The reason for sparing Neo's life was quite simple, actually.
In case of a two-sided attack, the entire nation's safety would have been at risk, and
coincidentally, Neo is good at safeguarding the borders of the entire nation all at once with his immense army.
Therefore, Ashtel spared his life in exchange for him ceasing his questionable actions and transforming into a civilized individual with sound moral principles.
And in case he doesn't obey this treaty, Ashtel will kill him.
Although Raji and Jin don't know where Neo went, they for sure know that he definitely has broken the treaty now.
This implies that Neo is openly mocking Ashtel's authority; his actions are akin to slapping Ashtel in the face.
And no one in the entire world alliance is daring enough to face an angry Ashtel Rex; that's why they are both panicking at this moment.
Just as Ashtel was on the verge of getting angry, the atmosphere was growing chilly, and everyone was silent. A single voice broke the silence.
"uh... The atmosphere is getting quite cold for some reason... I feel cold..."
Hearing Riya's voice, Ashtel withdrew his aura that was just about to leak out, and a smile returned to his face that was just about to get serious.
"Ah, my bad, I nearly lost face in front of the kids..."
Riya tilted her head in confusion as everyone gave her a happy glance and a collective thumbs up.
She was unaware that she had just prevented Ashtel's aura from leveling down the entire academy.
"Uh, I have something to talk about his disappearance..."
Summoning his courage, Liam stepped forward to face Ashtel.
Although he felt a bit intimidated while standing in front of the strongest man alive, he knew he had to face this situation head-on.
Liam clenched his fists and told everything that happened in the dragon valley to Ashtel and the other two.
Obviously, he omitted a few things, like how he awakened his mana field and what talks he had with Ellie.
But he told everything related to Neo.
Hearing all this, a look of contemplation appeared on Ashtel's face. He waved his hand at Liam and the others while saying it with a smile.
"You guys just came back from a long journey; go home and take some rest; leave this matter to us; you guys don't need to worry yourself about it..."
"It's a matter involving the SS-rankers, so we will deal with..."
Hearing Ashtel's words, the group nodded their heads and started to leave.
Although they also want to stay and hear more about it, Ashtel has clearly asked them to leave.
So they dared not stay any longer and left immediately.
The group left, and all of them gave Riya a candy each to thank her for her saving grace.
Up until the end, Riya had no idea why everyone was being so nice all of a sudden; after a while, she just forgot about it too.
...
Once the group left, Ashtel waved his hand and used his mana to isolate the three of them; now no one can hear what they are talking about.
Raji stopped drinking and threw away the glass, while Jin crossed his arms, and a serious look appeared on his face.
Ashtel contemplated Liam's words for a while and then spoke in a confused tone,
"We are missing some key information on this matter... We need more information if we want to figure out what Neo is actually planning..."
Raji frowned a bit and spoke in a hesitant tone.
"Uh... how about you ask the Dragon King about this matter... From what Liam said, it seems he has more information about it, and he's a friend of yours-"
Ashtel shook his head at those words.
"No, Idri is not my friend at all... You can actually never become friends with dragons; it's impossible..."
"Just like demons are completely incompatible with the world and are the enemy of the entire world, dragons are also incompatible with other beings..."
"Although they are not a 'cancer' to the world like demons, which is a good thing... they are very prideful and arrogant creatures..."
"Dragons don't even make friends with their own kin; it's impossible for them to truly be close to anyone but themselves..."
"Dragon are the type of creatures who can never trust others fully from the bottom of their hearts, and they prefer being alone rather than being with others..."
Ashtel glanced towards the sky and said in a vague tone,
"When I last met him, he extended his arm out to show friendship, and I accepted it, that's all..."
"Moreover, I can already see that the entrances to the dragon valley have been sealed..."
With Ashtel's capabilities, it's no surprise that he can sense the Dragon Valley while still being in the human empire.
"I guess he already thinks that there's going to be a lot of chaos, and he doesn't want anything to do with it at all..."
"And it's not my style to barge into other people's houses by force like that..."
Ashtel is not like Neo; he won't go to the dragon valley without being invited, except if it concerns the nation itself.
In Ashtel's opinion, Neo has long become completely useless ever since such talented kids appeared in the younger generation.
Sooner or later, Liam will replace Neo, Link will replace him, Rio will replace Jin, and there will be no need to worry even if Neo doesn't 'exist' anymore.
In other words, Ashtel is now free to deal with Neo at any moment.
'Perhaps he sensed that he can never do wrong things again as long as I am keeping an eye on him... and if the next generation takes over, things will become worse for him...'
'Even Neo knows that Liam is more talented than him, and he will be left behind in dust
eventually...'
Ashtel sighed at that moment and spoke in a calm tone,
"Send this information to the alliance, ask Ryul for assistance, and tell them to use the power
of the world tree to find Neo..."
"The world tree can detect any living beings existing in this solar system; unless Neo has left this entire solar system altogether, we will eventually find him no matter what..."
Raji and Jin nodded their heads at those words and hurriedly left as if they were running away. Standing alone, Ashtel shook his head and sighed heavily.
'Even after becoming the strongest, even after reaching such heights... my fate still remains
the same; I guess I was never really blessed with friends...'
Ashtel gave a dry laugh and thought about Link and his group.
'Although I was cursed, I am glad you were blessed with such great friends, Link. I am glad I raised you with the utmost care...'
'Before I retire, I will clean up all the mess for you; you just need to take over and everything will be fine... After all, I promised to your mother, I can never forget that even if I want to...'
With a smile on his face, Ashtel glanced in the direction of Link's room in the dorms and then left the academy to go and complete the unfinished work.