The Discarded Husband: Lucian Vale - The sovereign Collector

Chapter 6

The presence of Zephyr Ironveil instantly made the academy elders hold their breath anxiously in their honored seats.

Thick dust from the collapsed wall still swirled slowly in the cold morning air.

The king of the underworld stepped in with an arrogant gait that intimidated the entire room.

The academy security guards slowly retreated, trembling.

The dark reputation of the Ironveil faction as ruthless slaughterers was already a well-known and terrifying secret throughout the city.

However, this elite academy facility was not a weak place that could be destroyed so easily today.

A chief elder rose from his honored seat, his face flushed with restrained anger.

The act of forcibly destroying the main hall wall was a grave insult that could not be forgiven.

"What is the meaning of this madness, Ironveil?!" the elder barked loudly.

"You dare to break in and damage our sacred grounds?!"

"We will never allow such filthy criminal acts to escape the severe punishment of the high faction council!"

Other senior instructors stood firmly behind him as a clear show of political support.

"Our security forces are ready to cut off your head if you refuse to withdraw immediately, Zephyr!"

The academy possessed immense combat strength and an extensive political network.

They were fully capable of retaliating if forced into a bloody conflict at this very moment.

However, the elders were unwilling to take such a fatal risk at this critical time.

Especially during a sensitive faction transition.

An open war against the Ironveil faction would only bring immeasurable losses to both sides.

Zephyr merely snorted softly upon hearing the arrogant reprimands from the chief elder before him.

"Save your meaningless speeches."

Zephyr’s reply sounded cold, dismissing the entire council of the institution standing frozen there.

"I came to this noisy place only to ensure that my benefactor does not encounter troublesome problems."

That brief, threatening statement plunged the entire hall into heavy confusion.

Zephyr stopped right in front of Lucian, who still stood silently facing the elders.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zephyr suddenly dropped to one knee onto the marble floor.

He bowed his head deeply before Lucian, displaying an absolute and unquestionable gesture of submission.

"All shadow faction forces are present and ready to carry out a single command from you, Great Master Lucian."

Zephyr’s heavy voice echoed through every corner of the hall, shattering the remnants of the elders’ arrogance into pieces.

Hundreds of students exchanged disbelieving looks at the impossible sight before them.

"What kind of dark magic is this?! He must have brainwashed that underworld boss overnight!"

"Exactly! That crippled man must have sacrificed his lifespan to a forbidden demon for cheap power!"

"What a pathetic lowlife! Using such dirty means just to seek petty revenge!"

Cynical whispers began to buzz loudly across the hall.

They continued to look down on Lucian, judging his worth with prejudice.

On the grand stage, Seraphina smiled faintly at the shocking scene before her.

"How pitiful, the way you seek public attention after our peaceful divorce, my dear Lucian."

She looked at him as if he were a filthy, disease-carrying insect on the marble floor.

Meanwhile, Lucian stood upright, his pale, exhausted face completely expressionless.

He stared straight at the elders, whose faces were flushed with anger.

His purpose for coming here was far from finished, even though he had survived this morning.

"Rise, Zephyr. Do not waste your time kneeling in a place filled with an ocean of hypocrisy."

Lucian spoke softly, cutting through the noisy murmurs of the students.

"Since my protector is already here, let us quickly finish the remainder of our transaction today."

The elders frowned deeply at the bold request coming from the young man.

"I demand that the academy hand over a valuable item to me right now without any conditions."

The chief elder’s eyes widened in shock at such an arrogant demand.

"Hand over a bottle of high-grade recovery potion to me immediately, elders."

"Who do you think you are, demanding the sacred assets of our institution, you filthy bastard?!" the elder roared.

"We will never hand over such valuable resources to a sinful practitioner of dark magic like you, Lucian!"

Lucian did not bother responding to the emotional rejection and simply glanced toward Zephyr.

Zephyr understood immediately and slowly swung his massive sword through the air.

The giant blade slammed into the marble floor with a deafening boom.

"You heard clearly what my master requested, didn’t you, you old academy dogs?"

Zephyr’s threat instantly crushed the courage of the academy leaders.

"Hand over the potion now, or my forces will flatten this entire building to the ground."

The elite Ironveil troops stepped forward in unison, their boots echoing with deadly intimidation.

"We will gladly slaughter every soul in this room if you continue to refuse!"

The chief elder swallowed hard, completely cornered by the deadly situation.

Avoiding open conflict was the most rational choice for the safety of the students.

He quickly signaled a nearby guard with trembling hands.

"Retrieve a bottle of recovery potion from the secret storage and give it to him immediately."

"Hurry, before these madmen turn our sacred ground into a sea of blood!"

The guard nodded quickly and ran at full speed toward the academy’s storage chamber.

Everyone held their breath in suffocating tension as they waited.

Minutes later, the guard returned carrying an intricately carved wooden box.

Inside was a thick crystal bottle that gleamed brilliantly.

A glowing blue liquid swirled slowly within the expensive glass relic.

The guard handed the box to Lucian with trembling hands.

"Here is the potion... please do not harm us and leave this academy peacefully."

Lucian accepted it calmly and slipped it into his coat pocket.

This rare potion was crucial to saving Amara.

After obtaining what he wanted, Lucian turned to leave the hall.

However, before exiting, he walked slowly toward the marble stage.

He approached Aldric Stormbane, who maintained his composed expression.

But beneath that calm, his fists were clenched tightly.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Aldric asked with a ‘friendly’ smile.

Lucian walked past him.

As he reached Aldric’s ear, he suddenly stopped.

A faint mocking smile formed at the corner of his lips.

"The case of embezzled academy operational funds and the dead student in the botanical laboratory three years ago."

Aldric’s gaze instantly darkened, though he continued smiling.

He showed almost no reaction.