Chapter 138: Arrests and the Student Council

Newly ascended legendary necromancers are often derided as the "disgrace of the legends," as their strength is so meager that even non-legendary professionals of many classes can defeat them. However, this assessment only applies to those who have recently attained legendary status.

Once they reach the legendary rank, undead creatures attain the intelligence of ordinary humans. They can master techniques and spells, continuously growing stronger, and many ancient, long-dead entities possess power that is absolutely off the charts.

Therefore, Lando formulated a series of short-term training plans for his two newly ascended legendary undead subordinates.

The Skeletal King was straightforward. Although it possessed some innate necromantic spells, most were buffs or intimidation-based; the vast majority of its power lay in melee combat. Thus, it was sufficient to have it suppress its own strength and spar with the sentinels, and Lando trusted that its combat techniques would improve significantly in a short time.

The Lich, however, was somewhat troublesome. It had not been powerful in life, and its transformation into a Lich had been a matter of chance, inheriting very little. Now, aside from a few innate spells, it was essentially a hollow shell. Lando brought out the various spells he had transcribed and prioritized having it learn a few practical ones, such as curses and binding spells. As for higher-level spells or self-developed ones created after gaining deeper knowledge, that would be a matter for the distant future.

Lando had no interest in the standard path of a necromancer, but he could certainly utilize those methods to cultivate his Lich.

Having finalized the "study plans" for his two key subordinates, Lando departed from his Mind Space with an air of ease.

***

It was after class again. Since Lando had decided to visit Lorel, he naturally pondered whether to buy some gifts, though it seemed such customs did not exist in this world.

Suddenly, he keenly sensed some strange gazes. He swept his eyes across the room, catching glimpses of mockery and schadenfreude from a few classmates.

Lando’s heart sank; he realized something unpleasant was likely to happen, inwardly lamenting that delayed intelligence was truly a troublesome thing.

Just as he was about to head quickly toward Lorel’s location, hoping to establish a connection with the prince as soon as possible, he had not yet left the teaching building when he saw two men in crisp black uniforms—one young, one middle-aged—questioning a teacher. The teacher spotted Lando and pointed him out; the men in uniform then began walking toward him.

Lando muttered "trouble" to himself but made no other move.

"We are from the Imperial Court Inquisition. You must be Dolan, right? We need you to cooperate with an investigation. Come with us."

The young man finished speaking and, without waiting for a response, reached out to grab him.

Lando had no intention of resisting and acted quite submissively. In reality, however, he had already made a decision. The Imperial Court Inquisition was no simple place; it was where the Empire tried those deemed to have committed heinous crimes. It was filled with experts, and once Lando was taken inside, regardless of the outcome, he would undoubtedly suffer.

Lando was acting to achieve his own goals; given a choice, he had no intention of playing the "victim" card. Furthermore, he did not believe that the Prince would be unaware of the fact that people from the Inquisition could walk into the Central Academy so openly.

He set a bottom line in his heart: if the Prince did not step in to protect him after he left the academy, he would immediately break free, go underground, and pursue his objectives through other plans. He would never enter a place like the Inquisition—it was too easy for things to go wrong.

The three walked through the academy as many students pointed at them. The two inquisitors, seeing how "obedient" Lando was—not asking questions, not making a scene, and not resisting—felt their spirits relax.

As the academy gate drew closer, Lando remained calm. By general consensus, the academy was a safe harbor for students. For someone like him, being taken away by an official violent agency, the closer he got to leaving the academy, the more fearful and anxious he should feel. If the Prince wanted to protect him, he would most likely intervene at the moment Lando was most "helpless"—this followed standard logic.

Sure enough, just as the three were about to step out of the Central Academy gate, a deep shout came from behind them.

"Stop!"

At that moment, Lando spun around, his eyes filled with three parts helplessness, three parts despair, three parts desolation, and one part hope. Had he been in his previous life, the Oscars would have owed him a golden statue!

Lorel walked up to the three with long strides. He first looked at Lando with a gentle gaze, as if confirming whether he had been harmed, then said to the two inquisitors, "Who gave you the authority to arrest people at the Central Academy? Who gave you the right?!"

The young man frowned and said, "We have..."

"You are not qualified to speak to me. If you want to arrest someone in the Central Academy, have your superior come personally! Lando, come with me, His Highness the Prince wishes to see you."

With that, he ignored the grim-faced inquisitors and turned to lead Lando away.

The young man looked indignant and wanted to say something, but was stopped by the middle-aged man.

"Boss, why did you stop me? We clearly have an arrest warrant from above. How are we supposed to explain returning empty-handed?"

"I told you to watch more, speak less, and not be impulsive—how have you learned nothing?" the middle-aged man scolded first. Then he explained, "Don't let jealousy cloud your judgment. Even if that boy was just a commoner before, even if he was just lucky, he is now an Awakened. He is destined to be different from us. If you keep acting like this, you will ruin yourself sooner or later."

Although the young man was unconvinced, he dared not talk back. "Then what do we do now? We didn't take him; are we just going back like this?"

"Use your brain more in the future. This is clearly a gamble between two major factions; it's not something small fries like us can participate in. Go back and report the truth. If we get scolded, we get scolded; if we get punished, we get punished."

The middle-aged man and the young man seemed to have a close relationship. Although the older man was constantly grumbling, every word he spoke was a lesson in survival. If the young man could take it to heart, he would surely avoid many pitfalls—well, if he could take it to heart!

***

Lando followed behind Lorel, walking quietly. Lorel also seemed to be lost in thought, and the two remained silent the entire way.

The Central Academy occupied a large portion of the central area in Guzman, the imperial capital, which spoke volumes about its status. The student council headquarters was located at the very heart of the academy, facing the academy principal’s office building across a lake; they were known as the Twin Towers of the Central Academy.

The student council wielded immense autonomy within the academy, so the power held by successive student council presidents was unimaginable to ordinary students. At a minimum, it exceeded that of a typical teacher—reaching the level of a director of studies—and at its peak, it surpassed that of the vice-principal, with only the principal being able to exert any restraint.

And the term under Prince Gigg, who served as the current student council president, was undoubtedly the pinnacle of the student council's power.