Thaddeus exhaled sharply. He had already accepted this madness, so he might as well fully commit before this reckless fool found a way to derail things even further.
Without waiting for Lucavion to open his mouth again, he launched into a full explanation.
“Now listen carefully, because I will not repeat myself,” he began, his golden eyes sharp and unwavering. “First, you will formally meet my retainers. These are the commanders of my forces, the nobles who stand with the Duchy, and the key figures who hold influence within my faction.”
Lucavion opened his mouth—
Thaddeus glared, shutting him up before he could even speak.
“You will not walk into those meetings like some wandering rogue,” he continued, his tone brooking no argument. “You will conduct yourself properly. I don’t care how skilled you are—power alone does not grant you respect in the political world. If you want them to acknowledge you, you will have to prove yourself in more ways than one.”
Lucavion smirked but said nothing.
“Second,” Thaddeus pressed on, “you will attend the upcoming council gathering. This will not be a simple introduction—it is where key decisions are made regarding the Duchy’s political stance. You need to be there, if only to observe and learn.”
Another pause—just enough to make sure his words sank in.
“Third,” he continued, voice steady, “you will have to establish some form of identity. Right now, to the world, you are nothing more than a rogue swordsman with a fabricated name. That is unacceptable.”
Lucavion blinked, his smirk twitching ever so slightly.
“And lastly,” Thaddeus finished, “you will not make a fool out of me.” His golden eyes gleamed with clear warning. “I have given you my backing, but if you take that as a free pass to act recklessly under my name, you will regret it.”
Finally, silence.
Lucavion, who had been sitting there patiently—far too patiently—finally let out a slow breath.
Then, with a lazy grin, he leaned forward and finally spoke.
“For this matter…” he mused, his voice casual. “Can we delay the news that you’ve become my sponsor a little?”
Thaddeus froze for half a second.
Then—his brow twitched.
This kid.
This damn kid.
Lucavion was the one who had been so insistent on getting his backing, the one who had pushed for this entire conversation—and now, the first thing he wanted was to delay it?
Thaddeus exhaled through his nose, pinching the bridge of his nose as frustration simmered.
Why?
Why did everything this boy did feel out of order?
Why was it that every time he thought he had a grasp on the situation, Lucavion threw something unnatural into it?
His golden eyes flickered back toward the young man, who was smiling far too easily.
Thaddeus narrowed his gaze.
“Explain.”
Thaddeus stared at Lucavion, his patience already hanging by a thread.
This boy—no, this utterly ridiculous young man—had finally secured the backing he so boldly demanded, and now he wanted to delay it?
And now—
Lucavion smirked slightly, his dark eyes gleaming as he leaned forward.
“I’m sure you’re aware of the recent changes in the capital,” he said, voice smooth, calculated. “And the changes happening at the Academy of Arcanis.”
Thaddeus raised an eyebrow.
“The Academy of Arcanis?” His golden eyes narrowed. “What about it?”
Lucavion’s smirk widened.
“I want to join the Academy.”
Silence.
For a full three seconds, Thaddeus simply looked at him.
Then—
“What?”
Even Aeliana, who had been carefully observing this conversation, blinked in disbelief.
The Academy?
This man?
Thaddeus frowned, his sharp gaze flickering over Lucavion’s entire presence—his posture, his mannerisms, his attire.
Nothing about him fit the image of a noble scholar or a student attending one of the most prestigious institutions in the empire.
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No.
This kid—this rogue—looked like someone who beat up Academy students in alleyways for their lunch money.
Thaddeus exhaled sharply. “Why?”
Lucavion tilted his head, amused.
“Why do I want to join the Academy?” He hummed, tapping a finger against his chin. “Well… let’s just say—I made a promise.”
Thaddeus narrowed his gaze further. “You made a promise?”
Lucavion nodded, his smirk unwavering.
“Yes,” he said lightly. “It is my Master’s will.”
Silence stretched again.
Thaddeus’ jaw tightened slightly.
Starscourge Gerald.
That man’s will?
The same man who had carved through armies, who had never been known for formal academia, who had left nothing but a bloody legacy in his wake—
That man’s will was for his disciple to attend a school?
Thaddeus stared at Lucavion.
He was exhausted.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Thaddeus exhaled sharply, his golden eyes darkening. “I refuse to believe that Starscourge Gerald’s will had anything to do with the Academy of Arcanis.”
Lucavion nodded, completely unfazed. “Indeed. It doesn’t directly involve the Academy. And to be honest, I’m fairly certain my Master never expected it would.”
Thaddeus narrowed his gaze. “Then why?”
Lucavion smirked slightly, tilting his head. “Sadly, it does involve the Academy. Because I need to be there.”
“For what?”
Lucavion’s smirk deepened. “For another certain daughter.”
Thaddeus stiffened slightly. “Another daughter?”
Lucavion nodded. “Starscourge Gerald has a daughter.”
Silence.
A long, heavy silence.
Thaddeus’ golden eyes widened slightly. “What?”
And before the Duke could even process the implications of that statement—
The temperature in the room dropped.
A shift.
A sudden weight pressing into the air.
And then—
From the side, a pair of burning amber eyes locked onto Lucavion.
“You are going there for another girl?”
Aeliana’s voice was quiet. Too quiet.
Her gaze, once sharp and observant, had turned cold.
Lucavion—who had faced countless dangers, who had fought the Kraken, who had stood against forces beyond this world—
Somehow felt actual unease creeping up his spine.
“…Erm…” He blinked, sitting up slightly straighter. “Yes?”
Aeliana continued staring at him, unblinking.
For some reason, Lucavion suddenly felt the need to clarify. “Why do I feel like, for some reason, I can’t?”
Aeliana didn’t respond.
She merely stared.
Lucavion blinked again.
Thaddeus did not want to involve himself in whatever silent war was brewing between his daughter and Lucavion.
The tension in the air was palpable, and the way Aeliana was staring at Lucavion—like she was contemplating whether strangling him would be worth the effort—was something he would rather ignore.
But this?
This news?
This was not something he could just let pass.
“Wait.” Thaddeus exhaled, focusing back on Lucavion. His golden eyes sharpened. “Do you really mean that? Starscourge Gerald has a daughter?”
Lucavion sighed dramatically, rubbing his temple. “Mister Duke. I just said that before, don’t you remember?”
He grinned, but there was a knowing glint in his dark eyes.
“I don’t lie.”
Thaddeus’ expression darkened further, his mind already racing. If that was true, if Gerald—of all people—had left behind a daughter, then—
Lucavion stretched lazily before adding, “Besides… she was just here recently. Under your nose.”
Thaddeus froze.
His brows furrowed, his mind rapidly shifting through every possible candidate.
Someone who had been here. Someone close enough to slip through unnoticed. Someone who—
“…What?”
Aeliana, who had momentarily been too irritated to focus on the weight of the conversation, suddenly turned toward Lucavion as well.
Thaddeus’ fingers curled slightly. “You are telling me that Starscourge Gerald’s daughter was within my territory, and I was unaware?”
Lucavion grinned, resting his chin on his hand.
“Mister Duke,” he said, his voice dripping with amusement. “The life just works like that sometimes….”