face turned ashen at his words, exclaiming, “How is that possible? Jay told me the elite leveling team would be out for a week!”
“…Wait, how did you know this?”
It dawned on Margaret, Howard’s talents were surely more intricate than they appeared.
Utilizing the monsters in the Dark Mausoleum to retaliate against Sterling, while also gaining intelligence about the elite team, indicated one thing…
Howard must have ventured into the Silent Forest!
In other words, Howard had taken out Sterling quite some time ago, otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the time.
After all, the Dark Mausoleum and the Silent Forest were not particularly close to each other.
“Looking for another lesson?”
Howard cast a sidelong glance at Margaret, prompting her to roll her eyes playfully and retort, “If it weren’t for our upcoming academy visit, do you think I’d be scared of you?”
In this world, there were only overworked oxen and no over-tilled fields.
Consequently, after resting for the night, Margaret had seemingly forgotten about her pleas from the previous day.
Fortunately, their conversation shifted.
After Howard and Margaret dressed, they headed for the academy.
On the way, Howard, under the pretense of needing to take a different route, parted ways with Margaret and made his way to a post office to dispatch the evidence to Rick Suleiman.
Mail delivery in this world was facilitated by teleportation arrays, making the process swift.
He estimated that by the time the evidence reached Rick Suleiman, Glyn and Caitlin would still be en route to Adia.
After attending to this, Howard leisurely made his way back to the academy.
As Howard had anticipated, members of the elite team had already returned to the academy.
Caitlin’s entourage of servants and guards primarily served to protect the elite team members and wouldn’t accompany them for leveling.
With Glyn and Caitlin yet to return, and the elite team members feeling vulnerable, it was natural for them to come back.
“Howard!” .𝒎
The moment she spotted Howard, Abby darted out from the crowd, akin to a butterfly taking flight, and gracefully landed in front of Howard, immediately throwing herself into his embrace.
In an instant, a wave of envy and jealousy spread across the faces of the other students.
Of course, the male students were envious of Howard.
Not only did he possess an F-level talent, but he also had caught Abby’s affectionate gaze.
The female students, on the other hand, were green with envy towards Abby, who had managed to secure someone as dashing as Howard.
Holding Abby close, Howard gently patted her head, asking with a smile, “So, how was your leveling journey this time?”
With a contented expression, Abby replied, “It was great! I’ve reached level 7. Plus, I got a B-level magic skill book for you.” She chuckled, hinting that Howard could make use of it.
Hearing her words, Howard felt deeply touched.
This girl… she truly cared about him.
Even when she was out leveling, she remembered to bring back a skill book for him.
“Cough, cough.”
At that moment, a deliberate cough interrupted their intimate moment.
Headmaster Jay approached, his face clouded with disapproval, “There’s a meeting shortly. Is this an appropriate display?”
As he spoke, Headmaster Jay cast a fierce glance at the many male students in the elite team.
These students, primarily from influential families in Saint City, boasted impressive talents.
In Jay’s perspective, any of them outshone Howard in all aspects except perhaps looks.
Yet, infuriatingly, they couldn’t seem to outshine Howard in Abby’s eyes. How maddening!
Little did Jay realize, it wasn’t entirely their fault.
They might have powerful backing, but Abby didn’t care about that.
Moreover, the presence of the young prodigy, Glyn, overshadowed them all.
Though Glyn was only a few years older, he had already surged to level 40, boasting formidable strength.
Almost all the girls’ attention was centered on him.
Except for Abby.
Abby’s heart and mind were solely set on Howard.
Given that Jay was still the headmaster, Howard didn’t retaliate.
He gently let go of Abby.
Abby playfully stuck out her tongue, a picture of youthful charm, instantly ensnaring the gazes of countless male students.
In fact, the depth of envy in some was so intense that they harbored wild thoughts of eliminating Howard, thinking that with him out of the picture, they could win Abby’s heart.
After all, in their minds, with Howard no longer around, who would keep pining for someone who’s no longer alive?
For a split second, Howard felt a flicker of murderous intent directed at him.
However, he mistakenly attributed it to Headmaster Jay’s machinations and didn’t think much of it.
Besides, he believed Jay’s days were numbered.
This particular meeting wasn’t about anything momentous.
Glyn had returned to Adia, and all the tutors at Soulspark Academy had led their groups.
Now, they needed a break.
Hence, Jay decreed a school-wide recess, allowing students to venture outside and explore on their own, or simply relax while they awaited the arrival of representatives from Adia’s advanced academies.
Once the announcement was made, Headmaster Jay led all the tutors away for another meeting, discussing how best to welcome the recruiting educators from above.
Meanwhile, Howard found himself whisked away by Abby as soon as they left the academy premises.
“Look, this is the skill book I got for you!”
The moment they stepped out, Abby gleefully pulled a book from her bag and handed it to Howard.
Taking the book from her, he could feel its warmth and sincerely said, “Thank you so much.”
Abby pouted, “We’re close, why are you being so formal? You shouldn’t be so polite with me!”
“Alright.”
Howard grinned in agreement.
Just as he was about to say something, a voice reached his ears, “Hey, Howard, Abby, since there are no tutors to guide us in leveling up in the academy now, I’m thinking of getting a guard from my family to lead a team. I’m forming a leveling team. Would you both be interested?”
Following the voice, they saw a luxuriously dressed student — Carlos Bartel — approaching them with a warm smile on his face.
Updated from 𝘪.𝘤𝑜𝘮