Solan Neumann followed Bel Vido and arrived at his office.
"Ah?!"
She hadn't realized that she had taken only one step before finding herself inside the office.
Bel sat down and said,
"Director Tim Ayr told me that you're Solan Neumann and that your other identity is merely a disguise."
"What?!"
Solan hadn't expected Tim to reveal her true identity, but Bel waved his hand and said,
"I don't know much about that name, but I believe it carries considerable weight in Ostiferos. So, let's talk calmly."
Solan closed her eyes and sat down.
"Well, let's talk."
Bel said,
"You're amazing. Reaching the fifth level before graduation and hiding it while attending Bimal Academy. Now, what happened that made you cause such a scene?"
Solan replied,
"Your students dragged Shion into a battle."
"That's it?"
Bel had thought that something much more serious had happened, but Solan continued,
"Shion is my beloved, and we take care of each other. But now he's in trouble because of your students."
Bel smiled.
"Young love... That's a good reason, but it doesn't excuse your actions in defeating everyone."
Solan raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure you're the director? There are plenty of reasons to cause trouble here."
She snapped her fingers, and a beast spirit appeared.
"I found this little one among some of your students' belongings. I also heard conversations about attacking Ostiferos and plotting against it. They even spread the fireflies throughout the Ishtar Kingdom to broadcast what's happening in Ostiferos."
Bel looked at her and thought,
'Her profile says she's a commoner, but judging by what Tim told me and her presence, she must be a noblewoman at the very least.'
He said,
"Director Tim knows about that. So, the challenge must be part of the plan."
"Excuse me, but I can't believe you."
"I love Ishtar, but I hate the queen."
Bel said that casually before adding,
"You must have noticed that many students here are different. They're kind to you."
Solan replied,
"It's part of Ishtar's plan."
"No. They also dislike the queen."
Solan didn't believe him and said,
"Maybe I'm unfamiliar with politics, but I'm not stupid."
"Milady."
Polter, who had been ordered to investigate the worried spirits, interrupted their conversation.
"Director Bel is telling the truth. There will be a civil war soon."
Solan's eyes widened, and Bel said,
"Director Tim and I don't care about politics, but our students must stay out of it. The plan is to have Shion defeat the Bimal students and then allow them to return to their homes."
Solan asked,
"What about your reputation?! Your students will be defeated in front of the entire continent!"
Bel replied carelessly,
"That's part of my plan."
He smiled and said,
"Oh! I have a suitable beast for you. Director Tim asked me to give it to you."
Solan wasn't sure what to think, but Polter bowed and said,
"Milady, you must accept the beast."
"Do you know what kind of beast it is?"
"If I'm not mistaken, it must be a cat."
"...A cat?"
Bel listened carefully and asked,
"Almost no one knows about that cat. Only a handful of people do. How do you know about it?"
Polter replied,
"I'm old and know many things."
Bel thought,
'This servant isn't as simple as he looks. I didn't even know about the cat until recently. If it weren't for that accident, I might never have discovered its existence.'
He looked carefully at Polter and said,
"Solan, be careful. That cat isn't easy to tame. It nearly killed my grandson last year."
Solan looked at Polter, who nodded.
"Well, I'll take a look."
Bel didn't waste any more time. He reached out and grabbed something from the air—or rather, from space itself.
"(The Hidden Scene)."
Solan watched as part of the office changed, revealing a new space that hadn't seemed to exist before. To be precise, it had always been there, but it had remained unseen.
"Oh? The cat is sleeping?"
Solan saw a fluffy white cat curled up in a corner, sleeping deeply while making adorable little noises.
"....Are you sure this cat is a beast? Isn't it just a pet?"
Polter said,
"This cat could easily be a sacred beast. You're underestimating it too much, Milady."
"Well! I'll take it! It's so cute!!!"
Solan forgot about everything else and approached the cat.
"Be careful. This beast attacked Gorin last year."
The cat opened its eyes and looked at Solan.
"...Meow..."
It slowly approached her and rubbed itself against her legs.
"That's..."
Bel couldn't speak.
"It's adorable!!"
Solan picked up the cat, and it didn't resist.
"Milady, form a bond with it."
Polter advised her, but Solan replied,
"I've read about how to do it, but I doubt I can manage."
Solan looked at the cat as it opened its eyes.
"Ah?"
She had been smiling until she saw its eyes.
"Meow!"
Its eyes were greenish-blue, just like Solan's, but there was something different about them. Countless spirits could be seen within them.
"What the...?"
Solan suddenly found herself in a different domain, where she saw the cat's true form.
"That's... That's...!!!"
Fear appeared on her face.
The cat was enormous and terrifying. Its legs were unnaturally thin, and its fur seemed connected to an unknown number of spirits. But its eyes were the most horrifying part.
SWALLOW!!!
She saw its eyes as a prison that prevented the spirits from escaping, while its mouth was a circular black void that swallowed all the spirits in the world.
The domain bowed to Solan—or, more precisely, to the Pure Spirit—and merged with her.
"!!!!!"
Solan couldn't do anything except close her eyes and wait for whatever came next.
Her breathing gradually calmed, and the familiar scent of the real world reached her nose. She opened her eyes and found herself back in the office.
The cat had disappeared.
"What... What happened?!"
Polter answered,
"You succeeded in forming a contract with the cat, Milady."
Bel said,
"I didn't expect you to be that beautiful."
Solan realized that her disguise had been exposed during the contract, so she disguised herself again as Sol Hart.
Bel sighed and thought,
'If I had met her earlier, I would have arranged an engagement between her and Gorin. You're too lucky, Shion.'
Solan said,
"You gave me this beast. Now, what do you want in return?"
Bel replied,
"That's simple. If a civil war breaks out, I want you to take care of the spirits of the battlefield. Evil spirits are the worst. They sever the bonds between tamers and their beasts."
Solan understood and agreed.
"As you wish. I'll wait until you send us home."
Solan left the office, thinking enthusiastically,
'With this cat and the artifacts, I can reach the sixth level soon!! Shion will be happy about that!!'
She disappeared down the corridor.
---
Shion Lan was calming Crown Princess Jina Joul as they walked toward her quarters.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I'll avenge you against those bastards."
Jina still hadn't regained her composure after what had happened. Her eyes looked exhausted.
"Shion..."
She called his name, but the exhaustion in her voice was obvious.
"No one defended me. I was there, unable to respond to Sherry because she was a guest princess, and unable to fight her in the arena because she was the director's granddaughter."
Shion noticed her vacant expression and asked,
"Am I wrong to be kind to the commoners?"
Shion's eyes widened, and he thought,
'She wouldn't think that way! It must be her guardian spirit, Celisia Joul...'
Shion couldn't simply tell her to get along with everyone after what she had experienced. She had been deeply disappointed.
"Jina..."
Jina listened carefully when she heard Shion call her by her name.
"They were wrong."
Shion stated that firmly.
Jina's eyes filled with confusion. Even Celisia couldn't believe what she had heard. She tried to communicate with Jina, but Jina ignored her and focused all her attention on Shion.
"They... were wrong?"
Shion nodded and recalled the will of the ancestors from Shi Yun Lan's world.
'I won't quote it directly, but I can explain its meaning.'
Shion said,
"If we look at the situation from any perspective, we'll realize that we're on our own land, facing the arrogance of foreigners. Isn't that strange?"
Jina began breathing normally as she listened to Shion.
"The commoners might think... 'They're nobles! We can't stand against them! Only a noble can face another noble.' But they've forgotten one truth..."
Shion turned toward her and looked into her eyes, which were filled with different emotions.
"You're their comrade. You're their Crown Princess. You're a girl from the Ostiferos Kingdom and Karath Academy. No foreigner has the right to treat you disrespectfully. Yes, they were wrong."
Jina asked Shion with a more assured tone,
"Shion, what do you think about this? What should I do?"
Shion smiled, but his words were harsh.
"Use your authority as the Crown Princess. They've seen your kindness, but they should also know your anger."
Jina asked,
"Wouldn't that be an abuse of authority?"
Shion replied,
"It would be if you used it unfairly. You gave them peace, but they didn't appreciate it."
Jina felt a chill, but she knew it was necessary.
"I'll ask His Majesty first, but... won't they avoid me afterward?"
Shion answered as he opened the door to her quarters.
"If they avoid you, that means they never deserved to be around you in the first place."
Shion was about to leave, but she grabbed his hand and said,
"Shion... Thank you."
Shion smiled.
"You don't have to thank me, Your Highness."
But Jina asked,
"You'll fight them all for my honor, won't you?"
Shion was surprised.
'Your honor?! When did that happen?! I was forced to carry out a plan that I couldn't even discuss!'
But he smiled and said,
"As your loyal subject, I will."
Jina's heart filled with warmth.
"Mia, give Shion anything that might be useful to him!"
Mia appeared from nowhere and presented several precious potions.
Shion wanted to refuse politely, but Shi Yun Lan said,
"Don't refuse the princess's gift. Choose this one."
Shion noticed a particular potion and asked,
"What is this potion?"
Mia replied,
"The Soul-Regaining Potion."
Shion understood why Shi Yun Lan wanted it. He was about to take it when Jina grabbed his hand.
"Your Highness?"
Shion was about to ask what was wrong, but Jina took a small potion from her inner pocket and said,
"This one is more effective. If you need more, just ask me."
Jina felt embarrassed because the potion carried her scent, but Shion didn't think much about it.
"Thank you very much. Wait for my victory."
Shion waved goodbye and left.
Jina entered her room with her heart pounding.
"I didn't expect him to accept it so easily! Will he think about me? Oooh! What should I do now...?!"
Mia said enthusiastically,
"Although many bad things happened today, Lord Lan is going to fight for your honor! This is your chance to get closer to him!"
Jina smiled with a flushed face for a while before her expression turned cold.
"As for the commoners, I won't defend them anymore if they're bullied by nobles."
Mia was smiling, but she sensed something wrong with the princess.
"Your Highness?!"
Jina smiled and said,
"They didn't stand up for me, so I have to teach them gradually. I won't go beyond my authority, but they must learn proper manners."
Mia wasn't sure about Jina's decision, but she bowed.
"As you wish, Your Highness. I'll spread the news."
Jina's expression warmed again as she remembered Shion. She whispered,
"After he defeats them, I'll invite him to dinner. Hehehe...!"
Inside her domain, Celisia wore a malicious smile as she thought,
'I can't influence Jina directly, so... I'll use Shion to break her down slowly. She'll be mine soon.'
---
Shion reached the arena and realized that he still had some time before facing the Bimal students that afternoon.
"Well, I have time!"
Shion sat on the arena floor and entered the Veins Domain, where he met Shi Yun Lan.
"Shi Yun Lan, we'll use the prohibited technique and the potion to heal our souls."
"...."
Shi Yun Lan didn't answer. Instead, he asked,
"Do you remember the anatomy of the human body?"
Shion was confused by the question, but he answered,
"Of course. I spent three years studying it in the Third Vein."
"Well..."
Shi Yun Lan said nothing more and unleashed his deadly aura throughout the domain.
"What the—?!!"
"You have a potion that can restore your soul. You don't need to worry about the side effects of communicating with me."
Shi Yun Lan said that coldly as he approached Shion.
"You used your knowledge of anatomy to train yourself, but you can use that same knowledge to fight others. I'll teach you how."
The arm of Shi Yun Lan, which held the sword, began to distort and fuse with it.
"(Art of Annihilation: Body of the Dead)."
His arm transformed into a cord that held the sword, which had fused with his bones.
Shi Yun Lan said,
"The goal of this training is to improve your fighting ability, not to increase your power, as it's already quite good at the moment."
Shion asked,
"Are you sure about that?"
Shi Yun Lan replied,
"Don't worry. I won't kill you. I'll let you live as you please in my domain."
The deadly aura filled the surroundings with the smell of blood as Shi Yun Lan used another technique.
"(Art of Annihilation: Blood of the Dead)."
His appearance became a nightmare, but Shion didn't have time to think about it. He saw the distorted arm attacking him.