"Sigh..."

Aoife sighed upon returning to her room. Dropping her stuff onto the table, she slumped over her bed and dazedly looked at the ceiling.

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess in all honesty.

She didn't show it on the outside, but Aoife didn't know how to react when around Julien.

....Ever since the incident with the Angel and learning of Julien's secret, Aoife felt uncomfortable with him.

Especially since there was a chance she was just wrong.

'The reason why he has a weird palate doesn't just have to be because his body is possessed, right...?'

Leon was the same.

However, unlike Julien, Leon only showed such tendencies from time to time. It was rather easy to tell when.

...It mostly happened whenever he saw something shocking or had that dazed look on his face.

Otherwise, he usually was normal.

Julien was the only one that was different.

Be it when he was dazed or not dazed, he couldn't eat salty food. Sweets were the same. He couldn't stand them.

It made the situation harder for Aoife.

Especially since she knew about his past.

'He's certainly different than how his attendants describe him.'

Julien was arrogant.

However, he wasn't as arrogant as the reports she had received depicted him to be. He was just prideful in his own way.

The more Aoife looked at the reports the more she found them to be different than the Julien she knew.

"Haa."

It was frustrating.

The evidence was right before her eyes.

And yet...

She didn't have it in her to report him or confront him about it. Why was that...? Aoife bit her lips.

'He's helped me out a lot...'

With the acting and all of that.

Aoife felt burdened by the debt that she owed him. And the more she thought about the debt she owed him, the more she realized how different he was from the reports.

"Should I just drop the matter for now?"

Aoife massaged her face.

Quite frankly, she didn't believe she was the only one who had noticed the abnormalities with Julien.

Leon most likely knew, and perhaps Evelyn...

'He's changed about five times.'

There were also the words that she had previously said.

In hindsight, she was probably the one who knew the most about what was happening. The

fact that she hadn't taken any action until now gave Aoife hope that perhaps the current Julien wasn't a threat after all.

"...I hope that's the case."

She didn't want things to escalate beyond her comfort level.

However, as the Princess of the Empire, she had her own responsibilities. And it was her duty

to report anything that was abnormal and potentially threatening to the Empire.

"Yeah, it's my duty..."

And yet.

"...I'm failing at it."

And will probably continue to fail.

***

'This should be it.'

It had been a while since I had been at the Academy. Naturally, I forgot a few things. Like... where Atlas's office was located.

'...It should be obvious, and yet, it's not.'

Delilah's office was a lot easier to find.

She just lived at the very top.

Anyways...

"I think it's this one."

I hesitated before knocking.

To Tok-

"Come in."

A warm, and familiar voice I hadn't heard in a while echoed from behind the door. I sighed in

relief then.

'Looks like I found the right place.'

Clank!

Atlas sat on one of the sofas scattered around the room.

Upon entering, I noticed that the space was far more organized than Delilha's. The books were neatly arranged on the bookshelf to one side, and the room was adorned with paintings and vases, all thoughtfully placed throughout.

I had been once before so I wasn't all that surprised.

"You're finally here."

Atlas addressed me, pointing at the seat opposite him.

I sat down and made myself comfortable.

He had called me in advance, telling me that he wanted to talk. Even now, I still didn't know

what he wanted to talk to me about.

"First things first."

Atlas retrieved a book and a card from out of thin air.

My brows jumped up at the sight of them.

"These are..."

"Yes, your remaining awards. This here is a manual that I personally selected for you."

He handed me a thick manual.

"It's a red-ranked manual. A lot better than the one you currently use."

I tried my best to keep myself from feeling too excited. But it was hard. Manuals were ranked; Green, Blue, Orange, Red, and Black.

The current one that I used was blue-ranked which was the standard for low-ranking noble families.

Orange was for mid-ranked noble families while Red was for high-ranking noble families.

...This was a qualitative leap.

"Thank you."

I took the manual and gently ran my fingers over the leather-bound cover. It felt smooth beneath my touch, its craftsmanship unmistakable.

"This manual should help you quickly get to Tier 5 and unlock your domain. I've noticed that you're still stuck in the 'Concept' stage. Are you perhaps struggling with your domain?"

"Not entirely..."

My 'Conceptualization' was flowing smoothly.

I was now able to smoothly control all six orbs and could control them to the point where my

body wouldn't get injured upon using them.

However, there was indeed a problem.

"....My 'Concept' has a lot more depth than I thought. Just when I feel like I'm close to

reaching the end of it, I find something new that I need to further develop."

In that regard, I was referring to the 'Orb Merging'.

There were six orbs, each capable of merging together. As if that wasn't overwhelming

enough, the combined orbs could be fused again into a single entity.

.... New emotions continued to appear one after another in the process.

But at the same time, I also felt that it was a hint itself.

So long as I could figure it out...

"I see."

Atlas nodded faintly.

"It looks like you still need a little time. But it shouldn't be too much of an issue for you. I'm

sure you'll have this figured out by the time you reach the threshold of your next tier."

"I hope so." "Putting that aside, here's your other reward. The money has been deposited in the 'Popular

Bank of Lens'. You can collect your money over there."

"...Thank you."

Atlas handed me a small black card which I received.

It was nice and slick and made of metal.

"Just give the card when you enter the bank and they'll give you all your money. It's an easy

process."

"Okay." Sounded easy enough.

I happily put the card away alongside the manual before shifting my attention back to Atlas. I

was sure the rewards weren't the only things he wanted to talk to me about.

And sure enough...

"Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about more serious matters." Atlas's expression suddenly changed, turning cold as the surroundings fluctuated and a thin

barrier formed around the two of us.

I kept my expression firm while this happened.

There was no point in getting flustered.

He was on my side... for now.

"Good."

Atlas interlocked his hands together and locked his yellow eyes on me.

"... There are a few things that I need to talk to you about. Firstly, I've started rumors about

you being my successor."

"Hm?"

The piece of news surprised me.

Didn't he...

"They're just rumors for now. I've neither confirmed nor denied them. This way, you won't

have anyone too strong coming after you."

"Anyone too strong...? Are you saying tha-"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Atlas cut me off.

"...You've now become a target for several people within the organization. Those that are

going to target you are all strong and well-trained. They'll most likely attack when you least

expect it so you must keep your eyes peeled at all times."

"Right..."

There were a lot of things that I wanted to do at this very moment.

However, all I could do was silently agree while cursing in my mind. Just when I thought

things were getting easier for me...

"Don't worry too much. So long as you stay within the Academy, nobody strong enough will

come to bother you. Nothing escapes my eyes. Those that do get to you are because I let them

in."

"If you can't handle this much, then you don't deserve to become my successor. Furthermore,

this isn't all that bad for you..."

"...?"

Atlas suddenly smiled.

I didn't understand his smile at first, but his next words allowed me to get a better

understanding.

"We have a system within the organization for those that hold certain positions that allows them to have subordinates. In your case, if you manage to defeat those that attack you... you have the power to make them join your side. You won't have to worry about their loyalty since

the emblem will stop them from betraying you." 'Emblem...?'

Could he be talking about the tattoo?

The thought occurred to me quickly but I kept it to myself. I felt like this was something that I

was supposed to know.

"I see."

Outside of that, this was interesting.

'So he's saying that as long as I beat those that come after me, I gain 'ownership' of them?'

That...

I quite liked this system.

"You should use this opportunity to gain as many followers as possible. It's only when you

have a large enough following that you'll be able to have a foothold within the organization.

You can't always hope for me to shield you from the rest."

"...Yes."

I nodded in understanding.

"Good."

Atlas seemed satisfied with everything.

"That's all that I needed to say."

He waved his hand and the barrier shattered.

"....You're free to go. Make sure to always be alert. You never know when something might

happen."

"Right."

I pressed my lips together and walked out of the room.

"Huu."

I took a deep breath the moment I left the room. It felt strangely suffocating in there despite

Atlas trying his best to help me.

Honestly...

I still struggled to come to grasp his real identity.

...He had a completely different feeling from the Atlas in the vision. Both were intimidating,

but there was something about the Atlas within the vision that felt different.

It was hard to explain and I gave up after a while.

Taking out the manual, I couldn't wait to start practicing it as I rushed back to my dorm.

I picked a quieter road that had the least amount of cadets on my way there. I was a bit of a celebrity so walking without a disguise was quite troublesome.

Thankfully, I faced no trouble on the way back and reached my room.

Clank!

Coming in, I prepared to start practicing when a certain figure appeared inside.

She was pacing around the room, seemingly looking for something.

"Where...? Here?"

It looked important.

.....I wonder what she's looking for.'