Chapter 213: Ch213: The Price of Potential (1)
Daniel’s eyes fell on the parchment in Marco’s hands. At the top, large calligraphic letters read: TRANSFER DECREE.
Marco’s hands trembled slightly as his gaze settled on the seal at the bottom left — the official mark confirming that the Royal Academy had approved the transfer.
’What the fuck is this man thinking?’ Daniel thought, narrowing his eyes at Alucard.
Alucard calmly took the parchment back and held it out to Daniel.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Think about it before you reject it."
But before Daniel could take it, Marco snatched the parchment from Alucard’s hand and stepped between them, his expression twisted with disgust, as though he had already taken an instant dislike to the man.
"Take this back and get lost. Never show me your face again."
However, Alucard didn’t seem fazed. He simply took the parchment back from Marco and handed it to Daniel once more.
The young shamans froze where they stood, their attention fixed on the unfolding confrontation.
Nearby, Daniel, Elira, and Cinderela stood with their hands clasped, watching the exchange in tense silence.
"Are you insulting me? Didn’t you hear what I just said?" Marco snapped.
But when Marco reached for the parchment again, Alucard caught his wrist and stopped him.
Daniel’s eyes widened, as he had never seen his master this hot-headed before. Marco was visibly losing his temper, with such a clear intention to tear the parchment apart that anyone could sense it.
"Let go of my hand," Marco demanded, his voice growing colder.
"You know it won’t end well if you do that," Alucard warned, his tone calm but firm.
Daniel noticed the hairs on his arms slowly rising. A strange sense of danger prickled across his skin as the tension between the two men reached its breaking point.
"Stop! You two, it’s—"
Cinderela tried to calm them down, but before she could finish, a bolt of lightning erupted from the ground between them and shot straight into the sky.
*BOOM*
Before Marco could reach for the parchment again, another bolt of lightning struck his shoulder in a split second.
*CRACK!*
The impact sent him flying backward, his body skidding across the ground.
"Master!!"
The young shamans rushed forward after witnessing the scene, hurrying toward their fallen master.
Cinderela and Elira stared in shock, their palms flying to their mouths in disbelief before they rushed after them.
Meanwhile, Alucard placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder and leaned closer, lowering his voice to a whisper.
"People would pay thousands of gold coins for this opportunity, yet you’re being offered it for free. All I’m saying is, if you want to learn everything about the world, obtain greater power, and sharpen your abilities in ways you never imagined, you can sign it."
He paused, his eyes shifting toward Marco.
"Or you can reject the offer, stay with your weak master, and hope to become just like him someday..."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Weak."
Hearing those words, Daniel couldn’t help but think about how strong Marco truly was. He had witnessed everything they had gone through — the dungeons, the brutal training, the guidance, and the countless lessons Marco had given them.
For someone who had only appeared a day ago to judge his master and call him weak, Alucard had no right to say such things.
But as Daniel’s eyes drifted toward his master, who lay on the ground clutching his injured shoulder, his expression changed.
Marco struggled to stand, relying on his students for support.
The words that had been burning on Daniel’s tongue died before they could leave his mouth.
"Hey, mister! How dare you hurt our master!" Bernard shouted, his eyes blazing with anger.
Cinderela hovered her palm over Marco’s injured shoulder. Small red particles began to flow from her hand, drifting into the wound and slowly knitting the damaged flesh back together.
Marco gritted his teeth, his right eye twitching from the sharp pain as his heartbeat quickened and gaze fell on Alucard’s hand resting on Daniel’s shoulder.
To Marco, the sight made it seem as though Alucard had already convinced his student.
But in reality, Daniel hadn’t made a decision at all. He was simply caught between confusion and shock, trying to process everything that had just happened.
’Transfer Decree,’ Daniel thought, his eyes lingering on the parchment as he read its contents.
Meanwhile, Alucard stepped in front of Marco and dropped a thick stack of papers at his feet.
"Remember this, Marco?"
Marco’s expression changed instantly — the look of someone who had just been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. In response, he said nothing, but the cold stare in his eyes told Alucard everything he needed to know.
"How can you trust someone who has been falsifying your reports, Daniel?" Alucard announced, his tone turning cold. "You really thought you could get away with it and never be punished?"
He paused, then continued.
"But don’t think I’m like the others. Master Zeus respects you. This report hasn’t been submitted to the Royal Academy yet."
Alucard pointed toward the stack of papers at Marco’s feet.
"So choose, Marco. Either keep your position as a teacher and save these nine other students, or send Daniel to the Royal Academy. That’s the only way you can get out of this situation."
A heavy silence settled over the training ground.
Marco slowly turned his gaze toward his students, looking at each of them in silence before finally meeting Alucard’s gaze.
"And what? They will simply break them with excessive training, drive them to the point of madness, and push them beyond their limits just because you want them into stronger and more durable soldiers?" Marco asked, his voice laced with restrained anger.
"Times have changed, Marco. This isn’t the world you remember from back then. And tell me, what choice do you have? You know I’m the only one who’s trying to help you, and you still tried to hit me?"
Alucard shook his head.
"Fine. If you want to ruin all of your students’ lives, so be it. I won’t interfere. I’ve already wasted enough of my time."
With that, Alucard turned away with a disappointed expression, and reached for the parchment in Daniel’s hand, but stopped when Daniel refused to let go.
"Master... I should go to the Royal Academy," Daniel said, his voice carrying a mixture of hesitation and resolve.