Chapter12-A Twinge of Conscience

"The potion is indeed complete."

Joad nodded, turned around, and brought out several bottles and jars from the room, handing them to Ivy.

"These potions are extremely valuable. You must take good care of them."

A look of joy and excitement instantly appeared on Ivy's face. She carefully took the potions, cradling them in her arms, and then eagerly asked Joad,

"Thank you, Joad. I won't let your efforts go to waste."

Joad responded with a smile, though what he truly thought was—just give me mana stones, and that would be the best repayment.

But when he saw Ivy about to drink a potion directly, he immediately stepped forward to stop her.

"Wait, Ivy. These potions have a special way of being used."

"What I mean is, you need to go to the Fallen Lands of the Academy and use them there."

"Right, you probably don't know what the Fallen Lands are, do you? I'll take you there!"

Ivy nodded vigorously, thanked him, and couldn't help but take a closer look at this peculiar Joad.

It seemed Joad wasn't as despicable as the rumors claimed. At the very least, he seemed somewhat trustworthy.

If Joad knew what Ivy was thinking, he would surely scoff.

What a joke—if the potion didn't work, he would permanently lose Ivy's trust as his benefactor.

Without trust, how would he make money in the future?

After all, rich girls like Ivy, who were both easygoing (and easy to deceive) as well as generous, weren't easy to come by!

Deep within the Royal Academy,

The Fallen Lands Joad mentioned lay beneath the lake before them.

But what Ivy didn't expect was that Joad's appearance in the Fallen Lands caused a minor stir among the students.

"Oh my god, Joad actually came to the Fallen Lands again!"

"The last time, he ran out scared out of his wits, and now he dares to come back?"

"Joad, you'd better be careful this time!"

…

The students murmured amongst themselves, though there was no real malice in their words.

Joad greeted them briefly before helplessly explaining to Ivy,

"They're just a bunch of nosy thickheads, but they mean no harm."

"Forget them. If you want to become a real array master, you need a strong affinity with mana. Right now, your affinity is only at Level 1, which is still far behind Leit."

"This isn't just a gap—it's worlds apart!"

Ivy clenched her fists, feeling discouraged. Leit's mana affinity was as high as Level 6—she wasn't even on the same playing field!

Joad, however, waved his hand nonchalantly and said,

"Mana affinity is something that improves with long-term practice. But… since you have the potions I made, your struggles will be significantly reduced."

"Starting today, as long as you come to the Fallen Lands and meditate for two hours each day, I guarantee that before long, you'll reach Level 2 affinity."

"Thank you, Joad!"

Ivy thanked him once again, though her tone carried a hint of suspicion. Joad seemed to know far too much about the Fallen Lands and array masters.

But soon, another question emerged in her mind—why did Joad know so much, yet his own strength didn't seem to match his knowledge at all?

Ivy parted her lips, wanting to ask but unsure how to bring it up.

Joad, as if reading her mind, chuckled and said,

"Ivy, everyone has different pursuits. Take you, for example—do you truly love being an array master?"

Ivy fell silent, because deep down, she knew that her choice to become an array master was mostly due to her admiration for Leit.

If not for Leit, she wouldn't have had any interest in becoming an array master at all.

One sought to chase Leit, the other sought to earn mana stones—it was simply a matter of mutual benefit.

Over the following days,

Joad took Ivy to the Fallen Lands every day, helping her train her affinity with mana.

To ensure his benefactor had the best possible experience, Joad even took the initiative to explain many concepts to Ivy.

Thus, a strange phenomenon appeared in the Fallen Lands.

Normally, increasing one's mana affinity was extremely difficult. But under Joad's guidance, Ivy's mana affinity actually grew day by day!

After following along for a few days and confirming Ivy was progressing smoothly, Joad finally decided to return to his dormitory.

But the moment he arrived and had barely caught his breath, he was startled by a series of rapid knocks on his door.

Lena barged in furiously, her delicate face flushed red, her round almond eyes glaring—she looked just like an enraged kitten.

"Joad!"

"Why haven't you come to see me these past few days?"

Joad was taken aback, staring at the fuming Lena in confusion.

"Lena? When have I ever gone to see you?"

Lena was momentarily choked by Joad's natural-sounding retort, but her anger flared even stronger as she stomped her foot hard.

"Joad, you've changed! You weren't like this before!"

"Ever since that Ivy showed up, you've been circling around her all day, completely ignoring me!"

A surge of grievance and rage filled her heart like a tidal wave. Unable to hold back any longer, Lena burst into tears, large drops falling one after another.

Joad panicked instantly, a chill running down his spine.

If other students saw this, who knew what kind of rumors would spread?

"Lena, calm down! This is the Academy, everyone's watching!"

But Lena didn't care about Joad's attempt to reason with her. Instead, she cried even harder.

"I won't calm down! If you don't explain yourself, I'll tell my headmaster father that you bullied me and have him deal with you!"

The moment Joad heard the words "headmaster father," the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Lena, calm down! I have something to do, I'm leaving first!"

Lena froze, tears still hanging on her face, staring in disbelief as Joad fled for his life.

She had thought he would comfort her. But instead…

"Joad! You—you actually ran away!"

…

Joad ran straight out of the Royal Academy, patting his chest in relief.

"My god, the headmaster's daughter… absolutely untouchable!"

Turning, he made his way toward the College of Potion, planning to unwind there.

The College of Potion's junior students had excellent massage techniques—it was the perfect place to relax.

But just then, a cold voice sounded from behind him.

"Joad, why are you back so early?"

Joad stiffened and turned to see Harvey standing not far away, his expression serious as he looked at him.

"Brother? What are you doing here?"

"Well… I broke through a rank, so I returned early."

"What about you, brother? How's your meditation been going?"

Harvey furrowed his brows, about to answer, when suddenly, a familiar voice erupted in the distance, filled with anger and grievance.

Lena's furious figure came charging toward them.

"Joad! You really are here!"

"If you don't explain yourself, I swear I'll tell my father! I'm not joking!"

Harvey hesitated, glancing at Joad, then at the raging Lena.

Suddenly, he felt that perhaps… he shouldn't be here.

So he promptly turned and left, not forgetting to remind Joad,

"Joad, I've already signed you up for the Academy's spellbeast tide resistance mission. I'll take you with me when the time comes!"

I'm not going…

Joad scratched his head in frustration.

His brother Harvey was just too much…

Lena, however, showed no sign of letting up. She continued angrily,

"Joad, tell me clearly! What exactly is your relationship with Ivy?!"

"No relationship. Absolutely none!"

Joad shook his head resolutely, a look of helplessness flashing across his face.

"I was only trying to match Ivy with Leit to earn some mana stones."

"You should know… my father, Marquis Whide, has seemingly been kidnapped."

"I need a large amount of mana stones to pay the ransom. But given my situation, you know how it is, so…"

The moment Lena heard Joad's explanation, all her anger vanished.

So that's how it was—Joad didn't actually like that annoying Ivy!

Realizing this, Lena's mood instantly brightened again.

She patted Joad's shoulder sympathetically and said seriously,

"Don't worry, Joad. I'll make sure you get enough mana stones."