I read the invitation to the anti-nobility rally for the tenth time. [Foresight] had already burned it in my memory, but I felt uneasy. The relation between Byrne, the Zealots, and the anti-nobility rally was hazy at best, merely a hunch, but I couldn't help but feel paranoid about it. Byrne had a certain control over the System, or at least of magic above the System's authority. How much? I couldn't tell, but it scared me.

Grand Archivist Jeea was taking his sweet time with the parts I commissioned via Prince Adrien. The sooner I had my anti-Byrne tool, the safer I would feel, but Byrne wasn't the only source of fear.

The System Church and the Zealots were quiet.

Astur acted like nothing crazy had happened during the selection exams.

No more corrupted potions flooded the markets.

No more Ashthorn bulk purchases appeared on the Scry Ledger.

The city seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for Prince Adrien's crowning.

I wasn't going to tell anyone, but I was growing scared of Byrne. The fact that he had put together my mana pool as if it were just a simple magic trick was more than enough for me to see the gap in our power level.

Byrne's words still lingered in my mind.

You still have a part to play, Robert Clarke.

A helper?

An ally?

A foe?

A mere observer?

Byrne had me running around like a donkey chasing a carrot, but instead of a carrot, it was runeweaving knowledge and pointless magical topology problems.

I shoved those thoughts aside for a moment and focused on the present.

The Egg was full of cadets fighting inside the reinforced bubbles.

Rup fought against Odo and Harwin simultaneously. The puppet I had Ginz build from Warden's Roots had finally arrived in Cadria a few days after the Red Crystal explosion, and Rup had already mastered the movements of the multi-directional joints.

Fenwick had been the first one to complain about my apparent favoritism for the beastfolk girl, but I quickly pointed out that I had been spending good money on everyone's equipment to make the training sessions as close to a real fight as possible. For instance, Fenwick had asked for a heavy round shield to make [Lily Ward] easier to channel. The boy paired it with a spear or a sword, depending on his mood.

Genivra said the shield looked like a big chamber urinal.

Rup stood still in the center of the bubble while Wooden Rup and Hardtack chased Odo and Harwin around. The name of the new puppet was coined by Leonie because not even her [Stormlash] could make a dent in it. It was fitting. The silvery hue of the Warden's Root gave the wood a metallic appearance. Of course, only I saw the similarity to a robot.

The greatest advantage of Hardtack was that it didn't need a mana shield to survive attacks from anyone below Lv.40, so Rup didn't need to spend much mana protecting it.

In the next bubble, Talindra fought Malkah. As much as I pressed her to take a break and focus on nursing Faun Robert and writing the teaching manual she was working on, Talindra was set on continuing with the regular class schedule. She was way more energetic than usual, and although I acted like I didn't notice, she also started bossing the other teachers around.

The vines surrounding Talindra's body gave her the appearance of a huge spider. This time, however, she wasn't using her poisonous stinger. I nodded, satisfied with the combat.

Talindra punished Malkah only when the boy put himself at a disadvantageous position. The light Kigrian Knight's armor absorbed most of the blunt force of the blows, but part of the hit was transformed into mana. Malkah was turning out to be really good at mana manipulation. Even with the slightest strands of Bloodreaver mana, he could fortify his blade and shield to withstand attacks even slightly above his level.

Past Malkah's bubble, Aeliana and Yvain fought against Rockman. The Karid girl was already able to control six swords. She was getting creative with the use of the swords and the mana threads connecting them to her body to the point she could put pressure on Rockman and the members of the Rosethorn Squad. Aeliana had realized that her skill was excellent for area control, with swords floating in the blind spot of their opponents while the mana threads created a mesh that made movement difficult. The downside was that such area control also disfavored her allies.

Not Yvain, though. The Duelist Class, although less flashy than others, had a solid understanding of movement and positioning. The boy spent his free time fighting against the Osgirian Knight Puppets, and the results showed. Any shame he felt about using his father's fencing style was gone.

Leonie, Kili, and Aeliana were still the strongest fighters of the Cabbage-Basilisk-Gaiarok alliance, but the others didn't fall much behind. Fenwick would've had a much easier time fighting if Dolores had actually bothered to help him. The problem was that unless she was paid in gold and silver, Dolores wouldn't move a finger, and Fenwick was chronically broke. Still, he was smart enough to butter Dolore's biscuit with compliments and promises.

The spirit frog seemed much more fond of Yvain, probably for his family background.

The Osgirians were the biggest economic power in the kingdom, after all.

The bell tolled midday, and the sparring sessions stopped. Mister Reyes, my guide teacher when I was in college, always told us to honor the students' recess times. The Cabbage Class was already used to becoming free as soon as the bells rang.

"Don't fool around and focus on resting!" I called out, more mechanically than anything.

My mind was elsewhere, trying to complete a puzzle without enough pieces.

Seeing that I wasn't gathering the class for closing words, the cadets rushed outside the Egg, saying their goodbyes as they passed by my side. The great hall filled rather quickly, so it was better to get there early. Rup waved at me and ran down the corridor between the fortified bubbles, followed by Wooden Rup and Hardtack. The puppets moved in unison, which explained why the three of them could move together.

As much as the cadets had become stronger during the rigid part of the course, now that they could explore their powers, they were making huge jumps almost daily.

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"You are not running today?" Talindra asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

She had changed her Librarian's robe for a more comfortable fencing uniform, which made sparring a lot easier. It was the first time I saw her without her baggy robes. She looked more confident than usual.

"Maybe I should," I replied.

Lately, I've been jumping from the sparring sessions to the royal palace almost every day. [Foresight] told me that my body and mana pool were in perfectly good condition, but my body refused to move.

"I can't believe you forgot about us the moment Prince Adrien got interested in you," she taunted me.

I rolled my eyes.

"How's Little Robert doing?" I asked, even though I had seen him last night.

"He's hungry all the time, I can tell he will be a big boy… and don't look at me like that. Exercise is good for me, and Little Robert has an army of maids looking after him," Talindra replied, trying to suppress a smile.

After the deaths at the selection exam, Little Robert's arrival seemed like a miracle.

A miracle that might be better to keep away from cults, Red Corruption, and Byrne's teleportation shenanigans.

"Have you thought of raising Little Robert in the country?" I asked.

Talindra gave me a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

I scratched my head. "It's hard to explain, but the anti-nobility movement might be more dangerous than it seems."

Talindra patted my shoulder in a dismissive manner.

"I'm not nobility, and we are in the inner city. Nothing happens here, ever. This might be the safest place in the kingdom," she said. "Besides, I need to finish the teaching manual for when you return to Farcrest."

Even with Evelisse out of the picture, Prince Adrien and Astur had been keen on having her resume her activities to reform the Academy's teaching techniques. A moment later, I was walking outside the Egg with Talindra. Third-year Cadets had been on standby since the public appearance of Prince Adrien, so the Academy felt more cramped than usual.

I caught a glance of Ilya and Vigdis Herran talking in one of the gazebos. The gnome girl made violent and overly animated hand movements while the Herran girl cowered, seemingly waiting for a moment to run away. Given past interactions between the girls, Vigdis Herran had an aversion to Ilya. I couldn't tell if that feeling started at the Stephaniss Cup or if it was because of something that happened afterward. What I knew for sure was that Ilya was dead serious about helping the gnome communities in Herran territory.

Part of me wished I were less involved in world-ending events and more involved in the not-so-little projects of my kids.

"You are acting weird..." Talindra broke the silence.

"I am weird."

"...and absent-minded."

"I think you should take Little Robert and leave the city," I finally said.

"This is about the explosion, isn't it?" Talindra asked.

Prince Adrien's propaganda machine had made sure to label the event as an isolated incident to appease both the nobles who had grudges against the anti-nobility movement and the commoners at the East Ward. Despite the appearance of peace, the danger subsisted. In fact, I felt like Prince Adrien's peace could shatter at any moment.

"The anti-nobility movement isn't going to rain Alchemist Fire on the inner city," Talindra added.

We arrived at Little Robert's daycare at the Academy's infirmary. Talindra didn't lie when she said the faun had an army of maids looking after him. Mildred, the doula, gave me a distrustful glance, but ultimately left us alone. Little Robert was sleeping in his cradle as peacefully as ever.

I cast a [Silence Dome] around the room.

As a faux godfather, I felt the obligation to protect him—and shower him with enchanted gifts.

"It was a Red Crystal," I said in a whisper, not because I feared being spied through the Silence Dome, but to not awaken Little Robert. "What exploded was a Red Crystal the size of a System Shrine."

"Like the ones on the affected cadets?" Talindra asked with a grave expression.

I nodded.

"It gets worse, Talindra. The one buying the ingredients for the corrupted potions and those carrying the Red Crystal seemed to be Zealots. I entered the Cloister. They had the Red Crystals from the cadets stored there," I quickly added.

"Does the Prince know?"

"Yes, but it's not like he can do anything against the Church other than remain vigilant."

Talindra took Little Robert in her arms, and the baby faun kept on sleeping.

"Why would the Church of the System be involved with the Red Corruption?"

That was the crux of the matter. I only had assumptions, and even those I couldn't share with Talindra without exposing my true Class. Would she be in more danger if she knew I was a Runeweaver?

"Rob?"

Cadria felt like a pressure cooker about to explode.

Even if I was wrong, it was time to make a move.

"Wait here. I'm gathering the team," I said, walking to the door.

Talindra and Little Robert were not safer just because they remained ignorant of the problems. To survive Ebros, I had to think like an Ebrosian. There was only one source of safety in this place, Astur and Prince Adrien knew it pretty well. That was high-level warriors. Part of me wanted to summon Astrid, Risha, and Izabeka, but that would leave Whiteleaf Manor undefended. I had to figure things out with the things I had at hand. Asking Prince Adrien for an escort was another option, but I ruled it out. I needed someone truly loyal in case I was flagged as an enemy of the System. Or if not loyal to me, at least skeptical of the System's intentions.

I retraced my steps and arrived at the gardens.

Ilya had stopped harassing Vigdis Herran and was chatting with Holst, protected from the sun under the corridor. They were talking about the performance of the Basilisk cadets. Ilya did most of the conversation while Holst listened carefully.

"Ilya, Darius, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need a hand," I said, looking at Ilya. "Can you gather the team?"

The gnome girl gave me a stern nod, and a moment later, I was alone with Holst.

"Did the prince make you work overtime again?"

"In fact, he did. I'm kind of a security advisor," I replied.

Holst examined me, and I knew his [Awareness] was working overtime. He wasn't the first person who looked at me like I was some sort of alien. Half of the inner city asked themselves what Prince Adrien had seen in me to give me the honor of walking by his side as his closest collaborator. Luckily for me, neither Holst nor Ghila had made a fuss about it and mostly focused on keeping the sparring competitive.

Last time I used [Identify] on Holst, he was Lv.43.

His skillset was fairly similar to mine when I was a Scholar.

"What is the most important thing for you, Darius?" I asked.

As much time as we had spent together lately, I realized I knew very little about him.

Holst came from one of the founding families of Farcrest, but Luzian Abei raised him at the Scholar Tower. He was closely related to the Marquis, although he held no nobility title. If his telling of the events was true, he even fought the Forest Warden's Monster Surge almost a decade ago despite his non-combatant status. Beyond that, he was also considered the most talented Scholar born in the city.

"That's not your business, Human Robert," he replied.

His tone gave no indication that he was joking, but I knew him better.

"Maybe people don't like you because they don't understand your sense of humor."

"How charitable on your part, but people don't like me because I think people are undisciplined, stupid, and lazy, and I can't care enough to hide it," he said.

The way he managed not to change his expression when speaking was certainly amazing.

"You can't be a good teacher thinking that your students are stupid," I pointed out, trying to open up his discursive shields.

Holst gave me a tired glance.

"I'm trying, Robert Clarke, I'm trying real hard."

As if on cue, we spotted Wooden Rup, Hardtack, and Cedrinor trying to pull down Fenwick's pants not a dozen meters from us in the garden.

"Is that all? I have things to do," Holst said, turning his back to the rowdy games of the cadets.

"I have one last question," I said, suddenly making a decision. "What would you do if the System told you to burn down Farcrest?"

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