Silence... There was absolute silence as Izen spoke of the possibility of Gabriel being the Lord of Darkness. Even though it was only a possibility that he suggested, but even then it couldn't be ignored!
The one saying that was the Dean of the Academy of Elements after all. He was an existence that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Lord of Light!
Unfortunately that's also why Gabriel hated him. Even after so many precautions, the man was still able to sense something. A subtle killing intent flashed in Gabriel's eyes which he hid instantly.
He couldn't show his hands. If he did, it would've confirmed Izen's suspicions.
The Head Priests looked back and forth between Gabriel and Izen. Some of the Head Priests wanted to allow Izen to check Gabriel just to be safe. However there were also some who felt that allowing Izen to do as he pleased with the Holy Lord was the same as allowing him to trample on their dignity!
The Head Priests of Light were known to be arrogant and dominant. How could they allow others to do as they pleased? No matter what, this was a mockery of their dignity! They couldn't let themselves seem too weak.
There was also one more thing! They had faith in the Holy Grimoire of Light! There had never been a case of the Holy Grimoire of Light selecting a Dark Mage, let alone a dark mage who already had another Holy Grimoire! That was just a crazy thought!
"Izen, you're getting quite bold, aren't you? You're claiming that I'm working with the Dark Lord?" Now that her identity was already exposed and it was known that she lent a bird to Gabriel, even Avilia couldn't let the truth come out. "Or do you think that only you can see through illusions?"
"Who knows? It might explain why you've never joined the other Churches in their actions against the dark mages, won't it?" Came Izen's scathing remarks out of nowhere.
"If I'm with the Dark Mages, doesn't that mean I'm the enemy of this city?" A devilish smirk spread across Avilia's face as she cracked her knuckles. "Since you've already given me the title, how about I do as you claim and kill everyone here? Can you stop me?"
Even though Avilia didn't summon anyone, just her words alone were enough to send chills running down the spine of many people here. Even Izen frowned. This girl really didn't care about the consequences of her words or actions. No wonder she was called the crazy priestess by the others!
"If you're not wrong, isn't the solution simple? Just show me his hands!" Izen exclaimed. "If you'd rather go to war with the entire world rather than showing his hands, doesn't that say something about me potentially being right?"
It didn't matter if Avilia was standing before him. As much as Izen didn't want to fight her, if it came to that, he was ready as well. He wasn't someone who was scared of others! Moreover he had never fought Avilia. He just heard stories about her. He didn't know how much truth was in those stories!
"You want me to show my hands?" Gabriel asked, chiming in. His voice was calm and his tone wasn't loud. However, his words were very clear. Almost everyone heard it.
"Yes." Izen nodded. He had once lost Gabriel last time. He didn't want to do the same again. Previously, he didn't have much enmity with Gabriel. The Academy even stayed out of most of the conflicts between the Church. It was Gabriel who went to them and harmed their interest by robbing them first!
"Alright. If you want to see my hands, I'm willing. But currently, I don't see any benefits to doing so. Since I'm neither a servant nor a slave of yours, just doing something because you want me to do it is impossible," Gabriel replied. "However, I might do so if I get some benefits as well. How about it? Since you're so confident, would you be interested in a bet?"
"What bet?" Izen glared at Gabriel. For some reason, he had a really bad feeling about what Gabriel was going to ask.
"You want to see my hands. And I'll show you my hands. If you're right, I'll surrender to you and let you kill me," Gabriel stated. His statement brought a smile to Eliana's face. However her smile soon froze as she heard Gabriel's next sentence.
"But... If you're wrong and I turn out to be innocent, according to the bet, your academy will belong to me!"
Citizens gasped in shock as they heard the content of the bet! This was indeed a ruthless bet! If Izen was right, then Gabriel was going to lose his life! However if Izen was wrong, Gabriel was going to win the entire Academy of Elements! No matter who won, the landscape of the Lumen City was going to change!
Izen didn't show much reaction on his face. In fact, other than Gabriel and Avilia, only he was looking calm. Everyone else was shocked, including Eliana and the Head Priests. This kind of bet was too risky, for both sides!
However, the one who was more at a loss was Izen, at least according to the Church. No matter who won, the Church was in a win-win position. If Gabriel lost, that meant he really was a dark mage. His death would not only be justified but also save them. And if Gabriel won, they could get the ownership of the Academy!
Izen on the other hand felt quite complicated deep inside his heart. Even though he trusted Eliana, he didn't truly sense Gabriel's aura since Gabriel was still inside the Church of Light. If he could at least send his aura, he could've been a hundred percent sure about his assumption.
Unfortunately, his confidence wasn't a hundred percent now! If he lost, he was going to lose the Academy of Elements, making the Academy a subsidiary of the Church. The risks were too many and the rewards didn't seem to be worth it!
He didn't have to be in a hurry to expose Gabriel even if he was a Dark Mage after all. He could just wait for Gabriel to leave the Church of Light in the future and test his assumption at that time. There was no need to be hasty.
In the end, his mind won over his heart, convincing him to not take the risk.
"I can't bet the Academy on line!" He told Gabriel.
Gabriel felt slightly surprised deep in his heart. He was only bluffing with his confidence. He didn't expect it to work either but it did! His bluff really worked!
