Chapter 274: 274. Klaus’s Concern – 1

“ETHAN!!!” Klaus’s angry shout echoed throughout the training hall out of the sudden, throwing Ethan off guard for a moment. The intensity of the voice carried across the entire training hall, making the atmosphere tense.

At the same time, the doors of the training hall burst open as if a storm had arrived. The impact broke the hinges of the gates, but Klaus did not care. He stepped inside in a hurry and closed the distance with Ethan in an instant; his presence was radiating overwhelmingly, making it obvious that he was not here for regular training lessons.

“Where is the classified record, Ethan???” he asked while staring directly into Ethan’s eyes. His sharp gaze left no room for deception.

“Master, I have no idea what you are talking about. What is a classified record?” Ethan replied with a plain expression. He tried to keep his voice steady despite the pressure.

Klaus was in no mood for excuses. He stepped forward with an intimidating gaze; his aura pressed down on Ethan heavily. “Don’t try to play smart, Ethan!! A servant saw you coming out of my study last week when I was not here. Tell me where the parchment is!!”

Ethan gulped, feeling the weight of the accusation. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Klaus did not listen. He stepped forward again, forcing Ethan to take a step back. The distance between them grew uncomfortably small. “I have to return that record to the emperor, Ethan. If I fail to do so, I will be charged with treason!!”

The color drained from Ethan’s face. His previous ignorant expression turned grim. The gravity of the situation became clear to him in that instant. He realized that he might have caused a serious problem for his master.

He bowed down and slammed his head onto the ground without hesitation. “Master!! Give me some time, I will bring it back!!” Ethan requested hurriedly, his voice was filled with urgency and panic.

“No!!!!” Klaus glared at Ethan, his patience already exhausted. “I will retrieve it myself. Tell me where the record is!!” Klaus demanded hurriedly, making Ethan shiver for a moment.

“I… I gave it to William Kaiser,” Ethan stuttered. The words came out with difficulty. He hated to do this to William, but he had no choice now that his master had caught him.

Klaus looked at Ethan with a disappointed expression. His gaze softened slightly, but the frustration remained. “Why did you do this, Ethan? You handed that parchment to the last person I wanted.”

“William has the potential to become an asset to the empire since he was born and raised here. I am sure he has the potential to join the ranks of an elder Astral Warden in the future. The emperor was looking forward to building good relations with him and eventually having him side with us. Riverdale has no elder Astral Warden in the council, while every other empire has one.”

“But with what you have done now, the empire’s image in William’s eyes will be ruined for hiding the dishonour done to the remains of his dead brother.” His voice carried disappointment mixed with concern.

Klaus spoke while shaking his head slowly, clearly dissatisfied with how things had turned out.

Ethan hurriedly spoke while keeping his head bowed, unwilling to meet his master’s eyes.

“Master, I lied to him and told him that you were the one who wanted me to deliver that parchment to him. He was even thanking you and said that he would repay the favour!” His reasoning sounded desperate.

“THAT DOESN’T MATTER!” Klaus’s expression turned visibly annoyed as he rubbed his face in exasperation, trying to control his frustration.

“The main point was to keep the empire’s image in a good light, but that will be difficult now. He will think of Aurelius as just another emperor. He may not antagonize us, but he will not see us in a good light either.” His tone was now more controlled but carried a clear sense of concern.

Klaus gritted his teeth in frustration. “He is your classmate, right? What do you think he will do after knowing the truth??” He asked, expecting an honest answer.

Ethan’s gaze turned tense as he looked at Klaus. He hesitated for a moment before answering. “He will take revenge.” His voice was low but firm.

“I think the Pope is too strong for him to kill. Do you think he will wait??” Klaus asked, trying to evaluate the situation logically.

Ethan shook his head slowly. “I have no idea, Master. I never really understood him properly all this time.”

Klaus looked at the clueless Ethan with a troubled expression. His thoughts seemed conflicted. He turned and walked out of the room, with Ethan following closely behind him, curious about where his master was heading.

Klaus walked for a few minutes and eventually stepped out of the mansion. Outside, he saw Brian instructing a servant.

“Brian!!” Klaus called out.

Brian turned and saluted Klaus out of habit, but the latter was in no mood to acknowledge the gesture.

“What would you do if someone killed your brother and disrespected his dead body in front of the whole public?” Klaus asked. His question was direct and carried emotional weight.

“Why are you asking me a question you already know the answer to?” Brian replied, confusion evident on his face. The seriousness of the question made it clear that something was wrong.

Klaus nodded slightly. “I was just making sure I am not overthinking,” he said with a troubled expression, though his tone suggested otherwise.

“What happened??” Brian asked directly this time, no longer ignoring the situation.

The Sword Saint shook his head. “I am going to be out for a few days,” he said while looking at Brian. His decision seemed final. “Keep an eye on this brat,” he added, turning his head toward Ethan.

In the next moment, he levitated and disappeared into the sky instantly, propelling himself with a concentrated blast imbued with tempest sword intent. The force behind his departure left a faint disturbance in the air.

Both Brian and Ethan looked up at the sky with different emotions on their faces. One was confused, the other uneasy. Then suddenly, Brian looked down at Ethan. “What did you do??” His tone carried suspicion.

***

Academy Domain…

While the whole academy was being rebuilt on the surface of the floating island, a silent meeting was taking place in an enclosed space floating among the clouds of the academy domain.

“After that, I just got into my carriage and left William stand behind it. I advised Tammy to savor the present. She was initially perplexed, but her look was worth observing when the vehicle moved and William’s face emerged. I even painted a close-up of her face. Take a look.”

Andrea was obviously loving the recollection of that day as she spoke.

She showed an oil painting framed in polished wood. The craftsmanship of the frame reflected elegance and care. However, all that elegance faded when Yue’s eyes fell on the subject of the painting, which was a close-up portrait of Tamasya with a flushed face.

She looked at Andrea with a smile. “So she is really into him that much,” Yue said while observing the artwork closely.

Andrea’s crazy artistic skills did not surprise her. Andrea had always been inclined toward elegant and creative pursuits such as art, music, poetry, and tea. In fact, Yue felt a sense of relief seeing Andrea return to her hobbies that she had abandoned after being burdened by her responsibilities as an Astral Warden.

“Yeah, I mean, I have never seen her act so timid. I still remember the day William was attacked in his room. Tammy and Willy came together to visit my office, and after they left, there was a moment of awkward silence between them as they walked out together.”

“The most surprising thing was that she acted like a shy girl instead of her usual domineering self, not even meeting his eyes. Then, suddenly, William spoke, and Tammy disappeared out of thin air after getting flustered. I wish I could hear what he had said,” Andrea spoke with a light chuckle, clearly entertained by the memory.

Yue looked at her with a stern expression. “You should not peek into the intimate moments between two lovers. Maybe Tamasya sensed your divine senses and left out of embarrassment, i know how insecure she is about the age difference already” Her tone carried a mild reprimand.

Andrea stopped chuckling, though her expression remained relaxed. “I know, it was not like I was delibrately focusing on them, it was accidental, but don’t forget her cultivation is sealed, so I doubt she even realized.”

Yue shook her head at Andrea’s shameless response. “Anyway, peeking at them is still not allowed. Do not do it again. Let them have their privacy. And do not show them this painting, this will only make them more awkward; we have no idea whether they have even confronted each other about it.” She emphasized her point clearly.

Andrea nodded half-heartedly. “I will gift this painting to William at the wedding. I have made another one from William’s perspective, too. I will give that to Tammy.” Her tone suggested she had already decided.

Yue’s lips curled slightly. “Now you are just making me anxious about not being able to come up with a good gift for their wedding. It is strange, though. I would have never expected a few thousand years ago as Anne got married, the remaining out of us three, the first one to find a partner would be the hot-tempered lass, one who almost became a god and once used to kill thousands of people a day with ruthlessness.”

“Not complaining though. She needs someone the most, out of us three, not to mention Anne would be so happy hearing about this.” Her tone softened slightly.

Andrea nodded in agreement. “That is why I want you to do a divination about William’s future, so that we can take precautionary steps and prevent Tamasya from losing someone important in the future. He has already attracted the attention of Amon at such a young age. We need to make sure that he is safe until he can stand on his own feet.” Her voice carried a sense of responsibility.

Andrea emphasized her words as she held Yue’s hands across the table, showing sincerity.

Yue’s expression turned serious. She nodded slowly, understanding the weight of the request.

However, before she could respond, she noticed Andrea suddenly turning her head with a sharp and focused look.

Andrea then straightened and made a few light gestures, and a projection materialized on the table. The image showed a figure floating at the entrance of her office amidst the clouds.

The figure rubbed the back of his head, and a tense and nervous expression was clearly visible on his face.

“Klaus???”

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