The Tamer Monarch
Chapter 49: Doubts

Chapter 49: Doubts

"Okay," Vale said, his stare still piercing Athar. "Let us assume, for a moment, that you ran away from that place after hearing a scream, Dervin’s scream and that it frightened you."

"But, Mr. VonCruz," he continued sharply, "that only explains what happened then. The real question is why did you not go to deliver your quota on the following holiday?"

"You only heard the scream," he pressed. "You did not know he was dead. So why did you not go back three days ago?"

Athar paused again, carefully choosing his words.

"I was not sure what to do," he said slowly. "That scream... it startled me. And I had a gut feeling, it was the kind of scream someone makes right before they die. The really painful and horrendous scream!"

"I thought... if everything was normal, and if Dervin had survived, someone from his side would have contacted me again. But no one did, for the whole week."

Vale raised a hand to cut him off.

"You were away the entire week for the camp," he said with a frown.

"Yeah," Athar acknowledged with a nod.

"But Dervin claimed he was part of a vast network," he added, his gaze shifting meaningfully to Vale as if to say, you are part of it too, aren’t you? Vale felt that too but did not react.

"So, I figured, if they really wanted to reach me, even while I was away, they could have."

"And when no one contacted me... I thought it was better not to return at all," Athar finished.

"Besides, I was with Miss Angelica the entire day," he added, subtly reminding Vale of his new position as a personal disciple of a respected teacher.

Vale understood the implication, but his expression remained unchanged.

He might have otherwise let this go given some leeway, out of respect for Angelica. But this matter had escalated far beyond a missed quota. The murder of one of their own had rattled the web, and the Boss was not going to let it slide even if the suspect was Angelica’s personal disciple.

Vale sighed after moments of meaningful silence.

"Let us assume," Vale said slowly, "that everything you have said so far is true. And I would not press you any further about the past."

"But on the next holiday," his voice dropped into a deeper, more commanding tone, "you will come with me and submit your quota."

Athar scratched his head. "I do not have any cores left. Only two beast cores remain."

"You only have two cores?" Vale asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes," Athar replied. "I absorb one core every day."

Vale’s eyes flashed in surprise. "You absorb a beast core daily?"

"Yes," Athar reaffirmed. "I do it before I go to sleep."

Unwittingly and in his clear ignorance, Athar had let slip another crucial piece of information.

For someone who had only awakened two weeks ago, absorbing one beast core a day was far from ordinary. But Vale did not let his expression reveal much.

"Take whatever you have," Vale said. His purpose had never been about the quota—it was about getting Athar out of the academy under any pretext, and interrogating him further.

"Cannot we go next week?" Athar asked tentatively.

Vale’s eyes hardened. "Do not test my patience. I am already dealing with you in a far better manner than these matters generally are."

"Consider it a chance," he added with a pointed look, "to meet the person you will be dealing with from now on."

Athar opened his mouth to argue, but the stern look in Vale’s eyes made him think better of it. He simply gave a final nod and exited the classroom.

As soon as Athar exited the classroom, Vale reached into his pocket and pulled out a small rectangular crystal— a short distance communicator. It was a mana tool.

He tapped the crystal, channelling mana into it. A faint hum vibrated in his hand as the connection established. Moments later, a voice crackled through the device.

"Vale."

"Axel," Vale replied.

"Did you speak to the boy?" Axel asked.

"Yes," Vale said. "But he did not reveal anything that could either confirm or clear him of suspicion."

He paused, then added, "Athar was near the building when Dervin was likely killed. He said he heard Dervin’s scream from outside."

"Oh," came Axel’s nonchalant reply.

Vale briefly recounted the main points of his conversation with Athar.

"You are bringing the boy out next holiday, right?" Axel asked.

"Yes," Vale confirmed. He hesitated, then continued, "We should handle this sensitively. He has become Angelica’s personal disciple."

He continued with a sigh, "Her strength might not be top tier, but her reputation in the academy is solid. And Sankul supports her. He would not take this lightly if anything happens."

There was a moment of silence. Then Axel’s tone turned cold, ice threading through his words.

"Vale, do not lecture us on what to do or how to handle things."

"Do your job," he boomed. "Do not bark unless told to. We know how to run our business better than you."

Vale did not react and Axel disconnected.

"Damm," was the only thing that escaped Vale’s mouth as he clenched his fist hard in frustration.

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Meanwhile, Athar walked back into his room with a blank expression. He closed the door behind him with quiet finality.

The moment it clicked shut, his face twisted into one of raw fury.

"Damn it!" he growled, slamming his fist into the wall with such force that it shook. Thankfully, nothing cracked, and the occupant of the neighbouring room was not present to hear it.

His knuckles had bruised but he did not care for them.

Athar paced, fists clenched, his body trembling with pent-up rage.

Frustration burned in his chest. He had anticipated that someone would eventually contact him. Dervin had claimed there was a large web, after all.

But an instructor of the academy? That had blindsided him. How rotten the system was?

He had always assumed Vale was just one of those soft-spoken, rule bound teachers. One of those kinds who upheld discipline and academy values. But all those assumptions had shattered in that classroom.

Vale was part of the extortion network. And now it seemed he was on the verge of dragging Athar into it directly.

Athar did not know how to respond. He had thought invoking Angelica’s name would shift the balance in his favour or at least ease the situation. But Vale had brushed past it like it meant nothing.

Was I wrong about her? Athar wondered bitterly. Is Angelica not as strong as I believed? Was that enormous serpent she summoned just for show?

The doubt gnawed at him. Should he go to her for help?

What if she was part of the web too? Even if she was, he did not doubt her intentions regarding him.

She had given him valuable resources, knowledge, and personal attention. That kind of investment did not feel fake. But was it fine to drag her into that matter?

And it was not even about the quota anymore. The way Vale insisted on taking him outside the academy... it did not feel like a simple core drop-off. There was something more to it. Something darker.

Athar lay back flat on his bed, staring at the ceiling, the storm in his mind refusing to calm. Thoughts churned endlessly, none offering a clear answer. He wondered if it would have been fine if he had not killed Dervin.

No. What he did was right. And he would do it again. He needed to find his way out.

He was being pulled into something deeper and he did not yet know how to claw his way out.

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