It took me a full day of rest and some light medical treatment from the third-year healers to completely recover.
My wounds were healed, leaving no scars behind.
My body was in near-perfect condition, though my back still ached from time to time.
The healers assured me that this discomfort would fade in a day or two, which was to be expected since I had been stabbed too deeply near my spine.
I also noticed a bit of weakness in my left leg when I walked, but they told me that would also return to normal soon.
I couldn’t overstate how thankful I was for the medical advancements in this fantasy world since I was too young to be dealing with back and leg issues.
I also heard a flying rumor that while I was in the midst of my match, there was a huge explosion in the Alchemist Society’s main lab.
Although no one was injured, there was a large fire.
Was it a coincidence that it happened right when my match was going on?
Of course, not.
Juliana had made her move.
If my guess was correct, she must’ve gotten what she needed to remove the BloodWorm from her body.
And the last thing she required was my blood.
I let a small smile creep up on my face.
Immediately, I heard a passive voice, lost of all emotions, reach me from my side. “Why are you so happy, Young Master?”
I turned my head and saw a beautiful young woman walking beside me, holding a large duffle bag in her hands.
With hair as white as freshly fallen snow and sharp eyes the color of a frozen deep sea, she looked as if she stepped out of a winter’s dream — untouchable, elegant, and utterly bewitching.
Juliana. My dear Shadow.
I spared her a short glance and shook my head with a chuckle. “Happy? No, I wouldn’t go that far. Just amused.”
Her icy gaze remained fixed on me, her face as unreadable as ever. “Amused by what?”
I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I let my smile linger and looked up at the evening sky.
“Just thinking about how things are falling into place,” I mused. Then, after a bit of silence, “Hey, Juli. Do you think people are defined by their choices or by their circumstances?”
Juliana shot me a confused look — one of the rare instances of a genuine emotion slipping onto her face. “Huh? Why do you ask me that?”
I shrugged. “Just a thought. It’s something I find myself thinking about a lot lately. And you’re smart. You’ve always been smart, haven’t you? Even when we were kids. So, I thought I’d ask for your opinion.”
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Flattering me doesn’t suit you, Young Master.”
I laughed. “Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
Juliana fell silent, her gaze turning distant as she mulled over my question.
Finally, she replied in a tone softer than usual, “People like to believe they’re defined by their choices. It’s comforting, after all. It makes them think they have control.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And you don’t think they do?”
She exhaled softly, shifting the duffel bag in her grip. “Most don’t. They just follow the path carved out for them, shaped by things they had no say in – their birth, their family, their circumstances. What they call ‘choice’ is just a reaction to what was already set in motion.”
I watched her carefully. “So, you’re saying people are just prisoners of their circumstances? Of what, fate? Destiny? That sounds more like resignation than philosophy.”
“Fate is philosophy,” Juliana responded instantly, her expression becoming unreadable once more. “But no. What I’m saying is that only a few ever get the chance to break free. To achieve true freedom.”
Something in her tone made my smile widen.
“How poetic,” I mused. “So tell me, Juli — if someone were to break free, what do you think would happen?”
Her gaze met mine then, steady and cold. “That depends on what they’re willing to do to make sure they never get chained again.”
Woah! What was that, a declaration?
I chuckled, shoving my hands into my pockets. “That doesn’t sound like freedom.”
Juliana frowned, caught off guard. “What?”
I kept my tone light but pointed as I explained, “If you have to keep fighting, keep paying the price to stay free… then are you really free? Isn’t the pursuit of such freedom just another form of enslavement?”
Her eyes widened for just a flicker. She then looked away, and a whisper escaped her lips. “What do you even know?”
“Huh?” I inclined my head.
She sighed. “I said you’d know best, Young Master.”
Silence washed over us as we continued walking.
The streets of Academy City buzzed with activity, as usual.
Wherever we passed, people turned their attention toward us.
I’d love to say they were staring at Juliana — maybe admiring her cold, deadly charm — but that would be a lie.
No. Since this district was mostly occupied by first-years, every single one of them was glaring daggers at me like I’d personally slapped their grandmothers.
Man, they really hate me now.
I tried to be mature about it. Really, I did.
But in the end, I couldn’t resist flashing them a wide, shamefully smug smile as I strolled past.
Predictably, this only made things worse.
A few Cadets outright gasped, some even started whispering curses — not loud enough to be called out, but just enough for me to hear.
Juliana sighed beside me. “Could you please stop throwing oil into the fire, Young Master?”
I laughed the kind of laugh a child makes when he discovers a new way to annoy everyone around him. “But it’s fun.”
She shook her head. “Where are we going, anyway?”
“Why do you ask?” I frowned in response.
Juliana gave me a flat look. “Because I’m carrying a bag that weighs as much as a full-grown man’s dead body. What’s inside it, anyway?”
“What’s in it doesn’t concern you. We’re going to Michael’s place,” I replied, my frown turning into a scowl. “And why is a dead body your standard unit of measurement? What’s wrong with you?”
She completely ignored my last question and looked at me with mild surprise. “Michael? Godswill?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “How many more Michaels are there?”
I was surprised when she answered.
“There are sixteen in the first-year batch alone,” she said.
I blinked in disbelief. “Wait, that many? And how do you know that?”
“It seems to be a common name,” she explained, rolling her shoulders. “As for how I know, I’m familiar with everyone in our batch.”
“Everyone?!” I exclaimed. “You know every single person in our batch?!”
She nodded confidently.
I immediately pointed to a random guy sitting at an open café with a girl. “What’s that guy’s name, then?”
“Michael Krevees, believe it or not,” she said, managing a small smile.
I palmed my face, massaging my eyebrows in exasperation.
And maybe it was because I wasn’t paying attention to the road that I ended up bumping into someone.
“Ah, sorry about that,” I said instinctively — only to feel a sudden force shoving me back.
It was strong enough to send a normal person flying.
But after how much my Circulation Technique has enhanced my body, all it managed to do was push me a single step back.
A flicker of irritation sparked on my face as I looked up. “Hey, man. I said sorry—”
But the rest of my words died in my throat and my eyes shot wide.
Standing before me was an emerald-haired young man, his face twisted in unrestrained fury. His eyes, gleaming like morning dew on fresh moss, burned as they locked onto mine.
He was nearly as tall as me. A little chubby, but beneath the plain white tee he wore, I could see the unmistakable outline of muscle rippling under the fat.
“…Jake?” The name barely left my lips.
Yeah, that was definitely Jake.
What the hell happened to him?
He looked so… different.
He was still fat but somehow shredded at the same time. And his eyes were sharper… more confident. Not arrogant.
His whole presence carried a new edge.
“Damn, man. You lost weight? Send me your diet,” I said, nonchalantly flashing a polite smile as I tried stepping past him.
But—
“Shut up,” he spat and moved to block my path.
“…Huh?” I blinked at him, halting in my tracks.
“Shut your rambling,” he snapped in a voice full of venom. “And watch where you’re walking. Or do you need help with that?”
Before I could react to his words, his hand shot toward my face.
I didn’t move. Didn’t even flinch. Just stood there calmly.
Before his fingers got anywhere close to me, a cold blade kissed the side of his throat — sharp enough to draw a bead of blood.
Jake froze. His eyes trembled for a split second before snapping to the side.
In less than a breath, Juliana had repositioned to Jake’s left, drawn a kunai, and pressed its tip against his neck.
“Let’s not cause a scene,” she murmured, her voice laced with warning. “Don’t forget — both your rank and status are far beneath the man you’re trying to threaten.”
Jake stilled. Then, without warning, he swung in an attempt to grab her—
But Juliana had already moved. She effortlessly stepped back, just beyond his reach.
He stilled again, surprised by Juliana’s reaction time despite how angry he was – before pointing a finger at her. “Stay out of this.”
Then he turned to me. “And you. I’ll deal with you soon.”
With those friendly parting words, he stormed off.
Juliana walked up to me and picked up the duffle bag she’d dropped earlier. “What the hell happened to that pig?”
I let out a mock gasp. “Juli, don’t say that. It’s so offensive… to pigs.”
She didn’t laugh. Of course she didn’t laugh. Just turned and started walking.
I followed with a forced chuckle.
But even as I kept up the jokes, my mind was caught up in a storm.
What the hell?
What happened to Jake?
Suddenly, a dark thought surfaced in my head — one I didn’t want to acknowledge.
That strength he showed. That sudden transformation. Those are not things you could have achieved out of nowhere.
Unless…
Could it be…
He found the Summoning Card of Asmodeus?
…N-No. That’s impossible.
…But is it?
Because only that explanation made sense.
…Fuck!
I needed to find out.
Good thing I was headed to the Archives anyway.