“Young Master… are you serious? You called me here for this?”
“Yes.”
Juliana stood before me, looking caught somewhere between disbelief and exasperation.
She was dressed in the standard Academy uniform. A copper hexagonal badge was pinned to her chest, embossed with the ouroboros symbol.
Her neck-length white hair was styled in a wavy bob with bangs, framing sharp azure eyes that were currently glaring at me.
We were in my living room.
After my conversation with Ivan, I had spent six grueling hours compiling my mission report.
It wasn’t exactly perfect, so I already knew Selene would have plenty of issues with it — especially with how I explained my reasoning during the mission.
But I was too exhausted to care.
So, after finishing the damn thing, I did what any rational slave-owning master would do.
I summoned my Shadow and asked her to deliver it for me.
Juliana stared at me like I had just told her to jump off the island. “You called me here urgently from the Academy… just to make me deliver your debrief report to Instructor Selene’s office?”
I nodded as if this was the most natural request in the world.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled like dealing with me was physically painful to her.
“Young Master… Instructor Selene’s office is closer to you from here than it was for me from the Academy.”
I nodded again.
She continued glaring but didn’t say anything immediately. For a moment, I thought she might let it go.
Then, when it became clear she couldn’t, she finally asked, “…And why are you naked?”
I glanced down as if just remembering I was still in my underwear. “Oh. I felt like letting the world witness my undeniably godly physique in all its glory.”
Juliana visibly fought the urge to scream.
Her fingers rubbed at her temple in growing frustration before she almost cried the words out, “Young Master, I was really busy.”
“Oh, yeah?” I raised an eyebrow. “What were you doing?”
“Working on a project in the Alchemy Society,” she answered.
And the moment I uttered my next words, her expression turned to stone. “With Professor Rexerd?”
“…What?” She asked flatly.
I shrugged. “I just heard some rumors flying around. Honestly, Juli, I knew you were a gold digger, but isn’t that guy a little old for you? I mean, he’s at least a decade older than us.”
She didn’t react.
No scowl, no glare, no comeback. Just cold silence. Her face turned passive.
But I knew her too well to miss the small twitch of her eyebrow or the faint shift in her stance.
Oh, that gold digger comment really struck a nerve, huh?
I held her gaze for a moment longer, then laughed and shoved the file into her hands.
“Relax, I’m just kidding. You can do whatever you want, I don’t care. But seriously, deliver my report. It’s urgent. Do it before Instructor Selene leaves her office.”
Juliana took the file, fingers tightening around it like she was ready to use it to smack me upside the head.
But she didn’t.
She held back.
Instead, she inclined her head in a show of fake respect. “As you wish, Young Master.”
With that, she turned on her heel and walked off, exiting my apartment and closing the door behind her with just a little more force than necessary.
I sighed, flopping onto my couch.
Initially, I had planned on sleeping after finishing the report.
But now? My body was exhausted, yet my mind was too awake to rest.
Must be all the coffee I drank while compiling that report.
I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled.
“…I guess I should do some work.
I had achieved everything I needed to get stronger in Ishtara — a soulbound artifact and a treasure trove of Essence Stones.
By using those Stones, I could easily break through my Soul Rank in a few weeks.
If I shattered ten Essence Stones a day, and it would take me around five hundred Stones to accumulate enough Essence for a breakthrough, I could rank up in just a month and a half — fifty days, give or take.
Great, right?
Well, yes. But also, absolutely not!
No, it wasn’t great!
Because here was the problem:
Normally, it would’ve taken me at least seven to eight months to achieve a breakthrough.
Now, I was cutting that time down to less than half.
That wasn’t just fast — it was suspiciously fast.
If I suddenly ranked up in only fifty days, the Professors, Instructors, and Academy Officials would start asking questions.
How did I do it?
Oh, I had Essence Stones? Where did I get so many?
I bought them? Do I have purchase receipts? When did I buy them?
Where did I even get the money, considering most of my personal accounts were supposed to be frozen by my family and the Academy had a copy of all my transaction history whenever I used their funds on something?
Too many questions. Too much hassle.
I needed to avoid that kind of scrutiny.
So, I had to convert these Essence Stones into legally acquired assets, disguise their origin, and make them indistinguishable from legitimately obtained resources.
In other words, I had to launder them.
Yes, it was time to commit some financial fraud!
So exciting right?!
Well, yes. But also, absolutely not!
Because here was another problem — I wasn’t smart enough in economics to pull something like that off!
I mean, I knew how to money launder in theory, but I had never done it. So, aside from having no experience, I also had no connections.
And you absolutely do need connections if you wish to launder such a large amount of wealth.
“Hmm,” I tapped my chin thoughtfully a few times, then shrugged to myself. “I guess it’s time I pay him a visit.”
Vince Cleverly.
It was finally time to meet him.
“Ah, but first… I should take a bath.”
And put some damn clothes on.
•••
“Ahhh! This feels so good!”
Spreading my arms wide, I breathed in the fresh evening air, letting the soft wind brush against my face and tousle my golden blond hair.
“So good!” I chimed blissfully, earning a few odd looks from passing Cadets. Not that I cared.
What did those fools know?
Most Cadets here had never even set foot outside the Safe-Zones, let alone in a place like Ishtara — one of the many war-ravaged lands where law and order and hygiene were as mythical as dragons.
They took fresh air and clean streets for granted.
They had no idea how good they had it.
Honestly, neither had I until a few weeks ago.
Here on Ascent Isles — or anywhere in the Western or Central Continent really — the standard of living was leagues above the Conquered Territories situated outside the five established Safe-Zones.
And I wasn’t even exaggerating!
I could physically feel the difference in air quality after coming back from Ishtara.
The pollution here was nearly nonexistent, and the streets weren’t drowning in filth.
It was almost surreal, like stepping into a dream where everything was just… clean.
But more than that, the world inside the Safe-Zones simply felt safer.
Beyond the barriers of the Safe-Zones, away from the Monarchs’ protection, the very fabric of reality seemed thinner — like it could rip apart at any moment.
Even now, I could still feel the phantom weight of Ishtara’s suffocating air clinging to my lungs.
The stench of rot and too many unwashed bodies packed together. The ever-present haze of dust and ash choking the streets. Just thinking about all that made my stomach lurch in disgust.
I rolled my shoulders, shaking off the memories.
Honestly? That filthy city had probably given me more PTSD than the massacre I’d witnessed there.
But never mind that. I was back now.
Here, the air smelled of fresh rain and blooming flora.
Even the distant scent of roasted meat and baked bread drifting from the nearby bakeries and restaurants felt so indulgent.
“Truly, this is civilization.” I sighed theatrically, placing a hand over my heart with a flourish worthy of the stage.
It was 7:30 in the evening.
The sun had just set, painting the sky in a deep shade of darkness and letting the city drown in the soft glow of the street lamps.
Since the Ascent Isles floated so high in the sky, we experienced sunrise earlier and sunset later than the people on the surface.
The panoramic view of the sea of clouds beyond the edge of the Main Island was also as breathtaking as ever.
Yeah… I really missed this place.
Alright, enough reminiscing. It was time to move.
Dressed in a black satin shirt, matching pants, and my dark grey robe draped over my shoulders, I hummed an upbeat melody and started walking.
But after barely five steps, I abruptly stopped in my tracks when I realized I had left my communicator back in my bedroom.
You see, the Academy City was massive, and I had the memory of a goldfish. Navigating the streets without getting lost was a challenge far beyond my abilities.
So, I needed maps to get where I was going.
Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I turned back. I hadn’t gone far, so I was back within a minute.
And that’s when I saw him.
Michael Godswill.
In a plain white tee and dark ripped jeans, the black-haired protagonist was heading toward my dorm building when his eyes landed on me.
“Samael!” he called out, immediately making his way in my direction.
I paused, looked around, and did what any sane person would do.
…I ignored him and kept walking.
“H-Hey! Samael!” Michael shouted after me, weaving through the light evening crowd. “Samael! Stop!”
But I didn’t stop.
However, much to my dismay, he caught up just as I entered my dorm complex. He matched my pace and began walking beside me.
“Samael!” he yelled again, right in my ear this time.
“Oh, Michael!” I turned to him, feigning surprise. “Hey! Long time no see. How are you?”
Michael gave me a flat look. “Really? Are you actually pretending you didn’t hear me?”
“What?” I waved him off. “What are you talking about, my man? I would never ignore you! Pfft.”
Even as I said it, I quickened my pace.
Michael kept up with me.
I made a turn.
He was still beside me.
I exhaled sharply. “Okay, why are you following me?”
“I want to talk to you,” he replied. “And weren’t you the one who told me to give you an answer today?”
…Right. I did.
But the fact that he was here in person instead of just texting me meant that he actually had something to say to me.
And truthfully, I really didn’t have the energy to deal with him right now.
“Michael, I just finished writing a lengthy report for Selene, and I don’t have the mental capacity to—”
Tham—
Before I could finish speaking, I turned the corner toward the elevators and bumped straight into someone.
“Oh, sorry—” I started to apologize, but then I saw who it was.
My twin sister.
Thalia.
And surrounding her were her two childhood friends — Princess Alice and Prince Willem.