Ten days passed in a blink.
It was now July 12—mid-month.
The word "scorching" seemed to be slowly retreating from the capital's streets and alleyways. The hottest part of the day had shrunk down to just a few hours around noon.
But none of that dampened the city's energy.
At a glance, there were more and more bicycles on the roads.
People rode through the market, weaving along the wide streets, as if the rhythm of the whole city had sped up.
Newsboys walked the streets with a stack of newspapers tucked under one arm. With the other hand, they held a single copy up high, shouting at the top of their lungs as they walked.
"Paper! Paper! Today's Royal City Bulletin!"
"A minor earthquake hit Koka Town—multiple buildings have collapsed! The cause has been confirmed: a powerful stone giant awakened, but it was driven off by a mysterious hammer-wielding monster hunter!"
"Want the full story? Subscribe to today's Royal City Bulletin!"
"Kaka Restaurant on Third Street in the capital is celebrating its grand opening! Bring this newspaper and get thirty percent off!"
"Today's insider scoop: the untold two or three 'little details' between Demacia's High Marshal and the commander of the Dauntless Vanguard!"
"The domineering High Marshal and the delicate commander—he runs, she chases, there's no escape!"
"What?! The High Marshal has already secretly given her heart away—so who is the man?"
"Everything you want to see is in today's Royal City Bulletin!"
Hearing that, pedestrians immediately got excited and swarmed in.
"One copy for me!"
"No way—so the High Marshal and the commander have secrets too?"
"This is my favorite kind of story. Give me one!"
"Me too! Me too!"
With the crowd buying so enthusiastically, it was guaranteed that today—and for a long while after—people would have yet another topic to savor in conversation.
The Royal City Bulletin published one issue every three days. This was already the fourth issue.
At first, Luke had planned to publish daily. But after thinking it through, he realized that in an era with slow information flow, a daily schedule was simply too intense.
So he adjusted it to one issue every three days.
And so far, none of the four issues had disappointed.
Besides serious national news and short stories, the thing that captured people the most was the gossip section.
The private lives of nobles—normally unreachable figures—were absurdly entertaining. One rumor after another, each more ridiculous than the last.
House Menck's eldest son drinking himself senseless every day and abandoning his duties.
Minister Roy's "sweet little wife" who was somehow thirty years younger than him.
Jarvan IV secretly liking chicken butts.
Some young noble lord whose "type" turned out to be men.
All kinds of bizarre gossip—exactly the sort of thing that fed the public's burning curiosity.
Of course, it wasn't only gossip. There were also highlight profiles—like the very first issue's piece on Garen.
And while reading all this, the people of the capital couldn't help marveling at how reckless the person behind the paper must be.
The nobles being exposed weren't just anyone—one background was more terrifying than the next—yet the newspaper office was still operating normally, untouched.
Today, they even dared to dig into the High Marshal's gossip.
That took real nerve.
Because of that, people didn't want to miss a single issue. They were afraid that if they skipped one, the paper might disappear overnight and they'd never get to read it again.
What they didn't know was that the "owners" of those gossip stories had indeed stormed into the palace in outrage, planning to report the paper.
But every single one of them stopped in front of the High Marshal's office door… and left empty-handed.
Once word spread that the paper's backing might very well be the High Marshal herself, the nobles of the capital quietly accepted the paper's existence.
Besides, they thought, it wasn't like only one person got their dirty laundry aired out. Even Jarvan IV got his past dragged into the light in the second issue.
Thinking that way made them feel much more balanced.
And then, they noticed something else: a very real benefit.
Fame.
Anyone featured in the paper would gain popularity for a while. And when something heroic you'd done was printed for everyone to read—
When you rode down the street on horseback and people recognized you and whispered—
Every noble's vanity swelled like a balloon.
The common people got a fresh joke to chew on for a while.
And in return, nobles got something they craved just as much: attention, admiration, and increased reputation.
Once they realized that, plenty of nobles were willing to pay money just to secure a spot in the paper.
If Luke had to describe it, it was buying clout.
Of course, during the paper's early stages, Luke wasn't going to do that—even if it would bring him huge wealth in the short term.
To him, it was like grabbing a handful of pennies and throwing away a fortune.
But that didn't mean the paper was limited to only one business model.
When sharp-eyed merchants noticed that part of the newspaper layout was often left blank, they immediately sensed opportunity.
And that was something Luke had planned from the start: advertising.
Merchants used newspaper ads to enter the public's view.
The public used the newspaper to get discounts and convenience.
The newspaper office got paid by the merchants.
Everyone wins—assuming the newspaper doesn't get blinded by profit.
Luke was prepared for that. No matter how rich or well-connected a shop was, if they wanted an ad slot, they would be reviewed.
Only qualified businesses would get the chance to negotiate further.
These days, the paper's popularity in the capital wasn't fading—it was growing. Subscriptions kept climbing.
It was basically a massive vault of gold.
So massive it made people's eyes turn red with envy.
But anyone trying to imitate it got stuck on step one.
Because they couldn't solve the core problem: how do you print on a large scale?
They couldn't.
The printing press's key technology was in Luke's and Navis's hands.
And by the time Luke was willing to unlock the printing press technology for the wider world, the Royal City Bulletin would already hold a massive share of Demacia's market.
At this very moment, inside the palace…
In the High Marshal's office…
Tianna stared at the paper in her hand, her brow twitching so hard it looked like it might fly off her face.
"Two or three 'little details'?"
"He runs, she chases, no escape?"
"Secretly given her heart away?"
Each phrase on its own was harmless.
But when you stacked them together, Tianna's anger shot through the roof.
This paper… you know what—no, you really do know what—
"So this brat is finally bold enough to fleece me too?"
With that thought, Tianna stood up, her face coated in frost.
Royal Academy.
Inside a classroom.
Luke sat by the window, yawning as he stared outside.
The green leaves from his memories had quietly begun to yellow. The marks on them looked like footprints—time itself passing through and leaving traces behind.
Beside him, Lux was doodling on a sheet of paper, clearly in high spirits.
When she finished, she jabbed the pen into Luke's side.
Luke turned, looking annoyed, and asked with his eyes what she wanted.
The blonde girl blinked, pointed her pen at the paper between them, and then scribbled quickly:
"Want to play five-in-a-row?"
Luke glanced down. Sure enough, she'd drawn a neat board.
Bored out of his mind, Luke picked up his pen and wrote back:
"Why wouldn't I?"
Lux kept writing:
"Loser does the other person's homework tonight."
Luke nodded, then couldn't help giving the little blonde menace an extra look—amused.
Who told you you had the confidence for this?
Seeing his expression, Lux laughed arrogantly.
When she laughed, a tiny fang-like canine peeked out, making her look weirdly adorable.
But after that smug laugh, she hesitated and added on the paper:
"Best two out of three!"
Even though she'd been grinding her game nonstop lately, her opponent was still Luke. Playing it safe was smarter.
Luke smiled lazily and wrote:
"Fine."
As for why they weren't whispering—
It was because they'd gotten caught chatting in class by Teacher Mors not long ago. After that, they wised up and switched to paper conversations.
So far, they hadn't been discovered again.
The moment Luke agreed, Lux drew a circle on the board without hesitation, snatching first move.
Luke glanced at her but didn't comment. He drew his own mark and countered.
Both of them sat upright like model students, listening to the teacher lecture—while secretly battling on the paper.
Honestly, Lux had improved a lot. She calmly blocked several of Luke's setups.
All the girls had improved tremendously at five-in-a-row lately.
Back when they first started, Luke never even had to think—no matter who he played, he could win with his eyes closed.
But now, when he played Fiora, he couldn't be as casual as before.
And now even Lux had caught up enough to pressure him.
Time really did move fast.
At this point, Luke had to be careful against Lux. One careless move, and he really could get flipped.
Still, after several exchanges, Luke took the win.
Lux pouted, frustrated—but she also saw a glimmer of hope.
The pressure Luke gave her now was nowhere near as crushing as it used to be.
The previous game had been back-and-forth. That meant the next one truly could go either way!
"Again!" Lux wrote excitedly, pulling out a second pre-drawn board.
Luke was about to write back—
But then he suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine from behind.
It was a familiar sensation.
Like he'd experienced it somewhere before.
Sensing danger, Luke immediately set down his pen.
Lux frowned at his sudden seriousness. He was staring forward like he was listening intently to the lecture.
She poked him with her pen.
Luke shot her a warning look.
Lux blinked, and in the next second, she seemed to understand something from that look—her face lighting with realization.
Luke thought, Good. She gets it.
Then she started poking him even harder.
With a smug little snort, Lux began writing furiously:
"Scared!"
"I saw fear in your eyes!"
"Are you finally afraid of losing to me?"
"Are you really that scared I'll beat you?"
"Don't pretend you can't see this—someone who stares out the window every class can't be listening this hard!"
Luke felt like he was going to pass out. He kept blinking at her, trying to warn her.
"What, do your eyes hurt?"
"Stop acting—if you're not scared, then start the second game!"
"I'm winning this one for sure!"
"Still acting, huh?"
Lux kept scribbling. Seeing Luke still refusing to respond, she was about to poke him again—
When a hand suddenly appeared, picked up the pen, and wrote on their paper:
"What are you two chatting about? Having that much fun?"
Lux looked at Luke's hands.
Then looked at the extra hand on the paper.
Her head turned… slowly… inch by inch.
Her face froze.
Her complexion went pale in an instant.
Tianna was standing there, smiling at her.
Lux stiffly rotated her head back forward again, looking like she was about to cry.
Now she understood exactly what Luke had been afraid of.
"Stand up."
Tianna's voice was cold.
Lux immediately sprang to her feet on reflex, back straight, not daring to move.
Up front, the teacher's voice paused for a moment. After Tianna gestured for him to continue, he resumed lecturing.
Plenty of classmates snuck a look back, saw Tianna, and instantly snapped their heads forward, sitting up straighter than soldiers.
Tianna shot Lux a look of pure irritation, then shifted her gaze to the seat beside her and just stared.
Luke stood up as well, expressionless, but he couldn't help cutting Lux a look full of spite.
What a disaster of a teammate.
So the two of them stood through the entire class.
And the moment it ended, Tianna took them both away.
"If you like staring at scenery so much in class," Tianna said with a cold smile as they walked, "should I set up a desk for you outside?"
Luke forced a dry laugh. "Just occasionally. Only occasionally. Most of the time I listen seriously—unlike Lux. She dozes off every day."
Lux froze, then whipped around, glaring at him. "I do not! He's the one! Besides Teacher Mors's class, he spends half the day sleeping on his desk!"
"Like you don't sleep too," Luke shot back. "And you sneak snacks in class."
"You ate too!"
"You two are the same kind of delinquent."
Tianna flicked each of them on the forehead.
In her eyes, this was just one nuisance calling the other a nuisance.
She narrowed her eyes at the two suddenly quiet brats.
"You don't want me to make an example of my own family, do you?"
Luke and Lux nodded frantically.
"Then don't let me see the same thing again."
Tianna snorted, then turned her gaze to Luke, smiling sweetly in a way that felt dangerous.
"And you—your nerve is getting bigger by the day."
Luke immediately understood what she meant and answered without hesitation, ready with his excuse:
"I was just having you set an example, so certain people can't run their mouths. If the Royal City Bulletin dares to dig into the High Marshal's gossip, other nobles won't have room to complain."
Sure, the logic was there.
But Tianna was still extremely unhappy.
Staring at the little brat trying to talk his way out of it, Tianna asked coldly, "Who told you those rumors? Or did you just make them up?"
Luke answered instantly: "My brother."
"Oh? Is that so?"
The moment those words left his mouth—
A terrifying chill poured off Tianna's body.
Just standing close to her made Luke and Lux feel cold.
Lux shrank her neck, looking oddly sympathetic.
Jarvan… you're in trouble.
"It's one thing for him to say it," Tianna said. "It's another thing for you to print it."
Some of that killing aura drifted straight toward Luke.
Luke immediately said, "There are three barrels of new wine in the courtyard—Peach Blossom Wine. I prepared it specifically for you."
In an instant, the chill mellowed into warmth.
"It's not that important," Tianna said, now looking at Luke with downright gentle affection. "Go back and focus on your classes."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Luke and Lux answered at once and bolted without looking back.
Tianna watched their retreating backs with a smile, feeling much better as she headed toward Luke's courtyard.
Meanwhile, the two of them returned to the classroom looking like survivors of a near-death experience.
And from Tianna's reaction today, Luke could tell—
She and Lev probably did have a little secret.
There had always been faint palace whispers, but nobody dared say anything openly.
Back when Luke had gone to chat with Jarvan IV and gotten him drunk on two bottles of Immortal Drunk, he'd heard the rumor straight from his mouth.
Supposedly, the current commander of the Dauntless Vanguard—Lev—had once been a complete nobody.
He'd spent his days slacking off, doing the bare minimum, just hoping to coast as an ordinary soldier until retirement.
But then Tianna discovered his exceptional talent and promoted him all the way up, step by step, until he reached the position of commander.
From the day they met until now, it had been more than ten years.
After Tianna's husband died in the war, she'd remained alone.
And what was strange was—
Lev, the man she'd elevated, was clearly a rising star. At his age, he'd already become the commander of Demacia's strongest army.
With talent like that, his doorstep should've been crushed by marriage proposals.
Yet to this day, he still hadn't taken a wife.
He remained alone.
So naturally, strange rumors started to circle around the two of them.
Before, people only dared to think about it in private.
But now that Luke had stabbed the whole thing into the sunlight, it became the hottest topic in the capital.
After all—smoke doesn't rise without a fire.
And judging by how quickly Tianna's attitude softened today, Luke would bet his life that if those two had "nothing going on," then the sun was about to rise in the west.
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