Iron descended from the sky, his feet touching the ground under Eugene, Rin, and Reem's astonished gazes, and Farid's stunned expression.
He looked around him, seeing destruction everywhere—blood, dirt, rocks, and burned wood.
"Uh… Sir Iron, welcome."
Farid clenched his fist against his palm in a respectful salute.
When Rin and Reem heard Farid address him, they realized that the man before them was one of the Four Guardians.
Reem and Rin repeated Farid's gesture, except for Eugene, who didn't understand why they were doing it.
Iron raised his palm, signaling that there was no need.
He spoke in a heavy voice filled with curiosity, accompanied by a faint smile.
"Are you all alright?"
Reem looked at him, her face tense.
"Y-yes, we're fine."
Iron smiled calmly, then said,
"Would you like to tell me what happened here?"
Farid glanced sideways at Eugene, as did Reem and Rin.
Iron turned his gaze toward Eugene, their eyes meeting.
Shiny black hair, wheat-colored skin, a mole beneath his mouth, thick eyebrows, and green eyes.
He wore a blue shirt with golden lines, blue pants with the same pattern, and a long red cloak fluttering behind him in the wind.
Eugene noticed everyone looking at him and quickly realized what those looks meant.
"Wait, no… they're all watching me because of what that old man said. I need to come up with a lie. I can't tell them the truth about the bag and what's inside it."
Eugene's mind raced with tension.
He then said with an awkward smile, lightly stroking his chin,
"We were heading to the cinema when we ran into that old man. He wanted to kill us because we're Alex's students and were investigating him."
Reem raised an eyebrow and looked at Farid in confusion—this wasn't what the old man had said earlier.
Rin spoke nervously, scratching his head slightly.
"Haha, that's right. Alex warned us not to go out alone, but we thought he was joking."
Reem opened her mouth for a moment.
"When did Alex say that?"
Farid looked at them with even greater confusion.
"Why are they lying?"
"Oh, I see."
Iron looked toward the unconscious old man.
"No wonder you're his students. You managed to knock out a third-rank cultivator."
Reem smiled awkwardly, tension and embarrassment mixed in her expression.
"He was just an old man and he underestimated us. Otherwise, we'd be dead."
Iron walked toward the old man with steady steps. When he reached him, he lifted him with his right hand and turned his head toward them.
"Don't belittle what you've done. Even if he was old and arrogant, he was still third rank."
He continued as he began to rise slightly off the ground.
"Now go. Treat your wounds. You'll find a hospital at the end of the main road near the station."
They all responded with different expressions.
Rin, sweating nervously.
Eugene, wearing a wide grin.
Reem, tense with a broad, awkward smile.
Farid, his face filled with happiness and respect.
"Yes, sir."
Iron flew back into the sky, leaving the group standing in silence for a few moments.
—
The group had left the Adil District, still walking in silence.
Farid carried Eugene over his shoulder, Rin walked beside him, and Reem stood to his left.
Reem had used her ability to reduce Eugene's weight.
Farid and Reem exchanged glances from the corners of their eyes.
Reem spoke, her eyebrows tightly furrowed, raised upward, her head tilted slightly to the side.
"So… don't you want to tell us why you lied to one of the Four Guardians?!"
Eugene glanced sideways while tying the strap of the bag containing the eggs on his head.
"So he wouldn't find out what's inside the bag."
Farid raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"And what's inside the bag?"
"When we reach the academy, I'll tell you," Eugene said.
Rin glanced at Farid and Reem, his heart pounding, fear and sadness on his face.
He saw Reem's eyes blazing with anger.
Fear gripped him, and he quickly turned his head away—but Reem didn't let him escape.
"And you—do you know what's inside the bag too?"
Rin replied in a tired, quiet voice.
"No… I don't."
Farid asked,
"Then why did you lie?"
Rin turned toward them.
"Because Eugene lied."
Reem opened her mouth slightly, one eyebrow raised.
"If Eugene lies, you lie with him?"
Rin looked toward the moon as he spoke.
"In the end, he's my brother, and I know him. There has to be a reason for him to lie."
Eugene raised his head.
"When will we arrive? I'm tired."
Thud.
Reem punched Eugene on the head.
"We almost died, and now you're saying you're tired? Hold on, you iron man."
Her voice mixed sarcasm with anger.
Eugene raised an eyebrow.
"Do you think I can see the future? How was I supposed to know we'd be attacked?"
"And no one forced you to come. You could've gone back to the academy."
Eugene and Reem began arguing.
Rin wanted to calm them down, but Farid stopped him.
"Let them vent their anger."
The morning sun rose, accompanied by a slightly warm breeze.
They reached the hospital and entered through the main door.
Transparent doors, a five-story building painted white and brown, yellow lights illuminating the path. It stood at the end of the main road leading to the seventh station near the large market.
As soon as they entered the hospital, they were all struck on the head.
Eugene grabbed his head.
"Hey, who the—"
Alex stood before them, his eyes blazing with anger, veins visible on his head.
Alex wore a white shirt and black pants, his long hair tied back.
The scene looked like a group of cats standing before a volcano about to erupt.
A doctor with black hair and blue eyes approached.
"Calm down, Mr. Alex. They're injured. You can't punish them in this state."
Eugene raised his head.
"Yes, he's right."
Alex shot him a glare that made Eugene immediately lower his head and pretend to pass out.
The doctor continued,
"Punish them after they recover."
"Wait, that's not what we agreed on. I thought you were on our side."
Alex gave him the same glare, and Eugene resumed playing unconscious.
Rin was on the verge of bursting into laughter, but fear and tension kept his expression serious.
They all sat on beds in one of the rooms.
Eugene lay on a bed as the doctor placed her hands on his chest. A green glow flowed from her hands, energy moving through his bones and wounds, accelerating healing and reconnecting fractured bones.
She wrapped medical bandages around Farid's head and Rin's foot and gave Reem eye drops for the redness caused by Eugene's mist.
After a few minutes—
Alex sat on a chair, fingers interlocked, staring at them with a mix of expectation and anger.
Rin, Farid, and Reem looked at one another, then at Alex, who raised one eyebrow.
"Are you going to sit there like statues?" His tone carried anger.
Silence followed.
Reem asked,
"How did you know we'd be at the hospital?"
Alex sighed.
"I meant that you should tell me why you were injured and why you went to that district… but anyway, you met Iron, didn't you? Did you really think he'd just take the criminal and leave?"
Eugene replied from the bed,
"Uh… yes."
"Of course not. One of the Four Guardians saw you knocking out a third-rank cultivator and destroying an entire district. Naturally, he reported it to me."
"Anyway, tell me everything—in detail."
Farid looked at Alex and told him everything that happened since leaving Melissa's birthday, except for the matter of the bag and the old man's words.
"Even though I'm lying to my teacher… I hope it's worth it."
He glanced at the bag resting beside Eugene's bed.
Alex sighed, lowered his head, then raised it again, his tired eyes half-lidded.
"You know you're going to be punished, right?"
Rin sighed.
"Yeah… we know."
Alex took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag.
"Aaah…"
He exhaled and said,
"But on the bright side—"
Farid, Reem, and Rin looked at him. Eugene remained lying on the bed.
"You took down a third-rank cultivator, even if he was old and arrogant. That shows your effort in training and learning. And it was a practical lesson for you—"
He gestured toward Reem, Rin, and Eugene.
"So you understand how dangerous this world truly is."
Alex stood up from the chair, cigarette in his mouth.
"Rest now. You still have—" he glanced at his watch, "—six or seven hours before class."
"Aaah, class? What about medical leave?"
Eugene complained—he hated classes.
Alex looked at him mockingly.
"For your sake, there'll be two classes instead of one."
Eugene jumped up quickly.
"No, no! I was joking! I'm full of energy—aaah!"
Pain shot through his chest, but he screamed only in his mind, forcing a wide, silly smile.
"Don't worry. The doctor's treatment is professional. In a few hours, you'll feel better."
Alex left the room, leaving them talking.
He stopped by the wall outside.
After a moment—
A hand snatched the cigarette from Alex's mouth.
"Huh?"
Alex turned to see who had taken it.
It was a blonde-haired girl with red eyes, wearing a long black coat and a hairpin shaped like a scale.
"Sherlock, why did you take my cigarette?"
Sherlock spoke in a calm, warm voice.
"I told you smoking is harmful to your health. I can see dark clouds in your chest—you didn't listen to my advice last time."
Alex looked at her while pulling out another cigarette.
"Aaah, you're unbelievably stubborn. One day you'll realize I was right."
She placed the back of her hand on her forehead, mimicking Alex's deep, tired voice.
"Oh, Sherlock, you were right. Smoking is very harmful."
"Haha, I don't talk like that."
She stepped forward, took the cigarette he was about to smoke along with the entire pack, and continued walking.
"In the end, it's still harmful. If I see you smoking again, it won't end well for you."
She shot him a sharp look, then smiled warmly.
Alex thought to himself as he watched her disappear into the distance,
"She's annoying, complicated, strict, and kind… no wonder she's from the Sherlock Moriarty family."
End of Chapter