Chapter 167: THE ROYAL PRINCE AND THE CREED

In a different academy, far away from the training grounds where Kael and the others were preparing for the upcoming Inter-High Tournament, a blonde-haired boy could be seen working out inside a spacious training room.

His movements were precise.

Every punch, every kick, and every movement of his body carried a level of discipline that was unusual for someone his age. Sweat rolled down his face as he completed another set of exercises before taking a brief moment to catch his breath.

Standing several feet behind him was another teenager who watched the prince’s training with an exhausted expression.

"Your Highness, why do you train so hard for this upcoming tournament? It’s obvious that you’re going to be the one to win the tournament."

The blonde-haired boy continued stretching without even turning around.

"If you don’t want to be here, you can easily go back to your room. It’s not like you must protect me everywhere in the academy."

He paused before glancing at the teenager behind him.

"After all, it is obvious that you’re just lazy."

The teenager’s expression twitched.

"And I’ve already told you to stop calling me ’Your Highness.’ If you keep doing that, who else will call me by my name? I might even end up forgetting it before the end of the semester."

"Alright, Your Highness."

The teenager immediately realized his mistake.

"Sorry. I mean... Carl."

The blonde-haired boy smiled.

"You see? That’s better. Picture this: if I always called you ’bodyguard’ or ’servant’ instead of William, would you feel happy?"

William sighed.

"It is obvious that I am neither of those. I’m just your only friend. There’s no need to add the other titles that would make you seem lonely again."

Carl chuckled.

William then looked toward him curiously.

"And by the way, why are you practicing so much? Aside from the students in the Elven Academy, I don’t really know anyone who could challenge you. A genius might appear in the Beastkin Academy, but they wouldn’t be a match for you."

Carl shook his head.

"Come on, William. It sounds like you’re just trying to stroke my ego."

He paused for a moment.

"But then again, you’re right."

William rolled his eyes.

"So you admit it?"

"My interest is actually in that merged academy."

William’s expression changed slightly.

"Wait. You mean the one that everyone looks down on?"

Carl nodded.

"The academy that supposedly serves the only purpose of gathering information on the other races? The same academy that was involved in the war ten years ago?"

Carl glanced at William with an amused expression.

"Well, someone’s knowledgeable."

William awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"That was the original academy your parents wanted me to attend, so I did my research on it."

"Then, as your good friend, I dragged you along with me."

"Nope."

William immediately rejected the statement.

"Your introverted ass didn’t want to be lonely."

The room became quiet.

Carl stared at him.

William stared back.

After a few seconds, Carl sighed.

"You really don’t know when to stop."

"I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re lying."

Carl shook his head before returning to his training.

"You still haven’t told me why you’re interested in that academy."

Carl continued stretching for a moment before answering.

"If you’re asking, I guess I can’t refuse."

He paused.

"For starters, Xavier took in a pupil from that academy."

William froze.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

Carl glanced at him.

"Why would I joke about something like that?"

"Who on earth caught Xavier’s attention in that weak academy?"

William looked genuinely confused.

Everyone in the world knew about Xavier.

He was eccentric, overwhelmingly talented, and almost impossible to understand. His reputation had reached the point where many people believed that there was little reason for him to teach anyone.

Xavier simply learned differently from everyone else.

He didn’t follow conventional methods.

He didn’t need to.

His natural talent was so overwhelming that attempting to imitate him was practically pointless.

"So who do you think is his student?" William asked.

"I suspect it’s the heir to the Voss family. She has the Eyes of Ruin."

Carl thought about it for a moment.

"That’s certainly possible."

"Well, I heard that it was the current top-ranked student among the first years in that academy."

William’s expression became even more confused.

"And you’re sure it isn’t Zion Crawford? Xavier learned the Celestial Star Technique from his father once."

"That is true."

Carl smiled.

"But it isn’t him."

William stared at him.

"Then who?"

Carl’s expression became slightly more serious.

"The Black Butterfly."

William’s eyes widened.

"At least, that’s what the information our family was able to gather."

He paused before continuing.

"You seem to be forgetting something, though. The heir to the Draven Household, Kael Draven, is one of the Ten Great Noble Families of the Human race. It’s not impossible for him to have been a secret genius cultivated by his family."

William shook his head.

"You’re joking, right? You’re telling me that Kael Draven is actually Xavier’s student?"

Carl nodded.

"That’s what we’ve gathered."

"How did that come to be? That mummy’s boy?"

Carl chuckled.

"I can understand why you don’t believe it."

He crossed his arms.

"Although there are a lot of rumors about him that seem too good to be true."

"Such as?"

"Opening a domain."

William raised an eyebrow.

"That’s already impressive."

"Mastering Mana Emphasization."

William’s expression changed.

"That sounds even more ridiculous."

Carl nodded.

"I guess you’re right. Him opening a domain and mastering Mana Emphasization does sound a bit too far-fetched."

"But if you also consider Zion Crawford and Auriella Voss as his opponents, I guess I can see why you’re training."

William’s expression became more serious.

"You’re already B Rank. How many first years, or even second years, do you think can actually match you?"

He paused.

"The upperclassmen are also powerful, so don’t burden yourself too much."

Carl smiled.

"Oh, William. Are you worried about my safety?"

"Of course I am."

William folded his arms.

"Who else in the royal family would take such good care of me?"

Carl laughed.

"So, are we through with your training yet?"

"Nope."

Carl sat down and crossed his legs.

"I need to circulate my mana first."

William sighed.

"In the meantime, you can try to gather as much information as you can from the other academies."

"But why?"

William dropped onto the floor.

"If you keep training like this, when would I have the time to sleep? I might come late for classes tomorrow."

Carl looked at him with a calm smile.

"Is there any day you ever decided to come early?"

William’s face went blank.

The room fell silent once more.

Carl closed his eyes and began circulating his mana while William simply laid on the floor, mumbling to himself.

MEANWHILE, AT THE ACADEMY

Lilith stopped in front of the second-year dormitory.

A student soon stepped outside to greet her.

"You seem to be late for the party."

The person wore a sly smile.

Lilith maintained her usual cold expression.

"Why are you holding a meeting here? Don’t you know that the Disciplinary Committee is currently hunting us down within the academy?"

The student’s smile disappeared.

"Well, it’s not like it’s not your fault."

He stared directly at Lilith.

"After all, the person you were sent to guard ended up joining the Disciplinary Committee. How could I possibly know how much you’ve already told him?"

Lilith’s eyes narrowed.

"If you’re truly in a hurry to die, why don’t you just say another word to my face?"

The student glared back at her.

Before the argument could escalate, another voice interrupted them.

"Come on now. You two should be cooperating, not arguing like this."

Another student had arrived.

"It’s not like I want to clean up another mess similar to what happened to Sean."

Lilith immediately turned toward him.

Her expression darkened.

"I know what you did."

She stepped toward him.

The student’s name was Victor.

He was among the top three second-year students, and he was also the person who had arrived shortly after Lilith killed Sean.

Victor maintained a calm smile.

"Come on now. What are you blaming me for?"

"We both know that you didn’t clean up Sean’s room properly."

Lilith’s eyes narrowed.

"And that is why the Disciplinary Committee is hunting us."

Victor’s expression slowly became colder.

"Oh, is that so?"

He shrugged.

"I didn’t really put much effort into it. After all, I told you to clean up your own mess."

Lilith didn’t shift her gaze.

"I see."

She paused.

"Then I wonder how Simon would feel about that."

Victor’s smile disappeared.

"About what?"

"About you suddenly revealing our existence to the academy."

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

"I see that you seem to be tired of living."

Lilith’s expression remained completely emotionless.

"Say one more word."

Before either of them could continue, a figure suddenly landed above them.

The pressure from his arrival immediately silenced the argument.

He was a third-year student.

Their supervisor.

Although he could not participate directly in the upcoming tournament, he was still allowed to observe it from the stands.

"I finally decide to come to the academy, and this is what I see?"

Everyone turned their attention toward him.

The third-year student looked at the group calmly.

"Good. Since we’re all here, let’s get down to business."

His expression became serious.

"Simon, who recently joined the Creed, will be overseeing the tournament."

Lilith’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"The Creed..."

The third-year student continued.

"One of our primary targets will be Carl, a member of the Human Royal Family."

Victor’s expression changed.

"Carl?"

"Yes."

The supervisor nodded.

"For the ritual, we might need the royal blood they possess. It has some unique properties."

He paused.

"And he is the only member of the royal family we can get our hands on at this moment."

Victor raised his hand.

"What about Kael?"

His gaze shifted toward Lilith.

"Was there any instruction regarding him?"

Lilith immediately flashed him a deadly glare.

Victor noticed it but didn’t react.

The third-year supervisor shook his head.

"No."

He looked between them.

"At this moment, there are no instructions concerning Kael Draven."

"The Demon King Candidates of this era have yet to make any significant move."

He paused.

"So for now, observe and report."

The supervisor turned around.

"That’s all."

The meeting was dismissed.

The students began dispersing.

Lilith, however, remained where she was.

Her eyes followed Victor as he walked away.

Her expression slowly became colder.

"It seems like Victor is tired of living."

Her eyes glowed eerily in the darkness.

For someone who had already been willing to abandon their own comrades, Lilith had little reason to trust him.

And if Victor continued getting in her way...

She might eventually have to deal with him herself.