Free Web NovelChapter 75: Solomon’s House
Jax pulled his finger away from the doorbell and waited. A heavy silence hung over the front porch. After a few moments of waiting with no response, he reached forward and pressed the glowing button a second time. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
A muffled, youthful voice drifted through the thick wooden door. "Who is it?"
Kira stepped forward, offering a warm, approachable smile even though the girl could not see her yet. "Hello! We are Solomon’s friends. We are here to meet with his parents."
"Solomon doesn’t have any friends," the girl replied flatly through the door.
Marco covered his mouth, trying his hardest to stifle a sudden, amused laugh. Jax shot him a sharp warning glare before leaning closer to the wooden frame.
"We are his classmates from the academy," Jax clarified, keeping his tone perfectly polite and professional. "Are your parents currently at home?"
The porch fell silent for several seconds. Finally, the heavy metallic click of a deadbolt echoed from the other side, and the front door slowly swung inward.
A thirteen-year-old girl stood in the entryway, staring up at the three towering combat students. Unlike Solomon, she possessed vibrant, pale blue hair that was tied back into neat twin tails. Before she could even introduce herself, a large, incredibly fluffy dog squeezed past her legs.
The dog trotted happily onto the porch with its tail wagging furiously, sniffing at Jax’s boots in pure excitement.
"Back inside, Barbaros," the girl commanded, gently nudging the fluffy canine backward with her knee. "Go lay down. It is not Solomon."
Barbaros let out a disappointed huff and obediently padded back into the hallway, his tail dropping low. Jasmine turned her attention back to the trio. Her eyes carefully scanned their high-end combat gear and the official academy crests stitched onto their collars.
"What do you want?" Jasmine asked, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.
Kira maintained her gentle demeanor, keeping her hands relaxed at her sides to avoid looking intimidating. "We are just here to meet with Solomon’s parents. Are they available to speak with us?"
"Why?" Jasmine asked, narrowing her eyes at the older girl.
"Because we need to speak with them regarding Solomon," Jax replied, stepping slightly forward to project a sense of polite authority.
Jasmine remained completely unfazed by his imposing height. She tightened her grip on the edge of the door, refusing to yield an inch of the threshold. "Talk about what, exactly? And who are you people really? Like I already told you, Solomon does not have friends."
Kira offered another patient smile and gently pressed her hand against Jax’s chest to keep the tension low. "We are second-year students from the live-streaming academy, making us his seniors. Solomon just enrolled as a first-year student last week, and the administration asked us to discuss a few academic matters with your parents."
"Discuss what academic matters?" Jasmine pressed, tilting her head suspiciously.
Jax opened his mouth to formulate a diplomatic, non-revealing excuse, but Marco completely lost his grip on reality. He had been biting his tongue the entire time, but the thirteen-year-old’s endless interrogation finally shattered his restraint.
"Listen here, you little brat!" Marco shouted, pushing past Jax and pointing an angry finger directly at Jasmine’s face. "Stop asking so many damn questions and just go fetch your parents right now!"
"Marco, shut up!" Jax hissed in absolute panic.
Jax and Kira immediately grabbed Marco by the shoulders and forcefully shoved him backward. They dragged him away from the doorway before his tantrum could permanently ruin the Grandmaster’s top-priority mission.
Hearing the sudden aggressive shouting, Barbaros charged back down the hallway. The large, fluffy dog planted himself firmly in front of Jasmine, baring his teeth and barking fiercely at Marco to protect his young owner.
"Barbaros, quiet down!" a mature woman’s voice called out from deep inside the house. "What on earth is going on out there? Why are you barking so loudly?"
Footsteps padded down the hall. A woman stepped up behind Jasmine, wiping her damp hands on a kitchen apron.
She paused the moment she saw the chaotic scene on her front porch, her gaze instantly locking onto the high-end combat gear and the official academy crests stitched into the students’ collars.
Her expression shifted rapidly from mild annoyance to cautious curiosity. She gently patted the dog’s head to calm him down and looked at the trio. "Can I help you three? Do you need something?"
Kira quickly stepped in front of the grumbling Marco, flashing her most reassuring smile to salvage the diplomatic situation. "Good afternoon, ma’am. We are students from the academy, and we were hoping to have a quick word with you regarding Solomon."
The mother’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at the mention of her son’s name, but the defensive tension in her shoulders melted away. She placed a gentle hand on Jasmine’s shoulder and pulled the heavy wooden door open wider.
"Oh, of course," the mother said, offering a welcoming nod. "Please, come inside."
The mother stepped aside, allowing the three students to enter the modest suburban home. "Jasmine, please take Barbaros out for a quick walk around the block," she instructed, untying her kitchen apron.
Jasmine shot Marco a final, suspicious glare before grabbing the fluffy dog’s leash from a wall hook. She clipped the tether to Barbaros’s collar and led the canine out through the front door, leaving the adults to handle the unexpected academy business.
"Please, have a seat," the mother said, gesturing toward the living room.
Jax, Kira, and Marco walked into the cozy living space and settled onto a plush fabric couch. The trio subtly glanced around the room, taking mental notes of the mundane environment. Family photographs lined the mantelpiece above a deactivated fireplace, and comfortable, worn-in furniture filled the space.
It looked like a completely ordinary civilian household, lacking any obvious combat memorabilia or magical artifacts.
A moment later, the mother returned carrying a silver tray loaded with three glasses of cold water and a small plate of assorted snacks.
"Thank you, ma’am, but we are perfectly fine," Jax politely declined the snacks, though he and Marco both accepted a glass of water to be courteous.
She set the tray down on the wooden coffee table and took a seat in the armchair opposite them. She waited patiently as the students took a few sips of their water, clasping her hands tightly in her lap. freёwebnovel.com
"So," she began, her tone laced with clear maternal concern. "What exactly do you mean when you say ’the academy’? Do you three actually know where Solomon is right now?"
Jax set his glass down on a coaster and exchanged a quick, silent glance with Kira.
"Yes, ma’am," Jax responded smoothly. "Solomon successfully enrolled into the live-streaming academy about a week ago. We are his second-year seniors. The administration sent our team here today to ask a few questions about Solomon."
Her brow furrowed slightly. "What kind of questions?"
"Just standard background inquiries," Kira chimed in, offering her warmest smile to keep the atmosphere relaxed. "The academy requires this information to build up his official student profile. It helps the administration properly assess his needs and allocate the right educational resources for him."
Kira glanced toward the hallway and back to the mother. "Is Solomon’s father currently away?"
"He just went out to pick up some groceries," the mother replied, glancing at the wall clock. "He should actually be on his way back any minute now."
"We can wait," Jax nodded politely. "We will start the questionnaire when he returns, so we do not have to repeat the process for him later."
The living room fell into a comfortable, quiet wait. Less than five minutes later, the heavy thud of the front door closing echoed down the hall.
Solomon’s father walked into the living room carrying two brown paper bags, with Jasmine and a happily panting Barbaros trailing right behind him.
Kira waved at her and she waved back. She then smiled at Jax, and then looked at Marco with a glare.
Surprisingly, Barbaros also mirrored her expression.
The father paused upon seeing the three armored students sitting on his couch, but quickly masked his surprise with a welcoming smile. He set the groceries down on the dining table and walked over to greet the guests, reaching into one of the bags to pull out a carton of ice cream.
He quickly portioned out a few bowls and handed them to the students as a hospitable gesture.
Marco immediately dug into the dessert, entirely forgetting his previous foul mood. Jax and Kira accepted the bowls with polite thanks, setting them on their laps as they pulled small, sleek academy tablets from their utility belts.
"Where is mine?" Jasmine asked curiously.
"You will get yours later," the father responded.
"Thank you for your hospitality, sir," Jax said, tapping the screen to open the official administrative form. "We just have a few routine questions to fill out Solomon’s profile. Let us start with the basics. What are your full names, and do either of you possess an awakened magical talent?"
The mother smiled warmly from her armchair. "My name is Elara."
"And I am Johan," the father added, taking a seat on the armrest next to his wife.
Johan rested a hand on Elara’s shoulder and looked directly at Jax. "And no, neither of us possess an awakened talent. We are completely ordinary civilians."
The students dutifully typed the information into their tablets, completely unaware of the massive deception unfolding right in front of them.
The answer was an absolute lie.
Elara possessed the terrifying ability of Mind Control, while Johan harbored the dangerous talent of Mind Reading.
