Lying in the medical bay, Max experienced healing magic for the first time. The two paramedics worked in tandem, resulting in a golden glow that conglomerated around the wounds. Max stared with his mouth agape as the newly formed skin wriggled underneath what was left of the reddish crusts. Though the spells couldn’t compensate for the loss of blood, Max was feeling much better.
His thoughts adrift, Max didn’t realize when the duo left. Impulsive! You were too impulsive! Those were the only words that constantly ran through his mind. He groaned at the thought of how this battle had ruined his plan of staying in the shadows.
Max scowled, remembering the final moments of the match. Their finishing blows left undelivered thanks to Julius’s interference. The Grand Master’s spell had agglomerated the force of a gale into a single point and had parried the two strikes.
Sulking, Max took a while to notice Liliana sitting across him with an unusually calm face. Her lack of words was eerily disturbing, her intent stare making the atmosphere increasingly awkward.
“You lied.” She finally said.
Confounded, Max blinked and stared back, seemingly not having registered the declaration. “I lied?” He dumbly repeated, confused. “About what?” He thought about the time he had spent with her, his face freezing at the thought of the worst possibility. Could she have found out I’m not from this planet?!
“You lied about your strength. You know, there’s a big difference between a Premier Knight and a Superior Knight.”
“Ah, that’s what you meant.” Relieved, Max said, “In my defense, I said I could handle a Premier Knight. I never said I was one.”
Liliana frowned. “Still not coming out with it?”
What do you want from me, woman?! Max nearly yelled back, but managed to maintain a poker face as he waited for her to elucidate.
“It was you, right? On that night, in the forest, you told me that you had found me lying on the ground, when in fact you were the one who saved me from those two. Am I wrong?”
“No, it was me.”
“Then why hide it?”
“I – At that time, I had no idea who you were. I didn’t know that I had unknowingly become your familiar.” Max felt that Liliana was more upset than she was letting on. He guiltily averted his gaze and started to stammer. “Bu - But the rest of it was the truth. I - I really did find myself in the forest and I had no idea how I got there.”
By the end, his voice had transformed into nearly inaudible whispers. He nervously fiddled with the hem of his shirt, but came to a stop when Liliana burst into laughter. Inadvertently, he looked up in a daze and involuntarily focused on that inexplicably beautiful face.
“Never thought I’d see a day with you panicking.”
Realizing that he had been staring, Max hurriedly looked away. Awkwardly coughing, Max adjusted himself and tried to justify, “I just got the feeling you were mad.”
“You saved me from the Minister's goons. How could I be mad?” Liliana gently replied before she sternly tapped Max on the head. “But no more secrets, okay?”
“O - Okay...” Max wryly smiled. How will she react if I really do tell her everything?
“Ahem!” Amy cleared her throat as she stood at the door and purposely drew attention to herself. She mischievously said, “Maybe we should come back at a different time?”
“Yeah, I think we just ruined a moment there.” Lewis smoothly answered, his eyes showing the obvious desire to add fuel to the fire.
Liliana yelped and created some distance from Max. She stuttered, “What- What are you guys saying?!”
“You guys…” Max groaned. “Stop messing around.”
Laughing, Amy made her way to the duo. “Even if you say that, it sure looked like the two of you were flirting.”
Liliana and Max were in sync as they flatly denied the accusation. “There was no flirting!”
“Still, I can't believe you were a Superior Knight. Man… Talk about pressure.” Lewis mumbled, flinching at the thought of an increase in their already harsh training sessions.
“More importantly!” Amy excitedly asked, “Why didn’t you guys say anything about being master and familiar?”
“It wasn’t really a secret.” Max answered. “The professors already knew about us. There just wasn’t an opportune moment to announce the particulars of our relationship to the rest of you.”
“But you could’ve at least told me! Lily! I’m your roommate. You had plenty of chances to tell me!” Amy complained.
Lewis rolled his eyes. Remembering an interesting fact, he casually dropped a bomb in the room. “So are you guys engaged?”
Amy’s expression stiffened as Liliana nearly choked on her glass of water. She shrieked in embarrassment, “No! We’re not engaged!”
Taking a towel, Max scowled and wiped the traces of water on his hand. Puzzled, he glanced at Lewis and asked, “Now why would you think that?”
Lewis explained with a shrug. “There was a time when a temporary or soul contract between two people was considered as a serious romantic gesture.”
“Now that you mention it…” Max thoughtfully stroked his chin, faintly recollecting perusing through such records during his time in the library.
Nobody seemed to notice Amy’s sigh of relief. The relationship between her friends wasn’t a problem for her, but she couldn’t imagine how a certain someone would react. Just the thought of it made her furtively groan.
***
Lying on his bed, August was being subjected to a barrage of complaints. In response to Evangeline’s admonishing gaze, he winced and apologized. “Look... I already said I was sorry. Would you calm down already?!”
“I am calm, idiot!” Evangeline snorted. “How’re your injuries?”
“Not bad. Only my ribs haven’t fully healed. It seems like it will take another round of spells before I can be discharged.”
Evangeline nodded. “And? Are you satisfied?”
Smiling wryly, August explained how the match had truly ended.
“Isn’t that a good thing? The way the two of you were going at it, someone might have ended up dead!”
“You’re over exaggerating!” August chuckled and shook his head. “All I can say is that it left me with a bad after taste. After all that effort, we couldn't even end the fight on our terms.”
***
Duke Walker sat in his castle, carefully reading a compiled report. Deep in thought, he rhythmically tapped his desk and muttered, “Possible amnesia, strength of a Superior Knight, contracted to Liliana Lockwood…” Having reviewed the information, he called out to his right hand, “Shadow... Is there really no information prior to that night?”
“None.” Shadow replied in monosyllable, his figure remaining unseen. With access to an extensive network, there was very little within the confines of the Empire that could elude the man. It was precisely why Joseph had delegated this task to him.
Joseph frowned. “I can't completely rule out the possibility yet, but it seems highly unlikely that this boy is in league with Stratford.”
The vast number of variables and the lack of data together painted a hazy picture. It was giving him a headache. His thoughts trailed off as he silently wrote a letter and quickly called for the castle’s butler. “Have this letter delivered to Curtis.”
“Very well. Will there be anything else, sir?”
“No.”
“Shadow!” Duke Walker called out after the butler left.
“...”
“You saw the letter. When the child arrives, keep a close watch on him and my daughter. If you notice a connection with Stratford, then you are free to act. If not, continue to stand by.”
“I understand.”
Asterisk Academy’s Induction was an event that attracted considerable attention. Having heard about Max’s performance, some of the blue-blooded families couldn’t help but harbour hopes of pulling him to their side. However, deterred by his last name, they had to be sure before making a move.
Joseph looked unhappy as he fiddled with his documents. “It seems like I can't keep the information suppressed any longer… Max Walker, what secrets are you hiding?”
***
Deep inside a territory, beside the Walker’s, stood a robust castle exuding an aura of arrogance and gloom, clad entirely in black stone. Combined with the stature of the people inside, over the years, the castle had transformed into an object of fear, respect, and worship.
A fairly skinny man sat comfortably on his chair, resting his twig-like legs on the desk before him. With sickly pale skin and sleek black hair, he looked nowhere near healthy, and yet his sharp aura and pride spoke volumes of his strength. Calmly looking at his subordinate, he asked, “How reliable is this information?”
“As reliable as it can be.”
Closing his eyes, the man leaned further into his leather chair. The silence created unequaled levels of tension which mercilessly weighed down on the reporting subordinate. Afraid of disturbing the lord of the castle, he remained perfectly still, even going so far as to lighten his breathing.
“Interesting. Very interesting.” Duke Stratford quietly mused to himself before lightly glancing at the taut man before him. “If Joseph hasn’t made a move, find a way to approach the boy. Be subtle and make an offer he can't refuse. I want him on our side. He might just prove to be a useful pawn.”
“Yes! Right away my lord!” The subordinate hurriedly bowed and left.
Carl Stratford gave a sinister smile. “You probably suspect that the boy has something to do with me,” Playing with the flames dancing on his fingertips, Carl laughed, “but that’s exactly what makes this so amusing. I can’t wait to see how you react to this little wildcard.”
