The ground below was filled with adventures.
Leading them were powerful Demigods.
‘They are Templars.’
Each one of them was far stronger than him.
The adventurers were emitting intense bloodlust, while the Templars stared at him curiously.
Neo’s gaze shifted to the blue-haired young man.
He was holding him with Telekinesis.
Placing Neo on the ground, the blue-haired young man turned to his colleague.
“Check him for injuries.”
“Yes, sir.”
The green-haired woman’s hand glowed.
Tiny white pollens materialized around her.
They flew towards Neo and seeped into his skin.
“He is… perfectly fine,” the woman said, perplexed.
“Are you sure about that?” the blue-haired Templar, Elijah, questioned. “He has been alone inside a Tiger grade Window for seven days.”
“Yes, he has no injuries, and he is in peak physical condition.”
Elijah stared at Neo with a deep gaze.
He opened his mouth, addressing the adventurers and other Templars.
“Send Team 1 and Team 2 into the Window. The leaders – Templars – will secure the perimeter.
“Follow the standard protocol.”
The adventurers moved.
Only Elijah and Shana, the green-haired woman, stayed with Neo.
“Neo Hargraves, we have a lot of questions for you. Follow us.”
Neo nodded.
He entered a limo with them.
Inside, Neo met Professor Evelyn.
“It’s good to see you in health, Neo.”
She smiled and passed him several documents.
“While there is a ton I would love to say – thank you for protecting the city while the management was slow to react, congratulate you on returning and a job done perfectly – I believe we should focus on the urgent topics.”
Shana coughed when Professor Evelyn mentioned ‘management’.
It was a jab.
Professor Evelyn clicked her tongue slightly when Elijah ignored her words.
“You entered a Window without safety gear or permission.
“You used city-level attacks in the public domain.
“That’s two major crimes, seventeen minor offenses, and more if we were to count how recklessly you fought.
“It’s twenty years in prison minimum.”
She continued.
“Normally, you would go straight to the Senate and be made to stand before the Jury, but the Academy appealed for your case.
“All matters have been settled while you were in the Window.
“You just need to give us a detailed summary of your time inside the Window and the Labyrinth, and you are good to go.
“There will be no prison sentence and you will be rewarded for your deeds.”
Professor Evelyn continued to give him pointers about what to say and what not to say while giving the summary during the court hearing.
Elijah looked pissed, probably because he had to ignore the blatant misuse of authority.
But he had orders from the higher-ups.
And he had to listen.
After the pep talk ended, Professor Evelyn let go of her professional demeanor and praised Neo for his bravery.
She smiled, saying he exhibited an impressive control of Death, making sure to hit only his opponents.
According to her, a lot of adventurers had sent gifts to him since he was the only reason they were alive.
Their talk ended, and the car became silent.
Elijah stared at Neo with an unfriendly gaze.
Shana was going through her social media account.
Neo took out his device to pass the time.
He noticed hundreds of messages from his friends.
After giving them a short reply, he saw the messages from unknown contacts.
They were adventurer teams and other organizations trying to recruit Neo, or they were news reporters trying to fix an interview with Neo.
Neo ignored them.
Just then, a new message popped up.
>Henry Hargraves<
Henry: How are you?
Me: Good, I’d say.
Henry: When will you return home?
Me: No idea. I’m going to the Academy right now to deal with the proceedings of entering a Window illegally.
Henry: There is a press conference of Hargraves Corporation tomorrow before the launch of the Auction.
Henry: Be on time. You’ll be attending it.
Henry: PS, if those Templars or Academy staff give you trouble, give me a call.
>Henry Hargraves<
Neo smiled.
Henry was the same as ever.
“We are here,” Elijah spoke.
Neo stepped out of the car first.
The noises of hundreds of cameras clicking surprised him.
The entrance of the academy was filled with cameramen and reporters blocking their path.
“Neo Hargraves, we would like to know…”
“Divine Ruler, our news channel…”
The flashes of cameras almost made Neo think he was standing in front of a blinding headlight.
The reporters tried to rush up to Neo.
“No interviews. Neo Hargraves has to stand in a hearing. He can’t waste his time here,” Elijah’s words were polite yet sharp.
The reporters hesitated.
They looked at each other and opened a path to the Academy.
Neo, escorted by Elijah and Shana, entered the Academy premises.
On the way, Shana’s device rang.
Elijah stared at her with a frown.
‘How many times have I told you to keep it on silent while we are working’ was what his gaze was saying.
“Sorry, just let me check it.”
Shana took out her device.
Her brows jumped in shock.
“It’s a message from the Team 1 leader.
“They’ve closed the Window,” she said.
“Already? That was fast,” Elijah muttered.
“About that….”
Shana pursed her lips, wondering how to break the news to Elijah.
“What is it?”
“The Team Leader of Team 1 reported they didn’t do anything. All shadow monsters were defeated already.
“They only encountered shadow monsters that were born a few hours ago, nothing else.”
Her words made the group stare at Neo.
“Did you defeat the Shadow monsters?” Shana asked cautiously.
Neo nodded.
Shana opened her mouth and closed it, unable to form words.
“All of us thought you were hiding there for seven days until you escaped.
“Even if you didn’t do that, no one could’ve predicted that you could clear the Window in only six days alone,” Eluiaj spoke in place of Shanna.
The way he stared at Neo changed.
His gaze contained a hint of acknowledgment and wariness.
The four of them stood outside the doors of a conference room.
Professor Evelyn opened the door.
“This is as far as I’ll go.”
Elijah and Shanna entered.
As Neo was about to enter, Professor Evelyn gave him a smile.
“Don’t be afraid. Even if something goes wrong, the Academy will have your back.
“You’ve done a service by protecting the city; we’ll make sure you aren’t punished for it.”
Neo nodded and entered the room.
The place had a big round table and a small platform in the center.
Several figures sat around the table, including Charlotte.
Elijah took the seat next to her, and Shanna sat beside him.
“Please stand on the podium,” Elijah said.
Neo followed his words.
Elijah turned to Shana.
Shana understood the cue.
She took out her device and a pen to note down everything that would be spoken thereon in the room.
“Neo Hargraves, this is a hearing initiated to understand the cause of the Window #38023 appearance and the disappearance of the Labyrinth.
“You have been called into the hearing because you are the prime suspect related to both incidents.
“Now, is it true that you defeated the Minotaur and entered the Window that appeared later above Greenwood City?” Elijah questioned.
“It is.”
Elijah nodded.
Shanna continued to jot down the points.
“Please give us a detailed summary of everything that went down.”
“I entered the Labyrinth and—”
“Please, start from the beginning.”
“…?” Neo pursed his lips. “I don’t understand your question.”
“Then, I’ll change the question to make it easier to understand.”
Elijah took out several documents.
He flipped through the pages.
“According to the evidence, you tried to take an SS-rank mission from the Academy’s hall and were refused.
“The SS-rank mission was to defeat the Minotaur.”
“….?”
Neo frowned.
He did not understand what Elijah was trying to say.
Elijah continued,
“In its place, you took an S-rank mission and multiple lower-ranked missions, all connected to the Labyrinth in one way or another.
“Is this all true?”
“Yes.”
“I see.” Elijah nodded. “Thereafter, you proceeded to enter the Labyrinth the same day.
“The same day, you encountered survivors who had the key to the Minotaur’s Chamber.
“And, the same day, you reached the Minotaur and defeated it.
“Is this all true?”
“It is.”
“I see.”
Elijah closed the documents.
He interlocked fingers and leaned over the table, staring at Neo.
“The above evidence shows that you knew the location of the Minotaur and sought it out purposefully.
“Is this true?”
“….”
“Neo Hargraves, your actions have caused the loss of assets worth 3,000 million dollars and nearly caused the death of thousands of civilians.
“All of it would’ve been prevented had you warned the Labyrinth Association that you knew the Minotaur’s location and you were going to defeat it.
“If people knew the Labyrinth was going to disappear, a lot of chaos could’ve been prevented.”
“….”
Neo shifted his gaze to Charlotte. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
The principal was frowning.
Elijah, despite being ordered to end the hearing without any trouble, was clearly not planning to do that.
‘This damned brat’s sense of justice always causes trouble.’
She massaged her brows.
