Controlling Time, Starting From Naruto Chapter 685: Jude's Fear - Novel Cool

Chapter 685: Jude's Fear

Chapter 685: Jude's Fear

"Brother Fengye, just how many types of magic do you know?"

Wendy stared at Fengye with her big, adorable eyes, still slightly awestruck by what she had witnessed.

Ever since she met Fengye, she had been exposed to an array of magic—from Star Spirit Magic to Attachment Magic, Healing Magic, Spatial Magic, and even Light Magic.

Ordinarily, a mage would not have the capacity to master so many different types of magic and achieve such a high level of proficiency in each.

"I'm not really sure myself," Fengye replied, ruffling Wendy's hair affectionately.

If he had to put a number to it, the number of magic types he had mastered would be infinite. Any magic other than the First Magic was easily deciphered and replicated by him.

Wendy followed Fengye back to the resting room they had used earlier. She sat down beside him, admiration evident in her voice as she asked, "Brother Fengye, just how powerful are you?"

"Well, it's a bit hard to describe," Fengye mused for a moment before turning to her with a smile. "Let's just say I'm a tiny bit stronger than any mage you've ever met."

As he spoke, Fengye picked up an apple from the fruit plate on the table. With a slight flick of his finger, a small magic array appeared on the apple's surface, and a gust of wind blades swiftly peeled away its skin.

Fengye plucked a slice of the apple and brought it to Wendy's lips.

Wendy obediently opened her mouth, but to her surprise, she bit into thin air as Fengye had pulled the apple slice back at the last moment.

Her teeth gently clicked together, and with a playful smile on her face, her cheeks flushed a charming pink, and her large eyes seemed to glisten with a hint of moisture.

"Brother Fengye..."

"Hahaha, here you go," Fengye laughed and handed her the whole apple.

The difference between Wendy and Mebis was that while Mebis would have puffed out his cheeks in a playful sulk, thinking of ways to 'get back' at Fengye, Wendy had no such thoughts. Being teased only made her blush and look even more adorable.

After spending some time with Wendy, a butler entered the room and respectfully addressed Fengye, "Honorable Mage, Master Jude requests your presence in his study to collect your commission fee."

"Alright," Fengye nodded and finished the half-eaten banana in his hand before standing up. "Wendy, wait here for me."

Wendy nodded obediently. "Okay."

Fengye followed the butler through the corridors, eventually arriving at a study on the west side of the villa.

Inside the study, Lucy's father and Layla's husband, Jude, was already waiting for him. He nodded at Fengye and placed a check on the desk in front of him. "This is your commission fee of 200 million J."

"...”

Fengye calmly picked up the check, glanced at it, and then tucked it into his pocket.

Jude stood up and asked in a low voice, "Will my wife require further care and treatment?"

"Just follow the standard recovery regimen, and she should be fine," Fengye replied casually.

Jude nodded. "Alright... That's good to hear. Also, I would like to offer you a position as the captain of the Hartfilia family's guard. I can offer you a salary of 20 million J per month, and I'd like to invite you for a year, to begin with. What do you say?"

According to Layla, Fengye was an incredibly powerful mage, and the Hartfilia family, currently on an upward trajectory, was in need of strong bodyguards.

Fengye turned and started walking toward the door, a peaceful smile on his face as he replied, "I apologize, but I'm not interested in working as a bodyguard."

"What about 30 million J?" Jude asked, his voice heavy as he spoke to Fengye's retreating back.

Fengye glanced over his shoulder at him and smiled faintly. "It's not about the price. I'm simply not interested in being a bodyguard."

Jude paused, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes. He assumed Fengye was haggling for a higher price. "At 30 million J per month, you could hire a hundred competent bodyguards. Don't you think it's a bit rude to ask for more?"

"It seems you haven't understood me," Fengye said, unbothered by Jude's reaction. "To be honest, I'm not interested in money. I took on this healing commission on a whim."

With that, Fengye turned and walked out of the room.

Jude was left standing there, taken aback by Fengye's words.

Instead of inspiring admiration, Fengye's words only served to humiliate Jude, who believed firmly in the power of money. In his eyes, money could buy anything!

Watching Fengye's retreating back, Jude said in a low voice, "You saved Layla, so I won't hold your rudeness against you. But perhaps you don't understand the power of money. With enough wealth, destroying your guild would be as easy as snapping my fingers."

He took a couple of steps forward, but suddenly sensed that something was amiss. Frowning, he turned back.

Two guards stood at attention by the study door.

They should have bowed to him when he exited the room, but they seemed to have forgotten their manners and didn't show any signs of deference.

As Jude glared at them, the guards' faces broke into serene smiles. They reached into their clothes and each produced a wizard hat, which they calmly placed on their heads, their gazes unwavering as they looked back at him.

"!!!"

Jude was startled, his pupils constricting sharply as cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "What's going on with you?!?" he shouted, his voice laced with panic.

The butler, who had been waiting not too far away, rushed over and asked with concern, "Master Jude, what's wrong?"

Jude stumbled backward, his finger pointing at the two guards by the study door, his eyes still wide with shock. "What's happened to them?!"

"There's nothing wrong with them," the butler replied, giving Jude a strange look. He then reached into his own clothes and pulled out a wizard hat, placing it on his head. "Master Jude, you should get some rest."

"Ah!!!""

Jude screamed, nearly falling backward in his haste to scramble away. He continued to backpedal while shouting, "Someone! Come quick!"

The maids and attendants nearby heard Jude's cries and rushed over. However, one by one, they too pulled out identical wizard hats from their clothes and placed them on their heads, their expressions serene as they calmly looked at Jude and asked, "Master Jude, is something the matter?"

Jude's eyes widened in terror, and he panted heavily, as if he had just emerged from underwater.

It was that wizard!

It must be that blasted wizard's doing!

He glared at the approaching maids and butler, then turned and fled down the corridor, his panic evident.

As he ran past the various rooms, the doctors who were still in the villa, as well as the butlers, guards, and maids of the Hartfilia family, all stood quietly, their eyes calm and peaceful as they watched Jude rush by.

Jude's frantic escape led him to a bedroom door, which he pushed open and burst into. "Layla! Layla!!!" he shouted, his voice high and strained.

Inside was a newly prepared bedroom, where Layla sat propped up against a pile of pillows, looking at Jude with confusion. "What's wrong, Jude? You look flustered."

"That wizard... the one who treated you... he's done something to my guards and servants! Damn that scoundrel!!!" Jude exclaimed, his fists clenched tightly as his fear morphed into anger.

Layla gave him an odd look, then reached under her covers and pulled out a wizard hat, placing it on her head. Her expression became serene as she smiled and said, "I don't feel anything unusual. Maybe you're just tired, Jude. You should get some rest."

"......Ah!!!!!!!"

Jude let out a scream of sheer despair and bolted from the room, stumbling and tripping as he ran wildly down the corridor. Eventually, he found himself outside the resting room he had visited earlier.

He rushed inside and saw Fengye sitting casually on a sofa, chatting with his daughter, Lucy, and Wendy.

"What... what have you done?!" Jude demanded, his eyes flicking between fear and anger as he glared at Fengye.

Fengye smiled at Jude and replied calmly, "Can't your money buy you everything? Unfortunately, I'm firing you now."

"Fire... fire me?!?" Jude sputtered, his eyes darting around in confusion and disbelief.

But before he could say more, the butler from earlier walked into the room. He ignored Jude completely and approached Fengye, bowing respectfully.

Feng Ye casually pointed at Jude.

The butler immediately obeyed and approached Jude. With a calm demeanor, he said, "Please come with me to settle your wages."

Jude glared at them, his eyes wide, and his body trembling as he grit his teeth. "You scoundrels... I'm Jude! What are you talking about?"

"?"

Lucy, who was chatting with Wendy, glanced strangely at Jude and then turned to Feng Ye, asking, "Dad, what is he talking about?"

Feng Ye shrugged and replied, "Who knows? He probably has some sort of delusional disorder, imagining himself to be me. Don't worry, I've fired him."

"Mhm."

Lucy nodded.

Jude stared at them, his eyes wide, and exclaimed, "You... what have you done to Lucy! I'm Jude! I'm the real Jude!"

"Don't just casually impersonate my dad."

Lucy pouted, looking at Jude with disapproval. Frightened by Jude's manic behavior, she hid behind Feng Ye and said, "Is this what a delusional disorder looks like? It's so scary."

Feng Ye ruffled Lucy's hair affectionately, soothing her, then signaled to the butler and guards to take Jude away. They immediately understood and dragged Jude out.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief as Jude was taken away. She looked at Feng Ye and said, "Dad, when Mom gets better, let's go out and play together, okay?"

"Sure, how about the day after tomorrow?"

Feng Ye smiled gently as he ruffled Lucy's hair.

Wendy, however, looked slightly concerned as she glanced in the direction where Jude had been taken away. She turned to Feng Ye and asked softly, "Brother Feng Ye, is this really okay?"

At that moment, the entire Hartfilia estate was enveloped by memory magic, altering and manipulating the memories of everyone present—except for Wendy, who had been informed by Feng Ye about what had transpired.

"It's fine," Feng Ye reassured Wendy with a casual smile. "Letting him experience that money isn't everything is a small punishment. After a few days, when he understands, everything will return to normal."

Wendy nodded.

...

Several days later, the Hartfilia family's guards and butlers, now restored to their normal state, found Jude in the warehouse. He was disheveled and dirty, having somehow managed to survive the past few days.

Upon seeing that his guards and butlers had returned to their usual selves, Jude remained shaken and fearful for a long time before finally regaining his composure.

When he inquired further, he discovered that none of the guards or butlers recalled anything unusual happening during those three days. They believed everything had been normal, and instead, they thought that Jude's strange behavior was due to his excessive worry about Layla's condition.

Frightened, Jude dared not directly ask Layla if she had noticed anything amiss. He tried to indirectly probe her, but she, too, seemed oblivious to any strange occurrences during those days.

He was terrified.

It wasn't the power of the magic that scared him; with his vast wealth, he could hire countless mages to counter any powerful spell.

But Feng Ye's abilities were too bizarre. In a mere moment, Feng Ye had completely replaced him, taking away everything that was his!

No one found this abnormal!

What kind of eerie power was this?!

It meant that money truly held no value to Feng Ye, as he could effortlessly replace Jude at any time, becoming Lucy's father, Layla's husband, and the master of the Hartfilia family!

Jude fell into a silent reverie, locking himself in his room for two days before gradually regaining his mental fortitude.

However...

The terror of those days was forever etched into his mind, an experience he never wanted to relive. The feeling of having everything taken away and being completely replaced was too horrifying to endure again.

Meanwhile, Feng Ye had already returned to Magnolia Town with Wendy, arriving back at their residence.

"What's the matter? Are you missing Lucy already?"

Feng Ye noticed Wendy walking with her head down, deep in thought, and smiled gently as he asked.

Wendy nodded lightly. She had grown fond of the lively Lucy during their time together, and it was only natural to feel a bit of reluctance at their sudden parting.

"Don't worry, you'll see each other again," Feng Ye assured her with a smile as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

(End of Chapter)

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