Hearing the full introduction, the Head Guard's face suddenly changed. At first, he had shown a demeanor assuming they were just simple Academy first-year students. Now, hearing Max's background, he loosened his body a little and realized the severity of the situation.
"She ate these two dishes before she was poisoned. So, I want you to check these two first. Based on that, there is a quick chance to know who the target was." Max quickly pointed at the two plates of food which Gina had consumed.
"Very well. Please pack these two dishes separately and send them right away to the Alchemy Lab for testing. Get the results as soon as possible," the Head Guard changed his order immediately.
Once that was done, Max and the others exited the shop. They had given every detail requested of them. Now, the City Guards and the Academy would take care of this.
Since they were from the Number One Academy, the issue would soon escalate and spread widely to every part of the kingdom. Max hoped the news would not make his family act recklessly, since he was safe. He even hoped that the target was not him, but the others.
However, if he truly was the target, that would definitely put his life on a different path from his current plan. Since someone was targeting his life, this would not be the last time. There would be even stronger attempts in the future.
If that was the case, he might have to change his current plan of laying low. Laying low could also be a reason for a targeter to think Max was an easy target to eliminate.
Everything about the future would be decided at the end of this assassination investigation. Based on that, he might have to change his plan, whether he should maintain his current status or reveal his new status.
They traveled in horse carriage, taking merely five minutes to reach the Academy.
Inside the carriage, everyone remained silent. No one spoke a word. Everyone was deep in thought and filled with dread, wondering if they were the target of the assassin and whether they would be targeted in the future as well.
Max himself did not have anything to say, as he was also having the exact same thoughts.
Finally, they reached the Academy gate and stepped out of the carriage. After signing their return at the gate, they walked into the Academy.
The Guards must have already informed the Academy officials. Hence, they should directly go to their dorms and wait for a call from the Academy Head Teacher's office for an inquiry.
Max was quite sure the Academy had already sent a message to their families. His family was definitely going to be in an uproar when they heard the news. This put a lot of pressure on him, far more than all the inquiries he might have to go through.
"Max, thanks for saving Gina. Without you, we would have lost her today," the first girl said in a sad tone.
"Thank you, Max." Everyone else also joined her.
"It is not a problem. Currently, I am not sure who the target of the assassins was. I originally thought I was the one they targeted." Max explained the situation. "If that is true, then I should be the one apologizing to all of you, especially Gina, since she became collateral damage."
"However, if I am not the target, you guys should be very careful in the future, especially Gina. Someone might be lurking to kill you."
"But for now, all of you should rest and wait for the results from the Alchemy Lab. Once we find out which food got poisoned, we will then know who was the target of the assassination."
Stolen story; please report.
"Oh, Max, maybe I was the targeted person, and it had nothing to do with the others. So, I just want to tell you thanks. If you were not there with us, I would be dead by now. So, thanks for saving my life!" Gina suddenly cried as she thanked Max.
Max was a little surprised by her claim about her being the targeted person of the assassination.
Since he did not know about her background, maybe she was indeed the target, and not him. Or, vice versa. He could not be sure until the result came.
"It is not a problem, Gina. If you feel you were targeted, you should be more careful from here on out. But let us not come to a conclusion just now. Let us wait until the result comes. Then, we will decide what to do next."
Max gave a few consoling words before they departed to their own dorms.
Even though Max advised Gina not to worry about things, his mind started to form a lot of scenarios about the situation.
He might have to wait until tomorrow before he could come to any firm conclusion.
The following morning, Max woke up earlier than his usual time. A multitude of strange dreams had constantly disturbed him throughout the night, denying him a peaceful rest. The recent incidents had placed a heavy restlessness on his mind, which definitely disrupted his sleep.
Sitting upright, he glanced at the ticking clock; it was currently 5 o'clock in the morning. Letting out a light yawn, he picked up a book regarding a new technique on Mana Channeling and started to read until it was time for class.
However, before he could even freshen up and start putting on his clothes, someone knocked on his dorm door.
"Grandpa, what are you doing here this early in the morning?" Max was inwardly shocked upon seeing his grandfather standing in front of the door.
"I received news from the Academy, so I came to investigate the matter," his grandfather said as he entered the room, moving Max to the side.
"I expected Father would attend," Max said, revealing a bewildered expression. He had truly anticipated his father showing up and did not expect his grandfather. Things would definitely become more difficult because he had appeared.
"Your father was busy with something, so I made the visit. Why? Do you have a problem with that?" Glancing around the room, his grandfather turned toward him, his eyes narrowed.
"Haha, why would I have a problem with that? It is just that the journey was too long. It would be difficult for you to travel." Sensing his grandfather's sharp gaze, Max smoothly managed the situation, forcing a natural smile onto his face.
"How is Grandmother doing?" Max changed the topic.
"She is doing well. Now, tell me what happened without missing anything." His grandfather sat down on the cot.
Releasing a sigh, Max explained everything. Since the target was him, this was a massive issue. Telling everything to his grandfather would definitely help solve the situation, whether it be the easy way or the hard way. If his family did not overreact to a situation like this, people would think the Bransford family had become soft, and they would try their luck on other matters as well. They had to constantly put people in their places to indicate exactly who the Bransfords' were, why they had ruled the West for centuries in the past, and why they would continue to rule for centuries in the future.
"So, you do not know whether you were the target or not?" his grandfather said after hearing the whole story.
"Yes, I am not sure who those guys are. It might be that I was not the target, but rather the girl who was poisoned. Hopefully, we will find out today," Max said.
"Very well. I will have a discussion with the Academy officials and the City Guards. I will let you know if you are needed," his grandfather said as he stood up from the cot. Giving another look at the dorm room, he stepped out of the room.
"I heard you healed a girl?" he asked, turning around.
"Oh, yeah. I saved the girl who was poisoned," Max said in an awkward tone. Since he had not written to his family about the fact that he could now use his Inborn Skills, he had originally thought to hide it for a while. However, this incident would make it known to the world after today, if it had not already.
"I assume you can use other Class Skills as well?" his grandfather asked.
"Yeah, I can use a few Skills. However, I have yet to master those Skills. I am constantly practicing to improve them," Max said. He inwardly regretted that he had not written about this the moment he activated his Skills. This would definitely put him on the spot if everyone were to know about it.
"I will see you later." His grandfather did not say anything else after that as he walked away from the dorm building.
Max sat on the cot to reflect on the things that had just happened. His plan to lay low would no longer be possible. With these actions of his, combined with his individual and party Rankings, people would construct their own stories hereafter, and a lot of attention would be placed on him.
"Whatever, I will eventually have to enter the limelight anyway, so stepping out now instead of later will not make any difference," Max said to himself as he stood up. Afterward, he left the room to have breakfast.