A man among dragons, building a mysterious ancient church.

Chapter 27 But, I refuse
They say a prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold, but did Fingel's return go a little too far?

This practice of seizing every spare moment to frantically absorb knowledge is far too outrageous in a mixed-race society.

With the added advantage of dragon blood, many hybrids would become top students in ordinary schools, the kind of annoying guys who could get perfect scores just by glancing at a book.

Therefore, even at Kassel College, students focus more on practical training and less on pure reading and learning.

Even at the end of the semester, when facing final exams, mixed-race individuals don't rush to the library to study like Fingel does.

Fingel's move stunned Angers and Schneider. The two looked at each other, speechless.

Excessive enthusiasm seems a bit off.

Schneider thought that he was really not good at communicating with students about psychological issues, so he figured that it would be fine to leave it to Angers. He then gave Angers a look.

He urged the principal to approve it quickly, saying he would leave once it was approved.

After years of tacit understanding, Angers quickly approved Chu Zihang's early internship certificate with his freehand calligraphy.

Schneider didn't even wait for Angers to hand it over before grabbing it and hurriedly leaving the office.

In fact, Schneider was right. Angers was indeed very good at resolving students' inner confusion, and he also had a deep understanding of Finger.

Despite Fingel's seven years of stagnation and decadence, during those seven years, Angers would occasionally assign secret missions that even Schneider was unaware of.

Fingel may seem unreliable, but he always completes tasks beautifully and rarely fails.

So when the two were alone, Angers took the initiative to pick up two cups of black tea and sat down opposite Fingel: "Would you like some more dessert, Fingel?"

"When I was younger, the most relaxing thing I did was to set up a small table under a tree, enjoy coffee and desserts, and quietly read a book for an afternoon."

Fingel closed his book and politely accepted the tea: "No need for dessert, I'm in a hurry to get back to my studies."

"Principal, could you just tell me what task you have for me?"

“…” Angers looked at Fingel, who had a cup of red tea in one hand and a book tucked between the other, and didn’t know what to say for a moment.

Times have changed?

Is having afternoon tea with the principal no longer considered an honor for students in Kassel these days?
Why is Fingel in such a hurry to go back to school?

Angers thought about it carefully and felt it was necessary to delve deeper into the student's inner world: "Fingal".

"What happened? Why are you in such a hurry? Did that old man Nicholas cause you some trouble again?"

Nicholas Flamel, Vice-Principal of Cassel, Night Watchman of the Academy, and Chief Alchemist of the Dragonblood Mystic Party.

He is one of the few remaining alchemists in the world today, inheriting the name of Flamel. This lineage is passed down from generation to generation, and only the most outstanding students can inherit the name of Flamel.

He was both Angers' old comrade-in-arms and Fingel's teacher. Unfortunately, after Fingel's decline, Nicholas could not find a suitable student to pass on Flamel's skills.

Fingel calmly shook his head in denial: "I'm sorry, Principal, I just feel that I've already wasted seven years, and I don't have much time left to squander."

"That's why I seemed a bit rushed. Please forgive me."

Angers, like a kind old grandfather, said with gentle eyes, "Child, there's no need to apologize."

"You did nothing wrong. The one who's wrong is this old man. I was just worrying unnecessarily because I saw you change so much all of a sudden."

Whether it's her nature or Angers' youthful spirit, she still gave Fingel a trendy wink.

It's just a silly wink with one eye.

Fingel quickly sipped his tea, lowering his head to hide the embarrassment that flashed in his eyes. "So, you're suddenly being awkward, aren't you?"
Angers' lips curled into a smile, as if he had won some kind of game. He sipped his tea with equal ease, took a sip, and quickly put it down. "Old people tend to forget things easily. Fingel, could you get me some sugar cubes?" He added two sugar cubes to the black tea, stirred it gently, and then looked at Fingel again.

With just a slight bow and a slight lift of his head, the kind old man transformed into a serious and solemn old man.

His once gentle eyes now appeared incredibly sharp: "There is a very important task that I hope you will take on."

Fingel didn't even hear the specifics of the task: "I refuse."

Angers, who had finished his preparations and was about to finish speaking, was forcibly interrupted. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.

What did Fingel say? A refusal?

What's going on with this kid?

This kid didn't have this attitude when I assigned him secret missions before.

What happened? Have you truly pulled yourself together, or have you just given up?
Fortunately, Angers was a man of deep thought, and he didn't reveal any of his inner thoughts. His face remained serious, and his eyes remained sharp: "May I ask why you refused?"

"This mission is extremely important, so important that it involves slaying the Dragon King!"

In Kassel, Angers is a beloved and kind principal, but outside, he is a fearsome avenger.

Driven by a desire for revenge against dragons, this old man dedicated his entire life to slaying them.

The reason why Fingel was given so many secret missions before was also related to slaying dragons.

Because it was a dragon that killed Fingel's lover!

Fingel naturally harbored the idea of ​​avenging his lover, even if he didn't kill the Ice Sea Dragon, he would at least kill one of its kind.

In Angers' view, there was no reason for Fingel to refuse, but he did refuse anyway, leaving Angers completely baffled.

Fingel was quite frank: "The reason? I want to cherish my time and study hard."

"..." This was the second time Angers had been rendered speechless by Fingel.

Why is this? As the principal of a college, I see students who were feeling down regain their spirits and become so enthusiastic and eager to learn again.

Two happy things combined should have made me even happier, but why can't I feel happy?
“But for this important task, among the students within the academy, you are the most suitable.” Angers quickly switched to his old rogue mode, no longer acting from the principal’s perspective: “Tomorrow is Saturday.”

"Professor Guderian, who lives far away on the coast, will recruit an S-class freshman for our Kassel."

“This new student has a particularly dangerous lineage. I need a capable student who can both protect him secretly and keep an eye on him quietly.”

It's tantamount to blatantly acting like a rogue, leaving no room for refusal, and forcing Fingel to accept the task.

Finger wasn't stupid; he knew perfectly well that he couldn't really refuse Angers in Kassel, so he simply stopped pretending to be a top student, slumped down on the sofa like a rag doll.

He even stretched out his right hand, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together: "Alright, alright, who told you to be the principal?"

"I'll take it, but I've recently hit a roadblock in my alchemy research, specifically regarding alchemical materials..."

Angers' expression softened: "You submit the report, I'll approve the paperwork."

Kassel College may lack other things, but it has plenty of money. As for dragon blood materials, as long as they are not treasures of the level of dragon king, dragon bone, or cross, there are plenty of other materials.

Fingel readily agreed and immediately borrowed the principal's desk to write his application report, while also breathing a sigh of relief.

In this way, he could be considered to have completed the first task of the Old Church and Mr. Fool—collecting dragon blood materials.

(End of this chapter)