Azrael's pen scratched across the paper as he signed his name. The moment the ink dried, something stirred in the void around him—a presence he couldn't quite identify, but that he felt in his bones.
A whisper, so faint it might have been the wind, reached his ears, "This is my last ripple."
"What was that?" Azrael's head snapped up, and confusion flickered across his face.
"He who knows the times is a hero," Memphis's satisfied voice cut through Azrael's bewilderment. "Congratulations, Student Azrael. You made the right choice."
The smugness in Memphis's tone made Azrael's stomach churn. There was no denying it; he was trapped on this sinking ship. Even though he couldn't see exactly what was wrong with his situation, the weight of the signed contract pressed down on him like a lead blanket.
"The contract has already informed you of what you can and cannot say," Memphis said, his smile sharp with hidden knowledge. "Take your time to think it over carefully."
Azrael's mind felt strangely empty as he tried to recall what he'd just signed. What the hell? Is he bluffing me?
Memphis seemed content to let Azrael process everything, assuming he was carefully reviewing the contract's contents. But, as Azrael desperately searched his memories, the whisper echoed again, no longer dismissible as a hallucination.
It's really there.
Suddenly, the contract's contents materialized in his mind, clear as day. However, there was a problem: the original Azrael had never encountered the Crimson Oath Society before and had never seen anything like this contract in his memories.
The information had only appeared after today's signing.
Could it be? Azrael's pulse quickened as a terrifying possibility took shape.
Since traditional Chinese was the official language of the Empire of Aetherlight, Azrael had adapted to local customs by using it exclusively. When he signed just now, he instinctively wrote his name in traditional characters.
The contract seemed to suggest that the original owner had made a deal with the Crimson Oath Society. But the original owner was dead.
How could a dead person fulfill a contract?
He had somehow exploited a system bug.
"Is it really you, Azrael?" His heart hammered against his ribs. No wonder his mental power talent was so extraordinary—two minds were definitely better than one.
However, even though he felt no immediate decline in his mental strength after signing the contract, Azrael knew his days of having that advantage were numbered. Soon, he'd truly be alone.
Memphis's knowing smile suggested that he had read Azrael's emotional turmoil perfectly. "Of course, the association has prepared some gifts for Student Azrael."
He produced a piece of paper from his jacket—the classic carrot-and-stick approach of the Crimson Oath Society in action.
Bronze-level Individual Combat Armor (Purple quality).
Azrael accepted the material without hesitation or guilt. The contract explicitly stated that the Society would provide financial support, though the amount was at their discretion.
Even if they had given him black iron-level scraps, Azrael wouldn't have complained; he was essentially fleecing the Society. Still, bronze-level, purple-quality armor felt disappointingly stingy.
As Azrael calculated potential uses for the material, Memphis called out loudly. "Everything's settled! You can come down now!"
The sharp click-click-click of leather shoes on stairs echoed through the room.
Azrael turned toward the sound and his pupils contracted in shock.
"President Lian—"
The words scraped painfully from his throat.
Lian, the president of the Velkairos Nirvale District Cardian Master Association, descended the stairs with measured steps.
Azrael had suspected there was a traitor in the association and had even made some guesses about who it could be. But he'd never imagined the betrayal reached this high.
Above a district president were only the directors of the Velkairos Cardian Master Association headquarters, and then Association President Dareth himself.
Now everything clicked into place. No wonder the Crimson Oath Society had infiltrated his home so easily.
With talented individuals like Lucian and Dareth at their disposal, it was only natural that they would arrange secret protection. However, they couldn't handle everything personally; sending a gold-level Lore Cardian was already pushing their limits.
The Cardian Master Association preferred not to cultivate personal loyalists, so this kind of arrangement required someone with authority to coordinate.
Since Azrael lived in Nirvale District, Lian was responsible.
Even if Lian hadn't been the traitor, Azrael could have deduced who would be handling his security based on the small number of gold-level association members. The betrayal just made everything more efficient.
Lian's high position and power made him the perfect inside man; no one would suspect the district president himself.
It's no wonder the Crimson Oath Society located Cory so quickly after the Thousand Feet secret realm incident. It's no wonder that Cory and Cockscomb found Azrael's address with such precision.
The Thousand Feet secret realm fell within Nirvale District's jurisdiction. The responsible parties would have reported directly to Lian.
Lian knew perfectly well that Cory and Cockscomb's deaths were Azrael's doing, not Gustav's.
Lian had also been unable to hide Azrael's tampered résumé because he had been watching Azrael since before his talent manifested!
Lian's face wore an unsettling smile. "We meet again, Student Azrael."
"It was worth the effort to temporarily transfer Jerome away."
When Lian first encountered Azrael, he saw just another promising young talent. That changed when Cockscomb died at Azrael's hands.
Combined with Azrael's performance on the four-school joint entrance exam, Lian confirmed that Azrael was a rare genius.
Lian began observing Azrael then but wasn't eager to recruit him into the Crimson Oath Society immediately. At that point, no one in the organization knew Azrael existed.
Just before the Elite Talent Cup competition, Azrael obtained information about it from Koga. Lian then discovered that Azrael had tampered with his resume. The very next day, Silverbrook High School rushed to register for the Elite Talent Cup.
When Memphis went to eliminate social undesirables and noticed Koga's suspicious behavior, the Crimson Oath Society realized the association had discovered their Elite Talent Cup conspiracy.
They simply adapted, launching a damage control operation instead.
Those who plan great things hide their hearts and act according to circumstances. Success comes through secrecy; words lead to failure.
The fewer people who knew about the conspiracy, the better. The key was to exploit information gaps between opposing sides for personal gain.
It was just like Azrael's current situation: the Crimson Oath Society didn't know that he wasn't actually controlled by the contract. This gave him opportunities to exploit them in return.
"President Lian, I never expected it would be you." Azrael forced down the storm raging in his chest and managed a bitter smile.
Before Lian could respond, Memphis's voice cut through their exchange. "Skip the pleasantries. Azrael, Lian will be your superior from now on."
He'll contact you when there's work to be done."
Lian's expression remained noncommittal. "Please take care of me in the future, Student Azrael."
Azrael nodded with feigned helplessness while his mind raced. Should I find an opportunity to tell Master Lucian and the others directly?
No, if this gets exposed, I'll have nowhere left to run in Velkairos. How would I explain not being controlled by the Crimson Oath Society?
It's better to wait until before I leave. I'll see if I can extract some benefits during this period.
After the Elite Talent Cup incident, Azrael decided not to return to Velkairos after the unified examination in Greenridge Province. He was planning to attend Pixar University anyway.
From what he had learned recently, the Crimson Oath Society's reach hadn't extended far into the mainland yet.
He just hadn't expected Lian to be the inside man, which rendered the association's protective arrangements useless.
As for self-defense items, Azrael could only use bronze-level equipment because he is bronze-level. Even if the association provided him with protective gear, it would be ineffective against Memphis, whose true level was unknown.
Even if the items broke and alerted the association to Azrael's danger, help would arrive too late.