Damage Was Minimal

After comforting the despondent Linda, Colin washed up, went upstairs, lay flat on his bed, and waited for time to slowly pass.

In the bedroom, the candle on the desk had already been blown out. Dim moonlight streamed through the glass window and spilled over Colin, making him seem like a god.

This "god" turned onto his side facing the window, then reached out with his right hand to scratch his left buttock, rubbed his right foot with his left, and yawned.

"Thank you, Brian. If you hadn't gotten Smith fired, our family never would have discovered that Smith was the real genius." Remembering Brian's provocative words from last time, Colin now found them pleasing to the ear, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.

After a long while, Colin suddenly sat up, lit the candle with a flint, and drew the blue curtains on both sides of the window. Then he nimbly went beneath the attic, opened the ladder, and prepared to climb up.

Knock, knock, knock. A series of knocks sounded outside the door. Colin jumped in fright. Could my secret have been discovered?

"Colin, I can't sleep." Linda's voice sounded rather pitiful.

"What's wrong, Sis?" Colin let out a breath, carefully put the ladder back, then turned and walked toward the door.

"You've become a wizard's apprentice, and Smith might have Bronze Bloodline. It feels like I'm dreaming. I'm afraid that if I fall asleep, the dream will end." Linda's tone was complicated.

"Don't worry, Sis. It's real. Everything is real. Sooner or later, I'll become a wise and great wizard, and Smith will become a powerful and handsome knight. Go to sleep. You should know staying up late is bad for your skin." Colin's heart ached. He hurriedly reached for the doorknob, intending to open the door.

"I want to sleep with you," Linda suddenly said.

"Huh?" Colin's hand trembled slightly on the doorknob. Then he carefully asked, "Sis, what did you say?"

"I want to hold you while I sleep," Linda said in a very certain tone.

Colin's expression changed drastically. He did not want to sleep while holding Linda. She had tormented him plenty when they were children. Not only did she snore in her sleep, she drooled too.

Colin decisively returned to his bed, picked up his large pillow, opened the door, and, with lightning speed, stuffed the pillow into Linda's arms.

"Hold this while you sleep." Colin slammed the door shut with a bang.

"You bastard! Holding you for a moment wouldn't kill you." Linda stood there in a daze for a long time before roaring.

Colin stubbornly refused to open the door. Only when Linda seemed to have grown tired and left did he let out a breath. Then he darted beneath the attic, opened the ladder, climbed up, took down the materials and magical instruments, and began making Basic Strength Potion.

Monday.

Pitch-black clouds formed an invisible curtain over the sky. Without sunlight to wake him, Colin slept a little longer than usual.

After getting up, dressing, and heading downstairs, he greeted Linda, who was preparing breakfast in the kitchen and now had dark circles beneath her eyes, before going to wash up.

After breakfast, amid Linda's listless cheers of encouragement, Colin slung his schoolbag over his back, tucked in his Training Greatsword, and headed to school.

By coincidence, Colin ran into Brian at the school gate. Brian also carried a black schoolbag and gripped his Training Greatsword tightly in his right hand. Chal, his close friend, stood beside him.

Colin looked at the two of them, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he walked over.

Brian and Chal noticed Colin as well. Chal took a small step back, his cowardly face revealing fear. Brian subconsciously wanted to retreat too, but when he thought of his new backer and the blow dealt to the Russells, his confidence swelled. He held his head high and chest out as he looked at Colin.

"Are you trying to beat us up? You should know that sparring in training class is one thing, but bullying fellow students in the academy is another," Brian said, narrowing his eyes provocatively.

"No. Why would I beat you up? I haven't even thanked you yet." Colin shook his head, his tone quite lighthearted. He stepped forward, patted Brian's left shoulder affectionately, and sincerely said, "Thank you, Brian."

After saying that, Colin made no further move. Humming a tune, he walked through the academy gates with light steps.

The damage was minimal, but the humiliation was immense.

Brian's face immediately turned liver-red. His fists clenched tightly as he turned and glared viciously at Colin's retreating back, wishing he could tear him to pieces.

"Brian, didn't you have your father pull some strings at the Ministry of Finance and remove Smith Russell from his position as financial officer? Then why does he look so happy? Why is he thanking you?" Chal asked incredulously.

"He's humiliating me," Brian said through gritted teeth. Not knowing the truth, he naturally had no idea where Colin's happiness came from and assumed it was merely an insult.

"That bastard." Chal froze for a moment before cursing.

"But he won't be jumping around for much longer. Without Smith Russell's salary, he won't be able to scrape together next year's tuition. Let's endure it a little longer. Once this year is over, it'll be fine," Chal said with another sneer.

"That's true." Brian immediately felt much better. A cold smile appeared at the corners of his mouth as he entered Will Knight Academy with Chal.

Inside the classroom, the students gathered in twos and threes according to their own circles, chatting together. Quite a few students were blocking the aisle.

As Colin walked in and headed straight for his seat, the students blocking the aisle parted like waves, as though a vicious tiger had entered a flock of sheep.

Colin did not care. He reached his seat, sat down, and stuffed his schoolbag into his desk. Bill leaned over first and said to Colin, "Brian is about to make a fortune."

"Oh? How so?" Colin raised an eyebrow and asked.

"The Empire's war in the east is not going well, causing several cities to be breached and a large number of refugees to pour into the Empire's interior. Now the Empire's food supplies not only have to feed the army, but part of them must also be provided to the refugees." Bill glanced at Brian and spoke in a low voice.

Colin understood. Brian's family were major grain merchants, and Brian's father, the wealthy merchant Kebir, was also the vice president of Will City's Grain Association. Originally, this war in the eastern Empire would have driven up grain prices. Now that the Empire was losing the war and a refugee tide had emerged, prices would rise even higher.

If grain merchants did not make a fortune, who would?

"When it rains, it pours. His family is bound to profit from the war. What can anyone do about it?" Colin shrugged, unconcerned.

"When it rains, it pours? What kind of saying is that? I've watched rain for over ten years, but I've never seen my mother get married." Bill froze for a moment, though he was already accustomed to the strange things Colin suddenly said.

"Aren't you angry? That guy just got Smith from your family fired, and now he's going to make a fortune too," Bill asked after calming down.

Colin did not answer. He merely turned to look out the window.

How should he deal with someone who was a commoner, yet immensely influential and wealthy in Will City, and also the vice president of the Grain Association?

And Brian was currently hanging around with Lyon Brown.