Chapter 87 I'm Actually A... !!
"I'll feed you Laxatives…."
Just like that, the FireFox's curse was temporarily negated, and Jack barely regained his spirit while shivering. This had been CLOSE! Yet, he now had another issue.
"Y-You, How dare YOU!" The VIP tester was boiling with fury.
How many students had used this test over the years? This was an integral part of the Magic Academy… and yet this bastard had obliterated it!
Seeing the man's anger, Jack felt like he had been wronged. He was the one who had almost had his soul snatched by an Appraisal Spirit! Why the hell did it ever only happen to him?!
Yet, now wasn't the time to dwell on it; he had to give an explanation and a good one at that! Else, wouldn't he be seen as a mole working toward the Academy's downfall?
Jack suddenly acted innocently confused…
"W-what?! I barely touched it?! Quick, guys, look around. I'm sure the true culprit has to be around!" He stressed, the poor bystanders not knowing how to react. Was he for real?!
They had all seen the scene as clear as day. He had begun his test, the boulder had changed color to show a clear lack of potential, and then it had suddenly blown up!
Had he gotten revenge on the tool for giving him a failing grade? Wasn't this a little too over the top?! Still, how had he even done it? He had stayed still the entire time!
It was an interesting mystery to the students, but to the poor test giver, it was the end of the world! "YOU! Answer me, how and why did you do that?!"
"B-but I didn't!!"
"You're telling me some invisible big-shot passed just happened to destroy it in passing?"
"YES! That has to be it! What other explanations are there?" Jack nodded, the students exclaiming in awe. Never had they heard such confident yet obvious BS!
Was he a fool, or was he taking them for one? Except, he wasn't done just yet. In the tense atmosphere, he tilted his head: "Sooo. Shall we head to the next tests?"
As soon as he said that, he received the most poignant death glare ever. Next tests?! This guy was a test-wrecking ball! He was a goddamn MENACE!
No, the VIP tester knew better!
"Don't move! Keep your hands above your head, and don't do anything weird!" He totally treated Jack like a terrorist! He'd be damned if he allowed this crazy bastard to run wild!
'Just wait! Let's see how long you can be arrogant!' He seemed to say.
It was a stare-down, the man seemingly waiting for something as he clenched a token in his right hand with all his might. His backing, perhaps? Then a few minutes later…
— CLIP! CLOP! CLIP CLOP! —
The sound of galloping resounded… inside the gym?! With it came unbelievable relief on the test administrator's face. The Cavalry was finally here! Now everything would be fine!
The Headmaster appeared.
"What happened?! What's the emergency?" He asked, restless.
Instantly, Jack's expression turned weird as he gently welcomed him with a wave. What else could he do?! As they made eye contact, he even gave an apologetic smile.
"Hello there, Headmaster. How have you been?" He politely asked, the latter freezing as he finally noticed the rubble lying at Jack's feet. Was this the Boulder of Omniscience?!
He slowly approached it and…. Froze. The artifact's soul… it was missing! It was all this kid's fault too! What CRAZY thing had transpired here?!
"Metal Heed my Call!" The Headmaster called out.
That's when it began. The metal destrier he had been riding suddenly burst into metallic pieces of all kinds, flowing like water as they encircled Jack, creating a prison!
It was akin to a small arena, and he was utterly stuck! A second later, he was left alone with the Headmaster. "You, enough of the games. Who are you really?" He growled.
"T-that… would you believe me if I said a regular young man?" Jack tentatively asked.
"NOPE. Talk— or else…." The threat in his voice was barely veiled.
What should he reveal? What should he keep for himself? The fact that he was the baby the Flame Lord had just adopted was way too much out there, so perhaps he should lie?
But just as he agonized over what to say, he had a stroke of genius! His aura definitely still smelled of a Fox Transformation, so maybe…
"Sigh… I guess I should come clean. I-I'm… a fox spirit!" Jack declared with the straightest of faces. "That's why the Flame Lord vouched for me and why accidents keep happening!"
This would be his justification! This wouldn't explain why he lacked common sense but also why all the tests so far behaved strangely with him!
"F-Fox Spirit?! What?!"
"Yes! Don't tell anyone, but I've been sent to protect the Henderson's heir from the shadows." Jack further added as he began bullshitting some more.
"Shadows, you say? I've never seen someone as incompetent at remaining low-key as you! As for the Fox Thing…" Was he about to jump on him or not? Jack readied himself for a fight—
"That explains so damn much! No wonder the Flame Lord never wanted to give me more details. I can't believe this crazy girl managed to make her Foxes Evolve into Fox Spirits!"
By now, the Headmaster was heartily laughing, utterly gobbling Jack's utter lie. "Haha, well, that actually explains the ears!" He rubbed Jack's head amicably. Wait… ears?!
"Whaaat?!" Something was terribly wrong with his body. Wait… ears?! This was from "The Beast Within", right?! Was he turning into goddamn fury? What about his reputation?
"Don't worry. They appeared while we were talking. Take your time and redo whatever spell you were about to recast to hide them. Ah, but before that…."
He suddenly addressed the crowd outside.
"That will be enough spectating for the day! The rest of the testing will be done in private, so please evacuate the area!" The Headmaster decisively ordered.
"Wait… we're still doing the tests… even after what happened?!" Jack asked, surprised. Wasn't he worried he'd mess up his equipment?
"Of course! Human or Fox or Spirit, you'll have to prove your worth! By the way, you better show potential, or I'll charge you for all the damage you've caused!"
"WHAT?!" Now he really couldn't fail those tests! He wouldn't have enough of a lifetime to repay this!
"Oh yeah, the last two will be considered failures since you blew them up." The Headmaster shrugged.
Jack suddenly felt like crying…
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