Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons novel Chapter 343

The silence that followed Kharzan's departure was as heavy as the threat he had left behind. _{freeωebnovēl.c૦m}

Julius was the first to break it, placing a hand over his face with evident concern.

"We could hand Kassian over to him and keep Klein," he suggested, his voice betraying his exhaustion. "It wouldn't be ideal, but it would avoid an immediate conflict..."

"Giving them the guilty party would be too obvious a defeat," responded Sirius, his tone cold as ice. "It would make the situation worse more quickly. We would be showing weakness, and Yino never respects weakness."

"Besides," added Arturo, "if Kassian has truly been experimenting with abyssal corruption, releasing him now would be giving them precisely what they need to accelerate whatever they're planning."

Selphira, who had remained silent since Kharzan's departure, sighed deeply.

"I will speak with Kassian," she finally decided. "Perhaps there is something more we can discover before making a final decision."

The three men nodded, recognizing the wisdom of this approach. If anyone could extract useful information from the Goldcrest heir, it was Selphira Ashenway.

As they exited the tent, Selphira looked toward the sky, where the sun had begun its descent toward the horizon.

The countdown had begun.

♢♢♢♢

With the temporary withdrawal of the Goldcrests and their men...

Classes had resumed at the academy, but the atmosphere was far from normal. Although most students didn't know the exact details of what was happening with the Goldcrests, the tension could be felt in every corner.

The usual laughter and casual conversations in the corridors had been replaced by hushed whispers and wary glances.

The professors, aware of the gravity of the situation, involuntarily transmitted their concern through furtive looks and conversations that abruptly ended when a student approached too closely.

For Ren, who knew the truth thanks to Han, the situation felt even more oppressive. Not only did he have to deal with the weight of knowing that his ring... or more precisely, the ring absorbed by his fungus, was one of the central factors in the crisis, but now he had a constant feeling of being under surveillance worse than usual.

In Wei's class, Luna and Han couldn't stop observing him with an intensity far superior to the usual.

Since the incident the previous night, they hadn't had a chance to talk. Lin had escorted them directly to their respective rooms and, as additional punishment, had given them exercises upon exercises. The physical strain had been deliberate, too exhausted to scheme, they had collapsed into sleep instead of planning further mischief…

On the other side of the classroom, Larissa and Liora were leaning over their desks, whispering among themselves and Luna while occasionally casting glances in his direction. Luna had apparently already told them enough to awaken their curiosity.

Wei massaged his temples, making an evident effort to ignore the high nobles' whispers. Han, on the other hand, received a severe warning look when he tried to turn toward Ren for the tenth consecutive time.

"Do you think this will get out of control?" murmured Taro, taking advantage of a moment when Wei was distracted with another student. For the umpteenth time...

Ren sighed, his mushrooms pulsing with an irregular rhythm that reflected his unease.

"I don't know," he responded honestly, keeping his voice low. "I've told you many times already... I really don't know."