Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 510: Vice Principal Berion

Stepping through the portal, Asher arrived in another room, and this time the chamber was heavily decorated, adorned with intricate patterns, polished furnishings, and an air of quiet authority that spoke of status and age, and by the window stood Berion, his eyes fixed beyond the glass, his back facing Asher.

As the portal closed behind Asher with a faint hum, the man slowly turned to face him. He was still exactly as Asher remembered him to be, weak, frail, a bundle of neatly kept white hair resting upon his head. The man looked as though a strong wind could blow him away like a discarded paper bag, fragile and insignificant at first glance, but Asher knew very well that appearances were often deceiving, and the most harmless-looking figures were often the most terrifying.

"We meet again, Tenth Sun," Vice Principal Berion stated, his black eyes calmly falling on Asher with an unreadable depth.

"Good morning, Vice Principal Berion," Asher stated without any change in expression. He still remembered when he had spoken to the man briefly before entering to meet the Principal, Berion had once told him that Cindralis could kill him without batting an eye and would care nothing for the Wargrave family.

But now, it seemed the man had been lying, because Cindralis clearly didn’t dare to fight both Malrik and Azaron together at the same time, and that alone exposed the limits of her supposed indifference.

"It seems the blood of the Wargrave truly flows through your veins despite awakening on your third attempt," Berion stated with a calm, sagely tone, "you’ve surpassed your classmates, those who awakened two years earlier than you, astonishing to say the least," and as he spoke, he slowly turned back to the window, his gaze lowering as he observed the various students moving about below like ants within the academy grounds.

’Can’t we just get this over with and just go see the bully of a woman that calls herself the Goddess Of Space,’ Asher thought to himself, as he didn’t want to be involved in any form of unnecessary dialogue, neither did he want to stand here listening to what felt like a drawn-out monologue that served no real purpose to him.

Only Berion knew that the apocalypse within the Separate Dimension that had happened a few months back was because of the Tenth Sun. While everyone else desperately wanted an answer, Cindralis gave none, because she was the Sovereign, and no one could question her decisions or demand explanations from someone who stood at the very peak.

Seeing Asher remain silent, Vice Principal Berion continued, "what are you willing to trade for your request, Asher Wargrave? Or do you simply walk in blind and expect the Principal to bend the rules for you?" He asked, his tone filled with the wisdom of one who thoroughly understood that the world never handed anything out for free, and that every gain required a cost.

Asher stayed silent for a moment, because he had indeed considered that very possibility many times before, "I will listen to her request then decide on the spot, after all, what could a mere eighteen-year-old kid probably have that would interest someone at the Crownstar Life Rank," Asher finally replied, his voice clear-cut, flat, and devoid of unnecessary emotion.

Vice Principal Berion stood silent for a moment, then shook his head as a small smile appeared on his lips, "don’t worry, I won’t try to tell you to accept the Principal as your master, you and I both know how that turned out last time," he paused briefly before adding, "and I’m sure she won’t make such a request anymore, after all, we paid quite a lot in compensation to the Wargrave family. Although the Principal doesn’t care about all that, I do care," he stated as he turned away from the window with slow, deliberate steps.

Asher arched an eyebrow, slightly surprised, he couldn’t help but wonder why none of these supposed compensations had ever reached him. Only if he knew that his trusted Father and Big Brother were the ones who had made absolutely certain that nothing free or convenient ever reached him, forcing him to grow through hardwork alone.

"You don’t particularly seem interested in this conversation," Vice Principal Berion stated as he walked towards one of the shelves lined neatly in his office, his fingers brushing across several ancient looking books.

"That is because I only wish to discuss matters with the Principal," Asher stated immediately, his tone blunt and direct.

"Then this old man will give you ten thousand points to listen to him rant, how does that sound?" Vice Principal Berion asked with a faint smile, as though amused by his own proposal.

"For how long?" Asher asked, because ten thousand points wasn’t cheap by any measure, but he needed to know exactly how long he would have to endure listening to the old man talk. After all, he couldn’t waste an entire day trapped here just listening to him speak endlessly, although some students would gladly do so for such an amount.

"For a while," Vice Principal Berion replied, the smile never leaving his lips.

"Then I refuse," Asher stated as he shook his head, his purple eyes fixed steadily on the man before him. The man who stood before him seemed different from the one who had officiated the battle exams, because the man back then hadn’t smiled even once, yet now he did so casually, which seemed strangely out of place to Asher.

Hearing Asher’s refusal, he simply smiled and nodded as he spoke, "okay then, just being in the Star Academy for three months, and yet ten thousand points is already nothing to you," he mused while shaking his head, because any other First-Year student would have immediately jumped at the offer without hesitation.

"Let’s get going then," Vice Principal Berion stated, and without a wave of his hand or even any visible action, the space before him rippled like the surface of disturbed water, a portal opening silently as he stepped into it without waiting for Asher.

Asher swiftly followed without needing to be told, and they arrived before a door, a heavy and imposing one that radiated authority, and Asher didn’t need to be informed, because he already knew Cindralis was within.

"I hope your meeting with the Principal doesn’t end in another catastrophe," Vice Principal Berion joked lightly, then turned around and stepped into his portal as he returned to his office, the portal closing behind him as though it had never existed.

Asher’s eyes lowered to his hands as he felt something there, Berion’s departing words echoed faintly in his ears, "contact me directly next time you need something," the words fading almost immediately. Asher’s purple eyes stayed on an orb resting within his hand, and he hadn’t even seen or sensed the man placing it there.

Asher could only blink in surprise at the sheer difference in speed and perception between them. Without much thought, he transferred the orb to his system inventory, his purple eyes now shifting toward the door before him. Taking in a deep breath to steady himself, he pushed the door open with casual ease.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Still need the Golden tickets. Thanks for reading.