Crackdown

Chapter 35: Crackdown

"Athena?! What happened?" Shirley rushed forward and saw Athena carrying Raven in her arms. 

"It seems his teacher took action before I reached there. Two of Elite Walkers and even this bastard's son was cut into two by some 'Ice Spell.'" Athena said as she glared at Jaxx.

On the other hand, Jaxx's heart sank. 

'M-My son died?! Moreover, a magic spell? His teacher? Could it be? This boy's teacher is a Wizard?!' A horrified look appeared on Jaxx's face.

He looked at the boy in the police officer's hand and soon widened his eyes.

He clearly remembered that this boy was one of the two kids his son brought from the academy to seek revenge over some petty quarrel.

'Wait! Didn't she say 'Athena' just now? Is she the 'Hero of Darkcross'? Did Scott kidnap her younger brother? Also, a Wizard's disciple?' His face turned pale.

Now he understood why the whole mansion was flipped upside down.

'My damned son messed with the wrong person! It's all over!' He now knew that even the Elite Walkers wouldn't dare to come to his rescue and thought of how to escape this situation.

Meanwhile, Shirley checked Raven's health and noticed his pulse beating normally.

Although his body appeared strangely cold for some odd reason, he seemed to be breathing normally now. 

"He seems to be passed out due to shock. Let's bring him to the hospital and do a check-up." Saying so, she grabbed Raven from Athena's hand and sensed a change in Athena.

"You ranked up?" She asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes, aunt. As soon as I saw him in the wounded state, I got furious at myself for being too weak and ended up advancing." Athena said with an awkward smile. 

At that moment, she thought of something and soon spoke.

"I also saw another kid tied up in the dungeon, aunt. Wait, I'll go and bring him too." Saying so, she turned around and stepped into the gloomy corridor again.

A few minutes later, she returned while carrying the unconscious Danty and noticed Shirley was arguing with someone from the police department.

"Are you dumb?! Can't you see the drugs that are in the boxes outside? Each box even has the symbol of the Vipers Syndicate logo! Instead of arresting the culprit, you are trying to blame me?" Shirley's angry voice echoed through the main hall.

"Even if you say you hurt Miller Family members for a noble cause, it is still a crime. Moreover, we can't be sure that the materials in the boxes are drugs until we send them to the Forensic department and get results." A man in his late forties said coldly while pointing his sword at Shirley.

'Oh? Isn't he the Head patrol officer of South Borough? I heard his patrol team is corrupted to the core and even exhorts money from all local shops in the name of protection.'

Athena instantly identified the man and slowly walked into the main hall.

"What a pathetic excuse to cover up your own mistake for not managing the district properly, Mr. Cedric," Athena said in a cold tone and walked closer.

"Who are you?" Head Patrol Officer Cedric turned around with a startled look and asked at the newcomer.

But as soon as he saw the badge on her police uniform, his expression changed.

'Five-star badge?' Without even asking any questions, he knew who this person was.

"Greetings, Madam Athena!" He instantly bowed his head.

"Although this place comes under Southern Borough station's jurisdiction, this incident is related to the Narcotic department, which I oversee. Tell Inspector Gary to come and meet me tomorrow morning. Also, my subordinate will arrive here in an hour or two to gather all the evidence. Until they come, you must remain here and guard this place. If even a box has gone missing, I wouldn't hesitate to report everything to Lord Baron and kick you out of the department." 

Saying so, she gave the unconscious Dante to Shirley and slowly turned her gaze toward the kneeling Jaxx Miller.

 "Jax Miller, I hereby arrest you for involving in kidnapping students of the academy and drug peddling." She took an iron cuff from her waist and put it on his hand.

As Shirley picked up the boys with both hands and walked out of the mansion, Athena dragged Jaxx out and brought him to the carriage. Once everyone entered the carriage, Athena drove the carriage out of the southern Borough and went to the Commoners' Borough, where the police station was.

While Athena was focusing on imprisoning and filing cases on Jaxx Miller and his family members, Shirley brought Raven and Dante to the nearby hospital for a health check-up.

Although Dante had no issues and was sent to his house quickly, a blood test indicated the presence of drugs in Raven's body, and he was admitted instantly.

On the other hand, Raven even got seizures three times due to the overdosage of the Miraclo drug and ended up being moved to the intensive care unit.

While Raven was treated with utmost care, a large-scale crackdown on drugs started all over the town under the leadership of Athena.

In three days, she arrested multiple big shots who were controlling the distribution of drugs and even demoted a dozen corrupt police officers in the southern district.

This incident resulted in the arrest of more than 30 officials and even the complete disappearance of the Miller Family!

…

By the time Raven woke up, a whole week had passed.

'W-What happened?' He groaned as he felt a severe headache and soon noticed that he was lying in his bed.

He could hear his aunt's voice from the main hall and wanted to call out, but no sound came out.

He also tried to sit, but he couldn't due to a lack of strength.

He then recalled the moment before passing out and asked Zera in confusion.

'Zera, are you there? How did I escape from that place? Did my sister come and rescue me?'

[…No. You rescued yourself.] Zera said in a solemn tone.

'Pardon? Didn't I get knocked out?' Raven asked in confusion and soon noticed strange memories starting to appear before his eyes. He vividly saw how 'Casper' overpowered Scott and even used a mysterious ice magic spell to kill Scott and his servants in a single wave of the spear!

'I-I have no memory of attacking Scott… But that's clearly my memory… I-Is that me? Did I kill them?' His expression stiffened. 

[Oh? Do you remember what happened? I'm also confused, Raven. But the one who killed Scott and others might not be you but another entity.] Zera said solemnly.

'Another entity? What do you mean?' Raven felt a strange fear.

[That being is something that should've been erased from existence itself. But somehow, it survived by sticking with your soul as a parasite and appearing to be slumbering. If my guess is right, that being should be the one responsible for saving you after you are born.]

'What do you mean?' Raven asked in confusion, as he couldn't understand what Zera was saying.

[You'll find out when you ask about your origin to Athena. Anyway, what you must do from now on is to continue your progress in Alchemy and Spearmanship.]

Raven quietly nodded his head and checked his body status.

'No changes in my status. Haa, I hate being weak all the time.' He also realized how reckless he was earlier and decided to learn from his mistakes.

While he was chatting with Zera, Shirley entered the room and rushed towards him as she saw him wide awake.

At that moment, Raven saw a few people entering the room and realized they were neighboring ladies.

Although Raven hadn't conversed with them much, he had seen them coming to talk with his aunt on weekends. 

He also saw the house owner among the group and tried to sit up. 

"Aunt Marley!"

She was a 50-year-old fat lady with grey hair and a bulky body. She wore a large gown, put a hat on her head, and even held a large leather bag in her hand.

As Marley saw him trying to sit, she smiled and spoke.

"No need to push yourself too hard, lad. The doctor said you must stay in bed for over a week to regain strength." Saying so, she walked closer to his bed, took out a small bag filled with fruits, and placed it near the table.

On the other hand, other neighborhood ladies came closer and asked about his well-being one by one. After that, they didn't stay in the room and left quietly.

Only Marley and his aunt remained in the room, causing the room to go into abrupt silence.

Like the calm before the storm, she remained silent for a few seconds and slowly started asking questions like what happened after school ended and how he ended up in that situation. Not only that, but she also kept asking how close he and Scott were.

After some time, she started advising him on how to behave during class and even scolded him for getting into a dangerous situation. 

As she talked more, even Shirley showed a trace of worry.

After nagging for more than 30 minutes, she finally left the room, leaving Raven a breath of air.

"If Aunt Marley had stayed for ten more minutes, my ears would be bleeding right now," Raven said jokingly and loudly yawned.

"Don't take her words to heart, Raven. Although she is nagging and always gives advice and scolding, she has a good heart. During the last seven days, she came to check on you more than fifty times." Shirley sat beside him and patted his head. 

"Anyway, eat something before you go to sleep. Wait, I'll go and bring some food." Saying so, she went to the kitchen to prepare food.

After some time, Raven ate a few slices of bread with stew and broth and soon fell asleep.

He also woke up around night and chatted with his sister for over an hour before getting tired.

Raven remained in his bed for the next few days and rested mostly. Then, he slowly regained his previous strength and started doing light exercises.

After another week of long rest, he returned to the academy and continued his studies.