Imprisoned for a Trillion Years, I Was Worshipped by All Gods!-Chapter 573 - 129-Bounty Issued

"Sacred Realm…"

Stephen softly repeated the name, his eyes flickering with a trace of hesitation.

The legendary Sacred Realm—every mage's dreamland.

It was said that in that realm, mana flowed like gentle streams across the land, so abundant that even the earth itself seemed alive. That mana nourished a myriad of elemental lifeforms, and deep within the Sacred Realm, there were even clusters of highly concentrated mana crystals—enough to supply hundreds of mages at once.

Even the wandering, rustic mages who roamed the countryside yearned for the Sacred Realm. Let alone those from elite institutions like Lioncrest Academy, backed by the imperial capital of the Plantagenet Kingdom.

In fact, even Stephen himself had only agreed to become the headmaster of Lioncrest because he had heard rumors that the Plantagenet Kingdom held secret pathways to the Sacred Realm.

Unfortunately, the old fox Denken had kept that secret well-guarded, never revealing even a clue.

Seeing Stephen's hesitation, Denken continued, "Although I don't fully understand the situation, from what I've observed, the root of the conflict seems to lie with your students."

"In that case, we old folks shouldn't get involved so easily. Otherwise, the fighting will never end."

"In my opinion, if the conflict is among students, then let the students settle it themselves. That way, it shows that you two headmasters are reasonable and open-minded. Besides, through these confrontations, your students can grow rapidly, don't you think?"

Old Gayle pondered for a moment. He had to admit that Denken's words made some sense. He nodded and said, "Let's go with your plan, old emperor. But I wonder… will Stephen agree to this?"

Upon hearing this, Denken turned his gaze back to Stephen.

Stephen let out a sigh and replied, "I'm not like some people. When Emperor Denken speaks, how could I possibly refuse?"

But then, his tone suddenly changed. "That said, I don't trust the people from Sirius Academy. Unless we establish a rule that absolutely no one can break, there's no way we'll come to a truce."

"A rule that absolutely no one can break?" Denken raised an eyebrow, then said, "How about this—no one above tier-diamond strength is allowed to interfere. After all, these high-level mages wouldn't dare make a move under our watchful eyes. If they do, they'll leave traces behind."

Old Gayle found the suggestion fair and didn't raise any objections.

But Stephen's reaction was visibly resistant.

"No good! If we only restrict by strength level, Sirius Academy can exploit plenty of loopholes. What if they call in outside help? That'll only complicate things even more."

"If you ask me, instead of limiting strength, we should limit age. Only those under thirty can take part in the conflict. Anyone older than that is strictly forbidden from intervening. Now that would be fair, don't you think, Emperor Denken?"

Denken frowned slightly, and Gayle cast a thoughtful glance at Stephen.

They weren't fools. The difference in fairness between restricting strength and restricting age was obvious.

But Stephen insisted on the age restriction—it was clear he had some hidden agenda.

Still, Gayle had no solid reason to refute him, and neither did Denken.

After a long silence, Denken finally said, "Age restriction… isn't entirely unreasonable. Gayle, are you willing to accept his terms?"

Gayle's face darkened slightly. He swept his gaze over Alan and the other Sirius students, then said flatly, "Do I really have another choice?"

With that, he turned and walked into the midst of his students, leading them away from Lioncrest Academy without another word.

Seeing the temporary resolution of the conflict, Denken said nothing further. He activated a teleportation spell and vanished without a trace.

At this moment, at the blood-stained gates of Lioncrest Academy, only Stephen remained—standing alone amidst piles of corpses, his face ashen and terrifyingly grim.

"H-Headmaster…"

Krom trembled as he stepped forward, but before he could finish, Stephen spun around and slapped him across the face.

The blow was so sudden, Krom collapsed to the ground in a daze. He looked up in confusion at the headmaster of Lioncrest Academy.

"It's all because of you!"

Stephen shot him a chilling glare and growled, "If you hadn't handed Alan over to Sirius, none of this would've happened today!"

"Because of your blind ignorance, the academy has suffered massive losses. Krom, you're a disgrace to Lioncrest Academy!"

Stephen's voice grew louder with every word. The tier-diamond white-robed mages he had brought with him now approached, their eyes cold as ice, staring at Krom.

At this moment, Krom was overwhelmed with regret.

If only he and Hivrael hadn't rejected Alan when he first came to enroll at the academy…

If Alan had joined Lioncrest, with his monstrous growth speed and Lioncrest's abundant resources, he would've become the most dazzling genius the imperial capital had seen in years.

Even Beatrice and Eisen would have been overshadowed by him.

Meanwhile, Sirius Academy—without Alan—would have remained as insignificant as a stray dog on the roadside, ripe for Lioncrest's manipulation.

Not like today, where they were forced to stake the lives of their entire student body just to salvage the situation.

Krom pounded the ground weakly. He was filled with remorse, frustration, and a desperate wish to turn back time—to the day Alan first arrived in the capital, so he could undo his foolish decision.

But alas, no such spell existed in the world.

Not only Krom, even Stephen was now filled with bitter regret. If only he had paid more attention to that unremarkable new student… If only he had happened to walk by that day…

Maybe then, he wouldn't have let Alan slip through his fingers.

But it was too late. The past was the past, and all Stephen could do now was focus on protecting Lioncrest Academy from further harm at the hands of Sirius.

With that thought, Stephen slowly crouched down and asked Krom, "Where is Hivrael now?"

Krom trembled as he replied, "He… he should still be in the capital."

Stephen's eyes narrowed coldly. "Kill him. Don't come back unless you do."

Krom froze for a moment, then scrambled to his feet and ran off in a panic toward the capital.

Not long after Krom's departure, Stephen turned to the white-robed mages and issued a chilling command.

"I want bounties posted not just across the Plantagenet Kingdom, but in all neighboring nations as well."

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"Anyone who kills a member of Sirius Academy will receive a personal reward from me—mana stones worth no less than one million."

"And in addition to that," he added, "they'll receive high-tier magic scrolls—some even tier-platinum."

One of the white-robed mages frowned and asked hesitantly, "But Headmaster… didn't you just say that neither side should bring in outside help?"

Stephen sneered. "I said they aren't allowed to bring in outsiders. I never said we couldn't."

"Besides, the bounties are posted anonymously. As long as the truth isn't exposed, who would know these bounty hunters were sent by us? They're driven by instinct—following the scent of gold like hounds."