Chapter 364: Trouble

’...I really hope they won’t hand over the captives.’ Ethea talked to Soren via their bond. ’If such a thing happens, you will end up being targeted by them and...’

She trailed off, but Soren understood what she was trying to say.

He was the one who killed Sevihan, the Puppeteer, and captured their young master, Lucent, along with the other two, Leech and Nullifier. Worse yet, those two might know about Ethea’s existence since they worked with Sevihan. If the Empire surrendered the captives to satisfy the Outcasts, both Soren and Ethea would immediately have massive targets on their backs.

And while the chance was slim, he couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that the Empire might also hand him over to ’keep the peace’. When politics were involved, nothing was ever guaranteed.

Then again, Princess Roya, Commander Ervin, and Lord Asad promised to keep the matter a secret, and probably weren’t the type to betray. Only the other people present at the scene, the elves, the other knights, and the princess’s personal guards were the ones he couldn’t completely vouch for.

’...No.’ He shook his head, reminding himself not to be naive. The Princess and Lord Asad had their integrity and big reasons not to betray them, but the rest were loyal to the Empire above all else. If an order came down from the higher-ups to sacrifice an outsider for the greater good, they wouldn’t hesitate to obey.

Just then, Zura spoke up, breaking the heavy silence. "Why did you two quiet down all of a sudden?"

Soren looked up and shook his head lightly. "I was just thinking about how the Empire will handle this situation, and... the possibility that I might get involved."

"You?" Zura raised a brow. A moment later, a flash of realization passed through her eyes. "Yeah, I doubted you just sat on the sidelines during that incident, as the news suggested. I guess you played a big role then?"

"He’s the one who subdued almost all of the outcasts," Ethea spoke up before Soren could answer.

Soren turned toward her and nodded. Ethea then briefly explained the true events of the incident, leaving Zura stunned as the full scope of what Soren had accomplished finally sank in. She turned to Soren, her gaze filled with shock and a sliver of doubt.

"You... defeated the Hollow Pair? The Leech and the Nullifier? O-On your own?"

"It wasn’t easy," Soren answered. "I had help from Commander Ervin and others who held off the Leech and the possessed long enough for me to take out the Nullifier first. But yes, that’s what happened."

"..." Zura fell silent, her mouth slightly open.

Truthfully, she had written him off until now, viewing his strength through the lens of a typical 4th Circle cultivator and treating him primarily as a skilled magic chef. She had even privately categorized him as weak compared to the people she usually dealt with in her line of work.

Nobody could really blame her for thinking that way, either. Being at the 4th Circle at his age was completely ordinary, the literal definition of average. In fact, most of her students were at the same Circle as him, with some even surpassing him.

On top of that, he never carried himself like a warrior. He gave off no sharp or threatening aura and lacked the keen edge of seasoned combatants. He just looked like an ordinary guy who’d been exceptionally lucky enough to marry Ethea.

Yet the Hollow Pair were absolute nightmarish entities. They were the kind of threat that made seasoned, high-ranking veterans break into a cold sweat, fighters who could strip away your advantages and grind you down before you even realized what hit you.

For a 4th Circle chef like him to not only survive an encounter with them, but to actively dismantle them and walk away victorious, was nothing short of absurd.

’...Could it be he’s not a 4th Circle cultivator but higher?’

The thought struck her like a sudden bolt. Right, perhaps he was hiding his true strength using some high-grade concealment artifact. It was the only logical explanation for how anyone could pull off a feat like that.

"!" She was about to voice the theory, but the words caught in her throat as she recalled what Soren himself had told her. While talking about his sister, he had explicitly mentioned that he’d been unawakened for most of his life, exiled by his family, and only recently awakened.

If he had barely started cultivating a few months ago, then how was any of this possible?

"Just who are you...?"

The words slipped out before she could stop herself.

"Me?" Soren pointed at himself and chuckled. "I’m just an ordinary guy who was lucky to achieve where I am today. Nothing more, nothing less."

"What exactly does that mean?" Zura frowned, but as she picked up on the subtle shift in their emotions, she realized she was prying into matters far too personal.

"Ah... sorry," she mumbled, backing off quickly. "F-Forget I asked. That was out of line."

"It’s fine, it’s natural to be curious," Soren dismissed her apology with a small gesture. "Truth is, I just happen to have a unique physique. That’s the main reason I managed to handle those two."

"I... I see," Zura said, letting out a breath as the explanation somewhat settled the absurdity of it all.

"..."

An awkward silence fell over the room as Zura cursed herself internally for making things so uncomfortable. She had let her shock get the better of her, blurting out questions that clearly touched on sensitive ground.

"So," Soren was the first to break the ice, "what should we do then? Should we prepare for a worst-case scenario just in case?"

Ethea nodded after a moment’s thought. "I think we should."

"I-If it comes to that, you don’t have to face it alone," Zura chimed in, seizing the chance to pivot away from her earlier blunder. "The Academy can protect you if anything goes wrong. We have five Sovereigns, and every single one of them is an absolute powerhouse. Not even the Outcasts would be foolish enough to mess with us on our home ground. We can even summon Principal’s Avatar if things get out of hand."

"...Thank you," Soren said with a slight smile. "That’s a great safety net, and it’s reassuring to know we have that option."

He paused, glancing over at Ethea before meeting Zura’s gaze again.

"Still, staying locked up here forever isn’t realistic," he continued. "We can’t just hide behind the Academy’s walls indefinitely. Besides, if the Outcasts decide to come after us anyway, staying put just puts every innocent student on campus right in the crosshairs."

"...I’ll reach out to Princess Roya," Ethea added.

"Right!" At the sound of that name, Zura’s eyes lit up instantly. "That’s actually a great idea. I almost forgot you were close with her. "

"Mm." Ethea nodded and took her phone from Soren’s hand. She tapped rapidly on the screen, typed a concise message, and sent it off. She locked the device and rested it on her lap. "Now, we can only wait."

"In that case, let me bring the desserts," Soren said, standing up. "No point letting good food go to waste while we wait."

"Ah, no..." Zura wanted to stop him, but he had already left before she could finish.

She slumped back in her seat, finding it hard to muster an appetite when the situation hung so heavily over them. Yet, as she stared at the empty doorway, logic slowly won out. There was nothing more they could do right now anyway. Spiraling into anxiety would only wear them down for whatever might come next. Besides, for all they knew, they were just overthinking the whole thing and stressing over shadows.

"...Yeah, I really hope we are overthinking it." She muttered, exchanging a glance with Ethea. "I’m sorry for bringing the mood down. This was supposed to be a nice dinner."

Ethea shook her head. "You didn’t do anything. But you’re right, this was supposed to be a nice dinner. A nice dinner for you. So please, stop feeling guilty and finish your food." She paused, then added with a teasing smile. "Or... are you going to admit defeat?"

Zura blinked, then burst out laughing. "Haha~. You’ve really changed, haha~."

"For the better, right?"

"Mm, I liked the past you, but I like the current you even more."

Just then, Soren returned with a tray of desserts in his hands. He set them down on the table and looked between the two women.

"Did I miss something?" he asked, pretending he hadn’t heard anything. "Can I join in, or is this a private club?"

"It’s women’s talk," Zura said with a smirk, playing right along with his act. "So, unfortunately, you can’t join."

"Ah, what a shame," Soren sighed in fake disappointment, though his lips twitched with amusement. He quickly cheered himself up, pulling out a chair and gesturing toward the sweet treats on the table. "Guess I’ll just have to win you over with these instead."

"Hehe, I’ll be the judge of that then~."