After Duke left, the deck fell silent, a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
Alan was the first to break the silence, speaking to the senior sister beside him:
"Duke is different from me. After all, he comes from an aristocratic family, a descendant of the Dragon Lineage. It's inevitable that he's arrogant."
"Brother Marvin, asking Duke for a spot seems... inappropriate, doesn't it?"
Marvin, hearing his question, turned back and sneered.
"Brother Allen, it seems you've been fooled by that pretentious white-haired brat, too."
"How can he be from an aristocratic family? Even compared to you, who come from a small shopkeeper's family, he's even lower-class!"
Marvin, with disdain on his face, exposed Duke's true background in front of Alan and Tanya.
"Duke's father is a quack doctor who peddles fake medicine from door to door. His mother, haha, is a streetwalker!"
"That's what he boasts about: 'aristocratic family background,' 'inexpressibly noble.'"
"Brother Allen, after learning the truth, do you also find Duke hypocritical and ridiculous?"
Alan's face remained calm, but his heart was shaken!
Marvin couldn't, and didn't need to, lie about this.
To secure a spot in the secret realm, Marvin must have researched Duke's background beforehand.
Just like he'd investigated Allen Panthers's background.
To ensure they didn't have powerful connections, he could easily use threats, inducements, and other tactics.
Since Marvin was so certain, Duke must have lied about his background!
Alan recalled the details of his encounter with Duke.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized this guy was incredibly audacious and possessed incredible mental fortitude!
This Duke, ever since they first met on the ship, had been the most pretentious of all the apprentices.
He constantly hinted at his noble birth and his wealth.
His White Dragon bloodline certainly gave him the credentials to act pretentiously.
So much so that no one suspected he was just bragging.
After entering the Warlock Academy, Duke remained his usual self, constantly acting like a noble son of a wealthy family.
Not only Allen, but also Felin and Angel, his classmates at the academy, and even his instructors, were genuinely fooled by him.
They had always assumed he was from a noble family.
It wasn't until Marvin's revelation that they realized they had been deceived.
Duke had lied about his background to satisfy his own vanity.
In Allen's view, it wasn't really a big deal.
Which young person could completely overcome vanity?
‐‐The problem was that Duke's pretense was too much, and he couldn't hold it back!
‐‐Boasting in front of his friends, pretending to be a wealthy second-generation kid, would at most lead to ridicule and embarrassment after being exposed.
‐‐However, even after entering the Warlock Academy, Duke refused to behave himself, continuing to falsify his background, deceiving people and profiting from his fabricated noble birth.
‐‐This was a serious matter!
‐‐The Warlock Academy was the preserve of aristocratic families, and family background was paramount.
‐‐Other matters were manageable, but this was the only thing he couldn't do.
‐‐Duke had committed a grave offense!
‐‐Alan couldn't help but worry that this kid would soon pay a heavy price for his pretense and vanity.
‐‐Should he put in a few good words for Duke in front of Marvin? This thought lingered briefly in Allen's mind before dissipating.
If Angel or Flynn were in trouble, Allen would do his best to help.
But Duke?
Sorry, we're not that close yet.
Alan has never been a pushover.
His friendship and favors aren't cheap.
Duke had chosen the path of opportunism, and as a result, he'd received undeserved preferential treatment.
Now that the time has come to reckon, all I can say is... good luck.
…
Back to the academy.
Before entering the secret realm, Angel came to Allen and returned his storage bag.
"Do you know what's here?" Allen asked, shaking the storage bag.
"I don't know."
"You really don't know?"
"I'm kidding!"
It was so rare that Angel was capable of such mischief, winking playfully at Allen.
"Actually, I secretly opened it and took a look!"
Ever since his conflict with Andy, Allen had exchanged storage bags with Angel.
Alan had asked Angel to hold his storage bag and help him keep something.
Just in case he was forced to search him and was caught red-handed.
"Also, I put something in your storage bag as a thank you for your care on Magic Stone Island," Angel said.
"Oh? What's that?" Allen asked curiously.
"Don't look at it yet..." Angel smiled mysteriously. "Open it when you get back to the dorm, or someone will find out. It's not good."
"You still want to surprise me?"
"Yeah!"
"Then I'll have to treat you to a big meal."
"Okay!"
"You don't eat much, that's why you're so skinny," Allen said, patting his head with pity.
"My stomach is small, it can't hold anything."
Angel smiled sheepishly.
"But it's okay. I like watching you eat. It makes me feel like I have a good appetite, too, and I feel satisfied."
...
Alan treated Angel to a sumptuous lunch.
Angel took only two bites of each dish and was full.
He had a small appetite, like a cat.
So this meal, as always...
Alan mainly ate and drank to his heart's content.
Angel was watching from across the table.
He truly was a devoted fan of "eating broadcasts."
He watched with gusto, occasionally feeding Allen...
It seemed as if watching him devour the food offered a greater enjoyment than tasting it himself.
After lunch, Allen said goodbye to Angel.
He returned to the dojo dormitory and locked the door.
He opened his storage bag and counted the spoils from his trip to Magic Stone Island.
He first took out two large bags of attributeless magic stones.
Nearly 200 in total.
The spoils from hunting down the plague warlocks Moss and Rhett.
Alan rummaged through his storage bag and pulled out a medicine box.
The box contained a blood harmonizing reagent.
And Angel's handwritten instructions.
After injecting the reagent, if nothing unexpected happens, he will automatically master the "Second-Level Meditation Secret Technique."
This was Angel's thank-you gift...
Alan sighed.
This gift was too precious.
Angel was about to enter the Secret Realm of Time and cultivate for four years, equivalent to one year in real time.
Alan sent him a letter of thanks through the secret barrier, but he wasn't sure if it would be received.
Finally, Allen took the bone-carved Plague God statue from his storage bag.
This was the key item he had entrusted to Angel for safekeeping.
Ever since learning the Plague God statue's value, he realized he had fallen into a predicament of "possessing a treasure and committing a crime."
So, he prepared for the worst.
For example, being forcibly searched by Pamela, Andy, or the Beast Cultists.
After handing the Plague God statue to Angel, he finally dared to say to Moss and Andy with a clear conscience:
"The Evil God statue is truly not in my hands!"
Even if Jesus and Buddha had come, he would have dared to say that!
Andy and Moss were both dead.
Now, Allen had temporarily overcome the crisis and could enjoy his trophy without worry.