Chapter 173: Furious Jovian

Chapter 173: Furious Jovian

“What in the world is that damn boy up to now? The crystal ball can’t reach him, and even the Verdant Spring Badge fails to pinpoint his location. If not for the Surveillance Eyes here in the academy, I might have feared the worst for him!” Master Jovian’s angry voice echoed in the shadowed forest of the academy grounds.

Accompanying Master Jovian to Sein’s residence were two full-fledged mages, Eileen and another male mage.

As Eileen contemplated Sein's impending predicament, a smirk spread across her face. She could not deny a certain satisfaction in his troubles.

It had been three or four years since she had last seen Sein.

To full-fledged mages like Eileen, whose lifespans stretched into centuries or even close to a millennium, such absences were normal.

However, for magic initiates, such prolonged disappearances were both unusual and unsettling.

Eileen, seeing potential in Sein, had intended to mentor him in pyro elemental magic before the upcoming Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War.

It would be a shame, she thought, if such a promising talent fell during the war.

To her surprise, Sein had been elusive for several years, unreachable through both crystal ball and badge.

Given that Eileen and Sein were not particularly close, she eventually gave up after several failed attempts to contact him.

Her visit to Sein's dormitory with Master Jovian today was spurred by the academy’s recent call to arms. The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

The divine tower academy had begun intensive pre-war training for its senior initiates and Quasi Mages in a specialized classroom a few days ago, in preparation for the upcoming Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War.

While intermediate initiates and below were expected to participate in the war, their roles were more akin to supporting troops or more grimly, cannon fodder.

In contrast, senior initiates and Quasi Mages, who were highly valued by the divine tower, bore the weight of high expectations.

They were the ones who would truly champion the academy’s honor in the war.

Master Jovian’s anger was fueled by Sein’s consecutive absence over the past few days!

Even if the number of senior initiates had been rising in recent years, they were still rare assets in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy.

Eileen was aware of Sein’s living arrangement. With a smile, she commented, “I’ve heard Sein’s been sharing this place with another female initiate, who is apparently his cousin.”

Her remark only served to enrage Master Jovian even more, like pouring oil on a fire.

He could not help but speculate whether Sein’s reclusiveness was a result of indulging in carnal pleasures.

A bulging vein appeared on Jovian’s forehead. In a burst of frustration, the Rank Two mage amplified his voice with a sonido magic spell as he bellowed at the building in front of him, “SEIN, YOU LITTLE RASCAL, GET OUT HERE!”

The powerful sound wave shook the building and trees in the surrounding area.

Eileen quickly covered her ears with a smirk on her face.

However, Jovian’s demand was met with silence from Sein.

Instead, after a brief pause, a thunderous explosion erupted from within Sein’s dormitory!

The blast left Jovian, Eileen, and the other mage momentarily stunned, as billows of pitch-black smoke poured out from Sein’s residence.

From within, a series of coughs could be heard.

Shortly after, two soot-blackened figures emerged.

The taller one was unmistakably Sein, and a shorter one was Selina, who had been assisting with his experiments.

Sein’s appearance was shocking. His skin was covered in black soot, his robe tattered, and he sported a thick, unkempt beard, clearly having neglected personal grooming for some time.

Despite the disruption and the subsequent explosion in his laboratory, Sein did not seem overly annoyed. In fact, he seemed rather happy and excited.

While slightly irritated, Sein refrained from expressing frustration upon recognizing his visitors.

Although Jovian had no idea what Sein had been up to, he was perplexed by the subtle hint of delight on Sein’s soot-covered face.

“Did that explosion fry his brain?” Jovian could not help but wonder aloud.