Chapter 138
***
“Are you kidding me?!”
It was shocking.
Ryan quickly tried to calm me down, bowing his head.
“Sorry, sorry.”
“Why did you even say something like that?!”
It was absurd. Asking Nike not to see other women—what was he thinking?
And Nike had agreed… only for that little exchange to somehow reach the Crown Prince’s ears.
The result? The Crown Prince grills Ryan to death over it.
“So, you don’t mind if the Third Prince meets other women?”
“That’s—!”
Ryan faltered.
“Well, it’s his freedom, isn’t it? I’m not… anything to him right now. Who am I to tell him who he can or can’t meet?”
“…You don’t even believe that yourself.”
He was right. I didn’t.
The truth? I was shocked Ryan had asked it—and even more shocked, secretly happy, that Nike had said yes.
Then Ryan looked up at the sky. “Anyway, time’s running. We should hurry.”
“Oh, right.”
We knew the Crown Prince’s influence would get us a quick response from the Academy. But even so, we hadn’t expected it this fast.
Barely had our audience with him ended when the admissions office sent someone: Ryan’s paperwork was approved, and he could take the entrance exam immediately if he wanted.
Alex jumped at the chance, vowing to ace it, and marched off to the test hall. The exam took at least six hours.
Which meant—plenty of time for the “something else” Ryan and I had planned today.
“Shall we go ahead with it now?” Ryan asked.
“Yes!” I clapped my hands. “We promised to meet Rivan again by three, so we’ve got time to spare.”
I stretched my arms and legs like an athlete warming up. Ryan gave me a baffled look.
“…Why are you stretching? You won’t be the one fighting.”
“Ha! But you will be, Dad. And if you move, I’ll feel like I’m moving too. Honestly, I’ve always wanted to take over your body at least once. This is going to be fun.”
Ryan froze. “…Creepy.”
“Don’t worry! I’m not strong enough for that anyway.”
We were talking about Marina’s blessing, Steps of Darkness, which I’d eaten before. Today was the first real chance to put it to use.
“With training, you can get it to the point of controlling other people’s bodies. That’s Stage Four. I’m only aiming for Stage Two.”
Stage One: Hiding inside shadows.
Stage Two: Jumping from shadow to shadow.
“Stage Two’s the minimum for it to be useful.”
“Why not train it fully? You never know when you’ll need it. And that blessing’s pretty easy to build up.”
“…”
I hesitated.
Then forced myself to add casually, “Because I’ll never need to. Controlling someone else’s body? That’d get noticed instantly. Why bother?”
“Hmm. Fair enough.”
Ryan nodded, satisfied—but I was nervous. He was too sharp. Even with allies, I had to watch every word.
Our real goal in the capital had been Alex’s entrance exam. But then, unexpectedly, we ran into Brigitte.
She was wearing a black rose brooch.
I recognized it immediately.
It meant my second brother, Elliot, was about to host one of his secret auctions.
When I pointed it out, Ryan agreed without hesitation.
“Yes. Let’s do it.”
So the plan was on: Project Sink-Elliot.
Step one: Find out when and where the secret auction would be held.
***
Meanwhile, in a mansion sealed with blackout curtains—
“It’s dark,” Elliot Bassenberg muttered as he walked in.
Dragon’s Wrath.
Candles all around the room lit themselves. The light revealed men and women sprawled across couches, eyes glazed, bodies slack.
Elliot smirked. “Nice effect.”
He strode among them, polished boots crunching against petals scattered on the floor.
Scarlet flowers.
Kipraxia.
An imported narcotic plant. It would be the headline item at his upcoming auction.
He lifted one bloom, inhaled deeply.
Finally, after months of dodging Imperial inspections, it was here.
The thrill wasn’t in the money. It was in the danger.
To do what was forbidden—then savor the spoils. That was human nature. Look no further than the young nobles here, stupefied with pleasure, sprawled like beasts.
***
Back to us:
Ryan was walking alone through the jewelry district.
Only the wealthiest shopped here. Perfect—because we were looking for a noble member of the Black Club, the inner circle invited to every secret auction.
I whispered through our telepathic link, Mirror’s Eye – Channeling.
[Don’t worry. I know every member’s face. We’ll spot one eventually.]
And then—
[Dad! Dad! Over there!]
“What? What?”
[That’s my brother-in-law!]
“…What?”
Sure enough, accompanied by two guards, Marquis Philip Valrac stepped into a shop.
[He’s married to Diana, my sister!]
“Whoa!” Ryan’s eyes widened.
“Our first meeting with your brother-in-law is like this?”
[Wait, what are you doing—?!]
Without a plan, Ryan followed him inside.
The doorbell chimed. Two burly guards stood at attention.
Ryan walked up to one and said, “Hi. I’m a robber.”
“…What?”
Before the guard could react, Ryan yanked his arm and slammed him unconscious with a clean blow.
“Kyahhh!” The shopkeeper shrieked.
The second guard lunged—Ryan floored him in a blink.
Then, calmly locking the door, he turned back.
“Shhh.”
The terrified shopkeeper clamped her mouth shut as he mimed slitting his throat.
Inside were only three customers.
Our target, Marquis Philip—and his two bodyguards. Both had drawn swords.
Ryan squinted at them, lifted his hand, and muttered, “Sorry. Time for a nap.”
Deathbless.
The two guards collapsed.
Philip stared in horror as Ryan strode forward, smashed his fist into a glass case, and pulled out a jagged shard.
Blood dripping from his hand, Ryan yanked Philip close and pressed the shard to his throat.
“Hey. Blue Club?”
The Marquis frowned in confusion.
[Black Club!] I corrected it.
Ryan blinked. “Right. Black Club?”
This time, recognition—and fear—flashed in Philip’s eyes.
Mm, Ryan isn’t taking the test, Alex is. It was Alex’s paperwork.