The Lord of Ravenshade invited the headmistress elder and the principal into a private reception room.
After pouring tea, he adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and gave the two elders a polite smile.
"No wonder I could never uncover the origins of the principal of Ravenshade High. Turns out... you're Lord Qilin himself. If I hadn't crossed paths with Lady Vermilion Bird, I'd still be in the dark."
At this point, it's important to note: The Dragon Kingdom currently has four legendary professionals—known as the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.
Lady Vermilion Bird was none other than the headmistress elder, one of the top intelligence leaders in the entire Dragon Kingdom, and the controller of the famed intel network known as "Wutong."
Lord Qilin was the code name of the principal of Ravenshade High in his prime—a legendary figure.
---
The Lord of Ravenshade continued, "Knowing who you two really are, I'm far less worried now. If anyone can handle this situation, it's you."
But the principal simply waved off the compliment.
"I'm not Lord Qilin anymore. I'm just Ethan's grandfather—and his school principal."
The headmistress elder also smiled wryly. "Same here. I'm no longer Lady Vermilion Bird. I'm Ethan's grandma. That's it."
Her voice turned cold. "Now, considering all the resources I have with my intel network, the fact that I still didn't know what you've been hiding... you'd better explain."
---
The Lord of Ravenshade sighed and finally revealed the secret.
"In my treasure vault... there's a drop of evil spirit's blood."
---
"WHAT?"
Even the calm, battle-hardened headmistress and principal were shocked. Their eyes widened in disbelief.
Everyone in the Dragon Kingdom knew that the origin of Outsiders was tied to evil gods. Their powers often came from forbidden contracts, and just a single drop of blood from such a god could be catastrophic.
This wasn't just a treasure—it was a ticking time bomb.
That drop of blood could instantly evolve someone's talent to SSS+ tier.
If news got out, every Outsider across the continent would come running—and kill to obtain it.
---
The Lord of Ravenshade looked exhausted.
"If I had a choice... I would've either destroyed it or reported it long ago. But I couldn't. You both understand the risk."
He added solemnly, "Even you, Lady Vermilion Bird, wouldn't be able to destroy it completely. That's how dangerous it is."
The principal frowned. "Then why didn't you at least carry it in your inventory? That way, it's safer."
---
The Lord sighed again.
"I tried. But... this thing is too corrupting. The stronger the professional carrying it, the stronger its power of seduction becomes. Even I couldn't resist it for long."
"Eventually, I feared that handing it over might do more harm than good. What if someone else gave in to temptation? What if the wrong hands got it?"
"So I built a sealed vault just for it."
"But over time, its evil energy still leaked out. Years ago, Fairwind was a child and wandered close to the vault. That's when he saw the red light. He lost control. People thought he had gone mad."
"To protect the secret, I stopped hiring outsiders altogether. No one was allowed near the vault."
---
He sighed again and dropped another bombshell.
"But Fairwind wasn't the only one affected. His mother—my wife—was also corrupted by the evil spirit's blood."
"What...?" the two elders were stunned.
"She began... changing. The fusion had already begun. She was falling under its spell. In the end, I had no choice... I had to end it myself."
The Lord took off his glasses, wiped them, and looked out the window.
"I told Fairwind we divorced... to spare him the pain. But the truth is... I buried her on that hill, just beyond the manor."
---
Turning back, he forced a smile.
"Well, it feels better to finally say it out loud. But please... don't tell Fairwind. Let him keep believing the simpler version of the story."
---
The headmistress nodded slowly. She understood the cost of such secrets.
"So... what now?"
---
The Lord's expression grew serious.
"One thing is clear—the evil spirit's blood is like a beacon to Outsiders. They'll come no matter what. But the butler—the man who betrayed Fairwind—likely kept the secret to himself for now."
"I've noticed more suspicious individuals entering Ravenshade recently. So I tested the waters during the city outing."
"But I didn't expect the butler himself to be the enemy leader."
---
He continued, "I've already contacted Dragon Cave for backup."
"And now that you're here, Lady Vermilion Bird, I feel more confident."
"My plan is to use the evil spirit's blood one final time—to bait them. Then we wipe them out completely."
"Even if we can't destroy the blood, eliminating the immediate threat will buy us time."
---
The two elders shared a glance, then nodded in agreement.
Together, they began discussing logistics, planning every detail. Finally, an alliance was formed.
---
Later, the principal checked the home surveillance system and noticed something odd.
"Ethan still isn't home. It's been a while."
The two of them immediately rushed back—just in time to see Ethan walking up to the door.
---
"Where have you been?!" the principal barked.
Ethan blinked. "Uh… I went to Darunhua."
"WHAT?"
Both elders froze.
You just survived an assassination attempt... and you went shopping?
Is this kid fearless—or just clueless?
---
Trying not to blow her cover, the headmistress elder smiled casually.
"I heard a rumor… things might get a bit dangerous outside Ravenshade for a while. Stay in the city and focus on leveling up, okay?"
"Alright," Ethan nodded obediently.
Trying to break the tension, the headmistress clapped her hands.
"You know what? Let's have our first family dinner together! I'll cook."
"No way," the principal protested. "Ethan, you chat with your grandma. I'll do the cooking."
"But your health—"
"It's fine! My cooking has improved a lot!"
Ethan tilted his head. Why was his grandpa so flustered?
Still, he smiled.
---
As the principal rushed into the kitchen, the headmistress elder turned to Ethan with a knowing grin.
"Your summoned beast is impressive. That big blade guy—he's... quite the character."
"...!?"
Ethan blinked. Was that a compliment? Or... did she know more than she let on?
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