Chapter 101 Consequence
Outside the ward, Huang Lin was sitting on a chair, his expression showing great annoyance. Headmaster Jackson was next to him, as if preventing him from drawing his sword with the intention to kill at any moment.
Governor Devitt had already left. After all, with his status, it was impossible for him to wait here, no matter how much of a genius the student was.
Charlie wore a mournful expression, standing in the corner and feeling perplexed. He tried to recall the details in his mind.
'It's impossible. This can't be. I really didn't do anything.
'Could it be the food? That's not right. I already checked all the food...'
At that moment, the door to the ward was opened, and a doctor came out.
Huang Lin and the others went up and ask, "How is it?"
"It doesn't look good." The doctor shook his head, "The tissues of the muscles throughout his body have sustained great damages. His collar bone is also slightly cracked. It seems to be the due to pressure from Reduced Force Field.
"And there's problems with his internal organs. He seems to have suffered from malnutrition for an extended period of time, yet continued to undergo vigorous training, which caused his internal organs to show signs of deterioration." Saying that, he subconsciously looked towards Charlie, who was wearing a slightly grim expression.
When Huang Lin and the others heard it, they did not say anything, but just put on a cold smile as they looked towards Charlie.
The doctor continued, "But we've already prescribed the medication for these. With his physique, he should recover within one to two weeks.
"Moreover, his blood, breathing, and heart rate are all normal. It's just that he's not waking up, as if he's in a coma.
"To be honest, a weird condition like this, I've only heard of it before."
Huang Lin frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"
"It's said that there were others who had experienced a similar condition in the past as well. After suffering from physical or mental trauma, their brain failed to work normally, and they ended up sleeping all the way until their lives ended." Seeing Huang Lin's agitated gaze, the doctor quickly added, "It's a mere personal conjecture. In short, ordinary treatment methods are useless. I think it's better to look for Knights who have healing abilities. In this case, there might still be hope.
"Or think of other solutions. It's likely that the patient received a tremendous impact to his mental state."
Jackson sent the doctor off, saying, "I've got it. Thank you."
Huang Lin had already turned around, his eyes fixed on Charlie as he coldly said, "This is a Windstorm Sword Hero who took only three months to complete the transition, a genius who took only one month to transcend the speed of sound... To have fallen here... What on earth have you done?"
"I..." Charlie felt aggrieved and wanted to say something, but no words came out of his mouth.
Looking at how Huang Lin seemed as if he was about to kill, the Headmaster patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't be rash."
Just then, another Knight dressed in black walked in. He was also a member of the Royal Knight Association, and his gaze on Charlie was filled with pity.
It was obvious that when he had been outside earlier, he had already asked the doctor for his diagnosis.
He looked at Charlie and said, "Come with me, Charlie. The lord has requested to see you."
If it were as usual, as a Knight, he would definitely not dare to speak to Charlie, a Conferred Knight, like this. But now, how could Charlie care about such things?
Charlie looked at Huang Lin, bowed, and said, "This thing is really not my fault. But I'll definitely find out who did this."
With that, he left with his colleague.
No matter how perturbed or uneasy he was, Charlie still entered the temporary office the association had in the academy.
On the way, tens of members of the association’s staff gathered around. They were all looking towards Charlie with gazes filled with pity, and some as if they were staring at an idiot.
As for the people that Charlie had brought along, they were all led to different rooms to be interrogated.
A sixteen year old Windstorm Sword Hero, a genius who had transcended the speed of sound, stabbed in the back just like that. Even if the Head of the Royal Knight Association was still in the Imperial Capital, everyone present could imagine his fury.
Moreover, there were definitely not just one or two important characters behind Fang Xingjian. Just the previous appearance of the Governor stood witness for how much he was being valued.
When he reached the office door, Charlie's feet could not help but start trembling. A colleague at the side laughed and said, "Don't be nervous, go on in."
Charlie inhaled deeply, circulating his mental cultivation method in his mind, and forcefully suppressing the anxiety in his heart.
Pushing the door open and entering, he saw, under the ray of sunlight from the window, that old man dressed in black, with golden seams at the rims, standing upright, looking out the window.
After entering, Charlie did not dare to speak up, but just stood there, head facing the floor, as if he was staring at a flower on the ground.
As time passed by, the old man continued to look at the scenery outside the window, as if there was something nice to look at. The room was drowned in silence, and Charlie could only hear the sound of his own breathing.
Droplets of sweat started to appear on Charlie's forehead. He felt the pressure in the room getting increasingly strong. He knew that the other party was deliberately ignoring him, but at this moment, he did not dare to have any kind of thoughts.
Finally, after about twenty minutes had passed by, just as Charlie felt that the air was turning viscous, the old man finally spoke up.
"Charlie, do you still remember the association's regulations?"
Charlie swallowed, and bitterly said, "Absolute neutrality."
"That's right, absolute neutrality. The Knight Association oversees all matters concerning Knights in the Empire. It represents countless powers which could break through into the enemy ranks, powers which could be used to destroy cities and eradicate countries.
"Can you imagine, once internal strife starts to occur within this power, what would be the consequences?"
Charlie did not speak, but lowered his head even more.
The old man continued to speak, "What on earth have you done to Fang Xingjian?"
Charlie spoke up in with a bitter face, "I... I really didn't do anything."
The old shook his head. "The association's work is not suitable for you, there's no need for you to carry on with it. But as a Conferred Knight, you can't sit around doing nothing. Go make your preparations to join the Southern Crusade."
The Empire's Southern Crusade was an army of Knights which was in charge of suppressing the Empire's southern region.
The southern borders were full of various pests, minority tribes of all sorts, and various dangerous wild beasts. It could be said to be the most chaotic, most dangerous, and most rundown area.
And the Southern Crusade, located in the southern borders, was the toughest army to be in. Being sent off to the southern borders was equivalent to being banished, to being condemned to death in a faraway land, never to return.
Moreover, even if he could put up with it with his Conferred Knight's physique, what would happen to his wife, his son, and his parents?
Charlie's face turned extremely pale, as if he was a ghost, as he looked at the old man.
He opened his mouth, and the coarse voice that came out shocked even himself, "Sir, I beg of you to give me a chance."
"If you want a chance, then you had better give me a good explanation." The old man paid him no heed, but continued, "I'll give you one month's time. The association will investigate what nonsense you have been up to in the academy this time around. But mind your mouth, don't land yourself into a situation where you will need to pay with your life."
Charlie's face looked as if he had aged ten years in just a short moment, his spine bent, as if all the vitality in him had been sapped away.
The southern borders were scarce in land, resources, and population. Moreover, they were far away from the Imperial Capital. If he was sent there, he would probably be forgotten in a mere few years.
That place did not even have a proper Regional Royal Knight Academy.
Going there would not just snap off his path of progress, it would also kill off all possibilities of him attaining breakthroughs in his martial arts.
Without an academy, without resources, and with incredibly few people he could mingle with, it would be extremely tough t to rely purely on his talent to achieve any breakthroughs.
As if he had expected Charlie's reaction, the old man shook his head, let out a sigh and said, "A sixteen year old Windstorm Sword Hero... A sixteen year old swordsman at the speed of sound... What a good seedling...
"Do you know how much such a genius could contribute to the Empire once he progressed?"
The next moment, his tone turned cold, "Certain people's hands have really stretched out too far."
...
"The First Prince's hand has stretched out too far," Governor Devitt coldly said. "For the past few years, he has been increasingly tyrannical, seizing and taking in talents as he wishes. In order to complete his Devil's Note, he caused the ruin of countless families and great discontent amongst the people."
Besides Devitt stood an elegant-looking black-haired man. He was Devitt's aide, Westerner Li Hong.
Hearing Devitt's grumbles, Li Hong nodded, saying, "It can't be helped. I heard that back then, the First Prince had chanced upon attaining the State of Dominion, and thus he has been increasingly direct with the way he does things – those who submit will prosper, those who oppose shall perish. There's no tolerance for the slightest disobedience.
"Although the First Prince's powers have soared in leaps and bounds through this, gaining authority in the government, and even getting him great chances of attaining the Divine level..."
Devitt let out a cold laugh. If such a First Prince were to ascend to the throne, it would probably lead to groups of Knights going on a rebellion.
But of such matters even he did not dare to blatantly speak out loud. He only frowned and thought to himself, 'What is His Majesty thinking? Especially for the past few years… The period of time that His Majesty has been cultivating for in seclusion has been increasing each time, and each time he comes out, his aura is increasingly unfathomable.
'But his control in the court is diminishing. Could it be...'
Suddenly, a possibility flashed in Devitt's thoughts, making him tremble.
He shook his head, chasing the thought out of his mind and murmured to himself, 'It's a pity about this good seedling, Fang Xingjian… A genius who has managed to transcend the speed of sound at the age of sixteen. If he'd been able to progress quickly and eventually support that person...'