Chapter 366 Uncannily Familiar
"I was honestly shaken when I first heard about the news ... I mean, I was happy for the news, but I just never expected my brother to make a debut during the Outbreak."
"I get that feeling well. I couldn't wrap my head around the news too. Who knows the person you can freely cuddle whenever he is around would become such a respectable figure in a day."
"Haha. As someone who is considered a father by that person, I have nothing to say other than I am proud!"
The ice had quickly melted the moment Anthony left, allowing the dining room to be filled with the chattering of the family. Looking at his family, who were in the middle of talking about his achievements, Basil sipped his tea calmly.
Since his family had heard almost everything about the battle from the story the people spread around, they didn't ask about it much from him. They mainly asked him about what he had felt while he was facing the Demons.
His honest answer was, of course, as simple as usual. He really didn't feel anything—before and after defeating Lucilla and the others.
"Ah, we are sorry if you feel like we are ignoring you." Danzel smiled apologetically towards Iliana and Ione. "It's just... It has been really a long time since the last time we could genuinely have a meal like this."
"Please, don't mind us," Iliana said. "In the very first place, we shouldn't even disturb your family dinner."
"Ah, what are you talking about? As Basil's girlfriend, of course, you are part of the of the family too!"
Slightly widening her eyes in surprise, Iliana smiled at Danzel afterwards. "That is very kind of you. Thank you for considering me part of the family." Furtively glancing at Shirley and Clarissa, she smirked faintly.
'W-What is her deal?!' the two girls exclaimed in their mind.
Clack.
Basil put his teacup down and smiled faintly at the scene. He was glad that after the hurdles that had passed, his family could still smile and laugh.
His confidence had dropped temporarily after he lost Irene, his surrogate mother, to Nicholas, a nobody. 'Will I be able to protect them from a greater obstacle?' constantly haunted his mind after that event.
Of course, Basil wouldn't be Basil without his extreme confidence in himself. After determining himself to train harder and gain his original power as soon as possible, he immediately regained his his confidence.
Although not everything had gone exactly as what he had planned, he was still satisfied with how things turned out. For him, as long as his goal was fulfilled—keeping his family safe and getting stronger—it was fine.
"I don't mean to ruin the mood, but the three of us have to excuse ourselves now," Iliana announced, stopping the ongoing conversation in the dining room. "Randalvine Magic Institute is calling us, and we have to be there before the banquet."
Basil was a little bit surprised that Iliana and Ione were also invited to the banquet, but he was more intrigued by the reason why Ione was also called to the Magic Institute.
From the looks of it, Ione was already aware of this fact. She didn't look bothered at all, so she must already have an idea of what they were going to do.
"Ah, there is no helping it then," Danzel sighed.
"Why can we never get a single meal with Brother uninterrupted by matters?" Shirley harrumphed.
"This is frustrating." Clarissa lightly frowned. "I was planning to have Basil judge my Mastery over the Body Forging Technique he gave me."
"Well... It'll be good if the matter can be finished quickly. Hahaha." Danzel chuckled awkwardly as he scratched his cheek.
Basil, too, was slightly irked that his meal with his family was interrupted this time. This was, after all, a rare time where he could spend his time with his family since he no longer had any urgent thing to do.
Regardless, he couldn't just ignore the call of the Magic Institute. If it turned out to be about the matter of Eugene's death, he needed to absolutely come; he was sure the Magic Institute would give him a solution to shoo away the pests.
"We will be back in a few hours."
Standing up, the three immediately left the dining room after saying their farewell. They got into the luxury carriage waiting in front of the mansion, and went to Randalvine Magic Institute.
"I am sorry that I immediately notified the Institute as soon as you were awake," Iliana said apologetically. "The Church is going rabid nowadays. We are afraid they will do something to smear your name."
"I understand."
Looking at the ruins that decorated the side of the road through the window of the carriage, Basil could hardly find Paladins. Usually, they were the one who actively helped people in this kind of situation.
The Church's reputation was currently at an all time low in Braxtein Kingdom. What Eban did wasn't that big of a deal—everyone could show their cowardice anytime they wanted—but what he did was really contradictory to what the Church claimed.
For such a high-ranking individual, according to the claim, he should be fearless. He had shown the opposite, however, which made people think if what was claimed was really what had been happening.
The seed of doubt was planted. Watered by the conspiracy theories and the unpleasant rumours of the Church, it quickly sprouted and rooted deeply in the people's heart.
"How stupid," Basil scoffed as he looked at the citizens coming in and out of the Church. "These people boycott the Church, but still come there to pray to their Gods? Don't they consider the Gods to be mere fictional beings created by those people?"
"Without something to lean on, it is hard to keep standing," Ione said. "They need something that can be by their side whenever they need it. There is absolutely nothing like that, but nothing the God's omnipotence can't do."
"Are they really talking to the Gods?" Basil quirked his eyebrow. "No, they are just fooling themselves. They have been supporting their body with nothing but their spine. The Gods have nothing to do with it."
"It's their beliefs. As long as they don't force us to follow them, I don't see the need for us to spit on them," Iliana said. "It's stupid, but it's what helps them sleep at night. We can't say anything about it."
The discussion stopped after Iliana's remark. Basil found no fault in her words, and he wasn't too interested in the matter to keep talking about it.
The silence was preserved until they reached the Magic Institute. They immediately got out of the carriage, and opened the gate without minding the Rune carved on the gateway.
The Magic Institute was one of the few buildings that received not a single damage. Every Rune decorating it, however, was already exhausted due to the Outbreak, which was why all of them were non-active.
"Eh... That person. I-Isn't he that person?"
"Oh my... That's the real Basil Pacifier!"
"What? The Mythical Slayer is here?"
"Ah, the God of Casanova... He looks more handsome than the rumour!"
Hearing the whisperings of the people, Basil's mouth couldn't help twitching. He wondered what had happened for the last three days he had been out.
Iliana, who knew that Basil was annoyed by the monikers, smirked faintly. Very few could faze him, so she was really amused that people's admiration could bother him.
News about Basil's visit spread quickly throughout the Magic Institute. Every student who was there to report their survival couldn't help but be curious.
They immediately crowded the place where Basil and company could be found. They had heard of his dislike towards crowd, fortunately, so none of them blocked his way.
Since they were looking at him from a distance that gave him enough space to not feel surrounded, Basil didn't mind the crowd in the slightest. The only sound they made was only some mutterings, so he could also hardly find them bothering.
'They still make me feel like I am a rare Magical Beast regardless,' Basil mused. 'Talking about Magical Beasts, where is mine? That Companion of mine really likes to go wherever and whenever he likes.'
Basil didn't muse about the thought for long. Jacinda and Lawson were waiting for him in front of the building where the Headmaster's office was in, so he immediately paid his respect the moment he arrived in front of them.
"Good afternoon," he said simply as he nodded his head.
"Good afternoon, student, or rather, Head Commander Basil," Jacinda replied with a smile.
"It's good to see that you already have enough training," Lawson remarked. "Everyone was curious about when the Hero would finally open the door and stop training."
The fact that Basil was thought to be training behind a closed-door for all this time meant that Anthony was cooperating with them. He was the one who had suppressed the rumour about Basil recuperating from his injury.
"Let us cut to the chase," Basil said. "What do you need of me?"
Lawson and Jacinda looked at each other briefly before nodding their head at the same time. "We have decided to graduate you from the Magic Institute," the two said in unison.
"We have Transmission Talismans for a reason," Basil stated calmly. "Let us get into the building and throw away the facade. I can't stand twaddles."
Smiling wryly, Jacinda and Lawson immediately let Basil and company enter the building. They parted ways midway; Jacinda took Iliana and Ione with hers, whereas Lawson took Basil with him.
The walk to Lawson's office was silent. Basil was not really a sociable person, and Lawson couldn't find a single thing to say to start a conversation.
In result, this silence was preserved until the two of them entered the office. None of them spoke until one minute of silence passed.
"I ... I believe you have already known of your situation," Lawson said hesitantly. "I am aware of your feud with Eugene. Unlike the Church, however, I believe you are not so careless as to finish him to settle the feud..."
"So," Basil leaned forward. "Are you implying that I may have killed the incompetent student of yours, Eugene, whose whole team was wiped out by a horde of Demons?"
"I know it sounds stupid." Lawson sighed lightly. "But all of them are stupid, you know?"
Snorting lightly, Basil asked, "What is your offer?"
Widening his eyes in surprise, Lawson mused, 'As I expected, this lad... Is really exceptional.' With a small smile, he gave Basil the offer.