Damien's dorm room was a reflection of its owner: elegant, orderly, and cold. A large mahogany desk stood against one wall, papers stacked in perfect, neat piles. A collection of rare, silver-inlaid daggers was displayed in a glass case. There was not a single personal item, not a stray book or piece of clothing, to suggest any kind of warmth or disorder. It was the calculated space of a mind that saw the world as a set of pieces to be arranged.
He was seated in a high-backed leather chair, a glass of deep red liquid—likely expensive wine, not blood, though with him I could never be certain—swirling in his hand. He gestured for me to stand in the center of the room, and I obeyed, feeling like a defendant before a judge. His posture was relaxed, but my Soul Resonance told a different story. His intent was sharp and focused, a coiled viper waiting to see if it would be fed or threatened.
"You requested an audience," Damien said, his voice a low purr. "I assume this means you have something to report."
I took a steadying breath, the silence in the room amplifying the sound of my own heartbeat. "I do," I began, my voice even and formal. "I have been observing Leonidas val Aris, as you commanded."
I began with the simple, verifiable truths. "He is diligent, more so than most nobles. He spends nearly all his free time in the academy's more remote training yards. His progress in both swordsmanship and mana control is, as you noted, remarkably fast."
I could feel Damien's focused attention, his interest piqued. This was the bait. Now, for the poison.
"However," I continued, letting a note of disdain enter my tone, "his focus is not absolute. I have identified what I believe to be his greatest weakness." I paused, letting him lean forward ever so slightly.
"He is burdened," I said, choosing the word with surgical precision. "He wastes a significant amount of his training time coaching two other, far less-talented commoner students. A boy named Thomas Fell and a girl, Mara Stonecroft. His own practice is constantly interrupted as he corrects their clumsy mistakes and encourages their mediocre efforts."
As I spoke, I monitored his aura with every ounce of my concentration. When I first mentioned that Leonidas was with others, I felt a sharp spike of interest from Damien. He saw a potential connection, a lever. But as I framed it as a burden, as a waste of time, I felt that interest shift. The sharp point of strategic curiosity blunted into simple, aristocratic contempt. It was working.
Damien leaned back in his chair, a slow, mocking smile spreading across his face. He let out a soft, airy laugh. "Is that it? That is his grand vulnerability? He plays mother hen to a pair of cripples? How utterly… common."
The condescension in his voice was thick. He had swallowed the narrative completely. My gamble on his arrogance had paid off.
"A true wolf does not slow his pace for the bleating of sheep," Damien mused, taking a sip of his wine. "This is better than I expected. It shows a fundamental flaw in his character. He is not a predator. He is prey that has simply learned a few new tricks." He looked at me, his golden eyes holding a flicker of cold approval. "You have done well, Lucian. Your observations are thorough. It seems your new… focus is proving quite useful."
A wave of relief washed over me, so intense it almost made my knees weak. I had done it. I had navigated the minefield. But the relief was short-lived, because I could feel Damien's calculating mind already moving on to the next step. My momentary success had only proven my utility, and a useful tool is one that gets used.
He set his glass down on the desk with a soft click. "This information is clarifying. Our rising star is not a threat to be eliminated, but a fool to be dismantled. It seems he has a hero complex. I think it is time we tested the limits of his sentimentality."
My blood ran cold.
"His friends are a distraction?" Damien continued, a cruel light dancing in his eyes. "Then let us make them more of one. For the next week, Lucian, you are to be a nuisance."
My mind went blank. A nuisance?
"I want you to interfere," he clarified, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Subtly, of course. Reserve the training grounds they frequent just before they arrive. Find an opportunity to 'accidentally' spill an inkpot on their study notes. Use your status, your name, to remind them of their place. Whisper a few discouraging words to the boy, Thomas. You noted he was mediocre? A few well-placed doubts can shatter a weakling's confidence entirely."
He leaned forward, his intent a sharp, vicious point aimed directly at me. "I want you to get under his skin. Rile him up. Make his friends a source of frustration for him. I want to see if our hero's focus cracks when his charity cases begin to cause him trouble. But," he held up a single finger, "you will not engage him in a direct fight. This is an exercise in psychological warfare, not a tavern brawl. Am I understood?"
I stood there, frozen. This was a nightmare. My clever plan to protect them from a distance had backfired spectacularly, thrusting me into the role of their personal tormentor. I would have to look Thomas and Mara in the eye and be the arrogant, cruel noble they already thought I was.
But there was no choice. To refuse now would unravel my entire deception.
"Yes, Damien," I heard myself say, the words feeling like gravel in my mouth. "I understand."
"Excellent." He smiled, genuinely pleased. "Report your progress to me daily. You are dismissed."
I turned and walked out of the room on numb legs, the heavy oak door closing behind me with a sound of finality. I had walked into that room hoping to build a shield. I had walked out with orders to sharpen a dagger and stab it, myself, into the very people I was trying to protect.
My victory felt like the most profound defeat of my life. My cleverness had not saved me; it had only deepened my damnation. As I walked through the silent, torch-lit corridor, I felt the mask of Lucian Greyfall settle over my face not as a disguise, but as a brand. For the next week, I had to become the monster everyone thought I was.