《The Academy's Strongest Undercover Professor》


 Chapter 1: Prologue - Four Options, One Choice

    <h4>Chapter 1: Prologue - Four Options, One Choice</h4>


    What would you do if you had fought for over seven years in a deadly war and it was finally over?


    1. Enjoy your life as much as you can with all the money you earned over the years.


    2. Reunite with your loved ones.


    3. Live a peaceful life away from everything.


    4. Find something to upy yourself with.


    If you chose the first option, let me ask you another question.


    Does money buy happiness?


    Hmm, well, I certainly don''t think so.


    When I transmigrated into this novel as the son of a well-off Duke, I enjoyed everything from banquets to the biggest beds¡ª


    Ah, wait! I forgot to tell you about that. One day, I woke up in the body of a young lord, and within a few days, I realized I was in a famous novel I had heard of but never read. So, I was just as lost as everyone else.


    But, uh, enough about that.


    What was I talking about? Money... right, money!


    Yeah, to cut it short, money doesn''t buy happiness. After all the years I''ve spent fighting, I got paid so much money that I could live pretty much anywhere until the end of my life. However, at one point, buying things just doesn''t cut it anymore. You need something to drive yourself forward, or else... your life is gonna be boring.


    Then, perhaps option two would be better. Actually, it would have been a great idea, but there was only one problem.


    All my family died during the war. It happened a few years ago. But now, I guess it''s just another event of the past...and it''s not like I knew them well either since I got transmigrated into the body of a fourteen year old, only spending one year with them before being sent to fight against the Demons.


    So, yeah. I''m all alone.


    What about option three?


    Living a peaceful life away from everything... sounds boring, doesn''t it?


    I spent my entire life on the front lines of the war against the demons, fighting for my life and bing one of the strongest people on the battlefield. No, such a huge change of pace wouldn''t work.


    Ugh, just imagining it gives me the creeps. No, just no.


    That''s why, when I thought of all those options, I chose option number four. I needed to upy myself with something, and that''s when the perfect opportunity showed up right in front of me.


    "Caedrel, how old are ya?"


    "Hm, just turned 22, sir."


    "And what are you nning on doing now that the war is over?"


    "Ah...I don''t know. I''ll do whatever I find interesting, I guess."


    "What about bing a professor for the Royal Academy?"


    If I would have known what that offer really meant, I would have refused it. But oh well, it''s toote now.

 Chapter 2 - 1 - An Unbelievable Offer

    <h4>Chapter 2: Chapter 1 - An Unbelievable Offer</h4>


    "What about bing a teacher for the Royal Academy?"


    Themander had both his legs on the table, smoking a cigarette as he uttered those words. He looked at me with his usual uninterested look.


    While themander was easy-going, he wasn''t the type to call me in his personal tent. This was his private space, which meant he had something important to tell me.


    I pulled the chair in front of me and made myselffortable. However, not asfortably as him, keeping both my hands on my knees.


    "Teaching?" Iughed. "What''s this about? What would I even teach? The war is over."


    Themander started tapping on his chair, not looking at me even once. He took another puff from his cigarette before straightening his back, giving me his full attention.


    "I didn''t think you were that naive, Caedrel." He took another puff. "Wars are part of an unending cycle. Now that we won against the demons, it won''t be long until we fight among ourselves...it''s inevitable."


    At first, I wasn''t sure what to say. I wanted to tell him that he was wrong, but I couldn''t. He was right, on Earth there weren''t any Demons and humans kept fighting against one another. So, it wouldn''t be strange if the same thing were to happen in this world.


    "So...what would I be teaching?"


    I wouldn''t say I was pleased with the offer, but at the moment, it was the only thing anyone had proposed to me. I''m not the type to go live in the mountains, so this was better than nothing.


    "Ah, the fuck I know," he roughlyughed. "It''s not like I''m the one who decided to talk to you about this. Hell, you can do whatever you want with your life, I couldn''t care less."


    This time, he really caught my attention. I was almost sure this had been part of his n, making me prepare for the next generation. However, thinking about it now, it didn''t really resemble that man...he wasn''t the type to make such requests, not after everything we went through.


    "So, who''s asking? Is it the Emperor or something? Haha!"


    When I said that, he became even more serious. It almost made me think that the Emperor had actually made such an offer.


    However, his answer made it clearer why he became so serious. He looked to his left and started rummaging through a huge pile of letters, taking a precise one and showing it to me with a little smirk on the corner of his lips, which showed his golden tooth.


    On the letter, there was this beautiful golden seal that looked pretty damn expensive. And with one look, I knew who had sent it. There was only one person who used this seal...it was the Emperor!


    He really did ask me to teach at the Royal Academy, but why? I know I got a tiny little bit stronger over the years, but for him to know who I am? That''s crazy!


    "So, he asked for me? Why?"


    Themander just shook his head in disbelief, took a puff, and leaned slightly forward, handing me the letter.


    "You know damn well why you were the one chosen for this job. Now, open it. This should tell you everything you need to know about your new job at the Royal Academy. Still, don''t worry, it won''t be amon job. After all, the Emperor asked you for it."


    There was a silent pressure within the room as he slid the letter across the table, staring at me every step of the way. Still, it wasn''t overbearing. After all...the only reason this man was mymander was because I had refused all kinds of promotions.


    I ain''t the type of guy to stay in the backlines and tell people what to do. When I have to fight, I go in; you won''t see me hiding behind you, I''ll tell you that much. I''ll be right in your face, casting a new spell right away.


    So, I opened the letter from the Emperor himself. I was sweating a little. It was the first time someone so important had decided to contact me.


    I slid it out of the envelope and started reading it to myself. Without much surprise, it looked extremely fancy.


    <i>Caedrel Stuart, I, the Emperor, have decided to formally invite you to be a professor at the Royal Academy.</i>


    <i>However, you won''t be a normal professor. You will be undercover and report to me everything weird happening at the Royal Academy. You should meet with the Director once you arrive, she will exin everything to you.</i>


    <i>I have also made sure that your ss will be a special one, considering your personality and incredible talent, I''m sure this job would be perfect for you.</i>


    <i>It would be a pleasure to hear back from you as soon as possible.</i>


    <i>Please sign this letter to ept my offer.</i>


    <i>Signature: ____________</i>


    "Here," themander said, already handing me a pen right in front of my nose.


    I took the pen. However, I didn''t sign anything right away. There were times when I needed to be serious, and this was one of those. If I were to sign this, I would have to dedicate the next year to teaching kids I don''t even know.


    Still, the part about being the informant of the Emperor was pretty cool. It was one of the main reasons why I was doubting what to do next.


    Well, I can always check it out and see if it''s fun. It''s not like the Emperor can restrict me or anything...I''m one of the strongest people in the entire world.


    There was also that "special" ss, I''m not too sure what that meant. But it certainly interested me.


    Alright, decision made!


    Still, before I signed, I decided to annoy my favoritemander onest time.


    "Hey, it''s written here that I''m talented!" I smiled stupidly while showing themander, who wasn''t amused in the slightest.


    "Caedrel, can''t you be serious for one moment in your entire life?" He sighed. "You''re the strongest in this camp. I don''t know why I need to be the one babysitting you."


    "Hehe, alright, alright!"


    I signed the letter, and it destroyed itself into particles.


    "You''re dismissed," themander said right away, not wanting to see me smiling even one second longer. "Oh, and try not to be too obnoxious with your students...actually teach them stuff alright."


    I just smiled in response. "They''ll love me, don''t worry."

 Chapter 3 - 2 - Royal Capital

    <h4>Chapter 3: Chapter 2 - Royal Capital</h4>


    The train floor glowed beneath my feet as I walked down the aisle with a small suitcase. Moving to another city with minimal belongings felt strange after years of war. Still, I found an open window seat offering a beautiful view outside.


    The other guests on the train didn''t once look at me as they were all too busy reading the newspapers that were on the table. I nced at the headlines, and it was obviously about the war.


    Everyone was celebrating the win against the Demons.


    Bet they wouldn''t expect that one of the main reasons we won would be in their bus, huh? Watching the shock on their face would be quite a funny sight, but I decided to stay discreet for the time being.


    Having nothing else to do, I nced outside and saw a huge number of people getting onto the train. It seemed no one wanted to be near this ce now that the war was over.


    Understandable. Most of them were forced to take part in it. Well, I was too, but I soon discovered that I actually like fighting others, like a lot.


    Maybe it was because of my talent?


    Hm, yeah, it probably was. I must say that it was nice seeing the demons cower when I took a step forward.


    Still, when I looked outside, I could see merchants, soldiers, alchemists, mages, swordsmen...everyone you could possibly think of was trying to leave this ce.


    I couldn''t me them. After all, I was doing the exact same thing.


    <i>-Zooom!</i>


    The sound of the mana-powered engine resounded through the entire train, and at the exact same time, a short man with a monocle sat right across from me.


    He stared at me for a short moment before ncing at the newspapers. However, surprisingly, he didn''t grab it. Instead, he released a sigh as he looked outside.


    Vast green ins stretched out in the distance, with a slight breeze ruffling against my red and purple hair¡ªYeah, I know, it''s a strange mix, but it looks good. Otherwise, I wouldn''t havedies being interested in me with a single wink.


    The soothing feeling of the wind brushing against my hair and the beautiful scenery of vast ins and water was definitely nice.


    For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace...I didn''t have to think about anything. This feeling stayed for a good five minutes before I got bored.


    Ah, who would want a life like that?


    Wanting to entertain myself, I reached into my suitcase and brought out an old deck of ying cards. I looked over to the guy with a monocle.


    "It''s nice outside, isn''t it?"


    The man seemed surprised that I talked to him as he practically bounced in his seat.


    "Ah, yeah. It definitely is."


    I held my hand out.


    "Caedrel, it''s nice to meet you."


    Getting some connexions couldn''t hurt anyone, right?


    ***


    <i>-Zooom!</i>


    I looked at the train going away and held my suitcase with a smile.


    I guess I''m really doing it, huh? Bing undercover, I''m not sure what the Emperor has nned for me, but I can''t wait to find out.


    As my mind was ruffling with all kinds of thoughts, I felt a tap on my right shoulder. It was the same guy as earlier. It was a total coincidence, but we were both heading for the Royal Capital.


    Over the course of our conversation on the train, I came to understand that this short man...uh, what was his name? Albert! Yeah, Albert is a renowned merchant who made his sess during the war. He told me all kinds of stories more far-fetched than the others. Seeing him all excited to tell them, I was tempted to tell him about some of my own stories, but I managed to resist that envy.


    We headed out for the city, which was pretty much like I had expected.


    There were huge streets bustling with people from all kinds of races¡ªvampires, elves, dwarves, you name it¡ªthey were all there. The buildings were also impressive, with an "old-style" of architecture. However, there was one building that waspletely different from the rest of them: a huge tower that was twice as tall as the others. It had this futuristic look to it, and it was quite nice.


    "First time in the Royal Capital?" He said, noticing the amazement on my face as I looked at the tower.


    "Ah, was it that obvious?" Iughed. "Yeah, it is. Though, I''m not too sure where I should be heading."


    "Ah, right. I didn''t even ask you what you are going to be doing in the Royal Capital?"


    "Oh, I was asked to be a professor at the Royal Academy."


    His eyes widened. "You were...asked? You didn''t apply for it or anything?"


    "Ah, well, I won''t get into the details, but it was a bit of a special thing with a letter that disappeared with my signature and stuff like that. Nothing too important."


    He nodded a few times with a nervous look on his face. He was slowly realizing that I might actually not be as I seem. Being invited to teach at the world''s greatest academy wasn''t something anyone could pull off.


    "Welp, you see that tower over there," Albert said.


    I nodded.


    "Well, that''s where you need to go."


    "I see; well, I shouldn''t make them wait. It was nice to meet you, Albert. May we see each other very soon!"


    He adjusted his monocle.


    "Right, and if you ever need to buy or sell things, call me!"


    I nodded as I flew upwards toward the Royal Academy. I looked down and saw Albert with a look of pure disbelief. It seemed I really managed to trick him into thinking I was ordinary, which actually a great feeling, considering that I would have to convince most people at the Royal Academy that I was normal.


    A few minutes after that conversation, I reached the entrance of the Royal Academy. I didn''t waste another moment as I pushed the door wide open. However, something was a little weird. There were no students...actually, there wasn''t anyone inside.


    "Ahhh! Mister Stuart, you''re early!"


    I turned toward the voice and saw ady running toward me. She seemed to be a secretary.


    "Early?"


    "Of course, the sses only start in three weeks!"


    "They do?"


    I clicked my tongue. Then, what am I supposed to do?! I came here immediately, thinking it was starting in a few days.

 Chapter 4 - 3 - The Director

    <h4>Chapter 4: Chapter 3 - The Director</h4>


    And here I was, sitting right in front of the director. While she prepared herself to talk to me in detail about my role as a professor, I looked around her office.


    It was quite unconventional. Well, the furniture was exactly the same as everywhere else¡ªa desk, a few chairs, a shelf with some books. However, one tiny little thing made this a bit unique: magic beasts.


    They were everywhere, and when I say everywhere, I mean it. There was one on her head, one on each of her shoulders. There was even one on top of the shelf. It was crazy. The one on her head seemed to be an owl, but it wasn''t a normal one. It looked a lot more dangerous than a typical owl with huge ws.


    The director brought me out of my thoughts as she coughed twice, finally catching my attention.


    The director was actually beautiful. She had long red hair and beautiful green eyes. She was also wearing quite revealing clothes. In fact, her top was almost see-through, which wasn''t something that I had expected at all. Her curves also didn''t help, as my eyes were always attracted to her cleavage.


    I''m a simple man, alright. I see a beautifuldy, and I look...that''s all.


    "It''s nice to meet you, Caedrel. I''ve heard a lot about you and your achievements in the war against the Demons."


    I swung my hand in the air as if ttered. "Ah, it really wasn''t anything incredible."


    "Hm, right, I also heard about that personality of yours." She shook her head with a slight smirk. "Well, since you didn''t ask, my name is Alexandra Red."


    "Alexandra, what a beautiful name!" I said while winking in her direction.


    She blushed slightly and shook my hand right back.


    Within seconds, she focused on the conversation between us. However, I had clearly seen that blush of hers.


    "So, is there a reason why you came here three weeks in advance? Most of your colleagues will be arriving next week."


    I gritted my teeth. Does it look like I did this on purpose? Of course, I didn''t want to arrive early; it''s just that the Emperor didn''t give me any details about when the semester would start.


    "About that, uh, well... I heard that my role within the Royal Academy would be a different one. So, I arrived as quickly as possible. I also wanted to ensure I would be ready to wee my precious students!"


    I lied without hesitation. I at least wanted the director to have a good impression of me, and I could tell that my first impression was shaky, to say the least.


    "Oh, I didn''t think you would be so dedicated to this new role of yours," she said as he slightly leaned forward, showing her cleavage even more. "Oh, and since you mentioned your students, did the Emperor mention what kind of ss you would be teaching?"


    I shook my head in response. That was actually a question I wanted the answer to. I wanted to know why he had called the ss that I would be teaching a special ss. That was one of the main reasons I had epted this role.


    "No, he didn''t mention anything about it. He just called it special."


    She suddenly leaned back and took a piece of paper that had been on the desk.


    "I see. Well, since he didn''t say anything in that letter, I will also do the same."


    I think she noticed the frown on my face because she quickly added another sentence to reassure me.


    "Don''t worry. I promise you that it''s nothing bad. In fact, it''s the only role in the academy worthy of your strength."


    I just shrugged my shoulders. Well, it''s not like I needed to know immediately, so I simply let it go. My ss was only secondary as I wanted to know a lot more about my role as an undercover professor.


    "Mhm, I see. Then, shouldn''t we talk about that other role of mine..." I tried to act as mysterious as possible. However, the director looked at me with a frown for some reason.


    "That other role of yours? You mean...as a professor?"


    At that moment, I realized that there was a good chance that the director wasn''t aware of my role as an undercover professor just yet.


    I had arrived way too early.


    "Never mind that, then. Do you have any tips for me to prepare myself as a teacher? After all, this is my first time."


    This time, she took her sweet time as she turned her head and seemed to be murmuring something in the ear of the owl, which was now on her right shoulder. A few seconds passed, and it started flying away through the open window that was right behind Alexandra.


    I didn''t say anything, waiting for her answer. However, she just stayed there,pletely still.


    "Uh, so about the tip? Can I have one?"


    She seemed surprised that I was still there as she practically jumped in her own seat.


    "Right, sorry, it shouldn''t take long. I just need to verify something."


    Minutes passed by, and it was starting to get boring. I observed a few of her magic beasts, but at one point, it was starting to get a little redundant...so I just looked up at the ceiling and closed my eyes.


    <i>-Whoo-Whoo!</i>


    The owl made a little sound as it went through the window once more.


    I opened my eyes and saw the owlmunicating with the director through animal noises. Alexandra, the director, was nodding as if understanding everything.


    "So, what''s it saying?" I inquired, curious to see if that was all an act.


    "Oh, uh, I wanted to make sure before telling you. But it seems that one of your students has already arrived at the Royal Academy."


    I frowned. "You really understood that owl?"


    It''s not that I didn''t believe her, but it was the first time I had ever seen someone in this world do something like that.


    The director even formed a smug smile on her face when she answered me.


    "You never met a druid during the war?"


    Now that she mentioned it, I did meet druids, but they usually didn''t have any animals with them since they were basically the ones healing everyone. Obviously, I never got hurt, so I never spent a lot of time with them...but they seemed nice.


    "I did, I just didn''t know they couldmunicate with magic beasts."


    She nodded. "I see. Well, enough about me. Let''s go back to that student of yours."


    "Right, right. Is that student really in my ss?"


    "Yes. Look, what I would rmend you to do is find your student right away. Meeting your first studentpletely alone would make things easier for youter."


    I nodded. She wasn''t wrong; gaining the trust of someone would be a lot easier if we could talk one-on-one.


    "And where should I go to find that student of mine?"


    "Uh...right now, it''s not a good time. You see, I would suggest looking for your student at night."


    At night?

 Chapter 5 - 4 - Impolite

    <h4>Chapter 5: Chapter 4 - Impolite</h4>


    The secretary from earlier guided me back to my office and told me to make myself at home, which is exactly what I did. Well, actually, "office" might not be the right word. She showed me where I would be living for the next year or possibly even longer.


    The office looked quite simr to the director''s, though it was slightly smaller. But that didn''t really matter; as long as there was a desk, two chairs, and a bed, I would be the happiest man in the world. It''s not like I had better conditions than this during the war. I still remember the bed I had been sleeping on... Ah, just thinking about it gives me chills.


    Either way, all you need to know is that as soon as I entered my room, I slept like a baby. I needed to pass the time until night, and that was the best way to do it.


    ***


    "Yaaawn!"


    I stretched my entire body, and damn, that felt good. I squinted my eyes and noticed that it was now dark outside, which was all I had hoped for.


    "Time to go look for that student of mine."


    Alexandra hadn''t told me where to find her. But it''s not like I really needed any help. Finding a teenager should be easy enough, right? Well, that''s what I hoped for since I didn''t want to spend days finding her.


    So, without wasting another minute, I headed outside the tower toward the huge garden of the Royal Academy. Yes, the Royal Academy wasn''t just a tower, as I soon learned when the secretary brought me to my room. There are actually a ton of buildings around it.


    I''m not lying when I say this. There''s literally everything you can think of. A park, a garden, training grounds, a smith to make weapons, a potionb... I''m telling you, there''s a reason this is the greatest academy in the entire world.


    When I finally got outside, everything was peaceful. There wasn''t the slightest noise around me, which was perfect. The silence would make it a lot easier to find her.


    ''Alright, let''s concentrate,'' I thought, gathering my mana around my eyes. It was one of the skills I had developed over the years, Tracking.


    Yeah, I know...the name isn''t great, but it''s the only thing I coulde up with at the time, and it just stuck.


    What the skill allows me to do is see the footprints of everyone in the past hour or so. Let''s be honest. With this skill, it should be extremely easy to find my student.


    A blue hue appeared around my brown eyes, and I could now see footsteps all over the garden. They were all glowing blue, which made it easier for me to see them, and it seemed that all of them came from the same person.


    "Now, where are you hiding?" I smiled as I started to follow the footsteps.


    I observed them for some time, and from their shape, size, and form, I was 95% sure that the student I was looking for was a girl.


    The footsteps guided me to one particr building: the storage room. It was probably the only building in the Royal Academy that looked bad. It seemed to be on the verge of falling down. So...why, out of all the infrastructures at her disposal, did she go there?


    Is she trying to experiment with living in bad conditions? Like, why would anyone even do that?


    I shook my head and headed for the wooden door that was on the verge of falling down. I knocked on the door twice, and it almost fell down. After knocking, I stayed still, waiting for her to answer. However, no one came to open the door.


    "Hey, I know you''re in there. I''m not here to hurt you, don''t worry."


    It seemed like I hadn''t chosen the right words, as the presence I had been sensing moved further away from the door. I had no clue why, but she seemed...scared?


    Ah, whatever. Enough about being polite. This isn''t like me.


    I grabbed the handle of the door and swung it open without care.


    "Hello there!" I said with a smile. "Ah, you gotta be kidding me..."


    It was the first time I ever met one of my students, and she was trying to escape.


    Am I really that horrible?


    The girl was currently trying to leave through one of the holes in the ceiling.


    "Leave me alone!" she shouted as she struggled to push herself through the hole.


    While I had nothing better to do, I observed her a little... it''s not like she could get away from me.


    She was wearing a ck top and a short white skirt. Maybe it wasn''t on purpose, but it created a great contrast with her long white hair and pearly red eyes.


    It didn''t take too much time for me to figure out what she was. After all, I had seen a lot of them on the battlefield. Though, they usually weren''t running away from me... I''m quite the nice guy, you know.


    Pitying her, I walked up under her, and decided to give her a little push.


    "Here," I said as I helped her by pushing her right foot upwards.


    My help seemed to be enough for her as she was now on the ceiling of the storage room. I didn''t waste any time following her as I flew right through that tight hole.


    She staggered as she took a few steps backward.


    "W-Who are you?"


    "Me? Your new teacher."


    "Then, why is a teacher following me around? What kind of weirdo are you?" she shouted. "Are you interested in young vampires like me?"


    My eyes widened. First, she knew that I was tracking her down...second, why is she saying that I''m a weirdo? Third, what kind of person says that to a teacher?!


    "Tsk, since when has the Academy been hiring stupid teachers like you?"


    My mouth opened wide.


    What kind of student is this?


    Is that why the Emperor called my ss special?

 Chapter 6 - 5 - My First Student, a Vampire Princess

    <h4>Chapter 6: Chapter 5 - My First Student, a Vampire Princess</h4>


    "Stop looking at me like that." She looked away from me. "I''m not a piece of meat."


    Realizing that having my mouth wide open right beside her might create some confusion, I closed it right away, my lips forming a thin line, andughed nervously to calm things down.


    "Look, I''m sorry...I didn''t mean to scare you."


    To be honest, I had no clue why she was so scared of me. We were on the Royal Academy grounds. There shouldn''t be anyone unauthorized around here. Actually, there were a lot of confusing things about her, and I didn''t even know where to start.


    "A-Are you really a teacher?"


    Her voice wasced with fear as she uttered those words, slowly walking backward unconsciously.


    It didn''t take a genius to know that she was scared. But the real question was: What the hell is she scared of? I stared at her and simply nodded to answer her question.


    Maybe that was one of the reasons why I was sent here as an undercover professor, there were probably things that were weird around here. Otherwise, no students would be scared in the Royal Academy Territory.


    "Yeah, I just arrived at the Academy a few hours ago." I stayed still, not wanting to scare her any more than she already was. "What about you?"


    Her eyes drifted off. "You don''t need to know about me."


    This time, I was getting really pissed off, her attitude wasn''t one that I was used to dealing with. Usually, people were quite open with me about things since they knew I was much stronger than them, but that girl didn''t care whatsoever. I tried my best to stay calm and talk to her as if we were friends, but it was getting harder and harder.


    I managed tough a little. "I can''t even know your name?"


    She looked at me and started looking for something in her right pocket. Then, when she found it, she showed it to me with a smug smile on her face.


    "Yeah. That''s who I am, idiot."


    In her hand, there was a red and ck insignia with the design of two white canines.


    Even if I didn''t know much about the political side of this world...I would be stupid if I hadn''t recognized that insignia. It was from the Vampire Royal Family. The Vampire Royal Family are the ones dictating everything that happens between the Vampires.


    I had met a few vampires during the war, I even managed to sleep with a few of them, and I must say... they are great at fighting, both in bed and on the battlefield.


    And out of every possible vampire, I was talking to their princess.


    Nheless, her showing that insignia left me even more confused! Why was a princess roaming the Royal Academy aimlessly three weeks before the semester started? What kind of princess is she?


    I needed to learn more about her.


    "Oh, the Vampire Princess in person." I bowed out of respect. "It''s a pleasure to have you in my ss!"


    Knowing the identity of my first student was exciting, her background was even more exciting. If there were one or two other students like her in my ss, things would get a lot more fun!


    She sighed. "Now that you know about my identity, why don''t you leave me alone?"


    I clicked my tongue. "Not so fast. You still need to answer some of my questions."


    A scoff escaped her mouth as she barely contained herughter.


    "You think being a teacher gives you the right to order me around? You''re really an idiot. Wow."


    My eyes lost their yfulness when she uttered those words. I walked in her direction as I started gathering my mana in my right palm. At the same exact time, I made sure to exude the deadly aura that I had perfected over the years at war. My presence started to be suffocating as she stared at me with wide eyes.


    I made sure not to release too much of my mana since that might blow my cover as a normal professor, but controlling my emotions had never been my strong suit.


    "No, to be honest, I only came here because it was the only job offer given to me since the war is over."


    I retracted my aura right after saying that.


    Yes, I intimidated her. I know...not the greatest start to my career as a professor, but she wasn''t listening to me, and she even disrespected me. I needed to prove to her that I could deal with her.


    The look on her face also turned serious when she realized how strong I was. "W-Who are you?" Her voice was trembling. "This energy...it''s as if you''re stronger than my father!"


    ''Oh...fuck, did I release too much mana?'' I thought in the back of my mind, thinking of a way to y it off.


    "Stronger than the Vampire King?" I shook my head. "Are you sure you''re okay?."


    "No, no, no! Do that again! I want to see that again!"


    I smirked. Given this great opportunity, I made sure to release only 5% of my mana.


    She felt it, and instantly, a frown found its way on her face. "You changed something, it''s not as strong as before."


    "I think you just hallucinated about me. I''m really nothing special, just a soldier who finally managed to retire."


    "Who are you? From which family are you part of?"


    I smiled as brightly as I could when I saw that my trick seemed to have worked. "My name is Caedrel Stuart. I''m just a normal soldier. If you search my name online, you won''t find anything about me.


    Before she could ask a follow-up question, I asked her another question because of her appearance. Her hair was all ruffled up, her clothes dirty, and there were big dark circles under her eyes.


    I wasn''t stupid. That girl hadn''t slept in days, and it showed.


    "Wait before you answer. You''ll have to tell me this. Why are you running around the Royal Academy? Is someone chasing you?"


    I noticed earlier that she had been trying to escape even before she had seen me, which meant that there was something on the Academy grounds scaring her. No one should react in such a way when they think they are safe.


    My senses hadn''t picked up on anything, and I hadn''t seen anyone else''s footsteps on the way to the Storage Room. But I still asked. There might have been something that I missed.


    "Don''t worry about me. I''m fine." She still didn''t seem too keen on talking to me. But there was a progression; she wasn''t insulting me anymore! "Enough about that. You said your name was Caedrel Stuart. Why would you be offered to teach in the Royal Academy if you were just a normal soldier? This doesn''t make any sense."


    I just shrugged. The less I would exin about myself, the better.


    "I''m just as much in the dark as you. Don''t worry."


    She frowned. "You never had a promotion or anything like that?"


    "Nope, nothing."

 Chapter 7 - 6 - Gag Reflex

    <h4>Chapter 7: Chapter 6 - Gag Reflex</h4>


    I was now on the way back to my room. The conversation didn''tst much longer as she kept saying that she was fine every time I would ask her a question that was a little touchy.


    I tried to get her toe back with me inside the Academy for her to get a little bit of sleep, but... she told me she was fine.


    And look, I''m all for helping others, but I won''t force them to do anything.


    Right now, there was another problem that I had to face¡ªboredom.


    I had just slept for a few hours, and I wasn''t anywhere close to feeling tired yet, which meant that I would have to pass the time... I could''ve gone to see other teachers and presented myself, but they hadn''t arrived.


    This entire situation was boring. I thought that my career as a spy would have started right away. But it would have to wait a few days before it started. Truth be told, I was waiting for Alexandra to call me to her office to talk about it since she should learn about it soon enough.


    In the meantime, I sat on my bed, and justid down while staring at the ceiling. There wasn''t much else I could do as I just went over what had just happened in my mind.


    I had to say...being a professor seemed a lot more fun than I originally thought. Well, maybe it was because my first student was a princess that had a shitty attitude.


    ''I can''t imagine all my students being like her...Well, it would certainly be interesting.''


    My mind went in all directions as I remembered her witty answers, and then I realized how stupid I was.


    Why was I in my room?


    I could have just followed her around to see what she had been hiding from me.


    What a great professor I am!


    With no time to waste, I went back outside and followed her footsteps once more. It guided me a little bit further away from the Storage Room, but in a few seconds, I spotted her.


    She was where the Royal Academy stored all the food that they would be serving the students, the Pantry. However, it wasn''t a small one. It was absolutely massive, which made a lot of sense considering the amount of students that would soon be arriving at the Royal Academy.


    Still, there was just one small thing that confused me. She was a Vampire. Blood is what they need to sustain themselves.


    At least, that''s what I saw on the battlefield. The craziest ones sucked all the blood from the people they killed. It was a bit of an ugly sight, but each time I asked them why they were doing that. They all had the same answer.


    Blood makes us stronger.


    ''Maybe there''s blood in the Pantry? After all, all races are epted within the Royal Academy.''


    I didn''t show myself as I looked around the building, trying to find a window to see what was happening inside. Seconds passed by, and I found a window on the right side of the building, which gave a perfect view inside the Pantry.


    She was sitting on the ground with pouches filled with blood. She was drinking them one after another. My guess was that she was famished. Well, it was either that or she was crazy. Because in the five seconds that I had been watching her, she had already drunk three pouches of blood. However, it didn''t make sense. Every time she took a gulp of blood, she was gagging. It was as if she hated the taste of blood.


    I had never seen such a reaction out of all the Vampires I had met in my life. They all adored it, so why was she different from the rest of them?


    It was frustrating. Every time I learned more about her, the more confusing it was. But, as much as it was frustrating...the more I wanted to find out about her.


    I looked at her through the window for a couple of minutes, and it seemed she had finally got her fill as she headed for the door. I looked at her walk out and didn''t move right away, letting just the right amount of distance between us. After all, we were pretty much in an open field with only a few bushes around to hide. I couldn''t really follow her from up close.


    I also couldn''t get spotted, or else I would probably be losing her trust since I told her that I would be going back inside.


    Still, I was confused about what I had just seen.


    ''She drinks that much blood every night...So, why does she look so weak?''


    I just couldn''t wrap my head around it. Vampires got stronger the more they drank blood. So, why was her body feeble and weak?


    She was also a Vampire Princess, which meant that she had received a lot more attentionpared to other vampires.


    I continued to follow her for the rest of the night, and nothing else major happened. She just roamed around the Academy. She ate, trained, and finally slept.


    Her day ended, and mine did too.


    ***


    "So, how was it yesterday?" Alexandra asked. "Did you find her?"


    We were walking around in the garden, talking about my arrival at the Academy, whether I liked it or not. It wasn''t very interesting, well, until I asked her my next question.


    "I did, she was...uh, something."


    She stifled a giggle. "Well, you better get used to it!"


    I didn''t quite grasp what she meant in that sentence at the time, and I didn''t care to be quite frank.


    "Right, I really should. Still, there''s something I need to ask you about her."


    "Sure, I''ll answer if I can."


    "About that student of mine...could I know the reason why she arrived so early?"


    She nced at me before answering and shook her head. "Sorry, it''s a bit of a touchy subject."


    Touchy subject? Perfect.


    "Okay, then I have another question. She''s a vampire, right? So, answer me this, why doesn''t she like blood?"


    She momentarily stopped walking for a fraction of a second, but I noticed it. It seemed to be an even touchier subject. She turned to look at me with the best fake smile she could muster.


    "Oh! Weird, why would you say something like that?"

 Chapter 8 - 7 - Mixed

    <h4>Chapter 8: Chapter 7 - Mixed</h4>


    She looked at me with a warm smile, or at least that''s what she tried to do. However, while her face looked calm, I could see that she was nervous about the question I had just asked.


    "Uh, is that also a touchy subject?" I asked, already knowing the answer.


    It was fun seeing Alexandra panicking, trying to formte an answer.


    "This...I''m not sure how you were able to notice it. But, it would be in your best interest to act as if you knew nothing. If you were to spread such information around, you would anger a lot of important people."


    Ah...if you say things like that, it only makes me want to figure it out even more. Damn, what sort of secret is she hiding? Wait, is it even her that''s hiding things?


    The more I thought about it, the more it seemed her early arrival could only be due to her family. And the important people Alexandra was talking about must be the Vampire Royal Family...


    However, there has to be something more to it. The fact that she doesn''t like blood isn''t the secret. I could feel it that there was something much more important than that.


    Completely hiding my thoughts, I smiled back at the director''s thinly veiled threat.


    "Thank you for letting me know. I will make sure to be careful around the precious vampire princess."


    However, that was a lie. I would go see her right as this conversation ended.


    ***


    Hours passed since my conversation with Alexandra, and I was now tracking my favorite student.


    She was the only one I had met until now, but technically, she''s my favorite. Yeah, let''s just go with that.


    Night fell, and I went outside right away. Oh, and I''m not sure if I exined why I needed to go out at night to meet her. It''s because direct contact with the sun can potentially kill vampires. That''s why most of them sleep during the day and live at night.


    I was now following her beautiful blue footprints, leading me once again to the Pantry where she was devouring an immense quantity of blood. She was gagging every time she drank, confirming what I had seen yesterday.


    However, today was different. I wasn''t going to let her go. I needed to learn more about her, and I wouldn''t let her dodge my questions.


    Seeing her taking as much blood as she could, I headed for the door and opened it.


    Her eyes instantly drifted to me, and I just smiled. She had blood all around her face as she tried to wipe it off. The blood even trickled onto her clothes, giving her quite the seductive look.


    "Hello again!" I said with a quick wave.


    "What are you doing here?" she asked. "How long have you been watching me?"


    "Woah!" Iughed. "You''re not going to greet me? Well, doesn''t matter. I also find it a waste of time."


    "For how long have you been watching me? Answer me."


    A little smirk formed on my face. "Why do you want to know? Afraid I''ll tell people this is what you look like when you eat?"


    Her face was all dirty with blood, and not knowing how to eat cleanly clearly wasn''t a rumor that a princess would want to spread around. It would be quite annoying for her.


    She frowned. "Ah, whatever. Why are you here?"


    She was stillcking politeness, but I''m not one to get mad over that, so I didn''t say anything about it. She was a princess; it was probably in her character.


    "Ah, you know. Just bored, going around the Academy, saw the lights on. So, I looked through the window over there." I pointed. "Still, can I ask you just one simple thing?"


    She hesitated for a second but finally nodded, seeing no reason to refuse.


    "Great! It''s very simple, I promise you." I smirked. "I just need you to take a mouthful of that pouch full of blood."


    Seconds passed, and she hadn''t moved a muscle. She just looked at me, her right hand clenched.


    "Why are you ying games with me?" she finally asked.


    "Games? What do you mean?"


    I decided to act like a fool.


    "That smile of yours. You already know about it. You already know about me." She tightened her fist so hard, the stic pouch of blood exploded all over her clothes. "Who told you about me? The director? That secretary?"


    Her eyes started glowing red, meaning she was furious. She might just try to punch me, but, uh...I wasn''t really worried.


    Still, from the way she was speaking, she clearly thought I knew a lot more than I did. The only thing I knew at the moment was that she didn''t like blood. It shouldn''t create a reaction like that. Sure, some vampires might find it weird...but to get such a huge reaction...


    Might as well use that at my advantage.


    "What do I know? That you can''t drink blood without gagging? Or that blood doesn''t help you get stronger? Or maybe...oh, do I know about that too?"


    I didn''t finish my sentence, letting her think I knew everything about her.


    "Don''t tell anyone." She walked over with a frown. "You can''t tell anyone."


    I kept the same smile. "Oh, and why is that?"


    "Ugh, stop acting like an imbecile. It''s annoying." She wanted to punch me, I saw it in her eyes. However, she managed to control herself, knowing there was no point in doing such a thing. "Do you want me to say it that badly? Yes, I''m mixed. My father is a vampire, and my mother is a human. Is that what you wanted to hear?"


    ''Oh, that''s it?''

 Chapter 9 - 8 - Breakdown

    <h4>Chapter 9: Chapter 8 - Breakdown</h4>


    I wasn''t sure why being mixed between two races was a big deal. But from the way Alexandra and she had reacted, it clearly wasn''t anything good.


    Maybe Vampires and Humans aren''t in good terms with one another... To bepletely honest, I don''t care. The thing I cared about was the abilities she had; being a mix with a human meant that she could potentially have the abilities of humans, which is ess to mana and, at the same time, utilize bloodlust and charm, the power of the vampires.


    At least, that was my theory. I had no clue if I was right or wrong about it.


    Well, I had a pretty good chance of finding out, and it was right in front of me.


    "Your abilities, how do they work?"


    She frowned right away. "You''re not disgusted?"


    There was this tinge of worryced in her words. It was almost heartbreaking.


    "Why would I be? Isn''t it cool?"


    "Cool?!" She screamed. "Just where do youe from?"


    "Ah, uh... sorry, I''ve been away for a long time. I don''t know much about the rtionships between the races. At war, pretty much everyone was nice to one another."


    "Really?" There was this look of disbelief in her eyes.


    "Well, yeah. Why wouldn''t we like one another? We''re all basically the same. It''s just our abilities that vary."


    She looked down and basically dropped the pouch of blood at her feet. Seemingly, all energy to stand up. Her legs crumbled, and she just broke down on the floor right in front of me.


    Showing emotions.


    A good step forward.


    Though...maybe it''s too much emotion at the same time.


    Tears fell out of her eyes without end. She had suffered a lot.. She might have been a princess, but she certainly didn''t live like one. I didn''t need to be a genius to figure that one out.


    She ced her head right between both her knees and cried to her heart''s content. Her clothes started getting drenched and even the floor started getting wet.


    "I know this might not be the best time to ask this..." I said, looking at her crying. "But is the reason why you''re here early? Is it because your family wanted to get rid of you?"


    As she cried, her head started moving up and down.


    ''Oh, I threw out a wild guess and it worked. I really am good, huh?''


    Right, she''s still crying. Caedrel, focus.


    She was showing such a vulnerable side to her. I needed to help her. It''s just that I''m not the best at dealing with emotions.


    ''Come on! You can do it, Caedrel!''


    I encouraged myself as I bent down right beside her. I ced my hand on her back and started patting it. I remembered seeing people doing that in movies on Earth, so it was probably effective, well I hope.


    "I''m here now," I murmured.


    Her eyes slowly made their way in my direction as she just stared at me, basically asking me what the hell that was going to change. However, the crying stopped for a short moment, maybe because she was shocked that I was trying tofort her.


    I looked at her dead in the eyes, and said, "I''ll kill anyone trying to hurt you."


    She frowned.


    Fuck, that''s not what she wanted to hear. Uh, quick...I need something else.


    "Right, sorry. I''ll never abandon you. You can trust me, and if anyone ever hurts you, then I''ll kill him." I mustered the biggest smile. "Deal?"


    "Haha!"


    She exploded intoughter.


    "You really are an idiot."


    She removed her head from her knees and smiled at me with teary eyes. Her fist was clenched as she hit me on the shoulder without the slightest strength.


    I didn''t know why, but it felt good seeing her smile.


    ***


    After that incident, nothing much happened for the following days, apart from the fact that I started getting a lot closer to Da. Oh, right...that''s her name. I learned a little bit more about her, and I had been giving her some tips for her training.


    Basically, my days could be summarized like this: talking with Alexandra or her secretary, then I would learn a little more about the Royal Academy, train a little, and when night fell, I would hang out with Da.


    The only interesting part about this routine was talking with Da; the rest was quite boring, and to be honest, I couldn''t wait for the rest of the teachers to arrive at the Royal Academy. Things were starting to get lonely around here.


    Though, good news! The teachers were supposed to start arriving tomorrow until the start of the semester.


    I was finally going to meet some of my colleagues!


    ***


    "Why do you keep smiling tonight?" Da asked, taking a short break from her intense training.


    "Because..." I faked having tearsing out of my eyes. "I-I finally won''t be alone!"


    "Tsk, idiot."


    That was my new nickname, Idiot. I didn''t really like it, but it didn''t bother me, so I let it go. Well, actually, it was starting to grow on me. It was sorta cute...I think.


    "Did you prepare any gifts for them?" She suddenly asked.


    "Uh, no. Do you need to do that? Isn''t my pretty face enough?"


    She sighed. "Can''t you be serious for one second?" She shook her head out of annoyance. "I''m feeling like the professor right now. Just how did you get here...ah. Either way, yes. You need to prepare gifts for the rest of the professors. Don''t you want to make a good impression?"


    I actually wasn''t totally against the idea, but I didn''t want to offer them gifts that they wouldn''t like...talk about a waste of money.


    "I don''t even know them. How can I give them gifts?"


    "Idiot, ask the director. She probably has their files somewhere in her office."


    "Now that you mention it..."


    She looked at me with her eyes wide open as if asking what I was still doing there. It was already the middle of the night, and I had nothing prepared for them.


    Realizing that I needed to get a move on, I stood up and flew in the direction of the director''s office.


    "Wait, you can fly?! Since when?"


    "Oh, right... I guess I can," I said without much thought. However, I knew that this could potentially cause problems in the future. After all, not everyone could fly; only those who had reached a White Mana Core could, and the number of people who had reached such a thing could be counted on less than two hands.

 Chapter 10 - 9 - Gifts

    <h4>Chapter 10: Chapter 9 - Gifts</h4>


    I was now flying towards Alexandra''s office. The night sky was clear, and the moonlight cast eerie shadows on the academy''s towers. I remembered seeing the owl going through an open window, so I was just roaming the skies trying to find it. It didn''t take me long to spot the familiar window and glide through it.


    However, there was just one little problem. The director wasn''t there. It was the middle of the night, and of course she was sleeping. Now, the real question was, where the hell was she sleeping? I had no idea and I didn''t want to go looking for her, so I improvised.


    All those magical beasts in her office should be able to understand me. At least, that''s what I hoped for since that was all I needed. I spotted the owl, perched above me, its eyes wide open as it stared at me.


    "Hey! I don''t know if you can help me, but I want to buy gifts for the other professors before they arrive. I just need some information about them to help me figure out what to buy."


    "Hoot-Hoot!"


    Its wings spread wide as itnded on my shoulder, pointing toward the bookshelf.


    I walked over to it, and the owl pointed at one book in particr. It was quite thick with a lot of pages. Reading all of that in one night and going to buy gifts might be a little tooplicated.


    "Don''t you have something...lighter? I just need a summary."


    It shook its head.


    "Ah, alright. Well, I guess that will do."


    I quickly skimmed the pages with the help of the owl and realized that there were a LOT of professors working at the Royal Academy. There were a lot more than I thought. This might be a little expensive.


    ***


    -Dring! -Dring! -Dring!


    Who was I calling, you may ask? Albert, the man from the train!


    Since it was the middle of the night, there weren''t many people I could call to get things from. So, I thought about Albert since he had given me his phone number back on the train to connect with one another. Though, I don''t think he expected me to call him at such a time.


    "Ugh, who is it?"


    His voice was sleepy, but it was an emergency.


    "It''s Caedrel."


    "Caedrel? The guy from the train?"


    He remembered me, which already put me in a better situation than I thought.


    "Why are you calling me at 2 AM? Are you okay?"


    A smile formed on my lips. "Right, sorry about that. Uh, actually, I really need your help. I need to buy gifts for my colleagues and the thing is...most of them are arriving tomorrow. Scratch that, a few hours from now."


    He seemed to have distanced the phone from his mouth as I heard mutters from the other side of the phone. It sounded like curses, but the sound was too faint to be sure.


    "Gifts? That''s all. You called me at 2 AM for gifts?"


    I noticed a tinge of anger in his voice. So, I did my best to be as friendly as possible.


    "I did! Would it be possible to meet up in a few minutes?"


    "Woah. Why are you going so fast? What do you need?"


    "Uh...the list is long. I think we should meet. It''ll be easier."


    Now...the reason I didn''t say what I needed was quite simple. The list was so long that there was a very good chance that he might refuse straight away. But if we met up, then he wouldn''t be able to refuse me.


    I heard a sigh on the other side of the phone. He was hesitating. It was now time for me to pull out my greatest card¡ªlying.


    "It won''t take long. I only need a few items, you''ll be able to go back to sleep in record time. I''m telling you!"


    "Alright. Meet me at my shop in five minutes. It''s on the main street. It''s called Dor Store."


    I celebrated on the other side of the phone while keeping my voice at an even tone. "Great. I''ll see you there."


    ***


    It wasn''t too hard to find the shop, which was nestled among the quiet, moonlit buildings of the main street. The sign, ''Dor Store,'' creaked gently in the night breeze. I descended from the skies,nding softly in front of the store''s huge window. Momentster, the lights flickered on, casting a warm glow on the deserted street. Albert appeared, rubbing his eyes, with dark circles under them making him look like he hadn''t slept in days.


    Arriving in front of the huge window of his store, I knocked two or three times for him to unlock the door. He quickly arrived with huge dark circles under his eyes. It made me feel bad a little, but it''s not like I had any other choices...


    "Come in..." He indicated with a wave of his hand. "So, what do you want? I have everything here."


    There was no energy in his voice as he just walked me around the store.


    "Right. I have a list for you."


    I had put the list in my special pouch which had a Spacial Augment on it, making it possible to stock pretty much everything you wanted inside of it. That item was very useful because no matter how many items you would put into it¡ªthe pouch would be light as a feather.


    I rummaged through my pouch and finally felt the touch of paper.


    "Here you go!" I said while I handed the list with a smile.


    My list was written on a roll of paper, and Albert started opening it to read everything there was on it, and it just kept on going. His eyes kept widening every time he would see that the list was going on.


    He nced at me while adjusting his monocle and sighed.


    "A few items? Really?"


    I just smiled at him and made myself pretty.


    "Do you have everything on there?"


    "Probably. Though, it will cost you a lot."


    "Oh, money is not a problem, don''t worry about that."


    I had made enough money as a soldier tost a few lifetimes. Price would never be a problem.

 Chapter 11 - 10 - Preparations

    <h4>Chapter 11: Chapter 10 - Preparations</h4>


    "Ah...good thing I had my spacial pouch." There were just so many things I had bought, and bringing them back to the Royal Academy would have been hell. At least, with that pouch I had little to no problems. It had taken Albert some time to find all the items, and now that I was going back, the sun had started to rise, meaning that I wouldn''t be getting any sleep today.


    Inded right in front of the entrance and walked in like nothing happenedst night. I wanted to check up on Da before meeting any of the other professors. She had told me she had been sleeping outside near the pantry, so that''s where I headed. The sun was rising, casting a golden glow on the garden.


    A few minutester, I arrived and found her sleeping peacefully under the shade of arge tree. Her hair was syed out around her, and she looked serene. It truly seemed like the perfect spot for a vampire to sleep.


    I gently flicked her forehead.


    "Ugh." She barely opened her eyes. "Who? Ah, it''s you. Why are you here this early?"


    "I wanted to talk to you before the rest of the professors arrived."


    The reason I wanted to talk to her right away was because I knew I wouldn''t have the same amount of time in the following days since I would actually have to prepare for the courses I would be giving.


    "What do you want to talk about?" She frowned. I never came to see her like that in the past, always letting her speak her mind. So, she must be thinking that whatever I was about to say was extremely important, which it was. For the second time since I had met her, I put on a serious look on my face.


    "I want to help you. Tell me what you need."


    "I told you. It''s fine, I don''t need your help."


    I shook my head. That answer wouldn''t work today. "No, I want to know what you need."


    She looked perplexed. "What do you mean by what I need?"


    "sses are starting in two weeks, and I want to know what you want to learn." I knew her life had been rough, so I was practically sure that she wanted to learn how to defend herself as best as possible, which is what I had been vaguely guiding her towards.


    "That''s why you came to wake me up? God. You''re such an idiot. Why didn''t you ask meter?"


    I scratched the back of my neck. "I don''t want rumors going around that I''m favoring you." I held back my giggle as I looked at the serious look on her face.


    "Then, I want to know more about you. You never told me about how you gained your powers. Hell, you can fly! Only the strongest people in the world can do that."


    "About that...uh," I was hesitating on whether removing those memories from her mind as it would make my life a lot simpler. But I decided against it, I didn''t know why, but I felt like I could trust her. "Can you not talk about those things to the rest of the students? I don''t want them to think I''m the best teacher in the world."


    I frowned. To be honest, I wasn''t too keen on talking about my abilities, especially since I was supposed to be undercover. If everyone learned about my powers, then it would be a lot harder to go unnoticed.


    Still, it was an annoying request. If she had told me she wanted to learn how to kill a dragon or get revenge on her family, I wouldn''t have even hesitated because I know how to do those things. But talking about my personal life isn''t my favorite thing to do. It might not look like it, but I don''t like talking about myself.


    She looked at me annoyed, a bit like themander did in the past. It was pretty funny that they were starting to resemble one another in their mannerisms.


    "Why are you always joking?" She shook her head. "Ah, whatever. If you don''t want to, you don''t have to."


    "No, no, no, it''s fine. Since you asked, I''ll do it. However, you will need to keep those stories to yourself, and if I learn that you have been spreading them around."


    I released 25% of my mana and instantly the look on her face changed.


    "I-I know, don''t worry, I won''t tell anyone. Still, I wonder what your stories will look like. I can already tell that it''s going to be something crazy like killing a dragon with your bare hands, or even better, killing the Demon King with your eyes closed."


    "How''d you know about the first one? Did I tell you about that one?"


    She just sighed. "Honestly, I don''t know how you got this powerful, and I don''t know why you''re trying to hide it. But, I hope you''ll tell me one day."


    I just smiled as she closed her eyes again. Sleep was the next thing on her agenda. Though, before I left, I just wanted to make sure of one thing.


    "You don''t want to learn anything else in particr?"


    Her eyes were still shut, and I thought she had already fallen asleep. However, right as I was about to leave, her lips moved.


    "Flying."


    I just smiled at her, and left for my office. I needed to get into better clothes to make a good impression. I looked through my small suitcase and remembered bringing just one tuxedo to make myself presentable for the first day of ss. But, I decided to put it on today too. It was a good asion after all.


    It was actually really nice. It was ck and blue velvet. It fit me like a glove, showing some of my muscles through the tight shirt I was wearing. I had bought it for the military ceremony where I received some honorary medals. Either way, after making myself dapper, I headed for the entrance of the Royal Academy. Alexandra had told me yesterday morning that the first teacher would be arriving around 8 AM, so there were only fifteen minutes before the first professor arrived.


    ''Let''s do this.''


    I don''t know why, but I was extremely nervous. Even more nervous than when I killed a dragon with my bare hands. After all, making a good first impression is crucial.

 Chapter 12 - 11 - Ava Jensen

    <h4>Chapter 12: Chapter 11 - Ava Jensen</h4>


    The director stood next to me, waiting for the first professor to show up. She tapped me on the shoulder and shed a smile.


    "Excited to meet your first colleague?" She looked me up and down.


    "I am. I even bought a gift for all of the professors."


    "I heard about that from Tweety. He told me you showed up in the middle of the night trying to know more about the other teachers. I must say, I didn''t think you would do something like this."


    I frowned. "Tweety?"


    "My owl."


    I nodded in response. "Right."


    -Swoosh!-


    I didn''t even need to look to know that someone had just swung the door of the Royal Academy wide open. Finally, I was going to meet someone else!


    ''Right, first impression.''


    I stopped staring and posed like a mannequin, hoping to leave asting impression on the beautiful professor who had just entered. With one quick look, I recognized her from the book I read yesterday.


    Ava Jensen, Alchemy Professor. She had been teaching at the Royal Academy for five years and was well-known for her extremely nice personality. Some even said she was too nice.


    The gift I had prepared for her was perfect, and I couldn''t wait to give it to her. Thinking about her role as a professor made me wonder about mine...I still had no idea what kind of teacher I was supposed to be. ording to the Emperor''s letter, I would only be teaching one ss, covering everything needed for those special students.


    At least, that''s what I managed to understand with that letter.


    Either way, the professor who had just walked in looked even better than in the pictures I had seen. She had long purple hair and violet eyes, and she was already wearing a whiteb coat. The only thing that seemed out of ce was her messy hair. A leather bag filled with vials hung around her shoulders, making distinct clicking sounds with each step.


    "Ava!" Alexandra eximed with a warm smile. "How are you?"


    "Alex!" She shed a beautiful smile. "It''s been a while. Everything''s been good for me, what about you?"


    "Oh, pretty well. Just preparing for the semester and getting the Academy ready. In fact, one of the new professors arrived early. He was a little too eager to teach." She smiled. After all, she wasn''t stupid. Alexandra obviously knew that I had lied to her back then. No one would believe that I was the type to arrive in advance.


    Still, one thing that annoyed me was the fact that Alexandra still hadn''t talked to me about my role as an undercover professor for the Emperor.


    ''Maybe the Emperor changed his mind about her?''


    Either way, the professor seemed interested when she heard the word "new," as she started looking around.


    "Where is he? Oh, I hope he''s nice...and maybe good-looking?" she added with a yful smile.


    "Oh, you can be the judge of that." She moved aside, revealing me. "Here he is, Caedrel Stuart."


    Instantly, her face turned as red as a tomato. Her eyes darted away from me.


    I think the outfit might have been too much for her to handle.


    I held out my hand and smiled at her.


    "It''s nice to meet you."


    She looked down, seemingly unable to meet my gaze. I hadn''t read anything about her being shy in the short summary, but I guess those summaries were only approximately urate.


    "N-Nice to meet you..."


    Her eyes flicked up before quickly dropping again.


    ''Should I give her the gift I bought for her?''


    But I decided against it, now wasn''t a good time. It would be better to wait a little; she seemed to be in shock after seeing me, which was strange. It was the first time something like that had happened to me.


    "So, you''re the alchemy teacher, huh? Well, you certainly look the part!"


    She nodded subtly. "T-Thank you...what about you? What kind of ss are you going to teach?"


    "No clue."


    My answer shocked her so much that she raised her head with a huge frown, her previous shyness seemingly vanishing for a moment.


    "What do you mean? You don''t have a specific subject to teach?" Her frown deepened. "Then...who hired you?"


    Alexandra, still beside us, coughed twice, interrupting the conversation.


    "Mister Caedrel here is...uh, let''s say special. The person who hired him is ssified information, and it should stay that way."


    The director made sure to look me dead in the eyes while she said thosest words. It seemed she had learned a little bit more about me in the past week. It was strange that she hadn''t tried to talk to me though.


    Nevertheless, I removed those thoughts from my mind as I heard Ava replying to Alexandra.


    "Special professor? What does that mean?"


    "Ah, uh, it''splicated. His ss is special. You''ll all learn about itter on, even Mister Caedrel is in the dark about his situation.


    I smiled. "That''s right. It''s a little annoying, but what can I do? Threaten the director?"


    They both looked at me with serious expressions.


    "Uh...no need to look at me like that, I was only joking."


    Silence. No oneughed. Oh well, not all of them can be a hit. Time to change the subject.


    "Ava, I got a gift for you!"


    The perfect diversion¡ªthe gift. Good thing I hadn''t given it to her just yet.


    The redness returned to her face. "Y-You did?"


    "Yeah, just a moment."


    I put my hand in the spatial pouch around my waist and rummaged through it for a good minute before finally finding what I was looking for. There were so many things in it that it was hard to find what I wanted. Oh, and surprisingly, Ava was one of the few teachers I didn''t need to buy a gift for. After all, with all the demons and monsters I had killed over the years, it was easy to find something that an Alchemist would love.


    "There you go!" I handed her a small vial with golden liquid inside it. "I was told that it was quite rare."


    Her eyes widened in excitement. "Is that what I think it is?!"


    "I think so. It''s dragon blood. It cost me a lot of money so make sure to be careful with it!"


    I lied about where I obtained the item since killing dragons wasn''t something anyone could do.


    She bowed several times.


    "Thank you! Thank you very much! I need to go make a potion right away!" She started speaking much faster, excitement taking over her. "It was nice meeting you!"


    And she was gone, running as fast as she could.


    Alexandra nced at me and smiled. "Right...I should have told you. Uh, Ava is quite the passionate person when ites to Alchemy."


    ''Quite passionate indeed.''

 Chapter 13 - 12 - Love Potion

    <h4>Chapter 13: Chapter 12 - Love Potion</h4>


    Another professor was supposed to arriveter, which meant I had some time to myself. With nothing else to do, I followed Ava to herboratory. She really hadn''t lied¡ªshe was already engrossed in preparing some tests with the dragon blood I had just gifted her.


    I coughed to make sure she knew of my presence, but she was so focused that she never nced at me. She was in her element, not wasting a single second.


    I had no clue what she was doing, but it was enticing. Alchemy had never been a subject I was particrly interested in, and it was also one of the few subjects where my talent was subpar. So, I had never bothered learning it.


    Instead of trying to get her attention again, I just watched her movements. Everything was amazing¡ªthe execution, her uracy, her knowledge. The director hadn''t lied. She really was passionate when it came to alchemy.


    She even got me to like it in a few seconds.


    Time passed quickly as I watched her work. Before I knew it, an hour had already passed.


    "Ah...done!" She held the golden potion in her hands with a smile. However, it wasn''t a normal smile; it was borderline creepy, as if she was obsessed with what she had just created.


    She turned toward me and gasped. "AHH! When did you get here?"


    Her face turned bright red.


    "Not too long ago." I noticed dragon blood on her face and took a step forward, my hand getting closer to her cheek.


    "W-What are you doing?"


    I gently wiped the golden blood from her face. "Ah, you had something on your cheek. Sorry, I should''ve asked for your permission."


    She put her hands in front of her face and shook them. "No, no, it''s fine. Thank you." She bowed right away.


    "Ah...it''s no problem. So, what did you make there?" I asked, pointing at the potion she hid behind her back.


    She looked around, seeming ashamed of what she had concocted. She ced it behind her discreetly as she started fidgeting.


    "You don''t have to tell me if you don''t want to. I''m just curious."


    I wasn''t the type to force answers out of someone¡ªmost of the time, that is. After all, the dragon blood was only a gift; she could do whatever she wanted with it. It was none of my business.


    Looking at her for a few more seconds, I had to admit she was cute. The fact that she was so shy she couldn''t even look me in the eyes had its own charm.


    Seeing that she was still hesitating, I decided to push her toward the right decision.


    "How about this?" I grabbed the golden vial from behind her. "I won''t tell anyone what this is. It''ll be our little secret."


    Still the same reaction. At this point, I had no clue why her shyness hadn''t been mentioned in the book about all the professors. It seemed to be a very important trait of hers.


    "I-I, this is...a love potion."


    "Dragon blood can make love potions?"


    I couldn''t believe it. Something considered extremely powerful was being used to make love potions.


    When I asked her a question about alchemy, the look in her eyes changed as she maintained eye contact with me.


    "Yes! Dragon blood is the most potent ingredient for love potions. That''s what most people do with this resource." Her eyes glimmered as she continued. "It might not look like much, but a small potion like this could cost a literal fortune!"


    Hm, I seemed to have noticed a pattern in her behavior.


    "I see, and why is it the most potent ingredient for love potions?"


    She adjusted her sses, and a serious look appeared on her face. There was no trace of redness as she spoke, confirming my suspicion.


    I knew how to make her feelfortable around me¡ªI needed to make her talk about alchemy. I had noticed it when I handed her the gift back then, the change in her eyes. It happened again when I asked her a question. The pattern wasn''t soplicated to figure out, to be honest.


    "Dragon blood is the most potent ingredient because of the overwhelming charm that bonds itself in their blood. You see..."


    She continued to talk for a full minute. I won''t lie; I stopped listening after the third sentence.


    Coming out of her stupor, she seemed to notice she had sidetracked from the original question and bowed to me once again.


    "S-Sorry, I didn''t mean to talk for so long." She kept her back bent. "It-It''s just a thing that happens when I start talking about alchemy. It won''t happen again! I promise."


    Iughed. "Don''t worry, it was interesting."


    I lied to her because I wanted to be nice. After all, she looked sorry enough; I didn''t need to add anything on top of it.


    -Swoosh!-


    My head turned sharply as I heard the door swing open, revealing the silhouette of yet another stranger. All I could see at the moment was a shadow, but I quickly made out his face.


    Derek. Professor of Close Combat, and from what I read, he liked "testing" new professors, just to verify their qualifications.


    Basically, he liked beating up new professors. That was his favorite hobby, I didn''t quite understand, but everyone can do whatever they want, it''s not like it matters to me.


    "Hey Ava! Been a while." He gave her a beautiful smile. However, surprisingly, Ava didn''t turn red, she didn''t even say anything to him in response. Derek gritted his teeth and turned in my direction.


    "Who are you...?"


    His words wereced with disgust as he looked at me.


    "Is my tuxedo that disgusting?" I looked at myself, acting like I had no idea why he was acting this way. "Hm, no it looks just fine. So, why are you looking at me like that?"


    However, just as he was about to answer me, Ava got between the two of us, stopping us from getting closer to one another.


    She stared at Derek, and finally said something to him.


    "Leave him alone."


    ''She''s worried...how sweet.''


    Still, getting a quick look at Derek, the chances of him beating me were...uh, null?

 Chapter 14 - 13 - Angry

    <h4>Chapter 14: Chapter 13 - Angry</h4>


    Even with Ava between the two of us, Derek walked forward. In fact, because of Ava''s interference, he looked even more furious with each step he took.


    "Why are you protecting him?" Derek clenched his fists. "You don''t even know him."


    She just red at him, her palm stretched out to stop him.


    I wasn''t a genius, but I could tell that the two of them hated each other. At least...Ava did. Derek seemed conflicted, maybe he had a little crush...


    Seeing the tension between the two professors, I decided to watch what would happen next. I wasn''t rushed by time, and this was actually quite entertaining, so I just stood there.


    "You never tried to protect another professor in the past, so why are you starting now?"


    His intentions were so evident as he nced at me while uttering those words. He wanted to beat me up, so I decided to tease him a little.


    I gave him a little smile and waved at him.


    It might not look like much, but it had an instant effect as he pushed Ava''s arm out of his way.


    He disappeared from my sight and reappeared right in front of me. However, he didn''t try to attack me, he just pointed at me.


    "Come with me. It''s time for your test."


    ...what role should I y today? The scared professor? Yeah, let''s go with that.


    "I-I, there''s a test?!"


    Heughed. "Not acting all smug now that I''m in front of you, huh?"


    I took a quick look at him. His muscles were quite big, and he had a dagger around his waist. He had a few scars on his arms... the man had gone through a few things, that''s for sure.


    "Quick question." I said it so suddenly that he had already turned his back. He turned to face me again.


    "What?"


    "Did you participate in the war against the Demons?"


    Heughed. "I''m not a barbaric moron. Of course not."


    There was this glint in his eyes as he said those words. He was trying to provoke me, but when he saw that I didn''t react, he sighed. I guess I wasn''t as fun as he had expected.


    Still, insulting the people who went to fight for you wasn''t something I could let go so easily.


    I didn''t show it on my face, but I was fuming. I was part of those who saved this world of yours. The least you can do is say thank you and bow your head.


    I kept my smile and said, "Oh, I thought you did because of all those scars on your face. I guess you''re really just trash, you didn''t even need to face demons to receive scars." Iughed as loudly as I could. "Do you even have the qualifications to be teaching at this school?"


    People could talk about whatever they wanted, but making fun of the people who died with me at the front lines wasn''t one of them. Those who had done that in the past couldn''t speak anymore, either their tongue had been cut off, or their head had been cut off.


    However, I was in a good mood today, and more importantly, I was supposed to be undercover.


    Gritting his teeth, he looked me dead in the eyes. "Oh, you were one of those barbaric morons, huh? Probably amoner, your father sold you to make some money, is that it?"


    I just scoffed. There was no point in talking about this any further.


    "Let''s go do that test of yours."


    I nced at Ava out of the corner of my eye, and she seemed pretty worried for me. After all, I didn''t quite have the physique of a fighter. I was lean, and my muscles weren''t as big as his. However, the size of your muscles doesn''t mean shit, it''s the strength within them.


    As Derek started walking toward the exit of theboratory, I walked over to Ava.


    "You should go tell Alexandra toe watch our little test. I''m sure she''ll appreciate the sight."


    Actually, I got another idea while uttering those words.


    ***


    Things had been dyed a little because I wanted everyone to arrive before the fight started. I wanted to humiliate the man in front of me, and I wanted everyone to see it.


    "Why''d you bring a student to watch our fight?" Derek asked, standing on the other side of the tform, ying with his dagger.


    Yes, I went to get Da and brought her here. I wanted her to watch me fight; she might learn a thing or two.


    "I''m her professor, I want her to learn how to defend herself."


    He couldn''t help but giggle. "Defend? You wanted her to see you get beaten up to a pulp? Weird teaching method you got there."


    I just scoffed before turning to Da. I thought she might have been nervous about me fighting someone. But she just sat there with a smile, either she didn''t care if I got beaten up, or she was so confident in me that she wasn''t worried.


    Nevertheless, there was only one person missing right now, the director.


    -Swoosh!-


    Perfect timing!


    Right as I thought of her, she entered the duel arena. However, she didn''t look too happy. Behind her was her secretary and Ava, both with worried expressions.


    She looked dashing as she walked in, wearing high heels making her breasts move up and down with every step she took. The angry look on her face made her even more attractive to me.


    "DEREK!" She shouted as soon as she entered. "Get off this tform right now."


    Derek just turned toward Alexandra with the same smile as earlier. It seemed he was used to being shouted at as he had no reactions whatsoever.


    "I''m just doing a friendly duel against my friend over there." He pointed at me. "Isn''t that right?"


    I nodded and turned my head toward the director.


    "He''s right. It''s just a friendly little fight...just sit down and enjoy the show!"

 Chapter 15 - 14 - Demonic Eyes

    <h4>Chapter 15: Chapter 14 - Demonic Eyes</h4>


    The director gritted her teeth and found a seat nearby. She couldn''t do anything if both of us had agreed to fight. However, she clearly wasn''t happy at the moment.


    "Derek, get off that tform before you get hurt." She was strangely looking at me right before saying that warning. "And you." She pointed at me. "Don''t move a single muscle."


    Derek frowned. "Get hurt? You think I''ll get hurt by fighting against this moron over there? Who do you take me for Alex?!"


    Alexandra just shook her head. She tried to open her mouth a few times, but no words wereing out of it. She seemed to be hesitating about telling him about my strength, though I''m sure she must have received some orders from the Emperor to keep everything hidden.


    In fact, that was probably the main reason why she was so worried about this fight. She knew about my strength.


    "If you want to fight that much, then go for it." She turned to look at me. "However, you can''t permanently injure him or kill him."


    A sigh escaped my mouth. There goes my n to cut his tongue... She''s such a party kill.


    However, there were other ways to make sure he remembered not to say anything against the soldiers who risked their lives in the war, and I would make sure he remembered this fight for the rest of his life.


    While Alexandra kept looking at me while saying her warning, Derek suddenlyughed.


    "Haha! Alex, don''t worry. I wasn''t nning on killing him, I just want him to remember who''s his superior. This fuckingmoner."


    The director shook his head at this imbecile''s stupidity and frowned at hisst words. "Commoner?"


    She looked at me for a brief second, and I just put my index on my mouth, indicating to her not to say anything. It would be a lot funnier when Derek realized he waspletely wrong about me. Just thinking about it makes me smile.


    "Ah, whatever. Just don''t kill each other."


    Derek smiled, happy that the director epted. "Now, no one can save you."


    We were a little far away from each other, so I didn''t quite understand what he said. "What did you say?" I shouted. "You need to speak louder!"


    "Now, no one can save you!"


    "What did you say?!" I repeated again whileughing.


    "You son of a bitch! You dare mock me?"


    Right after saying that, I looked over at Da, who couldn''t help butugh at my taunts. She seemed to be enjoying the show, and I also made sure that she was as close as possible to see everything that might happen.


    Oh, right. I forgot to warn her.


    "Da, if you ever see some sort of red aura being emitted from my body, you should close your eyes."


    She frowned. "Why?"


    "Ah, it won''t be as fun when that happens. Just trust me on this one, okay?"


    She shrugged and nodded. She wasn''t sure why I had told her that, but she would understand soon enough. After all, I didn''t want one of my students to be traumatized before the semester began.


    "Can anyone make a countdown?" I shouted over to the director.


    The secretary, who hadn''t been too sure, answered me instantly, and the fight was finally about to start. I couldn''t wait to punish this son of a bitch. I didn''t use any of my weapons since I wanted the fight tost a little longer than one minute.


    "Ready?" the secretary screamed.


    "Yes," we both answered in unison.


    "3...2...1...Fight!"


    And it was finally time to make him eat his words. Still, I took my time, slowly walking toward him while he ran as fast as he could in my direction.


    I didn''t even put myself in a fighting position, both my arms were at my sides as I just smiled at him.


    ''What should I start with...? Heaven-Defying punch? Back-breaking technique? Kick in the nuts?''


    I wasn''t too sure how I wanted to beat him, so I decided to check out his fighting style. Within a few seconds, he got into close range.


    Heughed. "You let me get into close range. You already lost."


    He swung his dagger with precise movements. However, it wasn''t anything I hadn''t seen before as I gracefully dodged his strike with minimal movement. In fact, my movements were so precise that I thought I saw a few of my hair strands being cut off.


    "I understand that you''re excited and all that, but if possible, could you not cut my hair? You see...I like how it looks."


    Seeing that I could still speak while dodging his attacks, he got even more annoyed and took things up a notch. His movements started getting faster as he added footwork to it. He tried to make me fall by putting his foot behind mine. However, let''s be honest, that''s the oldest trick in the book. Never in a million years would I fall for it.


    I dodged another strike of his and just sighed.


    "That''s all you can do? I thought this was the greatest Academy in the world. We might need to get a better close-rangebat teacher."


    "Agrh! Shut your mouth!"


    He was starting to get even more frustrated as his movements lost precision.


    ''Ah...I so badly want to make a fool out of him. But let''s continue dodging. Though, I could show Da a thing or two.''


    As he continued to strike me down, I rummaged through my spacial pouch and grabbed the first dagger I could find.


    "Alright. Look at my movements closely, and...uh, try to keep up."


    I made sure to shout that loud enough for Da to hear because what I was about to show her would be useful with any kind of weapon. I would be showing her my footwork.


    "First step to being good at fighting close range is footwork."


    My feet started moving on their own as I moved around Derek.


    "H-How?"


    "It looks as if he''s dancing around him. I can''t even see how he''s moving!"


    I heard Da''s voice and Alexandra''s, and it seemed they couldn''t grasp what I was showing them. I purposefully slowed down my movements for them to observe better, and slowly but surely, I could hear them being a little less confused about it. However, it still wasn''t good enough. None of them had mentioned the real reason I was able to move like this.


    "You dare use me to teach others?!" Derek suddenly roared through the entire duel arena. His eyes werepletely red with anger as he just stared at me.


    I had seen eyes like this in the past. However, I had never thought I would see them within the Royal Academy.


    His eyes...they looked like those of a demon.


    ''Is that why the Emperor sent me here?''

 Chapter 16 - 15 - Bloodlust

    <h4>Chapter 16: Chapter 15 - Bloodlust</h4>


    I continued as if nothing special had just urred. However, I paid a lot more attention to his mannerisms. It was a slight resemnce, but if the man in front of me was a demon, then it could mean a lot of things.


    We had been practically sure that we hadpletely eradicated the demons from the face of this. But if some of them had managed to sneak into positions like this one, then...we might still be in a load of trouble. However, I wouldn''t be telling anyone just yet; I had to make sure I was right.


    "Angry?" I taunted, hearing his ruffled breath from where I stood. He had lost control of his emotions; I was sure of that much.


    He didn''t even answer as he just stared at me with his demonic eyes.


    "Can''t speak anymore?"


    "ARGH!"


    He started making weird sounds with each step he took. Things were starting to get a lot more strange as time passed by¡ªthe sounds he was making, the way he walked and swung his dagger. It was more and more resembling a demon.


    However, I couldn''t be sure just yet. He still had the appearance of a human, and he could also speak the humannguage perfectly. I couldn''t just point at him and shout that he was one. I needed concrete proof, and this fight wouldn''t be enough.


    Because of his demonic eyes, I hadpletely forgotten about teaching the others about my footwork, and to be honest, it''ll have to be for another time.


    I grabbed my dagger tightly and finally made my first attack toward him. I aimed for his right arm, around his wrist. He saw that and managed to move it out of the way. However, the speed at which he reacted was even faster than mine. Well, he is a close-rangebat teacher...let''s give him the benefit of the doubt.


    I continued to attack him, but nothing worked. Sure, I wasn''t using my full strength, nonchntly swinging my dagger around. However, some of those attacks definitely should have hit him. His reflexes were simply too good.


    "Alright, we''ve yed long enough."


    I needed to put an end to this fight as fast as possible, the existence of Demons shouldn''t get out under any circumstances. I needed to make sure to end this fight while showing as little as possible of my strength.


    ''I could use <i>that</i>...''


    I stopped attacking him and took a few steps to distance myself from Derek. I was extremely calm, just staring at him dead in the eyes. "Da, close your eyes. Alexandra and the rest of you should leave right now."


    With a nce, it seemed she listened as she even turned around. Within seconds everyone had left the room, apart from Da who had her eyespletely shut.


    ''Perfect, now it''s just me and you.''


    A thick red aura started being emitted from my body, an aura that anyone should be able to recognize with a simple nce. It was the power Vampires could use¡ªbloodlust.


    That was the reason I had refused Da to look; I didn''t want her to know that I could use the powers from vampires. In fact, bloodlust wasn''t the only power I could use, but that would be for another time.


    I felt the blood within myself pumping as I activated bloodlust. My body''s abilities tripled in seconds, and that was only the tip of the iceberg of what bloodlust could actually do. However, I didn''t need any more strength right now.


    Derek was the one who was the most surprised. He also started walking backward. He was the one trying to distance himself, realizing that he couldn''t win if I were to use both mana and bloodlust. And the funny thing was that this form of mine was probably around 15% of my total power.


    "Y-You...how?"


    "Don''t say anything else."


    I didn''t want Da to hear about it. Also, there had been a change of ns. I had nned on torturing Derek. However, the appearance of those eyes had changed some things. I needed to observe him a little longer, and torturing him to the point where he wouldn''t be able to walk wasn''t a great n. I needed him to hate me just enough, so that he would try to do something against me again, and when that happened...I''d make sure to figure out if he really was a demon or not.


    Man, who knew that working as an undercover professor would be this entertaining? Hell, I didn''t even start teaching, and all this happened.


    A smile crept on my face. I had just figured out how to humiliate him¡ªhis ego.


    "Either I hit you so many times that no one within the Royal Academy will be able to recognize you, or you forfeit right here and shout to everyone here that I''m superior to you."


    That sentence I added was extremely important because for demons...strength was everything. Admitting that someone was stronger than them would hit their ego a LOT. It would destroy them.


    He gritted his teeth. Hesitation. I could see it in his eyes. He was hesitating about what to do.


    I decided to help him a little as I dashed right beside him and hit him right in the stomach. I put just enough strength for him to drop on the ground,pletely out of breath, blood trickling out of his mouth.


    "I..." His voice was weak; he was tired. "I forfeit. You won."


    Iughed. "Continue."


    "Y-You''re..." He didn''t want to say it. Seconds passed by, and nothing wasing out of his mouth.


    "Say it," I ordered.


    I wasn''t ying around. I wanted him to regret his actions.


    "You''re stronger than me."


    Right, I forgot about one thing.


    "Now, apologize for what you said earlier. What was it you called us? Barbaric morons?" I smiled at him while approaching. "Well, that''s what a barbaric moron can do, so you better be careful."


    "I-I apologize. Please..." Tears started to form at the corner of his eyes. "Please let me go."


    I smirked. ''Perfect, with that, you should hate me just enough.''

 Chapter 17 - 16 - Threat

    <h4>Chapter 17: Chapter 16 - Threat</h4>


    I stared at Derek, crying on the floor. I had to admit that I hadn''t seen thating. Demons didn''t usually cry. However, Derek clearly wasn''t a normal demon by any means, well if he really was one.


    "You guys cane back, we''re done," I announced loudly.


    "Are you both done?" Alexandra uttered, peeking ever so slightly on the other side of the door.


    "Yes." I turned toward him. "Oh, actually I still have one thing to do."


    I bent right next to Derek and ced my hand on his hand infusing mana into it. I had decided to change his memories about what had happened at the end. I still made myself win. However, I had made sure to show him that it had been a lot closer than what it actually had been. I didn''t want him to spread rumors about my strength. Also, I removed the part where his eyes started changing colors, that way he wouldn''t suspect me.


    Still, I didn''t think he would do such a thing, the demons I faced on the battlefield would have never done such a thing. There was a good chance that the demons who had infiltrated the human society were a lot smarter than those I had faced beforehand, and that was quite a scary thought to have.


    "Alright, done." I slowly stood back up. "We''re done now."


    Derek opened his eyes again and frowned as new memories entered his mind. His anger subdued ever so slightly.


    "This was pure luck. If you didn''t have that bag around your hips I would have won for sure."


    The director frowned, wondering just how much of a delusional person Derek was. However, I just shook my head, indicating to her that his words were normal.


    Derek was now acting all nice as if nothing had just happened. I didn''t want to alert him; who knows, maybe there were other professors like him in the Royal Academy like him. I needed to be careful with what I had just found out.


    ''Should I go see the Emperor with the information I just got?'' I thought this seemed like the best idea for the moment. Alexandra wasn''t someone I could trust with such information, she hadn''t proved herself as someone trustworthy.


    "Da. You can open your eyes now."


    I giggled when I looked over in her direction as she was stillpletely turned around with her eyes closed. It seemed she listened to me pretty well; we had definitely gotten a lot closerpared to when I met herst week. It was actually nice to have gotten this close with a student of mine.


    Her eyes darted toward Derek, who was on the ground, blood trickling out of his mouth. She gasped and stared at me for a good second, expecting me to exin.


    "Yeah, that''s why I didn''t want you to see what would be happening." It was half the truth, but she didn''t need to know that.


    She just nodded, her eyes glued to me. She knew I had been part of the war, and if this much shocked her, then she hadn''t seen much. Still, she knew that I was a lot more powerful than I let it show.


    The director''s sharp voice drifted me from my thoughts. "Caedrel. In my office, now."


    Well, I didn''t expect any less. She should be furious that Ipletely ridiculed his closebat professor in...closebat. It was a bit embarrassing, to be honest. So, what kind of punishment would I be receiving? A p on the wrist? Maybe she would praise me? I couldn''t wait to find out.


    ***


    "Sit there." Her voice was hoarse and direct. She wasn''t nning on letting me speak from the looks of it. All her magic beasts had their eyes glued on me, staring me down as if I was their greatest enemy. They were probably feeling their owner''s emotions.


    Either way, I took my seat and put on the same pose as I would with themander, with both my hands on my knees.


    "Let me ask you a question."


    "Sure, go for it."


    She frowned. "What was that at the end?"


    Alexandra knew of my strength. At least, that''s what I thought. Before I would answer her questions, I needed to go over what she knew about me.


    "Enough about that. Did the Emperor contact you or not?"


    "The Emperor?" She frowned heavily. "He just told me that you would enter the Royal Academy as a professor. That''s it, why?"


    I nodded slowly, thinking about what my next answer would be. After all, if the Emperor hadn''t told Alexandra anything just yet then I needed to be careful around her. There might have been a change in the Emperor''s n and I needed to figure it out as fast as possible.


    "Right, that''s what I thought. Thanks for telling me."


    She sighed angrily. "Now that I answered your question. You better answer mine right now."


    I shook my head. "I saw something that pissed me off."


    "So, let me get this straight." She leaned over her desk. "You humiliated a fellow teacher in front of a student of yours because you saw something that pissed you off? What kind of thing was that?"


    ''Demonic eyes.''


    "You don''t need to know."


    I received a dangerous re from Alexandra when I answered. However, as soon as I looked back into her eyes, she calmed herself. She knew that she was no match against me.


    This entire situation was starting to annoy me greatly. I had respected her warnings and I hadn''t killed or permanently injured that stupid demon, so why was she so mad against me? It made no sense at all.


    After a few moments, she just sighed. "You just don''t get it, do you? Derek isn''t a new professor. He''s been here for five years now, and over the years, he''s made a ton of connections within the Royal Academy. It won''t be hard for him to make your life a living hell. You could have just let yourself get beaten up a little, and he would have left you alone. He''s not the type to drop those kinds of things."


    "Letting myself get beaten up? After what he said and what I saw?" I shook my head. "Never. That will never happen."


    "I understand, but please listen to me just once. You should make yourself discreet; you don''t want to get on his bad side."


    I scoffed. "I think it''s toote for that. He already hates me to the core."


    "Whatever. Try to be nice to him; he''s one of the professors with the most influence in the Royal Academy."


    I didn''t answer and just shrugged. I wasn''t going to act like a puppy just because he had some "influence." I never gave a single shit about influence in my life, and I wasn''t going to start now.


    There was no point in continuing this conversation, so I just stood up and headed for the door. No one in this Academy could control me, and this was also probably one of the reasons why the Emperor had chosen me as his spy. He must have noticed something weird was going on in here.


    Those eyes. They don''t inspire any good.


    Still, at least I would have something to do in the next two weeks. I would be watching over Derek''s every movement. I would learn everything about him, no matter what it was. And if I learn that he''s really a demon, then...uh, who knows what I''ll do. The situation will be a lot moreplicated. So let''s hope that he isn''t one.


    I opened the door to the director''s office and looked back at her. "Onest thing, I''m a very easygoing person. But don''t push it too far, or else I might not be as nice. You better keep that in mind in the future."


    She frowned. "Are you threatening me?"


    I smiled. "Just a friendly warning, nothing more, nothing less."


    I closed the door and headed to my room. Things were starting to get a lot moreplicated than I had thought. Well,pared to the war, this is also pretty fun. I fell on my bed and closed my eyes, my face turned toward the ceiling.


    "Ah...fucking demons. I thought I had gotten rid of them." A sigh escaped my mouth. "Well, I won''tin. Life without you little fuckers would have been a lot more dull."

 Chapter 18 - 17 - One Day Left

    <h4>Chapter 18: Chapter 17 - One Day Left</h4>


    Loud murmurs and conversations echoed from all directions. The sound in the halls still wasn''t something that I had gotten used to. The academy grounds were now fluttering with students.


    Within the blink of an eye, two weeks had passed by, and the opening ceremony was just a day away.


    Students had started arriving sincest week, slowly but surely finding their way to their dorms. The old students sighed with familiarity, while the new students gawked at everything they saw.


    Despite the ridiculous number of students, the Royal Academy was big enough to wee them all at the same time, leaving just enough space for each of them.


    Looking at all the students in front of me, I put on my leather hat, pulled it down to be discreet, and held my suitcase.


    Yes, I know...I''m a bit of a show-off. I even put on the same tuxedo as the day I humiliated Derek.


    Nothing much had happened between us two; he just gritted his teeth every time we passed in the halls. Some of the professors he knew well did the same. Most of the gifts I had bought...I hadn''t given. I know...what a waste of my money.


    At least, there was one teacher in the entire Royal Academy that I had be friends with. The rest looked at me as if I was some sort of monster. Who knows what Derek had told them? Honestly, I couldn''t care less. I would finally learn what this special ss of mine would look like.


    Just like the students with empty bags, I was starting fresh.


    These past two weeks had definitely been more interesting than I had originally thought. Meeting Da, the mixed vampire, and the fact that Derek might just be a demon...However, my real job would finally be starting.


    "Nervous?" Ava asked, turning her gaze my way.


    "Uh...kinda. I don''t even know what my ss looks like, may I remind you."


    She nodded.


    "Right. The director insisted on hiding everything from you. Not even giving the list of students you would be teaching. Still, she did tell you that you''re teaching first years...so, there''s that."


    That was a good point. The director had told me that I wouldn''t be teaching old students, only focusing on certain new students that had recently joined the school.


    "What kind of professors did you like when you were younger, Caedrel?"


    I rubbed my chin. A few heads popped up in my mind, but there was one that waspletely different from the others. I couldn''t tell her about it; it was rted to how I received my powers. Maybe if I trust her enough, I might just tell her...but we''re far from that stage.


    "Uh...I like them a bit entric. You know, those so passionate about their courses that you can''t even see the time pass. I had only one teacher like that in my life, and I will always remember him. That''s why I''ll try to be just like him." I turned in her direction. "What about you?"


    "Oh, uh, those who can listen. Listening to your students is one of the most important parts of your job. Just those who were genuine with me, that''s the ones I liked the most."


    "I see...genuine, huh?"


    "Yes. You see, most teachers think that you need to show your students everything from the start right until the end. But, for them to truly realize something, they need to figure it out by themselves through their own hardships."


    I kept on listening, taking in as much information as I could.


    "At the end of the day, you can only show them the path. You can''t walk it for them."


    She looked done, and a little giggle escaped my mouth.


    "Wise words, wow. Thank you."


    She also smiled in my direction, staring directly into my eyes. Over the past two weeks, her shyness had subdued quite a bit. However, there were still certain instances where she was red as a tomato, but it clearly wasn''t as bad anymore.


    "Well, I need to go. The director asked to meet me before sses start. Maybe she''ll finally tell me what I will be teaching those kids."


    "Hah. Good luck with that!"


    I left her behind, walking a little faster through the hall as I could hear mutters from the older students.


    "Did you see that teacher before?"


    "I don''t know, but he looks so young. He might even be our age."


    A couple of secondster, I walked past a group of girls who were chatting, and they instantly started whispering. I just smiled at them, and a couple of them started screaming.


    I had never noticed in the past because Icked the time, but I might really be handsome.


    Either way, it was no time to think about this as I continued my way in the direction of Alexandra''s office. I briefly met with her secretary, and she led me to her office.


    -Swoosh!-


    I swung open the door and was met with the same view as always. She was sitting in her chair with all her magic beasts around her.


    "Come in,e in."


    She had a smile on her face, which was never a good sign. I had seen her a couple of times since I had "threatened" her, and let''s say that our rtionship had taken a little dip. So, I was quite surprised when she asked to see me today.


    I sat down and stared back into her eyes.


    "So, the opening ceremony is tomorrow," she announced. "And I just thought I''d let you know that you need to prepare a test for your students."


    ''A test? Why hadn''t I heard of that before today? I didn''t prepare anything.''


    "What kind of test?"


    "A way to determine the strongest from the weakest."


    I frowned. "Why?"


    "To limate them to the Academy and to figure out those with the most potential." She had a heartyugh. "It can be anything, unsolvable problems, humiliation by fighting against you, anything really."


    What kind of school was this? My image of the opening ceremony wasn''t like that at all. This sounded like it was straight out of a novel.


    Oh wait... I am in one.

 Chapter 19 - 18 - Preparations for the Test

    <h4>Chapter 19: Chapter 18 - Preparations for the Test</h4>


    That fucking novel. I still have no idea what it''s about or what the story is supposed to be. There were no main characters in the war, at least, it didn''t seem that way.


    It was troubling, not knowing what world I was part of, but over the years, I guess I just got used to it.


    "Caedrel? Are you still there?"


    My head was filled with thoughts. But, in the end, I just sighed. I couldn''t do anything about it. I could only adapt, which is what I had done to begin with. So, I could only continue doing the same. Things were working well for me, after all.


    Living in a novel was what I did for thest eight years of my life, and things had gone smoothly. There was no reason for that to change.


    "Ah. Yes," I said, shaking my head. "It seems like I''ll have to prepare for that test."


    They are strong kids, right? They all got admitted to the Royal Academy. Those teenagers should be able to endure a slightly harder test than normal, right?


    Wait...what about making them go through the first test I got when I arrived on the frontlines?


    An ugly smile formed on my lips just thinking about it. Tomorrow would be a funny sight.


    The director looked at me and sighed. "I don''t know why, but I feel like I shouldn''t have told you about this."


    ***


    Peter was a young carriage driver. After his father had died, he decided to take over thepany to feed his little sister. His job was quite straightforward, and nothing special happened every day. It was pretty much always the same kind of people entering his carriage.


    That is...until he met a strange customer. Today.


    With a nervous gaze, Peter brought the carriage and went to open the door for his customer.


    "We''re here, mister. I can''t go any further than this."


    With a smile, the customer picked up his ck suitcase, adjusted his hat, and stepped down from the carriage.


    Peter pointed into the distance where a forest was situated. The trees were so tall that they were visible from the Royal Capital.


    "That''s the only forest around here. Most people call it the Royal Forest. But, those who went inside it call it the Death Forest. If I were you, I''d reconsider going inside that ce. A bunch of dangerous monsters are roaming inside it."


    "Oh, it should be fine. Please wait here for a moment; it shouldn''t take long."


    "Shouldn''t take long? This is over a kilometer away!"


    Before he could even finish his sentence, the purple and red-haired man had disappeared from his sight.


    Having a good idea where he left, the man turned to look at the Royal Forest. He had heard that some of the soldiers at war were incredibly fast and powerful. Maybe that was one of those...however, the man looked young. It also wasn''t rare to meet retired soldiers these days since the war had ended a few weeks ago.


    "Still, why would he go here?" Peter shook his head. "Especially with that rumor going around about a Cyclops being spotted inside it."


    Peter wasn''t too keen on spending time here any longer; he didn''t want to put himself in danger. But just as he was about to turn around, he heard loud explosions and the roars of monsters. He looked up, and a cloud of dust rose into the sky.


    He frowned.


    The cloud of dust was getting closer to him every...damn...second.


    "What is this?!" He turned around and headed for the carriage, jumping right inside it. Peter needed to leave, right now. If not, he would get run over by whatever was heading for him.


    However, he was toote. Right in front of him, the man with purple and red hair was smiling just like before. He still had his suitcase in his hands, and his hat didn''t even fall off his head.


    "Ah...thank you for waiting! I hope it didn''t take too long."


    He swung one of the biggest bags Peter had ever seen over his shoulder. However, the bag was still moving. The man kicked it once, and nothing moved inside it anymore.


    Peter wanted to say something; his mouth was wide open, but no words woulde out.


    "Let''s go."


    Who would have thought driving a carriage would be so strange?


    "Uh...where are you heading?"


    "The Royal Academy."


    Peter''s eyes widened. That Academy...the opening ceremony was tomorrow. He remembered hearing about it.


    "Are you a teacher there? What''s your name?"


    ''My name?'' I thought with a smirk.


    "You can call me Bond, James Bond."


    It didn''t take long to reach the Royal Academy grounds. The man waved at Peter as he walked right through the swarm of students. People eyed him weirdly, and some were shaking out of fear. His bag was still moving even now as the man gave it a good hit once again.


    Peter stared at the man walking away, simply unable to believe it.


    Were all professors in that Academy the same as him?


    ***


    "Ahh..." I stretched my arms. It had been a while since I had pushed myself so much, but it definitely felt nice. Either way, I had managed to capture what I had been looking for¡ªthe Cyclops.


    Last week, I heard some adventurers talking about seeing one in the Royal Forest, so I thought to myself, why not just get it? Weirdly enough, it was the first thing I had encountered once I got sent to the battlefield.


    I remembered the officials calling it a way to test our potential. Let''s say that...not many of us had potential. Even I lost that day.


    Getting hit by a Cyclops when you''ve never fought a single time in your life is definitely a pretty good wake-up call, I''ll tell you that much, and I''m sure my students will be able to enjoy it just as much as I did in the past.

 Chapter 20 - 19 - Explanations

    <h4>Chapter 20: Chapter 19 - Exnations</h4>


    The day of the opening ceremony finally arrived, and once again I found my way to the director''s office. I hoped it was finally time for her to tell me a little more about the job I would be taking on.


    Because the semester was about to start and I still had no idea where I would be teaching or who I would be teaching, I knew absolutely nothing about what was waiting for me today.


    Actually, that''s false; I knew one thing: the students would be suffering a whole lot against the Cyclops I captured yesterday.


    It was also weird to say this, but I wanted to see Da again. Because of everything that had happened with Derek, we hadn''t talked much since then. More and more teachers had started arriving, and I had less and less time to give her. So, we took some time apart.


    Either way, I was back in the same old chair, looking at the director, who was clicking her pen over and over again.


    "So, are you excited? You''re finally going to meet your ss!" she said.


    I nodded. "Yeah, finally. It seems my pestering didn''t help me get early answers."


    A smile appeared on my face at the same time as her.


    "Right. Well, with everything that happened with Derek...things were a littleplicated. Luckily, you stayed discreet just like I asked, and it seems Derek is doing the same thing."


    That was true. Apart from his angry nces in the hallways, he hadn''t done anything. I had looked over his movements for over a week, and he truly hadn''t done anything apart from spreading rumors and preparing for his sses. Maybe he had some deep dark secret, but it didn''t seem so. Actually, I was starting to doubt myself about him being a demon hidden as a human. But well, I didn''t jump the gun just yet.


    "Okay, so I think it''s finally time to exin your job or your role as a professor." She let go of her pen, leaned back in her chair, coughed a little, and started exining. "Alright. As you already know, you were tasked with taking care of a special ss of students. Now...the real question is, why is your ss special?"


    She was right. That was the question that had been on my mind since the very beginning.


    "Well, the answer to that is quite simple. First off, you will be the sole professor of that ss, meaning you will take on all the subjects they need to learn in their first year. If you continue with them, you will do the same in their second year, and so on. Now, let''s talk about your students. They are also special. You already met one of them, and that was just the start. All the students in your ss are either from extremely important families or have incredible potential."


    She slid a small folder across the desk in my direction.


    "In this, you will find all the information about each of your students. Some of theme from incredible backgrounds, and others not so much. The main reason you were chosen for this job is because you don''t care."


    "What do you mean?" I frowned. "I care. I care about the students. Didn''t you see me with Da? I even gave her special tutoring."


    Herment was annoying, and I honestly didn''t expect it because I was doing my best here.


    However, when I saw the look on Alexandra''s face, I realized I might have misinterpreted her words.


    With a sorry look on her face, she immediately rectified the situation.


    "No, no, no. I didn''t mean that you don''t care about your students," she sighed. "I just meant that you''re not the type of person that cares about politics or just...money all around. You''re, uh, how to say? Free-minded. Basically, you do whatever you want."


    "Damn right I am." Iughed. "So, if I understand correctly, I was given this role because I can''t be bought."


    "Well, not only that...but that was the main reason the Emperor asked for you. Your overwhelming strength, and talent obviously helped. After all, you''re the youngest professor this academy has ever had." She shed a smile. "It''s not every day that we get twenty-two-year-old professors, especially here."


    I nodded. I understood most of what she said, but I still had a question on my mind about something in particr.


    "You said that I should teach them everything the first years need to know. But can I propose something else?"


    The director saw my smile and knew that nothing good woulde out of it. However, she still allowed me to give her my suggestion. After all, she had just said it himself: I wasn''t the type of person that could be controlled.


    "Go ahead."


    "Just a sec."


    I opened the folder and counted the number of students in my ss. I skimmed through it and saw that there were twenty-one students. It wasn''t too bad for what I was nning. Actually, it could work.


    I nodded and looked at the director. "I want to do something else. I don''t want to follow courses and certain subjects. You know as well as I do that not all subjects interest students, right?"


    She nodded. No one could disagree with that. We all have different tastes when ites to everything in life.


    "So, what if I made each of my students a certain curriculum that they would have to follow? You see, I don''t want to be bragging or anything, but I have an eye for people. With a quick look at their abilities, I can tell what they arecking."


    She didn''t say anything right away, simply rubbing her chin for a good minute. She was clearly thinking about it, which was a good sign.


    "A personal curriculum for each of your students...interesting." A few more seconds passed by. "Hmm, I don''t think anyone would oppose it. Though, it depends on your results. You have one week to make it work."


    "Yes, miss!" I saluted her just like I did with mymander.

 Chapter 21 - 20 - First Troublemaker

    After that quick conversation, Alexandra told me a few more details about my ss, from its name to its location.


    To start off, it wasn¡¯t in the main building of the Royal Academy. Weird, right? Well, I¡¯m not the one deciding. So, it¡¯s whatever. She also told me that the name of my ss was the Apex ss. Once again, what a shitty name.


    I¡¯m not sure who was choosing these names, but he should consider changing jobs.


    Either way, it was now 8 AM, and sses were starting in one hour. The first thing on the agenda was the test to determine the strongest from the weakest. It would also serve as an opportunity for me to look at their strengths and weaknesses.


    Oh, and about the folder that the director had given me on my students, I decided not to read it. I didn¡¯t want to get influenced by what was written in it. And also because isn¡¯t it a lot more fun to discover what your students are like at the same time as they discover you?


    I was currently walking toward the dorms and ssroom of the Apex building, where all my students were staying except for the richest ones who lived off-campus. I had a big bag on my shoulder in which the Cyclops was still inside. However, the Cyclops had given up on moving¡ªmy fists probably hurt him a little too much. I entered the ss and dropped the bag right beside my desk, and left it there.


    "Don¡¯t you dare move." I threatened while staring at the bag. "If you do, I¡¯ll find you and keep you in there forever."


    It was time to get prepared for my grand entrance. Having a good first impression with your students is also extremely important. This time, I wasn¡¯t going to wear my tuxedo, but a tight ck shirt with a pair of ck pants with two red straps on them that I put around my shoulders. I also decided to put on some ck gloves. I gave myself a good look in the mirror and smiled.


    -Swoosh!-


    The door to the bathroom opened, and I didn¡¯t want to be seen by students, so I hid in the first toilet I saw and closed the door.


    "Did you hear that a new professor was taking over our ss?" one of the students said.


    The other scoffed. "I heard he was only 22 years old. I don¡¯t know what the Academy was thinking when they employed him."


    "Didn¡¯t you hear the rumors about him?"


    "Rumors?"


    "Yeah, about him losing to professor Derek in less than one second. I even asked some of the professors about it, and they said it was true."


    "Hmpf, not surprised. He probably thought he was some sort of big shot now that he was back from the war. I saw that his name was Caedrel Stuart, and when I searched for him, it only said that he was a normal soldier, nothing more, nothing less. Oh, well, he received some sort of medal of honor, like some kind of participation medal, but that¡¯s it. They should have asked him to teach another ss.


    The Apex ss is only for the Elites after all."


    I gritted my teeth at one thing they said. I couldn¡¯t care about them not finding much about me since it was true there wasn¡¯t much. But it was the previous thing they said about me losing to Derek, that fucking douche. So, those were the rumors that he had been spreading around. I guess the other professors also agreed to spread it.


    Lying, huh? I expected better from him.


    -Swoosh!-


    The door was once again opened, and their voices were getting further away.


    I had to admit, they pumped me up a little. If they thought I didn¡¯t deserve to teach their ss, then I¡¯d prove them wrong. I took onest look in front of the bathroom mirror and headed out. It seemed I was about to be a littlete for my ss.


    A smile appeared on my lips. What a great way to make a great first impression!


    I headed for the ss, and I could already hear murmurs about me beingte. The usual. I opened the door, and all twenty-one pairs of eyes were locked on me, observing my every movement.


    I didn¡¯t nce at them, keeping a straight face as I walked forward toward the desk. I grabbed a short stick and turned to face them. Surprisingly, one of the students already had their hand raised, and she seemed extremely eager for me to answer her question.


    "Yes," I said, looking at the young girl with purple hair and purple eyes.


    "What¡¯s in that bag?"


    "Ah¡­that." I nced at it before turning to her again. "It¡¯s for your entrance test."


    "I-I see." She nodded a few times before getting back in her seat. Maybe my voice had been a bit too cold when I uttered those words, but the two imbeciles in the bathroom had angered me just a little.


    A few other murmurs were heard throughout the ss as I stood there not saying anything. I coughed two times and gathered their attention once more.


    "I guess I¡¯ll present myself, even if I¡¯m sure that most of you did your research on your fabulous professor." I shed them a smile.


    One red-haired boymented right as I said that. "If you¡¯re fabulous, then what am I? God?"


    Unfortunately for him, I recognized that voice. He was one of the two boys from earlier. He had bright red hair, red eyes, and a smug look on his face as he looked at me. There was not an ounce of respect in them. Still, I didn¡¯tment on it.


    "Good one¡­uh, your name?"


    "Jackson. Jackson Evergreen."


    I just nodded and continued presenting myself.


    "My name is Caedrel Stuart, and I will be your professor for this semester. Uh, some facts about me: I fought in the war against the demons for seven years¡ªyeah, just around that¡ªand I was offered this position right after the war was over."


    "Who¡¯d you beg to get here?"


    My smile crooked when I heard that voice again. It seemed I had my first troublemaker, Jackson.

 Chapter 22 - 21 - Rules

    I just looked at him with the same smile as earlier, not saying anything, and he stopped talking. I turned around and continued presenting myself.


    "As I said, I¡¯m Caedrel, and I will be your professor for this semester. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet all of you."


    "Haha! He¡¯s scared of me¡­look at him. He stopped looking at me."


    I was a patient person, but this guy was pushing it, and it was pissing me off. I clenched my jaw and looked at him for real this time. I gathered a bit of aura in my eyes, and they started glowing as I red at him.


    "I would suggest not talking at the same time as me. Now, let¡¯s continue with the ss without this insect speaking."


    He gritted his teeth. "Insect? Did thismoner just call me an insect?!"


    He looked around himself for validation, but I was just confused. Why was everyone thinking that I was amoner? I was reborn in the family of a Duke. I wouldn¡¯t call that being amoner. Either way, I didn¡¯t correct him. Him saying something like that only proved that he was an immature little shit.


    "Are you insulting me? An heir of the Evergreen Family?" He asked, his eyes staring at me with a huge smile.


    I wasn¡¯t going to apologize. "You can shove your Evertwat Family up your ass. I don¡¯t care." I turned to the rest of the students and continued. Him talking about my status made me think of something.


    The rules of this ss.


    "There will be many rules in this ss, but the most important one is equal¡ª"


    "What¡¯d you just call my family? Do you know who my father is?"


    A sigh. That was all it took for me to turn the light atmosphere of the ss into a heavy one. "I don¡¯t give a shit about your father, and if he wants, he canin to the director." I walked over to him and bent right over his desk. "I can tell you one thing. I won¡¯t be the one getting removed from here."


    I stared at him dead in the eyes and once again smiled at the rest of the ss. I gave it a good look, and most of the students seemed nervous from what they had just seen. After all, my first impression had been utterly ruined by Jackson. But, oh well, I guess my test will make a better one.


    "So, if no one interrupts me." I looked over to Jackson and his little friends. "I will finish all of this in less than a minute and then we can move onto our test."


    Silence took over the ssroom.


    "Thank you. The most important rule is equality between all social statuses. If I ever see you unt your status around to bully others, then you won¡¯t be able to enter this ss anymore, and I might just decide to kick you out of this school." I pointed over to Jackson. "That right there was the first andst time that I should be hearing of your noble status.


    Because as I said earlier, I don¡¯t care."


    A few gulps were heard in the ss. I had to admit I hadn¡¯t nned to be such an ass in my first ss, but it seemed I needed to gain the respect of some of my students. I nced around the ss, which was quite small considering the number of students. All desks could have two people on them, so only one person in the entire ss was sitting alone.


    With a quick nce, I estimated that he was a loner. He wasn¡¯t even looking at me, probably sleeping off right about now. Either he couldn¡¯t give a shit about the Royal Academy, or he was so strong that he didn¡¯t need to listen. Oh well, I guess I¡¯ll figure it out soon enough.


    I quickly went over the rest of the rules of the ss, which were basic ones that everyone should know about: respect, not talking at the same time as me, things like that. Nothing very important, and honestly, most of them probably weren¡¯t going to be respected, and I couldn¡¯t care less. Only the first rule I mentioned needed to be followed.


    After telling them everything they needed to know, we headed toward a pretty deserted field for their ability test. I had already found it beforehand, and it only took a few minutes to reach it.


    Arriving there, I dropped the huge bag, which was the size of at least ten human beings, right beside me.


    "Ready to look at what¡¯s inside that bag?" I smiled at all the students, who were now all silent.


    I might have gone a bit too hard on Jackson, who was nowpletely silent, just looking at me with pure hate in his eyes. The chances of me getting a call from the director because Jackson¡¯s father called were pretty high, but it didn¡¯t matter.


    "You know¡­you guys can talk, right?" Iughed. "As long as you¡¯re not a total dick like him." I pointed to Jackson again. "I don¡¯t care what you do."


    The purple-haired girl raised her hand again.


    "Yes?"


    "Can we start the test? Already an hour has passed, and the rest of the sses have finished already."


    "Hm, right. We should get a move on."


    I nodded a few times and grabbed the handle, turning it around, releasing the Cyclops inside it. He had a few bruises on his skin, and since I hadn¡¯t fed him anything since yesterday, he looked a little hungry, looking at the students of my ss. I had to admit, I hadn¡¯t actually thought about giving him food. But well, it¡¯ll just make things funnier.


    "A C-Cyclops?!"


    "I-Is that the one that adventurers found in the Royal Forest?"


    I smiled at the person who just said that. "Exactly, that¡¯s him! Isn¡¯t this great?"


    All the students looked at me with dubious looks. They didn¡¯t seem sure if I was joking or not.

 Chapter 23 - 22 - An Unwinnable Fight

    "GRAWWR!"


    A feral, wild growl sent shivers down the spines of all the students present. Their heads instinctively turned in my direction, and I only smiled back. A Cyclops, a monster that can kill up to ten fully trained soldiers with a swing of its mace.


    Luckily for them, I had confiscated its weapon, making it a little less dangerous. Still, it would be a pretty good test for them.


    "Professor, what kind of test is this?!" One of the students shouted. "Why is a Cyclops in front of us?"


    Screams rang out all around me. Panic was taking over everyone present.


    "We don¡¯t even have our weapons!"


    Oh. Didn¡¯t know about that. Still, none of them noticed my ignorance.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re all gonna have to fight it. I won¡¯t help you. You¡¯re the Apex ss; this much should be child¡¯s y, right?"


    All of them looked at one another, unsure of what to say. The Cyclops was getting closer to them with each second, saliva hanging from its mouth with each step it took. It was hungry and needed food. It had tried to escape at first, but it saw my face and turned around instantly, knowing that the students¡¯ direction was the only way out of here.


    "W-w-what should we do?" the student with purple hair muttered, her entire body shaking. "I-I didn¡¯t study for this."


    I took a few notes of every student depending on the decision they took. Some of them were clearly used to letting others do everything as they hid in the back even though they weren¡¯t mages. There were a few courageous ones, and most of them seemed to bemoners.


    I wasn¡¯t surprised. Commoners go through a lot more things than Nobles most of the time, so they have a lot more experience when ites to fighting actual beasts.


    With the group ofmoners was only one other person, Da. She seemed set on showing me what she had learned over the past week. At least, it seemed that way.


    Suddenly, the Cyclops started running toward the students. However, it didn¡¯t aim for those at the front; it aimed for those at the back, knowing they were the weakest ones. Not bad, you ugly one-eyed creature.


    "All of you, move!"


    Right as it was about to reach the group of scared students, a voice rang out. It was powerful and confident, pulling most of the students out of their reverie. I tried to look for the owner of that voice, and¡­found her.


    She had long golden hair and pearly blue eyes. All the heads in the ss turned in her direction, almost as if she had put them under a charm spell.


    The Cyclops, having no weapon, reached them and started punching the ground where the students were standing. I made sure none of them could actually get hurt, analyzing the movements of the students under each strike of his. If anything bad were to happen, I could always save them.


    The students started dispersing as fast as they could. It was all thanks to the golden-haireddy.


    "We can¡¯t run away from it!" she screamed as loudly as she could. "This is a test. The worst thing that can happen is for the teacher to help us!"


    I sighed. That¡¯s only if I want to¡­ But well, I had to admit that she was the student who had impressed me the most out of everyone right now.


    "Hm¡­should I look at her profile?"


    I still had the folder with their information in my pouch, and I was honestly thinking about opening it to find out more about her. However, I shook my head; I would at least wait until the end of this fight.


    "We have to fight it!" she said. "Mages go to the back, and the rest of youe with me!"


    The students listened to her orders instinctively as they were suddenly getting more and more organized against the Cyclops. All of that because of one student. Impressive, I must say.


    She pointed toward two burly students. "You two, can you buy us some time?"


    They looked hesitant at first, but they finally nodded as they got even closer to the Cyclops, who kept attacking whatever student got in its way. One of them seemed to be a dwarf, and he still had heavy golden armor on his body. The other seemed to be a human, with only a shield. It seemed they hadn¡¯t taken everything from the students, only the offensive weapons.


    The dwarf¡¯s body turned into literal rocks, one of their special skills called Hardened.


    "Not bad. Definitely has potential as a tank."


    I looked at the other tank, and he seemed lost, just watching the dwarf with his eyes opened wide. The golden-haired girl seemed to have kept an eye on the dwarf as she noticed him starting to struggle.


    "Quickly! We need to attack him with everything we¡¯ve got! We won¡¯t get another chance to attack him. Saintess, use your holy powers to weaken it. You, elven princess, don¡¯t you have a bow hidden somewhere? We need to prove to the professor we¡¯ve got what it takes!"


    A blonde-haired girl nodded, and a glowing light appeared all around her body.


    "My lord, please curse this evil being!"


    A girl with long, pointy ears also pulled out a bow from a small pouch just like mine and drew her bow.


    "Tell me when!"


    I nodded a few times as I heard the identity of the people she shouted. A Saintess, an Elven Princess, a Vampire Princess¡ªthe director was right. This ss definitely isn¡¯t normal by any means.


    They had pulled out weapons that they had kept hidden, not caring that I was watching them. It seemed the golden-haired girl had managed to convince them about actually being able to win against the Cyclops. It wasn¡¯t a bad attempt, to be honest. Cute, really.


    "ATTACK!" she screamed as everyoneunched their strongest spell or attack at the Cyclops. A cloud of dust hid it for a short while, making everyone gasp. Unsure if they had done it. However, as the cloud of dust dissipated, the Cyclops was only bleeding from a small cut that it had received on its right arm.


    Their attack had utterly failed.


    It failed. But I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Those students really had potential.

 Chapter 24 - 23 - One Punch Man

    "That¡¯s all?" I suddenly shouted, looking at the minuscule amount of damage they had managed to achieve. "That¡¯s all the Apex ss can do?"


    I made sure to put a lot of emphasis on the word "Apex" to humiliate them a little more. Most of them had fallen on the ground because of the force that their attack exuded, and if I didn¡¯t save them in the next seconds, then the chances of one person dying were extremely high.


    Still, I won¡¯t lie. They had done a lot better than I thought. And it was all because of one person, that golden-haired girl. She clearly wasn¡¯t amoner from her clothes and mannerisms. I had no idea where she came from, but she had received good training. Because of her, they actually managed to make the Cyclops bleed, which wasn¡¯t an easy task for teenagers.


    Talking about the golden-haired girl, she removed the dust from her pants as she stood up once more. It seemed she wasn¡¯t done just yet.


    "Stand up!" she shouted. "This is only the beginning, we just need to do that over and over again!"


    However, when I looked at the rest of the students¡¯ faces, there wasn¡¯t the same determination as before. Well, it did make sense; their all-out attack had barely managed to scratch the Cyclops. They clearly couldn¡¯t win against it.


    She looked around herself, realizing that no one followed her orders. She gritted her teeth. There was no way for her to beat that creature all by herself.


    "I guess this is really all you guys can do¡­" I murmured. "Disappointing."


    I had been standing not so far away from them, so some of them managed to hear that. They just looked over at me with their eyes wide open. Jackson was one of them, clenching his jaw so much that he might even break it.


    "Then, go ahead and capture it by yourself!" Jackson screamed. "I bet you won¡¯t even be able to do that. You probably had help to capture it in the first ce."


    I looked at him with a frown. "Help? You think I need help to capture a weak little creature like this?"


    Most of the students also seemed to agree with him as their heads were bobbing up and down instinctively.


    I shrugged. I guess that¡¯s what happens when you don¡¯t prove your worth to them.


    I looked over to them, my eyes observing my surroundings as the Cyclops was immobile, simply staring at me. If one paid close attention, they might have seen him trembling because of my presence, but none of the students had noticed it.


    "I guess I should show you guys why I was chosen as your professor, huh?"


    I gathered mana inside my body and dashed forward extremely fast.


    Looks of awe. Their mouths were all wide open as they looked at me. Well, except for one person who had already seen what I could do, Da, who had an umbre to hide herself from the sun. She just had a smile on her face as she seemed happy that I proved everyone wrong.


    I would have flew, but I needed to keep my strength hidden from Derek and the rest of the professors. Nevertheless, my speed had been enough to impress all of them.


    Iughed. "If that impressed you, then you better keep your eyes open."


    -Swoosh!-


    I dashed toward the Cyclops, disappearing for a short moment from the sight of my students, reappearing right in front of the Cyclops winding up a punch. The Cyclops flinched as I pulled back my arm.


    A sigh escaped my mouth. I was supposed to be badass right now and show them my dominance. If the Cyclops was too scared of me¡­ It wouldn¡¯t work.


    I got a bit closer to him and whispered in his ear.


    "If you give it your all, I¡¯ll let you go."


    Right after that, he seemed pumped as determination resurfaced in his eyes. I really knew how to talk to people. It hadn¡¯t reallyprehended me, but the tone and energy in my voice had been enough from the looks of it.


    So, I wound up my punch again and gave it my all. It slowly approached his head as the Cyclops ced both his hands in front of his head to protect himself.


    -Boom!-


    The sound of the impact of my fists with his arms resounded all around me, and I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if the people inside the Royal Academy¡¯s Tower heard it. After receiving my fist in his face, his body started wobbling and finally fell on the ground face first.


    "It¡¯s gonna fall, move!" I shouted.


    After all, I didn¡¯t want one of my students to get heavily injured, or even worse¡­die on my first day.


    -Boom!-


    This time, the ground trembled because of him falling down. They all looked at me in awe as they couldn¡¯t believe what they had just seen. A normal soldier, someone who hadn¡¯t even gotten a promotion, was able to take down a Cyclops in a single strike. Normally, it would require teams of extremely powerful humans to take it down. But I managed to do it in a few seconds¡­


    "H-How?!"


    "D-Did he really take down a Cyclops in one hit?"


    "What kind of soldier was he?!"


    I smiled as I turned toward them. It seemed like I managed to make a good impression atst. There was only one thing: the blood from the Cyclops had gotten on my ck glove. I took it off and started cleaning it as best as I could.


    "Fucking disgusting," I muttered as Inded right beside my students. They all looked at me, wondering what I was talking about.


    "Oh, do not worry. I¡¯m not talking about you. It¡¯s my glove, you see. It¡¯s all dirty."


    Their mouths were open once again.


    I think they were slowly realizing that I might be even weirder than they were.

 Chapter 25 - 24 - Black Heart

    A day had passed since I had beaten the Cyclops, and I was now back at the same ce where its corpse had fallen. The Cyclops was still on the ground, not moving a single muscle just like I had asked him to.


    There was something I had noticed when they had been fighting the Cyclops, and I became sure of it once I got closer. Someone had done something to it; there was something strange, rted to its hunger.


    The Cyclops had only been kept in my bag for one full day, which meant that he was obviously hungry, but for him to reach such a state where he was drooling every time he looked at a student¡­no, that was too much.


    It was early morning, and pretty much everyone in the Academy was sleeping, giving me all the time in the world to examine the Cyclops. I had a small idea as to what had happened to it, but I wanted to be 100% sure. If I were right, then it would mean that the demons hadn¡¯t been eradicated from the face of this world and were still roaming it.


    I would have to inform the Emperor about it. I wouldn¡¯t go to the director; if someone in her Academy was a demon, then she might be one as well.


    Seeing the Cyclops¡¯s huge body, I jumped on his stomach and pulled out a sword from my spatial pouch. I grabbed it tightly and stabbed the Cyclops right where its heart was supposed to be.


    There was an explosion of green, thick blood. But I had changed into dirty clothes for the asion, so I didn¡¯t bother cleaning myself. It was no time to be worrying about my appearance. I opened up its ribcage with my sword and managed to get a good view of its insides. I could see the veins going from its heart to fuel the rest of its body.


    However, it was dead, so its heart wasn¡¯t pumping any blood.


    But that wasn¡¯t what I was looking for; it was the color of its heart. When I looked at it, I realized that my instincts had been right.


    Its heart wasn¡¯t red or green.


    It was ck.


    Now, why does a ck heart matter? Well, good question. It¡¯s because demons have the power of corruption, and one of the side effects of using such power on a monster is turning its heart ck. So, this Cyclops that I had captured two days ago and kept with me the entire time had been corrupted by someone.


    The only moment I had left it alone was when I went to the bathroom in the Apex Building.


    However, the chances that a demon managed to sneak into my room to corrupt it were extremely slim, which means that it was corrupted before I even captured it.


    I looked up at the sky and sighed. "Demons. You guys are still out there."


    I was annoyed, but at the same time happy. Them still being alive meant that things would get a lot more interesting in the Royal Capital. There was still one thing I didn¡¯t know, and that was whether demons had managed to transform into the appearance of humans.


    Derek was my first and only hint on the matter, which meant that he was my first target.


    ***


    A few hours passed, and I got rid of the Cyclops¡¯s body. I didn¡¯t want people to see its ck heart, or else there might be a couple of misunderstandings. It was now time for ss to start once again.


    Oh, and I forgot to mention it, but nothing much happened after the fight with the Cyclops. I told all of my students to go and rest. I also had a fun talk with Alexandra, who had asked to meet me to talk about the earthquake on the Academy grounds. So, I told her about the Cyclops and the test I had nned for my students.


    The look on her face was a killer. I couldn¡¯t help butugh when I saw it. She couldn¡¯t believe that I had made my first-year students fight against a Cyclops on their first day. However, she did mention that she wasn¡¯t surprised anymore by what I could pull off.


    -Swoosh!-


    With those thoughts out of the way, I entered the Apex ssroom, and everyone was sat in the same spot as yesterday. However, the atmosphere within the ss had changedpletely. None of them were speaking as I entered, all of them looking at me with their eyes wide open, watching my every movement. Even Jackson had his mouth closed and his back straightened out.


    "Uh¡­hello?" I said with a frown. "Are you guys okay?"


    The purple-haired girl raised her hand as high as she could.


    "You know you don¡¯t need to raise your hand every time you want to speak, right?"


    She nodded. "Right, I¡¯m sorry, sir. I just wanted to answer your doubts."


    "Sure, go ahead."


    "Most of us realized yesterday that you are a lot more powerful than we thought. So, given your strength, we decided to be a lot more attentive today." She looked around herself. "At least, that¡¯s what I realized¡­"


    "I see."


    Well, there was no real surprise there. Most of them probably thought they were even stronger than me given my young age and my lean appearance. But seeing me take down that Cyclops made them realize a thing or two, that¡¯s what I hoped at least.


    "Well, alright." I walked over to my desk and picked up a chalk stick. "I have an announcement for you guys about the curriculum we will be following for this semester, and if all things go correctly, for the entirety of your time at the Royal Academy. You see, I didn¡¯t like how stiff the current curriculum was. That¡¯s why I decided to do something new with you guys."


    Frowns appeared everywhere in the ss when I said that. However, no one said anything just yet.


    "Each and every one of you will have a different curriculum that I will be making based on your strengths and weaknesses. That way, you will be able to reach your full potential a lot quicker. However, I was only given one week to show results."


    Their whispers echoed within the ssroom as they didn¡¯t seem to believe what they had just heard. I ignored them as I coughed once for them to stop talking.


    "So, do you want to do it?"

 Chapter 26 - 25 - Isolde, The Elven Princess

    How did it all start? Yes. That¡¯s right. It all began a few hours ago.


    "To achieve your full potential faster, I will make each of you a personal curriculum." That¡¯s what our professor had said. It sounds like the best, right? Well, it wasn¡¯t.


    We were currently standing behind one another, going through all sorts of different tests. But those tests¡­ah, just thinking about them sends shivers down my spine. The tests he gave us were to assess all our abilities. But¡­it was torture¡­torture, I¡¯m telling you.


    That smile of his might have seemed nice, but it wasn¡¯t. It was the furthest thing from it.


    "Next." His warm voice spread through the entire room. The worst thing about all this was that¡­I was the next one.


    Each step I took forward was shaky. The previous tests had already traumatized me.


    "What¡¯s your name again?"


    "Isolde Silverleaf."


    "Ah. Right, I remember. You¡¯re the Elven Princess, is that it?"


    I nodded with very small head movements.


    "You already saw the others do this test. Do you want me to exin it again?"


    I looked ahead of me and saw literal tforms with spikes under them. I had seen others fall on them, and I¡¯m telling you¡­they weren¡¯t fake; everything was real. This professor was crazy!


    "Anything to dy this," I whispered.


    "Huh? I didn¡¯t catch that, what did you say?"


    "Yes. Please exin it to me."


    He smiled. "Well, it¡¯s quite simple. As you can see, this is a parkour course, and you need to go through it as fast as you can. Each of the tforms has a distinct characteristic that will focus on one aspect of your movements."


    I gulped. I wasn¡¯t the first one, and I had already seen the others. The first tform had spikes appearing everywhere randomly. The second one had tiles that would fall, and thest one¡­ah, I don¡¯t even want to talk about it.


    The worst thing about it was that no one even knew where he had pulled those tforms from. He told us that it was some sort of military exercise he had done when he was younger. I believed him because I saw his strength back then with the Cyclops, but why did we have to go through the same thing as him?


    He patted my back, probably noticing how nervous I was. "Don¡¯t worry, the worst thing that can happen is getting a little bit hurt."


    I frowned in his direction. A little bit?! His definition of little was clearly wrong. I had already seen someone get their leg pierced by one of those spikes. Luckily, there were healers nearby, but¡­ah, I don¡¯t want to get hurt. Mom, Dad, why did you even send me here?


    The war is over¡­why do I need to be tortured?


    "I expect a lot from you. Being an archer, you should be one of the best in the ss." He looked at me with that same annoying smile. "You should try to beat the time I made at your age¡­what was it already?" He rubbed his chin. "Ah. Right, I finished it in, I think, 1:27 seconds. Well, around that.


    It¡¯s been a long time."


    I looked around me, and everyone¡¯s eyes widened. This guy was a fucking monster. Just finishing this parkour seemed hard enough, but he had done it in one minute and twenty-seven seconds?! The only person who had managed toplete it had done it in five minutes. What kind of past did he have?!


    "I-I¡¯ll try to do my best."


    "That¡¯s the spirit!" he said as he pushed me in the back a little, making me walk forward toward the starting line. "Alright, as soon as you walk across that line, the chronometer will start."


    I looked back with literal tears in my eyes and looked once more toward the parkour. I took a deep breath and tried my best to calm my heartbeat as I could literally feel my heart pumping.


    "Pfff¡­you can do it, Isolde." I put myself in a running position.


    "Don¡¯t die!"


    "Good luck!"


    "You got this!"


    I heard some of my friends trying to encourage me, and I was gone. I finally crossed the starting line. The start of the parkour was easy. It was just a straight line with nothing on it. I quickly managed to reach the end of it. However, the worst had yet toe.


    Arriving at the end of the first tform, I jumped onto the one filled with spikes appearing randomly.


    My strategy was simple. Praying. There was no way to tell where the spikes would appear, so I prayed that my reflexes would be fast enough to dodge the spikes.


    One of them appeared right beside my right leg, and I barely reacted fast enough by moving my leg away. However, it still grazed my right leg. I could feel a bit of blooding out of it. But it didn¡¯t hurt; it was probably because of the adrenaline coursing through my body.


    Still, I continued to run as I was getting better and better, dodging most of the spikes popping up right under me. I was still grazed by a couple of them, but I could still run. That was all that mattered.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if my performance was good, but I managed to reach the end of the first tform, which was something that only half of the students who had done this test managed to achieve. I was at least better than average.


    Arriving at the end of the first tform, I jumped toward the second one, which had falling tiles. Once again, I had no strategy, letting my reflexes do the work for me.


    However, when the first tile fell under my right foot, I understood that it wouldn¡¯t work this time around. The falling tiles were only one part of the problem on this tform. There was something else that we couldn¡¯t see when we were spectating from far away¡ªa strong wind, making it practically impossible to run forward.


    I clenched my teeth. There wasn¡¯t the slightest surprise on my face.


    That was just how our professor was.

 Chapter 27 - 26 - Crazy Professor

    I took a deep breath and steadied myself. The strong wind was relentless, pushing against me with every step I took. I had to rely on my bnce and quick reflexes to navigate the falling tiles.


    "Stay focused, Isolde," I whispered to myself. I took a tentative step forward, feeling the tile shift under my weight. The wind howled, trying to push me off bnce. I quickly adjusted my footing and jumped to the next tile, feeling it wobble beneath me.


    Each step was a gamble. Some tiles held firm, while others gave way almost immediately. I had to anticipate the fall and react in an instant. My heart pounded in my chest, the adrenaline making my senses sharper.


    However, I wasn¡¯t moving fast enough. The end of the second tform was still a fair bit away, and because of the wind, I couldn¡¯t move forward anymore. I was basically stuck in ce.


    I had no other choice. I stopped moving for a short while and grabbed onto the tile I was currently standing on. I analyzed my surroundings¡ªthe strength of the wind, how it felt when it went against my body.


    I slowly stood up and tried taking a step forward. I wanted to see the consequences it had on my running, and it was evident. My leg wasn¡¯t moving forward fast enough.


    Yes, I know. It¡¯s obvious, but when you¡¯re standing on a tform like this, it¡¯s not as easy to figure out. And that was the only problem. I needed to figure out how to move my legs faster even with the wind trying to stop me.


    I thought of the chronometer but dismissed that thought. The only thing that mattered was finishing this hellish parkour.


    I spent a few seconds, and nothing wasing to my mind. But then, as I was about to try and power through it like an imbecile, I got an idea. A shield. I needed to form a shield to protect myself from the wind.


    "Mother Nature,e forth!" I shouted.


    ***


    It had been a few moments since Isolde had been stuck on the same tform. She seemed to have realized there was no point in running mindlessly. Her observation skills were good. Not a single student had stopped to think things through, only caring about the time ticking.


    "Not bad," I murmured while noting some things in my notepad.


    Over the day, I had gotten a lot of data on each of my students, and with thisst test, I would be able to create a curriculum for each of them with everything they need. Well, except for one person. The golden-haired girl, Ariel Vndor.


    As far as I could tell, her usage of mana was perfect. The only thing she needed to work on was her physical abilities. However, working only on one¡¯s body for years wouldn¡¯t be fun. I needed to find something interesting for her to work on, but I had no idea what¡­ Ah. Whatever, let¡¯s focus on Isolde for a second.


    I focused once more on the Elven Princess, who seemed to have realized something as she slowly stood up with a smirk on her face. "Come on." I smiled too. "Show me what you understood."


    She called out something, but I couldn¡¯t hear her from where I was standing. But it didn¡¯t take me long to understand that she had just called Mother Nature, the elf¡¯s power.


    A Goddess who could be called upon.


    That was the power the elves possessed, and it was extremely powerful. I had seen it used on the battlefield a couple of times, and every time it was majestic¡­her presence was literally godlike.


    A beautiful giant green figure appeared in front of Isolde as she continued to mutter a few words to Mother Nature, who after a few seconds, nodded and disappeared.


    I could barely see it from where I stood, but some sort of bubble made out of green energy was around Isolde. It seemed to be protecting her from the wind, which was a good idea¡­ However, it wasn¡¯t what I had been looking for. The point of this parkour wasn¡¯t to use our mana or the different powers granted to us. It was to test their abilities to move and utilize their entire body.


    But well, doing this was clearly better than just giving up.


    "Not bad, I guess."


    After making a protective shield around her, passing through the second tform was child¡¯s y as she simply ran forward and reacted every time a tform would fall with a lot of ease.


    However, it was now time for her to reach the third tform, and since she hadn¡¯t grasped the concept from the second tform¡­well, she had no chance.


    The third tform was different from the rest of them. It had this in look to it. However, it¡¯s not what was on it that was dangerous. It was the thingsing at you.


    -Creak!-


    Her shield broke as an invisible projectile struck it, piercing her leg and making her fall onto the ground. It seemed her run would stop here.


    "Well, I expected as much. Seems like she¡¯ll be the second in the ss."


    I disappeared from where I had been watching and reappeared on the third tform, rescuing her from another projectile.


    She was crying. Probably from the pain of having one of her legs literally pierced by an invisible projectile¡­well, that¡¯s what I thought.


    After all, it was a normal reaction that anyone could have after going through such a trial. Sure, the training I was putting them through couldn¡¯t beparable to the one I went through with my teacher. But things are different, it¡¯s not a question of life and death ever since the war ended.


    I caressed her hair a little and smiled at her. "Don¡¯t worry. You did very well. Your injury also isn¡¯t big; it shouldn¡¯t take long for you to get back into shape."


    She just frowned and whispered something. However, I couldn¡¯t quite hear.


    "What¡¯d you say?"


    "Y-You¡¯re fucking crazy¡­"


    Iughed. "Well, I know that much already."

 Chapter 28 - 27 - Date Night

    The tests had been quite conclusive as I had gathered the information needed to give a curriculum to most of the students in my ss. Some students would require more observation because their talent was too overwhelming, but for most, I had everything ready. However, I would be finishing that tomorrow because tonight I was going out with Ava.


    She had asked to see me alone out of nowhere when I got back from testing my students. I was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t a date since she hadn¡¯t blushed or anything while talking to me. In fact, she looked extremely focused, as if something had been spinning around in her head over and over again.


    Still, even if it wasn¡¯t a date, I put on my ssic tuxedo and made myself look as dapper as possible. It was currently 7 PM, and I was waiting in front of the Royal Academy.


    I tried my best to hide from the studentsing out of the Academy, but some did spot me and asked questions. I answered most of them, but I knew that rumors would spread tomorrow. The good thing was that they hadn¡¯t seen Ava at all, so they could only guess who I was going out with tonight.


    -Cough!-


    -Cough!-


    Hearing two weak coughs behind me, I turned and saw Ava. The weird thing was that she was actually wearing something other than herb coat. She was wearing a short ck dress that fit her perfectly. It was just as elegant as my tuxedo, and our outfits matched. If anyone were to see us, they would definitely think this was a date.


    But as I said earlier, it¡¯s not. I wouldn¡¯t go on a date with one of my colleagues right after the semester started. This is, uh, an important meeting. Well, an important meeting where I have no idea what we will even be talking about. Either way, Ava looked absolutely amazing. Her big sses added a certain charm.


    "H-Hey¡­" she said. Her voice was so quiet that I had to get closer to her to make out the wordsing out of her mouth. It also made her blush even more, which was quite funny. "W-We should go."


    "Right. Let¡¯s go!" I said excitedly as there was already a car waiting for us. It was a long ck limousine that looked quite expensive. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t sure why Ava had booked something like this just to talk.


    I opened the door to the limousine for her and followed right behind, sitting next to her. We were off to the restaurant. Not being able to resist any longer, I had to ask the question that had been on my mind since she asked to meet alone.


    "So, what did you want to talk about?"


    As soon as I asked, her eyes focused on her fingers, which she kept fidgeting with. She was very nervous, probably because I was so close to her. So, I took the empty seat to my right, giving her more breathing room.


    "Ah! You didn¡¯t¡ª"


    I just smiled. "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine. We¡¯re not close enough to be sharing that much skinship, haha!"


    She opened her mouth but closed it again. We spent a few seconds in silence before she spoke again.


    "I wanted to talk about my daughter and also because I discovered something that I thought you might want to know."


    I frowned. A daughter and a mystery? Good thing I agreed toe. Still, she had a daughter? And why does she want to talk about it with me?


    I rubbed my chin and nced at her with a worried look. "Uh¡­why do you want to ask me about your daughter?"


    This time, she looked at me with a strange expression.


    "Isn¡¯t it obvious?"


    "Uh¡­no?"


    "You don¡¯t notice any resemnce between me and one of your students?"


    I gave her a good look. Nerdy appearance, sses, purple hair, purple eyes. Seconds passed, and the face of one student in particr appeared in my mind. The one who kept raising her hand to answer! She was her daughter? How didn¡¯t I know that?


    Hm, well, I didn¡¯t read their profiles, so that¡¯s probably why.


    "You do look like one of them. Wait, what¡¯s her name¡­" I didn¡¯t want to seem ignorant in front of Ava, but I had no idea what her name was. I just remembered that she raised her hand every chance she got.


    "It¡¯s Olivia. Olivia Jensen."


    She saw that I was ashamed of not remembering her name. "Ah! It¡¯s okay. I also don¡¯t know the names of all my students."


    I nodded. "So, what did you want to know about her?"


    She looked down and fidgeted again. "You see¡­she talked to me a little bit about your ss and how you do things. So, I was wondering how she was doing¡­from your point of view?"


    -Screech!-


    The car suddenly stopped, and it seemed we had arrived at the restaurant. I kept my answer at the back of my mind as the driver opened the door for us. I walked out of the car and helped Ava out by giving her my hand. When I turned toward the restaurant, I was mind-blown. It looked absolutely amazing! All kinds of people were walking into it, wearing outfits just as expensive as ours.


    This was clearly a restaurant for nobles and the wealthy.


    As we walked up the stairs, I decided to restart the conversation that had been cut short.


    "Right. About your daughter. She¡¯s one of the most interesting people in my ss. She certainly has a lot of talent in everything that requires theoretical knowledge, but she struggles when she needs to apply it in real life. To give you a better example, it¡¯s like she knows how to do things but can¡¯t actually do them.


    Still, don¡¯t worry, she has made friends and I¡¯ll help figure out that problem of hers."


    Ava nodded, clearly agreeing with me since she had probably noticed the same problem, being her mother. "I see. That¡¯s reassuring. I thought she might have a lot of problems getting along with other kids, but if you say everything is going well, then I¡¯ll believe you. Also, I trust you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make an even better person than she is right now."


    Shortly after she said that, we arrived at the entrance of the restaurant, and she stopped for a moment, pulling me to the side. "Before we enter, I need to tell you about the other thing that I wanted to talk to you about."


    I frowned. It looked serious. "What is it?"


    "You¡¯re in danger."

 Chapter 29 - 28 - Hooded Man

    I¡¯m in danger? Me?


    I was not sure what to say when I heard her say that. However, she wasn¡¯t joking. She wasn¡¯t the type to joke about such things and the look on her face was serious.


    Still, what worried me was the fact that she had pulled me aside to talk about it before we even entered the restaurant. Was she scared of something inside the restaurant?


    I frowned. "What are you talking about?"


    "You¡¯re being watched inside the Academy. Someone is making moves against you."


    There was one name that instantly appeared in my mind, Derek. He was the only person that even had a reason to do something like that. However, she had seen how I had handled him, so could he even be considered a threat?


    "Who is it?"


    "I don¡¯t know¡­all I know is that you¡¯re being followed. Even now, they are looking at us."


    My eyes drifted around me. I hadn¡¯t felt the slightest pressure around me. Had my senses be dull?


    I got closer to her and whispered in her ear. "Where are they?"


    She got on her tiptoes and discreetly pointed toward a ck car parked beside our limousine, which was currently driving away. However, it might be toote; our behavior was definitely strange.


    I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her closer to me, as if we had just finished an intimate moment. We headed for the restaurant¡¯s entrance.


    "How do you know?" I whispered again. If she was able to spot them when I hadn¡¯t even known of their presence, then something was clearly wrong. "Who told you?"


    "No one told me anything. I saw him. It all started yesterday."


    "Wait, let¡¯s talk about it inside."


    I had a feeling that it might be rted to the ck heart I had discovered inside the Cyclops¡­


    We entered and were quickly guided to a table. We sat face to face beside a window with a beautiful view of a small illuminatedke. The tes and utensils looked extremely fancy, with gold threads on them.


    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how much it had cost her to organize this whole thing just to talk to me about her daughter and the fact that I was in danger¡­


    We could have probably stayed at the Royal Academy and talked about it there. We would have brought less attention upon us, but I trusted Ava had a good reason for doing this. So, when we sat, we stared at one another for a few seconds. None of us spoke up just yet, and after some time, I couldn¡¯t help but start the conversation.


    "So, what happened yesterday?"


    "Shh¡­quiet down. They might be inside. That¡¯s why I talked about it outside."


    I frowned. Just who the hell were they?


    "Right, sorry," I said, adjusting my voice¡¯s tone.


    "Ok, so it all started like this¡­ I was walking down toward the Apex Building right before the start of your first ss, wanting to know more about the test that you had prepared for the students¡­ I had been nning on telling my daughter about it.


    Was it cheating? Maybe. But if no one knew about it, then¡­it was all fair game.


    I walked inside the building and headed toward the ssroom, where I found a big bag. Without much surprise, there was a Cyclops inside, which was the test you had prepared. However¡­there was something strange about that monster. I noticed it instantly."


    I interrupted her for a moment, holding my finger up discreetly. "Yes?"


    "Quick question. Was it drooling intensively inside the bag?"


    She frowned. "I think so¡­not sure, to be honest. Either way, that¡¯s not the important part about this."


    Not important? I shook my head and let her continue.


    "What I noticed was much more telling than some sort of drooling. It was his eyes; they were bloody as if someone had just given him a drug enhancement."


    His eyes were bloody¡­


    "When was this?"


    "Uh¡­I¡¯m not sure."


    "The time," I insisted. "I need it."


    She noticed the anger in my eyes the moment she mentioned the color of the Cyclops¡¯s eyes, but she couldn¡¯t understand. She didn¡¯t have the same amount of information as me. She didn¡¯t know about Derek and what had happened in our fight.


    She rubbed her chin, trying her best to figure out the time. "It was barely an hour before the first ss started."


    I nodded. I remembered dropping the bag in my ss one hour before the start of it and going to the bathroom¡­ That means either the Cyclops was already corrupted, just like I thought, or someone corrupted him the moment I left.


    "Did you see anyone?"


    She sighed. "Just let me continue, will you?"


    I nodded. I was just too excited to know about it.


    "Alright, so when I discovered that his eyes were bloody, I knew something was wrong with it. I was pretty sure that you wouldn¡¯t be the one to give a drug to a Cyclops, especially if you were nning to test your students with it. That¡¯s why¡­I tried to look around your desk to find a clue. But¡­there wasn¡¯t anything. I peeked outside the ssroom and spotted someone."


    I leaned forward a little more, making sure that I wouldn¡¯t miss the slightest wording out of her mouth next. Those would be the most important ones.


    "You see, this someone was wearing a long ck cape and a mask that covered his face. I wasn¡¯t able to figure out who he was. However, it told me enough that someone was trying to y tricks on you."


    "Let me hear that again. You saw someone leaving my ssroom, and the Cyclops¡¯s eyes were bloody."


    "Yes." She nodded.


    "Let me ask you something else. Those bloody eyes, would you say they looked like those of demons?"


    She nced around herself, once again scared that someone might hear her. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth¡­


    "I-"

 Chapter 30 - 29 - Understanding

    "I¡¯ve never seen a demon in my life," she admitted. "I¡¯ve stayed cooped up within the Royal Capital for pretty much my entire life."


    I nodded. It was frustrating that she couldn¡¯t be 100% certain, but the information she had just given me was extremely useful. I was now sure that someone inside the Royal Academy wasing after me, and the chances of them being a demon were extremely high based on everything she had just told me.


    Derek was obviously the number one suspect in my mind, but I couldn¡¯t tunnel vision solely on him since other teachers also disliked me due to the rumors he spread.


    "I see." I rubbed my chin.


    "Do you think it was a demon?" She looked at me while gripping the table tightly. It seemed she was trying to contain her reactions, not wanting to look too worried.


    I didn¡¯t want her to scare herself and start spreading rumors, so I kept a straight face and raised my shoulders. "Might be. I can¡¯t be sure just yet."


    However, that was a lie. The fact she had seen the Cyclops¡¯s eyes turn bloody, and considering the ck heart inside its ribcage¡­ the chances of a demon being involved were 100%. It confirmed that they were still alive and roaming the world without anyone knowing.


    After this conversation, we quietly ordered our food and ate without mentioning the subject again. Instead, we talked about the Royal Academy and how I was adjusting to this new role of mine.


    Time went by quite fast, and soon we were back in the limousine, heading back to the academy. We drank a bit of alcohol, and my head was getting quite dizzy. Compared to earlier, we were a lot more touchy with one another. I sat right next to her, and she didn¡¯t seem to mind as she hadn¡¯t said anything about it.


    "What are you going to do with the information I told you?" she asked with augh.


    She was probably worried about me. But well, there wasn¡¯t much that she could do. The fact she had told me all this was already great and a good step in the right direction.


    "I have a small idea. But I can¡¯t tell you just yet¡­"


    I didn¡¯t want her to get tangled up with my problems as it would justplicate things. Either way, as the days passed, I could definitely feel the two of us getting closer.


    Even now¡­the atmosphere between us was clearly tense.


    She caressed the right side of my face while staring directly into my eyes.


    "Come on, tell me," she giggled.


    Yes, you weren¡¯t dreaming. She was flirting with me. Well, I was also ying along, but that was only a detail¡­


    I didn¡¯t say anything as I stared into her purple eyes. She was looking extremely beautiful tonight. Her dress made her even prettier, and her hair wasn¡¯t all messy from alchemy, revealing her true beauty.


    Suddenly, she removed her hand from my face and looked ahead, releasing a sigh.


    "You know¡­you¡¯re truly a mystery to me."


    I frowned. "What do you mean?"


    "Well, you managed to get a job at the Royal Academy at twenty-two. You humiliated Derek without any effort."


    I nodded since she was basically ttering me while stating facts.


    "But, the strangest thing about you¡­is that none of the professors ever heard of you." She sighed. "Someone of your strength should have been more known on the battlefield. But when I looked, there was nothing about you. Only the in fact that you were a soldier. I¡¯m not asking you to tell me all your secrets or why you¡¯re so powerful.


    But, just promise that one day¡­when you really trust me, you¡¯ll tell me."


    She turned toward me and stared at me for seconds, her gaze unwavering.


    "I-I¡­"


    For the first time in a very long time, words were stuck in the back of my mouth. I didn¡¯t know what to tell her. I had no idea she had researched me¡­, I had no idea she had been so interested in me. It was strange hearing iting out of her mouth.


    She was right, though. Everything she said was true, my past was hidden for a reason. But I couldn¡¯t tell her¡­not yet. The weight of being a Sage was too heavy. I couldn¡¯t loop her into this.


    "Maybe."


    I finally uttered with difficulty.


    "Maybe, I¡¯ll tell you one day what happened to me."


    Maybe it was because of the alcohol, but I was a lot more emotional today than usual. It was getting harder and harder to keep a straight face as she continued to talk to me.


    I felt a touch near my right hand, and when I looked down, I saw her grabbing it. We looked at one another as our eyes slowly raised¡­


    "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not in a rush to know more about you and your past. Just tell me when you¡¯re ready."


    I still had no words. She was one of the first people I had let into my life, and she saw through me instantly. It was troubling, and I wasn¡¯t sure what to say.


    I just sat there, not saying another word during the car ride.


    I simply couldn¡¯t.


    -Screech!-


    The car stopped, and the door opened. We went our opposite ways. My face was emotionless as I walked toward the Royal Academy. I paid no attention to my surroundings as I headed to my room. I needed to rest.


    This night had been a lot more insightful than I had thought.


    I don¡¯t think I even told Ava good night as I simply walked with an empty mind. It had been years since I had been able to clear my mind like this, and it felt good. I felt rxed.


    For the first time since I had arrived in this world, I felt like someone had understood a fraction of me.


    It felt good.


    I didn¡¯t know how to put it into words.


    But that night¡­the smile that appeared on my face was a real one.

 Chapter 31 - 30 - Otherwordly Beauty

    Two days had gone by since I had this conversation with Ava, and we hadn¡¯t spoken once since then. In fact, I hadn¡¯t talked to anyone except my students. I also hadn¡¯t been able to find out anything about the hooded person who had entered my ss and corrupted the Cyclops.


    I had focused on Derek quite a bit, but he never did anything strange. He was clean.


    In the meantime, I had managed to give most of my students a curriculum, which they were now following to the dot. Every time they had a question, I helped them as best as possible, and things went quite well. I was quite sure that if things kept going at the same pace, then there would be no problem continuing with this strategy.


    Still, I was quite nervous tonight.


    Why, you may ask?


    Because all the teachers had to attend a banquet.


    What kind of banquet?


    A banquet where the parents of most of the students would gather and meet us¡­


    I had never been the type of person to go to those events, and when I tried to convince the director¡­well, it didn¡¯t work out. Her answer had been categoric.


    Before heading out for the banquet, I took a good look at myself and put on the best smile I could muster.


    "Ah¡­it¡¯s only a few hours. It¡¯s not like anything bad will happen, right?" Iughed. "I¡¯m only meeting the parents of the most influential families in the world. Meh, let¡¯s just hope that they aren¡¯t dicks."


    I said that, but I knew they would be talking to me as if they were ten times as good as me. But still, it didn¡¯t matter. Over the years of attending those events, I had gotten used to it.


    Ever since my family died when the war started, I was confronted with all sorts of people more strange than thest.


    Either way, I needed to hurry up. It was about to start, and I still hadn¡¯t arrived.


    I opened my window and flew right through it. In midair, I nced at the clock to judge how fast I needed to go.


    "5 minutes left, huh?"


    The banquet was being hosted quite far away from the Royal Academy. In fact, it was a ce everyone knew within the Royal Capital, the Emperor¡¯s Manor. Yes, for some reason, the Emperor was the one hosting the annual banquet for the new students of the Royal Academy.


    There were a few rumors that he would be showing up at the banquet, but I didn¡¯t believe them at all. There was no real reason for him to appear in front of us.


    Still, if he was present than I would male sure to talk to him about my job and my situation. I¡¯m sure he would also try to do the same.


    Either way, I flew as fast as I could, and even from kilometers away, I spotted the Emperor¡¯s Manor.


    It was beautifully lightened up, making sure that anyone would be able to see it from far away. I could hear the party starting even if I was a fair bit away. People were celebrating, and right as I was about to reach the banquet, traditional music started ying.


    Trumpets, drums, all the instruments you could think of started ying at the same time. It seemed the party was about to start, which meant that¡­I waste.


    Fuck.


    I knew that I had left toote.


    People started walking on a huge red carpet that led all the way inside the Emperor¡¯s Manor.


    "What should I do?" I murmured in the skies.


    I couldn¡¯t fly down, or else someone would spot me. I needed to find a way to get inside the Manor before all the students entered. I looked around, trying to find a ce where I would be able to enter. I nced from above and spotted what seemed to be a door that led inside from the garden. However, the garden clearly wasn¡¯t open for the party.


    All the lights were off, clearly showing that it hadn¡¯t been nned to be used.


    Either way, it was the best option, and it was the one I chose as I flew downward toward the garden.


    In a few seconds, Inded as I made sure no one from the crowd on the other side of the Manor could spot me. I had made it; now, all that was left was to reach the other side without anyone finding me.


    I shrugged. ¡¯Shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡¯


    I took one step forward before hearing footsteps on my right. Someone else was here, but who?


    Quickly hiding behind one of the nearby bushes, I looked at the person walking all alone in the garden.


    The figure of that person was slender. It was a girl. She wore a long, white dress that flew in the night breeze. Her long golden hair also flew in the wind. My eyes widened as I continued looking at her¡­she looked amazing. I had never seen such beauty before.


    J-Just who was this person?


    In an instant, I was fully captivated by her beauty as my eyes simply followed her body. I stared and stared, unable to take my eyes away from her. She seemed to be murmuring something, but it didn¡¯t reach my ears.


    Seconds passed by, and she was already at the Manor¡¯s door. She opened it and entered it, probably heading for the banquet.


    I shook my head the moment she left my field of view. Realizing that I also needed to get a move on. Discreetly, I headed for the same door she had gone through, and I was inside the Manor. It was dark. I could barely see where I was heading. The only thing guiding me was the white dress that shone through the darkness of the Emperor¡¯s Manor.


    My feet moved on their own, and I continued to follow her, trusting that she was going in the right direction. It had never happened to me in the past, but I was totally under that person¡¯s charm. However, as I was about to continue following her, I heard murmurs on my right.


    That voice¡­I recognized it.


    It was Alexandra¡¯s.

 Chapter 32 - 31 - Secret Conversation

    I came out of my reverie upon hearing Alexandra¡¯s distinct voice. However, she wasn¡¯t alone. She was talking to someone else right at this moment. I recognized her voice, but the other person was unfamiliar. Given we were in the Emperor¡¯s castle, the chances of her talking to the Emperor himself were quite high. Their discussion seemed serious, with no yfulness in their tones.


    I took a quick look around and decided to get closer. I wanted to hear their discussion¡ªwho knows, maybe I was the subject of their discussion?


    If that were to be the case, then I wanted to hear everyst thinging out of their mouth, which is why I got as close as possible.


    Hiding behind a wall a few meters away, I nced at them subtly. I managed to confirm one thing: one of the voices was Alexandra¡¯s, but I still couldn¡¯t identify the other person. He was dressed in luxurious clothing, but that wasmon at the party. At least one thing was clear¡ªhe was rich and powerful.


    I dismissed those thoughts and focused on their conversation.


    "Do you think they¡¯ll show up?" Alexandra asked.


    "It¡¯s too dangerous, and if they do¡­the whole world will know about them."


    I frowned. I wasn¡¯t sure what they were talking about, but it felt rted to the demons still roaming the world. I thought I had been the only one aware of that information, but it seemed the director and whoever he was talking to also knew too.


    "Should we announce it tonight?"


    The other man waved his hands dismissively. "No, especially not here. They will all start to panic."


    The director nodded. It seemed the person she was talking to had even more influence than her. Despite his well-built physique suggesting a history of training, I couldn¡¯t sense his strength from where I stood. I would have to get closer to sense it.


    "Shouldn¡¯t we talk about this with Caedrel?"


    The man¡¯s answer was immediate. "I¡¯ll talk to him about it tonight. There¡¯s a good chance he already knows anyway. He might act like an idiot but he¡¯s anything but one."


    She nodded. "I know, don¡¯t worry. To be frank, he¡¯s the best for the job. No one can buy him, and he hates them with a burning passion."


    The constant reference to "them" was starting to get on my nerves. I had a good idea of who they were talking about, but I wanted to be 100% sure. ¡¯Fuck, why couldn¡¯t they just go ahead and say it out loud for me to hear?¡¯


    "I know, there¡¯s a reason I chose him. We already know that the war was only a distraction for them. We have to make our move soon, or else, we might as well be doomed."


    The man started walking in my direction. My instincts told me he was the Emperor, but once again, I couldn¡¯t be 100% sure. As they got closer, I moved away from the wall, maintaining a good distance between us, and followed them to the banquet.


    Arrivingte to the party had made me learn a thing or two about the director. There was now only one question weighing on my mind: Should I confront the director about who ¡¯them¡¯ were?


    I was 99% sure that they were talking about Demons, which is why I decided to let it go for the time being. After all, the man had just said he would talk to meter.


    After a few moments, they reached another door, and on the other side, there was a lot of noise. It seemed I had finally arrived at the party. I sighed. A bunch of people who thought too highly of themselves¡ªthat was what awaited me on the other side of that door.


    I waited for a few moments after the director and the man went through the door before following them. However, just as I was about to open it, cheers erupted from the banquet.


    "It¡¯s the Emperor?!"


    "The Emperor showed up?"


    Exmations from all ages filled the room, and they were so loud that even I heard them. I smiled, realizing that I had guessed right. However, that smile quickly disappeared because I was now stuck on the other side of the door. If I came out now, everyone would see me, and that was thest thing I wanted.


    But if someone noticed that I hadn¡¯t arrived at the party, I¡¯d get in even more trouble back at the Royal Academy. The professors had probably all arrived by now. I was the only one stupid enough to arrivete to a party organized by the Emperor.


    I released a sigh. ¡¯Just how long can I stay here¡­?¡¯


    Luckily for me, I noticed their shadows slowly moving away from the door, meaning that most people¡¯s attention should be shifting away. It was my only option. I grabbed the door and quietly opened it, sliding across it, trying to be as discreet as possible. And it worked¡ªI was on the other side.


    I rubbed my pants and straightened my back. But just as I did that, someone bumped into me, making me fall. However, I didn¡¯t fall alone as the person who had bumped into me had also fallen on top of me.


    ¡¯What a great start to being discreet¡­¡¯ I sarcastically thought as I opened my eyes again.


    "Sorry¡ª" No words wereing out of my mouth as I saw who was on top of me. It was the same woman I saw earlier¡ªthe golden-haired woman.


    She was right there, a few centimeters away from my face. Her entire body against mine, I could feel everyst bit of it. However, if you thought that was bad, you hadn¡¯t seen anything yet.


    "Is that the new professor of the Apex ss?"


    "I-I think it is." Another person said. "Where¡¯d hee from?"


    "Wait, who¡¯s on top of him?"


    "Is that¡­?" Another man hesitated. "Is that the Empress?"


    ¡¯Of fucking course.¡¯ I sighed. ¡¯This just had to happen to me¡­¡¯

 Chapter 33 - 32 - Meeting the Emperor

    Yes, the Empress was right on top of me.


    Yes, I had been the one following her around like a creep.


    Was I in a shitty situation?


    Probably.


    But, let¡¯s be honest. Why was the Empress walking there at that time¡­? She rammed into me right as I managed to enter the banquet, just my luck.


    Either way, I needed to get out of this situation.


    "Sorry, I didn¡¯t see you," I said, slowly moving her away from me and standing up like nothing had happened.


    The Empress looked at me with a frown, which was understandable. She was probably mad at me for what had just happened.


    However, the words that came out of her mouth werepletely different from what I had expected.


    "Ah, it¡¯s fine." She stood up. "I was also at fault. Still, you really came out of nowhere!"


    I just nodded. She was right; I came out from a door where no one should go.


    I could feel the stares from everyone in the room. They were all on me, staring. Honestly, it was stressful, and I wasn¡¯t sure what to do next. So, I just did the first thing that came to mind.


    I held my hand out to her. "Nice to meet you, Caedrel Stuart, a new professor at the Royal Academy."


    She nced at it, and I prayed she would take it. If she didn¡¯t, it would be very humiliating.


    Seconds passed by, and sweat started to form on my forehead. I could feel it trickling down the side of my face. ¡¯Please, take my hand!¡¯


    As I prayed in my mind, I felt a cold hand lock into mine. When I looked down, I saw she had shaken my hand! I had just shaken the hand of a literal Empress. Also, she wasn¡¯t just any Empress; she was probably the prettiest person I had ever seen. Being so close to her was quite difficult since I had to stay stoic, not showing the slightest emotion.


    "Nice to meet you, Caedrel!" She smiled. "I heard about your great job with the Apex ss!"


    Woah. Did I hear that right? She heard about my job with the Apex ss? Well, it made sense. The Emperor had probably talked about me to her.


    I returned her politeness with a bow. "Thank you for the kind words! It¡¯s very nice to meet you."


    I nced to my right, where most of the parents and students had their mouths wide open, looking at us. ¡¯Bet you didn¡¯t expect that, huh?¡¯


    It felt good when I looked at them. I was proud of myself as none of them could say anything at the moment.


    After exchanging some words, I was about to leave anywhere remotely close to either the Emperor or the Empress. My goal wasn¡¯t to be in the spotlight tonight; I just wanted to hide in a corner and stay there for the rest of the night.


    However, just as I turned around to leave, I saw the director with the Emperor right beside her. ¡¯Ah¡­why does it have to be me!¡¯ I sighed. ¡¯Go see someone else, please I¡¯m begging you.¡¯


    "I see you¡¯ve already met my wife, Mister Caedrel."


    The Emperor was quite respectful as he held his hand out to me. I had expected him to be mad at me since his wife had been on top of me just a few moments ago, but from the look in his eyes, it was like it had never happened in the first ce.


    "I did indeed. She looks amazing tonight, just like you!"


    "Oh, you tter me." He smiled at mypliment. "Either way, it¡¯s nice to finally meet you. I¡¯ve long wanted to meet you."


    I clenched my teeth. ¡¯It¡¯s about damn time. It almost took me a month to meet you!¡¯


    It was clear that most people present in the banquet were listening in on our conversation because it was absolutely dead silent.


    "Same here! It¡¯s an honor."


    We both nodded at one another. I wasn¡¯t sure what to say next, and he also didn¡¯t seem quite sure. And that was exactly what I wanted.


    "So, if you¡¯ll excuse¡ª"


    "My daughter told me all about you and the test that you prepared for them. She told me that the manner in which you defeated Cyclops was impressive, to say the least."


    I blinked. ¡¯I must have heard that wrong. Daughter? Nah, no way.¡¯


    "Could you repeat that, please?"


    Heughed. "My daughter. She told me all about you. You might know her as Ariel Vndor. You¡¯ll have to excuse us; we had to give her a fake identity to be treated like the rest of the students. But I guess there¡¯s no point in keeping her identity a secret with you around."


    There was a strange glint in his eyes as he uttered those words, but I just glossed over it. Still, the Emperor had to be a moron. If you say things like that in front of all the students a few days after school started, then what was the point of her having a secret identity?


    Now that everyone knows, it would just make my job more difficult. Everyone would try to please her one way or another. I restrained myself from sighing in his face, but god, I wanted to.


    Still, I smiled back at him. "Of course, I already told all my students that their social title doesn¡¯t mean anything in my ss, whether that be for a normal noble or the daughter of the Emperor."


    I made sure for the tone of my voice to be extremely stale and stoic for him to know that I was dead serious.


    "And if she¡¯s a troublemaker, I¡¯ll have no problem kicking her out of my ss."


    Yes, I added a threat because why not? That conversation was getting on my nerves. I wanted to talk to him in private as soon as possible. This public conversation was just wasting our time.


    "Haha! That¡¯s great to hear!" He smiled. "That attitude! That¡¯s why I asked you to be a professor at the Royal Academy. You¡¯re not scared of anyone!"


    I frowned, almost sure that I had heard that wrong. But I didn¡¯t, he really did reveal for everyone to hear.


    But why?


    ¡¯Wasn¡¯t I supposed to be a spy? This makes absolutely no sense?!¡¯

 Chapter 34 - 33 - A Douche

    "He was asked to be a professor of the Apex ss?"


    "Wasn¡¯t he just a normal soldier in the war?"


    "Just who is he?!"


    I could already hear everyone reacting, and I hadn¡¯t even talked to any of them yet. I needed to find a way to put an end to this conversation. The Emperor simply couldn¡¯t keep his mouth shut, revealing everything that I had tried to keep somewhat hidden. The director had also asked me to keep my recruitment under wraps, so why was the Emperor saying it to everyone?


    I shook my head. Everything made no sense, and I didn¡¯t even know what to say next.


    "Ah, right. Thanks for the offer," I muttered quietly. "Well, it was nice meeting you in person. I¡¯ll go talk to some of my students¡¯ parents now."


    "Sure, let¡¯s talk againter."


    I didn¡¯t even want to do that, but it was the only excuse that could work right now. As much as I hated them, those rich parents were my only way out. Still, having the daughter of the Emperor in my ss was truly something to think about. Perhaps that was why he had asked for me to teach her.


    Seeing that I was slowly walking away from them, the Emperor and the Empress just waved at me with a smile, also saying goodbyes. It seemed the Emperor had finished revealing information about me.


    The good part about all this was that he hadn¡¯t revealed that I was a Sage. Oh god, if he had said that, then I wouldn¡¯t have been left alone for the rest of the night.


    Well, actually. That¡¯s already the case.


    I looked down and saw rows of people trying to know me because of everything the Emperor had just revealed. A sigh escaped my mouth as I went down the stairs. I couldn¡¯t believe that a night where I was supposed to stand in a corner quietly had turned into this. I looked around, practically screaming for help, but it seemed no one had noticed my call for help.


    Well, it was either that or they had ignored itpletely.


    When I finally reached the end of those stairs, I was met with the first family that wanted to talk to me.


    "Da, funny to see you here!" I said with a smile.


    I already knew her parents treated her badly, and I was making sure that my hatred for them wasn¡¯t showing. She had told me over the first week of my arrival at the Royal Academy just how horrible they had been. I couldn¡¯t lie when I said that I just wanted to punch them right in the face, especially the man standing in front of me. dimir, the world¡¯s number one douche.


    Imagine torturing your own daughter.


    I gritted my teeth as I raised my head. "Hello, Professor Caedrel. And you are?"


    "dimir. This is my wife, Evelynn." He pointed toward his beautiful wife.


    They guided me to a calmer spot, and some of the parents nearby slowly but surely moved a few meters away from us, letting us breathe for a small moment.


    "So, we heard that you were asked to be a professor at the Royal Academy. How did that happen? Did the Emperor personally ask you?"


    I shrugged. "It wasn¡¯t anything like that. It was actually quite a dull moment. I just received a letter asking me to be a professor. There wasn¡¯t anything else to it."


    dimir nodded as he nced at Da, who was right under him, being held by both his hands. She didn¡¯t seemfortable, and I could tell she wanted me to do something.


    "You know," I said with a forced smile at that vampiric douche. "You don¡¯t need to hold your daughter like she¡¯s a toy. She can stand on her own."


    Heughed right in my face. "You¡¯re right. Da sure is a smart and independent girl."


    "Is she doing well in your ss, Professor¡­uh¡­"


    "Caedrel. Professor Caedrel."


    "Right, sorry. I just never heard of your name before." He smirked.


    ¡¯That bastard, look at that smile. He really wants me to punch him, huh?¡¯


    My actions and my thoughts were widely different as I returned a smirk in his direction. "Ah, it¡¯s no problem. Well, your daughter is amazing. I even got to meet her before the start of the semester. From what I was told, she was sent to the Royal Academy in advance. It was probably a mistake, right?"


    "Ah. Yes. It was totally a mistake on our end. We would never do something like this on purpose."


    I nodded and noted in the back of my mind that on top of being a douche, he was a liar. "I see."


    As I uttered those words, I felt an intense gaze on me. It was so intense that I turned around to see who it was, and I just smiled when I saw him.


    It was Derek, probably jealous of the attention I was getting since no one was trying to go up to him. Seeing him like this, sitting in the corner, I suddenly had a great idea to "counter" the rumors he had spread about me.


    "Is there something bothering you?" dimir asked, noticing that I looked behind me.


    "Ah, just an annoying fly staring at me. Nothing to worry about."


    He nodded. "Well, I won¡¯t keep you any longer. It¡¯s great to know that our daughter is doing so well under your tutge."


    I just raised my eyebrows and let them go. I wasn¡¯t really in the mood to entertain them any longer. I wanted to entertain myself. However, to do what I wanted to do, I needed the Emperor to allow it.


    I looked over to my left, and he was still talking with his wife and the director. ¡¯Perfect.¡¯


    "Hey, Mister Emperor, can I make a request?" I shouted into the room, and everyone turned to look at me, probably thinking that I was a dead man or something along those lines.


    However, when they saw that all I received was a smile, they simply couldn¡¯t believe their eyes as even more mutters resounded.


    "Anything you want, Professor!"


    "What about a friendly spar between two highly regarded Professors of the Royal Academy?" I smiled while ncing at Derek. "Wouldn¡¯t that be a great show of the Academy¡¯s strength for everyone who came here?"

 Chapter 35 - 34 - Fighting Again

    "A friendly spar?" The Emperor repeated with a slight frown. "And who do you want to fight against?"


    That was exactly the question I wanted. I looked over to Derek and pointed at him.


    "With Professor Derek over there. Rumors have been that I utterly lost to him, so I just want to rify a few things."


    The Emperor wasn¡¯t too sure of what was happening. However, Alexandra started muttering some things in his ears, probably exining our past to him. The look in the Emperor¡¯s eyes changed a few times, and I hoped he would agree to it because, as far as I could tell, Derek didn¡¯t want to participate in this fight at all.


    A few more seconds passed by, and the Emperor rubbed his chin.


    "Hm, why not. However, there will be some rules." It seemed he didn¡¯t want the same thing asst time to happen. "As soon as one of you two bleeds, then the fight will be over."


    I nodded.


    However, the Emperor suddenly turned toward Derek, who still hadn¡¯t said anything. He was probably stressing like crazy, knowing that his rumors would be revealed as total lies. Though he had no idea how much I had overpowered him back then, his memories were still altered after all.


    Well, unless he transformed into a demon. If he did that, then things would be a little more interesting.


    "What about you, Professor? Do you want to take part in this spar?"


    Derek shook his head. "I don¡¯t think it would be appropriate in this setting. We could do it at another time, perhaps."


    "Hm, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t mind your fight; in fact, it will be interesting to see two powerful professors fight against each other. Also, I want to see what the Professor of my daughter has to offer. If you are that much strongerpared to him then I might appoint as her new teacher."


    Derek opened his mouth to say something else, probably to avoid the fight again. But he wasn¡¯t going against Alexandra. He was against the Emperor. He couldn¡¯t say anything to him that would change his mind.


    The Emperor suddenly turned to everyone else present and took a deep voice. "Don¡¯t you all want to see this fight?"


    "Yes!" Most of the parents replied in unison. "We want to see them fight!"


    The Emperor turned once more toward Derek with a smile this time. "See? They all want it."


    I managed to see the clenching of his jaw even from where I was standing. He was mad, really mad.


    "Then, I guess I have no choice. We will fight."


    ***


    A few minutes passed by as a lot of maids and butlers ran everywhere, trying to prepare a nice ce for the two of us to fight. We were now in front of the Emperor¡¯s Manor as there was a lot more space than inside. That way, we would be able to fight to our hearts¡¯ content.


    The butlers and maids were impressive as they had set up an entire arena in less than fifteen minutes. We were now standing faced against one another, and surprisingly, Derek wasn¡¯t the arrogant person he was thest time around.


    "You¡¯re not going to say anything this time?" I teased him with a smile.


    "Shut up." He frowned. "I¡¯ll make you wish you hadn¡¯t proposed this."


    Iughed. "Well, let¡¯s hope you cannd a hit on me."


    I turned to my left, and the Emperor was sitting on the best seat, with his wife and his daughter right beside him. The director had no choice but to act as the referee of this fight since she knew things could go south in an instant. She was currently standing in between the two of us, her palm rose toward each of us.


    "Are you two ready?" Alexandra asked, not wanting this trash talk to continue.


    We both stared at one another and nodded.


    The director also nodded as she moved away from the center.


    "3¡­2¡­1¡­Fight!"


    Everyone had their eyes glued on the two of us as we stayed in each of our spots.


    This time around, Derek hadn¡¯t dashed in my direction, staying on his side of the field. He was probably thinking that it was a better idea than rushing at me like a dog. But, well, the only thing it would change would be the duration of the fight.


    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t nning on moving, I was the one to make the first move, disappearing from my original spot before reappearing right in front of him.


    "Are you scared?" I smiled at him while winding up a punch.


    However, there was no reaction on his face. He just stayed there, ready to take in the punch.


    Instantly, I understood his strategy. He wanted to lose. He wanted to lose as fast as possible without putting up the slightest fight; that way, he would be able toe up with excuses on how I managed to beat him. I nodded. That wasn¡¯t a bad strategy. However, he must have forgotten where we were currently.


    The Emperor was watching.


    Seeing that he wasn¡¯t moving, I turned toward the director and the Emperor.


    "It seems that Derek doesn¡¯t want to fight against me." I giggled. "He¡¯s not even trying to protect. It¡¯s as if he¡¯s trying to lose on purpose."


    The crowd reacted instantly.


    "Why would he do that?"


    "Is Professor Caedrel that much stronger than him?"


    "That doesn¡¯t make sense! All the students know that Professor Derek fought against Professor Caedrel and beat him to a pulp. P-Professor Derek is probably just sick! Yeah, that must be it!"


    I had no idea who thatst person was, but when I turned in the direction of that voice¡­it stopped instantly. I quickly understood that it was one of his students that stood up for him.


    A literal child.


    That was the kind of people standing up for him.


    "Haha! Are you going to let kids defend you? What kind of Professor are you?"


    He gritted his teeth, still not moving whatsoever.


    "Look at you! Too fucking scared to fight me!"


    His head moved up.


    "Shut up."


    "Come and do it!" I teased him again.


    He gritted his teeth.


    "Shut your mouth."


    I smiled without saying anything. His emotions were just so easily manipted. If things continued this way, then his eyes would be turning bloody any moment.

 Chapter 36 - 35 - Constant Tease

    "Derek." Alexandra called out. "Fight against him."


    Alexandra knew very well what had happened thest time I had fought against him, and she knew the same thing would happen once again. However, we were in front of the Emperor, and we couldn¡¯t act without a single care in the world.


    The reputation of the Royal Capital could potentially depend on this fight. We needed to make a show of strength, and what was happening right now was absolutely uneptable.


    "If you don¡¯t. Then, you will be an assistant professor."


    I frowned when I heard that because I didn¡¯t even know that was a thing. I had been all along ever since the semester started¡­the director hadn¡¯t even talked to me about it.


    I clicked my tongue. ¡¯It¡¯s probably toote to find one now.¡¯


    I shook my head and dismissed those thoughts as I focused once more on what was happening around me. Derek was still not moving; he just stared at me with a in look in his eyes.


    He muttered something, but I couldn¡¯t hear it. Still, I could only guess that it was an insult being thrown at me.


    "Are you going to fight me now?" I teased again.


    "Yes."


    He moved forward. However, everyone could tell that he wasn¡¯t giving his absolute best against me. Only doing the minimum. This annoyed me greatly, but I couldn¡¯t take control of his body for him to fight against me. I needed him to lose control.


    Apart from angering him, there was another n in my mind. I wanted him to turn into a demon while he was fighting against me. But for that to happen, I needed to keep teasing him and angering him, so that he would reach the turning point.


    I started tapping him around his body without actually attacking to injure him. Simply showing him that I could have beaten him a million times already. However, there was no reaction. It seemed physical actions didn¡¯t work. My words would be my best tool in this situation.


    "You¡¯re not even going to try, huh?" Iughed. "Are you that scared of me?"


    "I¡¯m not."


    His voice was clear and concise. However, his actions reflected theplete opposite of his actions.


    The tone of his voice had be a lot colderpared to before. My taunting was working. It was only a question of time from now on.


    "Then, why aren¡¯t you trying to fight me?"


    "Because if I fight at my full strength¡­I¡¯ll die."


    He muttered those words. However, I heard them loud and clear. It only made things clearer about his real identity.


    "You weren¡¯t at your full strengthst time you lost against me?" I made sure to speak loudly as I uttered those words to make sure everyone in the stands heard it.


    And the reaction was immediate.


    "Professor Derek lost against Professor Caedrel?"


    "But¡­all the professors said theplete opposite."


    "He¡¯s probably lying. Let¡¯s continue to trust Professor Derek for the time being."


    I nced at those naive little kids and simply sighed. There was no point in arguing with them as they were simply influenced by the man in front of me. I just needed to show them that I was the one who was right about all this.


    "When did I even lose to you?" He smirked. "Didn¡¯t you hear from the students? I was the one who destroyed you."


    He seemed happy that his rumors had worked out well. However, rumors are only rumors; they do not represent the reality of things.


    "Then, show them how you destroyed me?" I smiled back at him. "I¡¯m interested in seeing how you¡¯ll manage that."


    "I can¡¯t."


    "You can¡¯t." I turned to face the crowd. "Did you hear that? He can¡¯t show you his strength. He¡¯s too scared of me to even lift a finger."


    His head snapped up once more. "Shut up."


    Iughed in his face. "Are those the only words you know? You keep repeating them every time I¡¯m right."


    He clenched his jaw. "You lucky son of a bitch."


    "What¡¯d you say?"


    He closed his mouth. His jaw seemed to be on the verge of breaking from the looks of it. His face was all red from restricting his envy from punching my face.


    Everyone watching us must have been wondering what the hell was happening since we hadn¡¯t evenunched a single strike against each other. We were simply talking, which was weird, considering my request was a spar. It was so long that even some parents were starting to get bored.


    "If you were nning to talk, then you could have done it inside!"


    I recognized that voice in an instant. It was dimir speaking up. As much as I hated him, he was right. We were supposed to be fighting, not talk. But it wasn¡¯t my fault that Derek didn¡¯t want to.


    "Did you hear that? They want us to fight. So fucking hit me." I approached my face and pointed at my cheek. "Right there. Hit me right there."


    I knew that he was on the verge of breaking down. Just a little more, and I would have done it.


    -Boom!


    That was the sound of his fist hitting against my face. I flew all the way to the other side of the Arena because of the strength of his punch.


    I stood up and rubbed the dust off my pants. "Phew. I thought you would have never hit me." Iughed. "Still, was that it? That barely hurt."


    "Shut up!" He dashed in my direction, his punch fully winded up. It seemed I had managed to make him react a little. However, his anger was making things a little too easy for me. There was no precision in his movements. I moved under his arm without the slightest problem.


    "Oh, close one. Maybe the next one will hit!" I encouraged him as he once again tried to hit me, but none of his attacks hit me. "Does it remind you of ourst fight? Do you remember? You never evennded a hit on me!"


    "ROAR!"


    I smiled. That was it. Just a little more, and I would have done it. His breath was getting rougher and rougher. If I continued to push him to his very limits, then he might just transform right there.


    "What kind of human even roars¡­I didn¡¯t know you were into that kind of stuff. But sorry to disappoint, but I¡¯m not a big fan of role-ying."


    Right after I uttered that sentence, his eyes changed colors.

 Chapter 37 - 36 - Barrier

    He was right there, transforming parts of his body to make himself stronger. However, he was doing it subtly so that no one would notice. Only his eyes had changed, and only someone close enough to him would be able to tell. The only thing that might have alerted the public to his transformation was the roar he had just made. Still, no one had caught on, thinking he was simply frustrated.


    After his eyes changed, the uracy and speed of his movements increased exponentially. I got closer to him while gracefully dodging each of his attacks. I was so close that I could actually whisper to him.


    "Nice eyes you got there."


    He pushed me away as hard as he could. However, it didn¡¯t matter. I got close to him again in an instant.


    "You¡¯re a demon, aren¡¯t you?" I smiled as I dodged his push this time around. "Tell me, how did you infiltrate the Royal Academy?"


    No words came out of his mouth, but I could feel the anger in his heart growing more and more.


    "Were you the one who corrupted the Cyclops I captured?"


    I kept asking him questions about what I had found out over the weeks at the Royal Academy. But he wasn¡¯t stupid; he simply kept fighting me. However, something had changed in his strikes. He wasn¡¯t aiming to injure me; he was aiming to kill. Each of his strikes targeted my vital points¡ªmy neck, my heart. His attack patterns were getting more obvious since his choices were a lot more restricted.


    "Why are you so angry?" Iughed. "Take a deep breath."


    "ROARR!"


    This time, he roared even louder as frustration started to get the better of him. However, it wasn¡¯t time just yet. I needed to continue. He was on the verge of breaking down, I could feel it. I got closer to him and whispered something else.


    "Are there more of your kind inside the Royal Academy?" I asked in a low tone, making sure that only he would be able to hear me.


    This time, he looked at me dead in the eyes. His attacks stopped momentarily. He grinned, revealing two extremely pointy canines, confirming that he was indeed a demon hidden as a human.


    "What if there were?" His voice was nothing like before. It was deep and yful.


    I had heard this kind of voice too many times in my life not to recognize it instantly. Still, I wasn¡¯t sure what my best option was right now.


    On one hand, I could kill him and prove to everyone that he was a demon. However, that would simply alert the rest of the demons hidden in the shadows, which wasn¡¯t something that I wanted.


    On the other hand, I could let him walk, and he might guide me to the rest of his kind, where I would be able to kill most of them. Analyzing those two options, I quickly made my choice and decided to let him live for a few more days.


    "You should hide your demonic features. The director and the Emperor might notice," I whispered in his direction.


    He spat at my feet. "Why does the great Caedrel Stuart suddenly care about me, huh?" He smiled. "You think I don¡¯t know your n? I won¡¯t guide you to the rest of them, and even if I did, it wouldn¡¯t change anything. We¡¯re everywhere. Politics, noble families, professors...whatever you can think of, we have someone ced there.


    You have lost. It¡¯s only a question of time."


    I gritted my teeth. He had seen through my n right away. However, I wasn¡¯t set on killing him just yet. I didn¡¯t want all these people to learn about the existence of demons. If they did, then the rest of the world would be thrown into a state of pure chaos, and that was thest thing I wanted.


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    "Kekeke!" Heughed out loud. "Do you want to kill me?"


    His head slowly tilted as he stared at me dead in the eyes.


    The people watching us started to notice that something was strange as Derek had been acting quite weird for thest few moments of the fight.


    "What¡¯s with hisugh?"


    "And did you see his smile earlier?"


    "What about his eyes?! Just look at them, they look disgusting."


    People were starting to notice the changes, and when I nced at the Emperor¡¯s face, he didn¡¯t seem pleased, to say the least. The director looked even more furious as I noticed her hand start to twitch. She was about to make a move to end this. I needed to act quickly.


    Derek, or whatever his name really was, turned to look at the crowd and gave them a demonic smile.


    "You don¡¯t like my smile?" Heughed. "Well, I don¡¯t like this shitty appearance!" He pulled on his skin, revealing ck, almost burnt-looking skin underneath. There was no doubt¡ªthat was the skin of a demon.


    "Just what is he doing?!" One of his students shouted. "His skin...why does it look so disgusting?"


    Seconds passed, and he had revealed himself for everyone to see. He had taken on the appearance of a demon.


    However, just as I was about to move, I felt a barrier form around me. In an instant, I knew who had made it. It was Alexandra. She didn¡¯t want anyone to see that demons still existed. Still, in my opinion, she had moved toote. The sound from the outside of the barrier became nonexistent.


    They couldn¡¯t see what was happening inside.


    "Haha. Alexandra, you always were a quick one. But you were toote. They already saw my appearance. They already know what I look like. They already know that we will return."


    The director didn¡¯t even look in his direction as she turned to me. "Can you kill him and give him his previous appearance again? You probably understood already, but the existence of demons needs to stay confidential."


    Iughed. "Sure, whatever. It¡¯s about time I get in the loop about this whole thing."

 Chapter 38 - 37 - Five Minutes

    "Still, before I kill him, I need to know one thing in particr," I said.


    The director sighed, turning in my direction. "Just askter. Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re a little busy?" She pointed toward the demon, who was slowly but surely walking in our direction.


    It was grinning in my direction, shing his pointy teeth in my direction. His entire appearance hadpletely changed, his skin waspletely charred, coupled with his eyes and his now extremely huge mouth. I had no idea how he managed to keep this disguise for so long, but I wanted to know¡­I wanted to know more than ever.


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    "Are you sure you don¡¯t want to keep him alive? We could interrogate him."


    She shook her head. "The Emperor wants him dead."


    I nodded slowly, debating whether following the Emperor¡¯s decision was the best n. Learning more about how he managed to infiltrate the Royal Academy would have been much more interesting, and also a lot more useful in the future. Killing him right now might restrict the knowledge we can gather on them. But atst, he was the Emperor, we needed to follow his decisions¡­for the time being.


    "We¡¯ll talk about itter," I finally said, dashing toward the demon. "Now, I can finally kill you."


    Derekughed in my face. "You think you can beat me in my demonic form?"


    "Yes. You¡¯re not even a high-ranked demon. Do you even know a little bit about my powers?" I smiled. "Do you even know who I really am?"


    The demon shook his head, indicating he had no idea who I was. This gave me some ideas about him. If he didn¡¯t know me, it meant he had never seen me on the battlefield and no demons had contacted him. It also suggested he had been sent here years ago.


    I turned to the director, who was busy maintaining the mana barrier. "How many years has it been since he became a professor at the Royal Academy?"


    "Five years ago. That¡¯s when we hired him."


    I nodded. Things were definitely bad. Demons had potentially started infiltrating society five years ago. They could be anywhere, and no one knew. This would be a major problem, and the Emperor better have some exnations for me.


    Demons were not a light subject to joke about. At least, not with me around.


    "I see. Five years. That¡¯s a long time."


    Derekughed even more. "Are you starting to realize that you¡¯ve already lost?"


    "No," I replied instantly, my voice cold and distinct. "As I said, you don¡¯t even know about me. All you demons are ignorant."


    "Why would we know about some random soldier?"


    I smirked. "Exactly, you are ignorant."


    The director, tired of maintaining the mana barrier, called out, "Caedrel. Quick. I can¡¯t keep this up much longer."


    I clicked my tongue. "Tsk. Fine, I¡¯ll get on with it."


    In an instant, a dagger appeared in my right hand, and I dashed to Derek¡¯s right side. He didn¡¯t even see me as I reappeared beside him. "Am I still a random soldier?" I held my dagger under his neck and smiled. Just as he was about to answer, I cut his throat. His head fell off his body and rolled away on the ground.


    "Ah¡­feels good to kill a demon after all this time."


    "Caedrel," the director called out. "Change his appearance. Make sure he looks human."


    I looked at her, annoyed. "Sure. I don¡¯t want to throw the world into a panic."


    I bent down over the demon¡¯s body and used one of my developed powers¡ªCamouge. It had been useful for spying on others without them knowing. However, the skill had a short duration.


    After using the skill, Derek¡¯s body regained his human appearance. I gave Alexandra a warning.


    "This appearance will onlyst five minutes. After that, he¡¯ll be a demon again."


    She clenched her jaw and nodded. "It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll deal with it. Thank you."


    "Whatever. Just remember. You owe me one." I kicked Derek¡¯s head away, and the barrier dropped, revealing Derek¡¯s dead body in the middle of the arena.


    All kinds of noise erupted around me¡ªchildren, adults, some whispering, some shouting. It was total chaos, panic was slowly taking over everyone. I wanted to leave but couldn¡¯t just yet.


    "Is that a dead body?!"


    "He killed Professor Derek?" One of his students pointed at me.


    "He¡¯s a monster."


    "Are you sure that Professor Caedrel is the monster? Didn¡¯t you see the ck charred skin on Professor Derek¡¯s body?"


    -Boom!-


    -Boom!-


    Two loud sounds made everyone calm down. They came from the Emperor.


    "Silence." He pointed at me. "You. Come, I need to talk to you in private."


    It seemed I would have my discussion with the Emperor sooner than I thought.


    "Sure," I shrugged, walking toward the Emperor, who was already leaving. Just before exiting the arena, he gave onest order. "The banquet is over. Everyone should be out of here in less than five minutes."


    I frowned. I wasn¡¯t sure how he had learned about the time limit of my Camouge skill since the director hadn¡¯t gotten close to him, but he did. So, that was good, I guess.


    Everyone gulped as the maids and butlers guided them toward the exit. It seemed I would be alone with the Emperor for the time being. As I was about to catch up to him, I nced at his daughter. She didn¡¯t seem shocked by what she had seen, which was surprising considering she probably hadn¡¯t seen anyone die before. But, well, she was my most talented student. Who knows what she had done in the past?


    I gave her a little wave and bowed to the Empress, who wasn¡¯t sure how to react. It seemed she had no idea that demons were still part of our society.


    ¡¯Hm, hiding it even from your wife, huh? You really don¡¯t want this information to spread¡­interesting. Well, whatever, it¡¯s none of my business. I¡¯ll finally be able to learn why I was hired as a spy and that¡¯s all that matters.¡¯

 Chapter 39 - 38 - Perdere

    He locked the door behind me as Alexandra disappeared. It was just the two of us in what seemed to be his office. At least, that was my guess from looking around the room. There was an extremelyrge bookshelf filled with books that seemed quite interesting. For a moment, I wondered if his daughter had read most of them. But I had to dismiss this thought as he stared at me, dead in the eyes.


    He tapped a few times on his chair¡¯s armrest, and I just waited.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if this was some sort of method to intimidate me, but it wasn¡¯t working whatsoever.


    "So¡­ are you going to talk or?" I frowned. He was the one who had brought me here. Shouldn¡¯t he be the one starting the conversation?


    "Sure. I¡¯m sure you know why I called you here, right?"


    "I have an idea."


    He nodded. "Alright, let¡¯s cut to the chase. Yes, the demons have infiltrated the human society, and the others. No one is safe."


    I shrugged. I already knew about those things. I wanted to know about my role as a spy, everything else was secondary.


    "How long have you known about them infiltrating our cities, viges?"


    "A few days ago, one of the nearby kingdoms discovered the existence of a hidden demon."


    "A few days, huh? I thought it would have been more. Why didn¡¯t you inform me right away? Shouldn¡¯t I be your spy? That¡¯s what the letter said at least."


    He sighed. "It¡¯splicated. There was a change of n considering your role. That¡¯s why Alexandra didn¡¯t talk to you about it just yet, we were waiting for the right time. But it seems we waited for too long, and they are already starting to make moves. I¡¯m sorry about that, and it will never happen again."


    I frowned. "That didn¡¯t answer my question. Why didn¡¯t you inform me? Haven¡¯t I proven my loyalty to you?"


    "You did. However, no one can control you. You are an uncontroble variable. Only a handful of people can fight against you on even grounds. We couldn¡¯t take the chance of you deciding what to do on your own."


    I clicked my tongue. He was mostly right, but I didn¡¯t want to admit it.


    "Still, even if you can¡¯t control me, haven¡¯t I proved my hatred for the demons? I have killed them for as long as I can remember. Doesn¡¯t that mean something?"


    "That¡¯s exactly why we didn¡¯t tell you. Your hatred might be too intense for now. We don¡¯t need the rest of the demons, who are hidden who knows where, to know that we know about them. It needs to stay a secret for now. That¡¯s what the leaders of each race have decided."


    I nodded. But I still thought it was a missed opportunity to kill Derek when he could have given us a lot of information. s, it was toote to change what was done. Derek was dead and there was nothing that could change that.


    "I see. Then, why did you want to speak to me?"


    "I wanted to make sure that you wouldn¡¯t tell anyone about this."


    I shrugged. "I won¡¯t. But those parents will start talking. They aren¡¯t stupid, they saw."


    He shook his head. "It¡¯s fine. I can deal with them. It¡¯s you I¡¯m worried about."


    "I told you. I hate demons, and I understand why we need to keep their existence a secret."


    The Emperor nodded a few times. "Thank you, then. We will appreciate your help on this. In fact, since your role is now official, it would be best if you could report to me everything you find about demons every week. You can report what you know to Alexandra and she will transfer your intel to me."


    I simply nodded. However, the Emperor was being naive. I could clearly tell that he was wary of me even while asking me to be his spy. There was no real reason for me to give him all the intel that I would be finding outter. Nevertheless, I acted like I agreed to his request. Explore new worlds at §Þ??


    "Sure, I don¡¯t mind. Now, it¡¯s time for you to tell me everything you know about the return of those demons. Do you know anything else about them?" I asked. That was thest question I wanted an answer to. I knew he could lie, but it was worth trying to obtain more information.


    The Emperor rubbed his chin for quite some time, thinking deeply about what he could tell me. After a few moments, he seemed ready as he leaned forward slightly.


    "There is one thing you should know. The kingdom from where they found the demon have also figured out a code name for their organization, or at least, that¡¯s what they think they have found." He raised his hand. "Let me warn you that this is very new information and nothing is official. However, they told me that the demons are under an organization named Perdere. Have you ever heard of it?"


    "Perdere¡­ no. I¡¯ve never heard of that name. But I¡¯ll look out for it." I bowed, thanking him for the information. "I¡¯ll contact you if I find anything about it."


    He smiled. "Sure. In the meantime, act as if you know nothing. Even if some of the professorse to you for information."


    I nodded as I opened the door and headed out. The director was waiting on the right. It had been more than five minutes, which meant that everyone outside had already left, and it seemed that there had been no problem with getting rid of Derek as he didn¡¯t even mention him, simply nodding at me as a sign of respect.


    A maid was waiting for me a bit further and she guided me outside where the rest of the students and parents had been eagerly waiting to find out what had just happened. As soon as I crossed the gates of the Emperor¡¯s Mansion, people started talking to me left and right.


    "They let you out?"


    "Wow, the Emperor has lost his touch, letting a killer loose."


    "Monster! You killed our Professor! You deserve death!"


    I kept my calm hearing them judge me, but I was boiling inside until I heard Da¡¯s distinct touch and voice. I felt her cold figure hug me around the waist as she muttered, "I know you did nothing wrong. I trust you."


    It felt good. Having at least one person who wasn¡¯t against me.

 Chapter 40 - 39 - First Outing

    The next day, I woke up with all kinds of thoughts on my mind. So many things had urred yesterday that I had no idea what to make of the current situation. The demons were back. Actually, they were never gone in the first ce. It was hard to take in because a few weeks ago, I truly believed that we had killed everyst one of them.


    But it seemed we hadn¡¯t managed to exterminate them; they were a sneaky bunch after all.


    Still, even if they were back, I needed to act like nothing strange was happening. I was currently on my way to the Apex Building, and honestly, I didn¡¯t want to see my students. I knew their parents had put a lot of things in their minds about me, like the fact that I¡¯m a killer, among other things. But that was only a detail; I could deal with their judgmental looks.


    I just couldn¡¯t deal with the fact that I wasn¡¯t doing anything.


    I was just teaching kids. Demons are still out there, and I¡¯m here putting on a show for teenagers, trying to make them stronger. I don¡¯t know, it didn¡¯t feel right to me.


    I kicked the rocks on the way to ss as I crossed paths with a few older students who were just ring at me as if I was some monster. I sighed. The media didn¡¯t know the full story, so no one would. I guess I¡¯ll be recognized as a viin for a while now. The one who killed a fellow professor.


    Oh well. That¡¯s my life now. I never cared about what people thought of me and that wouldn¡¯t change now after all this time.


    "Caedrel!"


    I heard my name being shouted a few meters behind me. So, I turned around and saw Ava running in my direction, her hair still all messy, and with her usualb coat. I couldn¡¯t wait to see what she had to say to me.


    ¡¯I¡¯m a monster? Why would you ever do something like that?¡¯


    I clicked my tongue. Whatever it was, I¡¯d just brush it off. I had already heard it all; none of it really mattered anymore.


    She arrived next to me,pletely out of breath, and raised her hand against my chest, forcing me to stay still.


    "Ah¡­ you could have at least stopped!" she said, her head raised, revealing a beautiful smile. "I wanted to talk to you before you headed to ss."


    I nodded, indicating that she could continue.


    "Well, it¡¯s about yesterday¡­ we didn¡¯t really get the chance to talk about what happened back there."


    I waved my hand to dismiss her. "I already heard it all. You don¡¯t need to add more to it."


    She clenched her jaw. "Tsk. Look, I saw what happened. I know what really happened. I¡¯m not stupid; I know you wouldn¡¯t kill anyone for no reason. The Emperor also wouldn¡¯t let you go for no reason."


    Finally, I had met a smart person. If only everyone could make the same connections as her, but no¡­ they were blindly trusting rumors.


    Either way, I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. So, I went with a ssic.


    "Thank you for trusting me. It means a lot."


    She smiled as she noticed that I had already started walking away from her. "Hey! Don¡¯t push me away, okay?"


    I looked back, turned around, and continued walking, but there was a slight smile on my face.


    I guess there were two people I could count on.


    Da and Ava.


    Quickly after that conversation, I arrived at the Apex Building, which was bustling with a lot more people than usual. I wasn¡¯t sure what was happening, but there were at least twice as many people in the building. And it wasn¡¯t twice as many adults; it was twice as many teenagers.


    Still, I didn¡¯tment on it and just headed to ss where some students were already waiting. It seemed that even after what they had seen yesterday, some had decided to attend ss.


    I headed to my desk as usual, and the students red at me with a frown.


    "Is there a problem?"


    Olivia, Ava¡¯s daughter, raised her hand up high instantly. She knew the answer as usual.


    "It¡¯s your clothes, sir. Why are you wearing something like that?"


    I looked at myself. I was wearing the same thing as usual: a tight ck shirt and some ck gloves. I was definitely not wearing anything weird. Though, now that I looked at their clothes, I realized that there might be something wrong with what I was wearing.


    "Why are you all wearing swimsuits and bikinis? Are you nning on going to the beach or something? And why do you all have luggage? Are you all leaving the Royal Academy because of me?" I frowned.


    "Oh, you didn¡¯t see the announcement on your smartwatch? Because of yesterday¡¯s events, they organized a week-long outing to the nearest kingdom."


    First off, there were a lot of confusing things in what she had just said. The first one was the smartwatch, or whatever she had just said; I didn¡¯t have anything like that. Was I supposed to have one? The second one was that we were leaving the Royal Capital and no one had told me. The third one was, why are they wearing swimsuits if we¡¯re going to the nearest kingdom?


    "We¡¯re leaving today?"


    She nodded fervently.


    "Okay, still. Why are you wearing a bikini?"


    That was the most important question out of them all.


    However, when I asked, almost everyone in the ss startedughing at me, and they began muttering to one another.


    "You really don¡¯t know anything about the world apart from the war, huh?" Olivia said without any restraint. To be honest, I was surprised that she was so blunt about it. But she was also right; I didn¡¯t know much about the world apart from the war.


    "I don¡¯t."


    "Then, I guess I¡¯ll be the one teaching you something today." She smiled at me. "The nearest kingdom, Antis, is underwater."

 Chapter 41 - 40 - Bus Ride

    "You never heard of Antis?"


    The one who had just asked me this question was seated right beside me. We were currently on a bus heading toward Antis. I wasn¡¯t too sure how a bus could go underwater, but I just trusted it since no one else was talking about it.


    It was the first outing of all the first-year students, and I was currently on the same bus as another professor. We had talked a bit, and I learned that he was the cksmith professor. So, let¡¯s say that there was a bit of a strange mix inside the bus. Most of his students were dwarves, and mine were pretty much whatever.


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    However, it was easy to figure out which students were mine since their bodies were a lot more developed than those of my students.


    He was also a dwarf, and his name was Thorin. I know¡­not very original, but hey, I¡¯m not the one giving them their names.


    Either way, he was currentlyughing at me because I didn¡¯t know about Antis. He hadn¡¯t even mentioned the banquet and what happened over there, so it was a nice conversation.


    "No, I never heard of it. Is it really that famous?"


    Heughed. "Famous? It¡¯s one of the most famous cities in the entire world."


    I clicked my tongue. "I guess the war really made me ignorant, haha!"


    "Oh, don¡¯t worry about it. The fact you went to the front lines is something that we can all thank you for. Honestly, I truly respect your courage. I could never. I¡¯m better in the back lines, making some weapons for y¡¯all. It¡¯s safer."


    "Oh, you don¡¯t fight? You only make weapons?"


    He shrugged. "Well, if I really have to, I¡¯ll fight. But, uh, I¡¯m quite the peaceful person."


    I frowned right as he uttered those words because his appearance was theplete opposite of someone who loved peace.


    He had a long beard, which was practically reaching his knees. Yes, he was also extremely short and burly, which was typical of most dwarves. Though, the reason why I said he didn¡¯t look peaceful was just the natural look on his face. Even now, he looked angry; even if he smiled at me, I would think that he was angry. It was weird, but that was just how he is, I guess.


    "I see. Is there anything I should know about Antis?"


    He rubbed his chin. "Hm, not really. It¡¯s mainly peaceful. Though, I did hear there were some interesting things going on there recently."


    I nodded. I wasn¡¯t sure if this was rted to what the Emperor had told me since he hadn¡¯t mentioned the name of the kingdom where they had found the first demon, but if it was¡­then me going there might not be a coincidence. I¡¯d have to ask the directorter. Though, as far as I knew, she didn¡¯t join us for this outing, she probably had other things to do.


    "What were those interesting things?"


    He sighed. "Ah¡­I don¡¯t know. I read somewhere that there was a small tournament for students. I¡¯m not too sure, to be honest. I didn¡¯t look too deep into it since my students aren¡¯t the ones usually fighting. But you should definitely look for it once we get there.


    It could be a fun activity for your ss."


    I nodded. He was right. It was pretty interesting, it could also show to the rest of the world that the Royal Academy was still the best Academy in the world. I clicked my tongue. I¡¯d definitely have to look into it.


    "Hm, thank you!"


    Our conversation came to an end as I nced back toward all my students, who were all ying with one another. Strangely, the Emperor¡¯s daughter and Da were sitting next to one another. They weren¡¯t talking, just staring at the seat in front of them¡­I wasn¡¯t too sure if they had be friends, but they didn¡¯t seem to hate one another, I think?


    It was hard to tell, to be honest.


    Then, I nced at Olivia, who was sitting with the loner for some strange reason. It was a weirdbo, but oh well. Who was I to decide where they should be hanging out with?


    As I was about to stand up, the bus came to a stop and almost made me fall down in front of everyone. Still, luckily, I managed to keep my dignity, acting as if it had all been part of my n.


    "We¡¯re here!" The driver practically shouted.


    I frowned, unsure if I understood correctly. We hadn¡¯t even gone into the water. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be underwater? Ah¡­things are just so confusing. Let¡¯s just see what happens next.


    We got off the bus, and the rest of the sses had already arrived as they were all standing in rows. I quickly managed to make a line of my students, and Da strangely found her way to the front. She waved at me discreetly, and I gave her a small pat on her head. She was still trying tofort me. It was cute. I can¡¯t lie.


    We were dropped off in the middle of a random beach from the looks of it. Still, everyone seemed to know what was happening, so I just went with the flow. It¡¯s not like I would be the first one to go into the water.


    "Caedrel!" I heard my name on my right. "Your ss is the first to go!"


    Fuck. It just had to be me. Couldn¡¯t they choose someone else just one time in their life¡­?


    I smiled, dismissing those thoughts. "Coming!"


    The ss followed right behind me as we were guided toward what seemed to be a massive stic tube? My guess was that it was a massive slide to Antis. But when I looked at my students behind me, none of them seemed happy to see the tube. So, it was probably something else. I think?


    The man guiding us pointed at Da, and she was the first one to go inside it.


    She was smiling at me while holding her umbre tightly. "I¡¯m off! See you down there!"

 Chapter 42 - 41 - Challenge

    Never again.


    I¡¯m never going into that giant tube again.


    What kind of transportation method is that?


    It just made me want to puke¡­and I wasn¡¯t the only one. 90% of my ss was currently puking right as theynded at the end of the stic tube. The only positive about this was that they hadn¡¯t puked inside the tube.


    Argh¡­imagine gliding down a vomit-covered slide. That sounds like actual hell because it probably was.


    Still, after some time, the rest of the first years joined us, and we were about to go ahead and leave for the actual city. Because, at the moment, we were still on the outskirts, and there was one person who had been waiting for us.


    It was a mermaid. I had never seen one in my entire life. But they existed. Though, that was the least strange part about all this. I thought that when I reached down there, I would be drowning until I died since we were basically underwater. But no, there is some sort of giant bubble around Antis that makes it possible to breathe.


    It¡¯s strange, I know, and I have no idea how they managed that, but it¡¯s there.


    The mermaid also had legs. I was only able to know she was one because she transformed right in front of us. Her mermaid tail changed into legs right in front of our eyes. And I had to admit, she was pretty, like¡­really pretty. She had long red hair that reached the lower end of her back, and her body was simply incredible.


    She was wearing a bikini that revealed most of it, and it really was nice to look at, and I wasn¡¯t shying away from looking at it.


    Still, I had no choice but to stop looking at her as the other sses arrived one after another.


    "Is everyone here?" She shouted for everyone to hear.


    The professors all looked at one another and nodded. I spotted Ava in the process, as she had alsoe on the outing. However, she was keeping her distance; my guess was that it was because of her daughter since she had been acting very normal earlier when we were alone.


    Her shyness from when I had first met waspletely gone.


    "Yes! We¡¯re ready to go!"


    The one who answered was Thorin, who was the first one to follow right behind the mermaid.


    "Great! Let¡¯s go."


    She walked in front of us, and we followed right behind. It seemed we wouldn¡¯t be going inside another transportation method, which was all I wanted because I could feel the pukeing right back up as we walked.


    Time passed quickly as I talked to some of my students on the way there. It was casual conversations about their training. However, there were some students who would be scared of me when I approached them. It would be quite annoying to deal with, but I just shrugged. I knew seeing a dead body must have shocked them greatly, so I just left them alone.


    "What are we going to do over there?" Da asked.


    To be honest, I had no clue. I wasn¡¯t the one who had nned all this. It was the Royal Academy. They should have been the ones to prepare an itinerary for us, but¡­they hadn¡¯t given us anything, leaving it up to the professors to think of everything.


    That fucking director. Next time I see her, she¡¯ll get an earful.


    "I heard there¡¯s a tournament that¡¯s about to start. We might as well participate, what do y¡¯all think?"


    The students murmured between each other as I could hear both answersing out of their mouths. Some wanted to, others didn¡¯t want to. However, all their answers changed right as another teacher came up to me. It seemed he had heard me talk to them about the tournament.


    "The Apex ss wants to participate in the Antis Tournament? How odd!" The unknown professor eximed. "I was thinking of making my ss participate too!"


    I frowned before turning around toward the professor who had just spoken up, and the first word that came to my mind was "weird." That man just looked weird. He had this sickly look as he had no fat on his body. I could see all his bones, even from where I was standing. It wasn¡¯t a great sight. I wasn¡¯t too sure what his specialty was, but it certainly wasn¡¯t physicalbat.


    "And who are you?" I asked while observing him up and down.


    "Oh, right! We haven¡¯t met. The name¡¯s Oliver. It¡¯s nice to meet you."


    He held his hand forward, and I shook it. However, I made sure not to put too much strength in my grip since I didn¡¯t want to break his hand.


    "Nice to meet you, too. So, you¡¯re also nning on joining that tournament."


    "Yeah, I thought it¡¯d be good training for my students." He stopped talking for a second as he took a step closer to me, whispering something in my ear. "Want to make a challenge against my ss?"


    I took a step back from him as he was honestly smelling terrible. Still, I heard what he had said as I just stared at him.


    "You do know what ss I¡¯m in charge of, right?"


    "Yes, yes, the Apex ss, the strongest ss of the Royal Academy. We both know that¡¯s clearly a lie. My ss is much stronger than yours."


    "It is? What ss are you even teaching?"


    He clicked his tongue. "Isn¡¯t it obvious? I¡¯m teaching the summoning ss!"


    "Oh, that¡¯s¡­cool."


    Seeing myck of reaction, he knew that he needed to keep this conversation going. So, he made things a little spicier.


    "So, are you interested in a challenge? My ss against yours. The ss who ces the highest in the tournament wins. Are you up for it?" Explore more at NovelBin.C?m


    I shrugged. "Sure." I didn¡¯t see any reason why my ss would lose when they were naturally better than his students. He was the one taking on risks right now. "Though, what happens to the one who loses?"


    "Uh¡­let¡¯s say that he can ask anything he wants to the other person one single time."


    I nodded. It wasn¡¯t a bad deal at all, especially since my victory was assured. I looked back, and my ss was now riled up.

 Chapter 43 - 42 - Finley, the Fish-Man

    Shortly after, we finally arrived at Antis, and I have to say... it really is something from up close. I hadn¡¯t managed to concentrate on it while descending that hellish tube. But now that I was a few meters away from it, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off it.


    It was a gigantic city in the middle of the ocean. There were skyscrapers, roads, shops. It was simply incredible. I never thought I would see something like this in my entire life, and it was a nice surprise.


    I could see literal fish-men walking all around me. They looked like fish except for the fact that they were a lot bigger and had a slight resemnce to humans.


    "Here we are! Antis!" the mermaid eximed with a grin. "For your amodations, as decided beforehand, you will be staying within the Antis Academy. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love it."


    She pointed in a direction. "To reach the Academy, you simply need to follow the main road. You will find it at the end."


    Everyone nodded. It was simple enough, right? Just follow the main street. And that¡¯s exactly what we tried to do before I bumped into a fish-man.


    "Sorry, I didn¡¯t see you there."


    Look, it wasn¡¯t my fault. I wasn¡¯t even paying attention, and the guy rammed into me. I even apologized to him, if that isn¡¯t proof of my respect, I don¡¯t know what is. Still, he just had to act like a jackass to me...ah, sometimes I really don¡¯t know what to do.


    "Watch where you¡¯re going, human."


    There was disdain when he uttered the word "human." It seemed we might not be as wee as they let on. Maybe there was some sort of drama between humans and the fish-men that Ipletely ignored.


    Still, I didn¡¯t give him anything to attack me on, just nodding as I continued to walk forward with the rest of my students. The rest of the groups didn¡¯t wait for us since we were thest ones. No one even noticed that we had stopped.


    I prayed that he would let us go in my mind as I didn¡¯t want to make a bad impression everywhere I went.


    "Are you ignoring me?" he uttered as I was already a couple of steps away from him.


    I continued walking as if I hadn¡¯t heard anything, but it seemed that wouldn¡¯t work as I felt something tightly hold onto my shoulder, making it impossible for me to keep walking forward.


    "How dare you ignore me, puny human?" He spat right at my feet.


    I kept a straight face as much as I could. "Sorry about that. I really didn¡¯t see you back there."


    The students also nced at me, wondering what would happen next. However, none of them seemed worried about me; they looked more concerned about the fish-man. They remembered what happened to thest person who had tried to pick a fight against me.


    "We should go, Professor..."


    The fish-manughed even louder. "Did you hear that? Even your students know that you have no chance against me."


    I blinked a couple of times and nced at my students. "Look. I don¡¯t want any trouble. Just let me go my own way, and we won¡¯t ever see each other again."


    I didn¡¯t want to fight him. I could feel the res of all kinds of bystanders around, and I knew what would happen if I were to fight him and win. I would only be getting in a load of trouble again. Readtest chapters at NovelBin.C?m


    Tsk. It just had to be me. It always had to be me.


    "Well, you should have thought about that beforehand."


    He pushed me as hard as he could, but it didn¡¯t even make me take a step back.


    "Look, I would advise you to stop. You¡¯ll just end up getting hurt at this rate."


    I was actually giving him tips to not injure himself. It wasn¡¯t my fault that he wasn¡¯t listening. He tightened his fist and aimed right for my head. However, I grabbed it without much problem and pushed him away very slowly.


    I turned to my students and said, "Alright, let¡¯s continue walking. We¡¯ll make the others worry if we don¡¯t arrive at the same time as them."


    I continued ignoring the fish-man as I even turned my back to him. He tried to punch me again, but I narrowly dodged it without any problem. I knew he was getting angrier by the minute. But, hey, I wasn¡¯t the one trying to fight him. I was actually acting quite mature for once.


    The guy kept trying to attack me as I walked backward, but nothing worked. Slowly but surely, the bystanders startedughing at him more.


    "Did you see that?"


    "Is that Finley? Why is he trying to fight a Professor of the Royal Academy?"


    "Stupid question. It¡¯s all because of his ego. It¡¯s always because of his ego. Luckily, that teacher isn¡¯t trying to fight him or else he would get absolutely demolished."


    Even I heard the bystanders and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The same question was still on my mind.


    Just why did it have to be me?


    He could have picked on anyone else, but no. It just had to be little old me.


    Tired of him trying to hit me over and over again, I subtly tripped him up and decided to elerate the pace, leaving him behind.


    "Y-You!" Finley shouted. "If I ever see you again, you¡¯re a dead man!"


    I just smiled in his direction as I continued to walk down the main road with the rest of my students.


    Soon after, we arrived at the end of the road, right in front of a beautiful building which was most likely the Antis Academy. The rest of the professors had already reached it a few minutes ago, and I could already hear their confusion.


    "Caedrel? Why did it take you so long?"


    I waved my hand dismissively. "Nothing important, don¡¯t worry about it. Should we go in now?"

 Chapter 44 - 43 - Ava’s Past

    The Antis Academy¡¯s floor glowed beneath my feet as I looked up and observed the surroundings. We were in the main hall from the looks of it, as it was spacious enough for all the sses to stand next to one another. In the middle of it, there was a gigantic statue of a Fishman holding onto a trident, his chest puffed out.


    It made me think of a Greek God we had back on Earth, Poseidon. The resemnce was incredible, I swear.


    We waited for a few minutes in the main hall as most of the students were starting to get impatient. It seemed they wanted to go and explore the city right away. I was also the same; I wanted to look around and see if there might be anything rted to Perdere. I still had no way of knowing if this was the ce where they discovered the first demon hidden.


    But I should be able to if I ask the right people.


    Quickly enough, we started hearing some loud footstepsing from the right. And weirdly enough, there were a lot of them. It seemed that there wasn¡¯t one personing to wee us to this school.


    I managed to get a peek at them. There was one mermaid and two fish-man by her side as they approached. The mermaid was once again beautiful, probably one of their traits.


    "Hello to you all! It¡¯s a pleasure to have you here!" She eximed with a warm smile. "My name is Adeline, and I will be the one in charge of you all during your stay. We were informed of your arrival yesterday, so¡­uh, things aren¡¯tpletely ready. Still, your rooms should be somewhat ready."


    Most of us nodded, understanding the situation. However, there was one person who didn¡¯t seem to grasp the situation. It was¡­Jackson.


    "Howe you¡¯re not ready to receive the Royal Academy? You¡¯re a disgrace for your kingdom."


    He even came out of the line I had formed to utter those words as he spat on the ground as if he owned the ce.


    "Jackson." I stared at him dead in the eyes, and he froze into ce. "Learn to respect others."


    His head moved up and down as he got back in line. "I-I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to be disrespectful."


    The mermaid stared at me for a short moment, probably wondering what I had done to the child. His behavior did have aplete turnaround out of nowhere. Still, she didn¡¯tment on it as she turned toward the rest of the professors once again.


    "Right¡­so, you can follow me, and I will guide you to your rooms. Also, because of the short notice, the professors will have no choice but to all sleep in the same room."


    I frowned.


    "I must have heard that incorrectly? Can you repeat, please?" One of the female professors asked, clearly mad.


    "You will have to sleep in the same room as your colleagues."


    She gritted her teeth. "At least separate us from the men."


    "We don¡¯t have enough space. Sorry for the inconvenience."


    She waved her hand and muttered something under her breath as she turned around. The female professor didn¡¯t want to talk to her any longer. I knew that she was totally fuming. However, it was for totally valid reasons.


    Either way, after that interaction, they showed us where we would be sleeping, and I ced myself right beside Ava and Thorin since they were the only people I knew out of all the professors, and the rest of them had spread rumors about me. They were also taking their distance from me since I killed Derek, which does make sense from their point of view.


    I was now heading out with Ava as the students had the day off since there had been a lot of travel time today.


    "It¡¯s your first time, right?" She asked me as we were now back on the same road as earlier.


    "In Antis? Yeah, I didn¡¯t even know this ce existed." Iughed. "It¡¯s your daughter who told me that it was underwater."


    She smiled and nodded, not saying anything else. Because of her silence, it made me think of something. I had wanted to ask her about it, but I had never had the opportunity.


    "Your husband, where is he?"


    Her eyes drifted at me for a short moment before going back to normal.


    "Why do you ask?"


    "Oh. I was just wondering since you¡¯re always around Ava, and I never saw your husband. So, I was just wondering about it," I asked with clear intentions.


    She shook her head. "No, no. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s been long enough. It doesn¡¯t affect me as much anymore."


    We took a seat on a nearby bench as it would make things a lot easier to discuss with one another. She looked straight in front of her and took a deep breath before saying the slightest thing.


    "You see, my husband was just like you, a reckless and confident man."


    I thanked her with a smile.


    "He wanted to be a soldier. He wanted to protect the world that we live in, but he never listened to me. I even begged him to stay at home, but he told me that it was his duty¡­and well, I think you can already tell what happened next."


    I slowly nodded my head. It seemed I had a lot of things inmon with Ava. "How old were you at the time?"


    "I¡¯m not sure¡­he died five years ago. So, I was around 30 at the time."


    "It must have been hard." I smiled as I gave her a small pat on the back. "The same thing happened with me. I lost my parents when I was around fifteen years old."


    Her eyes widened. "That¡¯s not the same thing at all!" She couldn¡¯t believe what I had just said. The worry in her eyes was nice. However, it hadn¡¯t been a huge shock for me since I had barely known them. "Sometimes I forget that you¡¯re younger than me, haha!"


    "How old are you anyway? You look so young."


    "Me? Young, haha! I¡¯m 35 years old."


    I smirked hearing that. I wasn¡¯t lying, she really looked smoking hot for her age, and now that I knew she didn¡¯t have anyone in her life. Then, I wouldn¡¯t shy away from getting closer with her. Stay updated with NovelBin.C?m


    Just as I was about to say something else, guess who I saw right in front of me.


    It was Finley. He was back to annoy me even more. However, this time, he wasn¡¯t alone; he had brought some friends.


    "You thought I¡¯d let you go, huh? I told you already. If I ever saw you again, then I¡¯d kill you."

 Chapter 45 - 44 - Ocean Outlaws

    "Uh¡­" Ava nudged my arm. "Who is this?"


    I sighed. I couldn¡¯t deal with this. The students weren¡¯t anywhere close this time, which meant that I could go all out on him.


    "Just a random guy who can¡¯t take a message."


    The Fishman got closer and took a good look at Ava. "Is she your girlfriend?"


    I shook my head. "No, she isn¡¯t." I noticed her face bing red for a short moment as she had difficulty looking in my direction. She was probably shy.


    "I see. Then, how about bing my girlfriend? You got one hell of a body."


    Her eyes went immediately in his direction. It seemed thatment had managed to rile up the extremely peaceful Ava. I had never seen that glint in her eyes, and it was a nice change, to be honest.


    "What did you just say?"


    "I just said that you have a nice body."


    Finley looked around himself for validation as he startedughing.


    I whispered to Ava, "Do you want me to deal with them?"


    She shook her head as she slowly stood up from the bench. "I¡¯ll deal with it, a bunch of ugly thugs. They don¡¯t even know how to fight."


    I couldn¡¯t help but reveal a smile when I heard her angry voice. She was about to fight them, and it was the very time that I was going to see her fight. Honestly, I was a little interested in the skills she possessed, apart from her great alchemy skills.


    Finleyughed when he saw Ava stand up. He looked at me. "You¡¯re going to let your girlfriend defend you. What a loser."


    I just scoffed. "I told already I¡¯m not¡ª"


    "And what if I am his girlfriend, what are you going to do about it?"


    Woah. Where did thate from? I blinked a few times, and I noticed the frown on her face. She was mad, extremely mad.


    "You don¡¯t know anything about him, and you don¡¯t know anything about me. So, I¡¯ll say it just this once." She pointed toward one side of the road. "Leave."


    I had never thought that I would be able to see such a strong attitude out of Ava, but it was a nice surprise. She sort of looked like me when I would get mad. Still, the one thing that surprised me was the fact that she didn¡¯t deny that we were dating.


    ¡­was she trying to tell me something? Or maybe I¡¯m just overthinking this whole thing. Yeah, it¡¯s probably thetter. Still, I wouldn¡¯t refuse her given the opportunity.


    "What if I stay right here?" Finley said as his hands got closer to Ava¡¯s body.


    "You!" She just shouted as I sensed mana being gathered in her right hand. She was preparing an attack on him, and it wasn¡¯t a light one.


    A ball of light formed in her hand, and she pushed it against the Fishman, who just flew backward until the end of the world. He flew into a bunch of wooden boxes at the other end of the street. And damn, that must have hurt a lot.


    The wooden boxes broke on impact as he removed the debris from his body, pushing them away to stand up once again. He stretched his arm as high as he could and walked forward as if nothing had happened.


    "Was that it?"


    I blinked a few times, unsure how he hadn¡¯t gotten injured from that attack. It seemed that Finley might be a bit stronger than I had previously thought.


    "Do you know who you just attacked?" One of his friends muttered.


    Ava just shrugged. "I don¡¯t, and I couldn¡¯t care less."


    His friends started eying both him and Ava. The look in their eyes made it clear that they were worried for her. "You two should apologize before he gets mad¡­"


    Now, he wasn¡¯t strong enough to defeat me. So, there was no way in hell that I would be apologizing. Ava also didn¡¯t seem to think about apologizing since he had mocked her. Still, while they were on the subject, I might as well gather intel on him.


    "Who is he anyway?"


    "He¡¯s one of the highest-ranked members of the Ocean Ouws. He¡¯s said to have killed anyone who disrespected him."


    They started shaking as they uttered every word.


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    Still, I didn¡¯t even care as I gave him a good look. He did seem to be a good fighter, but was he that good? No. Not even close. However, the organization they had mentioned seemed interesting. It was clearly an illegal one.


    However, I had never heard of it. They might be able to help me learn more about what happened here recently.


    If there¡¯s anyone who should have information about the demon¡¯s appearance, it¡¯s them.


    "The Ocean Ouws, is that some sort of gang in Antis?"


    "Y-You don¡¯t know them¡­" Their voices trembled.


    "I don¡¯t. Should I?"


    "You should. We are the most influential group in all of Antis. So, you better remember that name and apologize to me right away if you don¡¯t want to be our enemies."


    I looked at him as I kicked a rock with my foot. "Nah¡­I think I¡¯m good. What about you, Ava?"


    "I¡¯m good."


    "Yeah, we¡¯re both good. So, you can try to kill us if you want."


    I taunted him and he directly arrived in our direction, and I quickly made work of him as I dodged his punches before tying him up with a rope that I had in my spacial bag. I had some questions to ask him, and having him tied up would make things a lot easier overall.


    "Sorry, I need to ask him some things." I smiled at Ava as I knew that she wanted to defeat him. Still, we were only a week in this ce, so I couldn¡¯t waste too much time gathering information.


    "It¡¯s okay," she quietly uttered as she fidgeted. "I don¡¯t mind¡­"


    After seeing how easily we defeated him, his two friends ran as fast as they could. They didn¡¯t want to deal with us as they simply couldn¡¯t.


    Quickly after that, we found our way into a silent alley and put it on the ground.


    "I need to meet your boss."

 Chapter 46 - 45 - Boss

    Finley stared at me with a frown as he blinked a few times. It looked like he hadn¡¯t managed to hear me. Maybe he was a bit too shaken up from the beating I just gave him.


    I waved right in front of his eyes a couple of times. "Hey! I. Need. To. Meet.


    With. Your. Boss."


    I made sure to utter every single very clearly so that he would grasp every single one of them. However, his frown was only entuated.


    Did I make him deaf or something?


    I swear¡­I didn¡¯t hit him that hard.


    "Can you hear me?"


    I went with a simpler question just to see if he could hear the words that wereing out of my mouth, and he moved his head up and down.


    Good news! He wasn¡¯t deaf. Bad news! He wasn¡¯t speaking.


    "So, can I meet him?" I asked very politely while roughing him up a little.


    Ava gave me a few res as I did so. She was probably wondering what was on my mind since I was asking a criminal to meet his boss. All kinds of thoughts must have been running through her mind.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t exin to her what was happening. She would panic, especially since her husband had died from demons. There was no way to tell what her reaction would be like. I didn¡¯t know to what point she had been affected by his death.


    I stopped looking at her when I heard the voice of the Fishman.


    "You." He barely raised one of his fingers. "Who the hell are you?"


    It did give me a slightugh as this was a question that I had been hearing more and more ever since I had arrived at the Royal Academy.


    "I¡¯m a professor at the Royal Academy. That¡¯s about it. I was a soldier before; there¡¯s really not much to know about me, to be honest."


    He shook his head. "Your strength¡­how are you so powerful?"


    I shrugged. "Who knows, really? So, can I meet with your boss?"


    Finley looked to the side. "I-I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have a lot of contact with my boss. Those idiots earlier were just lying to you. I¡¯m part of the Ocean Ouws, but I¡¯m far from being a high-ranking member."


    I nodded. That was kind of easy to figure out. There was no way that someone with his strength was so respected around here, or else they had a serious problem. Ever since I had met him, I knew that Finley was just a small-time gangster.


    "You¡¯d have toe with me to their secret base. You might be able to meet him there."


    He seemed serious and was saying everything I wanted without even the need to torture him or anything like that. It felt even a little too easy for my taste, but well, I wouldn¡¯tin.


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    "Can we go right now?"


    "No, he won¡¯t be there right now. He¡¯s preparing for the tournament that¡¯s starting tomorrow. He has a few fishman who are going to participate."


    I rubbed my chin. "He¡¯s taking part in the tournament?"


    Finley shook his head. "No, he¡¯s looking over some members of the gang who are going to participate. After all, he¡¯s too old to participate. The tournament is only for people under twenty-one years old."


    "So, he¡¯ll be there tomorrow?"


    He nodded fervently. "Yes, there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll miss it."


    I nodded. It seemed that I would have to make my students participate in that tournament after all. But I still didn¡¯t think that it would start tomorrow. I might have to sign up my students right away.


    I was pretty sure that Finley hadn¡¯t lied to me since all the answers he had given me wereing out of his mouth almost instantly without the slightest amount of thinking. So, either he was the greatest liar I had ever met in my life, or he was so scared of us that he was telling us everything without thinking.


    My bet was on thetter, but I couldn¡¯t be 100% sure.


    "If I find out that everything that you said is a lie, then when we meet again. Getting tied up witll be the least of your worries, I¡¯m telling you."


    I gave him a little threat before removing the rope and restraining him. I wanted to see his reaction. However, he swore to me that everything he had just said was the truth and only the truth. So, I went with it. He didn¡¯t even have a reason to lie.


    "Then, you better stick close to your boss tomorrow because I want to know what he looks like."


    Finley shook his head. "Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll know who he is with a single nce. Everyone in Antis is scared of him. Even authorities won¡¯t do anything against him."


    I nodded again and untied him. "Alright, thank you for your help."


    "S-Sure..." He muttered those words and started running as far away as possible from the alley. He was scared that we would do other things to him.


    Seeing him run away, both Ava and Iughed as we hadn¡¯t expected something like that. Still, she quickly stoppedughing and started asking me a few questions that she wanted the answer to.


    "Why do you want to meet his boss?" She asked with a dubious look.


    I just shrugged. I wasn¡¯t going to tell her now. I needed to know more about her past with the demons and the war. I knew that she had suffered enough, and I didn¡¯t want to put more onto her shoulders.


    "I have a couple of questions for him. Don¡¯t worry too much about it."


    However, that didn¡¯t cut it as she got closer to me.


    "Tell me why."


    She got closer to me, holding onto my right hand and looking at me dead in the eyes.


    Her re was intense. It was as if she wanted more from me. Her body leaned forward against mine, even causing her breasts to squeeze against my body.

 Chapter 47 - 46 - Getting Closer

    Ava moved closer to me, her body slowly pressing against mine. I could feel her warm breath brushing the base of my neck.


    Being so close to her made me feel strange, and when I nced into her eyes, it became even harder to control myself.


    "Ava... can you move away, please?"


    She shook her head with a little smirk. "Not until you tell me why you want to meet someone as dangerous as that man."


    "It¡¯s really nothing special, I¡¯m just curi¡ª"


    Before I could finish, she ced her hands on both sides of my face, forcing me to look at her.


    Things were heating up, and I was doing my best to stayposed. Otherwise, it would make things awkward between us.


    I tried gently pushing her away, but she resisted. She was determined to know the truth, which meant I either had to lie to her or tell her about the demons returning. Clearly, I had only one option, so I decided to lie.


    But before I did, I thought I¡¯d tease her a little¡ªjust for fun.


    "What will you do if I don¡¯t tell you?"


    "Tsk... just tell me, okay?" she said in a cute tone.


    Her shyness had disappeared as she pressed herself even closer to me. It seemed she really liked being this close.


    "Do you like hugging me like this?" I asked with a smirk, expecting her to back off.


    But she didn¡¯t move at all. In fact, she stayed right there, her arms wrapped around me, not saying a word. I waited a few seconds, still no answer. The only change I noticed was the red hue spreading across her cheeks.


    "Ava?"


    "Mmmmh... what is it?"


    "Do you like hugging me this tightly?"


    She looked down, hiding her face in my chest as I asked the question again. I already knew the answer, but it was amusing to watch her act this way. So, I decided to push it a little further.


    Before I could continue teasing her, she looked up at me with her face flushed red and whispered, "I-I..." She hesitated, tightening her hold around my waist. "I do!"


    I was honestly surprised. She had just shouted her confession with such confidence.


    "Oh... and what do you like about it?"


    "I-I like... being close to you."


    I patted her head. "You¡¯re cute."


    "W-What...?"


    "I said, you¡¯re cute. Is something wrong?"


    "N-No, it¡¯s fine. I just... wasn¡¯t expecting that," she said with a bright smile.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile back. Her beautiful body pressed against mine was bing harder to ignore, and I started feeling my third leg getting stiff. If this went on much longer, it was bound to poke her...


    It¡¯s a normal reaction for a guy¡¯s body¡­ it¡¯s not like I can control it, okay?


    As soon as it poked her, she jumped a little, clearly surprised.


    "Is something wrong?"


    For the first time in years, I felt genuinely embarrassed about what had just happened. I hoped she¡¯d brush it off like nothing happened.


    "I don¡¯t know, I just felt something down there..." She nced down, then quickly realized what it was. "Oh."


    Instantly, she pulled away. "I¡¯m so sorry..."


    I tried to say something, but before I could, she turned around and ran off. It seemed she didn¡¯t want to talk about what had just happened.


    Watching her run away, a small smile crept onto my face. ¡¯Could she be my first real girlfriend?¡¯


    I had been with a few women in the past, but none of it had ever turned into anything serious.


    Still, I had a feeling that this time, things could go further.


    "Ah... looks like I didn¡¯t need to lie after all. Nice."


    I hadn¡¯t wanted to lie to Ava in the first ce¡ªit was just to protect her from knowing too much.


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    After that brief interaction, I headed back to where I was staying with my students and wandered the streets for a while.


    On my way back, I found myself once more on the main street, where a few fishmen were walking around like me. None of them seemed interested in me this time. In fact, most of them shot me side nces, as if I were some kind of monster.


    I wanted to tell them I wasn¡¯t the one who attacked them first, but I kept that to myself as I spotted a glowing sign on a store panel, swaying in the breeze. The store looked rundown, but I became curious when I saw a line of people waiting to get inside.


    It was odd, given the state of the store, but it meant whatever they were selling had to be valuable.


    In a few seconds, I reached the back of the line, and immediately, more res were thrown in my direction, as if to ask what I was doing there.


    They even began whispering right in front of me, as though I wasn¡¯t there.


    "Is that the human who attacked Finley?"


    "I think so... he doesn¡¯t look that strong though."


    "Yeah, he must¡¯ve used a trick to beat him."


    Maybe they were stupid fishmen, but I was standing right beside them. I could literally hear every word they were saying.


    I let them talk for a while, but eventually, I started getting irritated. So, I sighed heavily.


    "Look... I just want to see what¡¯s inside this store, so can you two move along?" I said with the biggest fake smile I could muster.


    As soon as I said that, a path opened for me, and I didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment. I walked in, and just as I stepped inside, I felt a soft tap on my right shoulder.


    It was from a very short fishman with a long, white beard.


    I know, right? What kind of fish has a beard...?


    "Hello, Mister Human. What can I help you with?" the bearded fishman asked, smiling brightly.


    ¡¯Hm, what kind of weapon should I buy? I didn¡¯t bring any with me, after all¡­¡¯


    I thought for a moment about the best weapon to intimidate the boss of the Ocean Ouws, and then I smiled when I found the perfect answer.


    "You wouldn¡¯t happen to have a baseball bat, would you?"

 Chapter 48: Chapter 47 - A Strange Wooden Door

    "A what?" The short fishman asked with a clear frown on his face.


    "Ah, right¡­that''s not a thing here. Sorry, do you have some kind ofrge stick?"


    The bearded fishman was even more confused than before. However, he still tried his best to serve me to the best of his abilities. He had already noticed that I was quite different from the people he had met in the past, but maybe that''s what made him more interested in me.


    "Large sticks,rge sticks¡­" He muttered as he looked around his shop. "I probably have that lying around somewhere. But why would you a big stick?"


    "To hit people with it?" I said with a smirk.


    "Hit people?! Then, why would you want a stick? I have swords, spears, maces, any weapon you''re looking for¡­I have them!"


    I shrugged when I heard him say that. "A stick is funnier, no?"


    He just shook his head very slowly when he heard that; he was probably exasperated by me already.


    "Young man, what''s your name?" He suddenly asked out of nowhere, the look in his eyes changing.


    I didn''t know why, but I could feel his big fish eyes staring me down as if observing every single part of my body. It even managed to make me feel awkward. Talk about an achievement.


    "Caedrel, sir. What about you?"


    "Meh, my name isn''t important. Can I ask you another question?" Chapter Your:


    "Sure, I don''t really care."


    "Perfect. Then, can you tell me why you are here¡­in my store?"


    I frowned. I wasn''t sure why he was asking such questions, but I had no reason to lie at the moment, so I simply told the truth.


    "Because it looked interesting, that''s all."


    "What if I told you there was an even more interesting part about this store? Would that interest you?"


    The frown on my face was simply entuated when I heard that. "Uh¡­possibly, but why are you telling me this?"


    The fishman asked me to bend down so that he could whisper to my ear, and that''s exactly what I did.


    "Because I know you''re special. You might be able to hide it from everyone else, but I can see right through your disguise."


    I justughed when I heard that. "Good one. I didn''t expect it. Well, whatever, when are you nning on telling me about this other interesting part of the store?"


    I was curious about it, so I wanted to know more about it. That''s all. It''s not like the students were waiting for me toeback or anything, most of them were getting ready for the tournament. That''s why I could use some of this free time to do whatever I wanted, and who knows maybe I would get a hint about the demons by following this weird-looking fish.


    "Follow me, young human. I''ll show you the way."


    The bearded fishman walked in front of all the customers toward a red curtain that was all the way to the back of the shop, away from the eyes of most people.


    On the other side of the curtain, there was nothing. It was dark, and there was pure darkness everywhere. However, it seemed we still hadn''t arrived at destination as the fishman suddenly bent down and grabbed hold of the floor. He pulled it up and a hatch revealed itself.


    "Come, we still have to walk a little before we arrive."


    I just nodded as thoughts ran wild in my mind.


    I had no idea where we were going, but this ce was clearly hiding something important. Something that no one was supposed to see. I wasn''t sure if it was because of my appearance or strength, but the bearded fishman didn''t seem wary of me whatsoever.


    ''Still, this is weird. Why would he bring me there if he knows about my strength and who I am?''


    Doubts surfaced in my mind as I continued to walk behind the Fishman, who finally stopped walking in front of a in wooden door.


    He looked back in my direction and shed a smile, showing his teeth for the very first time.


    They were made out of gold, and what was even stranger was the look on his face. It wasn''t the same innocent and pure one that he had seen up in the shop. I wasn''t an expert at analyzing people''s faces, but he looked different as if he had a tinge of craziness hidden behind that oldness of his.


    "Are you ready?" He said while his smirk only got bigger and bigger.


    "Yes."


    I was actually quite excited to know what was hiding on the other side of that door. It wasn''t every day that something like this would happen. Actually, it was the very first time since I had been transmigrated into this world. No one had brought me to a secret ce like this in the past. It was apletely new experience, and I was up for it without a single doubt.


    The fishman brought his hand close to the door handle and slowly started twisting it.


    "Ah, right. You can''t speak about what you see in there to anyone."


    "Sure, don''t worry. I''m not one to spread around secrets."


    "Perfect, here we go."


    I was confused as to why he was so easy going. He had little to no idea of who I am, and he had no idea if I would keep my promise of keeping my mouth shut about this ce.


    When he opened the door as a whole, that''s when I understood that this whole thing was a lot moreplicated than I thought. Hiding behind that wooden door was a portal.


    Where would it lead? I had no clue.


    "Follow me."


    The Fishman didn''t try to exin anything as he simply walked right through the portal before him.


    I was wary of the portal but still decided to follow him as I didn''t think anyone strong enough would be able to deal with me on the other side.


    My vision became fuzzy while I walked through the portal, but once I regained it, I noticed that I was in some kind of grand auditorium, and on the stage, there was a cutedy wearing quite a revealing outfit speaking to thousands of people sittingfortably in their seats.


    ''Wait¡­what''s that behind her?'' I thought in the back of my mind as I noticed a big, ck cage right behind her.


    However, before I could answer the question myself, the cutedy on the stage started speaking.


    "Wee everyone to the brand new edition of our Secret Auction House. Today, on the menu, we have everything that you could ever dream of. ves, weapons, rare artifacts, pets, anything you could dream of, we have it."


    I stopped walking momentarily when I heard the word "ves." I looked at the fishman before me and simply eyed him for a few seconds, wondering what the hell was wrong with him.


    ''Just who are you really?''


    I looked on the stage and quickly realized what was inside the ck cage. It was obvious now that she had mentioned ves. I could see it from where I was standing; there was a young girl lying on the ground¡­looking absolutely drained of all energy.


    ''Just where the fuck did I end up?''

 Chapter 49: Chapter 48 - Nymira and Lirael

    -Knock!


    -Knock!


    -Knock!


    The bearded fishman had made me follow him upstairs. He seemed to be quite the respected guest, as most people he would cross would bow when they got a nce at him.


    However, that wasn''t the strangest thing about this ce. It was the number of people from all races. There were humans, elves, fishmen, dwarves, you name it. There were literally thousands of people in some kind of secret auction.


    ''Does the Emperor know about this?'' I thought.


    I had a feeling he knew about this ce, and that was concerning to me. I already knew that the Emperor didn''t fully trust me, and it was the same thing for me. I wanted to know more about him before I started telling him everything I knew.


    If I ever found out that the Emperor was affiliated with a ce that sold off ves¡­I don''t know what I would do. But one thing was sure, it wouldn''t be pretty.


    Nevertheless, I put those thoughts of mine in the back of my mind as the door the Fishman had been knocking on suddenly opened.


    I tried to ask the fishman some questions about this ce, but he hadn''t said anything yet.


    He had kept silent ever since we had entered this auction house. However, he was a good customer from the looks of it. Truth be told, the more I looked at him, the more I thought that there was a slight chance that he was the boss of the Ocean Ouws.


    Still, he didn''t look like much. I couldn''t feel the slightest amount of strengthing from his body. It was strange.


    As the door opened, we were met with two beautiful elven maids who were tight outfits, showing off their nice curves.


    "Hello, esteemed guest. We are happy to see you once more."


    "Take care of him," the Fishman said as he pointed in my direction, causing the two maids to look directly at me. "He''s new. Make sure he knows how this ce works."


    "Of course, esteemed guest! We''ll exin everything to him!"


    After he said that, the Fishman walked over to one of the few chairs that were a few meters away from where we were standing. With a quick look, I was able to see the silhouette of a few different people, which meant that we weren''t alone in this private room.


    However, before I could follow him, I was pulled away by the two maids.


    "Ladies,dies, calm down. There''s enough of me for the two of you," I said with a smirk, clearly joking.


    Within seconds, they stopped pulling me as they just stood beside me.


    "Could you sit there¡­?" One of them finally spoke up. She seemed quite shy as she looked in my direction, which was strange considering her profession, but I listened and sat on the floor.


    "Of course, but could I know both of your names?" Chapter Enjoy:


    I had a good feeling that the two elves standing before me were something else than maids.


    In fact, I was almost sure that all the staff members of this auction house were ves, which was something that was making my blood boil at this very moment. Still, I managed to control myself. This wasn''t the time nor the ce to go ballistic on everyone in this ce.


    "She''s Nymira, and I''m Lirael. What about y-"


    Nymira had long blonde hair and quite the perfect body. Lirael had simr proportions, however, her hair was brown, making it quite simple to differentiate the two of them.


    Before she finished talking, Nymira put her hand on Lirael''s face, making it impossible for her to continue speaking.


    "Sorry, that was rude of her. Please don''t punish her¡­"


    I frowned. This reaction definitely wasn''t normal, however, I didn''t let it show on my face. I needed to learn more about this ce and fast. It was a good thing that the girls before me had no idea who I was or why I was even brought here. They probably that I was a big deal considering that I came with the bearded fishman.


    "Ah, it''s fine. I don''t mind you guys asking my name, haha. It''s Caedrel, Caedrel Stuart! Nice to meet you,dies."


    The two of them blushed once more as they could barely look straight into my eyes.


    ''I guess I really am that beautiful, huh? Ava, now them¡­maybe I was always a charmer, but I never found out because I was always fighting on the battlefield?'' I thought, noticing that most girls I had talked to since I became a professor were mostly shy around me.


    "N-Nice to meet you¡­" The two of them said inplete unison.


    I brought my head forward and whispered, "So, which one of you two is going to exin what this ce is and how it works?"


    "Oh, right¡­!" Nymira eximed. "This ce is the Underground Auction House! It''s a secret ce that no one apart from a select few knows about. Here, the richest and most powerful people around the world gather and buy everything they desire¡­at a certain price, of course."


    "Hmm, alright. And where are we exactly?"


    "That''s a secret. After all, we can have undesired visitorsing here since it wouldn''t be very secret at that point, now would it?"


    I nodded slowly as what she had just said were things that I had managed to grasp already by walking and hearing what was happening in this ce.


    "I see, then¡­would it be possible for me to buy you two beautifuldies? You see, I need help with some hard tasks¡­in my job."


    The two of them didn''t say anything at first as they just looked at each other with a red face, clearly surprised by what I had just asked. But hey, I was actually serious, I was actually interested in buying them. I needed some help around in my ss to deal with the boring paperwork and some tasks.


    After all, I missed out on getting an assistant to help me, so this was pretty much the perfect asion to get one or two¡­I''m not one to count. I also didn''t want them to rot in this ce any longer, if I could get them out, I would do it in a heartbeat.


    "You could potentially buy us¡­but we''re quite expensive," Lirael said as if there was no chance I could have enough to buy them.


    However, the look on her facepletely changed when I asked my next question.


    "How much?"

 Chapter 50: Chapter 49 - Lurok

    "Lurok? Who''s that weird guy you brought with you?"


    "Oh, just someone I met in my store before I headed here."


    I didn''t want to tell them about his identities and his strength since it would just put everyone in this room on edge. It was better for them to think of him as some kind of imbecile.


    After all, even I wasn''t totally sure about his identity. The reason I brought him here is because of what I felt when I looked at him with my eyes. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before, which is why I wanted to know more about him. However, from a quick nce, he doesn''t seem to be the smartest of the bunch.


    "Is he anyone special?"


    "Special? I don''t know yet. I just met him, after all."


    "Hm, fine. If you don''t want to tell me, I''ll just find out with my own means."


    The man snapped his fingers, and instantly, someone appeared beside him. He whispered something, and the person was gone once again.


    That man, or rather, the dragon sitting next to me, was actually someone who held a lot of power. He was the prince of one of the most prestigious dragon families.


    "Did you really have to do that, Zephyr?" I said with a sigh, as this wasn''t the first time something like this had happened. "I''m telling the truth. I really don''t know much about him. I just thought he was interesting, that''s all."


    "If you found something interesting about him, it means that there really is something. I''m not stupid. I know about your eyes."


    I waved my hand in a dismissive manner as I looked back toward Caedrel and the two maids who were currently taking care of him.


    I wasn''t too sure what was happening, but he was making the maids quite shy as the two of them werepletely red. To be honest, it was the first time I had ever seen maids get flustered around clients.


    ''Maybe his strength relies on his charm?'' I thought in the back of my mind.


    Ever since I had met him back in the shop, there was only one thing on my mind, finding out the source of his powers. After all, my eyes had indicated to me that he was extremely powerful. However, that was it. There was nothing else, usually I would get a lot more information, but this time no matter how much energy I put in my eyes¡­I would get absolutely nothing.


    It was as if there was a veil hiding his real identity and power.


    "Lurok, can we trust him?"


    This time, it wasn''t Zephyr who spoke up, but someone that even I was wary of. A man I barely knew anything about. He called himself Zero, and he always wore a ck mask covering his entire face.


    "Yes. He won''t say anything about this ce to anyone, trust me."


    "Fine. But if something goes wrong, you will be the one receiving the punishment."


    I shrugged. After all, I had already made sure that there was no way for him to speak of this ce to anyone. I had done so right before we had entered the portal by looking at him in the eyes and making him ept not to.


    He doesn''t know it yet. But if you ept to do something by looking at me in the eyes, you are bound by a death contract to respect what you epted. That''s why I had brought him here without a second thought.


    "Anyways, enough about him. You''ll be able to ask your questions once he''s done with the maids. What are you two looking to buy today¡­it doesn''t happen often to see you in here."


    "I heard there was an interesting item that would be sold here. That''s all," Zero said without a single hesitation.


    "Oh, are you interested in her?"


    "Perhaps. It''s not every day that we get an elven princess put up for Auction."


    I nodded as I shook my head.


    ves were not my thing. I honestly found it disgusting that people were interested in buying some. However, it''s not like I could change anything on my own. This ce has strict rules, and I wasn''t about to risk death for some people I had never seen before in my life.


    "What about you, Zephyr? Anything that interests you?"


    "Meh, not really. I was just bored, so I decided toe here."


    "Mhm, not surprising."


    "What is that supposed to mean?!"


    I shrugged. "Nothing, don''t worry about it."


    Before, Zephyr could continue to press me about it. It seemed like it was finally time for the Auction to actually start.


    "Ladies and gentlemen! I''m very sorry for the dy, we had somest minutes important customers we had to take care of. However, now we have dealt with everything and we are ready to start! I hope everyone is excited!"


    I looked onest time behind toward Caedrel, and for some reason, he seemed to have gotten a lot closer to the two maids as they were now following right behind his shadow as he stood up.


    ''How did he manage that in literal minutes¡­?''


    "Caedrel,e here. It''s about to start; if you want to bid on anything, just tell me, alright?"


    It seemed I pulled him out of a great moment as it took him a few seconds to answer me and even stand up.


    "Ah, sure. Thanks."


    "You can stand behind my chair."


    "No, no,e and sit down next to Zephyr! I''m interested in learning more about you."


    I looked at Caedrel''s face when Zephyr said this, and for some reason, he wasn''t intimidated in the slightest. He just revealed a bright smile and walked toward the empty seat on Zephyr''s right.


    "Seems you already got to know both Nymira and Lirael, huh?"


    "Ah, yes. I just bought them, actually."


    Chapter Stay:


    "YOU WHAT?!" I shouted as loudly as possible. "Do you have a death wish or something?"


    "What do you mean? I have enough money for them, I swear."


    I face-pped myself. "Don''t you know who''s their owner?"


    "Uh¡­no? Am I supposed to care?"

 Chapter 51: Chapter 50 - The Masked Man

    I wasn''t too sure why, but the bearded Fishman was absolutely furious with me for buying the two elven maids.


    Chapter Enjoy:


    Something about their owner being someone important. I didn''t pay much attention to what he was saying because I simply didn''t care. Whoever was their owner wouldn''t do anything against me. Well, he could potentially do something but it wouldn''t achieve anything.


    I am Caedrel Stuart, not some random person who you can bully easily.


    "Yes, you''re supposed to care! Do you know who you just offended?" The bearded Fishman said as he looked behind him toward a weird-looking masked man.


    For some reason, he seemed to be scared of him, which wasn''t something I had anticipated. After all, I thought of the fishman as one of the most respected people in this ce. However, if he was scared of this masked man. Then, it meant there was a good chance that he was extremely strong, and more importantly, he was bound to have a lot of connections.


    ''Maybe that guy knows about the demons still being in activity?'' I thought in the back of my mind.


    Still, I quickly shook my head when I noticed that the three of them were looking in my direction with quite a serious look.


    "Instead of looking at me like some sort of madd, can''t you just tell me who I offended?"


    I could feel the maids who were standing behind me getting nervous as they tapped on the ground with their feet.


    "Look, I didn''t do anything wrong. They told me their price, and I told them that I would pay for it. If I did something wrong, then just tell me, and I''ll solve it."


    As I said that I looked in the direction of the masked man who simply waved his hand without a single worry in the world.


    "Don''t worry about it. You can have them. Consider it a gift from me; no need to pay."


    I frowned at hearing that. I didn''t want any freebies.


    "They''re yours? No, no. I insist I''ll pay for them."


    The masked man sighed. "Whatever, let''s talk about itter. The auction is about to start."


    The maids instantly became a lot more calm as they looked in my direction with bright smiles, making me quite nervous because of how pretty they were. After all, it was the first time I had experienced something like this. During the war, I had never paid attention to females at all.


    And I won''t lie. It was an experience that I would never forget.


    Still, I had no choice but to give my full attention back onto the stage as I was quite interested in the items that would be sold in this auction. I was quite interested in the person who was currently caged as there was no way that I would let her be bought by one of the perverts currently present in this ce.


    I would buy her. I promised myself. I would free her from this cruel ce.


    "We are starting things slowly!" The beautiful girl on the stage said as an item suddenly appeared right beside her. "This is the legendary sword known as the Excalibur. It is one of the strongest swords in the entire world. The starting bid is 100,000 Coins!"


    I frowned when I heard the ridiculous priceing out of her mouth. ''100 000 Coins? And that''s starting slowly. I really am in a ce with only big shots.''


    Instantly, hands were raised in the room. And that''s when I noticed something about this ce. Something that must have slipped past me.


    Elves. I couldn''t see them anywhere. Actually, that was a lie. The only elves I could see at the moment were those who were employees or, rather, ves. There was something strange going on, and I needed to know more.


    "Zeph, are you interested in the sword?" The bearded fishman asked with a smirk.


    "That cheap-looking sword? Nah¡­not interested."


    "What about you, Caedrel? Interested?"


    "Swords? Nah, I don''t use those." I shook my head. "Though, I do have a question for you boys."


    The bearded Fishman looked at me with a frown instantly. However, he still weed the question.


    "Could you tell me why all the employees of this ce are elves?"


    "Ah. That. Don''t worry about it, it''splicated."


    "I don''t think you understand," I said, my tone suddenly changing. "I want to know why there are only elves as ves in this ce."


    I was tired of hearing answers that didn''t mean anything. I had tried the easy going approach, but it seemed like it wouldn''t work. Controlling my emotions was always something I had struggled with in the past, and it was once more showing as I could feel some of aura leaking from my body, spreading through the room.


    The first one to notice it was definitely Zephyr, as he immediately looked at me as if ready to fight.


    "Look, man, no need to get mad. We''ll tell you. It''s not like it''s a big secret or anything," Zephyr said, trying to calm the situation down.


    However, before Zephyr could open his mouth again, the masked man answered.


    "No. No one will tell this man anything."


    "Do you have a problem with me?" I said with a smile as I looked over in his direction.


    "No, I just don''t know you, and I don''t trust you."


    This man¡­there was something different about him, and I needed to find out what it was.


    "You," I said as I pointed in his direction. "Who are you?"


    "HAHAHA!" Heughed like a crazy man. "Do you have hearing problems?"


    He stoppedughing suddenly, and the atmosphere suddenly became heavy.


    For the first time in a very long time, I felt in danger.


    The person behind that mask was no ordinary man. I could feel it; that man had the strength to potentially fight on even grounds with me, and the amount of people who could do such a thing was less than ten.


    I needed to be careful of the power I showed around him, or else he might be extremely wary of me. The aura I identally slipped most likely made him react in such a way.


    "Why are you suddenly so quiet?" The masked man suddenly asked me.

 Chapter 52: Chapter 51 - Worse Than a Demon

    The man kept staring at me as the aura he emitted kept getting stronger and stronger over time.


    He was powerful, very powerful, maybe just as powerful as me.


    "Why are you quiet all of a sudden?" He said as a smirk shed through his mask. "Scared?"


    I thought about what to do as he kept showing off his strength, making both Zephyr and Lurok extremely scared of him.


    I had two options, and I needed to weigh both of them.


    The first option was respond to him by showing my strength. The second one was acting scared just like the other two.


    It was hard to choose because I didn''t want to reveal my full strength to those around me. They knew I was special, but they had no idea to what extent. That''s why I was extremely tempted to act like I was impressed and scared of his power.


    That''s why I decided to y the long game as I brought out my best acting!


    "S-Sorry¡­I-I didn''t know you were this powerful¡­"


    I made sure to stutter as much as possible to make things even more convincing and it seemed to work quite well as he seemed quite pleased with my reaction.


    "It''s good that you know your ce. Also, you can call me Zero."


    ''Zero, huh?'' I frowned. ''Strange name. I''ll remember it.''


    "O-Okay, Z-z-zero¡­"


    "Haha! No need to be scared. I won''t hurt you."


    I just shook my head as I kept acting extremely scared of him. The maids sitting on top of me also seemed frightened of what just happened, as they currently had no idea that I was making a fool of myself. After all, if I were to show my strength to Zero, then there was a good chance that a fight would ensue.


    For the next few minutes, I stayed quiet as I didn''t think it was wise to continue acting like nothing had happened. The auction continued, and no one in our private room bid on anything. Lurok, the bearded fishman, asked me a few times if I wanted to buy anything, but I always refused instantly.


    Surprisingly, he didn''t pressure me into buying anything as he simply shook his head everytime. He seemed to empathy with what I had just went through with Zero. My guess was that he had gone through something simr in the past.


    Still, after a few minutes, I had a question that I really wanted to ask Zero. It was something that had been on my mind ever since I had heard his nickname.


    "Can I ask you a question¡­uh, Mister Zero?"


    He scoffed for a moment before agreeing.


    "It''s fine if you don''t want to answer¡­But I was wondering what your race is. Are you a human, a dwarf?"


    I had other questions on my mind, but I thought that this one had the most chances of being answered.


    "Caedrel, right?" He started off.


    "Yes, sir. That''s my name."


    "If I want to tell you something about myself, I will. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, I understand. Sorry about that."


    However, while I epted, it was to keep my role as a scared person. I would have to find a way to figure out his race before we ended this thing. The fact that he was acting so secretly about everything annoyed me greatly. Still, I had ways to figure out what his race was.


    However, there was just one little problem with those methods.


    I needed to touch Zero.


    ''I need to provoke him, but not too much that he would want to kill me¡­'' I thought in the back of my mind. ''If he starts bidding on an item, then that would be my perfect chance, but he doesn''t seem to be interested in anything at all.''


    Minutes passed by once again, and Zero still didn''t bid on anything, which meant that neither did I.


    The items being shown in the auction were actually extremely valuable every time, but they were things that I had no interest in. I only cared about fighting others, and I didn''t do anything shy to do so. The only times I would pull out my weapon was when I would have to fight seriously, and that practically never happened in my life in this world.


    The ones who had seen my weapon had all died under my de, and fun fact, almost everyone on the battlefield thought that I could only use my fists to kill demons.


    If only they knew¡­


    Then, as I thought that I would need toe up with another idea, the auction''sst item was put up for auction.


    "Ladiessss, and gentlemen! It''s finally time to reveal our greatest item for tonight, the grand finale! Are you excited?"


    Screams of excitement rang in the auction house. People threw money on the stage, I had no idea why, but the people in the stands were absolutely crazy.


    "YESSS! SHOW US WHAT SHE LOOKS LIKE!"


    ''Money and power is probably the reason they act this way. It corrupts most people, after all.''


    I have experienced it many times in my life.


    People who had been fighting for the good their entire life, changing overnight because they had received power to dominate others.


    It was despicable. Ugh¡­just thinking about it makes me mad.


    "Our final item is a SLAVEEE!" The girl on the stage shouted with a bright smile.


    However, while she smiled, I didn''t.


    "She''s a princessing straight from the elven territory! She just turned 18, and more importantly, she is a virgin!"


    "Daddy will take care of you, baby girl!" A guy below us in the stands said.


    "I''ll be the one to buy her!" Another one said.


    Every single time I heard somethinging out of the mouth'' of those pieces of absolute trash, I could feel my heart pumping with rage and my fists clenched.


    ''I will remember all of your faces. If we ever meet again, each and every single of you will die by my hands, you fucking disgusting pigs.''


    "Zero, you wanted to buy her, right?" Lurok said out of nowhere, catching mepletely off-guard.


    "Yes. I was quite interested in a cute elven princess like her. She would be perfect for my collection."


    I could see him licking his lips behind that mask of his.


    I wanted to kill him.


    Right here, right now, in front of everyone.


    This man, Zero, was even worse than a demon.

 Chapter 53: Chapter 52 - Who Are You?

    ''Should I kill him?''


    I had reached this point when I had heard the atrocities that had juste out of his mouth.


    A collection of ves?


    That was the turning point. This man, or whatever he really was, was worse than everything I had evere across in my life.


    He was worse than a fucking demon.


    That meant a lot, especiallying from me. I hated demons more than anything in the world, but the people in this ce were just as bad; their mind was twisted, and there was no doubt about it.


    How could anyone with a sane mind watch this and think it was normal?


    I shook my head. ''I can''t kill him¡­not now. It isn''t time. However, what I can do is make sure that no one buys that princess apart from me.''


    She was an elven princess, she would fit right in the Apex ss. She would actually be a perfect fit.


    "The starting price to buy her is 10 Million Coins! Anyone interested?" The girl on the stage smiled as she already knew that dozen of people would raise their hands in an instant.


    The elven princess was actually extremely beautiful, which meant that all those weirdos would be even more interested in buying her.


    Even with the price being so high, I had never seen that many hands raised yet, and surprisingly, Zero kept his hand lowered.


    I wasn''t sure why, nor did I care, but I decided to do the same as him.


    "We got 10 Million Coins! What about 11 Million?"


    Hands were raised once again, and the auction continued as the price kept rising. Fewer people started betting and had one point. There were only two people left, bidding it out.


    Zero still hadn''t raised his hand, and my guess was that he wanted to make a grand entrance when people least expected it.


    But I honestly couldn''t wait to see his face when he would see me raise my hand, haha.


    Money wasn''t a problem. I had tons of it. My years of service weren''t for nothing, and all the items I had collected over the years also weren''t for nothing.


    The auction price was now at a staggering 25 Million Coins.


    "25 Million Coins, anyone else?" The girl on stage said. "Going once¡­going twice¡­"


    And just as she was about to seal the deal, Zero calmly raised his hand up high and said, "50 Million Coins."


    The room became dead silent. Everyone turned around toward us, and instantly, they understood that there was no need to bid any longer. The biggest yer hade into y, and there was nothing they could do against him.


    "5-50 Million Coins?! Wow, thank you so much, Mister Zero! I was actually wondering if you let an opportunity like this pass by."


    As she mentioned the name Zero, murmurs started filling the auction house.


    "Zero is here?"


    "We never had a chance in the first ce¡­"


    "Tsk, why is he always ruining the fun of everyone else?"


    It seemed to be quite known around here. But more importantly, that man liked the attention, which meant that it would be even funnier when I would ridicule him in front of everyone.


    "Congrats on your purchase, sir!" Lurok congratted like a good little bitch, thinking that it was over.


    However, I still hadn''t raised my hand yet.


    It was now time to make an even greater entrance than Zero.


    It was now time to shock everyone gathered in this room.


    "Anyone else?" The girl on stage asked as a formality as she knew that it was basically over. No one would be crazy enough to bid higher than this, especially against Zero¡­they would have to be mentally insane.


    But luckily for her, there was someone fucking insane in this auction house, me.


    I''m quite literally him.


    I slowly raised my hand and did the exact same thing as him. I said my bid loud enough for everyone to hear.


    "100 Million Coins."


    I could hear heads turn in my direction, but it only made my smile grow.


    "What?! Are you fucking crazy?" Lurok shouted.


    "It''s fine, Lurok. If he wants to y, we can y," Zero said, and he also formed a smile on his face.


    "110 Million," Zero dered as he closed his eyes, thinking that it was over.


    However, he didn''t know who he was up against. It was me, Caedrel motherfucking Stuart. That''s right, he was against me.


    "125 Million."


    "Caedrel, stop! Do you even have that much money? You''re just a professor."


    I turned to look directly into Lurok''s eyes and just smiled. "You don''t know anything about me. Now, if you would, please shut your mouth."


    Everyone in the auction house couldn''t believe it as they just stared at us from below.


    Most people wondered who I was since they had never seen me before.


    "Do you know who that guy with red and purple hair is?"


    "Never heard of him. He must be some kind of bigshot if he''s in that room¡­"


    "You''re right¡­maybe some kind of businessman that we haven''t seen before."


    I heard those murmurs, and I could onlyugh at their guesses.


    ''Businessman? Me? Talk about a boring fucking life.''


    "Wow! 125 Million Coins! This is incredible, could I know the identity of the gentleman who just bid such an amount?"


    I smirked as I slowly stood up from my seat. The two of them were looking at me with their eyes wide openedpletely shocked by the actions I was currently taking.


    "Are you asking me?" I said with a big smile.


    "Uh¡­yes."


    "I''m just a lowly professor from the Royal Academy, that''s all."


    Instantly, I heard reactions from below. No one believed me obviously. What kind of professor could even earn that much money.


    "A professor?! How does a professor have that much money?"


    "He must be lying. There''s just no way that''s possible."


    The person who was most shocked was obviously the person on the stage. She had a lot of difficulty believing me. But who wouldn''t?


    "What is a professor doing in our VIP room exactly?"


    I just shrugged. "Who knows?"

 Chapter 54: Chapter 53 - Idiot

    How long has it been since I''ve been locked up in this cage? Ah¡­I don''t even know anymore. Maybe a month, maybe two¡­one thing is sure. It''s been a very long time.


    Every day had been hell. They would give me the bare minimum for me to stay healthy, but that was it. I was locked up like a prisoner. The worst part of all this was that I didn''t even know how I got captured.


    All I remember was me going to bed normally and waking up in this stupid cage. That''s when weird-looking people talked about what my future would look like.


    They told me I would be a ve¡­ At first, I thought it was a joke to scare me. But as the days passed, I realized that it wasn''t a joke at all.


    And that''s how I got here in front of thousands of people looking at me as if I was some kind of piece of meat that they could have given a certain price.


    Disgusting people. All of them. Actually...there was one person within the entire crowd that didn''t seem all that bad.


    He managed to make me giggle from the inside even when I was stuck in this situation, and for some reason, when he looked in my direction, I wasn''t able to sense the same thing as the rest of those weirdos.


    The look in his eyes was pure, devoid of any bad intentions.


    "What is a professor doing in our VIP room exactly, and how does a professor have 125 Million to spend on a ve?"


    "Who knows? Can''t a professor make that much?"


    I smiled. For the first time in days, I managed to smile. It felt good for a short moment.


    That guy just looked so¡­stupid? I don''t know, he was funny to me.


    "Well, if you don''t want to say who you really are, then that''s fine. Just make sure you have the money you bid. Otherwise, there will be consequences."


    The man just nodded and gave a little shrug.


    "Now that''s done. Anyone else?"


    I looked toward that masked man who was looking at me directly in the eyes and his vibe was theplete opposite from that professor or whoever he really was.


    I felt chills just by looking at him¡­he was scary.


    Actually, I couldn''t even look at him in the eyes anymore¡­it was too much.


    ''Please don''t bid¡­please don''t bid.''


    I prayed in the back of my mind that he would just let me go. I didn''t want to go with him¡­


    "Going once¡­going twice¡­going thrice! It''s done. Our beautiful, virgin, elven princess was sold to the gentleman with red and purple hair standing in our VIP room. May you give us the honor of knowing your name?"


    He stood up right away with a huge smile on his face. He looked very excited for some reason.


    He slowly started walking forward.


    The man turned around suddenly, and it seemed the masked man was talking to him about something. However, he justughed it off, making it seem insignificant.


    The VIP room was actually a tform that was simply ced above everyone else giving them the perfect view, however that was it. There was no window, there was nothing separating them from the rest apart from that high-ced tform.


    Then, as he reached the end of that tform, I couldn''t see him anymore.


    He had disappeared as if he had never been there in the first ce.


    I looked around frantically, trying to find him as fast as possible.


    ''Please don''t tell me that you left me¡­I don''t want to go with the other guy. Please¡­''


    "My name? Caedrel. Caedrel Stuart. Nice to meet you all."


    I heard his voice but for some reason¡­I heard it right next to me. But that made no sense. He had been hundreds of meters away, standing at the edge of a tform. How could he be on the stage with us?


    When I looked in his direction, I saw that he wasn''t alone. He had two beautiful elven maids in his arms, which he quickly let go of.


    "Y-You¡­how?" The girl on the stage was even more flustered than I was.


    That man, Caedrel, had his hand extended in her direction, waiting for her to shake it as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.


    "My name is Caedrel. Could I know yours?"


    The girl blushed instantly. "M-Me¡­uh, my name is Alexa."


    "I see. Nice to meet you."


    Then, after he said that, our eyes met up close for the very first time.


    "And what about you? What''s your name?"


    I tried opening my mouth and saying my name, but I couldn''t. It had been weeks since I hadst spoken, and my throat was so dry that no words even came out.


    I coughed once, and it was fixed.


    "Um, um, my name is Arie¡­it''s nice to meet you."


    "So, how does this work? Do I just let her free from the cage? It''s my first time buying a ve, so I got no clue."


    I released a small giggle when I heard him speak.


    He looked so¡­stupid and easygoing when he had just spent millions. I just couldn''t understand this man. It was a weird thing to say, considering that he had just bought me, but I couldn''t wait to learn more about him.


    "Come with me. We''ll get everything ready," Alexa said as she made a sign to someone on the right, and instantly the curtains closed.


    "Before we prepare the ve contract, please give us the money."


    "Uh¡­how do you want it?" He said with a smirk.


    "Whatever way you want to give it to us."


    "Ah, fine. Here."


    He grabbed a pouch around his waist and turned it around, causing millions of coins to fall out of it.


    "S-Sir¡­what are you doing?"


    "Well, I''m paying, why?"


    Alexa had this look of exasperation on her face because of what Caedrel had just done.


    "Just who invited this idiot here¡­" She whispered to herself.


    "Hmm...what did you just say? I didn''t understand," Caedrel, the man who had just bought me for 125 million, said with an innocent smile.

 Chapter 55: Chapter 54 - Touching Zero

    We were now in the back room where even Lurok, Zero, and even Zephyr hade to see them as it seemed that there weren''t really done with me.


    However, they ignored one thing. I was also not done with them at all. After all, I still hadn''t managed physical contact with Zero, which meant that I still ignored his race. That''s why I had weed them with my arms wide open when I saw them walk in.


    "Are you guys here to congratte me on my purchase?" I asked with a big smile as I looked at each of them.


    Lurok seemed to be the most pissed off out of the three people in front of me, which was weird, considering that I hadn''t done anything to him.


    Zero, I had no idea since he had this mask over his face, and Zephyr, well, he wasn''t really important at the moment, so I didn''t care what he thought or looked like.


    "Who are you really?" Lurok said with a look of confusion. "I knew you were special the first time Iid eyes on you, but for you to have 125 Million coins to throw like this to buy a ve is absolutely crazy. There aren''t many people I know who could do that. So, I repeat my question, who are you?"


    "I told it before. I''m just a professor at the Royal Academy. That''s all there is to it."


    "And how did you make your money then?"


    Before I could answer that question, Zero once more raised his hand as if saying that it did not matter.


    "It doesn''t matter. He won fair and square. However, I won''t forget this."


    Alexa, the girl from the stage, was watching this unfold before her as she held onto Arie. She wasn''t sure why all the VIPs hade to see the buyer, but one thing was sure¡­they were pissed.


    She knew that we were all very powerful, which was why she was so stressed out. She was trying to think of a way to stop this conversation from escting, but it was very difficult for her at the moment, considering who was involved.


    Nevertheless, she grabbed her courage with both hands and coughed lightly, catching the attention of everyone involved.


    "Um, um, I''m sorry to disturb¡­uh, whatever this is, but the ve contract has to be made for the transaction to beplete."


    "ve contract?" I said with a frown as I looked over in her direction.


    I had never had anything like it in my life. In fact, I had no idea those things even existed in the first ce.


    "Yes, ve contracts are made to make sure that the ve can never betray her or his master. It''s also made to make sure that they listen to their master every word."


    I nodded slowly before shaking my head. "I don''t want to use that on her, so forget it."


    This time, everyone in the room was even more shocked, even Arie, who just couldn''t believe what she had just heard.


    "You don''t want to use a ve contract on her?" Alexa asked once more to make sure she had heard correctly.


    After all, this was a situation that was unheard of. Everyone who bought ves used ve contracts. It simply made sense, especially considering the price he had just paid for her.


    "Yes, now get rid of this disgusting piece of paper and hand her over to me. I won''t be staying in this ce for much longer anyway."


    "Should I also get rid of my ve contracts on Nymira and Lirael?" Zero suddenly asked as he still hadn''t done so.


    "Yes, I don''t need such things for people to listen to me," I replied arrogantly under the gazes of everyone in this room.


    "Is that so?" Zero said with a slight smirk as he waved his hand toward both elves dressed as sexy maids.


    A bright emblem suddenly appeared on both their chests before disappearing instantly as if it had never existed.


    Their ve contract had been terminated just like that.


    Both of them couldn''t believe what had just happened as they suddenly got on their knees toward me, thanking me as if I were some kind of God.


    "T-Thank you so much, master!" The two of them said at the same time.


    "My first order is that you don''t call me master anymore. Call me Caedrel. Also, stand up; don''t get on your knees for me again."


    The two of them nodded fervently as they got up on their legs. They were incredibly grateful for what had just happened. They had thought they would spend their entire lives listening to Zero and all of his orders, but I came through and liberated them.


    ''It''s now time to touch Zero,'' I thought in the back of my mind, as there wouldn''t be any other asion after he left the auction house. After all, he had no idea who was hiding behind this mask.


    I turned around with a bright smile on my face as I walked toward Zephyr, Lurok, and Zero.


    "Well, Lurok. I got to say thank you for bringing me here, it was truly a nice discovery," I said that as I extended my right hand in his direction, waiting for him to shake it.


    And sure enough, he did.


    Now, he just had to repeat this process with Zero.


    "And Zero, we might have gotten off the wrong foot at the beginning, but I thank you, too."


    I handed out my hand once more, but Zero didn''t grab it. He simply looked down at it, not doing anything to it.


    "I don''t think we''re so close as to me shaking your hand, sorry."


    I justughed a little as I raised my hand and tried patting his right shoulder slightly.


    However, just as my hand was about to touch him, he moved out of the way.


    "Don''t touch me. I won''t repeat myself."


    I frowned deeply for the very first time since I met him. ''Does he know? But how¡­this technique should be undetectable. The only reason why he would want to keep his distance is that there is a chance that he knows who I am¡­but that shouldn''t be an option either.''


    I didn''t know what to think any longer as I looked right at Zero''s mask.


    "Do we know each other?"

 Chapter 56: Chapter 55 - Unknown Race

    I hadn''t thought of that ever since he had acted strangely wary of me, but if he knew me¡­then it might exin why he was so careful around me.


    Before, I thought that it had been rted to me releasing some of my aura, but the reaction he was currently having was too much for the strength I had shown.


    There had to be something more; I could feel it.


    "Do I know you?" He repeated. "Why would you think that?"


    I shrugged. "Just my intuition."


    "Strange intuition you got there."


    I smiled.


    Every time he opened his mouth the more I wanted to rip his mask from his face. However, that wouldn''t be possible without exposing too much of my strength. This man was dangerous and I needed to be careful around him.


    But if he knew me, then that meant he was either with me on the battlefield or against me.


    ''I thought I had gotten rid of everyone who knew my real strength or, at the very least, made them forget. Did someone spy on me without me knowing?''


    I couldn''t be sure of it until I knew for sure about Zero''s identity.


    I had tried to be respectful, but now I really needed to make physical contact with him.


    "Sorry."


    Zero frowned. "Sorry about what?"


    "This."


    I moved my hand extremely fast toward his chest. However, he grabbed me before I could, so¡­but that was all I needed. I had finally made physical contact with him, which meant I could finally figure out what his race was.


    "Looks like it didn''t work," Zero smirked.


    ''Oh, but it did.''


    I activated my skill, and in an instant, I could feel the power hidden inside Zero. However, for some reason, it was a power I had never before in my life.


    It wasn''t the power of a demon, it wasn''t the power of an elf, it wasn''t the power of a dwarf.


    His power was something I had never experienced before in my life.


    ''I can''t figure out his race without getting a look at his face.''


    That was myst option, but I couldn''t do that right now.


    Instead of making a bigger fuss, I was happy with the information I had just gotten from Zero''s identity. He was from a race I had never experienced before in my life.


    After all, each race in this world possessed a distinct power from one another, and that''s why I was confident in knowing his race by touching his body. But if it was a power I had never felt before, then I couldn''t figure it out.


    Still, I dismissed those thoughts in the back of my mind as I shed a smile.


    "Can you release my arm?"


    "Ah, right. Sorry about that; you scared me for a moment," Zero answered as he let go of my arm as like nothing had just happened.


    However, the two of us red at each other in the eyes. Those red eyes of his didn''t inspire me any good.


    I had been almost sure that he was a demon behind that mask of his, but it seemed like I had been wrong.


    Still, there was one thing I was absolutely sure of, this man was evil.


    "Alright, enough of this. Time for us to leave!" I said as I turned around to leave.


    The three powerful forces looked at me turning their back and didn''t know what to think¡­well except Zero, who knew a lot more than he had let shown.


    "Arie, Nymira, Lirael. Let''s go, let''s leave this ce. It''s time for you to meet your new home."


    "Alexa, where''s the exit?"


    Alexa who was surprised to be asked something just showed the door behind her. "If go through this door, it will bring you back from where you came from, sir."


    "Perfect, thanks for your help."


    "Ah¡­it''s no problem, really. Have a good day!"


    However, before I crossed the door. There was onest thing I wanted to say to see if there would be a reaction out of Zero, Lurok, or even Zephyr.


    I turned around with my usual smile, stopping in my tracks. "Actually. Before I leave, there''s one question I want to ask all of you."


    "Ask it," Lurok said as he gritted his teeth.


    "Do any of you ever heard of the word¡­Perdere?"


    Right as I said that word, I noticed an incredibly small change in Zero''s breathing. It was so small that no one would have noticed it if it weren''t for me. However, Lurok and Zephyr weren''t surprised. They were simply confused, which meant that they weren''t part of the organization from the looks of it. Only Zero was.


    "No, what is it?"


    I waved my hand in a dismissive manner. "Ah, don''t worry about it. Just something I heard about recently."


    After saying that, I walked through the portal with my new acquaintances.


    This auction had been useful even if it had been frustrating. I had learned a lot, especially about a certain individual. Someone who wasn''t from a known race, and that was also rted to the organization Perdere. It was a lot of information and I didn''t know what to do with it.


    There was a choice I needed to take, and I wasn''t sure what the right decision was.


    I had to decide whether to tell the Emperor or not about the information I had just gotten.


    However, my decision was not to reveal anything to the Emperor just yet. I didn''t trust him yet, and this was crucial information. I would tell him if it was necessary, but for the moment, I decided to keep it to myself.


    ''This Zero, I need to figure out his real identity,'' I thought in the back of my mind as we crossed the door and arrived once more at Antis.


    Still, I dismissed those thoughts because there was something else that required my attention and that was Arie, a elven princess. I needed to figure out what she wanted to do now that she was free.

 Chapter 57: Chapter 56 - Ariellas Story [Part One]

    The auction had finally ended and it had gone quite well all things considered. I had received some threats, but I didn''t need to show my strength or fight against Zero which was a win in my book. I even got information out of it.


    Still, spending that much for a "ve" wasn''t something that I had expected to do.


    I have a lot of money, but spending that much in a single go actually hurt me quite a bit. In fact, if I continued to spend this way, then I would have to find a way to make money and fast.


    I had a few items that I could see and would make me quite a bit of money, but I would sell them as an absolutest resort.


    Anyways, I was now on my way back toward to the Antis Academy, apanied by three beautiful elves. Two of them were to be my assistants professors and Arie would join the Apex ss, after all, she truly fit right in.


    She was a princess, she had a strange past, the only thing I hadn''t seen from her was her potential. But I wasn''t too worried about that. There are always solutions to problems when I''m around.


    However, what would be harder was making the three elves open up to me. For the two maids, I had done quite a good job, and they were quite close to me already, but Arie was another deal entirely. I think she liked me, but it was hard, considering what she had just gone through.


    Still, it wasn''t the first time I had done this. I had gotten practice with Da. It was only a matter of time before Arie would sumb to my charms.


    That''s kind of weird to say, but¡­ah, forget it.


    I had tried to make small talk since we left the auction house, but she hadn''t said much at all, answering only with "yes" and "no." It was quite a struggle, but I still wasn''t giving up. I was close to making a breakthrough, I swear!


    "So, Arie, are you sure you don''t want me to contact your family?" I said once again. "I told you already, but you''re not really my ve. You can do whatever you want."


    She shook her head. "No, it''s fine."


    I clicked my tongue and kept quiet for a few seconds this time. I had run out of ideas about what to talk about, and we were still thirty minutes away from Antis Academy.


    ''Come on¡­just ask me one question. I beg you!'' I thought in the back of my mind as I walked right behind her.


    Then, as if to answer my prayers, she turned around and looked in my direction.


    ''Yes, yes, just open your mouth now.''


    "C-Can I ask you something, Mr. Stuart?"


    "Tsk, I already told you to call me Caedrel, but yeah, go ahead."


    She took a deep breath as if to gather her courage all at once.


    "Could I know the reason why you bought me for that much money?"


    I smiled. This was the perfect opportunity to start a real conversation between the two of us.


    "I can answer, but in return, you''ll have to answer to one of my questions. Deal?"


    She blushed just a little as she looked down and started ying with her hands, clearly shy. "Sure¡­deal."


    I was finally going to be able to get some answers!


    "Perfect! I bought you because I didn''t want to see you rotting your life away in some weirdo''s mansion, being used as something that you wouldn''t want. That''s pretty much it," I said with a nod. "Oh, and also thought you would fit nicely into my ss."


    She frowned when I mentioned the word "ss" for some reason.


    "Wait, you were telling the truth? You''re actually a professor?"


    I thought she was making a joke, so I startedughing a little. But when I saw the serious look on her face, I stopped doing so right away.


    "Uh¡­yeah, I am. Actually, Nymira and Lirael are going to be my assistants."


    "We are?" The two of them replied in unison.


    "Yes? Didn''t I tell you? Whatever, now you know."


    The two elven maids looked at each other and just shook their heads out of iprehension.


    "Then, how¡­? How did you get that much money?!"


    The look of confusion in her eyes only started getting bigger and bigger. However, that also meant that she wanted to know more and more about me, which meant that I could ask her more questions in return.


    "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Not so fast. Did you forget about our deal?" I smirked. "You need to answer my question first. Tell me why you don''t want me to contact your family now that you are free?"


    As I answered, she turned around. She didn''t want me to see her face when she would answer this question from its looks, which meant there was clearly more than meets the eye.


    ''Just why are most of the princesses I meet having family problems¡­? Aren''t they supposed to be livingfortably without the slightest problem?''


    Just thinking of it, I couldn''t help but shake my head. My idea of powerful and rich people slowly started to dwindle the more I interacted with such people. It was strange, all this considered.


    "M-My family isn''t the nicest to me¡­because of my talent. You see, I was born into the Royal Family of the elves, which meant that I was supposed to have this great talent. However,pared to my brothers and sisters, I''m nothing special, actually¡­I''mplete trash. My father, my mother, rejected me like I wasn''t even their daughter, letting me live like I was a good for nothing¡­"


    I saw tears drop onto the ground while I stood behind her. She was crying as she started telling me her story. It seemed there was a lot more than met the eyes of Arie.


    However, now that I was here, I wouldn''t let anything happen to her.

 Chapter 58: Chapter 57 - Ariellas Story [Part Two]

    When I saw her cry, I knew I had to do something. So, I quickly got by her side and wrapped my hand around her small shoulders, trying tofort her.


    "It''s okay¡­I''m here. You can tell me anything."


    I rubbed my hand against her shoulder, which seemed to surprise her as she looked up in my direction for the very first time since I had asked that question.


    Her eyes were brimming with tears and the color of her cheeks were of a bright red. Her bright blonde hair was flying in the slight breeze,pletely revealing her face to me for the very first time since I had met her.


    She looked amazing. Well, if we ignored the crying part.


    "T-Thank you for everything¡­I don''t know why you''re doing this, but thank you," she said with quite a bit of difficulty.


    "Ah, don''t worry about it. It was the right thing to do."


    She cutely nodded a few times as she took a deep breath, preparing herself to say the rest of her story.


    "Do you know a little about how the elven politics work, Mister Stuard?"


    I shook my head. "Caedrel, call me Caedrel, okay? But, no. I don''t know much about it. Could you tell me so that I can understand your story better?"


    "Okay¡­I''ll tell you then." She nodded as her tears were slowly reced by a soft smile. "As you must know, there is the Royal Family, which I''m a part of. As of now, my parents have 6 children, including me. I''m the second youngest of the family, and as I just said a few moments ago, I have never awakened any kind of power in my entire life.


    Mother Nature, the Goddess of Nature, had never oncee to me."


    As she started talking about her story, I wasn''t sure if it was a good idea to talk about Isolde being in my ss. After all, she had just said that she didn''t like her family, which meant that she most likely didn''t like her siblings all that much.


    "Because of that, I was deemed useless almost immediately, especially since my youngest brother managed to contact her at the age of five, which is unheard of."


    Her breathing was getting rougher as she continued to share her story, and I felt instantly, which is why I slowly rubbed her back, letting her know that I was still there.


    "When they discovered his talent, I was thrown away as if I was nothing better than trash. That''s why I don''t want to see my family again, they never loved me, and I never loved them either. I know this might be weird to say, but somewhere deep inside me, I was d to have been captured and put up for auction."


    It was sad, and to be quite frank, I had no idea what to say, especially with what she had just added at the end. It was thest thing I had expected toe out of her mouth.


    "What about you, Mister Caedrel? What happened to your family?"


    ''My family?'' I thought.


    It had been so long since I had thought of them, my real family, I mean. It had been so many years since I hadst saw them, that I had no idea what they had be and the family I got when I was transmigrated in this world, wasn''t any better¡­after all, they all died after one year. Ever since then, I had been left to myself, I had to feed myself, I had to learn how to survive by myself.


    And mind you¡­I was fourteen years old at the time. Imagine losing everyone you know and love at that age.


    It sounds hard, right?


    Well, it is. If it wasn''t for him, then I probably wouldn''t have managed to survive and be as powerful as I am right now. He is the reason why I can say that I''m proud of myself right now.


    "Mister Caedrel? Are you still there?"


    I shook my head,ing out of my thoughts. "I thought I already told you to stop calling me mister. Just call me Caedrel, no Mister, no Stuart, Caedrel. Okay?"


    She nodded. "But what about my question, aren''t you going to answer it? If you don''t then I won''t answer yours either."


    "Right. Sorry, it''s just nothing very important," I said, lying straight to her face. "My parents died when I was young. I barely knew them."


    "How did they die?" She asked with a frown, clearly not satisfied with how I answered that question.


    I sighed. "The war. They died in the war against the demons."


    "Oh¡­I-I see. I-I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have asked."


    I shook my head and lied again as I clenched my teeth, making sure that no emotions of mine would appear on my face. I had to stay strong; I couldn''t show her my emotional side when I had just met her. "It''s been a long time. It doesn''t affect me anymore. Haha! I barely even remember it."


    "I guess it''s my turn to ask my question!" I said, changing the subject right away. "Do you know of a certain Isolde?"


    Arie momentarily stopped walking as soon as she heard that name.


    "How do you know that name?" She said as she stopped walking, simply ring at me, dead in the eyes.


    I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. "Well, she''s part of my ss¡­is there something bad about her?"


    I couldn''t tell if she was on bad terms with Isolde or not. However, it was better for her to know about it then be surprised tomorrow when we headed for the tournament venue.


    "Isolde¡­well, her story might be considered even worse than mine. She''s an even greater genius than my younger brother. The most talented elf in a few decades. However, that title made everything about her life take a turn for the worse. If there''s one person in the family with whom I can empathize, it''s her. She''s gone through worse than me by a long mile¡­"

 Chapter 59 - 58 - Nymira and Lirael’s Story [Part 1]

    A few minutester, we finally arrived at the Antis Academy and I justid back in bed, my mind filled with all kinds of thoughts because of what had just happened tonight.


    Once Ava had left, I thought that nothing would have happened, but everything just turned crazier. I ran into Zero, which was rted to Perdere, the organization which is rted to demons, I acquired three elves. I discovered a whole underworld organization.


    Ah¡­just thinking about it is crazy.


    However, the most important discovery I had made tonight was clearly Zero and the fact that he was from an unknown race. It was thest thing that I had expected to happen, but it did. He was also on even grounds with me.


    Truth be told, I couldn¡¯t even be sure to defeat him if I went all out. I wouldn¡¯t die¡­but I couldn¡¯t be sure that I would be able to defeat him. And that was quite worrying. There were a few people that I knew with such strength, but none of them were from an unknown race. At least, as far as I know.


    "Ah¡­this is so tiring to think about."


    The thing that worried me the most was the fact that the seven year long war against the demons might have been an appetizer to their real strength. If people like Zero were roaming the streets like nothing, then there was a good chance that there would be even more people like this in the future.


    "Should I contact one of my friends¡­?" I thought in the back of my mind.


    After all, I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with this alone. I would need help if I were to face Perdere. There was one person in the back of my mind who was the perfect fit to help me. One of my good friends, however, was a littlezy, let¡¯s put it at that.


    Instead of calling him right away, I decided that I would go see him once I left Antis and go in person. If I were to call, there was a good chance that he wouldn¡¯t even pick up, and even if he did, he wouldn¡¯t care about what I said.


    After all, he was a person who valued sleep above everything else, which was the most irritating thing about him, but that¡¯s also how we became such good friends with one another.


    ¡¯Wait, sleeping. Could that student in my ss be rted to him?¡¯ I thought in the back of my mind as I reminded myself of the loner always sleeping in a corner of the ss, never listening to a single word I said.


    I had never paid much attention to him, but there had to be a reason that he was in my ss.


    "Haha!" I suddenlyughed, realizing that I had been quite stupid, not realizing it until now.


    After all, that loner was the only one who had refused to get a special curriculum made by me. I even remember his answer.


    "Sounds like too much of a bother. I¡¯ll just go back to sleep."


    That sounds exactly like what thatzy bastard would say.


    "Could it be his son?"


    I rubbed my chin, thinking about it for a quick second. "Ah, whatever. I¡¯ll just go see him after we¡¯re done with this stupid tournament."


    Thinking about that tournament, I suddenly remembered the wager I had made against¡­what was his name again? Olivier? Ah, right. Oliver.


    Well, it should be quite an easy win. After all, I was teaching the strongest ss out of all the first years. There was no reason for me to lose at all. Nheless, my wager against Oliver was pretty meaningless as I couldn¡¯t wait to see who the boss of the Ocean Ouws was.


    There was a chance that it was Lurok, and truth be told, it would make things easier for me since I had already talked with him quite a bit. I had even confirmed that he wasn¡¯t rted to Perdere, which meant that I wouldn¡¯t have to go directly against him. However, if it were to be someone else, then I would have to get some information out of him.


    After thinking of all those things, I closed my eyes and went to sleep, clearing my mind from all those thoughts.


    ***


    Arie POV


    We just got to the Academy, and I couldn¡¯t help but think that Caedrel, my master, was absolutely crazy, in fact. I wasn¡¯t alone in thinking that, as both Nymira and Lirael thought the exact same; we were actually talking about it right now.


    "He didn¡¯t give any of us ve contracts, right?" Nymira said as she simply couldn¡¯t believe it.


    "I know, it makes no sense. Does he believe we won¡¯t run away or betray him?" Her sister, Lirael, answered.


    I just listened to the two of them as they talked. After all, they were the ones who had spent a lot of time as an actual ve.


    "What do you think about this, princess? Are you sure you don¡¯t want to return home and leave this man?" Nymira said, clearly worried about me and what I would say next.


    However, I had already made my choice. I would never go back to the family, well, not until I was strong enough to face each and every single one of them.


    "No, I don¡¯t think he lied earlier. He truly doesn¡¯t care what any of us decide to do. Whether we leave or stay, he won¡¯t care. I know it might be weird to say, but I think he only bought me to free me from the rest of them."


    Nymira nodded right away. "You were lucky not to have mister Zero as a master¡­ever since we met him¡­"


    Continue your story on NovelBin.C?m


    She hesitated about talking to Zero. I could see through her eyes that she was extremely scared of that man. I had no idea what he had done to them, but he had to be extremely cruel.


    "Ever since we met him, our life has been literal hell."


    "What did he do?" I asked. "Do you know what he really looks like?"


    "..."

 Chapter 60: Chapter 59 - Nymira and Liraels Story [Part 2]

    The two sisters looked at one another and shook their heads.


    "No, we never saw what he really looked like. For some reason, he was extremely careful about who saw his face. In fact, he was extremely secretive about everything rted to him."


    I frowned. They were maids. Shouldn''t they be quite close to him in general? This whole thing didn''t make a lot of sense in my mind.


    "Aren''t you two maids? How is it even possible for none of you to have seen his face even once?"


    They shook their heads again when they heard my question.


    "We aren''t really maids. He called us¡­" The two of them shivered. "His ythings. That''s what he called all of us."


    "What do you mean by all of us? There are more than you two?"


    They nodded instantly. "Yes, he has dozens of ves just like us. All of them are girls just like us."


    I could see where this was going, but I still wanted to know more about Zero and what could have potentially happened to me if I had been bought by that madd.


    "What exactly are the roles of the ''y things''?"


    "To satisfy when he asks us to."


    Nymira noticed my frown because of how vague her response was, so she rified.


    "Satisfying could be anything. Sex, getting humiliated, getting beaten up¡­we were his ves. He could do whatever he wanted to us."


    She shivered suddenly as if thinking of a past memory.


    "The times when he would ask us to satisfy him the most was when he came back from his meetings on Monday. Every time he came back from those meetings, he was always angry and he used us, ves, to release his anger as much as he wanted."


    As I listened to their words, I realized that I was extremely lucky for Caedrel to have bought me in his ce, or else, I would have suffered through the exact same thing as them.


    That was also probably the reason why they were so shocked by how Caedrel acted. Not making them actual ves, not caring about what they did.


    "How long has it been since that man, Zero, had bought the two of you?" I asked, worried about their answers.


    Slowly but surely, I was realizing that my story wasn''t that badpared to those around me.


    Caedrel had lost his parents in the war when he was a child, and those two had suffered abuse for years, most likely¡­ In fact,pared to those two stories¡­mine was like a walk in the park.


    "It''s been five years since he bought us," Nymira answered as her sister didn''t seem able to answer those questions without breaking down.


    I could see her crying as Nymira told me all those things, and I could only imagine what the two of them had gone through.


    "It must have been quite rough on the two of you. I would understand if you two decided to leave tonight and escaped."


    The two of themughed lightly when I said that for some reason.


    "And where would we go? We have nothing. We don''t have money, we''re weak. The only thing we have going for us is our beauty. That was also the main reason why Zero had bought us in the first ce."


    I frowned. "You could go back to the elven territory! I''m sure they would wee the two of you with arms open."


    "Miss, I don''t want to sound rude. But you don''t know what it''s like outside of the Royal Family. The reason we were bought in the first ce is because our parents sold us away because of how poor they were."


    Shivers.


    I felt them again as I realized once more just how pathetic of a person I was.


    Just a few minutes ago I had been talking about how hard my life had been, but¡­the more I heard about what they had gone through the more I realized that my story was nothing. They were so much more stronger than me¡­


    "I-I see¡­I''m sorry for mentioning it," I struggled to open my mouth without the words getting stuck in my throat. "I-I truly am ignorant. I was evenining about what I had gone through while you two didn''t say a word¡­I''m sorry."


    "It''s fine. It was a long time ago, it doesn''t affect us as much anymore. Anyways, we will also stay tonight. We will protect you if that man ever does something against you, don''t worry. It''s our duty, after all, princess."


    I giggled.


    "I don''t think I''ll be needing protection."


    I could hear Caedrel snore extremely through the walls without the slightest care in the world.


    I didn''t know a lot about Caedrel, but I had a strong feeling that he was keeping a lot of things to himself, hiding them from those surrounding him. I noticed it when I spoke about his family; the empty look on his face was a dead giveaway. But I had a strong feeling that the loss of his family was nothingpared to what he had actually endured.


    However, through all that hidden pain, he still decided to help those around him, I think. Still, one thing was certain: I would keep an eye on my new master. He was hiding things, and I wanted to help him as much as I could; after all, I had to repay him for those 125 Million Coins he had spent to buy me.


    It was only fair.


    ***


    Caedrel POV


    "Ah¡­"


    The sun was blinding me as I slowly opened my eyes.


    -Knock! -Knock! -Knock!


    I wasn''t too sure what was happening, but there were dozens of knocks on my door.


    "Let me sleep!" I shouted to the people standing on the other side of the door.


    "Professor, we are going to bete if we wait any longer!"


    I frowned. "What are you all even talking about? It''s still morning. Just go back to sleep."


    "Professor! It''s already noon. The tournament is starting in thirty minutes."


    I clicked my tongue. "Right, sorry. Just give me a minute."

 Chapter 61: Chapter 60 - A New Bet

    This tournament surely was a big deal in Antis. I had never seen so many people gathered for a tournament like this.


    Maybe it was because the Royal Academy came into Antis and took part in this tournament, but the stadium was filled right to the brim with people shouting and cheering on their favorites.


    We were currently in some kind locker room where the teams would get ready to go in and fight against one another. All the participants were gathered in this locker room, however, everyone stayed in their corner eying the other teams with serious gazes.


    I couldn''t see the Ocean Ouws'' team, but I wasn''t too worried about it as I somewhat trusted the information I had gotten from Finn. He had been so scared of me that the chances of him lying were practically zero.


    Nevertheless, I had gotten a run through of the rules of the tournament as soon as I had arrived to the stadium with the rest of my students. We were just a little bitte, so they were quite impatient with us, guiding us directly to the locker room where we were staying currently.


    "So, did everyone understand how this will go down?" I asked to make sure.


    "Uh¡­could you repeat them onest time?" Da asked.


    I sighed but still did it either way. "It''s quite simple. This tournament is a team-based tournament where we will face other teams, such as Oliver''s ss. One person will step up on the arena and will face one person. If you win, another person from the opposite team wille up while you will stay in the arena, and it will continue until either team runs out of fighters.


    The team who still has fighters will win, obviously."


    This time, all the students nodded their heads repeatedly.


    "Who''s our opponent for the first match?" Olivia, Ava''s daughter, said as she raised her hand as high as she possibly could.


    Before I could even attempt to answer, a sickly man approached us with a wicked smile on his face.


    That man was Oliver.


    "It''s us. You will face us in the very first round, which means that you''ll be able to go back to sleep quickly," Oliver said as he giggled a little because he had heard of me oversleeping.


    "Hm, that wouldn''t be too bad, but I don''t think that will happen."


    I looked proudly behind him at the students behind him, and none of them were impressive to my eyes. I knew that all of them were summoners, so I couldn''t judge them from their physiques. But, I couldn''t feel anything remotely dangerous for most of my students being emitted from them. Well, there was one of them who gave off quite a bit of aura, but he was the only one.


    The others were average¡­well, averagepared to the Apex ss.


    "I''m not too sure why you''re so confident, but, uh¡­good luck?" I said with a shrug. "You''ll clearly need it."


    Oliver justughed straight at my face for some reason.


    However, I honestly couldn''t understand why he was so confident. There had to be something, but I looked at his students and there wasn''t anything that scared me in the least.


    The test for my students on the very first day should be much worse than whatever this was. Those students couldn''t summon a Cyclops, I was sure of that much.


    "Caedrel? Is that you? What are you doing here?" Someone else said on my right.


    I didn''t even need to look in his direction to know the owner of that voice. It was someone who had spent most ofst night with me at the auction house, Lurok. Finn was right beside him, eying him over and over again, indicating that he was his boss.


    It seemed that my intuition had been the right one. Lurok really was the boss of the Ocean Ouws. However, there was one thing that was once again weird.


    Finn had told me that his boss was a person with a lot of strength and power, but Lurok wasn''t that whatsoever. He had connections, but in terms of pure fighting strength. He had to becking or maybe there was once again something that was escaping me like those eyes of his.


    I knew there was a deep andplex power embeded into those eyes of his, and no matter how hard I tried to look into them and figure out what it was, the more confused I was. I would need to experience their power first hand to figure out what they could do.


    Nevertheless, I shook my head and dismissed those thoughts.


    "Oh, well I signed up my ss to the tournament. I thought it would be good practice for them. What about you? What are you doing here? I thought you would be tired because ofst night."


    Lurok frowned momentarily, seemingly thinking of a multitude of things. However, it onlysted a few seconds at most.


    However, as much as Lurok was frowning, Finn, who was walking beside him, was the most confused of them all. I could see it on his face when I mentioned st night.'' After all, Finn remembered being practically tortured for answers yesterday about his boss, but now¡­we had already met.


    Something was wrong. At least, that''s what I figured was going through his mind.


    ''Still, this tournament isn''t as useful as before for me,'' I thought in the back of my mind.


    After all, I had learned yesterday that the chances of Lurok being involved with Perdere were extremely slim since he had no reaction to him mentioning the name before leaving, which even Zero hadn''t managed to cover up. Nevertheless, it was still an opportunity to see if he was linked to the appearance of the demon on the Antis soil.


    "Lurok, care to make a bet with me?" I said with a smile as Oliver suddenly turned once more in my direction, furious.


    "You already have a bet with me; why are you trying to make another one?"


    "Can you stay silent for a second? Adults are talking." A smirk formed on my face as I saw Oliver lose his mind, trying his best not to curse me.


    Lurok also ignored Oliver as if he waspletely invisible.


    "What kind of bet?" He asked.


    "The one who goes the furthest in the tournament has the right to ask all the questions he wants to the loser, and the loser has to answer all those questions truthfully."


    Lurok shook his head. "Three questions."


    ''I expected one.''


    "Sure, three works."

 Chapter 62: Chapter 61 - Ariel Valandor

    Time passed, and it was now time for our very first match in this tournament to begin.


    I was smiling because of the deal I had made with Lurok. Those three questions were bound to be extremely useful in obtaining information from him. Still, before that, I still had to win the tournament, or at the very least, go further than Lurok in the tournament.


    Oliver and I were on the sidelines as our students faced one another in a single row.


    My strategy for this first battle was quite simple. Annihte the enemy as fast as possible. I didn''t want to make this whole thingst hours, which is why, the student I had sent on the Arena first was the student who was the strongest in my ss.


    The one who had even managed to surprise me because of her talent was the Emperor''s daughter, Ariel Vndor.


    "Honestly, I don''t know why you made such a stupid bet. If you can beat her, it''ll already be a good performance," I said to Oliver, who was sitting right beside me.


    "Tsk, you don''t know anything. We''ll win without any problems."


    I shrugged, already knowing that was wrong.


    "How about this. If you guys can defeat Ariel, then I''ll consider it your win, and you will be able to ask me anything you want, and I will do it apart from things like leaving the Royal Academy or other stupid stuff like that. Deal?"


    Oliver rubbed his chin as this was quite the tempting offer, after all. There was no reason for him to refuse to be frank. He knew deep down that there was no chance for him to win this bet.


    That''s why, after a few seconds, he nodded.


    "Alright, I agree. Still, only one student, you''re quite arrogant."


    "I''m not. She''s special, you''ll see."


    After all, Ariel was different. Even when she had seen the dead body of Derek, she hadn''t reacted in the least, her gaze unwavering as if she had seen such things dozens of times in her life.


    Even when she had guided the students while facing the Cyclops, she had acted like a army general who had a lot of experience.


    I couldn''t tell what her experience was or what her past was, but one thing was sure. She had gone through a lot, even if she was the Emperor''s daughter.


    And finally, after another five minutes, the first duel in the Arena began.


    The crowd went wild as Ariel faced one of Oliver''s students.


    Ariel stood still at the beginning simply eying the man who she was facing, wondering what move he would pull out.


    ***


    Ariel POV


    I didn''t know what to expect from a summoner. It was the first time in my life that I was facing, and I was wondering what kind of beast they would summon.


    I wasn''t too worried though, I just wanted to have a taste at their power or if they could remotely impress me.


    Still, a few seconds passed, and there was still nothing impressive being shown by my opponent. He looked scared of even looking at me in the eyes for some reason.


    Let''s hope that the next one is, at the very least, a little better¡­


    I dashed forward and immediately got in range of attacking my opponent, and instead of using my sword, I used my fists, hitting him right in the stomach. It made him fall down in an instant, and that was how I won my first battle in the tournament.


    "Weak." I muttered under my breath. "Next one."


    Someone else came up onto the Arena with a resolute look in his eyes. He seemed confident in facing me, which was a nice change of pace from thest person I just hit.


    "Come on, show me something interesting," I said without much thought.


    The crowd seemed to react to my every word, but I blocked them out so that I could fully focus on the fights before me. After all, I could still vividly remember my professor''s request before the first match began.


    "Beat them all, and don''t pity them."


    And that was exactly what I was nning on doing.


    My father hadn''t talked much about my professor, but I knew that he was extremely powerful. I hadn''t gotten the details, but from what I had seen, I didn''t need to. He was said to be a normal soldier, but there was bound to be more.


    There was no way that a normal soldier would get an invite from the Emperor to teach students.


    Nevertheless, I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind as I focused once more on my opponent, who looked pumped.


    "Summon something, isn''t that what your power is?"


    The man nodded, energy suddenly gathered around his hands, and a beast finally appeared.


    However¡­it was, uh, extremely disappointing. What came out was literally a zombie. How was Zombie supposed to protect him?


    I released a sigh and simply did the same thing as before, defeating the enemy in a single strike.


    "Who''s the strongest out of all of you?" I suddenly asked as I couldn''t be bothered in facing small fries for the next hour.


    Everyone in their group looked toward one person in particr.


    He had blue hair, and the look in his eyes was definitely different from the rest of them. I couldn''t say what was different about his gaze, but maybe it was his graceful presence as he walked up to the Arena.


    Still, there was something different. I could feel it. I wouldn''t be able to defeat this man as easily as the rest of them.


    He walked up to the Arena, and he gathered his energy much faster than the previous person, and there was also a LOT more aura.


    Within seconds, a creature appeared and looked down on me. It was much taller and much bigger than me in every single sense of the term.


    The creature facing me was a Titan.

 Chapter 63: Chapter 62 - First Win

    It was the first time in my life that I was facing such a creature alone.


    Our professor had made us face a Cyclops on the first day of school, which was much stronger than this creature; however, I was alone this time... so it was bound to be a little moreplicatedpared to before.


    I looked to my left, where Caedrel was sitting next to Oliver. For some reason, he didn''t seem to worry about me whatsoever, which meant that he was confident in my abilities to defeat the Titan.


    "Why aren''t you moving?" The guy facing me muttered with a smirk. "Your first mistake was letting me summon my creature without attacking me. It made things a lot easier for me, I must say."


    I just clenched my teeth when I heard those words, as I knew that he was right. If I had known of his power beforehand, I wouldn''t have let him summon a Titan since it made things a lot moreplicated.


    Still, it was only a Titan. That much wouldn''t be able to stop me.


    Iughed a little. "Is that all you had to say?"


    "You''ll see who''ll beughingst."


    After those words were said, I did as usual, dashing forward with only a slight difference: I was holding my sword this time. I would need it to defeat him.


    Nevertheless, what truly annoyed me was the fact that this guy didn''t have any power of his own.


    He was just reliant on his creature to defeat me, which meant that I didn''t even need to pay attention to him.


    Made my job a lot easier, I''ll tell you that much.


    I jumped up and gracefully dodged the Titan''s attacks, counterattacking every chance I got.


    However, it wasn''t too effective. I couldn''t sh him, or rather, I couldn''t damage him, and even if I did, he would get healed by my opponent, who used his energy to do so.


    ''Tsk, should I attack him and ignore the Titan instead?'' I suddenly thought to myself.


    After all, if I were to make him lose his consciousness, then the Titan would disappear since it constantly relied on its summoner''s powers.


    Realizing this, I changed my strategy in an instant, giving my full attention to the summoner. I realized that there was little to no point in defeating the Titan as long as I could attack the caster.


    After all, it was much easier to deal with the caster, and since he didn''t have anyone with him considering the nature of the duel, it took only a few moments for me to close the gap between the two of us. However, there was something that made me uneasy when I looked into the summoner''s eyes.


    He was smiling as if he had prepared something exactly for this situation.


    "Did you think attacking me would be easier?" Heughed for a moment. "Well, I can''t me you. Most people fighting against summoners for the first time think the same. However, you couldn''t be more wrong."


    ¡ªBoom!


    Suddenly, I looked behind me, and I was mindblown by what had just happened. It was absolutely crazy. It was a good thing that my reflexes were really good, or else I would have been smashed to death.


    Because I had given my full attention to the summoner, I had forgotten that the Titan could still attack me while I was busy attacking. I had forgotten the most important part about this duel, the fact that it was a two versus one.


    ***


    POV: Caedrel


    On the sidelines, I smiled a little, noticing Ariel struggling. It was a good thing for her to struggle since it would make her stronger.


    Oliver, who was sitting right beside me, looked quite confused about it as he couldn''t help but frown.


    "Why are you smiling? If this continues this way, then you might lose the bet we made."


    I shrugged. That bet didn''t mean much to me; it was only a simple request that the other had to aplish. Truth be told, I had no clue what I would even ask of that man since I had little to no use for him. I had simply agreed to the bet for fun.


    "If she loses, then it might be a good thing for her. Defeat can sometimes be crucial to growth, and truth be told, I want to see one of my students fighting. I''m interested in his potential."


    Oliver frowned at those words, clearly confused. "Who are you talking about?"


    I pointed toward the only student of mine who was sleeping away, waiting for his turn¡ªthe loner of the group.


    "Him? You want to see his potential?" Oliver repeated, clearly confused about him. "He''s not even paying attention to everything around him. He''s just azy bum who got put in your ss."


    Iughed. I once had those thoughts about my dear friend in the past, but everything changed when I saw him get serious. It might seem like nothing is going through his mind, but that couldn''t be further from the truth. If that boy was truly rted to the one I know, then he might be even more powerful than the Emperor''s daughter.


    Actually, scratch that. He would be more powerful than the Emperor''s daughter.


    "You''re not looking at him enough. He''s special. I also thought the same as you at the beginning."


    Still, before Oliver could say something else, another loud noise resounded from the stage.


    "Hm¡­ strange. I thought she would have lost that one. Well, I guess this is the end of our match," I said without much thought as I stood up with a shrug.


    Ariel had won. However, it hadn''t been without difficulty; she was hurt as she had multiple injuries all over her body.


    Oliver gritted his teeth as I said those words. I knew that even if Ariel was injured, there wasn''t any other student who could defeat her. He had lost. After all, all of his students were scared to death of Ariel right as they spoke, looking away from her every opportunity they could get.


    "We forfeit," Oliver dered with a sad look on his face.


    And just like that, we had won our very first match in the tournament.

 Chapter 64: Chapter 63 - Art, The Loner

    Time passed quickly, and the tournament was progressing well. We won our next matches quite easily since they were no match for us, and the same thing was happening for Lurok''s team, who was on the other side of the bracket.


    Pretty much everyone knew that the final would be between our two teams, and the atmosphere within the stadium was getting louder. People were excited to see who would be the winner of this tournament, and to be honest, I also couldn''t wait to see what would happen.


    Actually, we were currently waiting for Lurok''s team to win against their opponent so that we could face them in the final of the tournament.


    I had already decided on my strategy against Lurok, and I couldn''t wait to see how things would y out. After all, I wanted to win. He had promised to answer three questions truthfully, and don''t worry, I have my ways to make sure he tells the truth, so I wasn''t worried about him lying one bit.


    "Professor¡­who will you send first when facing the Ocean Ouws?" Ariel asked as she was still a little bruised. However, she could clearly fight in her condition, so I wasn''t too worried about her. Nevertheless, she wasn''t my choice to start this fight.


    It was time to pull out my hidden card that I had talked to Oliver about earlier.


    "Art will be the one going into the arena as our first fighter," I said with a smirk.


    Everyone suddenly turned toward the only person who was currently sleeping and staying away from everyone else.


    "The loner?!" Ariel shouted, her eyes wide open. "But why? Do you want them to underestimate the rest of us?"


    "Underestimate you guys?" I frowned. "I think most of you are underestimating Art."


    Everyone couldn''t quite understand those words since the only thing they had seen from Art was him beingzy and sleeping; he never even talked to the people around him most of the time.


    For most of the people in the ss, Art was just a weirdo who didn''t fit in.


    "Professor, are you sure about this?" Olivia raised her hand with a slight frown. "We should start strong so that we get the momentum."


    I sighed. "We are starting strong. Stop arguing; Art will be the first fighter, and that''s it. If you haveints, keep them to yourself. I don''t want to hear them any longer."


    Even as I said that, I could understand their worry. They had never seen Art fight in their entire lives, so it was obvious that they''d react like this. However, I truly believed that they would change their minds once they saw him fight. Well, as long as he tried a little, which wasn''t something I could be sure of.


    "Can someone wake Art up?" I suddenly asked.


    Da nodded and walked over to him, slightly tapping him on the shoulder.


    "Ugh¡­let me sleep."


    "The professor is asking to talk to you," she said without much concern.


    Still, Art just shook his head. "I don''t care; I want to sleep."


    I just shrugged. "If he wants to continue sleeping, leave him. It doesn''t matter."


    A few minutes passed by, and Lurok''s team had finally won, which meant that it was finally time for our match against one another.


    However, before that, Lurok''s team needed a little rest since some of their fighters were quite hurt because of the duels they just had.


    "Alright, let''s go warm up."


    ***


    One hour passed by, and it was finally time.


    "Woohoo!"


    "Who do you think will win this?"


    "The Ocean Ouws. Isn''t it obvious? They''ve never even lost in this tournament."


    "But didn''t you see those students? They''re kind of strong. I think they might be able to win against them."


    "No way¡­there''s no way Lurok will lose. They''re too strong."


    The crowd was arguing among themselves, trying to guess who the winner of the tournament would be. However, there was one thing that was certain: it would be a close one.


    As people argued in the stands, I was in the process of talking to Lurok as the two of us watched our students, waiting for their turn to fight against each other.


    "Are you looking down on us?" Lurok said instantly, frowning. "I hope you didn''t forget our bet because I have some interesting questions to ask you."


    "Why do you say that? Of course, I want to win."


    "Then, why did you choose that guy as your first fighter? Look at him¡ªhe''s sleeping inside the arena, and the match is about to start."


    I justughed at those words. It seemed even Lurok couldn''t see Art''s potential. Maybe his eyes weren''t as sharp as I thought, or maybe he hadn''t used them on Art.


    "Why are youughing? He''s going to get hurt if he keeps sleeping like this."


    I just shook my head. "Instead of worrying about my students, worry about your fighters. We don''t want them to get hurt."


    Lurok shook his head. "Whatever, it''s your problem. Not mine."


    It seemed Lurok was absolutely convinced that Art wouldn''t be able to do anything against his fighters. I couldn''t wait to see the look on his face change.


    -Bong!


    A loud noise resounded through the arena all of a sudden.


    "The final of this tournament will begin in 10 seconds. Is everyone ready to fight against one another?" thementator asked for the crowd watching.


    Everyone shouted, "YES!" in unison, and while that happened, Art slowly woke up, rubbing his eyes just like anyone would after a long night of sleep.


    "Ugh¡­just who woke me up?" he muttered as he stood up nonchntly.


    "Where even am I?"


    He looked around, still confused by the whole situation. He saw everyone looking at him with eyes filled with hope for some reason.


    "Wait¡­why am I on the stage? Did the professor really choose me?" Art muttered with a sigh.


    Ariel was the one who replied to him with a serious look on her face. "Yes, he chose you out of everyone. So make sure to beat as many people as you can."


    He clicked his tongue. "Tsk, talk about annoying¡­ So all I have to do is beat those guys, and I can go back to sleep, right?"


    Ariel frowned. "Yes, exactly."


    "Fine, shouldn''t take too long then."


    He turned around and pulled out a sword, holding itzily, leaving everyone who heard what he had just said extremely confused.

 Chapter 65: Chapter 64 - Art, The Loner [Part Two]

    "Let the final begin!" the announcer eximed as loudly as he could, hyping everyone in the stadium. They screamed their lungs out.


    Most people were rooting for the Ocean Ouws, surprisingly. Maybe it was out of fear; I couldn''t tell. However, there were still a small number of people rooting for the underdogs¡ªus.


    I would''ve thought we would have convinced everyone by now that we were the strongest team in this tournament, but it seemed the prestige the Ocean Ouws and Lurok held was on a whole different levelpared to us.


    After all, it was only natural, considering that this was their kingdom. If we became more popr than them in such a short time, I would actually pity them somewhat.


    Nevertheless, what I was excited to see were the skills that Art would have.


    It was the first time I was seeing him fight just like everyone else, and I was somewhat curious about how he would use his abilities. I could still remember the first time I had met his father vividly, and I wondered if he had even more talent than hiszy father.


    Within seconds, the match began, and the first one to move was Art, which surprised me, as I thought he would have just waited for his opponent to attack him out ofziness. But he was actually moving first.


    However, he seemed devoid of any strength as he moved forward. He barely held his sword, dragging it against the ground, walking so slowly that his speed could bepared to a 90-year-old grandmother. Most of my students were clearly mad at the way he acted since he didn''t seem to be giving his all whatsoever.


    "Come on, Art! Actually try, put some strength in those muscles of yours!"


    He looked back at them with a clear frown. "I''m actually walking toward him; what more do you even want from me?"


    Iughed on the sidelines next to Lurok, who just couldn''t believe the student I had chosen to fight first.


    My students turned in my direction as they heard meughing my heart out. Most of them were frowning, mad about the decision I had made, and they didn''t hide their frustration.


    "Professor, why did you pick him out of everyone?"


    "That''s right, look at him. He doesn''t even want to fight!"


    "He''s sozy!"


    I heard all thoseints but dismissed them instantly.


    Instead, I pointed to the stage where Art was still walking in a straight line, and it seemed most people had missed something.


    Art''s opponent hadn''t moved a single muscle since the fight had started, so why was everyone acting like he wasn''t putting in any effort while his opponent was also doing the same thing?


    Still, I found it weird that, no matter what happened, Lurok''s man didn''t move. It was as if he was scared of what would happen to him if he moved. I couldn''t tell from where I was standing, but there was definitely something wrong¡ªI could feel it, and when I looked over to Lurok, my theory confirmed itself.


    "Why did you choose such a scaredy cat as your first fighter? Look at him, he won''t even move!" I said to Lurok, who was clenching his teeth right at that moment.


    "Alex! Move your ass and fight, look at him. He doesn''t even want to fight you."


    It seemed Lurok''s voice brought Alex out of his reverie as he suddenly shook his head and pulled out the short sword that was around his waist, brandishing it high with pride. Then, Alex dashed forward extremely fast.


    Those who weren''t used to such movement would lose sight of him, but he had moved right behind Art, who still hadn''t reacted as Alex''s sword was right over his head. It would strike down within a second.


    If Art didn''t react, there was actually a chance that he would die in this fight. Alex''s sword slowly starteding down, but I just smiled when I saw this scene. I didn''t know why, but I had unwavering confidence in him.


    I knew that nothing would happen to him; that''s why I didn''t move from my seat, letting the strike continue to move down, threatening the life of my student.


    "Careful!" Olivia shouted from the sidelines. "Block it, or you''ll die!"


    But just as the strike was about to touch Art''s head and kill him, his sword, which he had been dragging on the ground, blocked the strike. Art didn''t put much strength into his block, as his hand was pushed away as he blocked the attack.


    However, everyone watching struggled to understand how such a thing was even possible. His sword, which he had dragged on the ground, had moved at such a fast speed out of nowhere.


    "You! How did you do that?" Alex, Art''s opponent, shouted. He had thought that this was already his win when he saw theck of reaction from his opponent. But out of nowhere, he had managed to stop his deadly strike.


    However, even if his strike had been blocked, this gave him a lot of confidence, something that, for some reason, hecked a lot at the start of the fight. Art yawned right in his face. "Do what? I just didn''t want to die. So, I guess it''s my turn to attack this time, right?"


    Alex didn''t know why, but he felt shivers running down his spine as Art muttered those words, as if the attack that was about to be thrown his way would be much, much stronger than what he could handle at the moment.


    Energy gathered around Art''s sword, and hezily brought it above his head, preparing himself to strike down.


    "Is that sword aura?!" Ariel eximed, unable to believe what she was seeing. "It is!" "Isn''t that something only achievable by those who understand their swordsmanship perfectly?"


    Lurok, who was sitting right beside me, couldn''t believe it. "Just where did you find this kid¡­ this is ridiculous."

 Chapter 66: Chapter 65 - Art, The Loner [Part Three]

    Sword aura wasn''t something that could be achieved by just anyone, as Ariel had said on the sidelines. It was only something that could be obtained once the swordsman had either managed to understand a swordsmanship style to perfection, or the swordsman had managed to create their own swordsmanship.


    The second option was much harder to achieve since you needed to create all of your techniques on your own. However, creating your own techniques also made it easier to perfect them and understand them on a deeper level.


    Anyways, both methods were extremely tedious, and sword aura was most likely obtained by less than 1% of the entirety of swordsmen, and even then, it would be something that only swordsmen with YEARS of experience would attain.


    However, Art, who was currently on stage, was defying all expectations. Sword aura at the age of 18 was unheard of. Even I never achieved such a feat at that age.


    I no longer had any doubt in the back of my mind, Art surely was thatzy monster''s son.


    As the sword aura formed around his sword, Alex didn''t know how to react. He knew that he couldn''t block an attack like this; his only choice was to dodge the attack. It was a good thing that Art was moving around very slowly and in quite unnatural movements. Otherwise, the fight would have ended much more quickly.


    At least, that''s what I personally thought.


    Nevertheless, I continued to watch from far away as a smile was slowly creeping up on my face. As Art was about to release his attack, Alex, who had been trying toe up with a way to dodge the strike, got on his knees as they gave out on their own because of the pressure Art had been giving off.


    "I¡ªI give up! I don''t want to die in this stupid tournament!"


    Lurok, who was right beside me, clenched his fist, clearly fuming from the inside when he saw such a scene happen before him.


    "I don''t allow it. Either fight, and you might survive, or give up and dieter for certain."


    Lurok said those words in public, and no one was doing anything or saying anything to him whatsoever. It seemed people were used to such behavior, and it seemed that this man truly ruled over the city. No one dared to touch him at all. It seemed Finn hadn''t lied to him.


    Alex, who was about to leave the arena, suddenly had no choice but to continue fighting.


    Art just shrugged and released his attack as he slowly moved his sword downward without any sword technique whatsoever, which was what truly surprised people. However, while everyone thought he hadn''t used a sword technique¡­I could onlyugh at their stupidity.


    However, I couldn''t me them. None of them had seen that style of swordsmanship in their entire life, which is why it seemed so¡­unimpressive.


    But there was no doubt in my mind. Art was using the same swordsmanship as his father.


    ''The Lazy Swordsmanship.''


    I know, what a shitty name. However, it does represent the essence of this swordsmanship quite well.


    ''Still, I had no idea that you had a son¡­youzy bastard. You even went as far as to teach him your ways¡­'' I thought, clearly surprised that he had decided to teach his son.


    Maybe that''s why he had managed to achieve sword aura at such a young age. Actually, scratch that, it simply had to be the reason because nothing else made sense whatsoever.


    As Art moved his sword down, a wave of energy came off from the sword and headed toward Alex. That was one of the properties of Sword Aura, being able to attack from far away with a sword.


    The wave of energy moved extremely fast, and within a moment, it was already at close range to Alex, who had no ways to dodge it whatsoever.


    "UGH!" He squirmed out of pain as arge injury appeared on his body.


    Art yawned again as Alex fell unconscious. "Next one."


    Silence.


    Everyone in the stadium couldn''t believe what they had just seen. A child no older than 18 years old had a sword aura and brought down a member of the Ocean Ouws with a single strike. How was this even remotely possible¡­it simply made no sense at all.


    "What''s his background?" Lurok asked me right away when he saw what happened, losing his mind.


    "I wonder¡­" I said with a smirk. "If you win our bet, I''ll answer you. Otherwise, you''ll have to keep guessing."


    Lurok wasn''t the only one shocked as the students also couldn''t believe it. The loner, Art, the one who just kept sleeping every day, had managed to be so powerful, but how?


    And more importantly, how did their teacher even know about his potential when Art had never once participated in any of the tests for the special curriculum he had made them?


    All of them had a lot of questions in their minds for me, I could feel it. However, I wasn''t nning on answering those questions anytime soon. Either way, even if I told them about Art''s father, none of them would even know him. He wasn''t a person that was quite known to the public despite his strength; he was somewhat simr to me in that sense.


    However, the reasons for ourck of poprity were quite different.


    Then, someone else from Lurok''s team walked up to the arena. However, he shook even standing still, knowing that he had no chance of winning against sword aura. Hell, Art wasn''t even giving his all, and he had brought down one of their best fighters in a single strike. It was only normal for him to be scared out of him.


    And he was right, within seconds, the match was over, and the same words came out of Art''s mouth again with the usual yawn.


    "Next one¡­"


    ¡­he would defeat his opponent in a single strike. Then, the same thing would happen again.


    "Next one¡­"


    This continued until he had defeated Lurok''s team.


    Art had won all of his duels, and the craziest part about all of this was that he hadn''t even taken the slightest amount of damage in terms of physical injury.


    No one had managed tond a single strike on him.


    ***


    Author Note (doesn''t cost coins): Mass release opportunity. I''m currently trying to hit 1000 Unlocks to obtain some benefits as an author on webnovel.


    If any of you can join my privilege this month to help me reaching that goal, it would honestly be great. I am at around 600 unlocks and there are around 10 days left. So, I''m counting on you guys.


    If we manage to hit the target, I will make a mass release from 5 to 10 chapters, depending on the time I have. However, the mass release will only happen after having reached the target and once I''m done with my midterms (27 october).


    Anyways, do consider reading ahead by joining the privilege!

 Chapter 67: Chapter 66 - Three Questions

    A few hours had passed since the end of the tournament where Art alone managed to defeat the opposing team, surprising literally everyone who was taking part in the tournament.


    After all, it made no sense for one person to defeat the best team in the tournament other than themselves. It wasn''t something that was feasible in the mind of a lot of people, especially considering that the person who had done such a feat hadn''t even given his all.


    Nevertheless, ever since the tournament ended, a lot of people had been specting about where Art came from. However, looking at those articles, it seemed none of them were close to the real answer, which wasn''t that surprising considering theck of information about Art''s father.


    There was, still, one article that was on the right path.


    [Copycat?]


    That was the title of the article. It talked about how the journalist had seen the same swordsmanship from another person.


    I noted down the author of the article as I might need himter to find Art''s dad.


    However, all of that information was secondary to what was about to happen.


    I was about to meet Lurok because of the bet we had made earlier at the start of the tournament. It was time to learn more about Perdere and if he knew what had happened recently in the Antis Kingdom with the appearance of a demon in their midst.


    Lurok had invited me over to his store, the ce where I had met him for the very first time.


    Compared tost time, the atmosphere waspletely different. There was no one standing before the store, the main street was empty. It seemed Lurok had given his very best for them to bepletely alone as they had this talk.


    There was a small chance that Lurok had decided to disrespect what he had promised, but if that was the case¡­I would just have to use force against him. There was also a small chance that he would try to kill me, or something along those lines. However, as far as I could tell, there truly was no one around.


    I could only feel a single presence and it was Lurok''s.


    ''Is this the extent of his influence?'' I thought in the back of my mind as I had to admit that it was impressive to have done such a thing.


    Nevertheless, I dismissed those thoughts and entered the shop right away.


    "Lurok? You there?" I asked as I looked around myself and that''s when I saw him sitting around a small table with an empty chair in front of him.


    "Yes,e here. Let''s talk."


    I smiled. "Sure!"


    Because of how serious the look on his face was, I had a good idea that he would also try to ask me a few questions about myself. After all, I hade out of nowhere and everything I had managed to do probably shocked him to the highest degree. He probably tried to gather information on me, but nothing came back.


    There was no information to find about my past anyways.


    I sat before him with a smile as he stared me down.


    "So, are you ready to answer my three questions?"


    "Yes, however, if you aren''t satisfied with those three questions, we will continue this small discussion. I''ll tell you more about it once you asked your questions."


    I nodded, expecting such a thing to happen in the first ce. It was actually a good thing for me since I would be able to get more information from him. However, it was also a risky move from my end¡­anyways, no use thinking about it right now as it was my turn to ask the questions.


    "Before we start, I''m just letting you know that I possess a skill that will tell me whether you lie or say the truth."


    Lurok nodded, expecting it. "It''s not like I was about to lie anyways."


    I nodded with a bright smile.


    Finally, I was about to get some answers about the information I had found out by the Emperor. Lurok had to know about the demon who had appeared in the Antis Kingdom. After all, he probably held just as much power as the Antis Emperor.


    "My first question is about the appearance of a hidden demon in the Antis Kingdom. Are you aware of it and how are you rted to it?"


    Lurok frowned as soon as he heard me mention the word "demon"ing out of my mouth.


    "How do you know about that? Who even are you to have such information?"


    Iughed. "I ask the questions."


    "Meh, whatever, it''s only a matter of time before you answer mine."


    "The demon was found dead in Antis, that''s how I found out about its existence. As for how I''m rted to it, I''m not."


    I activated my skill to see whether he was telling the truth, and it seemed that there was a lie in his answer.


    "You lied."


    He clicked his tongue. "Tsk, fine. I know who was the demon. In fact, he was one of my best friends before he died and revealed himself."


    This time, my skill indicated that he was telling the truth.


    "Hm, so a best friend. Can you tell me more about him?"


    He smirked. "That counts as your second question. Are you sure you want me to answer that?"


    I hesitated. However, I nodded.


    "Yes, give me as much information on him as you can. When you met him, how you met him, things of that sort."


    Lurok nodded with a smile, happy that one of my precious questions was being used in such a way.


    "I met him through a connection around ten years ago, if I recall correctly. We instantly clicked and that''s pretty much it."


    "Come on. Do you really think I''ll ept that as an answer? At least, name the name of the connection who introduced the two of you."


    Lurok nodded. "Well, you already met him. It was Zero who introduced me to him."

 Chapter 68 - 67 - Zero

    I didn¡¯t react when I heard him mention Zero¡¯s name. After all, I had somewhat expected it from what I knew about my short encounter with him. There was a good chance that the connection was Zero.


    However, I was still curious about something else. What was the rtionship between Zero and Lurok. I remembered Lurok being quite scared of Zero during the whole duration of the auction as if he had something over him. Maybe that was why he was scared, the other option was simply the fact that Zero was a lot more powerful than Lurok.


    Nevertheless, hearing about Zero gave me the idea to ask myst question about him. I needed to learn more about him.


    ¡¯How could you have forgotten about their rtionship?¡¯ I thought in the back of my mind as I shook my head out of annoyance because of how stupid I was.


    "Tell me about how you met Zero and your rtionship with him then."


    Lurok frowned even more. "Why do you want to know? Why are you so interested in him?"


    I smirked again. "What did I say earlier?"


    He sighed. "You ask the questions, . Whatever. It¡¯s gonna be my turn soon enough."


    "Alright, I¡¯ll answer your question. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s anything crazy," Lurok muttered. "I met Zero years ago, even before the war against the demons even began. He was unlike anyone I had ever seen in my life. He had so much talent, and he was so knowledgeable for someone his age."


    I stopped him right there. "Wait, do you know about his real identity?"


    He shook his head. "No, I never saw his face. He never removes his mask, even when he was younger. He never removed it for some reason. I never thought much of it, though. Still, let me continue."


    I nodded, letting him speak his mind, gathering all the information that I could about him.


    "I don¡¯t know what happened, but right as the war was about to start. Zero changedpletely. He was no longer happy about anything; he was frustrated, and to be honest, I still ignored the reason. All I know is that the war against the demons changed him."


    "He took part in the war?" I asked.


    "That wasn¡¯t part of your question, sorry."


    This time, it was Lurok who smiled as he stared at me as if saying, "Got him."


    "You still didn¡¯t answer where you him though?"


    "Right¡­I met him here, in Antis."


    "Here? Was Zero born here? How old even was he when you met him for the first time?"


    Lurok shrugged. "I don¡¯t know if he was born here, but he was probably 15 years old when I first saw him. However, he didn¡¯t live here. I think he was mainly passing by. At least, that¡¯s what I figured at the time."


    I nodded.


    All the information I could gather about Zero was useful, and I made sure to keep all of it in the back of my mind as a single word could be extremely useful in the future.


    "Now!" Lurok eximed as he pped his hands. "I think that answers all your questions, right?"


    "It does," I said with a stiff nod, knowing what wasing.


    "Do you want to continue this conversation?" He asked me with a smirk that made me uneasy.


    "Depends," I said. "What do you want to know, and how do you want to proceed?"


    "We¡¯ll ask each other a question one after the other until we¡¯re satisfied. We can ask about anything, there¡¯s no limit."


    I paused for a moment. "You can ask about anything you want?"


    He nodded.


    "Then, no. I can¡¯t do this. I¡¯m sorry."


    Lurok frowned, not expecting something like this to happen. He was almost sure that I would have taken the bait from the looks of it. However, I didn¡¯t want Lurok to ask me questions and know more about me, he couldn¡¯t learn about my past. It was too risky, and he could discover too many things about me, which was thest thing that I wanted.


    After all, he could go to Zero with that information about me. That was thest thing that I wanted to happen. It would just make things a lot worse as a result. There was no doubt about that part.


    "Wait! Wait! What¡¯s the problem?" Lurok said, almost sounding desperate.


    "You can¡¯t ask about my past or how I obtained my strength, and if I deem the question to be too personal, I have the right to refuse to answer it. If you agree to those conditions, I¡¯ll agree to continue this conversation."


    Lurok frowned. "One question. Let me ask one question about your past and how you became strong, deal?"


    I thought about it for a moment, thinking if it was worth it to take such a risk. However, even if I epted, I could potentially refuse to answer, and Lurok wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. So, after a few seconds of thought, I nodded.


    "Alright, I agree."


    I sat back down and looked at him straight in the eyes.


    "Ask your question. Don¡¯t make it too general, or I won¡¯t answer."


    Lurok didn¡¯t speak up just yet as he was deep in his thoughts, unsure what the best question could be. He couldn¡¯t ask something too general like "Who are you?" and things like that. He needed something precise.


    "Alright, I got it. You can¡¯t refuse to answer that question."


    I sighed. "What¡¯s your question."


    Lurok nodded. "I know you participated in the war against the demons, and I want to know why it is that no records of you can be found anywhere. I asked about some of my connections, and no one knows of you. No matter how much I talk about you, it¡¯s as if no one has a single memory with you in it."


    I nodded. It was actually a question I had expected, and I didn¡¯t mind answering it.


    There could have been much worse questions.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 69: Chapter 68 - Zero [Part Two]

    "You want to know why you can''t find any information about me anywhere, right?" I asked with a subtle smile, making Lurok unsure if his question had been a good one.


    "Yes, please tell me the reason why."


    "It''s simple. I either killed or erased the memory of everyone who ever saw me using my powers during the war. In the minds of almost everyone, I''m just a simple soldier who isn''t anything special. That''s all."


    Lurok looked at me with his strange eyes, a strange energy gathering around them. He looked at me in the eyes for a good minute, and I wondered what this whole thing was about. After all, this wasn''t amon situation at all.


    "You aren''t lying. But how is what you said even possible in the first ce?"


    "I don''t know, but that was the answer to your question. Now, it''s my turn."


    "I want you to tell me about when your best friend changed into a demon. What happened? What caused him to do so?"


    Lurok closed his eyes for a moment, thinking deeply about it before opening them again.


    "You really like to hear about demons, huh? Is that your obsession or something like that?" he asked me with a smirk.


    "You could say that," I replied with a shrug.


    I didn''t really care if he thought I was crazy as long as I could get answers. I hated demons from the bottom of my soul, and that was all that mattered to me.


    "Ugh, well, whatever. I''ll tell you. It was just really random, we were having a discussion and he changed into one because he got really angry at me. He always had problems managing his emotions, and I never thought too much of it. But that day, he just changed into a demon right before me."


    I frowned at those words, thinking that it was weird. After all, Derek hadn''t fully changed into a demon even when he had been absolutely furious. Only the color of his eyes had slightly changed.


    So, there had to be something more to this.


    I checked to see if Lurok was lying to me, but he wasn''t. He truly believed that this was the truth, at least. After all, my skill wasn''t without its faults. If someone believed that it was the truth, then it would show up as the truth for me. However, there could be things that he didn''t know¡­either way, I wanted to ask more questions about it.


    "How exactly did he change into a demon? Did his eyes change color or his entire body as a whole?"


    "My turn. How did you erase the memories of everyone who ever saw you using your powers? How is that even possible?"


    When I heard him repeat that question, I just sighed.


    "Do you really need me to answer that?" I asked.


    I thought it was obvious that the answer was because of my strength. After all, that was the answer. I was powerful enough to do such a thing, that was it.


    "I do, please tell me."


    "My strength. Be strong enough and nothing is impossible."


    "Then, can I ask how strong you are?"


    "Well, I only agreed to one question about those things. But if you really want to know, you will have to give me something."


    "What do you want?"


    I smiled.


    This was the perfect opportunity to get something out of Lurok. However, there was only one little problem¡ªI didn''t know what to ask from him. I didn''t need anything really; the only thing I needed was information.


    "Do you have something that could put me in contact with Zero? Like the location of where he lives, things of that nature."


    That was the only thing that could truly interest me. Because with it, I would be able to know more about Zero. I would even be able to spy on him without the slightest problem.


    "Where Zero lives?" Lurok repeated as he rubbed his chin. "I have some information about it, but it''s much more valuable than what I''m getting in exchange."


    "Then, once you give me that information, I will answer five of your questions, and they can be anything you want."


    I really wanted that information about where Zero was situated since it could be directly linked to Perdere, the organization of all remaining demons. At least, that''s what I had imagined in my mind.


    "Deal."


    "Give me the information about him first."


    "Alright. From what I gathered from my informants, Zero isn''t exactly living in this world that we are currently in. You saw that wooden door that made you teleport into apletely different environment, right?"


    I nodded.


    "Well, that''s where Zero is living. He''s living in a subspacepletely hidden from the world, making it almost impossible for anyone in the world to even find him."


    "I''ll stop you right there," I said with a smile. "If this is your information, I won''t answer a single question from you. I hope I''m clear. There better be more informationing."


    "I''ll tell you more after you answer my questions. I swear."


    I looked at him with my skill, and it once more showed as the truth. So, I decided to wait patiently.


    After all, he wasn''t stupid. It was smart to wait for me to act first.


    "Alright, ask me your question."


    "How strong are you?"


    I shook my head. I couldn''t believe that I would be saying something like this to someone I barely knew.


    "I don''t have a clear answer for you. But I can tell you that I know around five people who would actually dare to fight me one-on-one. Well, maybe six, now that I''ve met Zero."


    Lurok''s eyes widened with my answer.


    "Zero? You think you''re as strong as Zero? Are you serious?"


    I frowned.


    It seemed that Lurok had experienced Zero''s powers in the past for sure, which made me even more curious about the extent of his abilities.


    "What do you mean? I''m as strong as him without a doubt."

 Chapter 70: Chapter 69 - Going Back to the Academy

    Lurok didn''t know how to act. He just couldn''t understand why I was so confident about that fact.


    "I think you''re saying that because you don''t know about his strength. It''s on a whole other level entirely."


    "And you don''t know about mine," I replied with a smirk. "I know about his strength, and he knows about mine. In fact, there''s a chance he knows more about me than he let on. But that''s a detail.


    Either way, I''m confident that I wouldn''t die if I were facing him. However, I don''t know if I would be able to defeat him. It would be close, that''s all."


    Lurok nodded as he gathered more information about me as time passed. It had been quite some time since I''d had a conversation like this about myself, and it was definitely not something I nned on doing anytime soon.


    "So, that''s two questions. Give me the other three."


    "Hm¡­how did you be so powerful?"


    "I got someone to teach me."


    "Who is that person?"


    "You don''t know him, and you won''t find him either. Also, I count that as a question. You have onest question remaining."


    Lurok''s eyes widened. "What?! No, no, no. That doesn''t count at all."


    "It does. Now give me your final question."


    Lurok wanted to argue, but when he saw that I wasn''t ying around, hepletely stopped what he was doing. He knew there was no point in trying to argue with me because he simply wouldn''t win.


    "Ok¡­then, let me think." Lurok stopped talking for a few moments before opening his mouth again.


    "Hm, can you tell me about your past?"


    "You''re gonna have to be more precise than that, haha."


    "Tell me why you hate demons so much. Is that good enough?"


    I looked at him dead in the eyes, not opening my mouth.


    That wasn''t a question I had expected toe out of his mouth right now. Actually, it was thest thing I expected.


    My hatred for demons?


    To be honest, I never really thought about why I hated demons to the core of my soul. Well, actually, I know why.


    After all, this hatred doesn''te from me.


    Ites from my master, the one who taught me how to be powerful. The one who gave me all that strength when I needed it the most. However, he also gave me parts of his ideologies, and hating demons was a part of it.


    "Hello?" Lurok said as he waved his hand in front of my face. "Are you still there?"


    "Yes, yes, sorry about that. Got lost in my thoughts. My hatred for demonses from my master, the one who taught me how to be powerful."


    Lurok wanted to ask again who that person was, but he knew that I wouldn''t give him that answer.


    After all, it was my most well-kept secret, and I wasn''t nning on letting anyone find out about it.


    There was a reason I kept it hidden, and it would stay that way as long as I lived. No one would be able to get that answer out of me. I respect that man too much to betray him after all this time.


    "Now that I''ve answered your questions, what are the whereabouts of that subspace?"


    Finally, I would be able to know a little bit more about where Zero lived, which was why I was here in the first ce.


    "As far as I know, the whereabouts of Zero''s subspace should be in the north of the continent, somewhere in the snowy mountains."


    "And how did you learn this?"


    "Secret. However, I can vouch for that information. It is real."


    I nodded, knowing that he was telling the truth.


    "Alright then. This was a nice discussion."


    After saying those words, I touched Lurok''s shoulder and made him forget about telling me the information about Zero, since I didn''t want him to alert his friend about me. However, I was nice enough to leave him the rest of the information about me. I wasn''t that much of a dick. I was actually fair when it came to bets and respecting the original reward.


    I headed out of his store and thought to myself on my way back to the Antis Academy.


    ''Seems like we''ll have to go to the Snowy Mountains next,'' I thought.


    After all, our time in Antis wasing to an end soon. It was time to head back to the Royal Academy and continue with our lives.


    I had gathered quite a lot of information about Perdere during my time here, and it had definitely been interesting. Zero was someone I would need to keep an eye on, which is why as soon as we returned to the Academy, I would be talking to the director about going there.


    I would have to reveal bits of information for it to happen, and she would surely report back to the Emperor about it. But it was better than nothing, and I didn''t mind sharing just enough information for the Emperor to deploy more resources.


    Within a few hours, we all headed back to the Academy, and just as I said, I went straight to the director''s office, who had also asked to see me right away.


    Alexandra seemed curious about what I had learned in Antis from the looks of it.


    I arrived in front of her, knocked a few times, and she let me in.


    "You! What the hell did you do in Antis?!" she shouted right as I opened the door.


    I just stood there, confused.


    I entered thinking I was about to get praised, and here I was getting shouted at.


    A sigh escaped my mouth. What had I done wrong this time?


    "Why did you make yourself an enemy of the Ocean Ouws?"


    "Enemy? What are you talking about? I''m pretty much best friends with their leader," I smirked, knowing that I was just slightly twisting the truth to my advantage.

 Chapter 71: Chapter 70 - Chatting With Alexandra

    Alexandra was MAD at me, and I had no clue why. I honestly didn''t do anything against any rules, and I was quite calm during my stay in Antis.


    The only thing that had been quite intense was the auction house, and when I questioned Lurok at the end, there was no way that Alexandra should even know about those things, so why was she acting like I had done some crazy stuff again?


    "Do you realize what kind of enemy you made in Antis? I already got reports on it from other professors about how you made an enemy of the strongest criminal group in Antis."


    "A report? By which professor?"


    She sighed, unable to believe those were the wordsing out of my mouth right now. "Are you serious? That''s what you''re asking me right now?"


    "Yes, who told you those things about me."


    She shook her head in disbelief. "Do you really think I''ll tell you? I already know that you''re gonna up to that person and beat him up just like you did with Derek."


    "Derek? That was different. He was a fucking demon. He deserved everythinging his way without a doubt."


    Alexandra shook her head. "Whatever, it doesn''t matter. Why did you make yourself an enemy of the Ocean Ouws?"


    I smiled. "Enemy? What are you even talking about? I don''t know who told you that stuff, but they don''t know what happened whatsoever."


    Alexandra took a deep breath. "Then tell me what really happened."


    I was tempted to tell her, but I would much rather tease her beforehand. Wouldn''t that be a little bit more fun?


    I satfortably in the chair and brought my legs on top of the director''s desk with a big smile.


    "I''ll tell you, but tell me the name of that professor. Is it Oliver?"


    Alexandra frowned. "How do you even know that?! Tsk, whatever, it''s him. Now tell me what really happened."


    "Alright, alright, calm down. I''ll tell you everything."


    "And get those feet off from my desk!" She shouted out of pure anger. I could see fuming sitting in that chair, looking at me dead in the eyes with a frown.


    Still, I kept my feet and her desk and quickly went over everything that had happened during my stay in Antis.


    Alexandra was still mad but the anger quickly went away when I told her everything that happened. Still, I didn''t reveal everything I knew and everything that had actually happened. I kept all the information about Perdere somewhat secret apart from one thing, Zero and his location.


    However, I didn''t mention anything about the underworld auction. I kept that a secret mentioning Zero by creating a new story.


    "You really think that he was part of Perdere, that Zero or whatever his name was?" Alexandra asked with a frown, not expecting me to have gotten such valuable information.


    "Yes, I''m almost sure that he is."


    "Do you have any idea where he is located?"


    "I got word that he was located in the North, close to the Snowy Mountains."


    Hearing that, Alexandra sighed. It seemed she didn''t like that location for some reason. I had never been, so I had no idea what was in the Snowy Mountains.


    Well, apart from snow. I knew that much.


    Still, that was about it.


    "The Snowy Mountains, huh?" She shook her head. "It might beplicated to send you there with your students."


    I frowned. "Why? Is it dangerous?"


    She looked at me for a few seconds with pure confusion written all over her face.


    "Are you making another one of your jokes, or do you really not know?"


    "I swear. I don''t know about that ce at all."


    Alexandra just sighed as she couldn''t be surprised with what I knew anymore. Nevertheless, she brought out a few pieces of paper and showed them to me.


    It was multiple newspapers with simr headlines.


    [Disappearance in the Snowy Mountains!]


    [Deaths in the Snowy Mountains!]


    [An Unknown Beast is Roaming in the Snowy Mountains!]


    I looked through each of them quickly and looked over to Alexandra again.


    "So, yeah¡­what''s the problem? We can still go. I thought there was some kind of restriction. Who cares about that stuff? It won''t happen with me around?"


    Alexandra sighed even more loudly this time around, looking at the ceiling, unable to understand what I was saying right now.


    "Nothing?! There have been deaths in the Snowy Mountains, and no one has returned alive from there in literal months. What do you mean by saying that you can bring the students there?! They will die, and then all the parents of those special students wille after the Royal Academy."


    I shook my head. "I think you''re forgetting about something."


    "And what would that be, smart ass?"


    "Me." I smiled widely. "As long as I am there. No one will die. I can swear on it if that''s what you want."


    "No is no. You aren''t going to the Snowy Mountains, and this is an order. You will stay at the Royal Academy until I say otherwise. I need to talk with the Emperor about all this."


    I just nodded as I clearly different ns in the back of my mind. Just as I was about to stand up and leave her office, I remembered that I forgot to mention something.


    "Oh, and by the way, I got a new student while in Antis. Oh, and two assistant professors."


    "You got Fishman under you now?" Alexandra asked, unable to believe it.


    "Tsk, three elves. It''splicated, but yeah, they are now under me."


    "I see, whatever. As long as you take care of them properly, you can do whatever you want. It''s not like I can stop you."


    ''Damn right, you can''t,'' I thought in the back of my mind while smiling, as I knew very well that nothing would happen to me at all. In fact, that order she had just given me wasn''t something that I was nning to respect at all.

 Chapter 72: Chapter 71 - Seeing Ava Before A Long Time

    "Professor?" Olivia said right as I entered the ss.


    "Yes? Is there a problem?" I replied with a smile, knowing very well why all my students were looking at me so strangely.


    "Why are you wearing something like this? Are you sick?"


    "What do you mean? I''m feeling very well. I''m feeling even better than when we went to Antis!"


    Iughed as I looked over to all my students who were confused. After all, I was currently wearing clothes that people would wear when it would be freezing outside, with snow falling down everywhere.


    Jackson was the one who spoke up this time. "Mister, why are you something like this? Are you leaving to go somewhere again?"


    "That''s right, Jackson. You really are smart. Yes, we are leaving for the Snowy Mountains right now."


    "RIGHT NOW?!" Everyone in the ss shouted as they lost their mind. "But we didn''t get any alerts on our watches about this."


    "Ah, that. Who cares about that watch? Anyway, get ready. We''ll be gone for an unknown of time, so get as much stuff as possible before leaving. You''ll need it."


    As I said that, I could see the color fading on the faces of most of my students. It was quite a funny sight, and I tried my best not tough. After all, most of them were probably terrified of the Snowy Mountains. They also weren''t even informed.


    "The Academy has to inform us in advance when we are leaving the Academy, so why didn''t we get any notice this time?"


    I sighed. "Did I get any notice when we went to Antis? No."


    I shook my head.


    "Now, this is not up for discussion. Get ready to leave right away. We are leaving today."


    "Does the Academy know about this?" Jackson asked.


    "Does this know that, . Just get ready. We''re leaving. You don''t need the details. We are leaving, that''s all."


    Murmurs were everywhere in the ssroom as people stood up from their seats.


    "The Snowy Mountains¡­isn''t that where a lot of people died recently?"


    "I think so¡­why is our professor trying to go there?"


    "I don''t think something is weird; the Academy didn''t even inform us?"


    "Do you think the Academy isn''t aware of this?"


    I couldn''t hear what most of them were saying right now, but I couldn''t care less. I wanted to go to the Snowy Mountains, and I wouldn''t be waiting for any approval from the above.


    "Also, I forgot to mention. But you have one hour to get ready. So, stop gossiping and move quickly."


    Right after I said that, the ss moved a lot faster than before and people no longer had the time to speak.


    And sure enough, thirty minutes passed by, and I got the visit from a professor I knew very well, Ava.


    She entered and seemed somewhat surprised to my sspletely empty, devoid of any students, only to find me reading a book sitting behind my desk like everything was normal.


    "Uh¡­Caedrel?" She spoke up very softly, making mee out of my reverie.


    "Oh, Ava! What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"


    Ava didn''t know where to look from the looks of it, as she kept looking down.


    "Well¡­I received a call from my daughter. She told me that you were taking them to the Snowy Mountains for some reason. Did something happen there?"


    I shrugged. "Not really. I just thought it would be training for them to go through. Why?"


    "It''s very dangerous, you know that, right?"


    I realized that Ava was extremely worried about her daughter. After all, it was only normal for a mother to be scared for her child.


    I stood up from my seat and ced away the book I had been reading.


    "Ava¡­don''t worry too much, alright. As long as I''m there, nothing will ever happen to Olivia or any of my students, for that matter."


    She started crying right away, falling into my arms.


    "But you told them that you had no idea when they would being back to the Academy." She slowly looked up into my eyes, tears running down her face. "You know you can tell me what''s really happening to you, right? I swear I won''t tell anyone¡­I swear."


    She just cried in my arms after uttering those words without saying anything. My shirt started getting wet, but I just stood there with my arms wrapped around her, slowly caressing her back.


    "Don''t worry too much about me, alright?" I muttered with a smile as she looked back into my eyes.


    "Tsk. Why do you always do that?"


    "Do what?" I frowned slightly.


    "Pushing people away¡­not telling them what''s really going on in your mind. You''re always hiding stuff and keeping it for yourself."


    She shook her head.


    "I just want to help you¡­so why can''t you help me? I won''t tell anyone¡­"


    I looked at her with the words in my throat, literally stuck. Nothing woulde out of my mouth. I didn''t know what to say for the first time in my life. I was just stuck there¡­unable to say anything.


    It seemed Ava was able to see right through me for some reason¡­ It was as if she could understand what I was really feeling behind this wall that I had built up for myself.


    Still, I didn''t want her to worry.


    "It''s just something that''s rted to Derek. Don''t worry. All the students wille back in one piece. You have my word."


    "And what about you? Students this, students that, what about you? Can you be sure that you will also stay safe out there?"


    I smiled as I patted the back of her head. "Don''t worry, I''ll get back in one piece, too."


    Still, as I uttered those words, I knew that there was some part of me that felt like this was a lie. After all, if the choice was between me surviving or the rest of my students, the choice would be easily made.

 Chapter 73: Chapter 72 - Leaving For The Snowy Mountains [Part One]

    "Alright, is everyone ready to go?" I said, looking around the ssroom.


    All my students were obviously extremely stressed as they made sure they hadn''t forgotten anything. Still, I had no choice but to pressure them slightly; we had to leave before Alexandra or the other professors noticed us.


    I trusted Ava not to tell anyone what was happening, but even then, the hardest part of leaving the academy for the Snowy Mountains was doing so without being spotted.


    Honestly, it seemed impossible.


    But hey, I would give it a shot. It''s not like I had another choice, like waiting for the Emperor to say "yes" or "no." I wasn''t at his mercy, and I never would be.


    "We are¡­" they finally responded.


    However, there wasn''t much energy in their response. They clearly weren''t as excited as when they went to Antis.


    "Still, before we leave for the Snowy Mountains, I have to introduce you all to some people you might have seen over the past few days but had no idea who they were."


    After saying that, Arie, Nymira, and Lirael walked through the door. They had been patiently waiting for me to call them in.


    Over the past few days, they had followed me pretty much everywhere, and I hadn''t let any of the students talk to them even once. I had even changed Arie''s appearance so Isolde wouldn''t recognize her until Arie was ready to speak with her.


    Nevertheless, they all walked in with bright smiles. Arie still had her disguise on, but Nymira and Lirael weren''t disguised at all. I knew of their beauty, but I didn''t expect the students to be so affected by their appearance.


    Even the proud Jackson was blushing like crazy.


    Actually, the only person in the ss who didn''t seem interested in any of them was Art. But, well, that wasn''t a surprise, considering who he was.


    "Why are they so pretty¡­?" one of the male students muttered.


    "I know, right? Look at them¡ªthey''re almost perfect. Well, apart from the shortest one."


    The shortest one was Arie, but the only reason they said that was because of the disguise I had cast on her, making her look average in every sense of the term.


    "These two right here are Nymira and Lirael. They''ll be my assistant teachers for this year, and most likely for the next few ones. As for this person right here¡­ she is Arie, and she is¡­"


    I snapped my fingers, removing her disguise, and instantly, murmurs filled the ss.


    "Arie? Is that really you?" Isolde spoke up right away. "E-Everyone told me you had died¡­ what happened to you?"


    Everyone looked back at Isolde, confused about what was going on. Still, I didn''t want everyone hearing about this¡ªit was a private matter that should be discussed privately, not in front of the entire ss.


    "Arie is a new student in the ss, and I expect all of you to treat her well and with the same respect as anyone else. She''s gone through a lot, and if I hear of anyone doing anything mean to her, they''ll have to deal with me."


    I looked at everyone in the ss, releasing 1% of my energy, which instantly calmed them down. They knew I was serious¡ªI had never joked about these things, and I wasn''t about to start.


    "They''ll be apanying us to the Snowy Mountains, and I suggest you all take the time to learn more about them on the way." After saying that, I stood up from my desk and pped my hands. "With that said, I think it''s time for us to leave! It''ll be quite a long trip, after all."


    We left the Apex ss after those words, and everyone followed me. There weren''t any problems leaving the building, but right as we stepped outside, I felt a gaze from my right.


    It seemed someone had been waiting for us to leave. I had no idea who it was, but it wasn''t Ava¡ªI could feel that. It was someone else, someone who didn''t have good intentions.


    However, it also wasn''t Oliver. It was someone I had never seen before in my life, or at least someone I had never paid attention to before.


    He stepped out of the shadows and said, "Where are you going like this?"


    The man looked quite average, and I didn''t feel any threat from him. But I could tell he was probably one of the teachers linked to Derek. He had to be.


    I sighed as I looked at him. "None of your business. Now, move out of the way."


    "I won''t move until you tell me where you''re going. Also, I''m just warning you¡ªAlexandra already knows about this little trip with your students."


    I smirked. Did he really think that would scare me? The director knew where I was going¡­ big deal!


    "Is that it? Alexandra knows?"


    Behind me, my students started whispering among themselves, clearly confused by the situation.


    "What''s happening? Who is this professor?"


    "I don''t know¡­ What''s this about? Does the Royal Academy not know about all of this?"


    I turned around. "Silence. I don''t want to hear anyone speaking."


    The teacher before me continued to smile.


    "Alexandra will be here any minute. When she is, all of this will fall apart, and you''ll get punished again."


    I sighed again. "Look, I warned you. Either move out of the way, or I''ll make you move."


    He spat on the ground. "Make me. I know you can do it. We all saw what happened to Derek when he opposed you."


    The students once more started whispering as they all knew about what had happened to him at the Emperor''s Banquet. He had died under my hands. However, no one knew the full story; even now, everyone ignored it, thinking that the Emperor had been lenient on me.


    "Do you think what that professor is saying is true?" Someone muttered behind me.


    "Who knows...what really happened? We couldn''t even see anything back then."


    I heard my students but I just ignored them as I walked forward, cracking my knuckles.

 Chapter 74: Chapter 73 - Leaving For The Snowy Mountains [Part Two]

    "Are you still sure you don''t want to move out of the way?" I asked again to whoever that professor was.


    "Hit me if you dare. You''ll be the one in trouble, not me."


    I just shrugged. I wasn''t scared of anyone inside the Royal Academy, and no one would be able to do anything against me. I had said it time and time again, and no one had managed to prove me wrong until now¡ªand it wouldn''t change anytime soon.


    Just as I was about to punch him square between the eyes, Alexandra''s voice rang out before me. It seemed the professor hadn''t lied; she had really found out about the situation.


    "Caedrel, what are you doing?" Alexandra asked in a low tone, clearly mad.


    "What are you talking about? I''m guiding my students to the Snowy Mountains. I told you earlier, didn''t I?"


    "And do you remember what I asked of you?"


    I shrugged again. "Not really. Can you remind me?"


    Alexandra clicked her tongue. "Stop what you''re doing right now. You need my permission before leaving the Royal Academy grounds."


    At that point, I didn''t know what to do. I was honestly extremely close to just beating the hell out of Alexandra and that professor standing in front of me.


    If they kept pushing me, one thing was certain¡ªthings wouldn''t be pretty.


    "I think you''re misunderstanding something, dear director," I said with a smile, standing still, no longer moving or threatening anyone.


    "And what would that be?" she asked.


    "You''re misunderstanding me. You don''t have control over me. No one ever has. So move out of the way and be a good little puppy to the Emperor."


    "And what if I don''t move?"


    "Then I''ll do the same thing I was about to do to that loser," I said, pointing to the professor in front of me.


    I was getting mad. I could feel myself on the verge of breaking and letting loose some of my emotions, and this time I wouldn''t hold back. If I had to show them what happened when they went against me, I would do it without hesitation.


    "You''re going to beat me up, is that it?" Alexandra asked, frowning.


    "If I have to, yes."


    But just as Alexandra was about to say something else, her phone rang.


    Dring!


    Dring!


    Dring!


    Alexandra ignored it at first. But after the second ring, she looked at it. There weren''t many people who had her personal phone number, and once she saw the name on the screen, her expression changed instantly.


    ***


    POV Alexandra


    I had no idea why, but just as I was about to fight Caedrel and teach him a lesson, the Emperor called me.


    I took out my phone and put it to my ear as everyone watched, wondering why the person calling me was so important that I would stop what I was doing.


    "Hello, sir?"


    "Let Caedrel go to the Snowy Mountains."


    "But why? It''s way too dangerous for the students. Imagine what would happen if even one of them were to die!"


    "Alexandra. Do not go against Caedrel, not now, not ever. He isn''t someone you can handle."


    "But sir¡ª!"


    "No buts. Let him do what he wants. I''m confident he can handle the Snowy Mountains."


    After those words, I wanted to argue further, but I knew there was no point. The Emperor had made up his mind. He was afraid of the man standing in front of me¡ªa man whose background even I didn''t know. The Emperor hadn''t dared to tell me about him for some reason.


    This man was dangerous, and I didn''t know why or how he had be so.


    I put my phone back in my pocket, and I could already see Caedrel smiling widely, as if he had expected this oue all along.


    "Is something wrong?" he asked with that annoying smile of his.


    "You can go¡­" I practically whispered, gritting my teeth.


    "What was that? I couldn''t hear you."


    "I said you can go! Happy?"


    He smiled. "Yes, I''m happy. I guess the Emperor has more sense than you."


    The professor next to me was losing his mind as he witnessed the scene unfold, unable toprehend how this was happening.


    "Are you really letting him go to the Snowy Mountains with his students? And was that really the Emperor? Just how lenient is he with Caedrel?"


    "Just leave him be. I''m not in the mood right now for your littleints."


    "Does Caedrel have a connection with the Emperor?"


    "What did I just say? I''m not in the mood; now stop talking and move out of their way."


    He had so many questions, but I wasn''t in the mood to answer any of them.


    I watched Caedrel walk past me, and I clenched my fists so hard that I felt blood running down my hands.


    "I''ll see you once I''ve resolved everything in the Snowy Mountains," Caedrel said.


    "How long will that take?" I asked.


    "Who knows? It could be a week, a few months, or maybe longer. Anyway, see ya!"


    After that, all his students walked past me, their eyes filled with pity as they witnessed the humiliation I had just suffered.


    Still, there was something Caedrel didn''t know about his students¡ªone of them truly didn''t like him: Jackson. He was my spy, the one who would tell me everything that happened with Caedrel.


    Oliver hadn''t been the one to inform me about what happened in Antis. It had been Jackson. But Caedrel didn''t know that yet.


    As Jackson walked past me, I discreetly slipped a small piece of paper with my phone number into his pocket, so he could contact me personally. He would be my personal informant about everything Caedrel would do over in the Snowy Mountains. After all, I had a strong feeling that he hadn''t told me all the reasons why he was heading there. Caedrel had a lot of secrets, and I needed to figure them out.


    Because of that call with the Emperor, I was now determined to uncover all of Caedrel''s secrets.

 Chapter 75: Chapter 74 - An Unknown Variable

    It had been two days since we had departed toward the Snowy Mountains, and I didn''t actually think that going there would be so rough on my students.


    They were supposed to be the best of the best, and they were getting tired from walking for a few hours. How was that even possible in the first ce?


    "Professor, we''ve been walking for two days in a row without even sleeping or stopping even once...? Can we just take a five-minute break, please?"


    Okay. Maybe I lied a little; it had been two days since we had started walking toward the Snowy Mountains.


    I had decided to go on foot since I thought it would be a good experience for my students since we would most likely have to fight a few monsters on the way there, and it could help them train for the Snowy Mountains.


    We were actually in the Royal Forest right now or the Death Forest. I think that was the name that the driver told me back then.


    Nevertheless, it was where I had captured the Cyclops for my students for their entrance exam test, and it was quite peaceful for some reason. We still hadn''t met a single mother.


    I thought that it might be because of me, but I wasn''t releasing any pressure that should scare monsters away. So this meant that there was a good chance that there was something wrong with the Royal Forest; however, there wasn''t any news about it.


    ''It might be a good thing. It could give them a good test.''


    "Alright, we''ll take five minutes. Make sure to rest well. As for me, I''ll look ahead and see if anything is wrong."


    After saying that, I jumped up on a tree nearby and dashed, leaving my students behind, who were just looking at me inplete awe.


    "Just why did we get stuck with such a monster as a teacher..."


    "Right, he''s not even tired when we''ve been walking for two days."


    "Just how was war even like if he''s that strong, are other soldiers just as strong as him, or is he one of a kind?"


    Arie, who was sitting in a corner,pletely out of breath, just sighed.


    "He''s...one of a kind. After all, he spent over 100 million coins to free me."


    "100 Millions COINS!?"


    Everyone lost their minds.


    It was such a big amount of money that even their parents, who were extremely important in the world, wouldn''t be able to spend it without thinking.


    "Just who the hell is our professor?!"


    I heard them from far away. I just smiled in response and whispered, "Maybe one day you''ll know. Maybe one day the entire world will actually learn about my identity and what I did..."


    However, I shook my head.


    That time was still extremely far away. After all, I wasn''t nning on revealing myself anytime soon.


    It was thest thing I wanted to do.


    Staying unknown was the best. No one knew me, and no one feared me.


    Nevertheless, as I moved further away from my students, I spread my awareness as much as I could. Instantly, I could feel the entirety of the forest while standing on top of a tree, and that''s when I noticed what was going on.


    There was a creature even stronger than a Cyclop, which caused a lot of problems for everyone around it. However, the creature was honestly thest thing that I had expected.


    It was a goblin. But it wasn''t in a group, which was the usual way for goblins to act.


    ''Does that mean what I think it means?'' I thought in the back of my mind as I realized what had happened in the Royal Forest.


    I instantly understood what that goblin had done because I hade across a simr situation in the past. It had been another weak monster who had turned extremely powerful.


    I rubbed my chin. ''Can they deal with it?''


    I shrugged. I had no idea. My students were somewhat weaker than I had expected. It seemed I would need to teach them some stuff soon on top of the custom curriculums that I made for them.


    After finding what was wrong, I quickly headed back to where my students were resting.


    "Sorry took me a bit longer. Everything seems fine ahead, no danger whatsoever!" I said with a bright smile.


    "Ah...good, I can''t even lift my arms right now."


    Hearing that, I clicked my tongue.


    "Alright, we''ll take a five-hour break."


    I had felt the goblining in our direction, most likely because he had smelled us or heard us. Anyway, it was only a question of time before we met with him, and my students needed to be in good shape before then.


    "You can all go to sleep. I''ll make sure nothing happens to any of you in the meantime."


    All of them didn''t even ask questions, trusting me instantly.


    I was surprised, to be honest. It wasn''t something that I had expected to happen so quickly. After all, I wasn''t the most "normal" professor.


    Either way, they were so tired that they had probably been waiting for me to tell them that it was okay. They also ignored the iing threat.


    Oh well, I guess they''ll have a nice wake-up call.


    I smirked as I just sat in the middle of all my sleeping students.


    Once more, I spread my awareness and felt the goblin running in our direction. However, he was still very far away.


    ''Yeah, five hours sounds about right.''


    ***


    Five hourster.


    Students were slowly starting to wake up, feeling a lot of soreness in their muscles, especially for the mages and those who didn''t use their bodies to fight.


    Nevertheless, it''s not like they needed those muscles to fight.


    "Alright, everyone! It''s time to wake up!" I shouted as loudly as I could, making everyone around open their eyes in an instant.


    Most of them were still tired and barely opened their eyes; however, what I said next made them realize what was happening.


    "Your enemy has finally arrived! It''s time for a little bit of training!"

 Chapter 76: Chapter 75 - Another Demonic Creature?

    Because my students were still in the process of waking up, I decided to give them a hand for a short moment.


    The goblin was moving FAST, very fast, and it was already a few hundred meters away from the camp where everyone was sleeping.


    "Everyone, I will keep your enemy away for a few moments, but please be prepared to fight once Ie back. I won''t help you then, so get ready!"


    "What are you even talking about?!" One of the students asked me, shouting.


    "Oh, nothing much. There''s a goblin running in our direction, and I need you guys to try to kill it."


    "A goblin?" Ariel muttered, confused as to why Caedrel would make such a big deal out of something so insignificant.


    Goblins are creatures that she could beat with her little finger, so why was their professor, who was extremely powerful, creating such a big thing out of something so simple.


    The more she tried to think about it, the less it made sense and the more confused she became as a result.


    "Yes, it''s a goblin that''s a little special. You''ll see. Anyway, wake everyone up. You''ll need all the help you can get!" I said with a smile followed by a wink.


    Ariel was confused but nodded. After all, I wasn''t the type to make jokes like that, right?


    Well, maybe I was, but it wasn''t a joke this time around.


    Ariel and all the students around were in the process of waking everyone up when I left to meet up with the goblin.


    The reason why the goblin was so powerful, and we hadn''t seen a single monster in the entirety of the Royal Forest, was simple. It had killed everything within it.


    That meant that the goblin I was about to face had managed to either scare away all monsters or kill all the monsters facing him, which meant that it was EXTREMELY powerful. Something that none of my students would even expect in the first ce.


    I quickly arrived where the goblin was andnded right before him, observing him for a good minute, noticing that he was much bigger than what I had expected.


    There were purple lines emerging surging from all over his body with every step he took, and he was about five times the size of a normal goblin with huge muscles.


    ''This goblin...was it demonified just like Cyclops?'' I thought in the back of my mind.


    The Cyclops and its ck heart were something that I had somewhat forgotten about for some reason; however, when faced with this goblin, it resurfaced right away.


    Perdere, or whoever it was, was doing tests on monsters in the Royal Forest.


    That was what I could figure out with the limited information I had.


    Still, I made the same decision as before. I would let my students face it. After all, they had to prepare themselves for the future.


    Demons wereing back stronger than ever. They needed to get strong enough for when that time came.


    Nevertheless, the goblin seemed to be able to sense my strength as he didn''t attack me right away, which meant there was a chance that he wasn''tpletely taken over by the demonic energy residing within his body, which was surprising because I had never seen something like this in the past or on the battlefields.


    ''Just how many things do I ignore about the demons...'' I thought, the more about everything they had done while I was away on the battlefield.


    If the goblin was able to think somewhat and Perdere was able to mass-produce those demonic monsters...ah, I didn''t even want to think about it.


    Our chances of winning against them would plummet.


    The goblin kept looking at me as he walked around me, trying to find a way to attack me. However, it seemed that he wasn''t able to.


    "Let''s just keep this up for a few minutes. They still aren''t ready," I told the goblin with a smile, as I could feel all my students running around, trying to get ready for the fight ahead of them.


    "Kikiki!" The goblin muttered.


    "Ah, I thought you were about to speak. Good thing that they still haven''t figured out how to do that. Otherwise, we would have probably lost right away."


    Still, the goblin seemed to want tomunicate with me as he once more made monster noises, which was quite worrying.


    "Oh well, I would love to continue this conversation with you. But it seemed that they were finally ready to wee you. Good luck, and try not to hurt any of them. Otherwise, you''ll die without even realizing it."


    I threatened him even if I knew there was no point. It just felt good to say it out loud.


    I disappeared from in front of the goblin, leaving him extremely confused for a few seconds. However, he quickly forgot what had just happened. He shook his head and started running toward where my students were waiting for him.


    I just watched from above with a smile as I wondered how they would be able to deal with it. After all, it was unlike anything they had ever faced before.


    Still, as much as I was excited about that, I couldn''t wait to find out more about the monster. I wanted to see if its heart was simr to the Cyclops I had found.


    I also couldn''t help but think that there was someone else in the Academy who was working for Perdere. Another teacher, another student, I had no clue. But I had a strong feeling that they were watching me closely, like a hawk.


    Nevertheless, when I arrived over to the students. It seemed they were well-prepared. Ariel was once more the one telling everyone what to do. But they seemed a lot more confident than when they had faced the Cyclops.


    They were getting stronger, but it wasn''t fast enough.


    They needed to get stronger twice as fast or they wouldn''t survive in the future.

 Chapter 77: Chapter 76 - Awakening of Powers [Part One]

    POV Arie


    It hadn''t been a day since we had gotten back from the Antis that we were already on our way to some other ce called the Snowy Mountains.


    I had no idea what it was, and I had never even heard of it. However, from what the other students were saying, it was a dangerous ce and a pretty crazy one, all things considered. All kinds of rumors had been floating around this ce.


    Still, I didn''t care too much about it. I knew that Caedrel would protect us if things went wrong.


    Nevertheless, walking for two days straight had been pure torture for both me and the rest of the students. However, for me, who had been locked up for quite a long time, exercising in such a way out of nowhere was extremely taxing on my body, and I honestly had no idea if I would have been able to continue walking if we hadn''t stopped.


    However, our "break" wasn''t even a break!


    As soon as we woke up from our little five-hour nap, Caedrel was shouting everywhere that they needed to get ready for an enemying in their direction¡­


    I wasn''t even strong. I was a princess who had been captured at a young age. I didn''t have any powerspared to the rest of them. I couldn''t even summon the Elves'' Goddess¡­I was useless as I watched Ariel, the Emperor''s daughter, guide everyone, giving them orders as if it was only natural.


    Then, after some time, she looked over in my direction, preparing herself to give me my orders. However, as she opened her mouth, she seemed to be hesitant.


    "Hey, what can you do? I never saw you fight, so I''m just wondering."


    I blushed as I looked down, not daring to look her in the eyes because of how embarrassing my answer would be.


    "Well¡­it''splicated. To be honest, I don''t have any powers just yet. So, just don''t worry about me. I''ll just hide and try to survive as best I can."


    Ariel wanted to say something to me based on its looks; however, she closed her mouth.


    "Alright, then do that. Just don''t be the one weighing us down."


    I nodded shyly, knowing very well that this could be a possibility. That''s why I wanted to have Caedrel to teach me some stuff. After all, he was the most powerful person I had ever seen in my life, and I believed that he could make me stronger. I hoped that he would so that I could take revenge on everyone who wronged me.


    Once I be strong enough, my two disgusting parents would be the first to know about it.


    Nevertheless, after Ariel uttered those words to me, I quickly turned around and went to hide myself away from them. However, I still made sure to have a good spot so I could see how they would proceed since I was quite curious about it.


    Within minutes, everyone had gotten their roles, and everyone was ready to face whatever enemy Caedrel had prepared for them.


    Everyone looked confident, as if nothing could happen to them, surprisingly. I would have thought that they would have been scared out of their minds. But everyone was calm and collected.


    I wasn''t sure if that was an effect that Ariel procured or if they simply trusted Caedrel like I did¡­it was hard to tell without asking questions.


    -Boom!


    -Boom!


    Out of nowhere, loud noises came from the forest, and they became louder and louder as milliseconds passed.


    -BOOM!


    -BOOM!


    The trees started to fall down, and we could see a path slowly getting made by whatever beast wasing in their direction.


    Because of how far I was from everyone else, I couldn''t exactly know what was happening, nor did I have any idea what kind of monster this was, but I was expecting the worst of the worst.


    "I-Is that a goblin?!"


    I suddenly hearding from them.


    ''A goblin? Aren''t they supposed to be extremely weak?'' I thought in the back of my mind as I couldn''t imagine a goblin causing such noises simply by running around.


    This made little to no sense.


    "I-It is a goblin! But it''s so big and massive¡­we''re gonna have to be careful around him without a doubt," Ariel suddenly said. "Everyone keep your positions, and wait for my signal to fire all your spells in his direction."


    The goblin was getting closer and closer to them as the seconds passed by, and finally, after a few moments, Ariel shouted as loud as she could, causing shivers to run down my spine because of the strength in her voice.


    "FIREEE!"


    As those words were uttered, everyone who could muster long-range attacks fired their strongest spell, and all close-range fighters ran forward with their weapon in hand, prepared for everything that would be headed in their direction.


    A ton of smoke was suddenly created because of all the spells being cast, making it hard for me to see anything.


    I was wondering where Nymira and Lirael were, as they also weren''t fighting, but that thought quickly vanished from the back of my mind. I was wondering what was currently happening in the battle. Were they winning? Were they losing?


    I had no idea, and after some time, my curiosity got the better of me, prompting me to stand up and advance toward the smoke.


    The noises caused by the battle were suddenly blocked out from my head as I walked forward, forgetting about everything that was happening apart from that smoke.


    Suddenly, I could see a green figure running in my direction, his mouth wide open as if it couldn''t wait to devour me as a whole. However, even as I saw such a thing, I wasn''t worried.


    A strong wind suddenly formed around my figure, and a beautiful ethereal figure, unlike anything I had ever seen before, was before me,forting me.


    "You poor child¡­I''m sorry for not showing up earlier in your life. The curses surrounding your being were too powerful for me to break through."

 Chapter 78: Chapter 77 - Awakening of Powers [Part Two]

    I looked at the beautiful figure who had appeared before with my eyes wide open, unable to proceed with what was currently happening to me.


    She was just so beautiful, she looked absolutely perfect and it was as if nothing could ever change that.


    "Y-You''re so pretty¡­" I muttered without even realizing it,pletely ignoring what she had previously said to me.


    In fact, I couldn''t even remember the words she had pronounced, I was too absorbed by her beauty to care about anything else.


    "Who are you?"


    The beautiful woman with long, green hair and green eyes shed a smile. "You don''t recognize me?"


    I frowned upon hearing those words, trying to focus on her appearance, trying to find a moment where I had seen someone like this.


    Then, it suddenly came to me.


    "Y-You''re Mother Nature?! The Mother Nature?"


    "Yes, my child. I''m sorry for ignoring your pain for so long. However, atst, I decided to help you as much as I can."


    I couldn''t believe it. I thought that I had been doomed, unable to ever contact her in my life. A disappointment to the elves, that''s all I had ever been in my life for my parents¡­but at longst, I had finally managed to contact her. I had finally managed to talk to her after so long.


    Tears ran down my cheeks on their own as I looked at her; emotions I had kept hidden deep inside me for years were surfacing at quite a rapid pace.


    "My child, I''m sorry for interrupting your moment, but you won''t be able to sustain my summoning forever. You should tell me what I need to do before I disappear. I have a good idea of what I have to do based on everything that is happening outside this small "bubble" of wind, but I need you to tell me what to do."


    I nodded quietly, softly realizing that it was no time to look weak. I needed to show everyone watching that I was just as useful as the rest of them.


    I wouldn''t be the one weighing down everyone. I would make sure that would never happen.


    "Then¡­can you kill the monster outside?"


    "Killing it might be a little difficult, but since this is your first request, I will do it," Mother Nature replied with aforting smile on her face; it looked warm, giving me courage. "See you again, cursed child."


    ''Cursed?'' I thought. ''Mhm¡­I probably misheard her that.''


    Within seconds, the bubble of wind that Mother Nature had created had disappeared, and I fell onto the ground, where I could feel the gazes of a lot of people all around me. They were still in the process of fighting the goblin, unable to even make a dent in his body.


    "Didn''t you say you had no powers?!" Ariel shouted right away as she saw me. "Why did she show up out of nowhere then?"


    Ariel was barely hanging on, trying her best to survive. However, it was still extremely difficult for her to do so at the moment, as the goblin was all over her. The others had injuries all over their bodies.


    "I-I''m sorry~!" I muttered. "I just awakened my powers. Anyway, the goblin will be dealt with soon enough to apologize for what I said earlier!"


    Ariel frowned at my words as she couldn''t understand how I could be so sure that the goblin would be defeated. However, she quickly understood that gusts of wind, unlike anything she had seen before, started forming themselves around the goblin.


    Mother Nature herself had appeared to defeat it just like she had promised.


    Within seconds, the goblin was on the backpedal, and quickly after, it was killed with one deadly gust of wind, finishing the fight just like that.


    I had done it. I had managed to help everyone and save them!


    A smile crept onto my face as I couldn''t believe that I had actually done such a thing. I had summoned Mother Nature. I had actually done it!


    As the head of the goblin rolled on the ground, Ariel looked at me with a huge frown, as if extremely mad because of what I had just done.


    "Why couldn''t you just do that earlier? Why are you hiding your strength? Are you another loner like Art who didn''t even bother helping us in this fight?! Answer me."


    I could feel the strength in her voice with every word she pronounced, and it affected me as I could barely stand still at the moment.


    "I-I''m sorry! I''m telling the truth. I really just awakened my powers of connection with Mother Nature."


    Ariel''s head snapped toward Isolde. "Is that true, Isolde? Is she really unable to call upon Mature Nature today?"


    Isolde, who was sitting on the ground with small injuries all over her body, just shrugged. "She was never able to do it once she was within the elven territory. I don''t know if she managed to do so after, though."


    Ariel nodded as she seemed to realize that I wasn''t actually lying for some unknown reason.


    Still, being used of such a thing for no reason was annoying. But that feeling quickly disappeared as Caedrel suddenly appeared right over the body of the goblin.


    He looked over in my direction and smiled at me. "Good job, Arie! Without you, everyone would have most likely been defeated. It seems your connection with Mother Nature is quite a strong one, too. It''s rare for her to give so much effort for such a simple task."


    I frowned. I didn''t know why, but Caedrel was speaking as if he knew Mother Nature and how she would act in most scenarios. However, that made little to no sense, considering that he was a human and no humans had ever been able to call upon her. In fact, only the elves had been able to do such a thing.


    Nevertheless, I didn''t mention it and just noted it to myself, as I knew that Caedrel was hiding some things about him from others.


    "Anyways, you guys can take another hour of break. I need to spend some time inspecting the corpse of this goblin."


    After he uttered those words, Caedrel snapped his fingers, and four ck walls formed around him, making it impossible for anyone to see what he was nning to do with that corpse.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 79 Chapter 78 - A Second Black Heart

    I had just seen Arie awaken her powers before anyone, and it seemed she had just as much as strength as the other elves. In fact, the amount of energy she managed to endure for her first time was definitely something that I hadn''t expected whatsoever.


    I was a bit doubtful that Mother Nature hadn''t helped her because this was her first time, but it was an aplishment nheless; killing such a strong beast with a single gust of wind was definitely impressive, and having the energy to do so was also impressive.


    Nevertheless, what truly mattered was the fact that I had to look into the goblin''s body. I was already quite sure that he had been tampered with by either demons or people affiliated with them.


    However, it was important that I figure out how to counter all of this. Otherwise, it would definitely cause problems for us in the long run.


    As I said before, if they were able to mass-produce strong monsters like those. Then, we were doomed. Not a lot of humans, elves, etc¡­ could deal with such a powerful monster one-on-one.


    Seeing the goblin''s body, I grabbed onto my sword tightly and repeated what I had done to the Cyclops back then.


    Green, thick blood exploded everywhere onto my face in an instant. However, it left me indifferent as I didn''t even close my eyes in the process. The ytime was over; I couldn''t stay so nonchnt about a lot of things anymore. It was time for me to be a lot more serious, especially with this discovery.


    I opened up the goblin''s ribcage, and within seconds, I managed to get a look at his insides. Everything was ck, and more importantly, his heart was ck, which meant that he had been demonized just like I had thought previously.


    ''Ah¡­I don''t know anything about this stuff. I need someone I trust to get a good look at it¡­'' I thought in the back of my mind.


    I wanted to find a person who could be good at analyzing stuff like that and also find answers. However, the hardest part was finding someone I could trust. There weren''t many people that I actually trusted in my life.


    ''Ava!'' I eximed in my mind.


    The more I thought about it. The more I realized that she was absolutely perfect for the job. On the one hand, it would be a test that I give her to know if I can truly know her, and she would also be included in the return of the demons.


    ''I would need to give her this heart before I leave for the Snowy Mountains, though.''


    I guess I could leave my students for a short moment to go and do such a thing. I grabbed the heart, ced it in my bag, and pped my fingers again.


    "Art, please protect everyone here if a monster arrives. If you don''t, I will contact your father."


    Art frowned right away,ing out of his reverie.


    "My father? Pfft, you don''t know my father. You can''t threaten me."


    "Oh yeah, but I''m pretty sure I do know him. After all, I''m the one who helped him perfect that swordsmanship of yours."


    Art opened his mouth, but words got stuck in his throat.


    "A-Are you¡­"


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    "Yes. Now, listen to me and protect everyone here, or your father will learn about everything."


    He nodded fervently as he pulled out his sword, looking around.


    "I won''t be gone for long. However, please be careful while I''m gone. I do not feel any monsters nearby since that goblin had killed most of them, but there is a chance that a lot of them were hiding and mighte out now that the goblin is dead. Anyways, even if Art is there, make sure to also protect yourselves."


    After saying those words, I turned around and started running as fast as I could toward the Academy Grounds.


    Within a few minutes of running at my top speed, I arrived at the Royal Academy, and there seemed to be some drama happening as dozens of people were in front of the gates, shouting.


    "Why didn''t the Academy inform us of this decision?!"


    "They will all die out there!"


    "Fire that guy!"


    "By bringing them there, all of them will die!"


    It was all the same type of thing. However, I didn''t really care as I just pushed to the side of those individuals, making my way to the gate.


    "Sorry."


    I pushed one guy.


    "Sorry, got to get through."


    I pushed a woman this time around.


    "Sorry."


    However, as I started to push people to create a path for myself. I started to get noticed by a few people, and it seemed I wasn''t the most weed there¡­


    "I-Is that their professor?!" A woman shouted out of nowhere, bringing all the attention to me.


    "It is! He''s the bastard who brought all his students to the Snowy Mountains."


    "He''s alone¡­don''t tell me that¡­" Someone muttered as tears appeared in their eyes.


    I clicked my tongue, annoyed by their behavior.


    "Nothing happened. I''m here to deliver something to one of my fellow teachers before I actually leave."


    Most of them took a deep breath, happy that was the case. After all, they all imagined the worst. It was only natural.


    "Also, none of your children will die. I will make sure of that. Now, please let me go through. The more time I spend here, the more time I will spend away from your children."


    "And where are they?! Where did you bring them?"


    "Oh, that. I left them in the Royal Forest for a few minutes. Don''t worry, they''re pretty strong. They won''t get killed while I''m not there."


    This time, the reaction was even worse than before, as they could no longer trust that I would protect all of them in the Snowy Mountains.


    "Y-YOU WHAT?! There''s a reason the Royal Forest is nicknamed the Death Forest! Almost everyone who enters it dies!"


    "And what about it?" I asked, confused about theirint.

 Chapter 80 Chapter 79 - Goodbyes

    A few passed since I had met with the parents of some of my students. However, it was now resolved. Well, not really. I just ignored theirints and flew over the gate of the Royal Academy. After all, I truly hadn''t lied. The more time I spent, the more their children were in danger.


    However, it seemed that they didn''t quite grasp this concept because of their panic.


    But hey, I can''t be med for that one.


    They just need to trust me to protect their students.


    Nevertheless, I was now within the Academy Grounds, and I was heading right to Ava''s office.


    However, when I arrived there, she wasn''t there.


    ''She must be in ss, fuck. This is going to be impossible.''


    By chance, as I headed out of her office, the director''s secretary was standing right there, looking at me with a confused gaze.


    "M-Mister Stuart?! Why are you here? Shouldn''t you be apanying your students to the Snowy Mountains?"


    "Tsk, enough with the questions. Tell me where Ava is right now. I need to give her something."


    The secretary clearly wanted answers to her questions, but after a few seconds, she just abandoned the project. She knew there was no way I would answer them, not right now, at least.


    "Follow me. I''ll show you the way."


    I followed the director''s secretary, and we quickly arrived at the ce where Ava was currently teaching students.


    She looked the same as usual. She had ab coat on, and her hair was disheveled.


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    I didn''t waste the slightest second as I just opened the door wide open without even knocking, grabbing the attention of everyone in the ss.


    "C-Caedrel?! What are you doing here again?"


    "Can youe with me for a moment? I need to talk to you about something."


    She looked toward her ss. "Ugh¡­can''t this wait?"


    "No. I need to get back to the rest of my students as fast as possible. They are still within the Royal Forest as we speak."


    A look of emergency appeared in her eyes instantly as she ran out of her ss directly toward me.


    "We''re taking a break until I''m back!"


    I smirked as I saw her reaction. Ava truly was a good and loving mother. In fact, she was one of the nicest people I had met ever since I had gotten transmigrated into this world.


    Anyway, we quickly got back to her office as the secretary was still following us around like a dog.


    "You can''t hear or see what I will take with Ava, sorry."


    I closed the door to Ava''s office right to her nose and turned around with a smile as Ava attacked me with questions.


    "Why are you back so early? Did something happen to Olivia? Did they get hurt?"


    "Calm down," I said as I ced my hands around her shoulders, giving her some of my warmth. "I can''t spend too much time here. But to make things short, everything is fine. However, I made a discovery, and I need your help with it."


    "M-My help?" She blushed as she didn''t know where to look anymore. "D-Does¡­that means that you trust me?"


    "I guess so," I muttered with a shrug.


    Nevertheless, when I saw that she was all right. I didn''t waste any more time, so I immediately rummaged through my bag and took out the ck heart.


    Ava eyed me weirdly as she looked at the heart in the palm of my hand.


    "And what is that heart supposed to be?" She asked.


    "The heart of a goblin that we just killed in the Royal Forest."


    She frowned even more this time around. "That''s the heart of a goblin?"


    There was this tinge of disbelief in her voice as she muttered those words.


    "But why is it so big, and why is it so¡­dark? Did something go wrong in the Royal Forest?"


    "No, everything was fine. Everyone survived without many injuries. However, that goblin wasn''t a normal one, obviously. It was demonized."


    "Demo, what?" Ava answered. "You mean¡­it''s like that Cyclops you brought to your student on the first day?"


    "Yes. I''m about to tell you something. But you can''t tell anyone, even the director or anyone you know, okay?"


    She nodded fervently. She had waited for this moment for a very long time. I was finally about to trust her enough to reveal some information about what was happening behind the scenes.


    "Alright. However, if you think this is too much for you, you don''t have to do it. Especially with everything that happened with your past husband¡­"


    "Don''t worry about that stuff! It''s been a long time, I''m fine now!"


    She seemed excited to know more about what I was doing, so I just smiled at her reaction.


    "Alright, then, I think that there is either a teacher or a student within the Royal Academy who is working with demons to create creatures like this."


    Ava didn''t say anything just yet. Seemingly thinking about her answer.


    "Demons? But didn''t we defeat them, though?"


    "We didn''t. A lot of them have infiltrated our society, and it has been going on for many years without anyone realizing it. Anyway, that''s one of the reasons I''m going to the Snowy Mountains. I have some hints about it over there. However, don''t go around asking questions; it could put you in danger.


    What I''m here to ask you is to analyze this heart and figure out how they manage to do such a thing to a goblin."


    I shook my head.


    "You weren''t there, but that demonized goblin was even stronger than a Cyclops. Imagine if they could create thousands of them. We would be bound to lose."


    Ava nodded. "Okay, leave it to me. I''ll also try to figure out who is working with the demons while you''re gone. Here is my phone number so that we can contact each other."


    I nodded as I grabbed her phone number, calling her right away so that she would also be able to contact me.


    "Call me once you find something interesting about it. Well, I have to go back to the students I left in the Royal Forest. Good luck with this research!" I eximed as I patted her head a little, making her blush.


    "Stay safe out there¡­" Ava muttered under her breath as I continued to walk away from her.

 Chapter 81 Chapter 80 - An Ancient Tribe

    "Did something happen while I was gone?" I asked as I got back and saw something quite unusual from my students.


    All of them were seen in a circle, talking about things. The main speaker was Arie. It seemed she was talking about some of the things I had done back at the Auction House, which might have been a small problem since I didn''t want it to spread in the first ce.


    ''Hm¡­should I erase their memories about it?'' I thought in the back of my mind, as I didn''t want this information to spread.


    After all, this could put everyone at risk, and that was thest thing that I wanted at the moment.


    However, I decided against it. I didn''t believe that one of my students would spread that information. Maybe I had softened a little, but that was still my decision for the moment.


    "Ah, no! Everything was great. Arie was just talking to us about how cool you were back at the auction house!"


    I rubbed the back of my neck in an embarrassing manner. "Right, well, it wasn''t nothing too impressive."


    "Hmpf, so you did something more impressive than everything she just told us?!" Da asked, her eyes filled with stars.


    It had been quite some time since I had spent some time with her since all the other students had arrived. But she was looking much better than before. It seemed I had given her some much-needed confidence, especially with everything that had been happening within her family.


    "Maybe, I did¡­maybe I didn''t. Who knows? Anyway, everyone gets up. We''re not stopping until we reach the Snowy Mountains!"


    I expected some cheers, but it seemed that they didn''t quite like what I had just said.


    Oh well. Too bad. We were still going to do it.


    ***


    A day had passed, and we were now definitely getting to the northern parts of the continent as the cold and cial gushes of winds intensified, brushing against all our faces. We were on the verge of reaching the snowy parts. But more importantly, we were finally outside of the Royal Forest.


    As soon as we got out, we managed to see a vige from far away. My students were asking to rest there, and I wasn''t too sure if it was a good idea.


    There was¡­I don''t know how to say it, but some kind of weird aura surrounding that vige. It was a vibe that I had noticed as I had gotten closer and closer to the Snowy Mountains.


    "Please~!" They all begged as all of them were extremely tired.


    They looked at me with those cute eyes that dogs would do, and honestly¡­it worked.


    Yes¡­I got convinced because of how innocent and cute they looked. But this was thest time that it would!


    "Alright. But we won''t be staying long. I hope all of you know that. We spend the night here, and we leave by tomorrow morning."


    All of them nodded their heads heavily as we walked in the direction of the small vige that was situated in the middle of nowhere.


    It actually wasn''t impressive whatsoever, and I couldn''t help but wonder about the people living inside it. There had to be something here for them to willingly stay here. After all, there was probably a city or a kingdom nearby.


    Within minutes, we reached the vige, and we were met with two quite burly humans stopping us right by the door.


    However, as much as they were humans, they were much bigger than normal ones, their muscles were muchrger than normal, and their height was extremely high. But what truly caught my eye was the color of their skin. They were extremely pale. It almost looked sickly.


    Looking at them made me think of Vikings.


    "Who you, and why you here?" One of the two guards said. He seemed to struggle to speak English correctly as if it wasn''t his firstnguage. As he said those words, he even ced his hand on the helm of the huge axe that was on his back.


    "We are on our way to the Snowy Mountains, and we are looking for a ce to stay tonight," I said without lying.


    I didn''t believe that those men had any connections from the outside, from the way they spoke to the way they dressed. They were definitely isted from the rest of the world.


    "Snowy Mountains? You? HAHAHA!" Heughed his heart out. However, thatugh was definitely short-lived. "Human, you not strong enough. You die if you go.


    Return."


    "Mhm, did you ever go to the Snowy Mountains?" I asked, interested, if they had any information.


    "Yes, very dangerous. Energy bad there."


    ''Oh. Bad energy? They can detect demonic energy?''


    That was the conclusion I came to from the little of what he said. However, I still needed to know more about it.


    "What kind of bad energy?"


    "Bad. Hurt our people. So, leave before happens to you."


    My students were all behind me, hearing this conversation, knowing that things would get a lot more dangerous the more we approached the Snowy Mountains. After all, we were right at the frontier from entering that territory. It was either we went back or we continued ahead.


    "I''m sorry, but I can''t leave. We need to go to the Snowy Mountains. Could we stay the night here?"


    "Wait. Me ask chief of tribe."


    ''Tribe?''


    I looked back toward my students with a frown on my face. After all, I ignored a lot of things about this world. So, there was a chance that one of them had information about them.


    One of the guards was still looking at us without saying anything. However, I didn''t mind him.


    "Do any of you know about this ce? Olivia?" I asked Olivia since she was the most likely to have heard of it in the past.


    "Mhm, I''m not too sure. I read somewhere in a book that there was an ancient tribe living near the Snowy Mountains, but that was the only ce that it was ever mentioned."


    "Anyone else?"


    There was no answer.


    "Was something, uh, special mentioned in that book of yours?"


    "Yes, they were said to be a Superior Form of Humanity."

 Chapter 82 Chapter 81 - An Interesting Old Man

    ''A superior form of humanity?'' I thought in the back of my mind as I was currently following the guard who had juste back from asking the chief.


    I wanted to ask Olivia more questions about it since she seemed to know a little about the history of this tribe. But this was definitely interesting.


    As we walked inside the tribe, I noticed that everyone looked practically the same as the guard, even the women. They were all extremely pale, extremely muscr, and very tall. What Olivia had told us definitely made a lot of sense at the moment.


    I also looked around and noticed that it truly wasn''t a technology-advanced vige. Most of their houses were tipis apart from one, which was most likely the one the chief was sleeping in.


    I also noticed something else. I couldn''t see a single child in the vige for some reason. Still, I pushed those thoughts in the back of my mind as they were much more important things to think about.


    Their motives.


    Why were they here?


    What were they looking for?


    I wanted the answers to those questions as a priority.


    "Only you enter. Rest, stay outside." The guard said as he pointed at me.


    I nodded instantly as I didn''t believe they would do anything to my students. After all, even if they were quite ancient and not used to how the world was currently progressing. I believed they had good values.


    However, I still had that same feeling in the back of my mind about this ce. There was an obnoxious energy surrounding it as if protecting it from intruders. But I couldn''t figure out what it was.


    Nevertheless, as I entered the small house, I was met with the sight of a very old man sitting on a chair, rxing.


    This man looked nothing like those I had seen outside, which was surprising. I had expected him to be the strongest in the vige, especially for an ancient time when strength was most likely the only thing that truly mattered. However, that was the exact opposite in this case. This man looked sickly.


    "Young one,e and sit."


    I nodded as I nced into his eyes and felt shivers run down the back of my spine.


    ''What was that?''


    "Mhm¡­you have quite aplicated past. I see. So, that is why you are in the Snowy Mountains. Interesting."


    The man spoke on his own as he looked at me sitting down. He muttered some words out of his mouth, and I was able to catch most of them, making me frown in an instant.


    He was talking as if he had learned about all of my past in a few seconds, which was obviously impossible.


    "What do you mean? How do you know why I''m here in the Snowy Mountains?"


    "Your memories. I read them."


    The frown on my face entuated. "What do you mean? You can ess my memories?"


    "Yes. It''s a power I was given by our God at birth in exchange for having this weak and sickly body."


    "Your God? Who is that?"


    The old man closed his head and shook his head. "I''m sorry, young one. I cannot tell you."


    "Just how far back into my memories can you see?"


    The old man had a smile on his face this time around. He seemed to know why I was so worried, which made me even more angry.


    "I won''t reveal details about your life, young one. You must not worry. You have a pure soul and a pure mind."


    I was wondering why he was calling me a young one, but I simply thought that it was out of respect to me. So, I quickly went over it. However, the moment he mentioned the presence of a God. I understood the energy that I had been feeling about this ce. They had a God protecting them from intruders, as far as I could tell.


    I had never gotten in contact with a god in my life. But I had seen it happen while I was at war. I did manage to contact Mother Nature in the past, but I do not consider her to be God. She''s a different existence entirely.


    "What do you mean by pure soul and mind?" I asked him.


    "Pure intentions. You are not evil. I can see it."


    I nodded. "Can I ask you a question?"


    "Yes, young one."


    "Your guard outside mentioned the presence of bad energy roaming around the Snowy Mountains. Is that bad energy, demonic energy?"


    The old man closed his eyes for a few moments, thinking deeply about the answer that he would give me.


    During those short seconds, I analyzed the man before me, and I had to admit that he was extremely weird. Seeing the memories of people without them being able to feel it. There was a chance that he had glimpsed at my past life, but I wasn''t sure about it.


    Then, after a few seconds, his eyes opened once more.


    "I''m not sure if it is demonic energy. However, there is a demonic presence within the Snowy Mountains. It must be rted to that Zero you keep thinking about over and over again," he said with a stifledugh.


    However, as he said that. I shook my head. Zero wasn''t a demon. I was sure of that; I had touched him, and I knew fully well that he wasn''t a demon.


    "That''s impossible. Zero cannot be a demon. I made sure of it."


    The old man raised his hand very slowly with his palm open. "I did not say that it is him. However, I can say that the demonic presence is rted to him."


    "How can you be sure?"


    The old man released a sigh as he pushed against the handles of his wooden chair, barely being able to stand up. "I will show you."


    He walked away from the living room where we were sat and headed toward another room, which had a red curtain to hide was what behind it.


    Then, he moved the curtains and revealed a woman sleeping on a bed with her purple veins. She seemed to be trying to resist the demonic energy coursing through her body.


    I had seen such things happen often in the past, and once the demonization started, there was no way around it. That girl was good as dead as far as I knew.


    "This girl met Zero and fought against him. He was the one who infected her."


    ''But how can he inject demonic energy into her body? He''s not a demon¡­''

 Chapter 83 Chapter 82 - Not Strong Enough

    Chapter 83 Chapter 82 - Not Strong Enough


    "Zero did this to her? How can you be 100% sure?"


    The old manughed for a short moment. "Because her memories told me about it."


    I nodded as I got closer to her body. I wanted to truly analyze it. I could feel a simr feeling to the demonic energy I had felt in my life. However, there was a small but noticeable difference between the two.


    "Can I ask you another question?"


    "Yes, young one. You can ask all the questions on your mind."


    "Do you know about the Zero''s race?"


    The old man closed his eyes again, thinking deeply for a few moments.


    "No, a lot of things are interfering with his identity and existence. I cannot find information about him easily."


    I nodded, not too sure what any of this meant. However, I nced toward the body of the girl once more. She was losing strength quite fast.


    "Did you find a way to cure her of the energy inside her body?"


    "Maybe. However, we are not sure."


    "Oh, and what is that method?"


    The old man turned around and sat back down on his chair as he seemed already exhausted from having spent that much time standing up.


    "A potion that we created. However, we stillck some ingredients."


    At those words, I just smirked. I had so many ingredients in that bag of mine. I had killed so many dangerous things that there was a good chance that I would be able to have what he needed.


    "Just ask me, and I''ll give it to you right away."


    Heughed once more. I wished it was that easy. However, we need a blood sample from Zero, and I have some doubts that you have such a thing.


    I nodded as I released a sigh. "That''s true. Oh well, I could get you that blood if you want me to. After all, the reason why I''m here is to either kill Zero or capture him. However, I doubt that I would be able to actually go to the second option."


    The old man nodded once more. "I know of your ambitions. However, if I may, I do not think you are ready to face him."


    For the first time in my life, I didn''t think that this man was underestimating me. I knew that he could see through me. I knew that he had seen what I was able to do in my memories. So, if he was saying such a thing, there had to be reason.


    "Is Zero really that powerful? Do you think I won''t be able to deal with him?"


    The old man shook his head. "I do not believe so, young one. This Zero isn''t alone. He has strong allies, such as a demonic presence. In a duel, you might have a chance, and even then, it would be a close match. The winner would most likely be different with each fight."


    "Then, what do you expect me to do?"


    "Isn''t it obvious?" He smirked.


    The more I talked with him, the more I realized why this man was the chief of their Tribe. He deserved it just from his ability alone. However, he could make all the right decisions for his Tribe just by sitting in that chair. He truly was wise.


    "Not really¡­what is it you want me to do?"


    "Train here until you are ready to face Zero and his ally alone."


    I shook my head. "I can''t. That would take too much time, and this woman back there might die if I make such a choice."


    "No, you have enough time. She is strong. She will be able to resist this energy for a long time. From my calctions, she has three months left to leave if nothing is done to cure her."


    ''So, three months of training,'' I thought in the back of my mind. It was quite a long time away from the Royal Academy.


    My original n was to return after one month since that was the time I thought was needed to kill or capture Zero. However, if I had to train¡­then things were sure to take much longer.


    ''Still, if he says that I need more strength. Then, it must be true. He has no reason to lie to me.''


    I thought about it for a few moments. However, I only had one question on my mind before I epted his request or declined.


    "Can my students participate in this training of yours?"


    "As long as they can handle it."


    I nodded. "Then, let''s do it. I will stay here and get stronger until you believe my strength to be sufficient to fight against Zero on even grounds."


    The old man smiled. "Perfect. It''s nice to meet you. My name is Zale. I thought you should know."


    I nodded, not even giving him my name since he already knew it.


    "I should go announce the news to the members of the tribe," Zale muttered as he once more tried to stand up with a lot of difficulty.


    "Here, let me help you."


    ***


    A few momentster, we were outside of his house, and everyone in the vige was gathered in front of his house. My students were also there.


    However, once more, I noticed that there were no children in the vige, which seemed weird. But I didn''t think much of it. Maybe they were running into problems. It wasn''t my ce to ask.


    "I have gathered you all here to announce you that this man and his students will be training under you guys for as long as necessary. I will be the one who will say once the training is sufficient."


    "Training members outside of the Tribe?! But why?" A member of the Tribe spoke up with a frown.


    "Xander. His mind and soul are pure. Do not worry. You can trust him."


    "What about those little guys?" He said, pointing at all my students.


    "They will also train with you, guys."


    "Why are you doing this? We need to go and get blood from the one who hurt Phoebe! We can''t waste time on training those useless beings!" Xander shouted, clearly mad about the situation, which was definitely understandable.


    However, Zale stayed quiet for a moment, his eyes closed, before opening them again.


    "This man is the key to Phoebe''s survival and our goal."

 Chapter 84 Chapter 83 - A Curse

    Chapter 84 Chapter 83 - A Curse


    "Our goal? A-Are you serious?" Xander asked as he couldn''t believe what he had just heard.


    I wasn''t sure what this goal of theirs was, I believed that it was linked to Phoebe''s survival, but I couldn''t be sure of it just yet.


    "Yes. This young one will be able to help us achieve it."


    I coughed a few times to gather attention upon myself. After all, this was about me, and I didn''t even know what they were talking about.


    "Excuse me, but may I know of this goal of yours?" I asked with a smile.


    To be honest, I was only asking out of politeness. I didn''t when people took advantage of me, and it wouldn''t change anytime soon.


    "Outsider, you do not deserve to know about us. You weak."


    "Xander. Stop being rude," a feminine voice spoke up this time. "If what the chief says is true, then we need to do anything in our power to help him get stronger."


    She was extremely muscr, and she seemed to be quite respected by all of the vige members since they all stopped making noises as soon as she spoke up. She might be on equal grounds to the chief of the tribe from the looks of it. Well, in terms of aura.


    Also, there was something that I hadn''t even paid attention to ever since I entered this vige, but it was the strength of those within it.


    I couldn''t feel their strength whatsoever. It was either hidden behind a veil, or they were so powerful that I couldn''t feel their strength.


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    I believed it was thetter since they had just asked for my help, so it only made sense that I was somewhat around their level.


    I could feel the prying eyes of a lot of people around, looking at me with a lot of attention, observing my every muscle.


    "But chief, are you sure about this? This human feels weak. Look at his body, so feeble, not an ounce of muscle."


    I had to admit that, yes, I didn''t look the strongest physically. After all, my body was quite lean, and most of my muscles were not appearing for the time being.


    Still, it''s not my fault, alright. I just like looking like this!


    "Zoe, he is not weak. He might be on par with the weakest members of our n."


    This time, the one who was shocked was me as I turned and looked directly into Zale''s eyes. I couldn''t feel any harmful intention in his voice. But for me to be as strong as their weakest, there was something wrong here.


    Why would they need my help if they were so powerful? It simply didn''t make any sense. However, once more, it was rted to their goal.


    Still, I couldn''t help but wonder why no one in this world had heard of this tribe. It simply didn''t make sense. As far as I could tell, there were at least twenty members in the tribe, which meant that all twenty of them were just as strong as me or even more powerful!


    If that were the case, then they could potentially take over the world. I knew only five people just as strong as me, so it made no sense for them to be so isted.


    "Hm, sorry, but if you want me to help you guys. You will have to tell me about your goal. I''m curious about what it is."


    Zale slowly nodded as he slowly raised his hands, telling everyone to keep their mouth shut.


    "We want to break free of the curse that our God gave us."


    "A curse? But didn''t he give you this power?"


    Zale shook his head. "It''s not that simple. In exchange for receiving protection from a God, we have been isted from the outside world, and only a select few can actually see this small vige of ours. You probably noticed already, but there aren''t any children in our tribe because we cannot make one. Actually, that''s not quite right.


    Only Phoebe is a child in this vige, and our God has allowed us to procreate. She is the only one who can leave this small vige of ours."


    "Are you saying that none of you can leave this vige?"


    "Yes. It''s the curse that our God gave us in exchange for his protection. He also made it impossible for us to age. We are immortals. We have been living in this small ce for thousands of years, if not more. We have stopped counting the time a long time ago."


    I didn''t know what to say. This was just¡­extremely sudden. Most things that I had observed were now making sense. The fact that there were no children, that no one knew of them, that they needed my help.


    "I see. But then, why is it that I was able to see your vige?" I asked Zale.


    However, his response was just a simple and in shrug.


    "Who knows. Faith, God''s will, luck, there are many possibilities, but what matters is that you are here." He smiled faintly. "Now, let''s prepare for the training that all of you will go through."


    The old man gave the order, and the members of the tribe just looked at him with wide eyes for some reason. It seemed the information he had revealed was definitely a touchy subject.


    "Zale. Can we talk to you?" Zoe, the woman who seemed to be the strongest fighter, asked.


    The old man simply nodded as he turned around. "Let''s. I''m sure all of you have dozens of questions for me."


    He walked away inside his house, and they all followed him without asking any other questions or even ncing at me. It seemed they needed to talk about everything that had just happened. It was most likely a huge shock for all of them, and I could understand it very well.


    After all, I had just shown up after thousands of years, and they were told that I could break the curse binding them when even I didn''t have the slightest clue of how to do such a thing.

 Chapter 85 Chapter 84 - Harnessing Power

    Chapter 85 Chapter 84 - Harnessing Power


    The night had passed, and we had been given a ce to sleep. Most of my students were in the same state as the tribe members; they were currently wondering what was happening.


    "What''s the training that they were talking about, and why do you need to train? Is everything they said really true?" Ariel asked right away.


    "Yes. I believe everything they said was true. As for why I need training, isn''t it obvious? I need to be stronger. Didn''t you hear I''m barely as powerful as their least powerful members?"


    "But you''re the strongest person I''ve ever seen in my life!" All of my students said at the same time.


    I shook my head. "You guys are simply ignorant of more powerful beings. I''m just a small fish in a pond, and I need to be stronger to save the girl currently dying inside the chief''s house."


    Everyone frowned at those words. "Are you talking about that girl Phoebe they kept referring to?"


    I nodded quietly. "Anyway, this training will be extremely valuable for all of you. They are immortals, and the amount of training they have gone through will be very important for each of you to obtain. So endure it just like I will, you must."


    Everyone nodded as they could only imagine what the training would be.


    Most of them had shbacks of the tests I had made them go through to make their custom curriculum. They hadn''t been that hard, to be honest. Most of them were just drama queens.


    "Will it be harder than your training?"


    "Yes. Without a doubt. If they want to make me stronger, then they will have to make the training extremely hard on everyone, including you all. However, I still think this is a good opportunity to see what true training is like, and I hope it will help all of you in the future."


    All of them nodded their heads up and down.


    "Rest well. It will start tomorrow, and I can only guess what will be waiting for us."


    ***


    The next day came by quickly, and things started right away. A strong voice woke all of us right away.


    "WAKE UP!"


    It was Zoe, the girl from yesterday, who woke us up. She was the only one present from the looks of it.


    Quickly enough, we all got ready for the training in less than five minutes and got out of bed. Explore more stories with empire


    Once we arrived outside, there was nothing except Zoe standing before us.


    "As I said yesterday, your bodies are weak. You need to strengthen it. All of you will do push-ups until you pass out."


    With those words, I was the first one to start doing push-ups, and my students quickly did the same thing.


    A day passed, and I was now the only one doing push-ups. The rest of my students were just sleeping on the ground out of exhaustion. However, I wasn''t anywhere close to stopping this right here. I could still go for a long time.


    "You can stop. Now that they are asleep, it''s time to start your real training. You will learn of the martial arts of our tribe. Our chief told us that you are a special being capable of harnessing the powers of all existing races, even demons. Your training will be simple. You will have to harness the special power that the tribe possesses."


    I frowned as I stopped doing push-ups. ''The power of their tribe? I knew that their bodies were clearly superior to any other humans I had seen in the past, and I thought this was their power.''


    "What is it, the power of your tribe?"


    "Future sight. We are able to glimpse into the future. Obviously, the chief is on another levelpared to us since God enhances his powers in exchange for his physical abilities. However, all of us are able to nce into the future a few seconds into the future, which can give us a great advantage in our fights."


    I nodded. This was certainly true. Being able to anticipate the movements of your opponent in real-time would make things a lot easier. This power of theirs was definitely the reason why they were so powerful.


    "Interesting, and how am I supposed to learn of this power? How do you call upon it?"


    Sheughed as if it was the most simple thing in the world. "You will have to contact our God and convince him to let you ess that power. After all, this is how we acquired it, and I do not have any other methods. Considering your strange body, I think that our God could be interested in you without a doubt."


    "There''s no other method?" I asked as this wasn''t how I had learned how to harness the powers of the different races. "Are you sure?"


    She sighed. "I have no idea. It''s my first time teaching anyone, but as far as I know, this is the only way."


    "What did Zale say?"


    "He decided to let me figure it out on my own for some reason. Anyway, I think you need to call our God so that he will help you in your quest."


    "Do you think he will ask for something in exchange for me receiving his powers?" I asked, worried because of everything that had happened to this tribe.


    "Yes. He will make a request. It will be up to you to decide whether it is worth it or not, just like we did in the past."


    "I see, so how do we call this God. I want to have a little conversation with him."


    Zoe shrugged. "Just make the intent of contacting him clear, and he will appear."


    I nodded as I sat on the ground, closing my eyes and repeating over and over in my mind that I wanted to meet him.


    One minute passed, and nothing happened. However, I continued.


    The second minute passed, and doubt started appearing in my mind.


    The third one passed, and I didn''t believe that I would be able to meet with that God.


    However, just as I was about to lose all hope. I felt my soul being pulled away from my body into the distance. It seemed that God wanted to have a talk with me.


    This was going to be the first time that I would be talking with a God! I wonder if they''re like us, or just dicks in general...

 Chapter 85 - A Deal?

    I felt my being getting pulled in all kinds of directions for a few minutes. I couldn''t even tell what was happening in the process because of how fast I was moving.


    To be honest, it was even harder to keep my consciousness during this process. However, after another few minutes, the constant moving finally stopped. However, I haven''t regained my vision yet. I was too dizzy, and it was the first time that I had gotten my soul separated from my body.


    It was¡­uh, an interesting experience, to say the least.


    Would I do it again?


    No.


    The pukeing up in my throat made this whole thing a little less enjoyable.


    Nevertheless, after another minute or so of beingpletely still, sitting on a chair? At least, that was my guess about what I was sitting on. Either way, I finally opened my eyes, and what I had expected God to look like was theplete opposite.


    I had thought that he would have been serious, carrying a certain aura around him, making people fear him with a single nce. However, what I had in front of me was a big lump of fat.


    I''m telling you. He was fat, so fat. His belly was my size. He was also in the process of drinking right now as he was just looking at me without much care.


    "You finally woke up¡­"


    -Hup!


    "About time. I expected¡­"


    -Hup!


    "Better from you."


    When I saw him barely able to speak because of the alcohol he was consuming, I couldn''t help but shake my head in the process.


    Just everything about this "God" was disgusting.


    He was fat, unhealthy, ugly, and, more importantly, he was dirty.


    ''Just why would that tribe make a deal with someone like him? I don''t get it. Just what happened back then for them to make such a choice,'' I thought for a moment before discarding that thought in the back of my mind.


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    The God took another mouthful of alcohol as he looked at me, slightly frowning.


    "So, aren''t you going to tell me why you wanted to meet up with me?"


    -Hup!


    I nodded. "I''m here to receive the power that you have given an ancient tribe thousands of years ago."


    However, this time, he just frowned even more.


    "A tribe? Who are you talking about?"


    He put his dirty feet onto the white table in the middle of them and took another mouthful of alcohol.


    "I don''t know the name of their tribe. But their power was the one of being able to glimpse into the future."


    "Oh, those bastards!" Heughed heartedly. "Yeah, I remember them, they were so stupid¡­I don''t know what crossed their minds."


    That attitude was starting to piss me off, but I didn''t want to make an enemy out of a God just yet, especially since I needed his help in bing stronger.


    "So."


    He took another mouthful of alcohol out of the giant jar in his hand and looked at me dead in the eyes with a smirk, an evil one.


    "What are you nning to give me in exchange for that power?"


    "What do you want?"


    I didn''t want to propose something out of this world and get scammed. So, I let him start the bidding war.


    "What do I want? Mhm¡­good question. I guess a part of your soul should do the trick."


    I frowned as this made no sense whatsoever. "What''s so interesting about my soul?"


    The God justughed as he practicallyy down against his chair. "Your soul is different from anything I''ve seen in my life. Actually, it''s not "your" soul since you have two of them, which is something I''ve never seen before in my life. Anyway, it just intrigues me, that''s all."


    I nodded as I thought things through carefully. After all, I had no idea what he could potentially do with my soul.


    Could he make me his ve?


    Could he bind me to the vige forever, just like the rest of them?


    This was too risky for what I would get in exchange. I couldn''t ept.


    I shook my head. "Sorry, I don''t think this is a price I can ept. I do not know what your intentions are with my soul."


    He clicked his tongue as he drank some more alcohol.


    "I can give you a better power than them if that''s what you want. ess to energy that everyone would beg to have. Just give me one of your souls for it."


    ''Energy?''


    "What kind of energy? Demonic Energy?" I asked.


    Heughed. "Of course not; Gods despise that stuff. We would never use it. The energy I''m talking about is this one."


    He snapped his finger, and a strong purple fire lit up in the palm of his hands. For some reason, I felt like I had seen that energy in the past¡­and I instantly made the connection with Phoebe and the energy that had been injected into her body.


    It was the exact same thing back then!


    "That energy, why is it so simr to demonic energy?"


    "Because demonic energy is inspired from this. Anyway, that''s not important. Do you want to take this deal or not?"


    "Before I ept, can you answer another of my questions about this energy?"


    He shrugged, not minding it.


    "Can only Gods use this energy of yours?"


    "Well, yes and no. It''splicated. You could potentially use it with my blessing. However, there is another way to use it, but it''s so rare that I don''t think there''s a point in even telling you about it."


    I shook my head. I wanted to know. No, I needed to know. This could give me a better idea as to what Zero actually was. "Tell me, if you do, then I''ll ept your deal."


    "Alright, I''ll tell you. The other people who could use this energy are either Demi-Gods or the Sons of the Demon King."


    "The Sons of the Demon King? The Demon King has sons?! Since when? How many sons does he even have?"

 Chapter 86 - Extraction of a Soul

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    "Mhm¡­isn''t thismon knowledge?" The God muttered as he frowned, not understanding how someone as powerful as me could be so¡­ignorant about so many things.


    "No, in the war, we only learned about the existence of Demon King. But that was it; we never heard anything about him having sons."


    With this information, I now had a good idea of what kind of existence Zero was. He was pretty much bound to be one of the sons of the Demon King. There was not a single doubt about it in the back of my mind. That was the only reason why he would be so close to everything rted to demons.


    However, there was still something that I couldn''t quite grasp.


    "But are sons of the Demon King not demons? If so, what are they?"


    The God took another mouthful of alcohol. "They aren''t demons, per se, because of the existence of the Demon King, who was previously a God. I guess a better title for the Demon King would be Fallen God. Anyway, enough about that. This is all boring stuff!"


    For the first time since the conversation between the two of us started, he bent over slightly the table, looking at me dead in the eyes, seriously. The yful personality of his was nowhere to be seen at this moment.


    "Let''s finish this deal of ours, and I''ll let you go of this ce."


    "What are you nning to do with my soul anyway?"


    He shrugged. "I told you, it just looked interesting. I might show one of my good friends your soul. But that''s about it. Don''t worry too much, you insecure human. You''re not important enough for me to do something so evil against you."


    I nodded. I didn''t think it was that bad of a trade since I would still possess another soul even if I gave him one, whatever that meant.


    I wasn''t very well-informed about all that soul stuff after all.


    "Would it be possible for me to contact you in the future if I want to obtain more information and stuff like that?"


    "Sure, but you''ll have to go to that tribe''s vige. That''s the only ce where you will be able to reach me."


    I nodded slowly, not sure why this was the case.


    I knew that the ancient wasn''t really part of this world anywhere, being hidden from most travelers. I still wondered why all of my students and I were able to see it.


    Zoe had said that it might have been God''s will, but I could clearly see that it wasn''t. That man wasn''t interested in anything happening in our world whatsoever. He had even forgotten about them.


    It was cruel. But it wasn''t like I could say anything that would get through into that thick skull.


    Zale had mentioned that I would be able to break the curse. Maybe he had seen into the future and truly believed it. However, I didn''t believe things were as simple as he was making it seem.


    Breaking this curse meant going against the will of God. It was far from an easy task, even for me.


    However, I still had a question before we truly finished this deal. Something essential.


    "This energy, how will anyone teach me how to use it?"


    After all, I wouldn''t be able to count on those within the vige to teach me, which meant that their training would be somewhat useless since I wouldn''t possess the same power as them.


    "Ask the members of the ancient tribe. Your power is more powerful than theirs because of its potential, but it will work in the same way in certain aspects."


    I nodded as I couldn''t feel the God currently lying. It seemed the power of the tribe members was derived from this strange energy.


    "I see, then let''s do this."


    "Ah! Finally!"


    He mmed his barrel of alcohol against the table as he stood up for the very first time since I had been pulled inside this ce.


    He walked closer to me as he ced his hand against my chest. The size of his hand was so big that it covered the entirety of my chest, and it even grazed my stomach. I hadn''t realized it because he had been sitting down, but the sheer size of this God definitely fit his identity. And just as he moved closer to me, I felt the strength in his muscles extremely well.


    Then, without saying another world, I started feeling a part of myself being pulled away from my body. I could feel some of my strength being pulled away with it. I could feel myself bing weaker and weaker.


    "Hey, hey! What is this?! Why am I feeling some of my strength leaving my body!"


    He smirked. "Oh, I didn''t mention it? By extracting your soul, some of your strength is bound to leave your body. Usually, all your strength would be gone, but since you have two souls, it won''t be as bad. You''ll still remain with 50% of your initial strength."


    "50% of my strength?! No, no, no. Cancel this right away. Give me back my soul. I need my strength."


    ''Did Zale know this would happen to me? Why didn''t he say anything? Is that why he asked me to train?''


    There were so many questions that had suddenly taken over my mind as I was panicking as I felt my body gradually bing weaker and weaker. I should have known there was something sketchy with this exchange. It couldn''t be that simple.


    "Well, I could cancel it, but your strength wouldn''t return to you. So, either you get nothing out of this, or we continue, and you ess to a new power."


    The alcoholic God just smirked as I said those words. He knew that I couldn''t back down. He knew I had to continue, and he knew he would get everything out of it.


    I just gritted my teeth as I was at a loss of what to do. Once I returned from this ce, I would be a lot weaker than before.

 Chapter 87 - New Power

    POV Zoe


    It had already been five hours since he had lost consciousness. It was the longest time I had ever seen the chief of the vige.


    I didn''t know what that man and our God were talking about for so long, but it had to be quite something. I did wonder what this man would ask in exchange for our power. After all, it was bound to be a lot¡­our God was a greedy bastard.


    We had given up everything in exchange for protection and power. However, it had been necessary at the time with everything happening in the world. Nevertheless, I was worried that this man wouldn''te back the same as before.


    There was a price for everything.


    Just as I was thinking of all this stuff, Caedrel''s body suddenly started shaking as if he was going through something extremely painful. His body was in agony as his veins started bulging from all over his body. His muscles contracted. It was a good thing that I was the only one seeing this, or else most of his students would have panicked.


    ''Just what did you offer for such a thing to happen?'' I thought in the back of my mind, as this was unlike anything I had seen before in my life.


    The shaking continued for one hour until he finally stopped moving. It was so sudden that I thought he was dead, but when I touched his chest, I could still feel his heart beating. However, for some reason, his body seemed to have gotten a lot weaker out of nowhere. The somewhat dangerous aura I had felting from him before hadpletely disappeared.


    ''Let''s hope you didn''t lose too much in exchange for our power¡­we don''t have too much time, after all.''


    I was worried that we might not have enough time to show Caedrel everything that he needed to learn to fight against Zero. Our power wasplex, and achieving mastery would certainly take some time, especially since the training he would be doing would need to be hidden from his students.


    In fact, I was thinking of training Caedrel only by myself and asking the others to take care of his students. It would make things a lot easier on me and the others, without a doubt.


    Then, a few more minutes passed by, and Caedrel''s eyes started to flutter. He had finallye back from the realms of Gods.


    ***


    POV Caedrel


    ''Ah¡­where am I? What happened? I just remember losing consciousness as he finally extracted my soul out of my body?'' I thought as I barely opened my eyes. ''The energy, right¡­the energy! Did he give it to me?''


    I closed my eyes as I tried to feel it inside of my body, and I could feel it. A weak yet strong purple me that could destroy anything in its way.


    ''Didn''t that God mention its name? What was it again?'' I thought with a frown. ''Aether? I think that''s what it was.''


    Anyway, after some time, I opened my eyespletely and heard a worried voice enter my ears. It was weak, or maybe it was just me who couldn''t hear anything at the moment.


    I opened my eyes and saw Zoe''s face extremely close to face, practically screaming at me. However, even then, I could barely understand what she was saying.


    My hearing waspletely fucked for some reason.


    I tried to push my body upwards to stand straight, but it didn''t even work. My body felt terribly weak, constantly recovering because of the loss of one of my souls.


    Minutes passed by, and it was slowly getting better; my hearing was getting better, and I could hear Zoe a lot more clearly, and some part of my strength was slowlying back to me.


    "Can you hear me?!" Zoe said as she shouted over my body.


    She had been saying that for the past minutes, and I finally just nodded at her words.


    "Yes. I can hear you, sorry. A lot of things happened, and my body got a lot weaker because of what happened with that God of yours."


    "Weaker? Why did you get weaker? What did he ask in exchange for our power?"


    I smiled weakly. "My soul¡­he asked for my soul."


    Zoe''s eyes widened instantly. "And you epted such a bad deal?! How do you even have some of your strength left? You should have lost all of it by now!"


    "It''splicated, and I epted because I didn''t know that such a thing would even happen in the first ce. Anyway, I still have 50% of my strength because I had two souls. However, I have a different power from all of you. A power that is supposed to be superior to the one you have acquired from that God."


    "Two souls? A stronger power than ours?! Just what is going through that mind of yours!"


    Zoe was clearly thinking that I was crazy. She had never heard of anyone having two souls before, and that made perfect sense. After all, the only reason why I had two souls was because I came from another world.


    Nevertheless, I wasn''t going to say something like that to her. I nned on keeping this a secret from everyone.


    Anyway, I summoned a weak purple me in the palm of my hand to show her the power I had acquired. It was strange, but I was able to instinctively control this power to some extent as if I had done so my entire life.


    "Look¡­this is the power I received in exchange."


    Zoe didn''t even need to look at it for a single second to know what that power was. It was the same energy that Phoebe was currently suffering against.


    "Y-You¡­how is this even possible? Did our God really give you ess to such a power?" She couldn''t believe it. "Is that why Zale believed in you so much¡­"


    She shook his head.


    "No, it has to be the reason why he believed you could save Phoebe." Stay updated via empire

 Chapter 88 - Aether

    Zoe seemed to know more about this energy than I did. After all, they had probably researched it quite a lot since Phoebe was affected by it.


    "Come with me. We have to tell the chief about your new power."


    "W-Wait. I''m too weak to stand up just yet. It hasn''t been a long time since I lost over 50% of my strength by losing my soul."


    Zoe didn''t seem to care as she just grabbed my arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, basically dragging me to the chief''s house.


    As she did so, we heard a distinct voiceing from behind us; it was Arie''s, who just watched with a frown.


    "P-Professor, what happened to you? Why aren''t you able to stand straight?"


    I smiled. "Don''t worry, everything is fine. The training was just a little too rough, and I pushed myself too hard. I''ll be in top shape tomorrow. Go back to sleep¡­"


    Zoe nodded as if acknowledging what I had just said.


    Then, Arie continued to look at us from far away, clearly worried about the state of my body. After all, it was the first time in her life that she was seeing me in such a weakened state. She might have thought that I was invincible in her mind.


    Nevertheless, a few more moments passed by, and we arrived at the house of the chief, entering without even knocking.


    The chief was sitting in the same chair as when I had met him for the first time, not even sleeping, and he smiled as we walked inside.


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    "I was waiting for you, young one."


    I frowned.


    I was mad over what I had just gone through.


    "Did you know that something like this would happen?!" I roared angrily. "Why didn''t you warm me beforehand if you knew?"


    "Calm down and sit. I know you are frustrated, but this was the only way, young one. If I had warned you about it, then you wouldn''t have done something like this in the first ce."


    "Damn right, I wouldn''t have. As far as I know, everything you told me in the past was just a lie."


    The old man just smiled at those words, not getting angry. "I know you verified if I was telling the truth back then with your skill. I didn''t say a single lie. I know you know that."


    I didn''t say anything because he was right. I had used my skill, and he hadn''t uttered a single lie. He really had been telling the truth. He truly thought this whole thing was necessary.


    "I know you might think that this was a bad deal. However, it''s quite the opposite. You might have lost some of your strength. However, your potential has now gotten a lot higher, and now, you actually have a chance at defeating the Sons of the Demon King. Without this energy, you would have just died if you had fought against Zero.


    Well, it would have been close, but now, you will defeat him as long as you get strong enough. It will no longer be a close fight."


    I knew that he was telling the truth, but I was still frustrated with everything that had just happened. I had just lost 50% of my strength. I was so much weaker than in the past.


    I felt my body being all slow and weak when it wasn''t¡­even with 50% of my strength, I was very strong. But¡­it was still a strong hit against my ego.


    "If I may, can he cure Phoebe right now if he absorbs the energy hurting her body?"


    Zale, however, shook his head. "If he did it right now, then a lot of danger would be involved. We should wait until he''s able to control this energy perfectly. Only then will I allow it."


    Zoe just nodded her head. There was no need to rush things. She knew that Phoebe was still far away from dying.


    "Still, now that Caedrel has awakened this power. Zoe, you will have to help him control it."


    This time, she was the one who was very confused. "And how would I do that? I don''t have ess to it."


    "Our God said that this power was rted to the one we possess and that to learn how to use, he should use our knowledge."


    I wasn''t even surprised that he said information about my meeting with God since it was clear that Zale had already gone through all the memories from my conversation with that God.


    Then, after uttering those words, he turned to look in my direction.


    "Don''t worry. You will regain your strength fast. Your talent is unlike anything I have seen before in my life. You will reach even greater heights with this power in due time."


    I nodded as I knew that he was once again telling the truth. However, what worried me was the amount of time that I would have to wait for such a thing to happen. Getting as powerful as before was bound to take a lot of time. I didn''t believe that it would be possible in three months.


    "Do you still believe that I will be able to win against Zero in three months of training?"


    He closed his eyes for a few seconds, most likely looking into the future.


    "Yes, I believe so. There is no reason why you wouldn''t be able to."


    Those words did give me some confidence; however, I was still worried that something would go wrong and that I wouldn''t be able to fight him during that time.


    "I''m curious, still," I suddenly said. "Now that I have this power, the blood from Zero isn''t needed to treat Phoebe anymore, right?"


    Zale nodded. "As long as you master this energy fast enough, no, it won''t be needed. However, if you don''t, then yes, we will need some of his blood to create a certain potion."


    "And that potion of yours, could it heal those who are affected with demonic energy? For example, monsters."


    Zale closed his eyes again.


    "Probably, however, nothing is certain."

 Chapter 89 - Training in Seclusion

    The conversation quickly ended after that, with nothing much being said. However, just as Zale had said to the rest of his tribe. It seemed I was the key to everything now that I had acquired this power.


    I still ignored how I would free them from this curse. But that wasn''t what I cared about.


    With this power, the demonized monsters might not even be an issue any longer. Well, as long as I regained my lost strength and controlled this energy.


    As I left Zale''s house, all of my students had woken up. It seemed Arie had already told them about what had happened¡­about me being unable to even walk on my own.


    "Are you okay, Professor?" One of them asked.


    "Don''t push yourself too hard¡­this isn''t healthy!" Da said, clearly worried.


    "You can rest, too. Don''t get hurt."


    I just smirked at their worries. It was nice to have so many people worried about you. It was the first time that such a thing had happened to me. After all, before, when I was at war, people would say the exact opposite every time that we were tired, especially my master.


    ***


    A long time ago.


    "Rest is for the weak, Caedrel. Are you weak?" He said.


    "No, sir!"


    "Do you want to be just as powerful as me?"


    "Yes, sir!"


    "Then, stopmenting and get up. We are far from finished."


    ***


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    Rest wasn''t something that I was used to. I needed to keep pushing my limits until I would die of exhaustion. I was the only one training so hardpared to my peers, which is also the reason why I got so powerful, I guess. And I would have to do it all over again.


    I had no time for resting. As much as I wanted to, I needed to get back to my original strength as fast as possible.


    "Do not worry about me. This much is nothing. I have been through much worse."


    They all gulped at those words. If this was nothing¡­they couldn''t even begin to imagine what kind of training I was used to going through.


    "If you want to be powerful, sacrifices are needed. If you want to be as powerful as me, you will need to sacrifice more than me."


    They all nodded. They knew I was right. However, most of them didn''t think that it was possible to push themselves more than I was pushing myself.


    After I was done with those words, Zoe coughed once, gathering all the attention to herself.


    "Also, starting from tomorrow, I will be training Caedrel alone. Someone else will take over your training. Caedrel is a special case, and his strength is much different from all of you, so he will need something¡­ harsher for his body to progress."


    They all gulped once again. If I had been in that state from this "basic" training, they couldn''t even imagine what would happen once I went through the "special training."


    "In fact, he will be going through isted training, and no one will be able to contact him for over two months."


    "WHAT?! Isted training?"


    Ariel was the one who shouted, which surprised me greatly.


    "Just what are you going to do to him? I want to join."


    "Same here!"


    "We won''t leave you alone, professor!"


    I just smiled at their reactions. However, I shook my head.


    "The training I will be going through isn''t something you guys can do. I''m sorry. However, even while I''m not here to supervise all of you. I hope that when Ie back, each of you will be much, much stronger."


    With those words, all my students nodded as Zoe, and I walked away toward a hidden space within the tribe''s vige.


    ***


    POV Jackson


    It was now night, and our stupid Professor was going into seclusion to train and be more powerful, even if he was already strong enough to rule over the whole world.


    I didn''t know why he was doing something like this, but I thought it was time to report everything I had learned to Alexandra, just like she had asked me to do. After all, she had promised me I would fire Caedrel if I continued to give her information about him.


    I typed Alexandra''s phone number, and it rang. Within a few seconds, she picked up the phone.


    "Jackson, what is it? What is Professor Caedrel doing in the Snowy Mountains?"


    "He has just announced to all of us that he will be going in some kind of weird seclusion training for more than two months."


    "What? Seclusion? Training? What is nning to train?"


    I had no idea why Alexandra was so obsessed with our Professor, but I could only guess that she was jealous of his strength.


    "I don''t know. We entered the vige of some kind of weird ancient tribe, and ever since then, he said that he needed some training for whatever he was nning to do in the Snowy Mountains."


    "I see, training¡­Ok, thank you for the report. Where are you right now? I will send someone to observe what''s happening. Share me your location."


    I clicked a few buttons on my phone, and my location was shared with the director.


    "Alright, perfect. I''ll send someone right away. Just stay there."


    ***


    POV Alexandra


    "Why is Caedrel training when he was in such a rush to go to the Snowy Mountains¡­this doesn''t make any sense."


    The more I thought about it, the more this made no sense.


    "Some kind of ancient tribe. I''ll go in person. I need to see this for myself."


    Within a few minutes, Alexandra got all dressed up and left right away to go to where Caedrel and all of his students were. However, there was one thing she ignored. The fact that the vige Caedrel was currently in wouldn''t be visible to most visitors.


    There was a big chance that once she arrived at the location, Jackson had shared that she wouldn''t even find anything.


    Nevertheless, she would only figure this out a few dayster once she arrived at the said location.

 Chapter 90 - First Day of Training

    The first day of training quickly came, and it wasn''t anything that I had been expecting.


    Zoe was sitting before me with her legs crossed, and her eyes closed.


    "Are you ready for today''s first lesson?" She asked.


    The ce where I would be taking part in the secluded training was definitely a strange one. There wasn''t a single doubt about it. We were currently inside a hidden space within the vige. In fact, I was curious as to why there was such a vast, unupied piece of territory inside of their vige since it was just so small to begin with.


    Nevertheless, I dismissed those thoughts because there was only a single thing that I would need to focus on for the next two months: training.


    I needed to regain my previous strength in a shortpse of time, which meant that every second counted toward my growth, and I couldn''t fool around.


    That''s why, without wasting another second, I sat down before Zoe and said, "Yes. I''m ready."


    She kept her eyes closed, and her focus was unwavering.


    "Then, please take the same pose as me."


    I did just that, wondering what the point of such a position was because it didn''t seem beneficial for him at all.


    As much as I wanted to follow their training if at one point I realized that it wouldn''t be useful, I would discard it and train just like I had always done in the past. After all, I had gotten extremely good results in the past, and I had no doubt that I would be able to do the same thing once more.


    "Please gather as much energy as you can in your right palm. You need to keep gathering it until you arepletely devoid of it."


    After she uttered those words, she stood up and watched me perform what she had just asked of me.


    I gathered the purple energy around the palm of my right hand without wasting a second. I could feel it going through every single part of my body, giving it strength in the process. Aether, as God had called it, was definitely the most potent energy I had worked with ever since I hade to this world.


    It was truly something unheard of.


    Within a few minutes, I had gathered all the Aether avable to me into my right palm. I opened my eyes and looked at it. I could see some kind of purple gas or me surrounding it.


    "Try to condense this energy if you can."


    With those words, I once closed my eyes as I tried my hardest to condense the Aether. However, no matter how much I tried. I was unable to do it. I had tried to condense it just like I would mana, but its properties weren''t alike whatsoever. Aether was almost reacting in the opposite way that Mana would, which was a bit difficult to get the hang of at first.


    "I can''t do it," I said with a dejected voice.


    "It''s okay. I just wanted to see to what extent you could control that energy. Now, let''s fight against one another. I want to see just how weak you have gotten by giving up one of your souls to our God."


    I nodded as I expected such a request.


    To make an urate training program, she needed to know my current strength. It was simr to what I had done with my students when I had created their personalized curriculums. The only difference this time was that I would be the one receiving it.


    Though I didn''t let it show on my face, I was pretty excited to see how Zoe would fight. I wanted to see just how strong she was. I had quickly understood that she was the strongest within the ancient tribe, but I wanted to see to which extent her power could reach.


    "During this fight, I will also use the tribe''s power. So try to see how and why I use it at certain moments if you can."


    I nodded. This fight would also allow me to gain insight into the way Zoe''s power and the tribe''s power. This fight would be very important for my future growth, which meant that I had to give my absolute best.


    Within a few moments, we were ready to fight as we looked at one another dead in the eyes.


    "Ready?" She asked me.


    "Yes, never been more ready in my life," I replied with a smirk.


    I knew there was no way I could win, but it wasn''t the first time that I had experienced such a thing in my life. Before I had attained such dominant strength, defeat had been part of my everyday life. I had kept losing over and over again.


    However, I had learned something extremely important. Actually, it was even from my previous world. A quote from a famous book, The Art of War, by Sun Tzu.


    "Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price."


    Only those who suffer enough will be able to taste victory. It was a motto that I truly liked and had used for most of my life in this world.


    Nevertheless, as I told myself this quote one more time, Zoe disappeared from my vision as she reappeared before me.


    She didn''t take out the weapon in her back as she only used her fists. However, I wouldn''t make something as foolish as that. I grabbed onto the helm of my sword and pulled it out right away, deflecting the strike she had thrown at my chest.


    "Using your weapon. Smart choice, I thought you wouldn''t have used it because of your ego, but it seemed like I had misjudged you."


    I just smiled as she backed away a few meters behind.


    "My goal in this fight is to make you use that giant axe on your back. If I manage to make you use it, then I will consider this my victory."


    She smirked. "Sure, I can agree with that, as she once dashed in my direction, putting as much strength in her fists as possible."

 Chapter 91 - Purple Hue

    With a clear goal in mind, I made sure to remove all distractions. I was only focused on one thing, and that was to make her brandish that axe with all her might.


    However, for such a thing to even happen, I would need to put her in danger. Otherwise, I would never be able to do such a thing.


    ''I guess I should use everything that I can.''


    With those thoughts, I used my sword aura without wasting a second, and I also conjured a strong me to coat my sword.


    In thepse of a few seconds, my sword, which had previously looked normal, was now extremely dangerous for anyone in this world. Even if I was weaker, this weapon wasn''t in the least. This sword had been crafted by the best cksmith in the entire world, so when I coated it in such a manner with my powers. It could cut down everything standing in its way.


    In fact, as I thought of the powers at my disposition, I decided to try something.


    I wanted to coat my sword with aether. I knew it was a risky move to pull off in battle, but I just had a feeling that it would work.


    I tried my hardest to summon aether, and when I did so, Zoe stopped attacking me as she just observed what I would try to pull off with this new energy of mine.


    She knew that it could potentially benefit me to not attack, so that''s what she did. After all, she didn''t care about the winner of this battle. This was only some kind of spar to see the extent of my strength. I had no way of winning even with my previous strength, and it wouldn''t change now that I had lost half of it.


    Nevertheless, as I conjured aether around my sword. I realized that the sword was rejecting it as if making it known that it couldn''t be used on objects.


    ''Is it impossible to use on objects, or is it just me that isn''t skilled enough?'' I thought in the back of my mind as I tried once again.


    However, it was once more the same result. There was nothing I could do. Aether would get rejected by the sword over and over again, making me lose hope of using it in a fight.


    "It was a nice idea, but it seems that the aether isn''t listening to your will just yet for some reason." She smiled. "I''ll show you my tribe''s powers now."


    After she uttered those words, I noticed a purple hue surrounding Zoe''s eyes. The purple hue resembled aether a lot. Actually, I believed that it was aether. However, she couldn''t use it freely like me. I think that''s what the restrictions God ced on the tribe when using the aether.


    That''s also why he believed that they could teach me how to use it. However, it seems like they still hadn''t realized it for some reason.


    I didn''t mention it right now since, right as she activated her tribe''s powers, she dashed in my direction, prompting me to dodge her strike.


    However, this time, I wasn''t only nning on dodging and blocking her strike. I wanted to see just how powerful their ability was.


    "Come on, try to attack me. Stop dodging!" She shouted.


    At those words, I just smirked as I shed my sword as fast as possible toward her neck, aiming for the kill. However, even before I started performing my strike, she moved away from the trajectory that I was nning to use, and when I tried to change it, she once again moved.


    She truly could see a few seconds into the future; she could see all my intent when I was trying to attack her, making it pointless to even try tond a strike on her. She could see all of them before I had evenunched them.


    She startedughing out loud when she saw that I had given up trying to attack her.


    "Why aren''t you attacking me? Are you scared of me?" She smiled.


    I just shook my head. "There''s no point. You can react to my attacks before I evenunch them. So, I''m just wasting energy by doing so."


    "Do you understand just how powerful this makes us?" She asked me with a smile.


    "Yes. I knew of the potential when I first heard about this ability of yours. Being able to see into the future in real-time in a fight could even be considered cheating by some people."


    Zoe was d that I had understood that she stepped away from me and said, "Well, there is no point in continuing this fight any longer. Did you learn something from this fight?"


    I shook my head. "I did not. However, I noticed something quite interesting when you activated the tribe''s power. There was a purple hue around your pupils."


    Zoe just frowned at my words. "A purple hue? What are you talking about? Even when I fought against other tribe members, I never noticed such a thing."


    "It might be because I can use aether and was able to spot it. However, this gave me an idea. If I were to infuse aether energy into my eyes. Maybe, just maybe, I would be able to use the same ability as you."


    Zoe realized that what I was saying made a lot of sense, and she nodded excitedly. She had never expected something like this to happen at all.


    "Yes, you should totally do it. There''s not a single doubt about that part!"


    With those words, I didn''t waste any time as I guided the aether within my body toward my eyes. It listened to me quite well, and I was able to control it to quite a decent level. However, I was still clearlycking. Nevertheless, I didn''t care too much as the purple energy finally reached my eyes.


    Instantly, I could feel my field of vision changing.


    There were afterimages everywhere around me.


    It seemed like I had acquired the tribe''s special power just like that.


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 92 - A Visitor

    A few more days had passed since I had acquired the tribe''s power, and I was still getting the hang of it. After all, even if I could use it, I needed to get better at using it. I was not used to seeing so many afterimages of people.


    I needed to get better at ignoring some of them while focusing on what truly mattered. Still, within a few hours, I had managed to do a decent job.


    I was currently training on increasing the time in which I could use this power, and that meant I needed to increase the amount of aether. However, we weren''t making a lot of progress in that department because Zoe had never even noticed the aether in her body, which meant that we were testing a bunch of things without any results.


    However, today, Zale paid us to visit the secluded training ground.


    It was the very first time that someone hade to pay us a visit, and I wasn''t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.


    He came all alone as he could barely even walk, struggling to take each step forward. Considering his state, it was certain that he wasn''ting here just for fun. There had to be an important reason.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "How is the training progressing?" He asked as he sat on the only bench in the secluded area.


    "It''s alright. However, we have been stuck for the past few days, unable to increase the amount of aether within his body. What about outside? Is there anything strange happening?" Zoe asked as she replied in my stead.


    However, even if she replied in my stead, it seemed like she knew the type of questions that woulde out of my mouth.


    Zale turned in my direction as he answered those questions. "Nothing of much importance is happening outside. Your students are progressing at a decent rate. However, one of them refused to participate in the training for some reason."


    Without even needing to ask, I knew that this student was Art. However, I just shrugged because I knew this was bound to happen, considering his personality.


    "Anything else?"


    "Our guards have noticed an individual roaming close to the vige. However, it seems like she cannot see us at all. She was not chosen."


    I frowned.


    It seemed that either the Emperor or Alexandra had sent someone against me.


    I wonder who¡­


    "Any idea what she looks like? It is a girl, right?"


    "Yes, it''s a girl. The guards said that she had red hair. But that''s the extent of our information since we cannot leave the vige, as you know. We also didn''t inform the students about it since it would only cause problems."


    "Good, keep them in the dark. I think I have a pretty good idea of who she is. Make sure to keep an eye on her and report back to me if she everes too close to here."


    Zale nodded. However, he hasn''t left yet. It seemed he had another purpose foring all the way here.


    "You are still stuck in your training, right?"


    "I am. I can''t find a way to increase the aether in my body."


    Zale nodded once more. "I thought this might happen, which is why I''m here. I will be taking over your training until you have reached a good amount of aether in your body." Then, he looked over to Zoe. "In the meantime, Zoe, you will be in charge of the vige. If anything happens, just report it to me. However, only do so as ast emergency because we will be quite busy for the following days."


    Zoe curtly nodded. "Do you want me to leave right away?"


    He nodded. "Yes, we have no time to waste. Phoebe''s condition is getting worse a little faster than I had anticipated."


    Zoe''s eyes widened for a short moment, but she still nodded without saying another word.


    She knew that if Zale had moved in person to teach me, it meant that it was very important for me to progress at a very fast pace. That''s why she left without saying another word, leaving both me and Zale all alone in seclusion.


    ***


    POV Alexandra


    It had taken me a few days to reach the spot where Caedrel had been supposed to be training, but once I got there. There was absolutely nothing in the surroundings.


    I had tried to call Jackson a few more times, asking for him to share his location again. However, every time I would try to do so, it would go straight to the voice mail. It was as if he had blocked me. It was either that or he had lost ess to his phone, which was quite annoying since there was literally nothing around this ce. It waspletely vacant.


    "Did that little bastard lie to me?" I muttered under my breath. "Ancient tribe, my ass!"


    I kicked the ground out of frustration, having nothing else to do.


    I was exactly where I was supposed to be.


    Out of frustration, I just kept walking around the ce without much purpose, trying to think about what to do next.


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    After all, I couldn''t leave the Royal Academy unattended for too much time. I hadn''t even warned anyone about my departure, which meant that I needed to get back before anyone noticed me missing. I had told my secretary to cancel all meetings, but I had a few meetings at most.


    "Ugh¡­this is so annoying!" I muttered as I once more tried to kick the grass before me.


    However, this time, just as I was about to do so, a strong energy blocked my strike, moving my feet away.


    "Huh? What happened?"


    I frowned as I got closer to where my kick was blocked as I tried to push my hand forward. Once more, I felt like I was touching an invisible wall.


    "Don''t tell me that they are hiding in there?!" I eximed out loud as I started pushing against the wall and shouting as loudly as I possibly could.

 Chapter 93 - Mad

    POV Zoe


    It had been a day since that red-haired girl had been shouting and trying to get inside the vige. However, I knew that nothing could be done about it.


    She would never be able to enter this ce because she hadn''t been chosen by it. However, there was one thing that was quite annoying. The fact that all the students could see her and could hear her shouts. It made them aware that there was someone who was trying to enter this ce.


    I was worried that someone would recognize her since Caedrel seemed to have guessed the identity of that individual right away. But luckily for us, we had managed to make it practically impossible for the students to see her appearance.


    We were also lucky that she hadn''t shouted her name once, or else it would have just brought a lot more problems.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "CAEDREL! THIS IS YOUR DIRECTOR TALKING, MAKE ME ENTER THIS HIDDEN SPACE OF YOURS, OR I WILL FIRE YOUR ASS RIGHT FUCKING NOW!"


    Obviously, there was no way for Caedrel to show up, but more importantly, she had just revealed her identity, and all the students who were training right behind them also heard it.


    Murmurs quickly started spreading.


    "The director is here?!"


    "Did you hear that?"


    "Yeah, I think that''s her voice, but why would she even be here in the first ce? This doesn''t make any sense whatsoever."


    "Maybe Caedrel asked for her help in his training."


    ''Should I go see Caedrel so that he can deal with this?'' I thought for a moment before shaking my head.


    I couldn''t distract him from his training for something so insignificant. All we had to do was keep ignoring her, and that was exactly what I was nning to do.


    "Go back to your training. There seems to be someone trying to get in here, but she will never be able to do so, and she will leave soon enough."


    Everyone looked at each other with frowns. They seemed doubtful that I was actually telling the truth.


    "What if Caedrel asked for her help to supervise us?"


    "But didn''t you see what happened when we tried to leave the Academy?"


    "Should we go talk to her?"


    They just inly ignored me as they continued to talk with each other about what they should do next. It made little to no sense, in my opinion, and there was also no chance that I was letting someone through to talk to her.


    But then, one male student stood up. I didn''t quite recall his name, but he really wanted to talk to her.


    "Can I go and see why she is here? I''m pretty sure the Professor is the one who called her, or else, why would she be here?"


    "Jackson''s right. We should go talk to her."


    However, I shook my head. I didn''t know who had called her. But there was no way that it was Caedrel. It was either someone who had followed them or one of Caedrel''s students was just a pitiful traitor who had contacted the director about his activities.


    ''If only Phoebe was here and could go beat her ass up¡­''


    I shook my head in annoyance.


    "Xander, make sure none of them can leave the vige while I''m gone."


    There was no longer a choice; I had to go and see Caedrel and ask him for some help with this persistent person.


    I reached the secluded area quite quickly, and I saw Caedrel and Zale sitting facing each other with their eyes closed, not uttering a single word. I knew that it wasn''t a good idea to disturb them, but I thought there was no other choice avable to me.


    I coughed once. "Um, um, sorry to disturb you both. But Caedrel, that red-haired person, is causing a lot of problems right now. Could you go see her and tell her to leave?"


    Caedrel kept his eyes closed as he just released an annoyed sigh. "Alright, I''ll go see her."


    He stood up, and for some reason, the aura surrounding him was much different than when I hadst seen him. He was a lot calmer and more collected as if nothing could anger him. Maybe Zale had given him that state of mind.


    Nevertheless, I followed him as Zale stayed and sat without moving a single inch.


    After all, it wasn''t like he would be able to do anything even if he followed behind Caedrel.


    Within a few moments, we arrived at the training grounds where I had left the students a few moments ago, and it seemed quite¡­chaotic, to say the least. A few of them were trying to get past Xander. However, they obviously didn''t manage to do so.


    It was a good thing that the red-haired girl couldn''t hear anything from inside the vige, or else she surely would have found things weird.


    Nevertheless, as we came back, I looked over toward Caedrel''s face, and I could see him frowning for the very first time at his students. It was the first time that he seemed annoyed at their behavior. His easy-going behavior wasn''t anywhere to be seen.


    "Everyone sit. I did not call for her, and I do not know how she learned that we were here, but the student who shared his location with her will have to answer to me."


    The tone in his voice was a serious one.


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    He wasn''t ying around.


    However, I could understand what he was currently feeling. He trusted his students, and one of them betrayed him. I didn''t know much about Caedrel just yet, but I knew that lying to him wasn''t a good idea. He wasn''t someone who would forgive people easily.


    "W-We didn''t say anything to the director, mister Professor! We swear!" Olivia said as she felt shivers appearing on her body because of how cold his voice was.


    "I know you didn''t. But someone did, and I will find out who, and he will have to answer me after I''m done dealing with the director."


    With those words, Caedrel crossed the invisible wall and met with the red-haired girl. However, his expression wasn''t a good one. It seems like I had misunderstood his previous expression; a lot of things could anger him, and that woman was one of them.


    ''Let''s hope that he doesn''t kill her.''

 Chapter 94 - A Message for the Emperor

    I was on the verge of making a breakthrough when Zoe came to get me to help with the situation outside.


    It was quite easy to understand that I was extremely pissed off at the moment because of it, so it didn''t help.


    There was also the fact that Alexandra knew of our exact location for some reason, which meant that one of my students had betrayed me and I had called her or shared their location. I didn''t know who it was just yet, but I would make sure that he would pay.


    Nevertheless, that was something that I would be worrying aboutter as I needed to focus on not letting out my rage on Alexandra too much. Otherwise, things could quickly get moreplicated.


    After all, she was connected with the Emperor, so if anything happened to her then the Emperor would surely be even more wary of me than he already was. He wouldn''t give me any information anymore and there was a possibility that we would be enemies as a result.


    That''s why I needed to make sure that I didn''t do anything stupid with Alexandra. I needed our rtionship to stay a neutral one, if possible. However, if she pushed her luck too much, then...there was a chance that she would not be part of this world anymore.


    I walked out of the vige and the hidden barrier protecting it, where I could see Alexandra sitting on the ground, panting because of how much energy she had spent trying to get through this barrier.


    "You, why are you here?" I asked right away, not even trying to entertain her.


    Her eyes literally widened when she saw me.


    She couldn''t believe that I had actuallye out of the invisible barrier.


    In fact, she rubbed her eyes, maybe thinking that she was dreaming.


    "It really is me. How did you know that I was here? Who told you?"


    I walked even closer to her this time around until I was right over her body, looking down at her. She was defenseless; she couldn''t do anything against me, especially now that I had acquired a new power that let me see a few seconds into the future in real-time.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Nevertheless, I wasn''t ying on fighting her. There was no point and it would only cause more problems for me and I already had enough of those.


    "I-I..." The words got stuck in her throat as she looked at me, still in disbelief.


    "I''ll repeat. Why are you here? Why do you want to see me?"


    I knew all my students were watching this situation unfold and that most of them were wondering what actions I would take. After all, there were a lot of rumors about me floating around the academy ever since I had killed Derek at the Emperor''s party.


    "I want to know the real reason why you are training in this hidden ce."


    I justughed at her. "It''s none of your business. I told you why I came here, however, there were some problems. That''s all there is to it. Now, I need to train and get stronger."


    Alexandra couldn''t move as both my feet were on each side of her body, making it impossible to move out of my grasp. She was stuck there, and there was not a single chance in the entire world that I would let her go.


    "I know there''s more to it. I was told there was a hidden tribe in this ce. What kind of power are you even trying to obtain?! Are you trying to dominate the world and rece the Emperor?" Sheughed like a madman. "YES! That''s it!


    That must be why you are trying so hard to be stronger. You want to be the sole ruler of this world."


    I looked at her and simply sighed. She waspletely crazy.


    World domination?


    Did I really look like that was something that interested me in the slightest?


    I had stayed as a soldier my entire life, never trying to stand in the spotlight.


    I was thest person who would be interested in such a useless thing. What I wanted to do more than anything in the world was be stronger and eradicate all the demons from this world. That was all there was to it.


    I bent down and flicked her forehead.


    "Can you stop daydreaming for one moment and listen to me."


    I wasn''t looking for an answer to that question. I made sure that she knew with my re, which made her shut her mouth right away. I was tired of this useless dy in my training, and I wanted to get back to it as soon as possible.


    I had finally made my choice about a very important situation of mine.


    "Pass this message on to the Emperor. I will not be your spy any longer, and I will act as a sole individual against the demons. You can me those around you for this decision. However, I will not consider you an enemy. However, if you ever get in my way like you did today, we shouldn''t meet again, or else it might end badly."


    Alexandra heard the wordsing out of my mouth and couldn''t believe what was currently happening.


    ***


    POV Alexandra.


    ''Is he really dering war against the Emperor?''


    The consequences for such a thing were sure to be high; could Caedrel even handle it?


    Why did he look so confident when he was turning his back to the entirety of the human race?


    Was he really so powerful that he could make such a choice?


    "Y-You''re turning your back on the human race?! D-Do you want to be treated as a traitor by the Emperor?"


    His gaze only hardened as he looked down on me.


    "Did you even listen to a single word I said?" He clenched his fists. "Make sure to repeat my exact words to the Emperor. At least he''s smarter than you. Also, don''t even think about firing me from the Royal Academy. I will keep this job no matter what."


    I just gulped and slowly nodded. "I-I will tell the Emperor."


    I knew that if I didn''t agree to this request, there was a big chance that I wouldn''t leave alive.

 Chapter 95 - Giving the Message to the Emperor

    [This chapter will be in 3rd POV because I thought it was more fitting for the uing scene. I''m sorry if it causes confusion.]


    A few dayster, in the Emperor''s castle.


    Alexandra had juste back from the ancient tribe''s vige and the meeting she had with Caedrel, and her first stop was the Emperor''s castle. She had to tell him about the message that Caedrel had given her.


    She walked through the castle, panting from exhaustion. She hadn''t stopped running since she had seen that gaze from Caedrel. She had felt like she was about to die for the very first time in her life.


    Everyone watched her as she ran within the Emperor''s castle, with the maids and servants all frowning.


    "Was that Miss Alexandra?"


    "I think so. Did you see how exhausted she was?"


    "Yes, she was even running inside the castle. Something important must have happened outside."


    "Do you think it''s rted to that man?"


    "Possibly. Who knows? However, it''s surely confidential information that we will never hear, even if we asked for it."


    The maid and the servant agreed with thatstment, knowing they would never get the details of such a situation, nor did they care to.


    Alexandra didn''t hear a word of what they said as she kept running forward, her head growing dizzier by the second. She finally arrived before the Emperor''s private room.


    "J-James... it''s me, Alexandra!"


    She knocked on the door as hard as she could three times.


    "O-Open the door. I have important news about Caedrel. He has a message for you."


    As soon as she uttered Caedrel''s name, the door swung open for her, letting her right in.


    James was on the other side of the door, already frowning as if he understood the situation without needing to hear it.


    "What did you do?"


    Alexandra gulped, not knowing how to reply. She stuttered, trying to think of a lie that would fit the situation.


    "I-I didn''t do anything. I swear this isn''t my fault. I was just worried for my students, that''s all there is to it. I swear on my life."


    "Hmph, then you must not care about your own life."


    For some reason, the Emperor, James, was certain Alexandra was lying. It was strange, almost as if he already knew about the situation and everything that had happened in the hidden tribe vige.


    "Sit and tell me everything that happened between you and Caedrel. Make sure to leave out no detail."


    Alexandra gulped once more as she took a seat facing the Emperor.


    For the first time in her life, she was afraid of dying if she uttered something incorrect in front of the Emperor. They were friends, but right now, at this moment, that didn''t seem to be the case at all.


    "He told me to give you a message that was practically a deration of war."


    The Emperor frowned. Is Caedrel stupid enough to do such a thing? Going against me... has he be strong enough for such a thing already?


    However, the Emperor didn''t draw any conclusions just yet. After all, he didn''t believe Caedrel would be so impulsive. There had to be something more to this situation.


    "What was the message that he asked you to pass on?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "He told me that he would no longer be your spy and that if he ever saw you again, it would be as enemies! He really is dering war against you. I''m telling the truth, I swear. He also told me that he wouldn''t ept being fired from the Royal Academy."


    The Emperor frowned once more, confused by Caedrel''s actions.


    "And what happened to make him say such a thing?" The Emperor took a deep breath as he stared Alexandra dead in the eyes. "I will ask once again. What did you do to anger him in such a way?"


    "I-I..."


    The words were stuck in her throat.


    "I''ve told you plenty of times that you needed to be careful around Caedrel. He is NOT someone we can afford to anger. You do not know a single thing about him, but just know that all his enemies in the war have died one way or another. There is a reason that nothing is known about him publicly. Argh, to think you would be so foolish and cause him to be our enemy..."


    The Emperor just shook his head, annoyed.


    "Is he still trying to capture that Zero or whoever that person was in the Snowy Mountains?"


    She shook her head. "He is going through some kind of training. He didn''t give me any details."


    Alexandra gulped as the Emperor red at her in silence, clearly waiting for something.


    "I''m still waiting. Tell me how and why you angered Caedrel. Depending on the reason, I will make a decision regarding our rtionship."


    Alexandra knew the gaze the Emperor currently had on his face. It was the look of a leader who would do anything for the greater good, even if it meant killing his closest friends.


    "I-I asked one of his students to spy on him and give me information about his actions. When I learned that he was training in seclusion, I decided to see in person why he was doing such a thing. However, when I arrived, he became extremely mad at me and gave me the message I just delivered to you."


    The Emperor wasn''t certain if Alexandra was telling the whole truth about the situation since there was a chance she was trying to protect herself from the consequences.


    "Do you know where Caedrel is, and can you still contact that student of yours?"


    Alexandra nodded.


    "Then, contact Caedrel by all means possible and tell him that I want to have a discussion with him."


    Alexandra just gulped as she nodded, pretending to agree. She couldn''t let the Emperor meet with Caedrel, or else, she would be exposed for all her lies.


    That''s why, she wouldn''t contact anyone anytime soon.

 Chapter 96 - The First Part of the Training is Over

    A few more days passed since Alexandra I had given a message for the Emperor to Alexandra, and there was still nothing.


    Not a single sign of life from anyone. I had been sure that someone from the Emperor''s side would have contacted me by now, which meant one of two things.


    Either Alexandra hadn''t told the Emperor anything, or she had lied to him.


    Both of those options were something that I had anticipated since Alexandra was more of a snake than anything else. I wasn''t surprised by any of the actions that she would take.


    However, I couldn''t leave and go see the Emperor in person at the moment. My training and Zero took priority over all of this without a doubt.


    I could always clear up the situation with the Emperor once I returned to the Empire. After all, even if I had be some kind of enemy, I didn''t believe they would send someone capable of dealing with me to kill me.


    It wouldn''t make any sense considering that I was still fighting on their side. I was still fighting against the demons for their interest. There was no need to treat me as an enemy, which was also the reason why I had told Alexandra that I wouldn''t consider the Emperor and his people enemies.


    We had amon goal and I would do anything to achieve it even if some of our personal opinions shed against one another.


    Nevertheless, as time passed, I removed the Emperor from my mind as a whole. After all, I still hadn''t mastered how to use aether in general.


    I had only discovered one use for it, which was the one of the ancient tribe. However, there were bound to be thousands of different methods to make me stronger by using aether. It was an energy that Gods used, there was no doubt that this energy would be my strongest weapon.


    ***n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    A few more days passed, and it was now a month since I had started my training with Zale.


    He still wasn''t satisfied with my control over Aether.


    I had to admit that it wasn''t anywhere close to his, but I also didn''t have thousands of years of practice. I was starting to get tired of only meditating all day and controlling the aether inside my body.


    I wanted to test new ways to use it. I wanted to fight against Zoe again.


    However, if Zale was telling me that this was the right path to bing stronger. I could only believe in him.


    After all, he could see glimpses of the future. If he thought that I would be able to seed in defeating Zero this way, then I would keep doing it withoutining.


    ***


    A week passed by, and the same thing was happening once again.


    All we did of our days was just meditating, increasing the amount of aether inside my body. That was all we did over and over again.


    I wanted to do something else, but I didn''t want toin to Zale.


    Sometimes I just looking at him and sighed. After all, he knew of most of my thoughts, he surely knew that I was tired of doing this. He was not stupid at all and he knew most of my thoughts.


    "Caedrel." He suddenly called out to me as we were about to start another day of training.


    "Yes? Is there a problem?"


    "I think I understand why you became so powerful at such a young age. I hadn''t truly understood while I was looking at your memories. But spending all this time with you truly enlightened me."


    I frowned as I honestly ignored what he meant.


    "And why did I be so powerful?"


    He smiled. "You most likely know already, but it''s your willpower. I have never seen anyone like you. You will do everything that is asked of you if you believe that it is the best course of action. Your talent obviously helps, but I think your willpower is what makes you different from anyone else."


    After saying that, he shook his head.


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    "Never mind how much aether you can gather in your right palm now?"


    I didn''t answer using my mouth as I simply summoned as aether as I could in my right palm.


    The small purple me from a month ago was nowhere to be seen as a true purple me flew out of my hand going at least give meters into the air.


    "Good. Can you condense all of it?"


    Before, I hadn''t been able to manage such a thing; however, after all this training with Zale, controlling my aether was practically second nature.


    I condensed all the aether in my right palm into a small purple ball. However, it was very small, around the size of a marble that kids used to y with on Earth.


    "Impressive."


    I looked over to Zale with some expectations since he was praising me in such a way.


    "Is it finally time to reach the second part of my training?"


    Zale nodded. He was clearly satisfied with my progress. "Yes. I think it''s time for you to train by having some duels against the rest of the tribe. Your body might not be as strong as before, and you might not realize it yet. But you are very close to your past strength with the aether inside your body.


    Well, as long as you use it ordingly, obviously."


    I nodded as I could only trust those words.


    "What do you suggest?" I asked.


    "A small tournament should do the trick," Zale smirked as he couldn''t wait to see how I would measure against the rest of the tribe.


    I also couldn''t wait to figure it out, and a tournament would show to everyone who the strongest within the tribe was. It was the perfect idea.


    "The tournament will mark the end of your training. As soon as it is over, you will be able to search for Zero within the Snowy Mountains. Well, as long as you are not mediocre and show some potential." Zale smirked.

 Chapter 97 - Start of the Tournament

    Everyone was gathered for the next part of my training. I had not talked to my students ever since the incident with Alexandra, and I hadn''t bothered looking for the spy among them, as there was no need to do so whatsoever.


    He had already given all the information he had gathered about me, so I simply took my time and let the culprit stress every day. I thought that it was a better punishment than anything I coulde up with.


    I had some ideas about who the culprit or culprits might be, but that wasn''t important at the moment.


    Anyway, everyone was gathered in front of Zale''s house, as he had announced that I would be beginning the second part of the training.


    "Hello, everyone. I have finally finished the first part of Caedrel''s training, which means that it is now time for the second and final part, where he will practice what he learned with me."


    Zale smiled.


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    "For the second part of his training, a tournament will be taking ce. All of the tribe members will participate and try to defeat Caedrel. I will also allow you to go for the kill, which means you can go all out."


    Xander was the first to frown this time. "But doesn''t that mean some bad injuries could happen... even death?"


    Zale nodded. "idents are bound to happen. However, this is what we are required to do."


    Xander just frowned, not fully understanding the meaning of those words, but he had never been the smartest, to begin with, so he simply nodded his head repeatedly without wasting time.


    Most of the tribe members were confused as to why Zale, their chief, who had always prioritized peace among them, was suddenly allowing them to practically kill each other.


    However, if that was the chief''s will, there had to be a reason. They all had the same mindset as me, after all.


    "Should he face the weakest of us until he reaches the strongest?"


    Zale nodded. "Yes, he should. Also, let me give you all a small rundown of how this tournament will work. Everyone will face each other. The person with the most victories at the end will win the tournament. If there is a draw, then there will be a final fight between those two individuals to decide the ultimate winner."


    Everyone nodded, as the tournament was easy enough to understand.


    "Should we use the old ranking system that we used to have among us tribe members?" Zoe asked.


    "If you wish to do so."


    Zoe smirked. "Yes, let''s do it just like old times! Let''s use the old ranking; I don''t think it''s changed anyway."


    I frowned at those words, as I wasn''t well-versed in what Zoe was talking about. I had no idea what that ranking was in the first ce. However, it seemed that all the tribe members knew of it, as they nodded their heads.


    And just like that, the order in which I would face each of them was set.


    I wasn''t truly surprised when I saw who my first opponent was. It was Xander. Apart fromining, he didn''t contribute much to the tribe.


    However, I wouldn''t underestimate him. Anyone within this tribe was powerful, and there was no doubt about that.


    The next day quickly came, and it was time for the first match of the tournament to begin.


    All my students were on the sidelines, with most cheering me on and others simply watching in silence.


    I knew that my actions with the director had made them somewhat doubtful of my intentions, but those were actions I believed were necessary for my own interests.


    That''s why I took those actions. Things would have gotten out of control if I hadn''t, as I wasn''t the type of person who liked to be used by others. That was thest thing that interested me.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Nevertheless, I had no time to waste focusing on my students. My first fight was about to begin, and I felt a lot of pressure. After all, I couldn''t lose my very first fight against the weakest in the tribe. Otherwise, it wouldn''t even be necessary for me to fight the rest of them.


    "Are you both ready?" Zale asked, his eyes closed and voice tired.


    "YES!" we both shouted at the same time.


    "Then, the start of the tournament and the first match may begin!"


    "WOOH! Professor, you can do it! Xander is weak!"


    "Yeah, he kept bullying us during training! Avenge us!"


    "Beat him up!"


    I smirked as I heard them shout those things. It seemed that Xander had been one of the people responsible for their training, and I had to admit that it seemed to have worked, as all of my students were exuding auraspared to when they had first entered this ce.


    I was honestly happy with the progress each of them had made in my absence.


    "Don''t look away from me!" Xander shouted as heunched the first attack.


    I smirked. "Thanks for shouting, otherwise I wouldn''t have dodged it."


    Without wasting any more time, I activated the tribe''s ability, which I had named [Future Sight]. I gathered aether in my eyes and instantly saw afterimages before me, indicating Xander''s future movements.


    As of now, I could use [Future Sight] for around two minutes before I ran out of aether. That''s why I needed to use the skill carefully, as it was very powerful.


    I decided to activate it right away, since I wanted to end the fight quickly.


    I brandished my sword and immediately activated my aura.


    It was the first time I was fighting seriously in front of my students, and I knew they would discover a lot of things I had hidden from them. However, I didn''t care... they were bound to learn about me eventually.


    I would just need to deal with the spies before they spread the extent of my powers.


    Nevertheless, seeing that I could effortlessly dodge all of his attacks, Xander seemed to understand what was happening.


    "Hm... seems like what Zoe said was true. You really can use our ability. However, if you keep dodging, you won''t be able to win against me!" Xander roared as he continued to attack me like a madman.

 Chapter 98 - Figuring Out Who the Traitor Is

    Xander continued to attack me, making sure that it was impossible for me to attack him. However, that was a lost cause.


    I was faster than him at dodging. There was no doubt about it in my mind. I was stronger than him physically for some reason even if I hadn''t trained my body in over a month.


    ''Is it because of the aether?''


    I couldn''t be sure of it just yet. Nevertheless, from the moment I realized that I could move faster than him, I knew that the fight was as good as over.


    It took me very few movements topletely overwhelm him as a whole, and by then it was already over.


    I thought that it would have taken a lot more effort than this to win against Xander, but it seemed that I was much stronger than I had been anticipating. Maybe Zale had been right all along. All I needed to do was increase the amount of aether within my body.


    After all, that was the only thing I had done apart from the battle with Zoe at the very beginning.


    Seeing that I had won so easily certainly put many of the tribe members on edge as they just looked at me walking off the stage. Most of my students were in shock over how easily I had won the battle against Xander when they had suffered so much at his hands.


    They realized once more just how powerful I really was and what I could potentially do to them if they angered me again.


    "Good job, Professor!"


    "You fought so well!"


    They all cheered me on this time, even those who had been silent at the start of the fight.


    Anyway, now that I had some time to rest since the others had to fight against one another, I could actually go through each of my students and see just which one out of all of them was actually a traitor. After all, I had to find out about it. There was not a single doubt in my mind about it.


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    I already had a few suspects in the back of my mind about it, and I couldn''t wait to figure out just who would dare to do such a thing.


    As for the following fights, I couldn''t be very bothered by them. I preferred going blind than to analyze how my opponents fought. After all, this would be how real fights were, it would also be how the fight with Zero would go, and that''s the fight I was training for. I couldn''t careless if I lost in this small tournament.


    It would make me more powerful as a result. After all, Sun Tzu had said it himself, and as I said before, that was a motto that I truly believed in.


    "Everyone,e with me. It''s time we talked about what happened with the director. I know most of you are wondering why I said the things I said and why I acted in such a way, and I will exin everything to all of you."


    We quickly left the ce where the matches were taking ce as I guided them to a small, empty space where we could speakfortably with one another.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "So, all of you must have been dying to know why I acted this way with the director, right?"


    All of them nodded very quickly as I observed all of them.


    I looked at how each of them reacted to that information since that would basically tell me who the culprit would be. However, they all had simr reactions for the time being. So, I just continued like nothing special was happening.


    "Well, it was quite simple. I was not happy about the directoring here when there shouldn''t have been any way for her to figure out my location. So, the true reason why I was truly mad was simple. I was mad at all of you for having betrayed me."


    All of their eyes widened.


    They had just watched me fight against Xander andpletely destroy him.


    Instantly, most of them got on their knees and begged for mercy. However, a few of them did not. I decided to eliminate those from the list of possible culprits.


    Among them who hadn''t begged for mercy were Olivia, Ariel, Arie, and Da. It seemed that they didn''t believe that I would hurt the innocent and they were right. They had judged my character correctly, without a single doubt.


    I wasn''t a person who would attack the innocent. I would only kill or hurt those who had wronged others. It was another one of my rules that I stuck to no matter what would happen.


    "For those of you who begged. I suggest pleading for your life right now, or you might not be able to handle the consequences heading your way."


    However, that didn''t work. It seemed that the person who had betrayed me believed that I wouldn''t be able to figure out who he was.


    "Oh well, I tried to do this the easy way. Everyone raise your head. I will ask the same question to all of you one after another; just answer the truth, and everything will be fine."


    I was nning on using my skills to determine whether they told the truth or lied. If the person who betrayed me, admitted it as I did this, then I would be far more lenient in their punishment. However, that didn''t seem to part of their n from the looks of it.


    They all got in a single file as many of them gulped, scared that they would mistaken as the culprit when they hadn''t done anything.


    "Those who did not do anything must not worry. Nothing will happen to any of you until I''m 100% sure of the culprit."


    Many had a sigh of relief with those words, however, they were still worried. Mistakes were bound to happen, after all.


    My question was straightforward, though. "Have you contacted Alexandra ever since you entered this ce?"

 Chapter 99 - Punishment

    Surprisingly, the first person before me was Isolde.


    I did not believe that she was part of those who had betrayed me. However, just like I had mentioned beforehand, I would ask the same question to everyone. There wouldn''t be any exceptions.


    "Have you contacted Alexandra ever since you entered this ce?" I asked with a slight smirk, wondering what would being out of her mouth.


    I did truly hope that she would tell the truth.


    Isolde was one of the most talented students in the ss, without a doubt, especially as an archer; she was truly gifted. I still remember when she had attempted to go through the parkour when I did her curriculum. Without a doubt, it had been pretty impressive all around.


    "I did not."


    Then, she just didn''t move, waiting for me to either discard her or announce to everyone that she was the culprit.


    I could see it from where I was standing that she was very nervous. However, the reason was most likely because of the overall atmosphere not because of what she did, and when I tested her answer with my skill, it returned as the truth.


    She wasn''t the one.


    "Next."


    Isolde released a loud sigh as she ran past me, happy to have been freed from all this stress.


    "Don''t be happy just yet. I will say the same thing to everyone. After all, there could be a lot of people involved in this matter, and all of them will receive the same punishment."


    "A-And what will that punishment be?" One of my students in the back asked. I didn''t quite recall his name, which meant that he was neither a troublemaker nor was he a top talent in this ss. Probably one of the most average students I had.


    "I still haven''t decided. It will depend on many different factors. However, no matter what punishment I decide, it will be a pretty bad one. So, be prepared for the absolute worst."


    I made sure to act as if something extremely bad would happen to the culprits. After all, I wanted them to admit on their own. This whole thing wasn''t what I truly wanted. I wanted the culprits or the culprit to admit to his fault on his own, just like any person would.


    Another student came before me, and I asked the same question once again.


    "Have you contacted Alexandra ever since you entered this ce?"


    "No."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    It was the truth once again.


    Then, once more, a student stepped up.


    "Have you contacted Alexandra ever since you entered this ce?"


    "No."


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    The truth.


    I did this over and over again until there was only one student remaining, Jackson.


    Everyone who had passed before had told the truth, so I already knew that he was the culprit of this whole thing, and I had a small idea why. After all, he was bound to somewhat hate me because of how much I ridiculed him in the early days. However, it was only deserved for what he had tried to do to me.


    Insulting me with all kinds of names.


    "Jackson. Anything to say to your defense?" I asked, for the very first time, changing the question I asked.


    Jackson instantly frowned. "Why aren''t you asking me the same question as the others?"


    I just smirked as I ced my hand against his shoulder very softly and bent forward toward his right ear, whispering, "I suggest you tell the truth."


    Jackson felt shivers run all across his body in an instant simply by hearing the icy tone of my voice. He even walked back without even realizing it because of how scared he was.


    "I-I¡­"


    I could see the hesitation written all over his face. He did not know what choice to make.


    Whether to tell the truth or to lie.


    Depending on his choice, I would adjust his punishment.


    "I did not do anything! I didn''t contact Alexandra at all!" He suddenly dered.


    I could only sigh because of his pathetic answer and willpower. I had given him a chance toe clean. He knew that I knew about what he had done, and even then, he had decided to lie.


    "Who do you fear more, the Empire or me?"


    "T-The Empire!" He replied right away, stuttering as he walked back, scared out of his mind. "You would never be able to defeat the Empire on your own."


    I shrugged. I had never wanted to, but maybe one day it would be my goal. However, I would not do it without a clear reason in my mind. If they had done nothing wrong, I wouldn''t do anything against them.


    "Finally, you tell the truth. Interesting."


    I turned toward the rest of my students who were standing before me, still worried that they might be deemed as the culprit of this whole charade.


    Even some of the tribe members looked in my direction, wondering what was happening to cause so much noise and to grab my attention away from their fights.


    "Maybe some of you knew about it, and if you did, then you would be just as bad as this traitor."


    "I had no idea!" A few of them shouted, and it all turned out that they were telling the truth, meaning that the odds of Jackson acting alone might very well be the truth.


    Well, it was easy to figure this out.


    "Did you act alone?"


    "No, Ariel helped me!" He shouted.


    However, I didn''t even need to ask Ariel as it turned out to be a lie without much surprise. Jackson was trying to conserve some of his pride, but the more he spoke, the worse it got. I could see through all the lies he muttered.


    "Stop lying. It will only get worse if you do. Anyway, why did you inform Alexandra about my location and the tribe?"


    Jackson gulped. "I-I wanted to take revenge on you for everything that you did to me!"


    "But you were the one who was an ass to me first. Anyway, the punishment won''t be given to you. Your parents will be the ones to receive it as soon as I am back in the empire. Your gracious and prestigious family might disappear if you continue to act this way."


    Jackson''s eyes widened. "Destroying the Evergreen family?! That''s impossible!"


    I just smirked. "Nothing is impossible."

 Chapter 100 - Caedrels Erased Past [Part One]

    The tournament was progressing smoothly.


    Out of the ten fights that I had gotten, I had won all of them.


    Most of those hadn''t been as easy as against Xander since they were getting more and more powerful as I moved up in their ranking. However, I still managed to win most of the time, and I had no doubt that I would continue to win.


    I was actually extremely surprised by my strength. My actual output of power was much less than before. However, because I was able to use aether I was able to move and dodge attacks from my opponent before they were evenunched. It was a big advantage especially for fighters such as myself and the tribe members.


    Nevertheless, I wanted things to go faster. I thought that things were going too slowly. After all, I had received some intel from Lurok about this ce. However, I did not know if Zero had a base here or anything of that type.


    I knew that it would take me a month or two just to find him in the Snowy Mountains because of how vast this ce was. After all, Zero could literally be hiding anywhere in it, and more importantly, he was in a subspace, which would make things even moreplicated.


    As I watched two of the tribesmen fighting, I released a sigh. It wasn''t that the fight was boring since they were extremely powerful. But I was just tired of being here, hidden from the rest of the world.


    I knew that this training was needed, but I still found it a bother.


    "Can I sit next to you?" Zale asked as I looked surprised.


    "Sure. Sit if you want."


    He smiled as he slowly sat down, making sure not to hurt his body.


    "What do you think about all this?"


    I smirked. "Why are you even asking me something like this when you already know?"


    Zale shook his head. "You don''t understand the extent of my powers. I can''t read your thoughts, only your memories. It''s different. Anyway, I can see that you are frustrated for some reason. Tell me what it is, and I will help you."


    "I just want to leave this ce already. It''s been almost two months since we entered this ce, hidden from the rest of the world, and I can''t even begin to imagine what happened to the outside world.


    I still have no news from the Emperor, even after I threatened Alexandra. Did they announce something? Is there a war somewhere? Did the demons do new victims? I have dozens of questions on my mind without answers. It''s just hard to stay here and ept being ignorant of the rest of the world."


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    Zale didn''t say anything right away, so he took a few moments to think carefully about his answer. After all, I''m sure that what I had just said was something that he had gone through many times in his life. Actually, I was absolutely sure of it.


    Who wouldn''t feel despair from being isted from the rest of the world?


    His situation was also much worse than mine. He couldn''t even leave this ce if he wanted to. It was cruel; their God, who they still worshiped to this day, didn''t even care about them, and they still loved him for some reason.


    Hell, he had forgotten about their existence. I simply couldn''t understand why they still believed in such an asshole.


    "Mhm. I can understand where you areing from. You are tired to be here." A stifledugh came out of his mouth. "If you must know, I''m also quite tired from being here. That''s why we are so desperately trying to help you be stronger. You are the only one who can break our shackles, young one."


    Again.


    He was talking once again about that damn curse.


    I just didn''t understand how that was even rted to me, and no matter how much I asked, he would never tell me.


    "Zale. I don''t even know how to break a normal curse. In what kind of way do you even think that I will be able to break the curse ced on your vige?"


    He just smiled. "Time will tell. Only time will tell, young one."


    Always goes on and on about those mysteries and what he sees.


    It was just making me frustrated more than anything else.


    I clicked my tongue. "Tsk, just how do you do it? I don''t get it. This life is meaningless. Why are you even hanging onto it?"


    This time, there was no hesitation in his voice.


    "Because of people like you." He smiled faintly as he looked up toward the sky. "People like you can see us and interact with us. It happened only once in the past. However, it had given everyone hope that maybe¡­just maybe, one day, we would be able to get out of this ce."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "You had a visitor before me?" I asked with a slight frown. "What was his name? How long ago was it?"


    "It''s actually weird. But it wasn''t that long ago. Maybe around 50 years ago."


    ''Not too long ago, 50 years¡­just how long has it been since you have been stuck inside this ce?''


    "I see. Who was that person?"


    "That man was quite different from you, actually. Maybe theplete opposite. He was impatient, training was deemed useless in his eyes, and, more importantly, he had never tasted defeat in his entire life. The first time that he did was in this very vige, and once he left this ce, he was a much better person than before.


    That is our goal for everyone who enters this ce. For them to leave as a better version of themselves."


    "What about me? Did you manage to do that?"


    "You were already on a good path, so your case was much harder, and I do not believe that we managed to erase the anger and hatred you have inside your heart. The hatred you have for your past is quite impressive, even worse than the one you have for demons. I guess that is why you erased all traces about it."

 Chapter 101 - Caedrels Erased Past [Part Two]

    I didn''t react strongly to those words because I knew that no one around us could hear anything. However, I knew that Zale was most likely the only person in the world who knew about my past and why I was hiding it.


    "Were you able to see everything that happened back then?"


    He smirked. "In which life¡­because both of your lives were honestly depressing to look at."


    I nodded. I had a strong feeling that he was able to ess my memories from both of my lives, but I had never been sure.


    "I can see why there is so much hatred within you and why you are trying so hard to keep it in. However, if you are to meet with Zero, you will need perfect control over your emotions. Demons are the best at making use of those emotions, so be careful around them. Don''t show your anger too easily, or things could go wrong."


    I knew that much. I had fought against demons for the better part of my life. I knew just how sneaky they were, and I knew how easily they could rile up someone.


    "It''s different this time, Caedrel. You aren''t going against a normal demon. The more you release negative energy, the more you will strengthen Zero. That''s why it''s crucial for you to stay emotionless during the fight."


    I opened my mouth to say something but couldn''t. Staying emotionless while facing a demon was something that I had never managed to do. I couldn''t change that easily.


    "I don''t know. I don''t think I will be able to do that."


    Zale smirked. "Why do you think I sat next to you?"


    I frowned. "To talk to me because I looked bored out of my mind."


    "It was to talk about those emotions of yours that you managed to hide from everyone from you."


    Zale released a small sigh as he uttered those words as he stood up just as fast as he sat down, looking at me from high above.


    "Come on, follow me. I want to show you something that I''m sure you will like. Well, maybe not, but that''s not relevant."


    I frowned as I stood up and followed Zale. I had no idea what he wanted to show me since, after two months of being inside this small vige, I knew pretty much all there was about it. I had seen everything, and I had heard everything, as far as I knew, at the very least.


    Within a few minutes of walking, we were back to where it had all started, Zale''s house.


    "You want to show me something inside your house? Is it about Phoebe?"


    Zale shook his head. "No, not at all. You will save Phoebe after the tournament is over. Just stay silent and follow me. I''m sure that this is unlike anything you''ve ever seen before."


    We walked inside his house and passed by the living room where we had gotten our first conversation, then we passed by the red curtain which hid Phoebe''s body from others and continued walking in the narrow hallway, which only had a simple wooden door at the end of it.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Zale rified the situation before I could even open my mouth. "No, this isn''t a subspace like what happened with the secret auction house. It''s not rted at all, so don''t worry."


    We reached the door and he opened it, revealing a very in room without practically nothing inside it. Actually, there was nothing apart from a strange sculpture in the middle of the room. It seemed to be a structure that could wee quite arge quantity of liquid, and as I walked over to it. The recipient seemed to be of a purple color, just like the Aether.


    "What is this?" I asked as I looked at the liquid with a frown.


    "A way for you to relive your past for a second time. Or at least parts of your past."


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    I frowned. "And why would I even try to do that in the first ce? I don''t want to relive my past even if someone begged me to do so."


    "I understand. But if you don''t do this, Zero will have a chance of winning. You need to ept your past. You need to let go of that burning anger that is hidden deep inside you for everyone who wronged you over the years."


    I frowned even more as he uttered those words.


    There was a reason I had erased my past, and Zale knew it very well. It was because I wanted to forget about it, too. I didn''t want anyone to talk about it, and I didn''t want to be reminded of it. That''s the decision I hade to at the time when I had erased all traces of myself.


    "Can I choose the memories that I want to explore, or will I simply be thrown in there without any choices?"


    "The memories and scenes you will relive will be those which left the deepest impact on you as a person."


    I shook my head. I didn''t want to do this. I knew that it would just make me feel emotions that I had wanted to forget for many years. What if I regretted what I had done back then¡­after all, my life hadn''t been the easiest. Even my previous life hadn''t been the easiest.


    "How does this thing even work?" I asked. "Will I stay in there for a long time?"


    There was still the tournament that was going on outside and even if I found boring to just wait around for my turn. I preferred such a thing to this memories thing.


    "Well, you won''t stay in there for a long time from my perspective. However, for you, it couldst¡­a few hours I''d say, that''s the most I''ve seen someonest using this device."


    "So, while it wouldst hours for me, it would onlyst a few seconds for you?"


    He nodded with a smirk. "Yes, that''s exactly it. As for how it works, you will need to use your Aether."

 Chapter 102 - Caedrels Erased Past [Part Three]

    [Warning: If you can''t handle things rted to suicide. Then, I wouldn''t rmend reading ahead :)]


    Zale gave me a quick run through of how to use the device before me, which I believe he had named, Memory Mirage, which seemed to be quite a fitting name for it considering how one would use it.


    Basically, I had to put my head in the purple liquid, and to activate its effects, it needed toe in contact with Aether.


    As I prepared myself for it, I couldn''t help but be extremely fearful of what might happen if I were to put my head in there. There were some memories that I had managed topletely forget, which I didn''t want to relive¡­like how I had tried to kill myself in my first life.


    That was not something I wanted to relive for anything in the world.


    However, Zale''s voice brought me out of my stupor.


    "Are you ready?"


    I opened my mouth, but no words came out of it as I just didn''t know what to say.


    "I-"


    If I did this, then there was a good chance that I wouldn''t be able to able to face my students for quite some time because I would be on edge, and way too sensible to their words. My memories were no joke, my past also wasn''t.


    It was probably because I had be the way I was.


    Always smiling through the pain I felt. Hiding what I was truly feeling to those around me, making sure that none of them would ever have to worry about me.


    Those things were very far from being healthy, but I felt like they were fitting for the situation.


    Still, I knew that if I continued to overthink it, then there was a chance that I would back down, which wasn''t what I wanted to do. I needed to clear my mind of this hatred and those hidden emotions inside me.


    Ava had managed to somewhat break down that barrier around me, but it was still far from enough.


    I didn''t know the extent of Zero''s power as a Son of the Demon King, but what Zale said about one of his abilities to use my negative emotions to strengthen himself was real. Then, I could potentially be in a lot of trouble if I showed my anger to him.


    "I''m ready," I finally muttered as I clenched both my fists and tightly held onto the edge of the Memory Mirage, preparing myself to enter my head inside the purple liquid.


    "Alright, good luck in there. And try not to lose yourself by reliving your memories. It''s important that you keep a clear mind through everything that might happen in there."


    I nodded as I took onest deep breath to give me the courage to do what I was about to do.


    ''Come on, Caedrel. You can do it. Nothing bad will happen.''


    With this thought, I finally thrust my head into the Memory Mirage, closing my eyes and slowly sipping through a quantity of Aether into the device.


    In an instant, the dull purple liquid suddenly lightened up, blinding me even if I had my eyes closed at the moment. The next moment, I regained my vision, and I was in apletely different environment. A ce which I had forgotten for quite some time now.


    I tried to take control of my body, but it seemed that I could not. I could only watch myself perform everything that I had once done. I couldn''t affect what I was currently watching. I was currently in the third point of view, looking at myself walking around in the middle of thisrge bridge all alone.


    I remembered this very well. I had run away from alone for many different reasons; I ran until I couldn''t feel my legs anymore, crying my heart out with each step until I finally reached this bridge.


    It had been one of the darkest periods of my life.


    "W-Why can''t they love each other¡­and why am I the only one suffering in this family¡­why am I the only one getting beaten up every chance they get?" The past me muttered as tears fell out of his eyes.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As much as I missed my parents now, I couldn''t help but admit that they had been terrible people to myself and to those around me. It was a good thing that I had been an only child. Otherwise, they would have beaten him up, too.


    "I''m tired of this¡­" The past me muttered under his breath as he turned to his right toward the void, looking down. "Should I put an end to this?"


    This was a thought that I had often had in the past.


    Killing myself.


    I thought killing myself would make things better for my parents. I thought I was the cause of why they kept fighting and being violent each passing day. Telling me that I was a failure, that I was useless, that I was the one who had ruined their lives.


    Imagine saying words like that to a ten-year-old. Can''t you imagine what it would do to them mentally?


    That''s why those suicidal thoughts of mine surfaced when I was younger.


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    "Maybe it would just be better for everyone if I died¡­maybe my parents would finally be happy that I was gone," the past me continued to mutter as he looked down.


    With those words, I saw my younger self climbing against the guardrail with small and flimsy muscles, getting right on top of it, looking down, still hesitating about my next decision. However, looking back at my actions, I couldn''t help but think that I was just an ignorant fool who ignored everything about the world that surrounded him.


    My parents didn''t think that I was the reason for all misfortunes. It was just much easier to say things like that to a ten year old child, then to face your own problems on your own.


    At the time, I was just a troubled child, nothing more, nothing less.


    ''I shouldn''t have thought about giving up when I was younger. I should have been stronger than that,'' I thought to myself, still looking at my younger self.


    However, just as the scene was about to continue, I could not longer see, and when I could, I was thrown into another memory of mine. This time it was a memory of the younger Caedrel Stuart, who had recently been sent to the battlefield.

 Chapter 103 - Caedrels Erased Past [Part Four]

    "Caedrel Stuart!" One of the war generals shouted with a strict and loud tone.


    My past self walked a single step forward as he made a war salute, just like all soldiers who had done so before me.


    I could vividly remember what had happened on that day. This was the following to the one where my parents had died on the battlefield, leaving mepletely alone. That day truly marked the beginning of hell.


    This day caused me to change forever because of all the atrocities that followed it.


    "All those that I have named, pleasee with me!" The general shouted once more before turning around, not once looking back to see if the one called had listened to him.


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    My past self and the others walked through the training camp with much difficulty as there was blood everywhere, limbs detached from bodies¡­things that no fifteen-year-old boy should see at such an age. It was bound to traumatize them. However, that wasn''t the most disgusting thing that I had faced at that age; actually, it was far from it.


    As my past self walked into the general''s tent, he straightened his back, not even daring to look the general in the eyes. The others also did the same thing.


    "You five individuals have been chosen to take part in a Super Soldier Training Camp."


    Super Soldier Training Camp¡­was hell on Earth. I didn''t have nightmares about it anymore. But it was truly hell. There was nothing super about it, especially because of what they did to us when we least expected it.


    I hoped that I wouldn''t have to relive this memory of when that training camp ended because having images shing in my mind at the moment was more than enough for me to feel my chest hurt.


    "This training camp will take ce in the biggest Military Base of the Nation. The five individuals with the most talent have been chosen to go there in all the military bases of the nation."


    Iughed at those words because of how obvious of a lie they were. At the time, I hadn''t realized it because I was a child who was naive, without any experience of the real world. However, the general had just lied to the five of us without any hesitation.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The requirement for those chosen for the Super Soldier Training Camp wasn''t talent. It was to be an orphan or someone who no longer had any family. That was the only reason I had been chosen.


    However, I had to say that if I hadn''t gone through it, then there would have been no way for me to be even as powerful as today. This was one of the main reasons why I had be so powerful, even if I regretted taking part in that training camp even right as we spoke.


    That general who had told us those lies was already dead by my hands¡­but even as I saw that scene, I could feel rage within myself bubbling up just by seeing his face. I wanted to kill him again. I wanted to torture him until he would no longer breathe.


    However, when I felt those emotions surging in my mind, I knew that I needed to calm down. That was the reason why I was here in the first ce, after all. I needed to ept what had happened in my past and change my way of thinking. I couldn''t keep thinking in such a way, or else I would havee here for no reason whatsoever.


    That''s why I took a few deep breaths, trying my best to calm myself. What truly changed this time around was quite simple, actually. I was just as mad as before, but I simply didn''t show it on my face.


    I believed that was what Zale wanted to master. To hide my emotions and what I truly thought.


    Nevertheless, the general''s voice brought me out of my thoughts as he got my attention once again.


    "You will all depart for that military base tonight, so go and prepare yourselves!" He dered, and right as he said that my past self and the others all turned around and ran to get our stuff as fast as possible.


    After all, the sun was already going down, and the time we had to get ready was extremely limited.


    And then, as I reached the tent where all my stuff was inside, my sight once again became blurry.


    It was time for another memory of mine.


    When I regained my sight, my past self was at the Super Soldier Training Camp. It seemed to have been a few days since I had arrived as I was lying on my bed,pletely out of breath, unable to move a single muscle.


    However, as much as I tried to think, I could not recall this situation. I had no idea why the Memory Mirage was showing me something like this.


    But then, when I saw who entered my room, I instantly understood what was happening.


    Jack, my only friend in the whole world, my best friend at this stupid training camp.


    "Hey, Caedrel, did you perform well in the tests today?"


    My past self shook his head. "Below average like always, what about you?"


    He smiled proudly. I knew that smile very well as I had seen it many times in my mind.


    "I got the best test results out of everyone within training camp!"


    That man, Jack, was the most talented person I had ever seen in my life. He was more talented than me to such arge degree it was not even funny. His talent could probably rival those of Gods. I''m not even kidding; he was the best at everything he would try to do; it was absolutely crazy.


    However, it was a pity that this right there was my veryst conversation with him and that the next time I would see him¡­he would be dead, killed by someone else within the camp.

 Chapter 104 - Saving Phoebe From Certain Death!

    When Jack was killed, that''s when I realized that there was truly something weird about this camp, and it was also when I understood that there was no point in gathering the attention of everyone around me.


    It was better to keep your strength hidden from others and strike when they would least expect it.


    That''s what I did for the rest of the training camp. As much as I hate to say it, Jack''s death had been another reason that I had gotten so powerful. He was the one who gave me that much-needed wake-up call.


    The memory with him continued for a few moments before I lost sight once more, but this time, instead of going inside another memory of mine, I was brought back to the real world.


    I immediately got my head out of that purple liquid which quickly lost its light as I fell back on my butt as I thought that I was drowning.


    Zale watched my reaction as if he had seen such a thing happen quite often to those who would first use this device.


    Nevertheless, I quickly understood that I was fine, and I stood up, acting like nothing had just happened.


    Zale was the first one to speak up, as he was clearly wondering what I had seen in there.


    "So, who was it? You weren''t gone for a very long time, so I expect that your memories were interrupted in some kind of way. So, do tell me everything that you saw."


    I just shook my head. "Just watch them. You literally have ess to my memories."


    I didn''t want to waste time discussing those things as Zale closed his eyes, looking through my memories right at this moment without a single care in the world.


    "I see. It is strange that it stopped at that moment. Maybe something made it impossible for you to relive the rest of your memories."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I frowned. "I can''t use this device again?"


    "You can, but seeing as to how you were "kicked out" from the Memory Mirage, I highly doubt you will be able to continue looking through your past memories." Zale still smiled as he walked toward me, taking his time as he patted my back. "However, that was great. You managed to keep your emotions in check with that general. That is exactly what you need to do against Zero, alright?"


    I nodded right away. However, I was still quite disappointed that I wouldn''t be able to use the Memory Mirage again because it made it easier to remember parts of my past that I had forgotten about. Nevertheless, this whole thing had been an eye-opener without a doubt, and it had truly helped me.


    It also made me realize that the key wasn''t to be emotionless but to hide your emotions. That was the key to all this, and I had understood that with the help of the Memory Mirage, which was all that was needed.


    Now, I needed to get back to that tournament and finish it.


    "Alright, I''ll make sure to keep my emotions in check. Thanks for the help."


    Zale nodded as he saw me turn around to head back toward the tournament. However, I felt his hand on one of my shoulders, prompting me to stop walking right away without wasting another moment.


    "Is there a problem?" I asked as I turned in his direction.


    "No, but let''s not go back out there just yet. I think you are ready to heal Phoebe now," Zale said with a smile as he walked past me.


    For the first time since I had met him, he was actually walking at a normal pace, meaning that he was very excited to see me waking up Phoebe. After all, it made sense. She was the only one who could give them news about what happened in the outside world, and more importantly, she would be able to give me quite a bit of information about Zero since she had fought directly against him.


    I had wondered when Zale would ask me to heal her, and it seemed that it was finally time.


    Truth be told, I might as well be just as excited as Zale. The information in her mind was extremely valuable, and the help she could give me in the Snowy Mountains would also be extremely useful. After all, she knew where to find Zeus, or at the very least, where he would spend his time. Otherwise, they would have never met.


    We quickly reached the room hidden by a red curtain and entered, revealing the body of the young Phoebe.


    "How old is she?" I asked as I had a small idea, but I wanted to make sure of it.


    "17 years old. She is about to turn eighteen," Zale said mindlessly as he just watched her figure.


    I noticed the amount of care he would give her, which was something that did surprise me somewhat, in all honesty. However, I knew that she was very important in the eyes of everyone inside the vige, so I didn''t say anything else apart from that.


    "Well, I will start the treatment," I uttered seriously as I gently touched Phoebe''s hands, injecting some of my own aether energy inside her body. I wanted to see how she would react if I were to do such a thing.


    After all, I still had little to no clue how to treat her. I simply knew how to manipte aether energy. However, once I sent a very small of aether inside her body, I understood many things about her situation. The most important thing about it was that her current situation was a LOT worse than she was letting it show on the outside.


    If I hadn''t acted today or tomorrow, then there would have been a great chance of her dying.


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    The corrupted aether that Zero had injected into her body was getting extremely close to her heart, and if nothing was to be done, then she was certain to die.

 Chapter 105 - Saving Phoebe, What Choice Should I Take?

    I sat next to her feeble body, holding her hand gently, trying to gauge just how difficult it would be for me to take out the corrupted aether from her body without damaging her body. After all, this whole thing was a lot moreplicated because of the nature of the aether.


    It wasn''t the same as mine. It was corrupted, possibly because it came from a demon. However, those were still hypotheses that I had. I had no way to tell if I was right about that.


    "So, can you do it?" Zale asked me.


    I was surprised by this question. I was practically sure that he was certain that I could do it. Otherwise, he would not have asked me to do it now out of all times. After all, Zale could see in the future, or at the very least, see parts of it.


    "I''m not sure. Her situation is a lot worse than what you had told me."


    "What do you mean?"


    "The corrupted aether is on the verge of reaching her heart, which means that I need to be extremely precise during the extraction of the aether, or else there is a big chance that she could be a cripple for the rest of her life."


    Zale just looked at me and didn''t utter a word. For the first time since I had met, I could see some emotions on his face. He wasn''t able to hide them when it came to Phoebe. Explore hidden tales at empire


    "Hm, how much time does she have left?" He asked as he regained hisposure.


    "A few hours, I''d say, maybe a day at most."


    Zale gulped. I could see his throat tightening from where I was standing, just looking over at him. He was thinking about what I should do.


    Time was of the essence, and he knew it very well. The more I waited, the more dangerous would the extraction of the aether in her system would be. That''s why a choice had to be made quickly.


    "A few hours¡­if I had known, I wouldn''t have started this whole tournament." He clicked his tongue as he kept caressing Phoebe very gently. Then, he looked at me. "What are the chances of her bing a cripple if you extract the aether right now?"


    "I have no idea. But there is a chance for it to happen. I''d say¡­50%? If I had been extremely skilled in my aether maniption, it would have been 0%, but I have only been practicing for around two months. I''m no master just yet."


    Zale nodded. He knew that much.


    He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He tried to look into the future, trying to see what would happen. However, his ability was moreplicated than I thought because even when he reopened his eyes¡­he couldn''t make a decision.


    "Are you seeing me fail in the future?"


    "I see both results. In some futures, you seed, and in others, you terribly fail."


    My eyes widened. I hadpletely misunderstood his power. I thought that he was able to see only one version of the future, but it seemed that he was able to see all the possibilities thrown at him.


    "What happens in the one I seed in?"


    "I have no idea¡­you don''t say anything at all. Anyway, it''s not like we can go get blood from Zero in less than a day. Bing a cripple isn''t the worst thing in the world, either. It''s better than dying at the very least." Zale sighed. "Do it¡­but please bring her back alive and healthy."


    I wanted to say, "I promise." However, I simply couldn''t. I just nodded at his request as I swore in my mind that I would do the absolute best.


    ***


    POV Zale


    It had already been around five hours since I had left Caedrel inside the room with my daughter, Phoebe. For those five hours, I had prayed that she would be alright, more times than I could count.


    Caedrel had asked to leave the room because he wanted all his focus to be given to Phoebe, and I epted. If it meant that there would be more chances of sess by doing so, then I would dly ept. However, I was still worried; she was the only thing that remained from my wife, who had died by bringing her into the world.


    Even if she became a cripple, I would give her my everything, but she also wouldn''t be able to leave the vige as she wished anymore. Otherwise, she would surely be killed by some kind of beast.


    Just thinking about it was frightening.


    ''How could I have missed her condition being this terrible¡­'' I thought in the back of my mind, unhappy with myself.


    I looked outside my window, and I could see fights between the tribe members continuing without the slightest problem. None of them knew what was happening right now, and it was better this way. Who knew what they would think if they knew that I had left Phoebe''s life in the hands of a "stranger."


    The tribe members were immature. They couldn''t see the path that I could see. They couldn''t see the gracious glow of light that kept emanating from Caedrel''s body. He was unlike anyone I had seen before.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    A man with many terrible secrets and memories where he suffered more than I could care to admit. However, it is remarkable that a man stays pure-minded even while facing all those atrocities.


    In that regard, Caedrel was a lot better than ourst visitor, a man who practically destroyed us from the inside when we weed him with open arms. A vicious man who I still regret helping to this day¡­ However, I had to admit that it was surprising to see that man inside the memories of Caedrel.


    He called him his master in it, and he was the one who had made Caedrel so overwhelmingly powerful. However, even in those memories, he had not changed. Nevertheless, I didn''t want Caedrel to have a bad opinion of his master, so I never told him those things.

 Chapter 106 - Did It Work?

    "Thank you for saving my daughter. She would have died without you."


    His master was somewhat simr to Caedrel in a sense, with the main difference being that he had lost himself to the rage inside him. They had simr backgrounds somewhat, and they had both gone through atrocities.


    The main difference between the two of them was the fact that one of them had managed to stay pure-minded, and the other had be evil. However, Caedrel ignored that ''evil'' part of his master, and I wouldn''t tell him about it. Otherwise, he would just curse me, saying that I was wrong about him.


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    After all, that was the only logical reaction that he would have since his master was also his savior. The one who had saved him from that Super Soldier Training Camp¡­it would be very hard for Caedrel for him to believe that his master was a bad person. Still, as much as his master was a bad person, he had been very nice to Caedrel for some reason, almost treating him like a son, teaching him everything he knew without any hesitation.


    ''It was probably because he could see himself in Caedrel. Oh well, this is not my problem, nor is it my duty to meddle in. One day, the young one will find out about his master''s true identity, and whether he will be broken or hang on will be for him to decide and face himself. Warning him now won''t do any good.''


    With those thoughts, I closed my eyes once again as all kinds of futures shed inside my mind, invading it and making me feel dizzy.


    For many, such a power would be great. However, they weren''t the ones who needed to shoulder all those terrible images and futures. There was a reason I had told Caedrel to train when he had first arrived. If he had immediately gone after Zero, then he would have died.


    There was not a single future where he woulde out on top. There was not a single future where he came out alive in his fight against Zero. I hadn''t told him at the time since it could have a negative impact. However, what I knew for sure is that Caedrel didn''t truly know the extent of Zero''s powers. He was much more powerful than he had sensed back in the auction house, and it was a good thing that he had met me before going there. Otherwise, he and all of his students would have died, never to be found again.


    As more thoughts shed through my mind, a small sound of a curtain being opened entered my mind,pletely numbing the rest of my thoughts as I opened my eyes wide, forgetting about everything else.


    However, the smile on his face was reced by a frown when I saw that only Caedrel wasing out of the room after hours. It didn''t give me hope at all. It made me despair instead.


    I didn''t dare to ask Caedrel anything as I could see him walk in my direction with a straight face, not letting any kind of emotion show. Still, after a few moments of pure silence, I had no choice but to do so.


    Caedrel wasn''t saying anything, which made me more and more nervous about this whole thing.


    "H-How was it? Is she okay?" I asked, my voice fragile, almost cracking with every word I uttered.


    Caedrel sat before me with a faint smile on my face, not yet answering.


    "She''s fine. She won''t be a cripple anytime soon."


    As soon as he said those words, I released the biggest sigh of relief that I had ever released. My daughter was fine, she wouldn''t be a cripple, and she would be able to survive.


    "However, she is still asleep, and she needs to rest for the time being. She should wake up maybe in one hour or two. It all depends on how quick she can recover from having her body on the verge of dying."


    That made a lot of sense, so I simply nodded, as there was no point in going to see her right now. I could only watch from far away as I could see her chest slowly moving up and down, showing that she truly was still alive. The purple veins on her body were also gone.


    I didn''t say another word as I just stood up from my seat and walked over to Caedrel, hugging him.


    "Thank you for saving my daughter. She would have died without you."


    I even let out a few tears as I hugged him. I could feel him slowly patting my back, clearly not used to receiving any kind of hugs.


    "She was your daughter? Why did you never tell me?"


    I couldugh as he asked a question in such an intimate moment. He truly did not have any tact, but that was also what made him so pure.


    "She was. I never told you because I thought you would be a lot more nervous about her treatment if I told you."


    "You made the right decision without a doubt. I would have been stressed out of my mind¡­if you would have told me."


    ***


    A few more hours passed by as I simply waited in my living room, eying Phoebe''s room, not looking away even once.


    Caedrel had left my house a few hours ago as he had a few fights from the tournament scheduled, and then, finally, I noticed one of her arms moving. The movement was extremely feeble, but I noticed it in an instant, prompting me to stand up without wasting another moment.


    I walked as fast as I could to her bed as I could see her eyes slowly fluttering. I smiled tenderly as I watched such a thing happen. We were truly lucky that Caedrel had appeared otherwise she would have died without a doubt since none of us would have been able to get a sample of Zero''s blood.


    As her eyes finally opened, the smile on my face never left it.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "D-Dad? Is that you?" She weakly muttered.

 Chapter 107 - Shock From The Tribe Members

    I was in a good mood. I had managed to save the chief''s daughter when all hope had been lost. It was a nice feeling to have helped someone like this.


    It was the first time, actually. The only times I had helped people in my life had been by killing others or protecting them. This was the first time I had saved a life, and it was a feeling I would remember for the rest of my life. However, at the moment, it was quite difficult to think about Phoebe and her recovery as I was fighting yet another match in the tournament.


    As of now, things were going extremely well for me as I had not lost a single fight against anyone. The main reason for that was the aether energy I could utilize. The tribe members could not sustain their special ability for more than thirty seconds, which made it quite easy for me to win every single time.


    The fact that I could see the attacks before they wereunched made it almost too easy for me to win those fights.


    And while my body was still weaker than before, with this ability, I believed that I was stronger. I could defeat stronger enemies than before; after all, the fact that I could defeat the tribe members without facing injuries was already a pretty good sign that I was getting stronger.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    There was only Zoe, who I was truly worried about. She was the most powerful of them all, and she could be considered my final test before I went to face Zero.


    About my fight with Zero, I had already thought about it, and I would leave my students here in the meantime. I couldn''t bring them with me because they would make things a lot moreplicated when I faced him. I also didn''t want them to learn that demons were still roaming around the world. It was information that needed to be kept secret, after all. Read new adventures at empire


    However, I wanted to ask Phoebe for help¡­but I didn''t know if she would be in good shape by the time I left.


    After all, she still hadn''t woken up from the looks of it, as I turned to look in the direction of the chief''s house. But just as I did so, two shadows were slowly walking out of the house. It was Phoebe and Zale, both with smiles on their faces.


    The tribe members still hadn''t noticed them yet as they were all focused on the fight before them. However, a simple cough from Zale was all it took for them to look in his direction.


    "P-Phoebe?!" Zoe shouted like a madman. "Is that really you? W-When did you even wake up? What happened?"


    Hearing the name Phoebe, everyone snapped their heads sharply in Zale''s direction. All of them couldn''t believe what they were seeing.


    "Did she wake up on her own?"


    "But how? We all saw how affected she was by that bad energy!"


    "Maybe the chief did something?"


    "But he told us that it was impossible to wake her up without blood from the one who had injured her."


    "He probably found a way."


    I thought most of them would have guessed that I might have yed a hand in her recovery, but none of them believed so, which was strange since I had left with the chief to go to his house earlier today.


    Nevertheless, I didn''t say a word as I simply watched to see how the situation would y out.


    "I just woke up¡­I''m still not too sure what happened; my head is still dizzy," Phoebe answered, currently leaning somewhat onto her father.


    After all, her body was bound to be pretty weak at the moment, even weaker than that of Zale, who already had one of the weakest bodies I had ever seen.


    "Then, chief!" Zoe said, turning toward Zale. "What happened? How did she wake up?"


    Zale didn''t answer; he simply looked in my direction with a soft smile.


    I was currently sitting all alone, minding my business, but the moment Zale looked in my direction, it was as if Zoe understood everything that had just happened right away. After all, she knew better than anyone how my powers worked.


    "How didn''t I think of that beforehand?!"


    "It was the outsider who saved her?"


    "The chief trusted the outsider to save his daughter?"


    Many looked around in confusion. It was only natural, since most of them didn''t know who I really was. I had only spent time with Zoe and Zale. I had barely spoken to the rest of them, and when they had seen me, it was when I had fought against Alexandra and threatened her. So, it was obvious that most of them would have terrible opinions of me and how I generally acted.


    The chief nodded and confirmed what Zoe had just said. "Yes. Caedrel was the one who saved Phoebe with the power he acquired from our God. Without him, she would have died, tomorrow at thetest, so please do not be rude to him. He is part of us; he is Phoebe''s savior."


    Most of them still looked at me with a frown, but it wasn''t as bad as before. It seemed they realized that maybe I wasn''t as bad as they had thought.


    "How did he do it?" Xander asked.


    "Ask him. I will not reveal his secrets."


    I smiled at those words. It was a nice feeling; after all, both Zoe and the chief hadn''t told the vige that I could use aether. All of them merely assumed that I had managed to harness their power. However, they didn''t realize that what I was using was superior in all ways.


    Still, when they looked over at me, none of them opened their mouths. They didn''t have the guts to ask me from the looks of it or even to approach me.


    There was only a single person from the tribe who was currently walking in my direction, albeit slowly: Phoebe.

 Chapter 108 - Fighting Against Zoe

    Phoebe had trouble walking forward and almost fell a few times in the process; however, she indicated to everyone nearby that she was fine. Everyone was clearly extremely worried about her at the moment since she had just woken up from a life-threatening injury.


    Still, with quite a lot of struggle, she finally managed to reach me as she sat next to me.


    I had to admit that Phoebe was quite the beauty. She had long brown hair that flowed in the light breeze, and her piercing blue eyes would make most people blush in an instant. However, I wasn''t most men, so I stared right back at her.


    "It''s nice to meet you," she said as she extended her hand in my direction. "I didn''t think that I would have survived that one, so I thank you for saving me. If you need anything from me, just don''t hesitate to ask."


    "Ah, about that. If possible, I would want you to help me find Zero. Is that fine?"


    "Z-Zero? Why do you want to meet with this monster?" she asked, her voice feeble. She was still clearly traumatized by him. However, that wasn''t a problem that I cared about. "You should leave while you still can; there''s no way you will win against him."


    I sighed at how stupid that statement was.


    "I''m not interested in what you have to say about him. Are you going to help me or not? If you can''t, then just give me information about where I can find him."


    I could see shivers all around her body. She was definitely traumatized, and seeing that, I felt that it might not be that great of an idea to have her with me, as it would only cause problems for me in the future.


    "I-I don''t know¡­but I can tell you more about him if you want."


    "Yeah, that''s fine. We can talkter about it. You should rest for now."


    After those words, Phoebe stood up and left me alone once more as almost everyone in the vige red at me as if I was some kind of viin. However, I didn''t think I had done anything wrong. I knew that she was still hurt about Zero, but it wasn''t like I could wait here for months and months without doing anything. I wanted to catch him now that I was powerful enough to deal with him.


    I had no time to waste any longer. I needed things to move at a fast pace, without a doubt.


    The rest of the day passed quietly as everyone was busy doing their own thing. Then, the next day arrived. A day that will mark the end of the tournament. Your journey continues with empire


    I had not lost a single fight since the very beginning of it, and neither had Zoe, whopletely dominated all of her opponents. As I had thought at the very beginning of this tournament, Zoe was bound to be my first real challenge, who would let me know if I could face Zero in my current state.


    Everyone around the vige had gathered to watch our fight. All my students were there, the tribe members were also there, Zale was there, and his daughter, too.


    I still hadn''t spoken to his daughter ever since I had made my request. However, it was only a question of time since as soon as I was done with this fight, I would rest and leave the next day in hopes of finding Zero as fast as possible. After all, the faster I found him, the better it would be in the long run, since he wouldn''t be able to hurt as many people as before.


    "Are both fighters ready?" a loud voice eximed, making mee out of my thoughts.


    After all, I was in the middle of the arena where the fighting was taking ce. I had no time to think about anything else at the moment.


    "We are!" Both Zoe and I shouted at the same time.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    She was already holding that axe of hers, and I was already onto my sword.


    Iughed as it reminded me of our first battle against one another. "So, you''re taking out your axe this time, huh? Scared?"


    "I don''t want to give you any excuses for when you lose. That''s all."


    People listened to our little chatter as they were quite confused, since they hadn''t heard of us fighting against one another at all. After all, it had happened during the seclusion training; it was normal for everyone to be unaware of it.


    "The fight will start in 3¡­2¡­1¡­GO!" the announcer shouted as loudly as he could.


    I coated my sword with both my aura and my me, making it one of the deadliest weapons in the entire world. Without wasting a single moment, I activated [Future Sight] since I could use it for a much longer time than Zoe, which was giving me quite the advantage.


    "This time, you will be the one suffering from my attacks!" I shouted as loudly as I could.


    I knew that as long as I forced her to activate the tribe''s power, this would be my win. I needed to push her into a corner as fast as I could.


    "Is that as fast as you can attack?" she said with a smirk as she dodged each of my attacks easily, and the worst thing about all this was the fact that she still hadn''t used the tribe''s power.


    If things continued this way, then this would end in my loss. I needed to increase the intensity of this fight, and fast. I moved away from Zoe and deactivated [Future Sight] for the time being. I hadn''t wanted to show this power to my students, but I wanted to win. I wanted to fight with my absolute all right now to see if I had a chance at beating Zero.


    That''s why, when I moved away from Zoe, I called out to Mother Nature, which was normally a power that only Elves could have.


    ''Mother Nature,e to me!'' I shouted in my mind.

 Chapter 109 - My Real Strength [Part One]

    Instantly, strong gusts of wind came from all over the ce. Then, the perfect figure of Mother Nature appeared before me, shocking every single one of my students.


    After all, this was a power that was reserved for elves to use. It made no sense for me to have ess to it. It was supposed to be absolutely impossible. In fact, right as she appeared, all my students started shouting a bunch of things.


    "How is this even possible?! How can he contact and ask help from Mother Nature?" Isolde shouted right away. "Can he use the powers from other races?!"


    "I-I don''t know¡­but this is crazy. Howe no one ever said anything about this before?"


    "No idea; the Empire is truly stupid not to have told the world about our teacher. If he''s really able to use all the powers from all the races, then he could be the most powerful being in the entire world."


    I smiled as I heard them. However, it was a pity that I would need to remove some of their memories by the end of this. After all, this knowledge about me couldn''t leave this ce.


    However, I didn''t stop just at using the power from the elves. I closed my eyes for a short moment before a powerful aura started being exuded from my body. The power that vampires used¡ªa power I used in my very first fight against Derek.


    Bloodlust, that was the name of the ability. My physical abilities tripled as I took a single deep breath. I wanted to use another ability from Bloodlust, but with my currently weakened body, I could not. However, having all my abilities tripling in strength was already a nice boost that I could not dismiss.


    "How can I help you, Caedrel¡­tsk, why did you call me in front of elves?" Mother Nature asked, not seeming too pleased to have been called in front of the people she served.


    "Stopining, I''ll make sure they forget about this. I just wanted to go all out for the first time in a while. Nevertheless, can you help me defeat that person back there? She''s too powerful for me to handle alone."


    Mother Nature released a sigh, exuding apletely different personality than she did with elves. However, she still nodded and epted my orders.


    "You are right, she''s pretty damn powerful, and for some reason, I can feel that you got a lot weaker than thest time I saw you," Mother Nature said, subtly making fun of me. "So, should I try to kill her or just injure her?"


    "Injuries only; she cannot die here. She cannot die at all, actually."


    Explore hidden tales at empire


    Mother Nature disappeared from my sight as wind suddenly took over the whole arena.


    I wanted to reveal the rest of my powers, but I shook my head. There was no point; I was already at a stage where I was more than powerful enough to beat Zoe. At least, that''s what I believed.


    I had beencking physical strength, but Bloodlust made things a lot easier for me to handle. That''s why I was confident in winning against her now.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As I dashed forward once more, Zoe had this look of disdain on her face.


    "Is that really all you can do?" She smirked. "I guess I should also take things up a notch."


    Suddenly, her body¡ªher muscles¡ªstarted growing in size. She was bing bigger and bigger in seconds, pretty much bing a giant right before my eyes. I had no idea how this was even possible, but I could feel that she had just be a lot more dangerouspared to before. The giant axe she had been holding was now just the right size.


    "D-Did Zoe really use that?" I heard one of the tribe members say.


    "She did, but we promised not to use this power against the outsider¡­so what changed?"


    I frowned at those words. They had promised not to use this power against me? Did that mean that I had not faced the full power of any of the tribe members?


    I thought that I had be a lot stronger, but there was a good chance that they had simply been taking things easy on me.


    "Did you really think that our only power was to see into the future for a few seconds?" She smiled as sheughed loudly. "The reason we were so feared thousands of years ago wasn''t even for that reason! It was because of the strength of our bodies! Something that no one had ever managed to achieve, a right that was given to us at birth. Something that not even you could copy! That''s why we never bothered showing it to you."


    Still, she didn''t attack right away as if expecting more from me.


    "Come on. Show me what you truly have hidden inside that body of yours. I know that this isn''t the full extent of your powers, and if you want toe out of this fight unscathed, you will have to show me absolutely everything that you have hidden for years in there. All those powers that you have copied over the years, I want to see you using them."


    I smirked. I truly hadn''t expected to be pushed enough to use these powers. It was a good thing that I could erase the memories of my students. Otherwise, there would have been absolutely no way that I would have done what I was about to do next.


    "You really want me to go all out, huh?" I said as I ced my sword around my waist once again. "Fine, I''ll show you what it means to truly anger Caedrel Stuart, the Sage."


    With those words, I closed my eyes as I activated all of the powers from the races I had met in my life.


    Elves, Vampires, Dwarves, Dragons, Giants, Undead, Fairies, and a lot more.


    If she wanted to see the true extent of my powers, I would show her.


    There was a reason that I had been confident to fight against Zero back when I had first arrived in this vige, and it was time to show them who I truly was.

 Chapter 110 - My Real Strength [Part Two]

    I could feel the different energies entering my body. All the powers that I had obtained over the years were being activated at the same time.


    ''Will my body be able to hold out?'' I thought in the back of my mind, knowing that I had gotten a lot weakerpared to thest time I had used this form. It wasn''t something I liked using for multiple reasons.


    The first one was the most obvious: the bacsh I would receive from using all those powers was definitely massive and would cause me to be bedridden for a few days. That''s why I knew that by using this, I would have to rest here a few more days after this fight was over.


    Still, I did not mind such a thing at the moment, since I needed Phoebe to recover.


    "A-Are you guys all seeing this?" one of my students shouted.


    "Yeah, look, Professor is getting bigger just like Zoe!"


    I smirked. That was the power of the Giants, though it was still clearly inferior to the power Zoe had just used to be much bigger and stronger.


    "That''s just one of them¡­can''t you see the blue aura around his body? Isn''t that what the dwarves use to protect themselves?"


    "Y-You''re right! That''s a defensive aura; how did he even manage to learn about something like that in the first ce?!"


    "I don''t know, but it looks like our professor can use all the powers from all the races. T-This is crazy!"


    I heard their shouts, but I couldn''t quite focus on them as just maintaining this form was extremely taxing. I needed to defeat Zoe as fast as I could, or else this would surely be my loss.


    POV Jackson (A few moments ago)


    I could only watch as he first used the power of the elves. However, that was only the start of it as he used the power that only vampires could use.


    All of this was just crazy to think about! The fact that he could use so many powers was thest thing I had expected.


    ''I-I need to tell my parents about this¡­'' I thought right away as I tried to reach for my phone.


    However, it was only then that I realized Caedrel had taken it away from me when he figured out that I was the one who snitched on him, meaning I couldn''t tell my parents what he nned to do once he got back.


    ''Fuck¡­this information needs to be known by everyone!''


    It just couldn''t wait. Who knew the extent of his powers? And knowing him, there was probably a reason he didn''t care that he was showing us all those powers. He had something in mind, and I didn''t want to find out what it was.


    "Psst, Will, give me your phone."


    Will, one of my closest "friends," didn''t know what to do.


    Ever since I had gotten caught by the professor, he had slowly been starting to distance himself from me, scared that something might happen to him and his family.


    "If you don''t give it to me, I will ask my family to destroy yours. So, give it to me right now."


    However, Will didn''t give it to me right away; he had this stupid hesitant look on his face. This was my chance at getting back at Caedrel. I knew he didn''t want his abilities to spread, but I would make sure they got out of this hidden ce.


    "W-Why do you want it?" Will asked, his voice trembling, clearly stressed out of his mind.


    After all, he didn''t want to be a target of the Professor, just like I was.


    "What do you think?" I smirked, as I already knew he understood my intentions. "Just give it to me for five minutes; that''s all the time I need with it."


    Will gulped as he reached into his pocket, taking out his phone. "Y-You can take it, but you can never tell the professor that it came from me¡­I don''t want to end up like you."


    I scoffed. That professor was just a loudmouth. There was no way he could defeat the Evergreen family by himself, even if he possessed all those hidden powers. My father was just as strong as him without a doubt, and my family has a lot more influence than a random like him.


    After all, strength wasn''t the only thing one should possess. Influence was just as important; our family had a lot of allies, which was something our Professor didn''t have at all. No one even knew of him until he came back from the battlefield; he was like a ghost for some reason. Either way, that was only a detail as I grabbed Will''s phone from his hands and started recording what would happen next.


    It seemed I had started recording at just the right time as Caedrel began to activate a bunch more of his powers. He started to grow in size, and all kinds of auras were being exuded from his body. Seeing this, my eyes widened. Our professor was already extremely powerful, but he was THAT much more powerful?


    Absolutely crazy. It was a good thing that I was recording what was happening. I would record the rest of the battle, and once it was done, I would send that video to my parents. It was about time the world learned of the monster hiding as a simple professor of the Royal Academy. Stay connected with empire


    ''You will regret threatening my family, Caedrel Stuart!'' I eximed in my mind with a sly smirk. ''No one insults my family without me taking revenge!''N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Will, who was right beside me, was definitely nervous as he started to look around. However, I no longer cared about him; I just needed to make sure none of the stuck-ups, Ariel, Arie, Olivia, thatzy bum Art, and Da, would see me filming.


    After all, those people would surely report me as soon as they found out about what I was nning to do.

 Chapter 111 - My Real Strength [Part Three]

    I could feel the strain on each of my muscles with every step I took. From my estimations, I couldst in this form for at most¡­one minute, and if I did reach one minute, then I would be in very bad shape for the following days.


    It had already been five seconds since I had activated my final form, which meant that I needed to get a move on.


    "Are you just nning on standing there?" Zoeughed at me. "This is impressive, but I know that it''s only a matter of time before I win. I just need to dodge all your strikes for a few moments, and this will be my win."


    Even while she pointed out my weaknesses, I did not care about it. After all, I was strong enough to deal with her, even if she could see into the future. However, if I didn''t manage to do it within one minute, then this would be my loss.


    "Come at me," Zoe roared as she activated [Future Sight] right away, knowing that she would lose otherwise.


    With those words, I dashed forward, disappearing from the eyes of everyone watching. At the same time, I created two illusions of myself on both my right and left with the help of the fairy''s power. Mother Nature''s power was still pressuring Zoe, and with both my illusions, it would be very hard for her to guess my future moves.


    After all, if all three of my illusions were attacking at the same time, she wouldn''t be able to figure out which of them was real.


    That was one of the counters I had thought of during training¡ªthe fact that you cannot distinguish between illusions and reality while using Future Sight.


    "Heh. Not bad," Zoe muttered, focusing as I approached from all directions.


    I attacked from all directions, but Zoe blocked all my attacks instantly. Even while she was so big, her agility was on another level. Still, that meant that I needed to increase the strength I was currently exuding.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I increased my speed as I struck down, aiming for Zoe''s head. My illusions, on the other hand, were attacking her lower body. Of course, my illusions could not deal damage, but Zoe needed to figure out who was real out of the three of us, which was practically an impossible task considering the speed at which we all moved.


    However, for some reason, she only blocked the strikeing toward her head as if she had already figured out who was real. In fact, ever since I had created those illusions, she had been able to keep eye contact with me, always looking in my direction, never being fooled even once.


    "How much time do you have left? 30 seconds?" she smirked, estimating the time before I could no longer fight in this form.


    I just gritted my teeth as I decided to use the power of the Undead. It was a power that I despised a lot because of how much energy it would take from me. However, right now, it was my best option to win this fight.


    I closed my eyes for barely a second, activating the Undead Power, [Unkible].


    As soon as it activated, the time I had left was cut in half. I had fifteen seconds left to win against Zoe.


    However, it was worth it as I dashed in Zoe''s direction, removing all my illusions. I was running straight toward her without a care in the world, aiming directly at her chest, not even looking away from it. I could see Zoe''s de alsoing at me, and she seemed to think that I would dodge as it aimed directly at my heart.


    However, as I saw that, I realized this was my victory. It seemed she didn''t know about the power the undead possessed.


    As I continued to run forward, Zoe''s sword pierced my chest first. However, I just smirked through the pain like a madman as I looked her dead in the eyes.


    "This is your loss."


    As I uttered those words, I pierced my sword into her chest, making her kneel right away. No one was trying to stop the fight yet as they continued to watch.


    "Either give up or die by my hands. Your wound won''t do anything to me with the power I have activated within myself."


    While Zoe''s attack hurt a lot, it wasn''t doing any actual damage to me because, in my current state, I could not die. That was the undead power: you could not die while using it; however, all injuries would hit you right after you deactivated the skill. It was a double-edged sword.


    ''Five seconds lefte on. Give up!'' I eximed in my mind.


    "I-I give up¡­you won."


    And with those words, I pushed myself away from Zoe, her sword leaving my body as I fell backward, on the verge of losing consciousness. It was a good thing that I wasn''t fighting against Zero, or else I would have surely died from the cold. However, in this vige, I was in good hands; they would be able to heal me.


    As I lost consciousness, there was one thing that worried me quite a bit: the fact that I could not erase the memories of my students right away. If information about my real powers were toe out, then there was a chance that a lot of races wouldn''t be the happiest with me since I had technically "stolen" their powers.


    Still, I was in too weak a state; I could only hope that nothing would get out during the time I would be asleep.


    "Help him! He needs healing!" Zale roared in the vige, and those were thest words I heard as I lost all consciousness of what was happening to me.


    Everyone rushed in my direction as I was the only one who was truly on the verge of dying from this fight. Zoe had simply lost because I had activated the power from the undead otherwise she would have won without a doubt.

 Chapter 112 - Days After the Battle

    "Ugh¡­"


    I slowly opened my eyes, feeling a terrible headache as soon as I did. Everything around me was fuzzy. However, I could see a couple pairs of eyes staring at me as if I were some kind ofb rat.


    Those pairs of eyes were those of my students who were all around my bed, looking at me with troubled expressions. After all, with the fight I had just gotten in, it was only a normal reaction. They had just discovered a lot of things that I had hidden from them, so it only made sense for them to be this way.


    Then, as I regained vision, I could faintly hear excited voices shouted from all over.


    "He''s awake!"


    "Chief! The professor is awake!"


    "Come check it out!"


    The sound of each voice was faint, but I was able to deduce what they said.


    "How much time has been since I''ve been bedridden?" I asked as I slowly tried to raise my back to rest against the back of the bed I was in. However, as just as I tried to move, I felt my muscles aching terribly. I could barely move a single muscle.


    "Uh¡­has it been a week already?" Arie said as she tilted her head, trying to think. "Yeah, it''s been pretty much one full week since you lost consciousness."


    My eyes widened. That meant that a full week had passed, and all of my students still had memories of my fight against Zoe.


    ''I knew I shouldn''t have done something like this. There''s a chance that they spread some of this information¡­''


    "Call the chief. I need to talk with him privately."


    The students were confused as to why I was asking to see him right away after waking up. However, they couldn''t understand the state I was currently in.


    Within a few minutes, the room cleared up, and only Zale and I were left inside it as we looked at each other in the eyes.


    "Is there a problem?" He asked me with a slight frown, unaware of the gravity of the situation.


    "I need you to go through all of my student''s memories one by one and see if any of them spread what they saw in my fight against Zoe. I need to make sure nothing was leaked. If something came out of this ce, then¡­that would probably mean that I have be the enemy of most races in the world. After all, it looks like I am "stealing" from them."


    Those races would also be extremely wary of someone as powerful as me. That''s why they would probably try their best to get rid of me. Still, I still had some hope that no one had done anything against me.


    "I understand your concerns, young one. I will go look through all of their memories right away."


    With those words, Zale left the room and left me all alone inside it.


    My real power, my title, has a Sage needed to stay a secret from the world, or else¡­there was a good chance that I would be the enemy of many, many people. Of course, I wasn''t too worried about my survival since I believed I could survive through most situations. But if my identity were to spread, then my whole situation would be a lot moreplicated.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    People would be wary of my abilities the moment they saw me, and that was thest thing that I wanted. I wanted to continue roaming the world secretly, and I did not want to go through another purge, especially since if the information spread this time, it would go directly to some of the biggest powers in this world, which wasn''t something that I could easily deal withpared to before.


    More than an hour passed, and finally, Zale came back inside my room. However, the look on his face definitely wasn''t one that I liked seeing.


    He looked gloomy. It was clear that he had gotten some bad news.


    "I won''t waste time with you. One of your students has filmed a video of you and has sent it to their parents based on its looks."


    "Who is it?" I asked.


    I knew that it couldn''t be Jackson. I had removed his phone because of what he had donest time. I had also made sure that he had no other aplices back then. So, I simply couldn''t understand who it was.


    "It was Jackson again. He got help from one of the other students who gave him their phone."


    I gritted my teeth.


    I truly had be naive. Something like this would have never happened in the past. I would have made sure of it.


    Spending that much time with my students made me aware of what was happening. I had been too soft on Jackson''s punishment, and he did not believe that I could go against his family. I already knew his train of thought, but I still didn''t do anything about it.


    Still, I didn''t show the emotions rising within me to Zale. I kept them inside, slowly nodding my head.


    "I see. Do you know if that video has spread in the outside world?"


    He shook his head. "I would have to send Phoebe to check. However, none of the students seemed aware that such information was going around in the outside world."


    I nodded. There was still a chance that this video had only gotten into the hands of the Emperor, which meant that it still wasn''t toote. However, I would have to talk to the Emperor as fast as possible.


    However, this was just a waste of time. I would once again have to dy going after Zero¡­just how lucky could that bastard be?!


    ''Maybe I could call him, after all, I still have no idea what happened after Alexandra came back.''


    With this thought, I looked over at Zale and smirked. I had an idea, and I hoped it would work.


    "Call Jackson, I want to talk to him alone."

 Chapter 113 - An Important Call

    Jackson, the only son of the Evergreens, walked in, clearly scared of what would happen as he kept staring at the ground, his feet dragging against the floor.


    "You do know why you''re here, right?" I asked, with no pity in my voice. I had already given him too many chances, and it was time for him to face punishment. His family was bound to be destroyed once I had dealt with Zero. However, until then, I would make sure that he would suffer like never before.


    "Yes¡­I know why. But please, sir! I didn''t mean to do anything that could be considered bad. I just thought that your talents should be recognized by the whole world!"


    At first, I thought he might have been sincere, but when I saw that little smirk on his face, I knew it was a lie and that he truly didn''t care about what would happen next. If I had been able to stand up right now, he would have gotten hit for sure. Unfortunately, I was stuck in bed and could only use words for the time being.


    "Get closer to me."


    I indicated for him toe closer with my index finger, keeping a neutral face.


    He obeyed and quickly arrived next to me.


    "Look me dead in the eyes and tell me what you did with that video."


    He gulped. "I-I just sent it to my father! That''s it! I swear to God!"


    "Did he publish that video online?"


    Jackson, who had been acting extremely cocky and confident, was now practically pissing his pants. "I-I don''t think so¡­he told me that he would talk about it with the Emperor, that''s it. Something about making you an official enemy of this world."


    I didn''t say anything. However, I was clearly relieved that the content of that video had only been shared with two specific people. It was a good thing; I just needed to talk to the Emperor, and everything should be fixed. And next time I met with the director, I would make him forget about it and erase that video like it had never existed in the first ce.


    This wouldn''t be the first time I''d done something like this, though it was the first time it was with someone as important as the Emperor of the Human Kingdom.


    "All right, you can leave. Just bring me the phone you used to contact your father."


    "Uh¡­about that, I''m sure you know it wasn''t my phone."


    I sighed. "Bring me Will''s phone. I need to do something with it."


    Jackson quickly nodded, his arrogant demeanorpletely disappearing as he ran out of the room, returning shortly with the phone in hand.


    I looked through it but quickly realized there was no way to contact the Emperor on it. Before giving the phone back, I took a quick look at the video he had recorded. There was no doubt that this piece of information needed to stay secret, or else it would cause me a lot of problems.


    "All right, now go and get me Ariel."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Jackson nodded and ran out of the room.


    "Oh, and I''ll make sure that you get some real punishment this time."


    ''As soon as I can move around properly¡­'' I thought,pleting the sentence in my head. I had a few ideas for how I wanted him to suffer, but nothing was official just yet.


    Not long after, Ariel arrived in my room with a slight frown on her face.


    "Hm, I need the contact information for the Emperor. I need to talk to him."


    After all, I didn''t have such information since he hadn''t given it to me directly. He had said to go through Alexandra if I needed to get in touch. However, now that I was in the middle of nowhere and my rtionship with Alexandra wasplete trash¡­I had to contact him directly.


    Ariel looked a bit shocked, having no idea why I would need to contact the Emperor right after waking up. But she didn''t ask any questions and simply gave me his contact information, which included his phone number.


    "Thanks, you may leave."


    Ariel nodded and left right away.


    She seemed somewhat used to situations like these, not asking a single question about what I was nning to do. It was a quality I could admire at such a young age. She had clearly gone through a lot, even as the daughter of the Emperor. I could only imagine the pressure on her shoulders. It must not be easy at all.


    Now, I was all alone with Will''s phone as I dialed the Emperor''s personal number. The phone began to ring.


    Dring!


    Dring!


    Dring!


    "Hello, who is this?" the Emperor asked, answering the call.


    "This is Caedrel Stuart. I wanted to talk to you about something of the utmost importance."


    However, for some reason, the Emperor didn''t respond immediately after I spoke.


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    "Alexandra told me that we were now enemies, so why are you calling me as if we are some kind of allies?"


    I frowned. "Enemies? What are you talking about? I just told her that I would not be your spy any longer. Anyway, I don''t have time to discuss this. Were you contacted by the Patriarch of the Evergreen Family?"


    "I was¡­how did you know? Did something happen to Jackson, his son?"


    I sighed. "No, it''s not about that. You need to meet with him as soon as possible. He is in possession of a video that showcases most of my powers, which I''ve kept hidden from the world. I''m sure you know what would happen if such a thing got out. He asked to meet with you because he wants to share this video with the entire world. I want you to ensure that this video doesn''t leave his cellphone."


    The Emperor was silent for a brief moment. "He has a video of you using your Sage''s powers? Is that what you''re telling me?"


    "Exactly. That''s why we need to get rid of that video."

 Chapter 114 - Patriarch of the Evergreen Family

    POV The Emperor, James


    I had received a strange call from Caedrel, telling me about a video in which he was using his powers to their full extent. I had to admit that I was quite doubtful he had been pushed into such a situation, but when I saw the video, I had no choice but to agree with him.


    He truly had been using all of his powers. This also meant that I now had something I could potentially hold over Caedrel''s head for as long as I wished¡ªsomething I could finally use against him, after all this time.


    If he was desperate enough to call me, making sure I would fix the situation, then he was bound to be pretty nervous over this whole thing.


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    In a few minutes, I would have my meeting with the Patriarch of the Evergreen Family, and I couldn''t wait to see how things would go.


    Sure enough, a few moments passed by, and someone was knocking on my door.


    Knock!


    Knock!


    Knock!


    "Enter," I dered with a strong and cold voice befitting an Emperor.


    The Evergreen Patriarch walked through the door with a serious look on his face, not even greeting me¡ªa departure from what I usually experienced in such meetings.


    He found his way to the seat in front of me, and we just stared at each other for a few moments. I wasn''t nning on starting the conversation.


    After some time, however, I had no choice but to begin; I couldn''t sit around like this all day. I broke the silence as I said, "So, why are you here? Why did you want to meet with me?"


    The Patriarch pondered for a moment before responding, "I acquired new information on Caedrel Stuart, the professor of your daughter and my son, and I think you should have a look at this."


    With those words, the Evergreen Patriarch pulled his phone out of his pocket and ced it on the table between us. He pressed y, and the video started rolling.


    I had already seen the video because Caedrel had sent it to me, but even watching it a second time, I couldn''t help but be inplete awe of his powers. There was no doubt that he was one of the most powerful humans in the world. The extent of his powers was simply unmatched by anyone within the Empire.


    A few minutes passed by, and finally, the video came to a close.


    "This¡­is definitely interesting. What were you nning to do with this video?" I asked before saying anything else.


    The Patriarch had a sly smile on his face as he leaned over the table. "I was thinking of sharing this video with the leaders of all the races. What do you think? I''m sure it could create quite a bit of hatred toward him, considering that he''s using ''their'' powers in the video. They would surely be furious¡­who knows what they might do? I even heard that you recently became an enemy to Caedrel¡ªthis is just the perfect opportunity to hit him where it hurts!"


    I clenched my teeth. This was quite an annoying situation because, while the Patriarch of the Evergreen Family was right, I was definitely more worried about what Caedrel would do if he learned I hadn''t listened to his request. After all, I knew very well that he did not care about politics. If he was angry with me, he might very well kill me on sight without even thinking about the situation.


    "All right, can you give me this video? I will update you on how I deal with this. We still have to be careful, because I''m sure you noticed while watching this that Caedrel is very powerful. If he learns we''re responsible, then he might be our enemy, which isn''t something we want."


    The Patriarch of the Evergreen family just scoffed. "Who cares if we anger him! Do you really think he would be stupid enough to be the enemy of the Emperor? He might be hot-headed, but this is just too far for someone like him!"


    ''You''d be surprised. He wouldn''t even think about it if he believed it was the right thing to do.''


    As I had this thought, I kept it to myself; I didn''t want to anger the Patriarch or let him know I would simply keep this video for myself and not share it with anyone.


    "I''ll repeat. Just give me this video, and I will decide how to handle this situation," I dered in a cold voice. "This is an order."


    The Patriarch of the Evergreen family knew it was absolutely foolish to go against the Royal Family, so he handed his phone over to me.


    "All right, here is the video. However, please remember my suggestion. I think it would be the best way to approach this."


    I merely nodded as if agreeing with him.


    "I will make sure to remember. However, before I let you go, I need to be certain. This was the only copy of the video you had, correct?"


    "My son was the one who sent it, so he has a copy of the video, but that''s it. I swear. After all, I would never go against the Emperor''s wishes."N?v(el)B\\jnn


    I nodded; it was refreshing to talk with someone who would actually listen to me. Spending time with Caedrel was truly unusual since he would never listen to a word I said, not caring about my opinion whatsoever.


    "Perfect. You are dismissed. Thank you for sharing this valuable information with me. I will make sure you arepensated ording to its value."


    With those words, we exchanged goodbyes, and the Patriarch of the Evergreen Family left without the video.


    As soon as I saw him leaving the room, I called Caedrel, who answered right away.


    "It''s done. He no longer has the video."


    "Perfect. I will respect my side of the deal we made as soon as I return to the Empire Kingdom. Don''t worry," Caedrel, who was on the other side of the phone, answered.

 Chapter 115 - Phoebes Answer

    A week had passed since I had received the call from the Emperor, and it seemed that he had seeded in keeping this video of myself from spreading around, which was great news.


    Because of that news, I was able to focus solely on rehabilitation, as I did not have anything else on my mind during that time.


    For the past week, all I did was recover. For the first two days, I was bedridden as I just focused on meditating to increase the amount of aether avable to me. Then, after those days, I was able to walk again, albeit barely.


    Using all my powers was something that was extremely straining and that I could not dopletely alone. Otherwise, right after using it, I would be in a very weakened state, and I would have no choice but to pray that no one would kill me.


    That''s why, most of the time, I only used one or two powers from the other races. Using all of them at the same time was the most reckless thing I could do. However, I had done it because I was currently in the tribe''s vige, and I wanted to push myself right to the very limits that I could handle by myself.


    "So, Phoebe, did you think about my offer?" I asked as I saw Phoebe currently roaming around the vige just like me, doing nothing in particr.


    She pondered for a moment before answering, "I don''t know Caedrel¡­I''m not sure if I''m ready to face Zero again."


    The request that I just mentioned was the one I had made when she had just woken up about guiding me to where Zero was situated. Still, I could understand why she would refuse, and I wouldn''t pressure her for the time being as I had no real need to do such a thing at the moment.


    "Well, I''m sure you know, but I''m leaving tomorrow for the Snowy Mountains. So, if you don''t want toe with me, just prepare a map of where I should be able to find him."


    Phoebe inly nodded as she honestly felt bad for me because while I had saved her from certain death, she was hesitating whether to help or not because she was scared of such a thing.


    "I''m sorry, if I seem ungrateful for what you did. I''ll make sure that we are even one day. I swear."


    With those words, I simply nodded as I went to exin the situation to my students.


    It went quite well as I told them that I would be leaving for a while, and that they were to stay here and continue training under the tribe''s members.


    No oneined apart from Jackson, who wanted to go back to his family. However, I obviously refused such demands since it would only create problems for myself. After all, they were all perfectly safe here, and there was no need to bring them back to the Royal Academy since the training they were getting here was much better than whatever they could find from one of the professors at the Royal Academy.


    Nevertheless, after telling my students that, the day went by pretty quickly as I did not do much. I trained by myself a little and talked with Zale about Zero. Everything was going pretty well, as far as I could tell.


    Then, the next day came quickly, and it was time for Phoebe to either leave with me or to stay within the vige.


    Before, I made a big scene about it. I directly went to see Phoebe as soon as I woke up since there was little to no point to staying here, not doing anything whatsoever.


    I knocked on her door, making sure that she was awake before I walked in.


    Then, I simply waited in front of it, waiting for her to open it, and sure enough, she did.


    She was barely awake as she rubbed her eyes while yawning right in my face. She was also wearing a white nightgown that barely even covered her body. However, I wasn''t here for that stuff, so I didn''t even pay attention to it.


    Still, she blushed instantly as she covered her chest with her arms.


    "Ahhh¡­give me a few minutes please!" She said as she practically shouted and mmed the door in my face.


    A few moments passed by, and she reopened it with decent clothes this time around.


    "So¡­why are you here in the middle of the night, the sun isn''t even up yet."


    I smiled. "Well, I was wondering about your final decision. Will youe with me to find Zero in the Snowy Mountains or will you stay here?"


    Her eyes widened. "Y-You want to leave right now?! I thought you were at least going to wait until morning." Enjoy more content from empire


    "I waited for long enough already. It''s about time I go and find him. It''s been more than three months since I left the Human Kingdom, and I have no idea what''s currently happening over there. Anyway, I have no time to lose, so eithere with me right now, or don''t. I won''t mind your answer."


    Phoebe pondered about her answer before answering, "You know, I thought about this all night before going to sleep, and I decided that I''d apany you. Even if I''m scared, I don''t want the same thing that happened to me happening to you. And it''s only fair since you saved my life that I help you in such a way."


    Phoebe kept blushing ever so slightly as she struggled to look at me in the eyes as she spoke, which was quite cute of her.


    "Perfect, then let''s go. Time for us to leave!" I replied right away.


    "Uh¡­shouldn''t we say goodbye to my father at least?"


    I shook my head. "No, there''s no point. He already knows that I was going to be leaving today, and if you go tell him that you''reing with me. He will only get worried for no real reason."N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 116 - Leaving the Tribes Village

    "Are you ready?" I asked, ncing at her with a hint of concern as I noticed she''d only brought a weapon.


    No food, no backpack, not even a coat to guard against the biting cold. I couldn''t help but worry that she''d freeze out here. But then again, she''d lived her whole life in this unforgiving ce. Maybe the cold barely fazed her, the way Canadians or people from icy regions back on Earth could shrug off what others would consider unbearable.


    "I am," she replied, her voice steady, betraying not a hint of hesitation.


    She was dressed in form-fitting clothes that entuated her athletic figure, garments designed for agility rather than warmth. In a different time, under different circumstances, I might''ve imagined her surrounded by admirers. But this was hardly the moment for such thoughts.


    We stood at the vige gate, and I took a final nce back at the ce where I''d spent thest two months, training as if my life depended on it¡ªbecause it very nearly did. The memories felt surreal. I never would''ve thought I''d end up sacrificing half my strength for ess to an energy I hadn''t even known existed, a power as elusive as it was mysterious.


    Still, as I stood here, feeling that energy pulsing faintly within me, I knew it had all been worth it.


    "If there''s nothing else you need, let''s go."


    She nodded, and we stepped beyond the vige''s boundary, the path before us leading straight into the stark, white wilderness of the Snowy Mountains.


    "This is your first time in the Snowy Mountains, right?" she asked suddenly, her voice slicing through the quiet as we trudged through the thick, undisturbed snow.


    "Yeah, first time," I said, scanning the endless expanse of white stretching in every direction. "I didn''t even know this ce existed until someone I know mentioned it."


    Phoebe''s eyes widened for a brief moment, a glimmer of surprise that quickly faded as her expression returned to its usual calm.


    "Alright, then I''ll give you a quick rundown of the Snowy Mountains¡ªand why so many outsiders either die or vanish within them."


    I nodded, my curiosity piqued.


    "First," she began, "the monsters here are unlike any you''ve encountered elsewhere. They''re powerful enough to tear through most adventurers. But that won''t be a problem for you." She cast a sidelong nce at me. "The real danger lies in thendscape itself. The high winds carve out new paths every night, piling snow into unfamiliar hills. What you see one day could be entirely different by the next morning. It''s easy to lose your way."


    "That''s one of the main reasons I decided to join you. I wanted to make sure you didn''t get lost in a ce like this."


    I gave her a reassuring smile. "Actually, I can fly, so even if I got turned around, I''d manage to find my way out. But¡­ thanks for looking out for me."


    A faint blush rose to her cheeks, though she didn''t seem entirely surprised¡ªshe''d seen me fight and knew my capabilities. "The third thing," she continued, "is the inhabitants. Contrary to what most people think, this ce isn''t deserted. Quite a few people actually live here."


    I raised an eyebrow, trying to imagine anyone willing to make a life in this harsh, frozennd. "Who would choose to live here? What race are they?"


    "They''re known as Ice Elves," she exined. "They''re different from the elves you''re probably familiar with. Their power doesn''te from Mother Nature. They wield Ice Powers¡ªcontrol over the element in almost any form you can imagine."


    I nodded, absorbing the information with interest. Ice Elves¡­ I''d never even heard of them until now.


    "What about Zero? Do you have any idea where he''s hiding?"


    She shook her head. "That''s the tricky part. With the Snowy Mountains constantly shifting, it''s impossible to pinpoint his exact location. But I do know he''s near the Icy Lake¡ªa legendaryke rumored to grant incredible powers. That''s where I first encountered him, back when I was trying to harness theke''s energy myself. But¡­ well, as you know, things didn''t exactly go as nned."


    I considered this for a moment. "The Icy Lake? What kind of powers does it grant?"


    "I don''t know everything," she admitted. "But it''s said that if you spend the night in its waters, you bepletely resistant to the cold, and you develop a deep connection to ice¡­ maybe even acquire abilities like the Ice Elves."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "So that''s why you''re out here without even a coat?" I asked, half-joking.


    She chuckled softly. "No, that''s just part of our superior human physiology. We''re not affected by heat or cold from birth. I never actually managed to enter theke¡ªwhen I finally found it, Zero was already there, and months of searching came to nothing."


    A shadow passed over her face, and I was struck by just how much effort she''d poured into finding that ce. I had assumed this journey would be quick, especially with her by my side, but it seemed I''d misjudged the challenge.


    "Will it take us months again?" I asked, a trace of worry in my voice.


    "No, not this time. I''ve got a map," she said with a faint smile. "It shouldn''t take us nearly as long. But our best hope of reaching the Icy Lake quickly is with guidance from the Ice Elves. They know every inch of these mountains."


    "Then let''s find them and ask for their help."


    She smiled, though there was a hint of doubt in her eyes. "That would be ideal¡­ but there''s one problem."


    "What kind of problem?" I asked, frowning slightly.


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    "They aren''t exactly friendly to outsiders, to put it mildly. I have no idea how we''d convince them to help us. And they''re no pushovers; they''re powerful and would have the advantage of their own territory if it came to a fight."


    "What''s the fastest way to find the Icy Lake and Zero?" I pressed, disregarding her concerns.


    "Through the Ice Elves, no question. But as I sai¡ª"


    "Then take me to them. I''ll talk to them myself and find a way to convince them to help us."


    Phoebe''s eyes lingered on me, a mixture of admiration and skepticism. The Snowy Mountains loomed ahead, silent and vast, as if waiting for us to make our move.

 Chapter 117 - Completely Lost

    It had been over two days since we entered the Snowy Mountains, and we still hadn''t seen the slightest trace of the Ice Elves.


    Phoebe had been right. The relentless wind,bined with the near-constant snowfall, made it practically impossible to follow any particr path. Snow gusted around us like sharp needles, stinging our faces and forcing us to squint against the icy barrage. Thendscape shifted endlessly, mounds of snow piling up and reshaping the terrain with each gust. Long story short, it was absolute hell to navigate this ce.


    Walking wasn''t the worst part, though; it was trying to rest. Sleeping in this weather was a whole new level of torture. I hadn''t closed my eyes for a real rest since we left the tribe''s vige, and I was running on sheer determination at this point. I''d seen Phoebe sleep a bit here and there, but it didn''t look remotely restful because of the wind and the snow.


    I silently longed to find the Ice Elves'' vige¡ªsurely they had some kind of shelter. They couldn''t just live out here, exposed to the relentless elements. They had to have homes, something to protect them from this frozen wastnd.


    "Are we still far from the Ice Elf vige?" I asked, watching Phoebe as she consulted the worn map she''d been holding onto since we left.


    But with thendscape constantly shifting, the map seemed almost useless. I was beginning to feel desperate for a real guide to this ce.


    "We should be able to reach it today, I think?"


    I sighed, exasperated. "You said that on the first day¡­ and yesterday too. Are you sure today''s the day?"


    She blushed slightly. "I don''t know¡­ it depends on how much the snow messes with my senses¡­"


    With that, we resumed our silent trek, my footsteps trailing close behind hers as the wind howled around us.


    At least we hadn''t faced many monsters. A few had appeared here and there, but all it took was one good re from me, and they quickly scampered off. So, aside from the biting cold, our journey had been oddly peaceful.


    But the cold¡­ that was a pain I hadn''t anticipated. Even wrapped in a thick winter coat, I could feel it creeping into my bones, slowing my movements, numbing my face and hands. It hadn''t been this brutal within the tribe''s vige, but out here, in the open, it felt like the cold was trying to im me. Moving was difficult, but standing still felt worse, like the frost was seeping into my skin.


    I''d noticed yesterday that my hair had started to freeze. When I touched it, it felt hard and brittle, as if it would snap off at the slightest pressure.


    ''This ce is a nightmare. Finding our way out won''t be easy.''


    Despite everything, we kept walking through the blinding whitendscape, each step feeling as futile as thest. Hours passed, and still, there was no sign of any kind of shelter or guidance.


    "I think we should rest for the day," Phoebe suggested, squinting through the swirling snow. "It looks like we''ve made decent progress."


    I let out another sigh. It was painfully clear that Phoebe didn''t have much of an idea where we were. After three days of wandering, it was bing obvious we were either hopelessly lost, or the elves were deliberately avoiding us.


    "Is there any way the Elves might find us, or are we stuck wandering around like this indefinitely?"


    I wasn''t nning to spend weeks lost in this wastnd. Time was critical¡ªI needed to find Zero before he realized I was here and slipped away. Every hour we wasted felt like another opportunity lost.


    "The Ice Elves have probably already noticed us. This is their territory¡ªthey''d definitely sense someone as powerful as you wandering around. I''d bet they even saw you try to fly a few times."


    She was right. I had tried flying to get a better view, but the snowfall was so heavy that all I saw was a swirling sea of white. Flying was useless, so I''d resigned myself to trudging on foot.


    "Then why aren''t theying to greet us?!" I snapped, irritation seeping into my voice.


    "They''re probably wary of us," Phoebe replied, trying to keep me calm. Explore more stories at empire


    "Well, if they''re watching, we might as well let them know we''re looking for them."


    Phoebe''s eyes widened as she realized what I was about to do.


    "Wai¡ª"


    "HEY, YOU USELESS ELVES, COME OUT! I WANT TO ASK FOR YOUR HELP!"


    Phoebe buried her face in her hands, groaning in disbelief. She''d warned me about their temperament, about how cautious and dangerous they could be, but I didn''t believe they''d actually harm us. If yelling like this was the quickest way to get their attention, then so be it.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    I waited a few moments, straining to hear anything over the roaring wind. But there was nothing. Just silence, as if the Snowy Mountains themselves were holding their breath. If the elves were watching us, they clearly weren''t interested in making an appearance.


    Just as I was about to give up and settle down for the night, I heard the crunch of footsteps echoing through the frozenndscape. It was odd how clearly I could hear them, cutting through the wind as if each step resonated against the icy ground. I turned toward the sound, and in the distance, I saw a tall figure emerge¡ªa lone elf with ashen-gray skin, piercing blue eyes, and long, white hair whipping in the wind. His gaze held an unmistakable look of disdain.


    "Human," the elf said, his voice sharp and cold, carrying an unspoken threat. "Leave, before you are dered our enemy."


    "Enemy?" I shook my head, trying to bridge the gap. "No! I want to ask for help, H-E-L-P!"


    The ice elf''s frown deepened. "If you continue threatening us, we will have no choice but to capture you and make you suffer."


    ''Threatening? What is this guy talking about?''


    I noticed that his pronunciation was slightly off, his words stilted and foreign. Maybe he genuinely didn''t understand me.


    I nced at Phoebe, who was giving me a look that clearly said to keep quiet. But I just grinned, ignoring her silent warning, and turned back to the elf. If they captured us, wouldn''t they have to take us back to their vige?


    Sounded like a win-win to me.


    "Alright,e capture us, mister Elf!" I called out, raising both my hands high above my head.

 Chapter 118 - Getting Captured by Ice Elves

    Did we get captured?


    Absolutely.


    Was it all part of my n?


    Absolutely.


    Was my n a detailed one?


    Not at all.


    But, of course, none of that mattered. What truly mattered was the fact that we were finally about to enter the fabled territory of the Ice Elves, a ce that had eluded us for days and was exactly what we''d been looking for. The rest was¡­ uh, just details. Yes, that''s right¡­ details!


    We were currently in some sort of cage, bouncing along with each jolt as it was carried by a strange, hulking beast I''d never seen before. It loomed over us, massive and unshakable, its thick, snow-white fur absorbing the cold, its wide back supporting our cage with ease. Each time it shifted, I could feel the iron bars pressing against my back, but even in our confinement, I wasn''t exactly worried. I had bigger ns in mind.


    "Hey, can I ask you guys a question?" I called out with a bright smile, acting as if this whole situation was perfectly normal.


    The Ice Elves nced over at me, their expressions a mix of confusion and annoyance, likely wondering why their prisoner was grinning like an idiot. Phoebe had warned me right after our capture that they didn''t speak the samenguage as us, so they probably thought I was just babbling nonsense. Not exactly ideal, but it was something to work with.


    "Right¡­ you can''t speak ournguage," I muttered, grinning as an idea struck me.


    I began waving my hands around in exaggerated motions, attempting to convey my questions with borate gestures. The Ice Elves watched me with raised eyebrows and exchanged frowns, their eyes narrowing as if trying to decipher my antics. To them, I was probably just some foolish prisoner, unbothered by his own capture and making a strange spectacle of himself.


    "Damn¡­ now how the hell will I show them that I want to know the location of the Lake?" I nced over to Phoebe, who sat across from me in the cage, watching with wary amusement. "Can''t you speak theirnguage? You''ve been exploring this ce for years; you must know a word or two, right?"


    Phoebe considered this for a moment before replying. "I do know a few words, but not enough to have a real conversation with them."


    "Who cares about conversation? Just tell them we need their help finding thatke you talked about. Give it a shot!" I insisted. Experience more tales on empire


    Phoebe hesitated, clearly uncertain. She knew, as I did, that if she said the wrong thing, it could make everything moreplicated. It was risky, but waiting to speak with their leader felt even riskier. After a beat, she turned toward the Ice Elves marching beside the creature carrying us. She spoke a series of rough, awkward sybles, her words tumbling out in quick session.


    The Ice Elves looked taken aback, their brows rising in surprise at first. But then, as the message sank in, they beganughing¡ªa sharp, booming sound that echoed off the icy walls around us.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Hey, hey, what''s so funny? Did you tell them a bad joke?" I asked, bewildered.


    Phoebe sighed, looking slightly embarrassed. "They''reughing because I asked for their help to find the Icy Lake. That''s all."


    "Tsk, you must''ve said something wrong. There''s no way they''d beughing at us like that if you hadn''t."


    Resigned to silence, I leaned back, deciding to wait until we reached our destination. Conversing with their leader was our best option anyway. Low-ranking elves wouldn''t cut it for my n. I needed to talk to the big boss¡ªthe one with the power to give us what we needed.


    After what felt like an hour, the beast finally stopped, and we arrived at the Ice Elves'' vige. My jaw dropped as I took in the sight around us. This was no ordinary vige¡ªit was a hidden fortress, an ice haven concealed from the outside world. There was no chance we would have stumbled upon this ce on our own, not with how isted and obscured it was. Even Phoebe, usually soposed, shot me a look of grudging respect, perhaps admitting that my decision to get captured had been the right one.


    The beast lumbered forward, carrying us through a towering gate carved into an enormous ice wall. Beyond the entrance, the hidden vige sprawled out before us, nestled within a vast ice cave. Everything here shimmered with a faint bluish glow, the icy walls reflecting the cold light like a mirror, casting eerie shadows across the snowy streets.


    The cavern was colossal, with winding streets and buildings of varying heights stretching as far as I could see. Each building was crafted from solid ice, unique in shape and style, with intricate etchings decorating the walls, like ancient runes frozen into the very structure. But one building stood out¡ªa towering castle made entirely of ice, looming over the vige like a frozen crown.


    An Ice Castle!


    "I''m betting the King of the Ice Elves lives there," I whispered to Phoebe, nodding toward the grand structure with a grin.


    As we were paraded down the main street, every Ice Elf turned to watch us. Their cold blue eyes were filled with curiosity, suspicion, and, in some cases, amusement. They muttered in their ownnguage, ncing at us with knowing smirks. Some pointed, their faces twisted into sneers or pitying looks, as if our capture was a source of grim entertainment.


    I could only smile inwardly, imagining the change in their expressions once we strolled out of this castle with the full support of the Ice Elves. Soon enough, they''d see we weren''t fools or weaklings. They wouldn''t beughing then.


    "C-Caedrel¡­ everything is going to be fine, right?" Phoebe asked, her voice barely above a whisper. I nced over and saw her fingers gripping the bars tightly, her lips trembling slightly from a mix of stress and cold.


    "Don''t worry, everything will be fine. Just let me do all the talking, and everything will go exactly as I nned." I gave her a confident smile. "You trust me, right?"


    She looked at me with narrowed eyes. "To talk with the King of the Ice Elves? Absolutely not!"


    Iughed, unfazed by herck of faith, and gave her the same bright smile as before.


    "Don''t worry. They''ll love me!"

 Chapter 119 - Meeting With The Ice Elves Leader

    We were now inside the castle, walking on our own legs. However, we were currently tied up and held pretty tightly by two Ice Elves, making it hard for us to try to escape. The grip they had on us was firm, their cold hands pressing into our skin, a constant reminder that freedom wasn''t an option just yet.


    Obviously, I wasn''t nning on escaping, and if I really wanted to, I could probably get away without much difficulty.


    But right now, that wasn''t my goal. I needed to convince the King of the Ice Elves¡ªor whoever held power here¡ªto help us find the Icy Lake. I had a strong feeling that Zero was after something incredibly specific from it, something that could make him even more dangerous if he seeded.


    It also meant that I needed to find him before he acquired this new power of his. After all, I had no idea how strong he truly was, and the thought of facing him at his peak was not exactly reassuring.


    As we walked deeper into the grand hall, I took in the surroundings. There were rows of spectators in the stands on both my left and right. They were adorned in luxurious garments, each piece of fabric shimmering with a touch of elegance.


    From a quick nce, it was clear that these elves belonged to a higher social status than the ones who had captured us. They were most likely nobles, and their eyes glittered with curiosity and judgment.


    Standing at attention along the walls were guards, forming a path for us to follow. Each one stood as still as a statue, their icy blue armor catching the cold light filtering through the castle windows. They didn''t even nce in our direction, maintaining perfect discipline as they stared straight ahead.


    But what truly captured my attention was the massive throne made entirely of ice at the far end of the hall. It was an impressive work of art, intricate carvings shimmering in the pale light, giving off an air of majesty and unyielding strength.


    Sitting upon it was someone even more magnificent¡ªa woman adorned with a crown made of ice, her long, luscious white hair cascading over her shoulders. Her piercing blue eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made me catch my breath.


    She had an aura of absolute authority. There was no mistaking it: she was the Queen of the Ice Elves. As I scanned the area around her throne, I noticed the absence of any male figure at her side.


    ''Is this kingdom matriarchal?'' I wondered silently. The thought lingered in the back of my mind as she appeared to be the sole ruler, waiting for us at the end of the hallway.


    In silence, we continued forward until we were forced to kneel before the queen, a swift strike to the backs of our knees making Phoebe buckle. When the guard tried to force me down the same way, I didn''t budge.


    "You know, you can just ask me to kneel," I said with a smile, turning my head to face the Ice Elf behind me. His pale face flushed red with anger and embarrassment.


    After making my point, I respectfully knelt on my own, bowing my head toward the Queen. ''Let''s hope someone in this castle can speak ournguage,'' I thought. If not, convincing them would be a nightmare, and there was already too much room for misunderstandings, as we''d seen during our capture.


    "You may raise your heads," the Ice Queen said atst. To my relief, she spoke in ournguage, and with a perfect ent at that. She could understand us clearly, which was an excellent start.


    Nevertheless, I remained cautious. The Queen''s power was undeniable, and one wrong word could make us enemies of her entire kingdom. I slowly lifted my head, meeting her gaze. We exchanged looks, measuring each other, but I held my tongue and waited for her to speak first.


    "I heard from one of the guards that you were looking for a sacred territory of ours, the Icy Lake. For what reason do you seek it?" she asked, her voice calm but authoritative.


    I smiled, relieved that she had been briefed. It saved me the trouble of exining everything from scratch. From her demeanor, she didn''t seem particrly angry, which was a good sign. In fact, there was a hint of curiosity in her gaze, though the nobles in the stands didn''t share her sentiment. Their disdain was palpable; they looked at me as if I were a cockroach daring to crawl before their queen.


    "We''re currently searching for a dangerous individual who has infiltrated the Snowy Mountains and made the Icy Lake his personal yground," I began, keeping my tone serious. "He''s someone who must be captured or killed before he gains any more power."


    "Someone made the Icy Lake their personal yground? Such nonsense! This human is clearly lying. We should kill him right now!" shouted one noble, his voice echoing through the hall.


    "That''s right! He invaded our territory without even asking for permission. He deserves death!" another noble chimed in, their voices rising in a chorus of condemnation.


    The Queen raised her hand slowly, silencing the outbursts with a single gesture. "Quiet. Let him speak."


    "Thank you, Your Majesty," I said, offering a sincere smile. It felt like a small victory that she seemed willing to listen. "This individual has been reported to be an ally of the demons from the war. He must be stopped before he causes more damage to our world."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Demons?! The war ended months ago! Why does this human think he can lie to our queen so brazenly?" another noble scoffed, his voice full of disbelief.


    I frowned slightly, noticing the tension in the room. Something wasn''t right. The nobles were far too eager to discredit me, as if they knew more than they were letting on. It was almost as if some of them were actively trying to cover up the truth. Was it possible that they were secretly allied with Zero? If so, I''d made a grave miscalction¡ªa potentially disastrous one.


    "Silence!" the Ice Elf Queenmanded, her voice turning icy and harsh. "Let the human speak. If anyone dares interrupt again, they will face my wrath."


    The hall fell deathly silent, and all eyes turned back to me. The weight of the moment pressed down on my shoulders, but I forced myself to remain calm. There was something deeply wrong here, and I had to tread carefully. The Queen seemed unaware of many things happening in her own territory, and that could either work to my advantage¡ªor spell our doom.

 Chapter 120 - Yes or No?

    After her warning, there was pure silence within the hall, and everyone simply looked at me with clear animosity.


    "So, you want our help to deal with this individual. Is that it?" The queen asked with a serious re.


    I pondered for a moment before answering, "No, that''s not it. We need help finding the Icy Lake, and we will deal with the individual on our own."


    The queen narrowed her eyes as she seemed to assert how powerful I was. However, even after a few seconds, she didn''t say anything at all.


    "I cannot feel a lot of strengthing from your body. Are you sure that you will be able to handle such a person?"


    I smirked. "Yes. I will be able to deal with that person on my own without a doubt."


    The queen then turned to look toward Phoebe, who was still extremely nervous, her fists tightly clenched, and I could almost see a strand of blood falling from her hand.


    "And what''s her deal? Is she supposed to help you fight against that person?"


    The queen did the exact same with Phoebe as she did with me as she suddenly narrowed her eyes.


    "Mhm, I see. No need to answer my previous question. I know exactly who she is. Nevertheless, I have my choice regarding your request."


    Everyone in the stands became silent, and the only thing that could be heard in the cial hall was my breathing as everyone else was holding it, wondering what the choice from the queen would be. However, I wasn''t too nervous. I believed that she would make the right decision. Your next read is at empire


    "I will send a few Ice Elves to guide you to the Icy Lake."


    I celebrated in my mind. Happy that she had agreed to my request. However, that bright smile on my face retracted when I heard the word "However"ing from her mouth.


    "However, if you even try to use the Icy Lake''s powers for your own benefit, then you will be deemed an enemy of our kingdom, and every single Ice Elf will be under to kill you. Is that understood?"


    I nodded. I didn''t care about the Icy Lake or whatever it could give me. I just wanted to kill Zero. That was all I was asking for.


    However, as I looked around at the nobles. I could clearly see that a lot of people wanted to protest the queen''s decision. It seemed that even if the queen agreed, we might encounter a few "problems" on the way to the Icy Lake.


    It was clear in my mind that a lot of the nobles would try to stop me from reaching the Icy Lake. I couldn''t confirm it, but from the reactions they had, I had a strong feeling that some of them knew Zero very well. After all, it was not normal for their sacredke to be used by someone they ignored, especially since the reactions to what I said were extremely severe.


    There were two options. Either they were allies with Zero, or Zero had used a strange power that made it impossible for the Ice Elves to find out about his presence. I strongly believed that it was the first option. However, I hoped that it would be the second option.


    "Thank you for your help."


    To be honest, this went a lot better than I originally thought it would go. I thought that there was a pretty good chance that we would get thrown into the dungeons as soon as we entered this ce. But it seemed like the queen was somewhat reasonablepared to the rest of the nobles.


    After the queen agreed to help us, she ordered the guards to untie us.


    "From my understanding, you want to leave as soon as possible from here. So, I will make sure that everything is ready for you guys as soon as tomorrow morning. Now, the guards will guide you to where you will be spending the night."


    It didn''t take too long for us to reach our room. However, there was something that worried me somewhat. The fact that I was not sharing my room with Phoebe meant that we were split from one another. I wanted to make sure that nothing would happen to her. However, she had been the one who explicitly asked for us to be in split rooms for some reason.


    Nevertheless, as soon as I reached my bed, I fell asleep right away. I was dead tired from everything that had just happened recently. All this walking in the cold had been extremely tiring. It was nice to have a nice bed to sleep in that was also hidden from the dark.


    ***


    A few hourster, in the middle of the night.


    A man was approaching Caedrel''s room quietly, making sure that he didn''t make the slightest noise. He opened the door to his room and walked right over him. In his hands was a sharp dagger.


    The man smiled as he saw the sleeping body of his target. He looked so unaware of everything.


    ''This job is way too easy, and I''m getting paid so much from it¡­'' the assassin thought with a greedy smile, happy to have epted this assassination request.


    All he needed to do next was to cut off the Caedrel''s neck and escape as if nothing happened.


    ''Let''s hope that it''s as easy for them with that girl.''


    With that thought, the assassin tightly grabbed onto his dagger and tried to sh Caedrel''s neck. However, just as he was about to reach his neck, a strong power held onto his wrist, holding him in ce.


    "Who are you?" A dark, looming voice uttered before him. "Trying to kill me in my sleep. Did you really think something that simple would work with me?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The assassin had no idea how to react as the wrist in which he held had been grabbed. He tried to escape, but he couldn''t¡­this man who he had been ordered to kill was too powerful.


    "Who gave you the order to kill me?"

 Chapter 121 - Tracking The Assassin

    A man had just tried to kill me in my sleep.


    I had never seen him before in my life. However, I knew right away which group of people had sent the order. Experience more content on empire


    It was the nobles.


    There was no other option since there wasn''t anyone who had followed us to the ce, which meant that the person who gave the order to do such a thing was part of this Kingdom. The assassin was also wearing a mask; however, I could clearly see that it was an elf under it, which confirmed that it had to be one of the nobles who had been shouting in the hall and who was against me.


    "Who gave you the order to kill me?" I asked with a frown. "Tell me right now, or you will die in the next five seconds."


    It wasn''t the first time that someone had tried to assassinate me, and I knew how to deal with them pretty well. Most of the time, they would kill themselves before they answered a question. However, I still tried my luck.


    "K-Kill me?" He smirked as I tightened my hold on his neck. "Y-You should be worried about your friend, kekeke¡­she''s probably already dead at this point."


    A sh of panic appeared in my eyes as Ipletely disappeared from in front of the assassin.


    Phoebe¡­I hadpletely forgotten about her.


    I moved as fast as I could within the castle. Her room was close to mine, but it would still take me a few seconds to reach her. I activated [Bloodlust] to increase my physical abilities, and within seconds, I reached her room, which had her door opened.


    Someone had already entered.


    I arrived, and there was someone who looked just like the previous assassin over her with his dagger. He had already begun his strike.


    I would be toote if I tried to run in her direction and block off the strike.


    "PHOEBE!"


    I nced around myself as I thought of grabbing an object inside my special pouch. I grabbed it and immediately threw it toward Phoebe in the trajectory that the dagger currently had.


    I had ced as much strength as I could into my arm as I threw this object, which seemed to be a gold coin.


    "WAKE UP! THERE ARE ASSASSINS TRYING TO KILL US!"


    Right after throwing the gold coin in the trajectory of the dagger, I dashed forward. However, I would still be toote. Still, I saw Phoebe''s eyes fluttering, meaning that she waking up right now.


    "Move!" I shouted as loudly as possible.


    Then, right as the dagger was about to reach her neck, the gold coin found its way between her neck and his dagger. It dyed his strike for not even a second. But that was all I needed to reach the assassin.


    Because of this second that I had gained, I was able to sh his head off from his shoulders, killing him in one swift strike.


    I didn''t kill often, but if the situation demanded it, then I would not hesitate for a single moment.


    Phoebe opened her eyes as the head of the person I had just killed dropped right beside her, scaring her like crazy.


    "Stay here, Phoebe. I''lle back after I''m done dealing with the other one."


    With those words, I ran back toward my room. However, when I came back, I noticed that the assassin waspletely gone. However, I wouldn''t let him go that easily. I activated the same skill that I had used to find Da back then, [Tracking].


    Instantly, blue footprints appeared on the ground, and I could see them without the slightest problem. I followed them, and it led me to a different room within the castle.


    This assassin, whoever it was, still hadn''t run away. He was still within the castle.


    ''Should I observe him a little more?'' I thought in the back of my mind.


    There was a chance that he would be running to his contractor, who was a nobleman. However, as I finally reached the end of the blue footprints. It led me to an isted room in what seemed to be a secret hallway within the castle. The blue footprints led to the other side of that door. However, I haven''t opened that door yet, as I have heard a few voices on the other side of it.


    "The assassination failed, sir. The target was too powerful and managed to resist my attack instantly."


    "Tsk, I knew that if someone was trying to look for Zero, then he was bound to be powerful. Did you manage to gauge how strong he was?"


    I tried to recognize where the voices came from. However, it was quite hard. I was still convinced that it came from the nobles. It just had to. There was also the fact that they knew of Zero. I had not once uttered his name during my capture or when I talked with the Queen, which meant that they knew of him.


    Something extremely weird was happening here, and I couldn''t tell what it was just yet. However, one thing was certain: some of the Ice Elves were allies of Zero, and there was a big chance that someone had already told him that someone was looking for him. If he were to learn that it was me, he would either way for me to kill me once and for all, or he would flee before I could catch him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I needed to act fast, really fast, before he had the chance to flee. I had a good idea that the entrance to his subspace was near the Icy Lake, or it could even be inside it.


    Still, the fact that an assassination had beenunched on both myself and Phoebe could only mean that they were extremely wary of all our movements. We needed to be careful, or else we would find ourselves in quite the trouble.


    If even the Ice Elves were out to kill us, then we couldn''t trust anyone.


    ''I should go and talk to the queen in person.''


    She had been the only one who didn''t show any signs of being in leagues with Zero. She was also bound to know a bit more about the situation than she made it seem. She was the queen of this territory, and there was no way she ignored everything behind the scenes.


    Still, before talking with the Queen, I still had to get rid of that assassin and that noble who was talking behind that door.

 Chapter 122 - Having Some Fun

    I decided to have some fun with those two, so I knocked on the door, very, very slowly, as if I was in some kind of horror movie.


    -Knock!


    -Knock!


    -Knock!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I made sure to make each knock at a one-second interval. And as soon as I knocked on the door, everything became silent inside. I could barely hear small murmurs. They had clearly been unaware of my presence. However, as I closed my eyes, I felt their auras getting closer to the door, albeit slowly.


    "Hey, you two. Can I enter?" I asked out loud. I didn''t care if anyone even heard me. They were the ones who would get punished without a doubt.


    It wasn''t surprising, but there was no answer.


    Instead of waiting around, I simply kicked the door with all the strength I could muster, causing the door to break and beunched against the wall on the other side of the room.


    Luckily for my enemies, they had been standing on both sides of the door, so they didn''t get knocked out from receiving the door on their faces. However, when the two of them saw me, they looked absolutely terrified.


    "Did you let him follow you?!" the noble asked with a clear frown.


    I didn''t remember seeing him when I was getting my judgment by the queen, but he was definitely a noble. They all looked pretty much the same.


    Clothes that looked expensive, long hair, blue eyes, and their bodies were undeveloped because they never fought.


    All the nobles that I had observed in the hall had been this exact way. So there was no doubt in my mind that he was also part of them, which confirmed my theory. Some nobles were definitely out to get me before I reached the Icy Lake.


    After looking at the noble, I nced at the assassin. He looked absolutely terrified of me, most likely because of what had just happened back in my room when he tried to kill me.


    In fact, the assassin didn''t even move a single muscle as I stared him down.


    "Well, thanks for leading me to your owner. Your friend is also dead," I said with a bright smile as I saw his expression gradually be worse and worse as time passed by. "Now that I know who he is, I don''t have a use for you. So, goodbye!"


    I smiled as if I was a demon and killed the assassin in one swift movement. His head rolled on the ground; however, I did not even nce in its direction as I instantly looked in the direction of the noble Ice Elf, who was at a loss for what to do against me.


    "Y-You can''t do this! Y-You can''t do this to me, do you know who I am?" he stuttered with every word he said. "I-If you kill me, then the queen won''t forgive you, and you''ll die a dog''s death!"


    He kept shouting over and over again, trying to convince me that killing him was a grave mistake. However, I just smiled. I had no ns to kill him just yet. Yes, he was bound to die, but I needed to know more about the situation in this Kingdom and the degree to which they were allied with Zero.


    I ced my right hand on the elf''s shoulder with a gentle smile. "Don''t worry, I won''t kill you just yet. Answer all my questions like the good little dog you are, and I will let you go."


    I could feel myself gradually going back to the way I once was when I had been training under my master. However, this was a situation that required it. I needed to scare this man shitless. Otherwise, he wouldn''t tell me anything.


    I could see him shake as I held onto him. He tried to look to my left, to my right. However, it only helped him realize that there was no one who woulde to save him, especially in the middle of the night like this. After all, the rest of the castle was already in a state of panic because of the assassinations and the noise I had made. But they wouldn''te here; this ce was extremely well hidden from the rest of the castle, after all.


    "So, why did you hire someone to assassinate me? Is it because of the person I''m trying to kill in the Icy Lake?"


    He shook his head. "S-Someone much more powerful than me gave me this order¡­ I had no choice but to listen to it."


    ''Someone much more powerful? The queen? Did I make a mistake when assessing her?'' I thought with a slight frown, as I was almost sure that the queen had been the only one on my side during my audience.


    "Who? Tell me who, and I might let you leave."


    "I-It''s one of the Royal Advisers¡­ h-he''s the one who ordered me to have both of you killed."


    I nodded. It made sense. It had to be someone who was close to the queen who could pull off something like this. There was no doubt about it. The Royal Adviser was definitely one of the top choices for something like this.


    "Do you know why he asked something like this from you?"


    The noble shook his head. "I-I have no idea!"


    I activated my skill to see whether this man was currently lying, and it seemed that he was lying to me. After all, he had mentioned the name of Zero; this noble knew more about this situation than he let on.


    "Tell me what you know about Zero. Don''t skip a single detail, or I will kill you without wasting another word. I don''t like being lied to."


    The noble trembled as I tightly held his shoulder.


    "I-I only know that he''s someone extremely powerful that no one here should mess with. I also know that we need to keep his existence a secret from the queen and not say a word about what he''s doing in the Icy Lake. T-That''s all, I swear that''s all I know."


    I activated my skill, and this man wasn''t lying. That was actually all he knew about Zero.


    ''Hm, that adviser is smart, going through a middleman to execute the assassination.''


    "Do you know what Zero is doing in the Icy Lake?"


    "No idea! I swear¡­ please, I only epted to do this because I was promised a ton of money. I swear!"


    I smiled as I slowly caressed his face, which was now filled with tears.


    "I know you''re telling the truth. I guess I''ll give you a painless death because you told me the truth."


    A look of horror appeared on his face as I cut off his head, just like I had done with the assassin.

 Chapter 123 - Caught

    After killing those two without the slightest care in the world, I went to see the queen. I knew that Phoebe was probably panicking right now. However, I needed to have a talk with the queen about what I had just learned.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    There was little to no chance that she would trust my words. However, I could only hope that she would.


    As I left this hidden space and headed back toward the main hall where I had first entered the Ice Castle. I noticed that there was a lot of movement happening right now. There were dozens of people everywhere around me, running around like madds, trying to find the assassins.


    "Everyone, he''s here! Capture him!" One of those running around suddenly shouted as every single ice elf turned in my direction with clear frowns. "Arrest him, and if he resists, we have orders to kill him right away from the Royal Adviser!"


    ''Ah¡­I should have thought about that.''


    After all, I had killed an ice elf in Phoebe''s room. Even if it was an assassin, it was still grounds to get me arrested. I had to admit that the adviser''sadviser''s n was not bad. He definitely wasn''t stupid. He was actually quite smart. He must have known beforehand that the assassinations wouldn''t work. However, since I killed the assassin, he has grounds to have me thrown into the dungeons.


    And it will only get worse once they find the body of that noble back there.


    I could only shake my head because of my own stupidity. That adviseradviser also surely knew about my movements. In fact, he might have been looking at me from far away,ughing as I moved just like he had nned from the very beginning.


    I raised my hand in the air when I saw all the elves approaching me. There was no point in fighting against them; it would only make my case a lot worse.


    Still, I couldn''t help but be extremely frustrated right now. The more time wasted here, the more time it has Zero to disappear. In fact, if he wanted to, he would probably already be gone by the time I reached thatke¡­


    "I demand to talk with the queen," I said as they tied me up.


    However, they were just simple soldiers. They were not nobles. They did not understand me. They simply looked at me as if I was some kind of beast that needed to be tamed as fast as possible.


    ''Let''s just hope that she realizes something is wrong with this ce. Otherwise, I will have to go meet her by force.''


    ***


    A few minutester, after going down long stories of stairs, we finally arrived in the dungeons, where Phoebe was already waiting for me there.


    "Caedrel? W-What happened? Why are we getting arrested when we only protected ourselves?"


    I didn''t even say a word as they threw me inside the cell right next to her.


    I just stayed there in silence as I stared toward the stairs, hoping that the queen would appear from there in a few minutes, or in the worst case scenario, hours.


    Phoebe kept trying to get answers out of me. However, I knew that it wasn''t a good idea to tell her about what I learned back there. It would only confuse her. Even if I didn''t want to, it was better to keep her in the dark about all this.


    One hour passed by, and there was still no one.


    Not a single visitor.


    Two hours passed by, and it was the same thing.


    There was no one. There was no noise; both I and Phoebe were left to ourselves¡­


    Three hours passed by, and still nothing.


    Four hours¡­


    Five hours¡­


    Then, when I thought that I would have to meet the queen by my own means. I started hearing a series of footstepsing from the stairs before me.


    I didn''t know who it was, but I could only pray that it would be the queen. She was honestly the only person I could trust in this whole ce, and the worst part about all this was that she didn''t know about it. She didn''t know that her adviseradviser was her biggest traitor.


    The footsteps were getting closer as they echoed through the halls.


    Then, I finally saw who it was who hade to see me.


    It was the queen. It seemed she had understood that something weird was happening. However, from the look on her voice, there was definitely something wrong.


    Her hair was all messy, and she was still wearing a nightgown as if she had just escaped from her room without anyone noticing it.


    "Human, tell me what happened. Why did you kill those three elves? What did they do?" She asked in a whisper, her eyes demanding the answer as fast as possible.


    I didn''t know why she was in such a rush, but I answered her. "They are helping the man that I am after. They tried to kill me before I met with him. The noble told me that the person helping them is the Royal Adviser."


    The queen frowned at those words. "My adviseradviser? Are you sure about what you are saying?"


    "Yes. It is true. I''m sure of it."


    The queen didn''t say anything else, and we just exchanged a few nces. She stayed silent as Phoebe just looked at the two of us with pure confusion written all over her face.


    "What should we do?" The queen suddenly asked me. She seemed lost in thoughts, with absolutely no ideas.


    The person she trusted the most was the one betraying her. However, I found one thing quite weird about all this. The fact that she didn''t even question if I was telling the truth made it seem as if she already knew of his actions a long time ago. I had just given her the confirmation of her assumptions.


    "Let me and Phoebe out of this ce. I''ll deal with this situation myself."

 Chapter 124 - Changing My Appearance

    It took a few minutes, and the Queen looked extremely nervous as she kept ncing behind her every second or so, trying to see if someone wasing down.


    "Are you scared of your Royal Adviser?" I suddenly asked when I observed her behavior.


    She shook her head. "I''m not scared of him, but of his connections. He has more than me, and I''m the Queen. He''s a dangerous man, and you should be very careful around him without a doubt."


    I nodded inly.


    I didn''t think that I would have much trouble getting rid of the traitors inside the Ice Castle.


    "Are you fine with me killing the traitors?"


    That would be the quickest way to resolve everything, and I did not want to waste time here. I said a lot, but the more time I spent in this castle, the more time it gave Zero to escape my grasp.


    The Ice Elf Queen pondered before answering, "No, please capture them if possible. If you can''t, then kill them."


    Then, after a few more seconds of struggle, she managed to open the doors to mine and Phoebe''s prison cell.


    "Can I ask a question before I go and solve this situation for you?"


    She nodded. "Sure, go ahead."


    "Do you know who I am? And do you know of a man named Zero?"


    The beautiful Elf Queen frowned at that moment; she hadn''t been expecting such a question. She couldn''t figure out why I would ask such a thing now of all times.


    "I heard of you once you entered our territory. As for that man, Zero, it''s moreplicated. However, I do not have the time to get into the details. Just know that I wish for him to be gone from this world just as much as you do."


    "Alright, I''ll be back then."


    Phoebe saw that I was once again trying to go and fight by myself, and she shook her head at the sight.


    "I can help!"


    "Your father will be very mad at me if something were to happen to you. Sorry."


    With those words, I turned around, activated [Bloodlust], and ran up the stairs as fast as I could. I had no idea what the situation upstairs was, but I hoped that things had calmed down, as this would make my job of infiltrating the ranks much easier.


    After all, I didn''t think that rushing in blindly was the right decision this time. I wanted to observe the situation for a short moment before going in.


    As I finally reached the top of the spiral staircase that led to the underground of the Ice Castle, I noticed that there was an uproar of angry nobles shouting at the Royal Adviser.


    "Why did you let strangers into the Ice Castle? They even killed one of us! We demand to see the Queen right now!" one of the nobles shouted loudly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "That''s right, we want to see the Queen!" another one chimed in, clearly speaking up with hidden intentions.


    I couldn''t figure out if this was all a part of the Royal Adviser''s n yet, and if those people were part of his scheme and were his allies. However, the performance they were putting on was definitely interesting and quite convincing, all things considered.


    ''Is he trying to overthrow the Queen? Is that why she came to get us?'' I pondered as I looked at the scene, hidden behind a wall not too far away from them.


    If that was their n, then I had to admit that it wasn''t a bad one whatsoever. It was actually kind of genius. After all, when I first arrived at the castle, she was the only one supporting us, and since people had died because of us, it was easy to put all the me onto us and turn against the Queen.


    "The Queen does not want to meet with any of you right now. She wants things to calm down before making an appearance," the Royal Adviser muttered with a hidden smirk.


    "Who cares what she wants?! One of us just got murdered by those she weed into our territory!"


    "Tell her that if she doesn''t appear before us, we will form an alliance against her."


    Many people wouldn''t have been able to catch the subtle change of expression on the Royal Adviser''s face. But I had definitely seen him smirk like a little snake. This was definitely part of his n, and once he went to the Queen''s chambers and noticed that she was gone, things were bound to go badly. After all, the Queen was the most important piece to his n, and the fact that she had escaped to help us had been thest thing he expected to happen.


    "Alright. I will go and bring the Queen here," the Royal Adviser finally said with an innocent smile as he turned around.


    Right as he did so, I knew that I had to move as fast as possible and get to the Queen''s chambers before he did. I moved as fast as I could, believing that I would make it before him.


    I used the fairy''s powers on myself and changed my appearance, making it easier to navigate inside the castle. And sure enough, I found the Queen''s chambers, and I had to admit that they were much nicer than mine.


    However, that wasn''t the reason I was here.


    I had a choice to make. Either I attacked the Royal Adviser and forced him to do what I said, or I could trick him just like he had tricked the Queen. After all, if everything went ording to his ns, then the chances of Zero leaving were bound to reduce significantly.


    That''s why, with those thoughts, I used the fairies'' powers once more and changed my appearance to that of the Ice Elf Queen. I sat on the chair made of ice in the corner of her room and acted like I was her.


    Then, a few moments passed by, and the Royal Adviser entered the room.

 Chapter 125 - Disguise

    "Amelia," the Royal Adviser said, thinking that I was the queen. "They are quite angry. I think you shoulde out and calm all of them down. After all, it is somewhat your fault that a noble was killed."


    I wanted to turn around and shout at him that it wasn''t my fault that the noble had hired assassins to kill us. But I kept my calm as I turned and shook my head.


    "Y-You also think that it''s my fault?" I asked, my voice trembling.


    To be honest, what I was currently doing was a difficult task since I ignored how the queen acted in private. However, I imagined her to be somewhat naive and innocent while in private. Only showing this great and cold side to her when she appeared in public.


    It was a gamble that I was taking, and I could only hope that I was right.


    "No, I don''t think it''s your fault," the Royal Adviser uttered as he got closer to me and started caressing my shoulders. "Don''t worry, everything will be fine. Just go out there and tell them that we have already caught the strangers and are nning on killing them right away. Announce a public execution. It will calm them down."


    ''Oh, so that was your n, huh?'' I smirked. ''Well, it''s definitely not a bad one. It would get rid of the threats for Zero without him having to even lift a finger.''


    "Are you sure that it will work?" I asked as I turned toward him, looking at him straight in the eyes.


    "Yes, if you punish the criminals. Most of them will stopining. They want blood, I''m sure you can understand, right?"


    I nodded. "But what about this dangerous man that the stranger with red hair was talking about? Any news about him?"


    "I sent men to look at the Icy Lake, but there was absolutely no one there. It seems that he also lied to you on top of killing a noble Ice Elf."


    "Are you sure?" I asked with a slight frown. "I believe he was telling the truth¡­he seemed sincere. He didn''t even ask to go inside the Icy Lake. He only wanted us to guide him there. It wouldn''t make sense for him to go there for no reason."


    The Royal Adviser continued to shake his head, making me seem like I was the viin of this whole thing. "He was trying to trick you again. He would have probably killed at the Ice Elves guiding him and went inside the Icy Lake. You saw how cruel he was to us, right? He killed three Ice Elves without even feeling the slightest resentment."


    ''That''s because two of them were assassins, and thest one was literately the worst of the worst. A noble who you asked to kill me.''


    Honestly, that Royal Adviser was truly cruel. He could lie so easily without any signs of it. He had probably done schemes like this ever since he had received this position without the queen ever figuring it out. I could understand better why she had been so shocked when she had heard that he was the one behind all of this.


    "I understand. I will go and tell them just that," I said in a cold tone, standing up and leaving the chambers of the queen.


    The adviser followed right behind me. I could not see his face, but I could only guess that he was grinning, clearly happy that his n was working just like he had nned.


    However, he would be quite surprised once he reached the stage. I wouldn''t be saying anything that he had told me to. After all, I didn''t want people to go downstairs and find the real queen. My cover would be blown right away.


    Within a few minutes, we reached the main hall, where there were still a lot of shouts and arguments. I could hear some elves on my side, which weren''t corrupted by greed. However, they were much inferior to those on the adviser''s side.


    "Silence, the queen ising. We''ll see what she has to say to defend herself," one of the corrupted elves said with a smirk.


    After all, they were confident that things would go just like the Royal Adviser had said since that was always the case. He could manipte the queen as if she was only a pawn, and everyone knew that very well.


    Nevertheless, I was not the real queen.


    As I walked before everyone, I kept my head down, not looking up as if acting extremely sorry for what had just happened.


    "As you all know, three ice elves were killed tonight in this very castle, and one of them was also a noble. They were killed by the humans I weed yesterday against everyone''s protests. I believed in them, and it is my mistake."


    Suddenly, right after uttering those words, I raised my head and smirked.


    "However, was it really a mistake? Most of you probably don''t know, but the reason why those ice elves were killed is because two of them were hired assassins whowho were asked to kill the two humans, and that noble, if he can even be considered, was the one who had hired them. If anyone deserved death, it was them. Nevertheless, the humans will stay in the prison for a little time longer as I continue to investigate this whole situation myself."


    I smiled at everyone as all the corrupted nobles were looking in my direction with confused nces. However, they were not looking at me; they were looking toward the Royal Adviser, who was obviously panicking right now.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    He got closer to me and whispered, "Amelia, what are you talking about? You need to dere a public execution for those humans. Otherwise, they will all continue to be mad at you."


    I justughed straight in his face.


    "If anything, we should thank that man for getting rid of that corrupted noble. He had no ce in the Ice Castle with the rest of us, isn''t that right?" I asked everyone in the crowd.


    Only those who were corrupted answered with a "Yes!" The rest of them were silent as stones, not moving a single muscle, and they were very scared of what the queen, or rather, what I was nning.

 Chapter 126 - Reveal

    The Royal Adviser was standing right beside me, and I could see when I side-eyed him that he was on the verge of breaking the character that he had yed perfectly for many years.


    I could see the expression on his face slowly twisting with every word I uttered. However, he couldn''t say anything because he knew that I was right about this whole thing; he knew that those people were assassins, and he knew that the noble had hired them.


    He got closer to me once again and whispered, "If this continues, they might try to overtake you from the throne. You need to listen to what I told you back there."


    It seemed like he was trying to threaten me or scare me for some reason. After all, his n was going off the rails; he had nned to kill both Phoebe and me this way. However, it hadpletely crumbled because of what I had just said, basically thanking the criminals.


    "How do you know that he hired those assassins?! And how do you know that they were even assassins in the first ce!"


    I smirked. "Because I saw it all happen before my eyes."


    I lied. That was the best way to answer this question.


    "Anyway, I have decided that our saviors have the right to go to the Icy Lake as soon as tomorrow morning. They will be free starting from tomorrow morning. If anyone tries to do anything to them, regardless of their positions, they will be killed."


    As I said those words, especially the ones regarding the position of someone, I stared into the eyes of the adviser, who was also looking right back into mine.


    We just stared at each other inplete silence.


    Then, after a few moments, I decided to speak up.


    "However, I don''t believe that any of you are like that traitor. So, there shouldn''t be any problems. Also, I will personally escort the humans to the Icy Lake. I don''t want anyone elseing with us. Did I make that clear?"


    Everyone nodded quietly, not able to say anything.


    "Actually, I think I will leave right away with both of them."


    Still, before leaving, I turned around. I looked over toward the adviser as I needed to make sure that nothing would happen while I was gone. I didn''t want to warn Zero, after all.


    I pointed over to him. "Before I leave, I want to talk with you since I could be gone for a few days. I don''t want this situation to get overblown."


    The Royal Adviser nodded as he frowned. It seemed to notice that something was off. However, he could not tell what it was since I looked exactly like the Ice Elf Queen, and he also couldn''t act rashly.


    He bowed and nodded. "Of course, let''s go."


    I walked off from the throne and went back to my chambers with the Royal Adviser.


    As soon as I entered it, I heard the door smashing against the wall.


    "What the hell was that!" He shouted as he hit the wall as hard as he could. "Why didn''t you listen to what I said?"


    I just smiled at that reaction. "Did you really think that I wouldn''t see through your intentions? That noble told on you the moment that I threatened him a little."


    His eyes widened. "Y-You were the one who killed that noble? It wasn''t the human?"


    "You really are stupid. But yes, it was me who killed that noble. He told me all about those schemes that you made over the years. Also, did you honestly think that I was the real queen?"


    I smirked as I deactivated the power from the fairy, my appearance going back to my previous one as I could see the shock on his face.


    "Y-You! Y-You''re that human!" He shouted as he moved backward, unable to understand how any of this was even possible in the first ce. After all, he could have never guessed that I had disguised myself as the queen. "Where did you hide the queen?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I shook my head. "Now, why would I tell you that. Still, I''m curious. Does Zero know that I have arrived here? Does he know that I''m after him?"


    The Royal Adviser gulped as he knew that he couldn''t beat me in a fight. "He doesn''t. I didn''t tell him yet!"


    However, it was a lie. I didn''t even need to use my skills to know. It was just written all over his face. He was scared of dying, so he was telling me everything that I wanted to hear.


    ssic.


    "You know, I really hate liars. However, I will let you live for the time being. I''ll decide on your punishment once I learn about everything that you did to the real Amelia." I smirked. "Let''s hope that you didn''t help the demons that much. Otherwise, death will be the least of your worries."


    With those words, I knocked him out before he could even react. I also gave him a few sleeping pills and taped his mouth, making sure that even if he woke up when I was away, no one would know.


    After doing that, I threw him in the queen''s giant closet, hidden behind a ton of clothes. No one would find him while I was gone.


    Then, I left him and changed back into the appearance of the queen. It was finally time to head to the Icy Lake. I would finally find Zero and capture him. I would finally know more about the infiltration of the demons within the kingdoms. Something that has gone unnoticed for literal years. I was about to catch one of the leaders of Perdere.


    As I walked back toward the main hall, most ice elves were still present, and they were clearly confused about what had just happened. Never in a million years had they thought that the adviser''s n would fail. After all, they never did in the past. So, why had it, now of all times?


    "While I''m gone, the Royal Adviser will be in charge of the kingdom. However, don''t go looking for him. He will be extremely busy."


    With those words, I walked down the spiral staircase where the real queen and Phoebe were patiently waiting for me.

 Chapter 130 - Changes to the Plan

    "So, did you get rid of it?" Amelia asked right away as I reached them.


    However, I didn''t answer right away. As I was still trying to think how it had gotten away from me. It had literally disappeared as if it had been teleported somewhere else that I ignored.


    "I didn''t. However, it disappeared, and I can''t feel it anywhere close to where I am at the moment."


    Amelia nodded. "Alright, that''s perfect then. Let''s go; no need to waste any more time here."


    Then, we got back to our original path. Both Phoebe and Amelia didn''t seem to find this beast disappearing weirdly. However, I surely did. There was a strong chance that it was rted to Zero, and if it had disappeared, to report him something like how someone had tried to kill him. Then, there was a chance that he knew that I was currentlying for him and that the Royal Adviser''s n had failed.


    "Let''s walk faster. I have a bad feeling about this whole thing."


    ***


    POV Zero


    It had been a few days since I had received the news from one of my spies within the Ice Elves Kingdom that an individual with red and purple hair was looking for me.


    Obviously, I knew extremely well who that person was. After all, he had left quite an impact on me at the Auction House and at many other times in my life. However, even though he ignored those times, only I knew about them.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Caedrel Stuart. The man who was just making my whole job a lot more difficult for no reason. I simply didn''t understand why he hated demons so much that he would make it his life''s mission to eradicate us from the face of the Earth. It was definitely an obsession, and it was just a pain.


    However, I trusted that the Royal Adviser would get rid of him at that moment. After all, he knew that I had a lot of things to do in the Icy Lake, which was one of the main reasons why I had ced the entry to my subspace close to it. He had also told me that he would take care of him, and the Royal Adviser had never failed before in his life.


    Still, this time, it was quite different. He wasn''t going against that stupid queen. He was going after the only human who had gotten the title of a Sage in thest century. There was a really good chance that he would fail against him. But I had already prepared a few things in case such a thing were to happen. After all, before Caedrel could even get to me, he would have to go through the traps that I set up on his way there.


    ''It would honestly be quite a miracle if you could even find your way here,'' I thought in my mind with a sly smirk.


    I closed my eyes and rxed inside the Icy Lake with this thought. However, I had no choice but to open them again once a small beast that was invisible to the naked eye appeared right before me.


    "Hm, why are you here already? Did something happen?"


    The beast didn''t say anything; I simply read its thoughts.


    "Oh, he was able to find you. Not bad. How far are they from here?"


    "A few hours¡­" I sighed. This was honestly a pain. There were still a few traps that would either kill them or injure them greatly. However, since Caedrel had managed to get rid of this beast. There was a small chance that he had gotten stronger than thest time that I saw him. If that was the case, there was a chance that I had underestimated his strength and that he would have been able to reach Icy Lake.


    I clicked my tongue, annoyed. "Tsk. I guess I''ll have to get ready for his arrival then. Are there others with him?"


    "The queen and that girl from back then?" This time, my frown entuated. "How did he even get the queen toe with him¡­and that girl, how is she still alive? Don''t tell me that he found that vige? Ugh, this is going to be a lot more difficult than I had originally nned."


    I sighed. This wasn''t part of my ns.


    The Caedrel that I knew never relied on anybody. He would always do things alone. However, here he was, asking for help from two people.


    "Just how much did you change since you entered that stupid school of yours?" I pondered with another heavy as I got myself out of the Icy Lake. It seemed that we would have to fight. After all, I couldn''t flee the Icy Lake. I had too much to lose right now. "Should I ask for one of them for help?"


    However, I shook my head. It would just be a bother if one of them showed up to help me fight against him.


    Still, something was worrying me a lot. The fact that he had found that vige. If he had been able to cure that girl¡­then he must have be a lot more powerful than in the past; I had no idea how he had done so. But it was scary. After all, Caedrel Stuart, this man, was the person who had done the most damage to demons in the war.


    He was a dangerous man that clearly needed to be dealt with. Otherwise, he would cause even more problems for us.


    "You did a good job gathering this information," I said as I patted the small ball of white fur before me.


    After all, the information that it had just gathered hadpletely changed the situation. It also made me take Caedrel a lot more seriously than I had nned to, and that was definitely a good thing.


    "Oh, well. I still have a few hours. Maybe I should have fun with one of my ves¡­" I smirked as I headed for the door to my subspace and entered it.

 Chapter 131 - An Artifact

    It had been another hour since I had tried to kill that beast that had disappeared from my clutches, having no idea where it had vanished.


    This had been progressing quite smoothly for the past few hours with little to no trouble heading my way. We were just walking, following right behind Amelia. However, I couldn''t help but think that all of this was a little bit too easy.


    If I had been Zero, I would have made sure to prepare a bunch of different traps for me, making sure that when I would arrive, I would be exhausted. However, as far as I could tell, there was absolutely nothing waiting for me for the past hour.


    It was either there was nothing, or we were walking past all those traps without even realizing it. I would like to believe that it was thetter, but I didn''t believe so.


    ''Well, maybe he''s confident enough to face me, or he already left the Icy Lake as soon as he heard that I was looking for him,'' I thought in the back of my mind with a slight frown.


    I truly hoped that it wasn''t thetter, but the answer to that would have to wait since we were still a few hours away from the Icy Lake. Amelia had told Phoebe and me that there were still around three hours left before they would arrive.


    "So, how did you meet this Zero?" I asked Amelia since she had said that she knew of him. However, the situation was tooplicated to exin right now.


    But right now, they have more than enough time to go through all this stuff without a single doubt. They had a whole three hours to talk about their past rtionship. There had to be a reason why the Royal Adviser had managed to make contact with Zero, and my guess was that it was rted to the queen.


    Amelia, who heard this question, pondered for a moment, wondering what to answer.


    After all, she knew that I was going there to kill him; she knew that our rtionship with Zero wasn''t one of love, which was probably why she was thinking so much about what to answer me.


    "Don''t worry. I don''t care if you were once helping him; you aren''t anymore, and that''s all that matters."


    While I said that, if I learned that she helped in the killing of hundreds of people, even indirectly, I would have no choice but to give her some kind of punishment. I don''t know if death would be the right punishment for her. But what I had in mind certainly wouldn''t be nice.


    Amelia rubbed her chin. "He approached me around a year ago. Asking me to allow his use of the Icy Lake. He told me that he wanted to use it for personal uses." She shook her head slightly. "Obviously, I refused at the beginning without the slightest hesitation since there was no reason for me to ept. However, he came back a few dayster with quite the proposition, which was obviously something I could not refuse at the time, so I epted."


    "What was the proposition?" I frowned. "What did he offer you?"


    "Ugh¡­it was something that would benefit me and the rest of the elves right away. That''s all I will say about this matter, sorry."


    Seeing theplicated expression on Amelia''s face, I could clearly see that she was debating whether to tell me. Obviously, I wanted to know. However, I didn''t push her.


    Instead, I asked, "Do you still have or use whatever he gave you?"


    She looked down as if ashamed of herself. "No, I stopped using it when I realized what it truly did."


    "Can you really not tell me about it?" I asked.


    After all, whatever she had gotten from Zero wasn''t something that was morally correct. I could see it on her face. She was ashamed of her actions.


    "I-I¡­"


    She stuttered as she tried to open her mouth.


    "I didn''t mean to hurt anyone. You must believe me."


    I patted the back of her shoulder, trying my best to calm her down. Phoebe was also listening to the conversation, curious as to what Zero could have offered, which was so great.


    "So, what did he give you?" I asked once more.


    "H-He made it possible for the Ice Elves to be mass-produced."


    ''Mass-produced?'' I thought, unsure what that truly meant.


    "What do you mean?"


    Amelia started crying as she stopped walking forward. She turned toward me, tears falling out of the corner of her eyes.


    "H-He made it possible for me to ''create'' ice elves out of nowhere. Soldiers that would listen to my every word¡­he gave me a device that made it possible to do such a thing."


    Create ice elves out of nowhere. If that device was still in the hands of the Royal Adviser, then this could also create quite a bit of trouble in the long run.


    "Who did you give the device to when you realized what it could do?" I asked as I hoped that she didn''t give it to the Royal Adviser. If that was the case, then he would probably have been using it ever since she had gotten "rid" of it.


    "I-I gave it to my adviser¡­"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Realizing her mistake, Amelia was at a loss for words. If her adviser had betrayed her, then there was a pretty good chance that he hadn''t stopped using it and had been creating an army.


    "And what did you have to give in exchange for creating those elves," I asked, curious because of what she had said beforehand.


    "I had to give life in exchange."


    "Life? What do you mean?" I asked with a frown as I was already imagining the worst of the worst.


    "Life as in human lives, elves lives, any life that the artifact chose."


    I frowned as some aura of mine was released from my body. "And you used that artifact knowing that?"

 Chapter 132 - Hug and Feelings

    Amelia stood there as she looked at me in the eyes, frowning. "Of course I didn''t! If I had known I would have never epted in the first ce."


    I nodded. "Why did you need that device in the first ce? I don''t get it. No one evenes close to this ce, there''s no need to have an army."


    However, with thatment, she shook her head right away. "You don''t know anything about this ce. When the war was still ongoing, both sides, demons and the rest came to us asking for us to support them in some kind of way. We needed a way to protect ourselves, otherwise, we would have been in grave danger."


    "So, you didn''t know that Zero was affiliated with the demons?"


    "Why would I even know about that? He wore a mask and he never spoke about demons a single time that he met up with me. I never even got to see his face, so no, I didn''t know about any of this."


    I could feel that Amelia was getting more frustrated as I continued to talk about this situation. After all, I was somewhat attacking her with each of my questions. However, it seemed that she was telling the truth. She was truly ignorant of this whole situation.


    There were still tears running down her cheeks as she spoke. She clearly felt guilty of having used this device in the past, and it was probably even worse now that there was a chance that the Royal Adviser had kept using that device.


    "I-I didn''t know, I swear¡­" She said as she got closer to me, her head falling against my chest.


    Again, I wasn''t sure what to do with someone crying, however, I had gotten some practice with Da and some with Ava since we had gotten closer. Phoebe was also looking at me with a frown and her hands up high as if asking me to do something about this.


    So, I wrapped my arms around her frail body, and slowly patted the back of her head.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to make you cry. I just wanted to make sure that you weren''t some demonic spy¡­"


    Phoebe just sighed when she heard that as she couldn''t believe that I had just said such a thing tofort her.


    ''Fuck, did I make a mistake?'' I thought.


    Phoebe kept making some signs over at me, trying to tell me what to say. However, I just couldn''t tell what it was. So, I improvised, which wasn''t the greatest idea that I had gotten.


    "Because you know if you had been helping the demons out of your own will, then I would have had to kill you, that''s all."


    Phoebe''s eyes widened even more than previously. She was losing her mind as she heard me speak. However, my words seemed to have some effect as I could hear Amelia giggling softly in my arms.


    She looked up to me as if she was still in my arms with a weak smile as she punched my chest slightly. "You really are bad, you know?"


    "You think? I thought that I was doing a pretty good jobforting you," I said with a bright smile.


    She justughed even harder when she heard that sentence. "Well, I guess it worked. I''m smiling now, so there''s that. Let''s just say you have your own ways with most things, andforting people isn''t your strongest suit."


    Quickly after that, she moved away from me as she was still blushing quite a lot. Her skin was also extremely pale since the sun didn''t quite reach this ce, so it showed even more on her porcin-like skin.


    ***


    POV Amelia


    I just got so close to a man for the first time in my life¡­I don''t know what I even thought at the time, going into his arms like some kind of easy girl that does that often. I should have controlled myself, but I just couldn''t help myself.


    I just felt so much warmth in his arms as if nothing could happen to me. It was the first time in my life that I felt something like this and I wanted to feel it again. But it wasn''t like I could go and hug again.


    Nevertheless, after that weird interaction, she continued to walk forward toward the Icy Lake, and every few minutes, me and Caedrel would exchange some weird nces toward each other. We would never speak when we would have them. We would just look into each other''s eyes every few minutes.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    It was awkward, but I liked it. In fact, I kept ncing in his direction more and more over the past hour. Sometimes he wouldn''t look over in my direction and I would just stare at him, walking around, talking with Phoebe. I just liked looking at him¡­is that weird?


    Actually, I don''t know. I never felt anything like this with any other man in the past. This was my first time that I had the resemnce of a rtionship with a man. Maybe it was just one-sided, I had no idea. After all, the only time we had gotten close to each other was when I had started crying¡­maybe I should try crying again? Maybe we would hug again?


    Night quickly came and we stopped and made a small fire with some of the gear that Caedrel had in his bag. He also had chairs in the small pouch around his waist for some reason.


    Anyways, we were all sat around a small fire as we just spoke with one another about pretty anything, and then Phoebe decided to go to sleep. Leaving both me and Caedrel in quite the awkward situation as we didn''t say a single word, we were just looking at one another.


    Still, after a few moments, pondering on how to start this conversation. I grabbed my courage with both hands and said, "Uh¡­Caedrel, can I ask you a question?"


    "Sure, what''s up?"


    "Do you have a girlfriend?"

 Chapter 133 - Campfire

    ''Do I have a girlfriend?'' I thought about it when Amelia asked me this question.


    Honestly, I was a bit surprised by the question as I had no idea why she would even ask such a thing. However, it wasn''t like I could easily answer this question. After all, there was this whole thing with Ava¡­though I had no idea if we were a thing or not. All I knew was that I was interested in her for the moment.


    "Ugh¡­it''splicated. I don''t think I am, but maybe in the future when I get back to the Royal Academy."


    Amelia seemed disappointed for a short moment before getting a smile back on her face.


    "Oh, I see. Good for you, then."


    I frowned, confused by how she was currently acting. "Why are you asking?"


    She blushed instantly. "Ah, I was just wondering. That''s all, no worries."


    I was still confused as to why she would ask such a thing out of nowhere, but I just nodded, epting her answer.


    "So, uh, do you really think you''ll be able to beat him?" Amelia asked again. "When I met, I truly felt like there was no way for me to win, and¡­not that I want to be mean, but when I look at you, I don''t get that feeling."


    "Oh, that''s because I don''t want you to feel it." I smiled. "We''re friends, aren''t we? Why would I try to scare you guys for no logical reason?"


    Then, as if to prove my point, I released a bit of my power, and instantly, the look on Amelia''s facepletely changed. It was as if she realized that I was just as dangerous as Zero, maybe even more dangerous.


    "I-I see¡­thank you," she replied, stuttering. "I didn''t know that you were restricting your strength for us. So, thank you for that."


    "Ah, it''s nothing much, don''t worry about it."


    Then, once again, there was only silence between the two of us.


    "Are you nning on sleeping? It''s gettingte."


    I shook my head. I needed to stay awake as there was a small chance that a monster or someone would try to kill them in their sleep. After all, the closer they were getting to the Icy Lake, the more he would need to be wary of Zero and his actions.


    In fact, for all I knew, he could be watching right at this very moment, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


    "No, but you can sleep. I''ll keep watch tonight. Who knows what might happen?"


    Amelia frowned. "But you haven''t slept since we left the Ice Elves Kingdom. You need to be in shape for when you fight against Zero."


    While she said that, I just shrugged. I had gotten through much worse in my life, without a doubt. This much was nothing, and I could not endure such things without even realizing it.


    After all, I had gone a week without sleeping in the past while I was in the war. Maybe even more than that at times, this much was honestly nothing.


    "Don''t worry about me. I''m totally fine," I replied with a smile.


    "Sure you are¡­" Amelia muttered under her breath as she turned around and went toward her bed to sleep.


    Then, within a few minutes, she was sound asleep, leaving me all alone to watch over the camp.


    I just sat around the campfire with nothing much in mind. I looked around and spread my [Mana Sense], but there wasn''t anything close to us at all. We were all alone, resting. After all, today would be the big day, the day when I would finally meet with Zero after all this time.


    ''Ugh¡­who would have thought that it would have taken so much time to even reach him?'' I shook my head just thinking about it.


    However, at the same time, I was actually really lucky to have spent time with the ancient tribe since it made it possible to meet Phoebe, Zale, and even Zoe, who helped me a lot while I stayed there.


    Phoebe gave me crucial information about the Snowy Mountains.


    Zale made it possible for me to fight against my past once more, and he made it possible for me to increase the amount of aether in my body.


    Zoe pushed me to my absolute limits for the first time in quite some time.


    All three of them had helped me in ways that I could have never even guessed when I had first left the academy. And honestly, thinking back on it, I realized that I was way too rushed in my decision. After all, if my students were with me right now in the Snowy Mountains, things would have been much moreplicated.


    This wasn''t an environment that many could handle in their life, and many of them would have either gotten heavily injured or they would have slowed me down tremendously.


    So, I was happy to have found the ancient tribe since they were able to keep them safe for the time being, which was much better than having them with me for when I would face Zero. After all, he would have been able to use them to distract and win against me.


    This fight would be most likely the hardest that I have ever gotten with in my life, and I needed to have my entire focus on Zero. I can''t have students distracting me while I fight against him.


    Then, as I was thinking of all these things, I heard a shallow noise on my right. There was something there, something that even I couldn''t detect with my [Mana Sense] active.


    "Who''s there!" I shouted as I grabbed hold of my sword.


    Phoebe and Amelia didn''t wake up even as I shouted because of how exhausted both of them were. However, when I stood up and walked over, the series of footsteps getting closer to me¡­I simply couldn''t believe my eyes when I saw the person who was standing there.


    It was Hank, Art''s father.


    I had no idea how he had found his way here or even why he did so, but I just couldn''t believe it.


    "H-Hank? Is that really you?" I asked as I recognized him in an instant.


    After all, he was quite easy to distinguish just by the way he walked, his feet dragging against the snow because he was toozy to even raise.


    "Tsk, why are you shouting? It''s already enough of a pain to be here¡­" Hank muttered in a voice that I simply couldn''t forget.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 134 - Hank, My Lazy Old Friend [Part One]

    I just couldn''t believe it. The man before me was Art''s father. He was here when I hadn''t even contacted him yet. That made no sense since thiszy man would never move if he wasn''t ordered to do so.


    There just had to be something going on.


    However, as much as I was confused, I was extremely happy to see him. If he was there with me, then there was no chance that I would lose against Zero, literally zero chance.


    Hank wasn''t as powerful as me, but I wouldn''t be able to kill him on my own. He could stand his ground against me and flee if he truly wanted to. He was a really good asset in the fight against Zero.


    "Why are you even here, youzy bum?" I said with a bright smile.


    It had been at least three years since I hadst seen him. He had stopped fighting in the war because he had found it boring. At least, that''s what he had told me back then.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Hm, that son of mine talked about you¡­he told me you were trying to go the Snowy Mountains to get rid of someone."


    "That''s the reason you came?" I asked, pure confusion written all over my face. The person I knew from back then would have never moved like so for no reason. However, the fact that he was here wasn''t even the most confusing. It was how the hell did Hank even find me in the first ce.


    The Snowy Mountains were basically one big maze; it wasn''t easy to find your way inside it. I had even experienced it firsthand.


    "Wait, don''t answer that. How did you even find me?"


    He shrugged as hezily walked over to one of the empty chairs around the campfire. "Uh¡­I just walked around, figured I''d find you at one point if I did that."


    I facepalmed myself. He really hadn''t changed. Every time he spoke, he seemed like such an idiot, but he was one of the sharpest and strongest people I knew. However, it was rare that he would show that side of himself to others. Even though I hadn''t seen it often, the only times he would get serious was when someone truly angered him.


    "So, what''s the real reason that you''re here?" I asked. "Maybe your son told you about me. But I know you. That''s not the real reason why you woulde all the way here. There has to be more to this whole thing."


    I smirked. "So, who was it that truly convinced you toe all the way here, away from your cozy little life."


    Hank sighed. "The Emperor, he''s the one who convinced me toe all the way here."


    Did the Emperor manage to make Hanke out of his rat hole? I frowned. That made little to no sense to me. The Emperor was powerful and influential, but Hank wasn''t someone he could control. He was too much of an unhinged person to be controlled.


    "What did he offer you?"


    Hank sighed. "Don''t worry about it, anyways, I''m here, and I''m ready to help you in that fight against Zero. If you''re here, it must be quite important and dangerous. So, who''s that guy that you''re trying to capture?"


    "The Emperor didn''t tell you?"


    "He probably did, but I just stopped listening halfway through his exnation. It was boring. However, he did show me a video of you fighting against someone. It was definitely interesting. I didn''t know that there were so many powerful beings hiding in the shadows."


    I nodded at those words. However, I didn''t exin the whole thing to the ancient tribe as it didn''t make sense to do so. After all, it was their secret to reveal, and I wouldn''t go around spreading it around their ce.


    "Right, well. Zero is someone who is linked with the demons, probably one of the most high-ranked demons in their organization, and I want to either capture or kill him if necessary. That''s the reason that I''m here."


    "You''re still obsessed with them, huh? Oh well, I can''t say that I''m very surprised about it." Hank couldn''t help but shake his head. "What about those two? Where did you meet them? Who even are they? As far as I recall, you didn''t like traveling with people. Did something change at that time?"


    I pondered before answering, "She''s the queen of the Ice Elves, and this one is someone I met in the Snowy Mountains; she knew quite a bit about the ce, so I took her with me. And, yes. Many things changed since thest time we met. After all, I''m even teaching your son. I didn''t even know you had one in the first ce. It was quite a surprise when I discovered his identity. He definitely resembles you."


    "That cker resembles me? Hmpf, don''t make meugh. He''s even morezy than I am!" Hank said that for the first time since he arrived, he put some strength in his voice.


    It seemed that his son was a touchy subject with him.


    Still, I found it quite funny for him to say that his son waszier than him.


    "Right¡­I''m sure that''s the case. Anyways, who''s the mother of your son? And howe you never talked about him to me?"


    "The subject never came up, and I wasn''t bothered enough to tell you about it. As for the mother of the child, well¡­you don''t know her. She died a long time ago."


    I nodded slowly, surprised to hear such a thing.


    Why was it that everyone I met with children had their partner die?


    Olivia, now Hank.


    Maybe it was a sign for me to stay alone forever¡­


    Then, we continued talking for a few more moments. But it seemed we talked a bit too loudly as Amelia and Phoebe woke up at the same time, shocked to see that I was talking with someone they had never seen before in their life.

 Chapter 135 - Hank, My Lazy Old Friend [Part Two]

    "Uh¡­Caedrel, who is this?" They both asked practically at the same time, looking over at me with eyes filled with pure confusion.


    The two of them slowly got up as they got closer to the both of us while ring only toward Hank, who was sat with his sword in between his legs with his headid back against the chair. He looked as if there wasn''t an ounce of strength in his body at the moment.


    And more importantly, Hank''s overall appearance did not help at all when making a good first impression. His hair was all disheveled, his beard was all grown out without any proper care, and the dark circles under his eyes certainly did not help. His overall body was also nothing impressive at all. He practically had no visible muscles that could be seen with the naked eye.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Nevertheless, it was easy to guess that their first impression of Hank certainly wasn''t the best.


    "Hank, an old friend of mine. He was sent to help me deal with Zero from the looks of it."


    Hank just did a little wave toward the two of them before turning back in my direction.


    "It''s nice to meet you, sir. How did you meet with Caedrel?" Amelia asked with a bright smile, standing near him.


    He released a sigh. "Umm, it''splicated. I don''t really want to get into the details of it, you should ask him instead. He probably wouldn''t mind answering." Hank pointed at me as he uttered those words.


    Both girls turned and looked over at me, as if expecting an answer.


    However, I wasn''t really in the mood to talk about this story since the way the two of us had met was unusual, to say the least.


    That''s why I quickly changed the subject by saying, "Maybe another time. Still, I''ll tell you a little bit more about him since he will being with us to the Icy Lake."


    ***


    One hour passed, and I told them pretty much everything necessary about Hank. I told them that he was very powerful, that we met in the war as soldiers, things of that sort that were basic knowledge.


    Nevertheless, it was time to move again. The night had passed. The two of them had rested enough to continue walking toward the Icy Lake, which meant that we were getting closer and closer to Zero, the reason for all this mess. I was just hoping that he hadn''t escaped when I would get there. Otherwise, I would be back to square one,pletely lost without the slightest idea of where he had run off.


    Things were going quite well. Amelia was still throwing me some nces as she walked, and every time I would look in her direction, she would just look away straight away with a blush, whatever that meant.


    I didn''t know if I had done something wrong, which was causing this reaction, but it was definitely strange from her.


    Hank was the same as always, eitherining that we were walking so much or keeping his mouth shut, releasing a sigh every few moments.


    "How far away from the Icy Lake are we?" I asked again.


    "Two hours, I''d say. We''re getting quite close."


    "Why did you make your underground city so far from it? Isn''t it a sacred ce for all of you? It would have made more sense to ce your kingdom right beside it, no?"


    Amelia just shrugged. "That''s how it has always been. It was never that much of a bother for most elves, too."


    I just nodded as there was no point to argue.


    Ever since we had met that strange beast that changed the weather, I had been activating [Mana Sense] every five minutes or so, to see if there was something like it in our path. However, ever since then, there had not been a single beast close to us.


    I did not know if it was because of the path we were taking, which had been carefully chosen by Amelia, or if such a thing was influenced by an outside power.


    "Are monsters notmon in the Snowy Mountains?" I asked, wanting an answer to my question.


    "They are, actually. It''s pretty weird that we haven''t seen a single one. Maybe they have been avoiding us because of your presence. Who knows, to be honest?"


    However, just a secondter, I felt a presence within my [Mana Sense]. Something had just appeared out of nowhere once again, and it hadn''t appeared in a random ce. It had appeared right beside us, only a few meters away from us.


    When I looked over in its direction, there was once again absolutely nothing to be seen.


    It could only mean one thing.


    It was the same beast as back then. It had to be. I did not believe that there were so many beasts like that wandering inside the Snowy Mountains.


    I didn''t even utter a single word as I immediately dashed in the beast''s direction, aiming for its head. However, my strike wasn''t very precise since I could only vaguely see what it looked like because of my [Mana Sense].


    Then, just like back then, it disappeared right as my strike was about to cut off its head. It seemed one of the beast''s powers was teleportation amongst weather control. However, once more, I just knew that there was something off about that beast.


    "Amelia, did you ever see a beast like this in the past? Something that can teleport and control the weather of this ce."


    Amelia frowned as she understood right away why Caedrel had acted in such a way.


    "Was that beast back?" she asked, worried.


    "It was. However, it seems to have disappeared again from the looks of it."


    Hank, who hadn''t been paying much attention to this whole situation, just frowned. "What are you talking about? It didn''t teleport. It just moved so fast that none of you were able to see it. It''s been looking at us from far away ever since we left the campfire. It just never got close to us."


    "And you didn''t think to tell us about it?!" I shouted, forgetting who the man I was dealing with was.


    "Well, I didn''t think it was a big deal. It didn''t even attack, it was only looking at us."

 Chapter 136 - Almost There

    "That''s exactly why you should have told me about it!" I shouted, losing my mind because of how stupid Hank was acting right about now. "Did you forget what kind of mission you''re in right now?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    He sighed. "I just need to kill someone, that''s all. So, what''s the problem? That beast wasn''t the target, obviously."


    I just couldn''t believe it any longer. How could he be so stupid right now?


    "Do you not realize the problem with what you just said?"


    Hank just looked over at me as if I was some kind of dumbass.


    "That beast could be rted to Zero. It could be reporting to him every single one of our movements right as we speak. Why didn''t you tell me that it was looking at us for all that time? It was too far from me, so I didn''t manage to notice it with my Mana Sense."


    Hank continued to look at me as if I was some kind of dumbass.


    "Are you blind or something? It was literally just standing on a hill over there, watching us."


    "Wait, you can see it? But how?"


    "What do you even mean? It was just there. I could see it, just like everyone could. Also, it''s not teleporting; it''s just running so fast that you can''t even follow its movements."


    I was at a loss for words. Honestly, I had no idea what it was like to be around Hank. After all, he was probably the most talented person I knew. He never worked hard in his life; however, he was just gifted in everything he did. Even now, he was barely paying attention to his surroundings, and he managed to notice things that I hadn''t.


    He was just that special.


    "Still, we need to pick up the pace. We need to get to the Icy Lake as fast as possible now. If that monster tells Zero that you''re with me, then it might change its entire n!" I shouted.


    It was one thing for him to know that I wasing, but it was another for Hank to be with me.


    I didn''t know if that man knew of Hank and his strength, but I surely hoped he didn''t. However, if he did, then there was absolutely zero chance that he would stay close to the Icy Lake. Death would be the only thing waiting for him, without a doubt.


    Then, we picked up the pace straight away. However, Hank quickly stopped us.


    "Uh¡­well, you know. That thing is still looking at us, so we don''t really need to go faster. It didn''t say anything to that Zero guy, so no worries¡­let''s just keep the same pace. I don''t really want to run."


    I looked back toward Hank and sighed. Just howzy could a man even get!


    However, as much as he waszy, he was right. If that monster really was still there, observing us. Then, we needed to act as if nothing was wrong so that we wouldn''t alert it to go back to Zero or whoever was controlling it at the moment.


    After all, it wasn''t doing anything against us at the moment. So, there was no need to panic.


    As much as I hated to admit it, Hank was right. We needed to go at the same exact pace as before.


    "He''s right. Let''s go back to our previous pace. As long as that thing is watching over us, there''s no need to do anything. And it''s not like we will be able to catch it. It''s way too fast for me, and Hank probably doesn''t care enough to even try."


    "Exactly. That''s why we''re friends, you get me," he said with a smirk as he continued to drag his feet against the snow, putting little to no strength into them.


    "However, you need to tell me the moment it disappears. Understood?" I said, and it wasn''t a request. I was dead serious at the moment. I did not want Zero to learn about Hank''s presence.


    However, if this thing could move as fast as Hank had said. Then, it would be quite difficult to even do something against it.


    ***


    POV Zero


    "Hm, just like that. What a good little slut you are!" I smirked as I pped the ass of one of my favorite ves, who was currently shaking her ass for me.


    She was one of the first ves I had acquired, and she had truly be mine. What made her one of the best was the fact she would still react to my actions even after all this time. She hadn''t lost hope of getting out of this ce, and that was exactly what I wanted.


    "HMM~!"


    She squirmed in pain as she continued to shake her ass. Her ass now had dozens of red marks all over it, and blood even started trickling from it. However, it didn''t disgust me; I love to see such a sight.


    Was I cruel? Maybe.


    But I''m one of the sons of the Demon King. If I wasn''t evil, there would be something wrong with me.


    This was probably my favorite hobby, forcing them to do what they hated the most. I just liked seeing the look of disgust on their face every time I woulde from the Icy Lake or one of the meetings with one of my brothers.


    "That elf princess would have been a nice addition. But that fucker stole her from me!" I frowned. I was still angry about that. "It''s his fault that I''m doing this. He made me angry, and you know what happens when I''m angry, right?"


    "You pleasure us until we lose our minds!"


    "Good, you learned well."


    Then, I nced at the time and realized that it was about time for me to get going. So, I pped my ve''s ass onest time and nced at the rest of my ves, who I had forced to watch this, who were practically not wearing any clothes on their bodies. They had been supposed to be next, but well¡­I was running out of time.


    Caedrel was supposed to be arriving soon, and I needed to make sure that I was ready for him.


    "Don''t even move or change until I''m back. This won''t take long. I''ll make sure to continue ''pleasuring'' all of you as soon as I''m back."

 Chapter 137 - Its Time

    POV Zero


    As I walked out of the room, I could see the looks of fear that each of them had, and I just smiled as I gathered all those negative emotions to strengthen myself.


    This was also another reason why I had so many ves, and I liked to torture them so much.


    Those negative emotions.


    That was the source of my strength, which was I needed to gather as many negative emotions as possible. This was probably the most efficient strategy that I had found, and it also helped that I liked it a lot. I could order them to do anything I wanted.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    They were literally my ve. Anything I said, they would do. It was a nice change of pacepared to when I had been living with my father, suffering every single day as I waspared to my brothers. After all, I wasn''t the strongest nor the most talented. Actually, I was the weakest out of all of them.


    But it wasn''t my fault that I wanted to enjoy my life. I didn''t want to be like my brothers, focusing only on getting stronger. I was already stronger than all those pitiful humans by birth. Some of them were stronger than others, but they still couldn''ty a finger on me. The number of humans who can fight on even grounds with me is so small that I never bothered to get stronger.


    You could say that I''m the yboy of the family, doing whatever I want, charming girls, dominating their minds until they can only think of having me as a master.


    Just the usual stuff.


    And I was getting pissed that a human was disturbing my peace when I hadn''t even done anything against him. I never even tried to stop his actions in the war. I was just having fun while all my brothers were busy infiltrating human society, just as our dad had ordered us to do. But that was just so boring that I didn''t bother doing such a thing.


    I liked this giant subspace, and I liked doing whatever I liked.


    I was surrounded by beautiful girls who would do whatever I said.


    Didn''t this life sound much better than one where you would train every day until every single muscle in your body would hurt?


    I sure as hell thought so.


    Honestly, I think my brothers are living their lives like that because they don''t want to disappoint our father. However, I''m different from them. I couldn''t care less what our father thought. That''s why I could do whatever I wanted.


    There was no chance that they actually enjoyed trying to be stronger at all costs.


    What''s even more annoying for them is that they infiltrated multiple societies while the war was happening, gaining influence for a few years.


    After all, the war thatsted seven years was just a little distraction for our real n to get into gears. It was unlucky that a demon was found in the Antis Kingdom. Otherwise, literally, everything would have gone ording to our ns.


    Nevertheless, I decided against asking for help from one of my brothers in this fight against Caedrel since I honestly believed that I would be able to defeat him quite easily. He didn''t even know the slightest thing about me. He didn''t even know that I was the son of the Demon King. However, I knew everything there was to know about him. I heard everything he did during the war from my brothers and some of the demons who managed to return alive from fighting him.


    So, I had one thing over him that he did not have, knowledge of his abilities. I knew somewhat well what the extent of his abilities was, and I was quite sure that I could defeat him with my current strength.


    I still remember when I saw him at that underground auction; it was quite a surprise, to be brutally honest. I would have never thought that I would have met him. However, ever since that day, I knew that our paths were bound to cross once again. After all, I had a crucial mistake back then; I had gotten a very subtle reaction to the word "Perdere." The name of the organization for demons¡­


    Ever since then, I knew that Caedrel would stop at nothing to defeat all of us since he hates all of us with a burning passion.


    Hell, I''m pretty sure that he must dream of burning down the world when he goes to sleep. However, I can''t me such a thing to happen when you know of his master. It was only natural for him to obtain this sort of rage within him if he was taught by that man.


    Nevertheless, after gathering all the negative emotions from my ve, I felt my power increase just a little bit. After all, at my current strength, it was extremely hard to keep progressing day after day.


    Before leaving the subspace, I gave them onest nce as I had to admit that all of them were truly beauties.


    All my ves were either top beauties of this world, or they had some particr backgrounds. That was one of the reasons that I wanted to buy Arie so much; she was an elven princess, and she would fit in my collection absolutely perfectly. There was no doubt about it.


    I had a few other princesses under me. Some were from the elves, some from the dwarves; it just depended on what was on the market at the time. However, elves were the mostmon ones for some reason; their parents love to throw them away, I suppose.


    Anyway, it was time for Caedrel to arrive at the Icy Lake now.


    I was curious about how much stronger he had gotten since thest time I saw him. It would definitely be interesting to fight against the man who was the terror of most demons during the war.


    ''Let''s see what you got, Caedrel Stuart.''

 Chapter 138 - Warnings

    The beast had just slowly followed us the whole way, not doing any weird movements. At least, that''s what Hank was saying since he was the only one even able to see it from where he was currently standing.


    None of us could even see it for some reason when it was so "obvious" from his point of view. He was even ridiculing me for it. After all, we were around the same strength level, with me being a tiny bit stronger since I was putting in actual workpared to Hank. However, when it came to things like that, Hank''s talent was miles ahead of mine, especially in terms of asserting his surroundings.


    He was extremely good at it, much better than me, which was also one of the reasons why seeing that invisible creature was so simple to him. Nevertheless, I was happy to have him around; it made things a lot easier when it came to taking care of both Phoebe and Amelia.


    "Before we arrive to the Icy Lake, I want to talk to you two," I said, clearly talking to Phoebe and Amelia.


    The two of them looked over at me with slight frowns, unsure why I was talking to them out of nowhere. After all, for the past hour, we had all been quiet, waiting for something strange to happen since we were getting closer and closer to Zero.


    "What is it?" Amelia asked.


    "Once we arrive at the Icy Lake. I want the two of you to hide. Don''t even think of taking part in this fight. You will only get hurt as a result. Me and Hank will deal with it ourselves, we are much stronger than the two of you, and it shouldn''t be too hard to capture Zero if we are the two of us."


    Phoebe''s eyes widened. "But¡ª" Continue your journey with empire


    "No buts. Don''t you remember what happened when west met Zero?" I shook my head. "You might freeze out of fear once you see him because of what happened in the past. And don''t you remember how long it took you to agree toe with me?" I didn''t want to hurt her with my words, but she needed to hear the truth about this matter. "You are scared of him, and if you take part in this fight you will only make things harder for both me and Hank."


    Amelia, who was listening, also frowned. "What about me? You don''t even know how strong I am! I''m sure I can be of help to the two of you!"


    I shook my head again. "You said it yourself. I have no clue about your strength. I do not know how powerful you are, and if you aren''t up to par, then you will also be dead weight in this fight."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "D-Dead weight?! How do you think I became the Queen of the Ice Elves!" she said with a clear frown on her face. I could even hear it in her voice that she was definitely angry at me.


    "You two won''t participate in the fight. This discussion ends here, and I don''t want to hear anyoneining anymore. Am I clear?"


    I had no choice but to be firm with my words. I usually tried to be nice to the two of them. However, this was serious; I could not fail in taking down Zero since if I did, I had no idea how much time it would take me to have a clue of where he hid himself once again.


    This was my one and only chance at this. I wouldn''t take any risks no matter what.


    Both Phoebe and Amelia also understood that, as their mouths both shut once they saw the look on my face. I was not ying around like usual, and my choice would never change. I didn''t get angry or serious often, but when I did, it meant that the situation truly required it.


    The two of them sulked as we walked forward, their shoulders dropping and their mouths pouting.


    It was as if they were trying to act as cute as possible to make me change my mind. However, there was no chance that I would. Still, I had to admit that the two of them did look quite cute as they walked forward. Amelia kept looking back in my direction, averting my gaze every time, her face turning red from just a nce.


    I honestly still had no clue why she was feeling so shy around me. I hadn''t done anything weird to her as far as I knew, so I could only guess what was going through her mind, and right now it wasn''t anything that made sense to me. After all, she had no reason to be embarrassed. The only embarrassing thing she had done was crying in front of me. It really wasn''t anything that should cause such a reaction.


    Nevertheless, we were now getting extremely close to the Icy Lake. Amelia had told us that we were less than ten minutes away from the Icy Lake.


    I looked over to Hank, and he was still unbothered by everything.


    "Hank, I hope you know that this is a serious situation," I uttered. I did not want him to act his usual way, not caring about anything.


    He sighed. "Don''t worry about me. I''ll make sure that we will capture this bastard. After all, I need to do so if I want what the Emperor promised me."


    As he said those words, I couldn''t help but wonder what kind of rewards the Emperor had promised Hank. He was one of theziest people in the Human Kingdom. He wouldn''t even move if I asked him to; it was just how he was. So, whatever the Emperor, aplete stranger to Hank, had promised him, it had to be very important.


    "Good. And remember, if we can''t capture him, we need to kill him before he escapes our grasp. We have one shot at this, and we don''t want to throw it away."


    Hank just waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "You worry too much. There''s no way in hell that he''ll be able to handle the two of us."

 Chapter 139 - Arriving at the Icy Lake

    Ten minutester, we arrived toward the Icy Lake, the most precious ce for all Ice Elves.


    The Icy Lake unfolded before us like a breathtaking masterpiece, an expanse of glistening, crystalline water framed by towering, snow-kissed cliffs and ancient pines dusted with frost. Its surface shimmered under the soft light of the pale sun, with frozen, diamond-like ripples that caught the light in dazzling, shifting hues of blue and silver.


    Gentle wisps of mist curled and danced across theke, creating a mystical, almost otherworldly aura. The air was crisp and invigorating, carrying the scent of fresh pine and a cool, invigorating breeze that seemed to cleanse the very soul. Jagged ice formations jutted out from the shoreline, sculpted by the whims of nature into shapes that resembled frozen waves, each one glistening like a jeweled fortress beneath the sky.


    Above, the heavens stretched wide in an endless canvas of deep azure, flecked withzy, drifting snowkes that sparkled like stardust as they descended onto the pristinendscape. The reflection of the towering cliffs and frosted trees mirrored perfectly on theke''s icy veneer, as though the world had split into a realm of pure, undisturbed beauty.


    Every detail spoke of a wild, untamed majesty, a ce where nature had woven together splendor and harshness into a scene so incredible that it felt almost sacred. It was a ce that whispered secrets of ancient magic, a timeless, ethereal paradise where the natural world disyed its most stunning and awe-inspiring form.


    The harsh of the Snowy Mountains did not even reach it. It was truly ethereal. It was as if the outer world couldn''t reach this ce. I now understood why Zero was using this ce as his backyard; it was definitely nice to look at, and what was even better was the fact that you could get benefits from going inside the Icy Lake.


    However, looking around, there was absolutely no one within the facility. Zero wasn''t there.


    He wasn''t there, waiting for us like I thought he would have.


    I clenched my fists, already thinking of the worst. "Don''t tell me that he ran away from me¡­ tell me there''s a mistake."


    As the words came out of my mouth on my own, everyone just snapped their heads and looked over to me, wondering what was happening to me.


    "He might be away, he mighte back soon. Didn''t you say that his subspace was nearby?" Amelia said as she started to look around herself. However, there was still nothing to be seen from the looks of it. "Let''s search for it. It''s bound to be close to here." Readtest chapters at empire


    As Hank heard those words, he didn''t even bother helping them as he just sat right beside the Icy Lake, looking at it without much care.


    Though, I knew that he wouldn''t help us search, so I left him to do whatever he wanted.


    "Alright, let''s search for it. It''s bound to be close to here, somewhere."


    A few minutes passed, and there was still nothing.


    Hank was still looking toward the Icy Lake as if admiring his own reflection, and we were still looking around it, trying to find something that could be linked to a subspace.


    Then, a few more minutes passed, and there was still nothing. We had searched absolutely everywhere, and there was still nothing. There was no pathway to a subspace on the outside of the Icy Lake.


    Losing hope that Zero was even there, I released a sigh and joined Hank as I stayed on the outer rim of the Icy Lake, soaking my feet into theke just like he was doing. I expected theke to be cial, just like the name indicated. However, surprisingly, there was a certain warmth to it that was navigating through my body. It felt amazing, refreshing even, as if all the muscle aches and tiredness that I had umted over the years were now gone in the blink of an eye.


    This was absolutely amazing. I had never experienced anything like it before. Its recuperative effects of this liquid, which didn''t seem to be water, were absolutely otherworldly and unheard of even for a veteran like me.


    Still, as I felt the amazing effects, I couldn''t help but look over to Hank and ask, "Did you find anything while we looked around?"


    He shrugged. "Well, the beast is still watching from far away. However, all I can say is that we only need to wait and that Zero will show up."


    I frowned as this made little to no sense to me.


    "Why? His subspace is gone? He probably left this ce as soon as he heard that I was looking for him."N?v(el)B\\jnn


    However, to those words, Hank just shook his head slightly with a sigh. "You underestimate your enemy. His subspace is still in the area; you simply didn''t find it. Also, our enemy is not scared of you. He isn''t one of the demons you faced in the war that would cower at your presence. He is much stronger and extremely confident."


    I just couldn''t follow what was happening. Hank was talking with so much confidence as if he knew everything about Zero when he had never met him before in his life. He was also convinced that the subspace entry was still nearby, as if he had already found it.


    "How do you know all those things?" I asked, still confused on the matter.


    "It''s simple. The entry to this subspace is right under us in the Icy Lake, and from what you told me, he did not seem to be the kind of man who would be scared of fighting against you. I''m telling you, it''s only a matter of time, so just sit here and rx." Hank smiled slightly. "The girls can join too if they want."


    Amelia and Phoebe then walked over; however, I shook my head. "Zero could appear at any given time. You need to leave this ce and hide. Once everything is over, you cane back. I repeat, only once it''s over. Do not show yourselves to him."


    Then, as Amelia and Phoebe started walking away from us, a strange noise resounded from below us. Zero''s subspace was being opened, and out of it came a single man who swam up to the surface. He was still wearing a mask, just like before, hiding his face and identity, thinking that I still hadn''t figured it out.


    As he came out of the Icy Lake, he noticed both me and Hank sitting on the outer rim of it.


    With an arrogant smile, he waved at us. "Oh, hey there. I hope I didn''t make you two wait for too long."

 Chapter 140 - Small Talk

    Zero.


    He was finally standing before me with the same smug smile as before, his overconfident gaze looking at me straight in the eyes. He didn''t seem worried in the least about me since he was already aware of my presence. However, when heid eyes on Hank, I knew that he was troubled as his smilepletely disappeared.


    "Oh, you brought a friend?" He giggled slightly. "Well, the more the merrier. It took you long enough. Did our meeting at the auction house really trigger you that much?"


    He continued smiling in my direction. I only wanted to stand up right away and punch his face until he no longer had teeth. However, he wasn''t emitting any aura, and I wasn''t either. It seemed he wanted to talk a little before the start between us began.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Stop wasting time. Say what you want to say."


    He clicked his tongue. "Ok, ok, I''m sorry. I just wanted to calm the atmosphere. Well, can we make a deal?"


    "What is it."


    Continue your adventure at empire


    "The ve you bought for 125 million coins, tell me where she is right now. I''ll go get her once I''m done with the two of you."


    I was on the verge of showing a lot of rage. However, I kept a straight face, just like Hank effortlessly did. Hank was truly a master of his work when it came to such things, which was why, in this situation, he was truly the best person to ask for help from. The Emperor had definitely made the right choice when choosing the person to send here. I did not know how he knew of my connection with Hank, but I had to admit that this was definitely a pleasant surprise, and it clearly showed that the Emperor wanted Zero just as gone as him.


    "You won''t be able to find her even if I told you. The ce she''s in isn''t a ce demons can go."


    Zero smiled even more. "Demon? You think I''m a pitiful demon?" He continued tough. "You''re so ignorant, it''s funny. Still, why don''t you introduce your friend to me? He''s all quiet, and he''s not even looking at me."


    As Zero said those words, he seemed insulted by Hank''s nonchnt behavior since he wasn''t used to such a thing at all. He wasn''t even paying attention to him.


    How dare he!


    Zero was one of the sons of the Demon King. Showing respect was the least anyone could do. Those who did not do so deserved death!


    Well, I thought that something like that was going on inside of Zero''s mind. Still, I dismissed those thoughts quickly as I smirked. After all, if Zero had been the one who got mad, wouldn''t that have been absolutely perfect? Hank was also the perfect individual to make that happen. He had managed to make me mad several times since he had joined us, and he hadn''t even done it on purpose, which was the most frustrating thing about this whole situation.


    "Oh, him? His name is Hank. He joined along the way."


    Zero, who saw that Hank was still not paying attention, started walking in their direction. However, he didn''t release any aura, and I trusted Hank enough to defend himself against Zero, so I stayed still watching the situation.


    "Hey, you!" Zero said to Hank, calling out to him.


    However, there was still no response.


    "What kind of idiot did you even bring with you? And where are those twodies I was told about? They would make the perfect addition to my ve collection."


    I kept gritting my teeth as I knew that he was doing this on purpose, trying to provoke me into releasing negative emotions. However, I held on.


    Then, Zero continued to walk in Hank''s direction, who was still staring at his reflection in the Icy Lake as if he hadpletely lost his mind.


    "When I talk to you, you fucking look at me!" Zero shouted as he was about to ce his hand on one of Hank''s shoulders.


    Then, for the very first time since Zero arrived, Hank looked at him straight in the eyes as he grabbed his hand before Zero could put it on his shoulder. He put strength into it, but Zero obviously backed away since Hank had just shown signs of aggression.


    Hank released a sigh as he stood up, getting his feet out of the Icy Lake. "When did I say that you could touch me?"


    Seeing Hank getting serious, I knew that the fight was about to start. I also got out of the Icy Lake and got into position right next to Hank. At this point, Zero must have realized that Hank wasn''t just a random since Zero wasn''t even able to react when Hank grabbed onto him.


    Zero lost the smile on his face, too, as he suddenly got serious. He realized that this fight against me, which he thought would be extremely easy, wouldn''t be.


    "Seems like you really were scared of me. Bringing such a friend with you."


    I couldn''t see it because of the mask, but Zero clearly regretteding out here alone. He knew that this was a grave mistake that he had made. He had probably expected me toe alone or with Phoebe and Amelia, people who were of no importance to him.


    He cracked his head.


    "Ugh, oh well. Can''t wait to taste those two friends of yours who are hiding over there. That purple-haired girl sure was tasty thest time that I saw her. I''m sure that the Queen of the Ice Elves won''t disappoint either," Zero said as he licked his lips.


    I did my best to keep my emotions inside. However, when he said things so disgustingly, it was truly hard to do so. Still, I managed to hold down.


    Then, a purple energy suddenly appeared at the ends of Zero''s fingers. An energy that I knew extremely well, aether.


    "If you two beg right now, I might let you live."

 Chapter 141 - Start of the Fight

    "Beg?" I didn''t manage to hold back myugh this time around. "Do you honestly think that you can beat the two of us at the same time? Are you that delusional?"


    Zero just smirked behind his mask.


    However, I knew that he wasn''t as confident as before. Handling both Hank and myself was something that was not even possible in the war. Maybe the demons we faced weren''t as strong as Zero. But even then, we should be able to handle someone like him pretty well overall. After all, Zale had been confident in sending me alone to face Zero. Or that''s what he told me.


    ''Did Zale anticipate that Hank would find me? Is that why he dyed me leaving the tribe''s vige?'' I suddenly thought with a slight frown.


    I quickly discarded such thoughts since they were useless to even think about at the moment. Maybe Zale had made the decision to not to tell me, and there must have been a reason behind. Anyway, thinking about it, right now, wouldn''t change anything to the current situation.


    "You two aren''t enough to face me. You can''t even manipte aether!" He said as he continued to y with the purple me slowly moving across his fingers, little by little.


    However, seeing the expression on my face not changing. Zero seemed to realize that something was wrong.


    "Aether, you mean the energy gods can manipte?" I asked with a knowing smirk.


    Zero who heard those wordsing out of my mouth, didn''t know how to react. He waspletely at a loss for words since such information shouldn''t be avable to him. It was something only a very selected few knew of.


    "How do you know about that?"


    Zero got even more serious as I could hear it in the tone of his voice. He was shocked that I knew of such things when it was supposed to be a secret that was hidden for mortals. They should have never even heard the word "Aether" in their life.


    "How?" I shrugged. "Maybe because I can use it as I wish, just like you are doing right now."


    "Bullshit. Only special individuals like me can use it¡­" However, Zero''s eyes suddenly widened as he looked at me. "Don''t tell me that you are a demi-god?"


    That made meugh even more. "Do I look like a demi-god to you?"


    To that, Zero simply shrugged. After all, I looked quite good and I had a pretty good physique. Though, I had never seen a demi-god in my life, so I couldn''t tell if I looked like one or not.


    "Ugh¡­kind of?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Well, I''m not one to answer your question."


    That made Zero even more confused. After all, the Gods and his father, the Demon King, were the only ones who could use that energy. The rest could not do so apart from their sons and daughters. That was the extent of people who could use the aether as they wished. There was no other method that Zero knew of.


    "Then, this is clearly bullshit. There is no way that you can use aether."


    "Is that really what you think?"


    "Yes. If you aren''t a demi-god, then there is no way for you to use this. The only way would be if you were a God. But you clearly aren''t."


    Hank was listening to our conversation with quite the frown as he was part of the people who had never heard of aether in his life. It wasn''t an energy that he had heard of in his entire life even when he had reached such level of strength.


    Personally, I wanted to mock Zero as much as I could at the moment. However, I managed to resist to such thoughts since aether could be considered my hidden power. Something that I would only use if absolutely necessary. That is, normally. Since Zero had just learned that I could potentially use aether, he would be a lot more wary of me, and I wouldn''t hide from the fact that I could use it in the battle against him.


    "I won''t show it to you right now. There''s no point." I sighed, as if bored out of my mind. "Can we stop talking and start fighting? Or are you just dragging this on and on because you think that it is impossible to defeat us?"


    "Stop wasting time, either give up and beg for us not to kill you right now. Or try to flee and die. You cannot beat us and you know it extremely well."


    I was tired of entertaining him just like he wanted when I wasn''t gaining anything from doing so. This discussion clearly wasn''t heading anywhere that was useful since at the end of the day, this situation would have no choice but to concluded in two clear ways.


    Either me and Hank lost, or he would.


    There were no other options, and there would never be. Not when I am involved in such things.


    With those words, I shut my mouth and actually got serious. It was time for the battle to start.


    "Are you going all out?" Hank suddenly asked me.


    "Yes."


    Hank knew very well what me going all out meant as I suddenly activated most of the powers avable to me. I summoned Mother Nature, I used the power from the vampires, and the power from the giants. I kept some of powers deactivated since it truly took a toll on my body. It would also make it possible for me.


    I became suddenly bigger, stronger, and I asked for help from Mother Nature. I only activated those three powers since I had Hank with me and I could sustain those three powers quite well without much bacsh.


    "Oh, is that the powers of the famous Caedrel Stuart?" Zero said in a mocking tone as he saw my transformation right before his eyes.


    He seemed to still be calm and in control of the situation for some reason. Maybe he still didn''t believe what I said about the aether.

 Chapter 142 - Aether Is the Key

    Hank just waited for me toplete my transformation as he just stared at me during the whole process.


    Then, once I was done, he finally pulled out his sword from his waist. Instantly, he used aura. However, his sword''s aura was unlike anything I had ever been able to produce in my life. It was much, much stronger than mine, without a doubt.


    After all, his main weapon was a sword, and most of his strength relied on it, which wasn''t the case for me since I had so many different powers at my disposition. However, my sword skills looked ridiculouspared to Hank''s.


    "Seems like the person you brought isn''t some random useless swordsman."


    Zero stayed calm as his voice did.


    "How about I show you two what I can do?" He smirked as he uttered those words. The purple energy around his fingers suddenly expended all over his body, forming an armor made of Aether.


    A sword made out of Aether also appeared in his hands, and for some reason, that sword gave me the feeling that it was a lot more dangerous than Hank''s, which had never happened before in my life. There was no doubt about it; Zero was extremely powerful, and he wasn''t someone that I could underestimate.


    "Can you do that with your aether?" Zero asked with an ugly smirk.


    I didn''t say anything as I stayed silent. However, he was right. The amount and the quality of the Aether that he could wield was unlike anything that I had. The fact that he was able to materialize his Aether was something that I was barely even able to do, and he was doing it to such an extent.


    While it was impressive, it also inspired me to learn how to use Aether. After all, I had a good idea that its powers were practically limitless. However, seeing such a thing was definitely interesting. Forming objects out of Aether wasn''t something that I had thought of, and it would certainly be something that I would do in the future.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I can''t. Not bad, but it still won''t be enough."


    Zero just smirked. "I''ll let you guys attack me first. I want to see something."


    "You will let us attack you first?" I asked with a frown.


    "Yeah, and I won''t even move from where I am currently standing."


    My guess was that he was trying to humiliate us. However, the fact that he was giving us the first attack was truly a great gift that I would never refuse in a million years.


    "Are you now? Perfect."


    I looked over to Hank and gave him a stiff nod, and he returned it in my direction. He seemed to understand what I had in mind.


    After all, he wouldn''t move, and he would give us as much time as we wanted to prepare for our attack.


    Both I and I closed our eyes, gathering as much sword aura as possible into this strike. We would make sure that it would be impossible for him to survive this attack with the two of our powersbined.


    The aura around our swords grew more and more as they reached quite high in the sky. Hank''s sword, which was normally around a meter or so in length, was now more than five meters long because of the strong, red aura covering it. Mine didn''t grow as much, but it was still a decent size.


    The power between both of our swords was enough to destroy the entirety of the Ice Elves'' Kingdom, and we were using it on a single individual who was still not moving from his spot, confident in himself even when he saw the strength we had each put into our strikes.


    "Is that the best you two can do?" Heughed. "I''m sorry, but that amount of energy won''t even make a dent in my armor."


    The confidence in his voice was making me anxious. Normally, I would dismiss those words as those of an arrogant. However, I believed that Zero wasn''t stupid. There was clearly a reason why he was making such a decision. He also believed he told the truth with his past words.


    ''Is it impossible to destroy an aether armor if you can''t use it yourself?'' I suddenly thought.


    After all, what had truly shocked Zero was the fact that I could use Aether. It was the only time in the conversation that I had felt something change about his behavior, as if Aether was the only thing that could make it possible for us to defeat him.


    ''Is that why Zale helped me so much to gather more aether inside my body?'' I thought suddenly. However, it was no time to think about such things.


    I had an idea, something that I had tried to achieve the very first time that I summoned Aether in my right palm. However, even now, I have never managed to make it work.


    "Hank, wait beforeunching your strike. I''m not done."


    However, for some reason, right now, I believed that I would make it work. I believed it would work.


    I called out to the Aether within my body and guided all the way to my hands, a purple hue suddenly surrounding both my hands.


    Immediately, Zero noticed it, and his eyes widened. However, he stayed silent as he just watched me and how I would use the Aether. Still, even from where I was standing, I could see that he had be a lot more nervouspared to before.


    I was sure of it; the key to this fighty in my use of Aether.


    Everything that I had learned in the tribe''s vige would be essential to this fight. Zale truly had witnessed the future and taught me everything I needed to know to defeat Zero. All I needed to do now was apply what I learned correctly in this fight.


    I tried to guide the purple hue around my hands toward my sword. I needed my sword and my sword aura to be coated with Aether. If I manage to do that, I would be able to deal damage to Zero.


    I just knew it.

 Chapter 143 - Hanks Talent

    My sword instantly rejected the aether as if hating the energy. However, this time, I wouldn''t give up. This needed to work; otherwise, we would never be able to win.


    "Hahaha!" Zeroughed from far away as he uttered some words, most likely of mockery.


    However, because of how focused I was at the moment, I did not even nce in his direction. I kept my eyes on my glowing sword, trying my best for the aether to mix with my sword aura. But every time I tried to do so, the energy just bounced off the sword; it simply wouldn''t ept it, no matter how hard I tried.


    It was tiring. I could feel my reserves of aether slowly leaving my body, and if this continued, then I would definitely run out of aether before the fight even started. Nevertheless, I continued. I knew that this was the only way to achieve victory. It was also a good thing that Zero was just watching as I did all those things.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    If he had attacked us while knowing that we couldn''t injure him whatsoever, it would have been impossible to defeat him. We were lucky that his ego was so ridiculously massive that he would justugh at us and let us strike first.


    Still, I removed those thoughts from my mind as I tried to think why my sword aura would refuse to use that energy.


    "Caedrel, that purple energy. Send it toward my sword. I''m pretty sure I''ll find a way to make it work," Hank suddenly said he had just watched me and that energy with little to no idea of how it worked.


    But, for some strange reason, I felt like he was right. Hank didn''t say useless things. In fact, he had never said useless things ever since I had met him. If he said something, it was because he was sure that it would work.


    He had never even experienced the use of that energy, but when he spoke with such confidence, it was as if he had understood it on a different fundamental level. I wasn''t sure if he understood how to use it better than mine. However, I knew that his talent was much greater than mine.


    Without wasting any more time, I decided to stop using the aether on my sword and slowly guided it toward Hank. Within seconds, the aether energy in the palm of my hand blossomed, and I headed for Hank''s sword. At first, it seemed repulsed by it, but within a few moments, its attitude hadpletely changed. It swirled around his sword, mixing with this incredible sword aura.


    Truth be told, it was better that Hank was the one who could do this since his sword aura was so much stronger than mine on so many different levels.


    It took only a few seconds for his sword to now possess a dark purple aura illuminating from his sword. The look on Zero''s facepletely changed, and without saying another word, he dashed forward, going against his words.


    However, as he did so, Hankunched his attack right away, noticing the movement. It seemed that Zero had lost the confidence that he had previously had.


    I had been 100% right. Aether was truly the key to this fight, no matter what. Aether was most likely the only thing that could harm Zero, which was why he had gone against his promise to us. He moved extremely fast. However, he wasn''t fast enough to escape Hank''s vision.


    After all, Hank had been able to keep up with the strange creature that had given me the impression that it could teleport. Hank''s abilities when it came to observing things were certainly superior to mine. I had to admit that it was a good thing that Hank had joined me; without him, this fight would have been absolutely impossible to win unless some kind of miracle happened.


    Hank swung his sword down toward Zero.


    "Didn''t you say that you wouldn''t move?" I shouted as Iughed at Zero, who was currently doing his best to dodge the strike heading his way. However, Hank''s sword aura was just too massive for Zero to dodge it as a whole.


    Because of his ego, Zero was bound to take some damage from this strike, and his chances of winning this fight had just lowered tremendously.


    As Hank swung down his sword in Zero''s direction, Zero tried to dash in a new direction. However, as he did so, Hank also adjusted his strike. It was impossible for Zero to leave unscathed from this, and just as it was about to reach Zero''s body, Zero decided to give up one of his arms, barely dodging the strike.


    "ARGH! What have you done to me!" Zero roared as blood slowly trickled from where he had just lost his arm. "And YOU, how can you use aether? Are you really a demi-god!"


    Zero was just at a loss for words. However, even now, as he was back against the wall. He continued to talk to us. However, I didn''t even bother entertaining him. I had to catch him since he was in such a bad situation.


    I dashed forward toward him as I swung my sword at the same time. "I made a deal with a God; I gave up my soul in exchange for this power."


    As my sword approached his abdomen, I saw that Zero''s smile hadpletely disappeared.


    "Y-You gave up your soul for this power? Then, how are you still there in front of me!" He shouted as he bent down right at the good timing, evading my strike. "This makes no sense. You have to be lying about all this. There is no way that you gave up your soul. Or else, you wouldn''t be as powerful as right now. You''re clearly lying!"


    "Less talking and more talking, Zero, or maybe you could tell me your real name since I already know that you are one of the sons of the Demon King?" I said with a smirk as Zeropletely lost his mind as I uttered those words.


    "Y-You! How? How do you know this?"


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