Hearing Nefthis's words, Jane's eyes widened in shock.
"Wait—what?! You're a Legion Commander…?" she blurted, staring at Knox.
Knox blinked once. Then twice.
"What?! I'm a Legion Commander?!" he shot back, pointing at himself.
Hearing what Knox said, Jane's face—normally famous for being colder than winter—actually twitched. Her eyebrow rose just a little. If any Kizen student had been there to witness it, some of them would've probably burst into applause. After all, making Jane react was considered a near-mythical achievement.
Before the moment could go any further, Nefthis cut into their little skit.
"But," she said, holding up a hand, "I don't feel the aura of a Legion Commander from you. And I don't sense any Administrator presence from your summons either." Her eyes flicked toward Igris and Beru. "Even though those two—what did you call them? Igris and Beru, right?—clearly possess strength at least on par with ancient undead. They even have their own will."
Knox answered with a bright, almost playful lilt, "Hmm… how about you guess?"
Nefthis's forehead twitched. "Hmph."
She turned her head to the side with an exaggerated little puff of her cheeks—trying, and failing, to look dignified.
"If you don't want to tell me, then don't."
Knox let out a light laugh. "Pffft, why are you like that? Are you a tsundere? Come on, tsundere is already out of style, you know?" he teased in that airy, almost sing-song tone of his.
Well… considering her age, she is way past the tsundere era, he added inwardly.
Nefthis' smile sharpened—just a little. Like she'd caught a scent.
"Knox," she said sweetly, "did you just think something rude?"
Knox blinked, the picture of innocence.
"Haha… I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied with a soft laugh. "I was just wondering what kind of snacks I should serve you two. I mean, I already gave you drinks, but no snacks. That'd be rude of me, right?"
Hearing this, Nefthis's eyes lit up instantly. "I want cake!"
Jane, watching her leader act like an excited child, could only let out a tiny sigh and shake her head. Still, despite her helpless expression, her tone betrayed her expectation.
"I… I'll have the same as Nefthis."
Knox simply chuckled, stood up, and headed to the kitchen. He opened the fridge-like tool, took out the matcha cake he made yesterday, sliced a few neat pieces, placed them on two plates, and served them.
The moment Nefthis and Jane saw the cakes, they instantly recognized the craftsmanship—just from appearance alone. And after taking the first bite, their reactions were immediate.
Nefthis's eyes widened. "This—! Again?!"
Jane, who rarely showed emotion, let out a quiet breath of disbelief. "It's… really good."
Curious, Jane asked, "Did you make these too?"
Knox answered with a bright grin, voice lightly playful, "Of course~"
Hearing that, Nefthis blinked, genuinely impressed.
"At your age, not only are you already famous for your strength, and earning plenty from your writings… you're also good at cooking. With all that—and your face—I'm one hundred percent sure you're going to make a lot of girls cry later in Kizen."
Knox immediately denied it, almost offended.
"Hold on—what do you mean 'make a lot of girls cry'? Do I look like a scumbag?!"
But then, something clicked in his head. He paused… squinted… then pointed at her.
"…Wait. Did you just say Kizen? Why do you sound like you've already decided I'm going there?"
His eyes rolled slightly at her casual assumption. But he waved his hand a moment later.
"Alright, alright, let's get back to the main topic. Based on what you've said… you probably want me to work under you—and enroll in Kizen, right?"
Nefthis crossed her arms, her voice turning almost casual as she began,
"Well, I've actually been watching you ever since you wiped out that Slippery Rat gang in the neutral zone a few years back. I figured you might turn into a little hidden gem."
She paused—then accidentally continued a bit too honestly,
"And after that, when I got bored and ran away from work—"
She blinked, immediately correcting herself with an awkward cough, "Ahem—I mean, when I was feeling very motivated with work and decided to check on that 'gem' with my own eyes—"
Her eyes flicked to Igris and Beru, amusement swirling in them.
"Suddenly, you're overflowing with strange power. Especially those summons. And now that I've confirmed it directly, I'm even more certain."
She leaned forward slightly, her smile taking on a sharper edge.
"Working with me would be the right move for you, Knox. I can even help you, you know."
Then her tone dropped, quieter but clearer—almost too honest.
"I'm pretty sure you also realize this: if certain people start believing you're a legion commander… it'll become a lot more than just 'troublesome,' right?"
Before Knox could even open his mouth, Jane was already staring daggers at Nefthis.
"Did you just say ran away from work?" she asked, voice cold enough to freeze an ocean. Then, without missing a beat: "Ah, my mistake. You said you're very motivated, right? In that case, I'll assign even more work to you."
The color drained from Nefthis's face.
"W–Wahhh—! I'm sorry, Jane! I won't do that again! I swear!" she yelped, practically flailing.
Jane only sighed—an exhausted, this-is-my-life kind of sigh—while watching her supposed leader panic like a kid caught sneaking snacks before dinner.
Looking at this, Knox could only let out a small laugh before answering Nefthis' question.
"Well, yeah. If people start thinking I'm a legion commander, it'll definitely attract… unwanted attention." He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest. "Some might try to test me. Some might try to use me. And worst of all—" he pointed casually at Igris and Beru, "—other legion commanders might get the brilliant idea that I'm a new prey they can hunt down and absorb. Since, you know… that's how legion commanders are. They see an army and think, 'Oh, free meal.'"
He shrugged lightly, though there was nothing light about the weight behind his words.
"To make it worse, after that whole incident—the Seventh Legion's betrayal—the title of 'legion commander'… kind of turned into a big, flashing neon sign that says 'problems incoming'."
Jane's expression stiffened a little, clearly not fond of that reminder.
Nefthis nodded, arms crossing, her earlier playfulness dimming just a touch. "Exactly. That's why I said working with me will be easier for you. Fewer eyes. More protection. And definitely less chaos compared to dealing with legion politics."
Knox blinked slowly. "…Less chaos? With you?"
Nefthis immediately looked away. "I—I can be very orderly when I want to!!"
From the side, Jane sighed. "That's the most unconvincing thing you've said today."
Nefthis whirled on her. "Jane!!"
Jane didn't even blink.
Knox chuckled under his breath. "Right, right. Let's pretend I believe that."
He leaned back, eyes half-lidded, thinking.
"So… you're offering me a place in the Dark Alliance, and at the same time, a way to avoid getting mistaken for a legion commander, right?" He looked between the two. "Is that the gist?"
After saying that, Knox went quiet for a moment, letting the room settle. Then he added, "Well… regarding your question, I can answer this much: I'm not a Legion Commander. But I do have a certain ability that's… similar."
Both Nefthis and Jane visibly reacted—surprise first, then a sharp curiosity sharpening their expressions.
"Hmm?" Jane leaned forward slightly. "May I ask what kind of ability that is? Though—" she lifted a hand politely, "—I know it's rude to pry. If you prefer not to tell us, you don't have to."
Knox smiled—calm, easy, almost too honest for someone with secrets.
"Normally, I wouldn't tell anyone about my abilities. But since it's the two of you… I don't mind. I actually do trust you."
Those words made both women blink—unexpected enough that they briefly forgot what they were about to say. They had only met him today, after all.
But before they could respond, Knox continued.
"Based on what my summons told me—and from a bit of research I did—this ability of mine lets me 'raise the dead' and turn them into my summons. And before you say it—yes, yes, that does sound like a necromancer." He lifted a finger lightly, as if cutting off their thoughts. "But to be precise, I don't raise their corpses. I summon their shadow. You could say I bring them back from death not as undead… but as shadows."
He sat back, letting those words hang in the air.
Hearing this explanation, Nefthis and Jane both froze for a second, as if their minds needed a moment to process what he just said.
Nefthis was the first to react. Her eyes widened—then slowly narrowed in fascination.
"Shadow… not corpse. 'Raising the dead', but not as undead—rather, as their shadows?" She let out a low whistle. "That's… honestly the first time I've ever heard of something like that."
Jane, meanwhile, looked even more serious than usual.
"So you're not manipulating their bodies or souls," she murmured. "You're manipulating… the imprint? The echo of their existence?"
She looked genuinely intrigued.
Knox nodded lightly. "Something like that. It's closer to calling their silhouette and giving it substance."
Neffis leaned forward, eyes gleaming like a cat that just found a rare toy.
"That's why your summons have their own will… and why they don't carry the aura of a legion commander's administrator." She grinned. "You're not resurrecting them. You're… recreating them."
Knox only shrugged with a small smile. "Well, it's not like I fully understand the mechanics either."
Jane crossed her arms. "Even so… the power itself is dangerously close to a legion commander. No wonder people would misunderstand."
Neffis nodded in agreement. "Yeah. If someone only saw the effects, they'd assume you're a new commander—or a hidden one."
Knox lifted a finger. "But I'm not."
"And that," Nefthis said, pointing at him with a half-laugh, "is exactly why it's even more interesting."
Jane let out a small sigh at her leader's enthusiasm, but she didn't deny it.
Knox leaned back slightly, crossing his arms with an easy smile.
"Alright then—in terms of your recruitment offer. If I accept it, do I have to pay some kind of price? Like… working for you in conditions similar to a black company's slave contract?"
At that line, Jane visibly twitched.
Her cold expression cracked just enough for her to shoot Nefthis a sharp glare—
the kind of glare that very clearly said:
I've been through that.
Nefthis immediately raised both hands, panicked.
"W–Wait! Why are you looking at me like that?! I didn't make you a slave!"
Jane slowly narrowed her eyes, deadpan.
"…You didn't? Really?"
Nefthis looked away in shame. "…Not intentionally…?"
Jane sighed, the exhaustion of a thousand unpaid overtime hours swirling behind her eyes.
Knox could only watch the exchange, blinking.
"…So the dark alliance is a black company."
"No, it's not!!" Nefthis snapped, cheeks puffed in indignation. "We're perfectly ethical! …Mostly!"
Jane coughed aggressively at that.