The elder's revenge!

It had been some days since then, and it was finally time for the joint-training program to commence.

Today, they would be gathering again to meet Dennis Rivera, the one who had been chosen to be their instructor.

Oliver was somewhat excited. Last time, he had missed the opportunity to bond with Evelyn due to the ghost incident, but this time, he would make sure to connect with her.

Well, there would be plenty of opportunities after all. They would be meeting frequently now that the program had been initiated.

Oliver was picked up by the elder from before in that same luxurious car, along with Nadia and the maid.

He sighed at the wealthy elder; the car was too impressive. He wondered if he would be allowed to drive it if he asked politely.

'Maybe I would require a driver's license first, hahaha.'

He curled his lips into a smirk as he imagined himself driving such a car in the future.

Nadia looked at him smiling to himself and felt he was as silly as ever.

This time, they were taken somewhere else instead of the forest.

He could see a huge mountain in the distance.

It was on a mountain covered in mist. There was a fortress located at the top of the mountain, shrouded in that white mist.

It was an ancient-looking fortress built atop a secluded mountain range surrounded by diverse landscapes such as forests, smaller hills, rugged areas, and plains.

It was the perfect place for any type of training.

As the sun set and the sky grew darker, the car arrived at the foot of the mountain and stopped in front of a dilapidated hall, which was most likely the entrance to the mountain and the fortress at the top.

He watched as the elder parked the car and asked them to follow him.

As soon as they entered the ancient-looking hall, Oliver smelled a strong scent of moist earth, plants, and damp rocks. It was a pleasant smell.

He gazed at the insides of the hall carefully. The hall was a little desolate, with weeds growing in the corners.

It was quite spacious, and there was a courtyard between the gate and the main hall.

In the entrance of the hall was a statue of a figure in the middle whose face could not be seen clearly.

There were murals on both sides of the hall, but they seemed to be worn and falling off. There was a lot of burnt charcoal on the ground in front of the statue, probably left by passing travelers.

The elder asked them to wait, and soon enough, Oliver saw all the familiar faces from before.

They had come with their elders from the clan as well.

He narrowed his eyes when one of the elders, the one from the Blue Crown Clan, took out a black elongated pen and started to draw some seals with the burnt charcoal present on the ground.

He watched with interest. Amber, who saw this, went up to him and whispered.

"The elder is drawing seals for exorcising evil spirits and setting up an early warning measure around this mountain hall. This is a necessary precaution when spending the night in the wild or unfamiliar places. Otherwise, those lonely ghosts and mountain beasts would come at night to hunt."

"You know of ghosts?" Oliver cocked an eyebrow at her, surprised that she had some knowledge about the subject.

"What? Did you think I would not know about such a simple thing? Our clan is known for producing the best tool-based exorcists out there. With the variety of tools and artifacts I have grown up with, I am naturally familiar with these things."

Amber frowned as she said this. She did not expect Oliver to have such a low opinion of her.

"Ah, you are right. It's my fault, haha," Oliver replied in a joking tone. He realized that his earlier wording might have been a little insulting to this noble girl, even though he had not intended it.

Amber only nodded and stayed silent.

She felt a little conflicted. Her mind wandered to the past event when she and Daniel had argued and then fought over it.

Maybe that was the reason Oliver had a lower opinion of her…

She went into her own world of troubled thoughts as Oliver approached the elder and stared at the runes with some interest.

He would very much love to learn them, but he knew there would eventually come a time for this too.

He went back and stood beside Bella. Tapping her shoulder, he asked, "Why is the elder forming seals to ward off ghosts or beasts? Aren't they powerful enough to just deter them with their presence?"

Bella paused and glanced at Oliver with some confusion in her eyes.

"Are you not aware?" she asked, her tone slightly unsure.

Oliver blinked. What was it?

Was there something special that he should have known?

Seeing his blank expression, Bella chuckled slightly, guessing he did not know.

"The elders will be leaving from here soon."

"What?" Oliver thought he had heard it wrong.

"The elders will be leaving us alone under the care of our new teacher for a few months."

She said it calmly. It was the first time she was staying so far away from her clan and could not help but feel a little nostalgic and experience some strong emotions.

"The elders will be leaving us alone? For a few months? When did this happen?"

He could not help but blurt out as he looked at her with confusion and shock.

"Didn't the elder from your clan inform you of this? I think everyone knows about it," Bella replied and looked at the others, who seemed to be prepared as well.

Oliver groaned in his heart; he really had no clue this was happening.

No wonder, just the travel here consumed a few good hours to even reach the mountain's foot.

He glared at the useless elder from the Mystic Purge Clan, his clan. Had the old coot finally gone senile? Or was his age taking effect on him that he forgot to inform such an important piece of information.

The elder, seemingly feeling a strong gaze boring a hole in his back, looked back and met Oliver's angry eyes.

He was confused for a moment before realization dawned upon him.

He gave him a knowing smile and showed him the middle finger.

'Fuck!'

Oliver cursed as his eyes almost bulged out. The elder seemed to have intentionally hidden this information from him.