Chapter 247: Guardians and Awakenings
Quickly, under Jess's leadership, Robert and the others headed to the so-called magic academy. Robert wasn't worried about any ambush or trickery; in fact, he was somewhat looking forward to it.
Without a choice, since the NPC Constantine, who had issued the quest, had been holding onto the Angel's Blood without any developments for a while, and since Jess was a Shadow Hunter with some connection to the Angel's Blood, Robert didn't mind checking out Jess's side first. If there could be new discoveries, that would naturally be even better.
Under Jess's guidance, the group arrived in front of a large building. Both Robert and Constantine raised their eyebrows, while Clare and Luke seemed to notice nothing unusual, as if they couldn't understand why a magic academy would be in such a place.
With a "buzz," and under Clare and Luke's clueless gazes, Jess cast an opening spell. Immediately, a light screen seemed to lift in front of the building, revealing an ancient magic academy that appeared entirely different.
The history of this magic academy was very ancient indeed, predating even the dimensional arrays set up by Kamath. Its history could be considered one of the oldest among the many branches of magicians.
However, as the saying goes, the bloodline that leads to success can also lead to downfall. As time passed and the power of the Angel's Blood within the Shadow Hunters grew weaker, the strength of the Shadow Hunter lineage declined. It wasn't just about competing for the top spot in the magical domain with Kamath anymore; being able to avoid being the last was already quite an achievement.
This was unavoidable. The Shadow Hunters were born because the faith of a group of magicians, who believed in heaven, moved the angel Rachael. But the subsequent generations of Shadow Hunters, despite inheriting the power of the Angel's Blood, couldn't be considered true believers of heaven and God.
Generation after generation of Shadow Hunters continued their task of combating demons, but apart from that, they weren't much different from ordinary magicians. They were more like enforcers created by the angels to fight demons rather than pure believers.
"This is the location of our academy. I'll take you to the teleportation gate. Please don't wander off…" After seeing his magic academy, Jess visibly relaxed. He spoke to Robert and Constantine with a slight gleam in his eyes, not paying much attention to Clare and Luke. Even if Clare might become a Shadow Hunter like him, there were differences among Shadow Hunters!
Jess was the most talented and powerful young Shadow Hunter in the entire academy. Although Robert had intimidated him, it didn't mean he was afraid of everyone.
Robert and Constantine exchanged glances, nodded without saying much, and followed Jess into the magic academy. Before entering, Robert habitually left a Qi wave. If anything happened, he could contact Clark at any time.
Of course, this was also to prevent Clark from not being able to see him after entering the magic academy and worrying about finding him everywhere.
"There isn't such a strong blockade, huh!" After entering the magic academy, a thought flashed through Robert's mind. He could still sense things outside the academy, which wasn't completely isolated from the outside world.
But that was expected. Robert and Constantine had already noticed something was off when they arrived. It seemed the level of this magic academy wasn't very high.
Jess didn't know that Robert was silently criticizing his magic academy in his heart. He quietly led the way, silently, but had already begun to secretly contact the guardian of the magic academy.
Even though Jess previously thought Robert might be more powerful than the guardian, he still needed the guardian to help maintain order. Jess believed that even if the guardian wasn't a match for Robert, it should be enough to make Robert wary...
However, Jess didn't know that his actions couldn't be hidden from Robert and Constantine, but Robert and Constantine didn't intend to expose Jess. Especially Robert, who was already looking forward to what kind of tricks Jess could come up with.
"Dear guests, you've come from afar. May I know your purpose... Hmm? Constantine?!" After receiving Jess's message, the guardian appeared in front of Robert and the others, speaking mysteriously. Suddenly, he stopped, furrowing his brows at Constantine, "Why are you here again? You're not welcome here!"
"I'm just passing through..." Constantine spread his hands, seemingly recalling some conflict that had occurred during his previous visit to the magic academy.
"Hmph! You stole our magic book last time and then carelessly threw it outside our academy, humiliating us, and you dare to come back?" The guardian narrowed his eyes, remembering Constantine's past actions.
Constantine had come to the magic academy under the guidance of a Shadow Hunter, under the guise of exchange, but ended up stealing a magic book from the academy.
If it weren't for the fact that the guardian couldn't leave the magic academy, he would have chased after Constantine long ago. What none of them expected was that, a few months after Constantine stole the book, he returned it. However, he didn't return it to any Shadow Hunter but carelessly left it at the entrance of the magic academy...
"I didn't have your academy's opening spell. If I had known it, I would have directly come in and put the book back on the shelf!" Constantine spread his hands innocently, "The principle of borrowing and returning is something I understand. So, can you teach me your opening spell?"
"Hmph! Teach you? If I teach you, our academy's magic books might be emptied by you the next day!" The guardian scoffed, deeply looking at Constantine and speaking sternly.
Although the guardian had never met Constantine in the outside world, he had heard of Constantine's infamous reputation before his first visit. The guardian had initially welcomed Constantine warmly, thinking that the infamy was spread by demons and might be biased.
However, the guardian hadn't expected Constantine to be even worse than the demons described. Perhaps, in Constantine's eyes, the magic academy and other supernatural beings were no different from demons, which explained Constantine's actions...
"Ah! To think so poorly of me after we've met, I'm truly disappointed!" Constantine sighed deeply, looking at Robert, "Let's go. Since we're not welcome here, we might as well leave."
Seeing Constantine's hint, Robert frowned but still signaled Clare and Luke with his eyes, preparing to leave with them.
"You can leave, but the others are still our guests. They don't need to go!" The guardian, noticing Robert and the others' intention to leave, hurriedly spoke, his gaze filled with lament and nostalgia as he looked at Clare, "Child, do you know? You look exactly like your mother..."
"Hey! Before you say that, notice if there's anyone else here!" Luke instantly became angry at the guardian's words. What did he mean by mentioning her mother's past in front of his future stepdaughter?
"Hmm? A werewolf?" The guardian, sensing Luke's erupting aura, furrowed his brows, puzzled, "How did Jocelyn end up with a werewolf? She... never mind, child, I can sense that you have great potential inside you. Do you want to realize that potential and gain great power?"
The guardian was initially ready to criticize Jocelyn
but for some reason, he gave up. Instead, he looked at Clare with a kind face, tempting her.
"This..." Hearing the guardian's words, Clare's eyes flickered with hesitation. After seeing that Robert, Constantine, and Luke didn't show any change in expression, she turned to the guardian, "Will realizing my potential take a long time? My mother was taken by Valentin, and I need to use the teleportation gate to save her..."
If it were before, even knowing she might have supernatural powers, Clare wouldn't have cared much. But now it was different. Her mother had been captured, and she felt she needed this power. Even with Robert, Constantine, and Luke's help, she still wanted to have her own strength.
"It won't take long. Besides, using the teleportation gate requires strong willpower. If your willpower isn't strong enough, it can be dangerous. So, it's better to realize your talent before rescuing your mother..." The guardian's expression slightly changed when he heard Valentin's name, but it was so subtle that it was hardly noticeable. He quickly adopted a kind tone, reassuring Clare.
"Then please help me!" Seeing that Robert, Constantine, and Luke had no objections, Clare took a deep breath and asked the guardian for help.
With a "buzz," a mysterious magic seal appeared in the guardian's hand, turning into a light that shone on Clare's arm. Clare saw a familiar symbol appearing on her arm, then her consciousness began to blur.
"Clare!" Luke was the first to react, catching the fainting Clare. Robert and Constantine noticed too, but they just watched the guardian with narrowed eyes.
"What have you done?!" Luke, holding the fainting Clare and turning into his werewolf form, angrily questioned the guardian.
"Sorry, I don't know what happened. Normally, awakening a Shadow Hunter's power shouldn't cause fainting!" The guardian looked innocent and puzzled, then turned to Luke, "How about this? Let her rest first, and I'll take a look at her. Of course, you can stay..."
Luke frowned, looking back at Robert and Constantine. Seeing no objections from them, they nodded. Constantine even said, "As long as you don't kick me out, I don't mind. Of course, once she wakes up, you'll have to let us use the teleportation gate..."
"Of course!" The guardian smiled and nodded, then turned to Jess, "You must be tired too. Go rest. I'll take care of this..."
"Oh!" Seeing Clare suddenly faint, Jess also wanted to know what was going on. But since the guardian said so, he had no reason to stay and left reluctantly.
Luke, now back in human form, carried Clare and followed the guardian, while Robert and Constantine exchanged glances, deeply watching the guardian's back and followed.
"I'll check what's going on with her..." After Clare was laid on the bed, the guardian approached, placing a hand on her head and quietly chanting something.
The next moment, the guardian's consciousness began to invade Clare's mind and memories, seemingly searching for something. However, doors tightly shut blocked the guardian's consciousness, not giving him a chance to read Clare's memories!
"Hmm? What's happening?" The guardian's eyes flashed with surprise and disappointment, then he stared at Clare in silence, as if facing a difficult problem.
"What exactly is wrong with Clare?" Luke, his eyebrows furrowed and his claws emerging, glared at the guardian, ready to tear him apart if necessary.
"Relax, I need to consult some information..." The guardian sighed helplessly, speaking softly to Luke and nodding to Robert and Constantine before turning to leave.
"Slap!" However, as the guardian walked past Robert, Robert slapped him on the shoulder, making the guardian's body tremble.
"You?" The guardian turned his head, looking at Robert with hesitation, "Do you need something?"
"So, did you find what you were looking for in her memories? Did you find what you wanted?" Robert's lips curled up slightly, looking forward to the guardian's response, "If you found it, could you contact that Valentin and ask him to come over? If he has someone behind him, it's best to ask that person to come too..."
"You!" Luke's expression changed upon hearing Robert's words, instantly turning into a werewolf, ready to tear the guardian apart at any hint of trouble.
"What are you talking about? Why don't I understand?" The guardian's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, looking at Robert, "I kindly treated you as a guest. You wouldn't be a bad guest like Constantine, would you?"
"Boom!" Before the guardian could finish his sentence, he was sent flying by a blow from Robert, landing awkwardly on the ground.
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