Secret

Hugh's heart stopped as he heard Balen's words. He had heard those words before since it was still fresh in his mind.

Those words were eerily similar to what Veer had given to him in that letter. Hugh's heart skipped a beat as a thought popped into his head.

Are Balen and Veer the same person?

The coincidence was too shocking that Hugh could not get ahold of his own curiosity. The words came out of his mouth before he could even think about it.

"Did you write that letter?"

Hugh had wide eyes and a serious tone, but there was no hint of surprise. Balen thought that Hugh would react strongly at the revelation.

Balen observed Hugh's serious face and he stopped for a second. It seemed like this was not the first time that Hugh had heard this information, which was surprising to him. The plan was supposed to be top-secret, so Hugh should not have known about it.

"Letter? What letter?"

Hugh could see that Balen's face looked genuinely confused. He had thought that he had solved the mystery of Veer's identity, but it seemed that he was mistaken.

Although Balen could be faking his confusion, it was very unlikely. With the way that Veer had tried to conceal their identity, Hugh does not think that Veer would make a mistake like this.

"Did you receive something? A letter, huh. Things are getting interesting."

Hugh took ahold of his surprise and tried to maintain his composure. He did not want Balen to know more about him, and that spontaneous reaction should not happen again.

"What do you mean by your words? I don't believe you?"

Hugh changed the topic and he did not want Balen to dig further. Thankfully, Balen changed his confused expression into a happy smile as he elaborated on the contents of the blackmail.

"Well, it's very simple. You seem to know that Aric is planning to do something big to the school."

Hugh closed his mouth tight to no reveal any expressions. Any information that Balen could glean on him might come back to haunt him some other time.

"So, what does that have to do with me? Hell if I care if this place blows up to smithereens."

The truth was that Hugh did not want this place to be destroyed. Although he had suffered many injustices and problems, the rewards he could get outweighed all of that.

The powers that he had gained from the dungeons were enough for him to know that he would need the school in the future.

If the school did not exist, then he would have trouble entering a relatively safe dungeon that he could harvest for its materials. He would even have trouble finding dungeons by himself because most schools had taken it for their territories.

Hugh bluffed because he did not want Balen to know that he needed the school. This was a basic concept in negotiations.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk, Hugh. You really don't like those scratches and bruises your bullies gave you. I would have killed them the moment they touched my shirt."

Hugh did not respond and kept on looking at Balen with a straight and serious face.

Balen stepped forward and leaned towards Hugh to whisper in his ears. Hugh flinched back, but Balen seemed to have been too fast for him.

"What do you think will happens once Aric succeeds? Everything will be fine and students will keep on studying? No, the CDA gets involved."

Hugh's heart stopped as he heard the name of the organization in the position of power in the whole galaxy. That name struck a chord in his heart, but he kept his composure.

"So, let them come."

Balen had wide eyes and looked surprised at Hugh's nonchalantness. After surprise was a look of confusion as Balen continued his questions on Hugh.

"Are you sure about that? Don't you have a secret you hold meat and dear to your heart?"

Once again, Balen seemed to find the vulnerabilities in his confidence, but he kept on with a straight face. He did have his transformation as a secret, but he knew that Balen did not know about it.

"Don't make me laugh. I don't have a secret, and even if I did, the CDA won't care about it."

Balen closed his eyes and nodded his head at Hugh's response. He seemed to be agreeing with Hugh.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I am a member of the CDA. You know what that means, right? I just have to throw your name in there and that little spark is enough for you to be investigated."

Hugh could not hold his anger as he grabbed Balen by the collar and lifted him in the air. He had to use every bit of his mental strength not to crush Balen's windpipe.

While being strangled in the air, Balen still had that hideous smile on his face. He did not feel at all threatened with the sharp eye that Hugh was giving him.

"Why are you doing this?"

Hugh tightened his grip on Balen's collars, thereby creating more pressure around Balen's neck. He noticed that people were looking at them, but he ignored them.

"Wow, deja vu. I've heard that one before."

Hugh looked around and noticed that more and more people were looking at them. Most of them were silent, but many more were gossiping around each other.

Balen flailed his legs around as if he was riding on a swing. He seemed to be enjoying every second of this encounter, including the attention that they were getting.

Hugh knew that he would only attract more trouble if he kept this on, so he let go of his grip on Balen's collar. He looked around and gave everyone a sharp look, signaling them to mind their own business.

"Wow, you're stronger than I thought. Mind if we do that again?"

Hugh balled up his trembling fist as he tried to resist every nerve he had to punch Balen's face.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you. It's because I promised someone a present.