My Muscle System in the Mage World

Chapter 193: Grand Residence

As he walked out, Lucy emerged, carrying a large bag that she dragged across the floor.

"Young Master Aur," a blush appeared on her face as she shyly looked at Aur.

"Hmm," Aur could discern Lucy's intentions and immediately took out a random storage bag from his collection, placing all the items inside.

Aur didn't show her the storage ring; after all, he hadn't forgotten that she was an informant for the village.

Naturally, if she saw it and reported it, an investigation would easily uncover the proof that the second elder had given him resources.

It was against the rules for the elders to provide resources to any of the students in the academy!

Although Aur had already broken through to the tier one wizard realm, he wouldn't be punished harshly. However, it would still give others leverage over him.

It would be fine as long as Aur wasn't caught. However, if he was caught, he would be in some slight trouble.

Once Lucy reported it, Noah would have leverage over him.

One thing Aur couldn't shake off was the feeling of being suppressed for trivial reasons, and Noah didn't strike him as a benevolent figure either.

From Aur's perspective, the only reason Noah generously offered him the elder's position was because he deemed him an asset to the village.

Regardless of the faction one belonged to, ultimately, no one could defy Noah's authority, as all factions were part of the same village.

Aur sighed, pushing aside these troubling thoughts.

"Thank you, young master," Lucy's melodious voice broke through Aur's reverie.

"Let's go now," Aur said, his gaze fixed forward as he exited the dorm, not even sparing a glance at the place he had called home for almost three years.

Obediently, Lucy followed Aur's lead.

"Elder Aur," Cameron greeted respectfully, still waiting outside.

"Hmm," Aur acknowledged with a nod, leading the way to his new residence.

As they walked, Aur stumbled upon some students from his batch, who looked at him with astonishment.

"Hey, I thought Aur was in seclusion. Why is he here?" one of them asked curiously.

"How would I know? But look at him, escorted by an inner guard…" a smirk appeared on the woman's face.

"Why all the mystery? Just tell us," another student demanded, frowning.

"Based on my assumption, he might be in trouble as well," the girl said smugly.

"Huh? Why would he be in trouble now? Teacher Adriana's case is still being solved, but Aur shouldn't be a suspect anymore."

"Well, there's another thing to consider. Remember, Aur claimed he went into seclusion to break through to the tier one wizard realm? With his talent lower than ours, even if he consumes resources like cabbages, reaching the tier one wizard realm is almost impossible," the girl reminded her friend, speaking as if she knew everything.

"Wait, are you saying he's being punished because he didn't break through?"

"You're not dumb," the woman nodded repeatedly.

"Well, that's better then, I didn't like Aur in the first place; just because his combat power is better than ours, he thinks he can step on our heads," one of them snickered, full of malice.

"You're correct. Once somebody takes leave to break through to the tier one wizard realm and doesn't succeed, they would be deprived of all resources and made to do ten missions per year."

"There have been many stupid people who tried to go into seclusion to avoid the three annual missions that the academy assigns them, for being cowards. In the end, these cowards died miserably while being worked to the bone doing all the village missions."

The group of friends laughed heartily, revelling in Aur's misfortune.

"Let's spread this news everywhere," one of them said with a smirk. Immediately, the group dispersed, and the news that Aur was being punished for not breaking through to the tier one wizard realm after choosing seclusion spread like wildfire.

After all, the most popular news for them was either about treasures, fights, or someone else's misfortune.

…

Aur looked up at the grand mansion in front of him, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Elder, please," Cameron said, gesturing towards the entrance.

"Hmm," Aur glanced at the signboard, where the names of the eight elders were written in bold letters.

"I am sorry, Elder Aur. I will remove these," Cameron apologized, noticing Aur's gaze fixed on the signboard hanging from the mansion.

"It's fine, you don't have to make a move," Aur replied calmly. He then tapped into the drops of light blue mana in his mental space, painstakingly refined by him over time.

His eyes glowed as the wind around him suddenly gathered, swiftly grabbing hold of the signboards and throwing them to the ground with a thud.

With the obstacle removed, Aur pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Immediately, a spacious courtyard greeted him, but what caught his attention the most was the density of mana in the air. It was at least 10% denser than in the outside world.

Aur's gaze drifted towards the garden, but he was disappointed with what he saw at a glance.

It was a desert, with not a single herb in sight, and clear signs of soil disturbance indicating that all the herbs that had once grown in the garden were destroyed.

"Who dared to do this?" Aur's anger flared. For the elders, their garden was a vital resource where they could cultivate herbs and other materials used for refining spells or for selling, and it was common for them to have such gardens.

"I don't know, Elder," Cameron replied, his expression troubled.

Aur's face became expressionless as he narrowed his eyes, silently contemplating the situation for a long moment.

"Forget it," he eventually said with a shake of his head, turning his attention to the Japanese-styled house with bamboo rooftops.

"I will be going out after a short seclusion. Don't disturb me for now," Aur instructed Cameron before turning away.

"Yes, Elder."

With that, Aur entered the largest room, only to find it completely ransacked.