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Dean Bruce remarked nonchalantly. "There\'s a severely injured person inside. Pull him out and see what\'s going on."

"A person? Whew… As long as it\'s a person!" Nicholas William let out a sigh of relief. With Dean Bruce by his side, he had no reason to fear another human being.

Although he didn\'t release his gathered magic, Nicholas William didn\'t strike either. Instead, he cautiously tapped the bloody hand with his staff. Seeing that the hand still had feeling and could move slightly, Nicholas stepped forward and began pulling away the straw that covered it.

With the straw removed, a bloodied figure slumped to the ground, collapsing headfirst onto the cobblestone street.

Even though the man\'s clothes were torn to shreds, Dean Bruce\'s keen eyes could spot traces of golden threads woven into the fabric. His gaze narrowed slightly.

Wearing garments or armor lined with gold thread indicated that the man held a distinguished status.

If someone of such stature had ended up in this wretched state, abandoned in a pile of straw, then the implications of the situation were surely no small matter.

Nicholas William took a closer look and said, "Teacher, this man must be a noble of some sort. I don\'t sense any magic from him, but his muscular build suggests he\'s a warrior. What should we do with him?"

"Take him back to the inn!"

Dean Bruce glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby before he spoke calmly. "The guards are still terrified by these so-called ghosts, and their patrols are lax at night. Let\'s use this opportunity to get him out of here."

Hearing his teacher\'s instructions, Nicholas William—though clearly reluctant to come into contact with the man\'s bloody body—still frowned and hoisted the man onto his horse. Picking up the pace, they headed swiftly back to the inn.

When they reached the inn, the main gate was shut tight, though light still seeped out from inside.

It seemed their approach had been noticed, as a woman\'s slightly trembling voice called out from within, "Dean? Nicholas? Is that you back already?"

Not wanting to risk running into any patrols, Dean Bruce immediately replied, "Yes, it\'s me. Hurry and open the door!"

"Creak!" The door cracked open a sliver. After confirming it was indeed Dean Bruce, the woman swung it open and urgently urged, "Come in quickly! I\'ve heard rumors that those ghosts are picking people to eat at night!"

As soon as the bloodied figure was carried into the inn, the woman\'s face turned deathly pale. She stumbled back in terror, collapsing onto the floor and staring at Dean Bruce and Nicholas William, trembling all over.

"There\'s no need to be afraid. We didn\'t harm this person. We just found him on the way back."

Nicholas William explained. He then asked, "Do you have any healing potions in the inn?"

"N-No… No, we don\'t!"

The woman shook her head vigorously, her teeth chattering in fear as she stammered, "H-have… have you… eaten d-dinner…"

Hearing this, Dean Bruce glanced around and noticed that the woman had already set the dinner table. Although it wasn\'t as lavish as the banquet in the royal palace, it was still quite impressive for an ordinary meal.

Having been busy outside the whole day, Dean Bruce hadn\'t touched a single dish or drink at the banquet—everything there was provided by the Joy family, whom he didn\'t trust. After a long, exhausting day, hunger gnawed at him. Without a word, he moved over to the table, sat down, and began eating calmly. your chapter source mv-l,e mp _yr

If the woman had harbored any ill intent, she would have acted last night. The fact that nothing happened suggested she wasn\'t an enemy.

Nicholas William scratched his head, still holding onto the injured man, and looked over in surprise. "Teacher, this guy looks like he\'s at death\'s door, and you\'re still eating?"

"Relax, he won\'t die anytime soon."

Having absorbed the Spring of Life, Dean Bruce\'s sensitivity to the vitality of living beings was extraordinary. Despite the severity of the man\'s injuries, Dean Bruce could tell his life wasn\'t in immediate danger.

Otherwise, he wouldn\'t have instructed Nicholas William to transport such a gravely injured person. If the man died, not only would they lose a potential source of information, but it could also escalate into a much bigger issue.

"H-He won\'t die?" Hearing this, the tension in Nicholas William\'s shoulders eased. He casually dropped the man onto the floor, pulled up a chair, and sat at the table. Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, he started picking at the food. "I didn\'t get a chance to eat much at the banquet before we were dragged to that courtyard and ended up vomiting for a long time. Finally, I can have a proper meal."

"Miss Innkeeper, you\'re quite the cook! If this inn ever goes under, why don\'t you come work for me as a chef at my residence?" Nicholas teased with a grin.

Dean Bruce frowned and said in a low voice, "Wait… You ate the food at the banquet? Didn\'t I tell you not to touch anything?"

"Heh, well…" Nicholas William scratched his head sheepishly. "By the time you told me, I\'d already eaten a few bites. So, I figured since I\'d already started, I might as well eat a bit more."

Dean Bruce was at a loss for words. There was no point in scolding him further. He just silently resolved to keep an eye on Nicholas and be prepared to administer any necessary healing.

Even with his limited interaction with Miranda Joy, Dean Bruce was certain she was hiding something. The exquisite dishes she\'d prepared wouldn\'t come without a price.

After finishing most of the meal prepared by the innkeeper, Dean Bruce stood up and spoke to her, "There\'s no need to be afraid. As long as you keep your mouth shut and don\'t mention any of this to anyone, you\'ll be compensated fairly and won\'t be harmed."

"Really?"

The woman\'s eyes lit up with hope. She could tell that Dean Bruce was the one in charge. She immediately shut her eyes tight and said nervously, "I don\'t know anything. All I know is that you two came back tonight, ate dinner, and then went to sleep!"

"I should go get some rest, too! So I can prepare breakfast for you both in the morning!"

As she spoke, the woman kept her eyes shut, fumbled her way upstairs, and left hurriedly without even clearing the dishes on the table.

Nicholas William pursed his lips and whispered, "She\'s really scared out of her wits. By the way, teacher, when there were so many people around earlier, I didn\'t want to ask too many questions. But how can you be so sure that my fiancée\'s family is alright? We saw with our own eyes how those two soldiers were burned to ashes."

This showed that Nicholas William wasn\'t dull—in fact, he was quite smart. He only put on that straightforward, naive demeanor on purpose.

At the same time, the sound of the woman\'s footsteps paused slightly on the stairs. Dean Bruce didn\'t respond right away. He looked up at her, only continuing once he saw that she resumed climbing the stairs. "There was no sign of burning or fire residue at the Hundred-Battle General\'s residence, unlike the charred remnants we saw today at the Finance Minister\'s house."

"I suspect it was something deliberately staged by whoever\'s behind this to mislead us into making the wrong conclusions."

"Alright, enough talk about this. If you\'re done eating, take that man upstairs. Let\'s see if we can wake him up."

Dean Bruce had been keeping track of the woman\'s movements. Only after hearing the door close upstairs did he pause and narrow his eyes slightly.

Initially, he hadn\'t harbored any suspicion toward her. But the moment her footsteps hesitated, Dean Bruce immediately sensed something was amiss.

The remarks he made earlier were intentionally said aloud to bait her, to see if there would be any reaction.

[Was she just overly scared, and the hesitation purely coincidental? Or is there more to her identity than meets the eye?]

Taking a deep breath, Dean Bruce reminded himself to be extra cautious. After all, this was unfamiliar territory, and if they weren\'t careful, both he and Nicholas William might meet a deadly fate here.

Returning to the room and waiting until Nicholas William brought the injured man inside, Dean Bruce immediately asked, "Do you still have any magic scrolls that can conceal our presence?"

"Yes!"

Nicholas William\'s willingness to obey showed its benefits. He didn\'t question the reason or wonder why Dean Bruce wouldn\'t just cast the spell himself. Instead, he immediately pulled out a scroll and tore it open.

Buzz—

A soft blue glow shimmered, instantly forming a barrier that enveloped the entire room.

Dean Bruce wasted no time. He gestured for Nicholas William to lay the man down on the ground. His lips moved silently, and with a gentle wave of his right hand, magic began to converge from all directions.

The inn was constructed entirely of wood, and the wooden elements themselves contained a degree of healing power. Dean Bruce chose to cast the The Compassion of Heaven and Earth spell directly.

Soft green light sparkled, transforming into vibrant green leaves that wrapped around the man\'s severely injured body.

Although the vitality flowing from the leaves was faint, it steadily trickled into the man\'s body, healing him with surprising effectiveness.

In just a matter of ten breaths, the wounds on his skin where the leaves had encircled him began to fade away, becoming smooth and supple like a newborn\'s skin—white and unblemished, as if he had never been injured at all.

His internal vitality also began to recover, and even his previously labored breathing became steady and calm, with his chest gently rising and falling.

"Teacher, you know so many different kinds of spells! And they\'re not even of the same element—you\'re too incredible!"

Seeing the man, who had been on the brink of death, saved by Dean Bruce in such a short time, Nicholas William couldn\'t help but express his admiration, feeling more respect and awe toward Dean Bruce.

In this world, most mages only mastered spells of a single type. A mage like Dean Bruce, who was proficient in different types and elements, was extremely rare. What\'s more, the power and effectiveness he demonstrated were extraordinary.

Ignoring Nicholas William\'s flattery, Dean Bruce narrowed his eyes and focused intently on the recovering man.

He had a strong hunch—this man was bound to be of significant importance!