Chapter 537: Chapter 256: Hello, Classmate

"Can you explain in more detail? What this is all about..."

Hearing the students’ indignant curses, Lin Mo couldn’t help but ask.

’So it’s not what I thought? There’s another reason for this?’

"It’s Sartre!"

A more hot-tempered student exclaimed, "That bastard is a student at the Kingdom Ranger Academy, and he’s their top student... but it’s not because he’s talented or hardworking. It’s because he has a good father."

"Oh?"

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Sartre’s father is Duke Sed Morin, one of the most powerful Grand Dukes in the Kingdom."

The calmer boy to the side answered.

’Him again?’

Lin Mo froze. ’Is it a coincidence, or is Duke Sed Morin just involved in every wicked thing imaginable?’

’It feels like every time something bad happens, he’s involved somehow.’

"Sartre is arrogant and always flaunts his power, constantly bullying other students. Eve has clashed with him over it a few times. On top of that, he’s not as strong as Eve, so she always outshines him. Over time, his resentment toward her grew, and he’d resort to dirty tricks every now and then."

"I just can’t believe he’d be this audacious!"

"This isn’t just some petty squabble at the academy..."

Eve shook her head. "And this isn’t a decision Sartre could have made on his own."

"Exactly. His father, Duke Sed Morin, must be involved."

Listening to the conversation, Mi Lan pieced everything together. "So, they want to win first place in the upcoming Hunting Competition, but they’re afraid they can’t beat Eve. Is that why they chose this method to eliminate their competition ahead of time?"

"That seems to be the case."

The calmer boy nodded. "And the reason they’d take such a desperate risk is probably related to the recently established Nolen Commerce Association."

"I see..."

Lin Mo nodded thoughtfully.

He recalled his own shopping experience at the Nolen Commerce Association. It had been quite pleasant, and their prices were very competitive.

’That must mean the Nolen Commerce Association is backed by a major power. After all, you’d need deep pockets to compete with such a low-price strategy. And without the strength to stand up to the Morin Clan, they’d never dare to so brazenly steal business from the Morlin Commerce Association.’

’The Nolen Commerce Association’s background must be so powerful that Duke Sed Morin doesn’t dare use his usual dirty tricks against them directly. To protect his existing market, his only option is to boost his family’s prestige to attract customers and compete.’

’To put it bluntly, he wants to win first place in the Hunting Competition and use it as a giant advertisement.’

’The fact that he would stop at nothing—even trying to eliminate Eve, a top student at the Kingdom National Academy—shows just how big of a threat the Nolen Commerce Association is to the Morin Clan’s businesses.’

’The risks are enormous. The Morin Clan has already provoked Vice Dean Elvis of the Mage Academy. If they cause trouble with the other academies, the combined pressure from the entire Kingdom National Academy would be something even the Morin Clan would struggle to withstand.’

’Besides, the Mage Academy only lost an Ordinary student last time. But the people here now are all Elite students from their respective academies, and Eve is the top student of the Warrior Academy. If something were to happen and the investigation led back to the Morin Clan, their already shaky foundation would crumble even faster. It would be like adding fuel to the fire, possibly leading to their complete ruin.’

’As for how my group got dragged into this,’ Lin Mo guessed, ’it was most likely a coincidence.’

’While it would have been easy for Duke Morin to get our itinerary, we were the ones who ultimately chose this mission. At most, after learning which mission we took, the Duke simply added us to his hit list.’

The general picture was clear. Based on the information they had, the Mage who attacked them should be nearby.

To be able to destroy such a vast area of the "ground," the attacker had to be an Earth Element Mage, and one at least as powerful as Flora.

People that powerful were rare in the Kingdom, making them easy to identify.

So, just as Eve predicted, they wouldn’t dare to attack directly.

Even though the chaotic fluctuations of Magic Power in the lower levels of the Giant Stone Mine could mask the traces of Magic, using it to attack them directly was another matter entirely.

With losses on this scale, the Academy would surely launch a full-scale investigation, which would naturally include the students’ cause of death. At that point, it would just be a matter of following the clues, and the whole truth would come out.

But if the Mage didn’t attack them directly, this collapse could be passed off as a simple accident in the absence of clear evidence. After all, in a place with unstable Magic Power and overrun with powerful Demons, such accidents were entirely possible.

"But they’ll definitely try to lure Demons to attack us."

"Everyone, get ready!"

Deke, now understanding the situation, had completely calmed down and returned to his usual self.

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