Chapter 280: Going Home
"Where is this?" Katarina looked around, wondering what had happened. The last thing she remembered was that her body started to disappear as she was sucked into the screen.
She arrived in a plain white room with no corners. It felt like she was inside a never-ending space.
"Little girl, you should stop searching for me." A voice echoed from behind.
"!!!" Katarina froze. She wanted to turn back, but she stopped herself.
"Oh? You’re not going to attack me or look at me?"
Katarina took a deep breath before saying, "No, sir. You even used your power to invite me to this kind of space, so you must have your reason to appear behind me."
"Heh? Aren’t you quite a clever one?"
"I thank you for your praise."
"So, why are you investigating me?"
Katarina said without hesitation. "I was curious about a man called Auric Elfe, your son. So, I tried to investigate his family."
Only those who knew about her allegiance would realize this was a lie.
To her surprise, the other person actually saw through her lie. His voice became heavier as Katarina felt an indescribable pressure on her body. "You dare... lie to me?"
Katarina gritted her teeth. "I’m not lying."
"Hahaha. As expected of your lineage, I guess it’s not easy to crack you. Well, I’m just playing around."
Katarina heard a snap as the pressure instantly disappeared.
"I already know about your little pledge. However, you should stop investigating me. I don’t want him to lose his subordinate. Besides, it’s good that you know where your loyalty lies and don’t give away information easily even to his family.
"This is my final warning to you. If you continue to search for me, I’ll have no choice but to eliminate you.
"However, since you’ve pledged yourself to him, I will tell you one thing so that you won’t return empty-handed.
"Tell him that once all his elements reach rank 3, his chubby friend will tell him something."
Katarina didn’t understand what was going on. Auric’s family turned out to be much more extraordinary than she originally thought.
When she first did a background check on Auric, his family looked extremely normal. They were well-off, but they didn’t particularly stand out.
Having a genius like Auric as their son would be a dream for all parents.
However, after this incident, she realized that Auric’s family wasn’t normal, which was probably why Auric wasn’t normal.
"That’s all. I hope the next time we meet, it won’t be in this place."
She heard another snap as the space started to crumble.
"!!!" Katarina’s heart skipped a beat, wondering what was going on. The next thing she realized, she had returned to her room.
"Haa... ha..." She was on all fours while panting heavily. ’This... What did I just experience? A unique element? This is the first time I’ve seen a unique element this powerful... What’s going on with his family?
’Is this a jackpot or a Pandora’s box?’ Katarina didn’t know what to think. On the one hand, having an extraordinary family would elevate Auric’s status. On the other hand, an extraordinary family meant a family with many enemies.
’I guess this is considered mission accomplished?’ Katarina tried to regain her composure. "Well, Auric wanted me to investigate his father, so it’s clear he doesn’t know about his father’s capabilities. How much should I tell Auric?"
Katarina sighed. "I really want to tell everything, but his father might stop me. Still, I guess it’s fine. That chubby friend of his might tell him that secret. So, I just have to hold back until then."
It wasn’t an easy decision. As his subordinate, she thought about telling everything, including that white space and his ability. As his advisor, she knew this kind of information wouldn’t be good for him.
After regaining her composure, she decided to call Auric.
"Hi. I’ve got what you want."
"That fast?"
"Yeah. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Auric thought for a moment. "How about my father?"
"Well, I do have two pieces of information. The first piece contains information about your father. The second piece is also information about your father, but if I tell you about it, I might get into trouble and I won’t be able to help you anymore. Do you want to hear both?"
This was Katarina’s choice. Instead of making a decision by herself, she entrusted that decision to Auric.
As expected, she still wanted to tell him everything. So, if Auric really wanted both pieces, she would tell him everything. At the very least, this would complete her mission, and she didn’t hide anything from Auric.
At the same time, she would be disappointed in Auric if he wanted both after she had explicitly told him about the risk.
If he were to hear it, he would lose her. This was a choice for Auric to see whether she was a trustworthy person or just a pawn that could be thrown away easily.
To her surprise, Auric answered without hesitation. "First one."
"!!!" Katarina hoped Auric gave that answer, but she expected him to think about it for a bit. Yet he actually showed no hesitation in giving that answer. In a way, this showed how much he trusted her and the fact that she might be irreplaceable to him.
After all, he prioritized her safety over his own curiosity.
Katarina smiled, feeling relieved. It looked like she didn’t follow the wrong person.
"I’ve got a piece of information from your father. He wanted me to pass this message on to you. Once all your elements reach rank 3, your chubby friend will tell you about something."
"My chubby friend..." Auric fell silent. Obviously, he recognized who it was. He only had one cute, chubby friend; it was Lindwurm. And it was obvious that his father knew about Lindwurm.
After a minute, Auric let out a sigh. "I see. Thanks."
"No need to thank me. Instead, I should apologize to you. I don’t think I will be able to dig up any more information about your father."
"I expect that after you told me about the second piece. No need to feel guilty. I should be the one apologizing for endangering your life."
"Not at all." Katarina paused for a few seconds. "So, do you want to hear about the organization?"
"Is it done?"
"I asked my people to investigate it while we were in the ruins. I came home to sort through the information, so yeah, I found a lot."
"Well, is it going to be risky to tell me on the phone?"
"Not really, but it’s true that telling you directly is a much safer option."
"In that case, come to Thunderer City. Also, you might need to stay here for five to seven days. I’ve promised to tell you the reason why you won’t regret your choice, right?"
"I understand. I’ll arrange the transport immediately. I should be there tomorrow morning."
"Take your time."
Katarina smiled. It looked like she had gotten everything she wanted. She found that Auric was a leader worth following. At the same time, she realized that Auric’s background wasn’t as simple as she expected.
...
After taking care of the situation with the Relesha family as well as settling the deal regarding the artifacts, Auric finally returned to Thunderer City.
Of course, going home was his priority. It had been a very long time since he had gone home, so he was missing his mother.
Auric told her about all his experiences to make up for leaving her for a whole month. It didn’t look like anything special, but the time he spent with his mother gave him warmth.
Auric was also waiting for the materials. He asked the Relesha family to find him suppliers because he had promised to let Lindwurm get a buffet.
If he bought everything in Thunderer City, the stock would decrease significantly, and the price would rise. It would make the economy in the city unstable, so Auric didn’t want to harm the citizens because of a feast he had promised to Lindwurm.
Lindwurm understood his gesture and agreed with his arrangement.
After making sure that his mother was doing fine, Auric finally returned to college. It looked like they had heard about his achievement outside since people were talking about him, Ellia, and Eric.
Nevertheless, he thought about powering Eric up after this incident. There were a few people who Auric could trust with his secret. Eric was one of them.
If he wanted, he could have spread the fact that he was Sunlight. The fact that Eric didn’t say anything about it showed his integrity.
That was why Auric thought he could increase Eric’s talent.
Besides, Eric was extremely useful to the team. He might not be as flashy as the others, but Eric would always be there, patching all the holes in the team. Without him, they wouldn’t have such a smooth trip.
Still, there was definitely one place he would love to visit before visiting Eric or meeting Katarina.
Auric knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Auric carefully opened the door and waved playfully as he took a peek inside. "Hello, Teacher. How are you doing?"
Maya’s expression turned solemn when she saw Auric. "Sit down. We have a lot to talk about."
"Ahaha..." Auric smiled awkwardly, understanding his teacher’s personality. He slowly entered and sat in front of her.
Maya put down the document she had been reviewing and asked, "Why did you do it?"
"What did I do?"
"You know exactly what I’m talking about." Maya looked at him, clearly not amused.
Auric paused for a moment before smiling. "I don’t think my decision was wrong."
"I didn’t ask for it."
"I know."
"You should have asked for something useful for yourself."
"I know."
"Do you know how much you’re missing out because of that decision?"
"I know." Auric kept giving her the same answer.
"I can just wait for a few more years."
"I disagree!" After giving the same answer three times, he abruptly denied her this time. He looked at Maya and continued with a solemn tone. "You are my teacher. You have done a lot for me. While it’s true that your method is quite surprising at times, you’ve fulfilled your role as my teacher.
"In that case, it’s time for me to play my role as your student. I know you love your family, even though you’ve been bickering with them a lot. Now you can go home. After missing my mom for so long, I know how painful it is to be unable to return to the family you love so much.
"Besides, without you, I won’t feel assured to leave my mom behind. That’s why I made this decision.
"A few years... you may be able to endure it for a few more years, but as your student, I can’t accept it."
Maya bit her lip. "Still, you shouldn’t have sacrificed that much for me. I haven’t done anything that big for you."
"Then, let’s do something big, not just once, but many times." Auric smiled.
Maya was completely speechless. Against this student of hers, she really had a hard time making a comeback.
All she wanted was Auric to be a bit more selfish.
"You really..." Maya sighed, admitting her defeat.