Chapter Twenty-Six

The village elder walked towards Arnin with a large smile. Behind him, Lilise and Elidia followed with their heads low. Both of the girls were unsure as to why Arnin had suddenly left the village. Lilise was able to feel the tension in Ashia and Florian firsthand, so she was even more confused as to why Arnin had left.

"Arnin, when did you get here? It seems you got here quicker than us? You should have gotten here tomorrow at the earliest if you went through the path that I made for you." The old man looked questionably at Arnin. He knew that if Arnin went by foot, he would have made it here tomorrow at least. Suddenly, Vilis came running from behind Arnin.

"Arnin, watch out!" The old man and the two girls yelled at the same time, but Arnin didn't move an inch.

"This here is my beast, Vilis. I met him in the danger area when he was really injured. I helped him out and he began to follow me around." Arnin used the same lie he used on Kelnorin, on the three. He couldn't tell them he had demon powers which was the reason behind Vilis following him.

The old man patted his chest and took a deep breath. He looked at Arnin with some complicated feelings before walking towards him. He bent down and moved his head next to Arnin's right ear.

"I met miss Avian at my home before I came. Both of your parents are extremely worried about you and it seems like miss Avian is set on finding you. Are you really alright with being away from your parents?" The village elder whispered silently into Arnin's ear. He didn't want Lilise or Elidia hearing what he was saying. The village elder knew how much Arnin's mother was worrying. He saw her face when she first barged into his home with Avian.

"Old man, you don't need to worry about me. I need to get out and become stronger, that is my goal. All you need to do is abide by the contract and protect my family. If something does happen to them, then pray I don't find out." Arnin seriously looked at the old man as murder appeared in his eyes. During the five years that he was with his family, he developed a love for them. Ashia and Florian were his second parents, and he didn't want them to die like his first ones. However, he still had his initial goal of breaking through in his cultivation so that he could finally enter the other places. Plus, he could develop his understanding of time and possibly master it, which would bring his power to a completely new level.

The old man moved his head back and stared into Arnin's eyes. Although he could feel the power inside the beast and knew that the beast was possibly stronger than him, he feared Arnin a little more. He had the eyes of a killer, someone who experienced battle and death.

"Don't worry, I will do my best to follow the contract, just make sure you don't forget your own part. You will protect my granddaughters in the academy." The old man also said what he wanted.

Arnin nodded his head and walked towards the two girls. First, he glanced at Elidia for a moment before walking in front of Lilise. He lifted her hand and inserted his threads into her body. He discovered that she had recovered a good portion of her worldly essence, but she still wasn't in the Orb Birth- Earth realm. The old man watched with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You didn't complete her training, so she hasn't gotten to Orb Birth- Earth yet. I was able to help remove a majority of the problem and allow her to cultivate throughout the trip, but it still wasn't enough." The old man spoke with some annoyance. He trusted Arnin to help her get to Orb Birth- Earth, but Arnin left so early that the job wasn't completed.

"Old man, you talk as though you cured her and helped her get to this stage. Don't forget that I cured her ailment and also got her to finally cultivate with little to no knowledge of how to do so. Plus, you were the one who suddenly dumped her on me, without even ask for my consent. So, don't go trying to act like you did most of the work." When Arnin first bumped into them, he was in a good mood, but because of the old man mentioning his parents, he couldn't help but fall into a bad mood. Plus, the village elder began to act like he was in charge, which bugged Arnin quite a bit.

Lilise and Elidia noticed the tension between the two and couldn't help but feel that something bad happened.

"Arnin, you know as well as I do why I'm mad." Arnin didn't budge and only continued to stare at the village elder. He knew the real reason why the old man was pissed. He killed the family of the old man's second-in-command. The old man knew Arnin for a few days, while he knew the second-in-command for dozens of years. He would, of course, have more feelings towards the second-in-command then Arnin. Plus, the contract that Arnin made him sign forced the old man to go against the second-in-command if he wanted revenge. All of these reasons would make anyone very mad.

"Don't blame me. I warned you that this contract might be something burdensome, it was your fault for agreeing, so quit pointing fingers." Arnin didn't care that the old man was in a bad mood. He had some good feelings towards the old man, but he didn't consider him a friend or any of that sort. The only people in Afloria that he had feelings towards were his own family.

"Umm, can we all calm down? We haven't met in a while so we should be happy, not mad." Lilise broke the tension when she spoke out. She didn't want to see her grandfather getting into a fight with Arnin.

"Lilise, what are you saying? Arnin and I are not fighting, we are only talking about grown-up stuff. So, don't worry, we are not mad. Right, Arnin?" The village elder spoke quickly. Arnin nodded his head and shifted his gaze towards Lilise.

"Don't worry, we aren't fighting. This is just how boy's talk." Arnin didn't hate Lilise. Since he did train her for a small period of time, and she had a good relationship with his family, he found her to be somewhat likable.

"Back to the main topic. Since we have just arrived, Lilise and Elidia need to go and get signed up for the academy. Arnin, you also need to get signed up so come with me. You guys don't have to do the examination." The old man was proud when he spoke. He was proud that he had connections with someone in the academy that would allow his family to get in without doing the entry exam.

"About that, I already did the exam yesterday, and I passed. I can wait by the side while you sign them up." Arnin casually pointed out that he was already accepted. He was early so he had already completed the whole process, plus he was going to possibly join the Moth group.

"Y-you what?! You have been accepted? Wait, when did you get here?" The old man was astonished. He didn't expect that Arnin was already accepted in.

"Wait! Didn't you say that you met the beast in the danger area? Don't tell me! You went through the danger area?" The old man began to sweat. The reason he marked the danger area as off limits was because it was supposed to have beasts who were Rank One - Earth and above. Arnin wouldn't have been capable of traversing the place.

"The danger area wasn't too chaotic. Especially since I had Vilis, the other beasts just stayed away. I got here yesterday because of Vilis' speed." The old man couldn't help but curse Arnin's luck. It was just too good. He ran into a beast that was very strong and was even able to tame it. Not only that, but he was accepted into the academy.

"Well, since you are already accepted, then let me just get Lilise and Elidia into the academy." The old man knew that Arnin was very mysterious. He had always ignored the secrets that Arnin hid, so he decided to do the same again.

"Let me come with you. I want to meet this person who is helping you with this process." Arnin was curious as to who would allow the village elder to enroll his granddaughters into the academy without taking the test. Although the academy allowed for this to happen, a teacher would usually have a quota of three people every half a year.

"Sure. Lilise, Elidia, when you enter the academy make sure that you wholeheartedly cultivate. Listen to all of your teachers and try your best. Arnin will be there to help you with whatever he can, so during emergencies listen to him, alright?" Lilise nodded, but Elidia abruptly turned her head.

"He is younger than me, why do I have to listen to him?" Elidia was stubborn. She didn't want to listen to someone who was younger than her.

"The reason you listen to me is simple. I am strong and you are weak. The weak must follow the strong, that is how the world works." Arnin dropped a bucket of water on her head with his statement. Elidia knew that she was weaker than Arnin, but she didn't want to listen to a person younger than her.

"Elidia, although you are older than Arnin, you're still young. Arnin is different than other children, he is extremely mature and is also very strong. No one is telling you to listen to his command during your training or anything, but if an emergency comes up, you must do what Arnin says. Alright?" Elidia pouted when she was told that Arnin was mature.

'I am also mature." She couldn't help but have this thought, however, since her grandfather was the one saying then she could only listen. She nodded her head in approval, but she still didn't look at Arnin. When she first met Arnin, she had high hopes for him and thought of him to be very strong. Later, when she found that Arnin ran away from home, she couldn't help but become disappointed and look down on him.

The village elder lightly laughed before walking towards the gates. There were two long lines in front of the gate, one was for the examination, while the other was for the teacher quotas. The village elder took out two stones that had a butterfly insignia. Arnin looked at them and noticed that there was also a name printed on them. Getek.

When the group of four finally reached the front of the line, they were met with a teacher with grey hair.

"Stones please." The teacher didn't ask for names or anything, he only asked for the stones. The village elder quickly took out the stones and presented the teacher with them. When the old guy took the stones and inspected them, he couldn't help but look at the village elder seriously.

"I'd like to apologize, but Getek has told me to inform the party with his stones that he wishes to use the stones for his own family." The words attacked the village elder like a missile.

"What do you mean? Getek told me that I could use his quota for my grandchildren. Can I speak to Getek?" The old man was very anxious, and his face was becoming red with embarrassment. Arnin watched everything with a calm expression.

"I am sorry, but Getek is busy at the moment. Sir, there are others in the line so I would like to ask you to move to the examination one. You can try your luck there, however without a quota from a teacher, I cannot permit entrance through this method." The old teacher spoke in a very monotone manner. He didn't care whether someone had or didn't have a quota, he only did what he was told.

The village elder walked out of the line with his two granddaughters. "What is going on? Getek told me that I could use his quota. Why did he suddenly change his mind?" The village elder had a red face, he was both embarrassed and angry. Lilise and Elidia had concern written on their faces. They were mostly concerned about their grandpa rather than their own entrance.

"Arnin, Arnin, over here!" Suddenly, the group of four heard someone call Arnin's name from the back. All of them turned around and saw a teacher running towards them. In his hands was a robe and a card. The teacher was Xillar.

"Arnin, I have your robe and identification card for the Academy. Also, you are to be enlisted straight into the Moth group because of your scores in the exam." Xillar had an expression of excitement. He knew that Arnin had the capability of a fighter after watching his spar Brajus, plus Arnin was also incredibly talented in mark making. "You are also going to be joining the Mark Master classes since your talent in the area is very high." This was the news that Xillar wanted to say the most. Although the Moth group was difficult to join, it was still far easier than the Mark Master classes. Only students with high talent in Animo could join.

The village elder and the two girls listened with shock. Although the two girls didn't know about the Moth group, they could feel that it was a special group. The old man was, however, was very shocked. He knew what the Moth group was, and even knew what a Mark Master was. He looked at Arnin with surprise and astonishment. He couldn't believe that Arnin was so capable. He also felt very glum; Arnin was accepted into the academy but he wasn't so sure that Lilise and Elidia had the capability for that. Lilise wasn't even in a cultivation realm yet, so her chances were almost zero. Elidia was in Orb Birth - Earth, but she had never experienced a fight.

Arnin noticed that the village elder was somewhat depressed and knew the reason behind that.

"Teacher Xillar, I have a favor to ask of you." Arnin decided that Xillar could help him with this.

"Ask whatever you need. Since you are in the Moth group, you and I will be in the same academy section because I'm Moth group teacher." Xillar was very proud when he spoke. His nose faced the sky and his chest was puffed out, but Arnin had no reaction.

"Well, do you have any quotas for student entries? I would like to use two of yours." The village elder was very surprised when Arnin said that. The hope in his eyes was reignited after Arnin's question. He could only gratefully look at Arnin. Lilise looked at Arnin with some happiness, while Elidia showed less hate.

"Quotas? Of course, I do. As a Moth group teacher, I can bring as many students in as I want, unlike those Butterfly teachers who only get three. Haha! So, what do you need them for?" Xillar finally noticed the village elder and the two girls. He smirked when he saw the two girls and suddenly thought of a wicked plan.

"So, you want me to help these two girls in? Of course, I can do that!" The three were extremely happy, however, Arnin noticed a spark in Xillar's eyes.

"But?" Arnin knew there must be a catch.

"I want you to join the academy guards. You will still be able to go to your classes, but you will also have to go outside the academy and clean out the forest of beasts." The wicked smile on Xillar grew. The guards were prestigious, but they had to be extremely loyal to the academy. If Arnin became a guard then he would have to sign a contract which would make him unable to go against the academy in the future.

"No. You want me to pledge my loyalty to the academy, right? Well, I'm not going to do that. If you want to set such a condition, I will just leave this academy and go find a new one. If you prevent me from doing even that, then watch as I crumble down this place in the future." Arnin began to release a small amount of his aura which caused Vilis to howl. The village elder and the two girls panicked because of Arnin's threat. Xillar's smile froze and he also released a small amount of aura which suffocated the people from the surroundings. Everyone, counting the village elder and the girls, began to tremble, however, Arnin had no reaction. Rather, he increased his own aura.

"You want to crumble this academy? Do you really think that you can escape this place alive?" Xillar grew serious. The quick personality change caught everyone by surprise, however, Arnin already planned this. A Moth teacher had an unlimited supply of quotas, why? Because they were extremely loyal to the academy. Only the most loyal teachers would be allowed to train the talented.

"Do you want to test me?" Arnin didn't budge under Xillar's pressure. Suddenly, Xillar released a smile.

"Fine, you win. If I hurt you, then not only will I lose my favorite newbie, but Kelnorin might get mad at me. I will give them my quotas; however, you have to accept a different condition of mine." Xillar stopped releasing his aura and spoke calmly to Arnin.

"What is it?" Arnin also stopped, but he kept a good distance from Xillar, which was obviously noticed by him.

"You have to work in the Mark Master section. You don't have to be loyal or anything, however, you will become a student plus work in that department. Is that a deal?" Arnin thought about it for a moment and weighed the pros and cons. He could practice his mark making and also get real-life experience. However, he might expose some of his own secret powers, which was something he didn't want.

"I will accept it, only if you provide me with the orthodox way of making marks. I believe I will get better results that way." Xillar thought for a moment before nodding his head.

"That's fine too. You're really sucking me dry; you know that Arnin? Here, give these two stones to the girls. I have to go get you registered as a worker in the Mark Master department. Hehe!" Xillar quickly vanished into thin air, leaving the group of four alone.

"Now, the stones have been taken care of, let's go sign them up for the academy." Arnin walked in the front and led the way to the quota's line.

In a dark room, three people silently gathered, including Xillar.

"Xillar, how did it go? Do you think that he will be a threat?" The person asking was none other than Kelnorin.

"Well, he won't be loyal to our academy, that's for certain, however, I don't think he will be an enemy, unless provoked. What should we do with him, he is very different than the other children." Xillar had a concerned face while he spoke.

"Do nothing for now. He is no threat to us. He is still young and if we kill him, then the public will question us, plus that woman has told us not to touch him. She is too difficult to deal with, so let him be. Just try not to provoke him and keep an eye on him." The person who ended the conversation was none other than the principal of the academy.