Ron remained calm inside, but on the surface, he put on a look of surprise.
"Headmaster, how did you know?"
Vosbites chuckled as he stroked his scruffy beard.
"You've been marked. It looks like some kind of shadow-based combat skill."
Ron's pupils narrowed as he instinctively ran his hands over his body—acting as if startled, as he'd just equipped the [Master Actor's Possession Card] from the system shop. Every little reaction was perfectly in-character.
"On my way to the academy today, I felt like something dangerous was watching me… but nothing actually happened," Ron frowned, muttering to himself.
"I checked my body too, but I didn't notice anything off. I figured someone was just tailing me."
In truth, he'd known all along.
The system had even offered a way to remove the mark—but Ron had intentionally left it there, hoping someone like the Headmaster would notice.
"The mark's at the level of a Tier 6 warrior. It's no surprise you didn't detect it." Vosbites leaned back on the sofa, looking utterly relaxed.
"Tier 6!?" Ron exclaimed with a shocked expression.
"Who would go this far just to deal with me? A Tier 6 assassin?! Isn't that overkill?"
Vosbites gave him a look that was half-smile, half-smirk.
"Prince Ron, you don't seem to realize one thing."
"What's that?"
"You're a Chosen One now."
"Uh…" Ron blinked. "So?"
Seeing that Ron genuinely didn't understand the implications, Vosbites gave a helpless chuckle and explained more thoroughly:
"Most of the time, the gods are in a kind of 'slumber.' They don't pay much attention to the mortal world—centuries can pass without any divine response."
"Only when they sense exceptionally pure and devout faith will they occasionally respond. That's the origin of the rare divine miracles recorded in history."
"But not every miracle results in a Chosen One."
"Only when a god takes special interest in a devout follower—or for reasons we don't fully understand—will a god bestow the title of 'Chosen One' during a miracle."
"Across the entire Rixis Continent, confirmed and unconfirmed Chosen Ones combined, you can count them on two hands. They're rarer than Legendary-rank powerhouses."
"In the Human Empire, there are three major religious factions. The Church of the God of War only managed to rise to prominence and become the dominant faith because Emperor André the Great was the Chosen One of their god."
"Now, you've become the Chosen One of the Goddess of Harvest. But the other two churches don't have one. What do you think's going to happen?"
Though Chaos City Magic Academy maintained strict neutrality, that didn't mean it ignored the world around it.
Vosbites had once served in the Human Empire's military and were well acquainted with the tangled web of religious politics.
And now, as Headmaster, with access to countless sources of information, he had an even sharper understanding of the continent's power dynamics.
So everything he was telling Ron now was just basic logic to him.
Ron, on the other hand, had a headache just hearing it.
He had originally assumed this was just some petty palace intrigue—maybe one of his half-brothers had sent an assassin. After all, he was just a half-blood prince with no real standing. Why would anyone seriously target him?
But after this explanation, he finally understood just how dangerous it was to be marked as a Chosen One.
"So you're saying… the assassin might've come from the Church of the God of War, or the Church of Healing?"
"Who knows?" Vosbites shrugged. "Might be a noble family tied to one of the churches. It could be a non-human faction acting in secret. Heck, maybe even your own church staged this for… political drama."
"But one thing's clear: you've only been Chosen for a day, so this information hasn't left Chaos City yet. That means only major powers could've learned it this quickly."
"And of course, none of them would risk exposing themselves directly. They probably just posted a bounty through an assassination network."
"And for a Tier 6 assassin to take the job? The reward must've been insanely high."
Ron fell silent for a moment, then said seriously:
"Since the news of me becoming a Chosen One is still limited to Chaos City, any outside powers would still need time to dispatch assassins. So… are there any assassination organizations based in the city?"
"Of course." Vosbites nodded, patting his greasy mage robes.
"Strictly speaking, there aren't any formal assassination organizations in Chaos City. But I get what you're asking."
"If someone did post a bounty on you, then the one handling it would definitely be Wild Rose."
"Wild Rose?"
"Yeah. It's not really an assassination group. More like a neutral platform that provides information and task listings. It doesn't carry out assassinations directly."
"Anyone can register as an assassin through Wild Rose and take jobs. Once they complete the mission, they earn the bounty."
"Likewise, anyone can post a job. Wild Rose just collects a commission based on the task's difficulty—they don't care about anything else."
Ron immediately understood.
It was a middleman.
"If your bounty really did go up on Wild Rose's board, then you'd better watch yourself," Vosbites warned kindly.
"Each mission has a limit—up to ten assassins can accept it. So besides the one who marked you, there might be more after you."
Ron's expression turned serious.
So that's why the three assassins had been so wary of one another...
They weren't teammates—they were rivals, competing to claim the reward.
Or more accurately: competing for the kill.
Ron clicked his tongue and thanked the Headmaster.
"About that situation, I was wondering if…"
"Ahem." Vosbites cut him off, speaking calmly.
"That's Prince Ron's personal matter. It likely involves internal imperial politics. As Headmaster of Chaos City Magic Academy, I cannot get involved."
"But we're partners, aren't we?" Ron shamelessly pressed on.
"If something happens to me, won't our partnership suffer too?"
"Yes, and in such an unfortunate case, I would express my deepest regrets," Vosbites said with an utterly straight face.
"So please, take care of yourself, Your Highness."
"…"
Ron felt a wave of toothache coming on. This guy was a master of bureaucratic doublespeak.
"Got it... In that case, let's talk about something else."
Ron smoothly changed the subject, surprising Vosbites with how quickly he gave up on the previous topic.
"You seemed to really like that Nether Orchid just now. Even in my shop, it's rare and valuable. If you're interested, I can reserve future batches for you."
Vosbites had been brushing him off earlier, but the moment he heard "Nether Orchid imbued with divine essence", his eyes lit up.