All-around teacher at the magic academy

On the other side of the city, Rhine wandered through the narrow streets and eventually arrived at the place where Earl Hills and Hughes had fought.

His pace slowed as he approached the scene, and the sight before him made him stop in his tracks.

The battlefield was a scene of devastation, littered with broken objects and bloodstains, but the most striking sight was the headless corpse lying in a pool of blood.

Rhine's pupils constricted; he recognized the body as belonging to Earl Hills.

This morning the Earl was giving a passionate speech in front of the Workers' Association, and now he's in this state. Rhine was filled with shock; he couldn't imagine who had committed such a heinous act.

He was filled with doubt. Was it Hughes, Tommy, or someone else? Whoever did it, the consequences were undoubtedly serious.

The death of an earl would cause a huge uproar in the entire city, and law enforcement would certainly conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

Once law enforcement gets involved, everyone involved will be suspected.

His presence at the scene, if it left any clues, could very likely be noticed by law enforcement.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a chill. This matter was too far-reaching and the consequences too serious. He had to be careful so as not to be caught in the eye of the storm.

Rhine took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, trying to block out the surrounding noise and focus on sensing the magical fluctuations around him.

His mind was like a sharp sword, cutting through the subtle changes in the air, searching for traces left by Tommy. Yes, there was the lingering magic of Tommy here, a faint, almost imperceptible sense of something different, but it was undeniably there.

However, where exactly was Tommy? This question remained a mystery, tightly entwined in Rhine's mind.

He opened his eyes, his gaze falling once again on Earl Hills' headless corpse.

Rhine was torn by an internal struggle. He didn't know whether he should erase all traces of the place, just as he had done with Hughes' body.

After some struggle, Rhine made his decision. He reached out his hand, and a flickering flame gathered at his fingertips.

Under his control, the flames slowly covered Earl Hills's corpse, and soon the body was engulfed by the raging fire and turned to ashes.

Rhine stood in the firelight, expressionless, as if his heart, like the flames, had burned away all his emotions.

He then began to thoroughly destroy the entire area. Walls collapsed, the ground cracked, all objects were destroyed, and Rhine used magic to completely erase any possible clues.

He not only had to erase his own traces, but also remove as much of Tommy's magical aura as possible. Only in this way could he leave in peace and remain safe in the coming storm.

When the last trace of magical energy disappeared into the air, Rhine finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked around one last time to make sure he hadn't missed any details, then turned and disappeared into the ruins, leaving behind only a wasteland and deathly silence.

……

Tommy stood silently before the grand portico of Earl Hills' mansion, his eyes as cold and deep as winter ice.

His heart was in turmoil, but he maintained an unusual calm on the surface. After a series of careful considerations, he had roughly pieced together the outline of the entire incident.

Mrs. Hills, that seemingly weak but actually cunning woman, never intended to survive from the very beginning.

Tommy realized that he was nothing more than a pawn being used, a pawn that could be sacrificed at any time. Her plan was perfect; no matter the outcome, she would profit from it.

Perhaps she never intended for herself and Duke Hills to survive; if she hadn't intervened, Earl Hills would have been killed by Hughes.

However, because of his intervention, Earl Hills survived while Hughes escaped.

No, perhaps from the beginning, according to Lady Hills's plan, Hughes would have been killed by her and Earl Hills together.

Afterwards, will I clash with Earl Hills like this, and then be killed by Earl Hills?

Tommy couldn't understand why she was so sure that Earl Hills would kill her.

Perhaps she never wanted Lord Hills to live in the first place? Or perhaps she wanted to kill him herself?

But if that's the case, isn't she afraid of her own revenge? Or does she think she'll die alongside Earl Hills?

Tommy agrees with the idea that he and Lord Hills would work together to kill Hughes, and then Tommy would be killed by Lord Hills, leaving only Lord Hills alive.

He was unaware of the conflict between Mrs. Hills and Earl Hills, and this explanation was considered the most reliable by Tommy.

Tommy's fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white with rage. He wanted nothing more than to rush into the mansion and bring Mrs. Hills to justice, to make her pay for her betrayal.

He risked his life to complete the task she assigned him, but she orchestrated it all behind the scenes, trying to silence him forever.

Amidst his anger, Tommy also felt a lingering fear. He had almost become a victim of this power game.

But now, he would no longer let anyone control his destiny. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and began to consider his next move.

He knew he had to be more careful, because in this game, any wrong move could lead to ultimate defeat.

Tommy looked down at the burn wound on his abdomen, a painful and clear reminder of the brush with death he had just experienced.

He gritted his teeth, strengthened his resolve, and then strode toward Earl Hills' mansion.

At this moment, most of the mansion's guards have been dispatched to the site of the workers' association's conflict, so there shouldn't be too much of a threat here.

He nimbly vaulted over the courtyard wall and landed silently inside. Pushing open the heavy gates of the Earl's mansion, Tommy's heart raced instantly.

He had expected to see an empty hall, or at least some panicked servants, but the scene before him left him stunned and at a loss for what to do.

Mrs. Hills sat calmly in her chair, her gaze fixed on Tommy, as if she had anticipated his arrival.

Her expression was calm, without the slightest surprise or fear.

What surprised Tommy even more was that there were two fully armed law enforcement officers standing behind her.