[hehe!! host, it's time to thank me for writing your speech; I told you calling them chickens would work].
The system's voice echoed inside Will's mind, sounding far too pleased with itself.
Will let out a quiet breath through his nose as he continued walking. "Tsk, you just gave me one idea. I had to improvise everything from there, on the spot," he replied mentally.
There was a brief pause before he added, this time without sarcasm. "Anyway, thanks for your help this past week."
This time, Will genuinely meant it.
The system had not only given him suggestions. It had actively helped him during the trial.
It assisted him in drawing formations under pressure. It helped him operate the hijacking stamp to edit the existing arrays inside the domain.
With its guidance, he had managed to set up a Heaven Trapping formation in the middle of the cave.
Of course, the array itself had been purchased from the shop using several DP a few years back.
It was an instant, one-time-use item. But that did not mean it was easy to use.
If someone did not understand formations properly, the array would fail even after activation. Placement and direction mattered.
Without proper formation knowledge, the array would have been useless.
[By the way, host, you should also invest time and effort in rune mastery; it will benefit you more than you think.]
Will listened to the advice but did not respond immediately.
"I get it," he finally replied in his mind. "But first, I need to sit through boring stuff."
He stopped walking.
In front of him stood a large door made of reinforced material. The surface had faint markings carved into it.
Two high-ranking guards stood on either side. Their posture was straight, and expressions were serious. From their presence alone, it was clear that this area was not meant for students.
"Wait here," the man who had escorted Will said. His voice was firm as he stepped forward and entered the room without waiting for a reply.
Will remained standing outside.
He looked around slowly. His surroundings were clean and sterile. The walls were smooth and well maintained.
"Looks exactly the same as the novel," he muttered to himself.
After a few moments, the door opened again. The same man stepped out.
"You can go inside," he said. Then his eyes shifted to Will's shoulder. "But your cat is not allowed."
Will followed his gaze.
The small black cat was still sitting calmly on his shoulder, its tail swaying slightly.
Will nodded.
He carefully lifted Tamasya and placed her on the ground.
He crouched down and gently rubbed her fur.
"Wait for me," he said softly.
Tamasya responded by purring. She leaned into his hand and then rolled on the floor, clearly enjoying the sensation.
Will chuckled quietly at the sight. Then he stood up and turned around.
He stepped inside the room.
The first thing he noticed was the table.
It was long and wide. Neatly stacked documents were placed across its surface. Several chairs surrounded it. The entire setup was positioned on a raised platform.
Will looked at the people seated there.
He recognized many of them from descriptions alone.
At the center sat Principal Andrea. Her posture was calm. Her expression was gentle, which stood in contrast to the seriousness of the room.
Beside her sat a man with white crystalline horns. His presence was heavy and serious.
His eyes reflected a pale white glow and facial features that matched those of Andrea quite a lot; after all, he was her brother.
Marcus is the general of the Celestial Army.
A long katana rested beside his seat; its sheath had faint purple carvings.
His arms were muscular, and ancient black tattoos ran across them.
Will also noticed Kevin seated among the panel. He briefly wondered how the elf had reached here before him.
"William Kaiser greets the esteemed masters," Will greeted with a polite smile.
Andrea looked at him and nodded. "Take the seat, student William," she said, gesturing toward a single chair placed opposite the panel.
Will walked forward and sat down; once he settled, Andrea spoke again.
"First of all, I want to thank you for what you have done for the academy," she said.
"You will be rewarded for your merits. However, do not misunderstand this meeting.
This is a normal interrogation. We want to know more about the incident. Since you were at the center of it, we will just ask you some simple questions."
Her tone was calm. She was clearly trying to ease the situation.
Andrea did not want unnecessary hostility; after all, William's potential was too high to ignore. More than that, he was the disciple of her friend.
Andrea gestured towards the panel.
A professor seated at the edge of the table began speaking.
"So, Mr. William," the professor said, looking at his documents. "You were admitted using a recommendation from one of the honored ranks. That itself is impressive. However, the academy had almost no background information about you."
"For investigation purposes, we conducted a background check," he continued.
"You were an orphan who was adopted by the Kaiser family. Is that correct?"
Will nodded calmly.
"What was your age at the time of adoption?" the professor asked.
"Freshly born," Will replied. "In the middle of the Great Forest Ranges near the borders of HolySun and Riverdale"
The professor paused.
"Why do you think no beast touched you? in that forest before the couple arrived," he asked. "Children in such areas are easy prey."
Will replied without paying much expression. "Who knows. Maybe there was a guardian spirit."
The professor looked at him. "What is that?"
"A bedtime story my granny used to tell," Will answered.
The professor showed no reaction.
"Why do you think you were left in the forest?" he continued. "Parents usually abandon children in front of orphanages, not in places where most people cannot even pass safely."
Will smiled slightly. "Maybe I was born out of a crystal."
The professor frowned. "What? Are you serious?"
"I think that question suits you better in this situation," Will replied. "It's a ridiculous question."
The professor stiffened. He was about to speak again, but he noticed Andrea's gaze.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Next question."
"You originally lived in Oak Village, in the Riverdale Empire. After your adoptive parents passed away, you told the village chief that you were going to a nearby town to live with relatives."
He flipped the page.
"But records show you went to Redstone Town. Then you traveled to Opera Town. After that, you went to the imperial capital. Is that correct?"
Will looked at the professor with visible disgust.
"Yes."
"Why did you lie to the village chief?" the professor asked.
"He was eyeing my inheritance," Will replied. "I was carrying a lot of gold. If I told him I had no relatives, he would have killed me."
The professor nodded and continued.
"You went to Redstone Town to board a carriage?"
"Yes."
"Days after you left Opera Town, a calamity struck the town. A cult attack. What do you think about that?"
Will exhaled slowly. "You want to know what I think?"
The professor nodded.
"It's not strange," Will said. "Even the academy wasn't safe. Why would a rural town be any different?"
The words landed cleanly.
The professor's expression darkened. Several members of the panel glanced at him with looks that clearly said he should not have pushed that question.
Still, the professor had no personal grudge.
This was his job.
He was a member of the investigation bureau run jointly by the Celestial Army and the Academy. Long interrogations worked this way. Small details mattered.
What was not normal was William.
Despite the invasive questions, he showed no discomfort or hesitation.
Finally, the professor closed the file.
He passed the documents to the person sitting beside him.
"I'm done," he said quietly.
Another investigator picked up the file.
"There was an incident involving your shop," he said. "Two people were killed. Did you kill them?"
"Yes," Will replied.
"Why?"
"They were goons sent by the Sinclair family," Will said. "They were hunting one of my customers. She came to my house injured. I helped her. Someone took her away while I collapsed during the fight."
"You did not report this to the authorities?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I don't trust them."
The investigator nodded. "Fine."
"It says you left the capital one year ago," he continued. "Where were you?"
"With my master."
"How do we know you are not lying?"
Will looked straight at him. "Ask my master."
━━(￣ー￣*|||━━
The investigator had no words.
William's master was one of the honored ranks.
Even he did not know who that was.
He was not old enough or high enough to know.
Without another word, he passed the file to Professor Morgan.
The interrogation was far from over.