Chapter 15: Aftermath

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The pitch-black night had fallen, with twin golden-red moons hanging high, gazing down upon the swaying figure on the street below.

Mr. Baron’s funeral took place in the afternoon, while the banquet began in the evening.

Ron, heavy-hearted, had devoured three large bowls of stew in quick succession and even pocketed two bottles of rare red wine from Wilson County as he left.

However, the body of Sylan Valentine was taken away by the Church, shattering Ron’s hopes of enjoying another meal.

As for the surgical knife Ron had secretly hidden, he handed it over to Olivia before the banquet started, earning only hollow verbal praise from the leadership and an empty promise of a bonus.

It had to be said, this cursed artifact, which the Church regarded with utmost seriousness, was truly sinister beyond measure.

Ron had only concealed it on his person for a few dozen minutes before he entertained the wicked thought of secretly selling it for a high price.

According to Olivia, almost all “Forbidden Truths” or the cursed artifacts born of them had a similar effect:

They lure you in, bewilder you, and in the end drag you into a pit of depravity from which there is no return.

“So terrifying…”

Under the night’s shadow, the boy’s face paled faintly.

He could already imagine the abyss he would fall into if he sold the cursed object, was discovered with a huge unexplained fortune, and failed to pay taxes.

“This cursed item is worthy of a Level 1 rating. It can completely sever a person’s brain, slice it into several parts, implant them into other bodies, and evade all forms of tracking.”

“Three years ago, Sylan Valentine used it to split himself, leaving different brain tissues in three people to attract attention and ultimately achieve revenge.”

“However, the case still holds mysteries. For example, assuming the identity of a doctor in the Old Capital seems impossible for just one person to accomplish.”

Olivia withheld further details from the Level 3 investigator, only instructing him to familiarize himself with the Stardust Society’s regulations once he returned to work the next morning.

Under the night sky, Ron shook his golden head, casting all the chaotic thoughts from his mind.

No matter what, none of this was his concern.

Finish the task and leave quietly, hiding one’s merits and fame—this was Ron’s personal creed.

A gentle breeze stirred, rustling the fallen leaves by the roadside. His footsteps quickened unconsciously on the mottled stone pavement, revealing a subtle sense of ease and contentment.

This was the happiness unique to the diligent worker.

Because through the darkness, Ron could already see the rows of apartment buildings in Dawnlight Alley.

He was home.

There was a time when Ron seriously considered buying a modest fifty-square-meter house in the royal capital, having a little home of his own, marrying a compatible wife, and living an ordinary life.

But as a transmigrator with a cheat, Ron was unwilling to settle for a quiet life.

Between dreams and the mundane, he chose to take out a loan and embarked on the path of a mage, burdened with years of debt repayment.

Knowledge changes fate; that was how it was.

Lost in thought, he pulled out his key and inserted it into the apartment door lock. To his surprise, there was no response.

Ron was stunned, quickly withdrawing the key and reinserting it.

Yet the old lock, which usually creaked loudly even with a slightly smaller key, remained eerily silent, sending a chill through the boy’s heart.

“It makes sense. I’m four months behind on rent, and I’ve been busy looking for work without returning home these past few days. The landlady probably thinks I’ve skipped town because of the debt.”

A reasonable deduction, yet it gave the blond boy a headache.

At this late hour, he certainly couldn’t turn around and go to Baron Mark’s house to comfort his newly widowed wife and perhaps crash there for the night.

Besides, all his belongings, including his spellbooks, were inside his apartment.

Click—

Just as Ron frowned deeply, the silent lock suddenly emitted a crisp sound.

“Evans, didn’t I tell you not to come looking for me? I’m afraid my daughter would misunderstand…”

“Why is it you!?”

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The sharp voice of a woman in her fifties abruptly stopped, just as the expression on Ron’s face froze in place.

Moonlight stretched the two shadows at the doorway longer and longer. Peering through the door crack, the boy recognized the landlady.

She was in her fifties, well maintained, though faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes hinted at her youthful charm.

Dressed in a dark-colored gown befitting her age, her heavily made-up face featured lips the blazing red of fire that even darkness could not conceal.

In a past life, Ron had heard the saying that women were like wine—the older, the richer in flavor.

Especially those with size 38 shoes...

Stop!

Don’t think about that anymore!

Seeing Ron, who had been missing for two days, standing obediently at the door, Caroline showed no warmth. Raising her chin, she spoke with obvious disdain:

“You think coming back to play the pity card will soften me and let you stay here? Dream on!”

“You owe four months’ rent. Do you know how much I’ve lost?”

“Hurry up and pack your junk and go back to the countryside. I don’t want to see your face again!”

Under the moonlight, her spittle flew as her harsh words tore at the boy’s pride mercilessly.

Yet Ron did not take much offense.

He had always been a mild-tempered person.

“Who is Evans?” Ron asked the question that had been gnawing at him.

The words dropped like a bomb in the silent night, causing the once-dominant landlady to momentarily catch her breath.

“Ron Griffith, I’ll allow you to be late on rent for at most one week. After that, get out of my apartment!”

The blond boy curled his lips but kept his tone unchanged as he asked,

“Is he your lover?”

“Two weeks. No more!”

“Madam, you wouldn’t want your daughter, Tris, to find out about this, would you?”

Mentioning her daughter made the woman in her fifties take a step back, her chest rising and falling violently as her entire body trembled.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she finally lowered her proud head.

“What... what do you want to do?”

Ron felt relieved.

He knew that in the treacherous royal capital, the landlady’s manner of speaking could easily offend those she shouldn’t.

Making her realize her mistake was the best possible outcome.

With this in mind, the boy stroked his chin, pondering for a few seconds:

“Ms. Caroline, I would like to rent Room 302 for another three months.”

“I’ve already found a job.”

Confidently, he announced this good news to the landlady he had known for three years.

Caroline, however, looked surprised.

“You?”

What kind of words were those?

Ron could not imagine how any human could utter such cold indifference with lips at 37 degrees Celsius.

“Ms. Caroline, I think it’s better we discuss who Evans is!”

Upon hearing this, the landlady immediately gave a forced laugh,

“Little Ron, I’m just worried you might be tricked…”

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Seeing the blond boy actually pull seven gold lions from his pocket, she immediately pulled Ron inside.

Taking the gold lions, she slammed the apartment door shut with a “bang” in the corridor.

This grand handover ceremony lasted barely three seconds.

In truth, Ron quite understood the landlady.

Secretly dating an old flame without wanting her daughter to know was surely about protecting the child’s fragile pride.

After all, she was a widow in her fifties with suitors,

Whereas Miss Tris, at 28, was considered a spinster—something that would undoubtedly wound her delicate heart.

Such is the universal love of parents...

Ron sighed inwardly, recognizing the landlady’s skill in education.

[You have honored your commitment and successfully repaid your debt, exemplifying the virtue and integrity of the Path of the Holy Light. Your proficiency in Holy Swordsmanship has increased by +10.]

A prompt flashing across his vision eased Ron’s nerves.

He no longer had to anxiously await the looming debt deadline...

[Name: Ron Griffith]
[Age: 16/87]
[Rank: Rank 1 Mage (Apprentice)]
[Skills: Holy Light Healing (Mastered) Note: I removed most of the healing effect but retained 1000% of the pain so you know the healing is genuine.]
[Holy Swordsmanship (Proficient 182/300) Note: Due to your hatred of evil, you deal triple damage to dark creatures when using Holy Swordsmanship.]
[Basic Magic Theory (Proficient 78/300)]
[Elementary Rune Studies (Beginner 17/100)]
[Cooking (Master 260/3000)]

A quick glance at the panel left Ron feeling light after repaying his debt, but he frowned again.

He was deeply anxious about his future.

The Stardust Society’s work was undoubtedly dangerous, and as a mere Rank 1 mage, he could die on any mission.

Improvement was now an urgent matter.

But how to improve was a scholarly question in itself.

By his familiar small bed, under the moonlight, Ron opened “From Apprentice to Master Mage” and began searching for answers.

To advance and become a Rank 2 official mage, effective meditation techniques were essential.

However, he immediately discarded this risky and greedy idea.

Because fate’s gifts often came with a price tag written in loans.

The “Study Worry-Free” type loans issued by the Gold Reserve were a black hole so deep you’d have to sell your house, your children, and even your soul to repay it.

Aside from borrowing in advance, only one way remained to improve.

Ron had heard that during the mage apprenticeship, mastering three types of magic could trigger a qualitative leap through quantitative change.

But the problem was, ordinary people struggled for years just to master one magic, let alone three to advance.

This method seemed possible only for geniuses among geniuses.

And, unfortunately...

Ron was precisely that one-in-ten-thousand unparalleled genius!