[Author note: I made an error a few chapters ago. The reward for the Family Quest is two levels of the Empathic Bond skill, not one.]
…
When he didn’t say anything, she realized he was not joking.
“You want something in return?”
“Yes.”
Charlotte frowned.
Neo had no lack of wealth.
Aside from mythical treasures inside Academy’s Vault, he could obtain almost anything with ease.
“What do you want? Something from the academy’s Vault—”
“I don’t want those scraps,” Neo interrupted.
“S-scraps?” Charlotte stammered.
Those “scraps” were treasures that could make anyone drool!
They were only given to the top-ranked students, and even then, only when they achieved rare and extraordinary feats.
Her hands curled into fists for a moment as she tried to suppress her irritation.
She took a slow, steadying breath, realizing she had almost let her emotions slip.
After a brief cough to compose herself, she returned to her stern expression.
“Then what do you want?”
Neo’s expression remained unreadable as he leaned slightly back in his chair.
“Your vote.”
“….!”
She took a moment to make sure she had not misheard him.
“You want my vote for the Senior Templar position?” Charlotte asked in disbelief.
“Not now,” Neo clarified. “But yes, in the future, I want ‘your’ vote.”
The room seemed to grow colder as Charlotte’s gaze hardened.
She studied him silently for a moment before shaking her head firmly.
“You can leave the academy, but I won’t give my vote to you,” she declared.
“Why the sudden change of thoughts? I thought you wanted me to be an honorary student.”
“Brat, don’t try to be smart with me,” Charlotte snapped.
She glared at him.
Her vote would mean the Academy supported Neo.
After a Junior Templar defeated a Senior Templar in combat, a voting process would occur to determine if they could take the ‘seat’ of the Senior Templar.
Only Exalted and Paragon Demigods could vote.
In the world of politics, strength alone couldn’t make you reach the top.
Influence was necessary too.
“The academy has always maintained a neutral stance. We never have—and never will—cast any votes.”
Charlotte’s voice was firm.
She was about to call the puppets to send Neo away when suddenly, a translucent screen materialized before her.
[Help him.]
“Sphinx?” Charlotte questioned, confused.
[I will owe you one if you agree to his demands.]
Charlotte frowned.
She looked up from the screen and stared at Neo.
Why was the Sphinx intervening on his behalf?
‘A favor from Sphinx. It’s valuable, a lot more than the entire academy’s vault,’ she thought.
The knowledge from the Akashic Record was not distributed freely.
Charlotte’s lips pressed into a thin line as she weighed her options.
She could ask something specific—something she desired deeply.
“Fine,” Charlotte finally said. “I agree to your demands, Neo Hargraves.”
Neo nodded.
He had seen the screen the Sphinx showed to Charlotte.
‘What is that fucker trying to do?’
The sound of footsteps broke the silence as two puppets entered the room.
They moved in perfect synchronization and created a portal that shimmered like liquid silver in the air.
“Sphinx said it wants to meet you. Go,” Charlotte said.
Neo nodded again.
He passed through the portal and felt a shift.
He appeared a dark tunnel.
The air was cool, carrying a faint metallic tang.
Shadows loomed around him, shifting unnaturally, yet the faint glow ahead drew his attention. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire
Neo moved forward.
Soon, the faint glow turned into a blinding light and engulfed him.
The space around him distorted.
A beat later, he found himself in an empty hall.
The hall was vast.
It had high ceiling and the walls were smooth and featureless.
Just like last time, a table appeared in the center of the hall.
Sphinx, inhabiting the body of a man in a crisp black suit, sat on one of the two chairs.
Its faceless face was as unnerving as ever.
“How was my gift?” the Sphinx asked. “I helped you with the principal.”
“Why did you do that?”
“To show my goodwill. If you have a favorable impression of me, you will be more likely to accept my task,” it answered with a low chuckle.
“Is that so?” Neo responded.
He pulled out the chair with a soft scrape against the smooth stone floor and sat down.
“Before we talk about my request, there is something I’d like to know.” The Sphinx leaned forward slightly. “What do you think of my appearance?”
“….?”
“Oh, don’t worry. It’s not related to the task at all,” the Sphinx clarified with an almost playful tone before adding, “So, do you recognize it?”
Neo remained silent.
He did recognize the appearance.
It belonged to Charybdis, one of Typhon’s three Sovereigns.
He, however, had no intention of revealing anything unless he understood the Sphinx’s goal.
“You have quite a good poker face,” the Sphinx said, grinning.
Its faceless face twisted into a eerie smile.
“You know, the information about the past, before the Records were created, is not present inside the Akashic Records,” the Sphinx said.
“What are you trying to say?” Neo asked.
“There was something I wanted to find, but since the information about that far back isn’t present, I failed.”
Neo’s brows creased.
The Sphinx’s roundabout way of speaking made him cautious.
“The Creator of the Akashic Record created the Records to save two people,” the Sphinx suddenly said. “Me, and someone else.”
Neo maintained his calm expression.
Inwardly, he was stunned.
He pieced together the clues after hearing Sphinx’s words.
‘So Daniel saved the Child of Mana by creating the Records?’ he thought.
“The Creator no longer remembers who he wanted to save.
“The only one who knows the answer is the first guardian of the Akashic Record, the Tree of Tyranny,” the Sphinx continued. “But he refuses to answer me”
The Sphinx’s body disappeared from its seat.
A sudden, cold presence enveloped Neo as the Sphinx reappeared behind him.
Its hand rested on his shoulder.
The touch was light.
“With no other way, I tried to look through the Records to find clues about the person the Creator wanted to save.
“I didn’t find him anywhere. Who was he? There was no knowledge, not even a little bit, about him in Akashic Records.
“It’s almost as if….”
The Sphinx leaned down.
Its faceless head tilted close to Neo’s ear and it whispered.
“That person doesn’t exist.
“Coincidentally, I know another person who doesn’t appear in the Akashic Records as if he doesn’t exist.
“I’m talking to him right now.”
“I don’t understand what you are trying to say,” Neo replied with a neutral face.
The Sphinx’s form shimmered before vanishing again.
It reappeared on its seat, leaning back casually.
The eerie grin on its faceless visage, however, was anything but relaxed.
“I chose this appearance the first time as you would’ve recognized it if you went to the past and met the Creator of the Akashic Record, leading him to create the Records.”
“…”
“But you didn’t recognize my appearance.”
The Sphinx’s grin widened.
“It made me wonder if I had been wrong.”
A low chuckle echoed in the hall.
“But lo and behold, you entered a Shadow Trial.
‘Where did you go during your Shadow Trial, Neo Hargraves? Was it a 100% Synchro World? Did you go to the past?”
The Sphinx’s voice had a mocking edge as it questioned him.
Neo was not intimidated in the least.
“Why do you want to know about my Shadow Trial?”
The Sphinx’s laughter echoed once more.
“Why, it’s of course to kill you if you are him.”
“…?”
“That person is the reason why I was saved, but he is also the reason the Creator of the Akashic Record destroyed himself.”
For the first time, Neo sensed a crack in the Sphinx’s tone.
Deep hatred and anger reverberated through its words.
“I’m going to put him through the same torture my brother underwent.”
“Brother? The Creator of the Akashic Record is your brother?” Neo acted oblivious.
The Sphinx stared at him as if searching for answers in his eyes.