Finding a quiet place in the populated academy was difficult, but not impossible for someone who had spent their previous life memorizing the world's map.
Lancet slipped through a rusted iron gate behind the Enchanter's faculty building, stepping into an overgrown, abandoned botanical garden.
Weeds were everywhere, and the sound of the Academy's noise became a muffled whisper. He looked left and right, affirming that he was alone.
It was a perfect spot.
Lancet took a deep breath, steadying his rapidly beating heart. He extended his right hand, feeling the familiar, pulling drain on his Soul Core.
"Summon."
Like before, a pillar of golden light descended from the sky, parting the overgrown canopy of the garden, and causing the surrounding weeds to flatten against the earth.
When the light evaporated upward, Astensia Valengard was there.
She looked around the garden, her gaze lingering on a far away, holographic advertisement board in the sky, before her eyes settled on Lancet.
Slowly, the Heroine sank to one knee. The metal of her greaves clanged against the stone path. She drove the Blessed Blade into the dirt, resting her gauntleted hands on the pommel.
"You called, great Summoner," she said, her voice sweet but at the same time, powerful.
Lancet rushed forward, waving his hands frantically. "Woah, hey, you don't have to kneel! Please, stand up. I'm just a First Year."
Astensia looked up at him, a faint, amused smile touching her lips. She rose smoothly, towering over him by a good six inches.
"As you wish," she said. "But you are more than that, Summoner. You bear the scent of someone who defies the natural order. And you possess me."
She tilted her head. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Lancet," he replied nervously.
She tried the name in her thoughts and smiled. "Lord Lancet. I am happy to be of service. What do you require?"
Lancet rubbed the back of his neck, looking down. "Well I just needed to talk to you." He looked back up, meeting her intense gaze. "I'm pretty weak, Lady Astensia. You saw it in the arena."
"I'm a Dull Rank. I don't have the Grace to fight, and I don't have the background to protect myself. I summoned you because... because I believe in what you stand for. I believe in your strength."
Astensia's expression softened. The cold, battle-hardened warrior gave way to something deeply solemn.
"When I died at the Greatest Gate," she began. "I thought my watch had ended. I floated in the Stream... an endless, silent dark. I might have been at peace, but I was useless."
She took a step closer to him, her aura almost pinning him at the spot.
"Then, a voice reached into the void. Your voice. You did not summon me to conquer, or to slaughter for glory. You summoned me because you were helpless, and because you trusted my legend. You placed your absolute faith in a ghost."
She placed a gauntleted hand over her heart. "A Knight does not ignore such a call. You gave me life again. In repayment, my blade is yours."
Lancet's eyes widened, heart leaping with excitement. "Are you saying that you pledge your loyalty to me?!"
Astensia nodded. "Yes..I pledge to be your shield, Lord alancet. None shall harm you while I draw breath."
Lancet stared at her, his throat tight. 'It worked easier than I thought. I guess she was really moved that I chose her in my time of need.'
He was still awestruck by it all, a bizarre sense of vertigo washing over him. To think that she had only been a figment of his imagination just yesterday.
Now, even she believed she had lived for decades. She remembered the cold wind of the Era of Ash. She even remembered the afterlife.
Unbelievable.
Lancet began to wonder if his power was a bit more terrifying than he had presumed.
"Thank you so much, Lady Astensia," Lancet said softly, meaning every word. "I promise, I will use your blade wisely."
Astensia smiled softly. "I am Astensia to you, Lord. I am your servant from henceforth for I only live because you do."
Lancet's brows raised. "Oh." She was technically right, he was only yet to get used to her intimidating presence. Even though he was her own creator as well.
He had to work on his own self confidence. He was omnipotent after all.
Astensia's gaze drifted back to the sky. She watched an aerobike zip past the academy spires.
"The world..." she murmured. "It has changed so much. The sky is no longer choked with ash. Buildings touch the clouds. And carriages fly without dragons to pull them. It is... overwhelming."
Lancet smiled. "It's a lot to take in. It's been three hundred years since your time. The world is a mix of magic and high technology."
He stepped towards her. "Once things settle down, I promise to show you around. Introduce you to the new world properly. So you can get used to it."
Astensia looked down at him, her blue eyes warming. "I would like that very much, Lord Lancet. To see the world I died to protect, finally at peace... it would be a gift."
A comfortable silence fell over them, a silence between a creator and his masterpiece.
Then, Astensia cleared her throat, a surprisingly human gesture for a legendary hero.
"Lord Lancet?" she asked, her tone slightly hesitant.
"Yeah?"
"If it is not an overstep..." She looked away, a hint of vulnerability crossing her stoic features. "Could you perhaps summon another Hero soon? When you do not require me, I am returned to the Summon Space. It is... a very white, very quiet place. It is quite lonely."
Lancet blinked, completely caught off guard. He hadn't even considered the living conditions of his inventory screen.
"Oh," Lancet said, scratching his neck awkwardly. "Yeah. I mean, I want to! But... it's complicated."
He mentally calculated his limits. He was broke on Creativity Points (CP). He barely had the Grace (MP) to keep her manifested for long periods. And according to the System, he needed to unlock a new Summon Slot before he could create a second heroine.
"I have to grow stronger first," Lancet explained carefully. "Gather resources. But I promise you, Astensia. I will summon another person soon. You won't be alone in there forever."
Astensia smiled, a brilliant, radiant expression that made his heart skip a beat. "Thank you, Master. I shall hold you to that."
"Time to go back," he said.
"Until you call."
Astensia closed her eyes. Her armor began to glow, and just like in the arena, she evaporated upward into ribbons of golden light, ascending until she vanished entirely.
Lancet stood alone in the overgrown garden for a moment, letting out a long exhale. That was mission successful!
He had gotten the pledge of a Platinum Knight, and with the Dungeon Clearing tomorrow, all he could see was Profits, and hopefully some Creativity Points.
Confident, he slipped out of the garden and made his way across the sprawling campus toward the Bronze Dorms.
The sun was beginning to dip lower. Dramatic shadows were drawn across the cobblestones and the scattered, rusted, housing of the Bronze Dorms.
Lancet put his hands in his pockets, thinking about how he was going to explain all of this to Kasto and Anita without exposing his Cheat.
But as he approached the gate, he saw a figure stepping out from the shadows of the stone archway.
Lancet stopped in his tracks, noticing the stones on the ground vibrating around the figure. It was a boy in a Class Group-C uniform, recklessly unbuttoned at the collar.
He had messy, earth-brown hair, and his eyes were a dull, flat gray that looked like polished granite. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, but his aura was strong enough for Lancet to feel.
Raising his brows, Lancet realized that he recognized that face from the novel's wiki.
It was Elias Kane. A Third-Year at this point in the story. He was a very powerful Golemancer, and by the look on his scarred face, it didn't seem like he was blocking Lancet's path for a friendly chat.