The iron-wrought gates of the Royal Academy groaned as they swung open, a sound that usually signaled a fresh start for the kingdom's elite. For Liam von Astrid, it was the sound of a cage door opening so he could finally hunt the wolves inside.
He leaned back against the plush velvet seats of the Astrid carriage, his fingers idly tracing the silver-rimmed monocle in his breast pocket. Beside him, Suzune sat with a sharp, focused poise. The silence between them wasn't cold; it was the quiet of two hunters preparing for an ambush.
"You look different today, my Lord," Suzune whispered, her eyes lingering on the sharp line of his jaw. "The boy who left this manor would have been trembling. You... you look like you're calculating the weight of the world."
"I am, Suzune," Liam replied, his voice a calm baritone. "And I've found the world is lighter than I thought."
As the carriage—a masterpiece of black steel and gold filigree—came to a halt in the Grand Courtyard, a crowd of students gathered. They expected to see a ghost; instead, they saw a man who walked with a heavy, predatory grace. Liam stepped out, offering a hand to Suzune. Her mature elegance and the confident way she stood by his side immediately sent a ripple of whispers through the crowd.
"Liam! I heard you tried to find out if the river was deeper than your father's pride!"
The voice was like a serrated blade. Marcus von Ignis stepped forward, flanked by his usual pack of jackals. He was a boy of fire and arrogance, his red hair shimmering with the heat of his mana. He stopped inches from Liam, his chest puffed out, unleashing his [Fire Pressure] to humiliate him in front of the crowd. The air grew dry and shimmering with heat, forcing the weaker students to take a step back.
Liam didn't blink. He took a single step into Marcus's space, closing the gap until their chests nearly touched. Suddenly, a freakish, localized gust of wind—the Goddess's Favor manifesting—swirled through the courtyard. It caught Marcus's heat and whipped it back into his own face. The bully stumbled, coughing as his own mana scorched his throat.
"You're making a scene, Marcus," Liam whispered, his voice terrifyingly calm. "Enjoy the sun while it lasts. I'm going to uncover everything. The girl, the truth, the Ignis name. You're already a dead man; you just haven't stopped breathing yet."
Marcus watched him walk away, his heart hammering against his ribs in a way that felt like a death knell. He tried to shout a retort, but his throat was too dry to form the words.
The Encounter in the Marketplace
Late that afternoon, Liam managed to slip away from the Academy's suffocating atmosphere. He donned a simple brown traveler's cloak, masking his noble crest, and headed for the Lower District. This was the marketplace where ordinary people lived and breathed—a place that felt honest compared to the gilded lies of the nobility.
As he wandered near the edge of a lonely, fog-shrouded street, his intuition flared. It wasn't a thought; it was a golden pull at his soul. He followed the sensation into a narrow alleyway and stopped.
He saw four men in dark, professional leather armor surrounding a woman.
She was dressed in a tattered commoner's cloak, her face partially hidden. But even undercover, she moved with a grace that felt lethal. Liam could feel a mana density coming from her so thick that it felt like standing in the middle of a brewing thunderstorm. The very air around her tasted of ozone and static.
"Did you think a rag would hide you, Second Princess?" one of the men hissed, brandishing an anti-mage dagger. "The 5th Prince doesn't want his older sister interfering in his business anymore. It's time for the 'Storm of the Kingdom' to be silenced, Exora."
Liam watched from the shadows. She's strong, he thought, probably stronger than all of them combined. But they have specialized equipment. If I wait, she might get hurt. He looked at the cobblestones, his former salaryman mind analyzing the "blueprint" of the alley.
What skill is suitable here? he muttered to himself, searching his mental library. A wall? No, too slow. A spike? Too messy. I need something that removes their foundation.
"Let's go with this," he whispered. "[Astrid Style: Foundation Dissolution]."
He knelt and pressed his palm to the stone. He didn't create a blast of magic; he simply vibrated the molecular bonds of the pavement. The stones beneath the four assassins dissolved into a slurry of liquid granite. They sank to their chests in a heartbeat, their screams of confusion cut short as they struggled to find purchase in the liquid earth.
"Re-solidify," Liam commanded, closing his fist.
The earth snapped back into diamond-hard stone with a sharp crack. The men were pinned instantly, fused into the street from the waist down.
The woman turned. She hadn't been afraid—she had been waiting to unleash a bolt of lightning that would have leveled the alley—but now her eyes were wide with genuine surprise. She looked at Liam, and because of the Goddess's Favor, she felt a jolt of intense, obsessive attraction. To her, he didn't look like a student; he looked like a master who had just dismantled the world with a touch.
"An Astrid?" she murmured, her voice a rich, authoritative alto.
Liam walked forward and kissed her hand, ignoring the faint sparks of blue electricity jumping from her skin to his. "Liam von Astrid," he said. "You are far too important to be wandering the Lower District alone, Princess Exora."
She flushed—a sensation she hadn't felt in years. "I am... grateful, Liam. I believe we have a common interest in cleaning up the filth of this city."
The Trial of the Vipers
The following morning, the Academy's Grand Hall was a den of vipers. The Board of Management—six corrupt old men who had been bought by the Ignis and the Crown—sat behind a mahogany table. In the center was the Headmaster, and beside him sat the 5th Prince, Bastian.
Bastian was a repulsive sight. Bloated, with piggish eyes and a wet, cruel mouth. He looked at Liam with a smug grin, confident in his royal protection.
"Lord Astrid," the Headmaster droned. "This obsession with the commoner girl is a scandal. We have decided to close the case. Her death was an unfortunate accident. Do not make us strip your family of its construction contracts."
"It wasn't an accident," Liam said, his voice booming through the hall. "She was taken on the orders of the 5th Prince. She was tortured and killed because she knew about the Treasury bribes."
Bastian let out a wheezing, piggish laugh. "And who will believe you? I am a Prince. My status is the highest in this room. My word is the only law. Guards, arrest this lunatic!"
The board members snickered, leaning back in their ornate stone chairs. They felt untouchable.
"Is that so?" Liam smiled. It was a cold, predatory expression. "Suzune. The files."
Suzune marched forward, slamming a mountain of evidence onto the table—the receipt of bribes, eyewitness alibis from the servants, and the 5th Prince's own signet ring found at the scene. The management was stunned, fear finally creeping into their faces as they looked at the undeniable proof.
"This is forgery!" Bastian screamed, spittle flying from his lips. "I'll have your heads for this!"
"Will you, brother?"
The heavy oak doors were thrown wide. Princess Exora walked down the center aisle, her emerald robes crackling with blue electricity. She wasn't the "damsel" from the market now. She was the Second Princess, a woman whose power made the very air vibrate.
"By the order of our Father," Exora thundered, her eyes flashing with lightning. "The Board is dissolved. The Headmaster is gone. And Bastian... you are no longer a Prince."
Bastian tried to flee through a side door, but Exora moved like a flash of light. She was in front of him in a heartbeat. She delivered a series of lightning-enhanced strikes that sent the flabby royal spiraling across the stone floor. She beat him to near death, her strikes a blur of royal fury for disgracing the family reputation. The hall was silent, save for the sound of crackling electricity and Bastian's whimpers.
The New Headmistress
Three days later, the purge was complete. Marcus von Ignis had been hanged in the capital square. Prince Bastian was in a lightless cell.
Liam was summoned to the Headmaster's office—which was now the office of the Royal Overseer. When he entered, he saw Exora sitting behind the massive desk. She had discarded her royal traveling clothes for a sharp, form-fitting dress that emphasized her statuesque figure.
She looked at him, and for the first time, Liam saw the true depth of the Goddess's Favor. She wasn't just interested; she was obsessed.
"Liam," she said, her voice dropping to a low, seductive register. "The rot is gone. My brother is in a hole he will never leave. The management is in chains."
She stood up and walked around the desk, the "pressure" of her lightning mana making the air between them thick and electric. She stopped so close that Liam could feel the warmth of her body. She bit her lower lip, her eyes dark with a hunger that was entirely personal.
"I am the Headmistress now," she whispered, her hand sliding up his chest to rest on his heart. A small spark danced between her fingertips and his collar. "I can give you anything. Power. The Astrid name restored. My own... private guidance. Be mine, Liam."
Liam looked at the woman who could vaporize him with a thought. Behind him, the invisible demon Mika was howling with laughter. "She's practically begging you to become her king, traveler! Take the win!"
Liam leaned in, his lips inches from her ear, smelling the faint scent of ozone on her skin. "I am honored, Headmistress," he murmured. "But I just got my freedom back. I want to enjoy this world first."
He pulled back and offered a polite bow. Exora stood there, breathless and electrified, her desire only growing stronger at the rejection. A man who couldn't be bought with power? It made him the ultimate prize.
"Fine," she breathed, her gaze following him as he walked toward the door. "But remember, Liam... I am the Headmistress. You are in my house now. And lightning always finds its mark."
Liam stepped out into the hallway, where Suzune was waiting. He felt the weight of his new life—the luck, the power, and the dangerous women who now watched his every move.
"The school year is going to be very interesting," Liam muttered.