Everyone turned to look at Lucien.

His interaction with Vivian hadn’t gone unnoticed. It was too familiar and natural.

Some of the boys glared at Lucien with thinly veiled hostility.

Maelin tilted her head curiously.

"Esteemed guest... do you know student Vivian?"

Lucien offered a warm smile as he turned to face her.

"Know her? We’re family. Ah—pardon me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Baron Lucien Lootwell. Vivian’s little brother."

"EH?!"

The classroom echoed with disbelief.

Up until now, they had assumed Lucien was either a key figure from Silvermine or perhaps someone of even higher standing, especially after seeing him boldly challenge Thornel Golddust.

But now? The revelation that he was Vivian’s younger brother... and a baron at that... completely shifted their perception.

Reactions were mixed.

Some had a strange glint in their eyes. Calculating. Opportunistic.

Others looked uneasy. Unsure whether siding with Lucien was a risk worth taking.

A few seemed hesitant. Caught between fear and curiosity.

But when they glanced at the Silvermine guards standing nearby.

Calm.

Silent.

Attentive.

Their assumptions shifted again.

’He must be deeply connected,’ they thought.

Lucien clearly had their protection.

What the students didn’t know was that even the guards were shocked. This was the first time they’d learned of Lucien’s true identity. But despite their surprise, their expressions remained unreadable.

Regardless of noble title or family tree, their orders were simple. Protect Lucien at all costs.

It was also clear that Orren treated Lucien with a certain level of respect.

The fact that he had openly blacklisted the Golddust family from future dealings only confirmed it.

Meanwhile, Vivian stood tall. Her chest puffed with pride. She was clearly thrilled.

Her brother had just shaken the room with nothing but words and talent.

Her friends, especially those from the border territories like her, looked at her with shining eyes. They nudged her eagerly, whispering, "Tell us more! What’s he really like?"

Maelin and Orren, on the other hand, wore matching expressions of surprise.

’A baron at that age?’ they thought.

Lucien’s presence made sense now. His commanding aura... weighty and even oppressive... was not something an ordinary noble would carry.

They couldn’t help but wonder what trials Lucien had gone through to build that kind of presence.

But they didn’t look down on him. Not at all.

After all, they themselves had once been barons too. Through hard work, trade and sheer grit, they had risen to become an Earl family.

Now, they dominate the Talisman market.

And Lucien? With the connections and force of will he was showing, it wouldn’t be long before he climbed even higher.

He turned to Lucien.

Maelin leaned in and whispered to Orren, giving him more background about Vivian.

Orren’s eyes widened in shock.

He turned to Lucien, voice more respectful now.

"Esteemed guest... I didn’t realize you were Vivian’s brother. She’s one of our most promising talents. Strong Light Magic affinity and she recently awakened a powerful skill. She’s among the rare few the academy is truly eager to cultivate."

Hearing Orren’s words, Lucien was genuinely surprised.

He instinctively activated INSPECT just to be sure.

The results confirmed it. Orren was being completely honest.

Lucien’s curiosity burned. It had only been a little over a month since they parted ways. He wanted to see for himself what had changed.

He turned his gaze to Vivian.

***

Name: Vivian Lootwell ♀

Age: 15 years old

Race: Human

Job: White Mage

Level: 23

Title:

• Lootwell’s Angel

• Academy’s Angel

Skill:

• Wings of Atonement

Magic:

• Household Magic

• Light Magic (Intermediate)

Magic Affinity:

• Light Magic

Favouravility: 90

Status: Excited

***

Lucien’s jaw nearly dropped.

’Damn... even in the academy, my sister’s become an angel!’

His eyes sparkled with pride and a bit of disbelief.

’That skill... Wings of Atonement? I’ve never seen it in the SKILLPEDIA... That means... it might be a 5-STAR skill.’

Vivian had also skyrocketed from level 3 to 23 in just a month. That kind of growth was absurd for a normal person.

But... Lucien let out a quiet sigh.

’If she had stayed at Lootwell and trained there... she might’ve hit level 40 or 50 by now.’

Still, he couldn’t deny how proud he felt.

Suddenly—

BANG!

The doors burst open with force.

Everyone turned sharply as the Head of the Magic Department, Belinda Cinderwyn, strode into the room.

The students instinctively rose from their seats in greeting.

But she barely acknowledged them, offering only a distracted nod as she made a beeline toward the front.

Her brows were furrowed. She looked like someone with a fire at her heels.

She stopped beside Orren and spoke in a low voice. It was sharp enough that only those beside her could catch her words.

"Orren. Quick! I need you to verify this. These Light and Dark runes... the ones given by that young man..."

She handed him a folded parchment.

Orren blinked in confusion then unfolded it.

It was... Lucien’s rune notes.

One of the contents of the Spatial bag he gave for experimental research... a part of the checklist Ellen had dumped on him, likely hoping he would fail.

And the moment Orren read the first line, his expression shifted.

His eyes widened.

Strange and familiar rune patterns... They were paired with clearly written translations and theoretical usage.

These weren’t scribbles. They were breakthroughs!

He blinked several times as if making sure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him.

His eyes darted over the page. Faster. Faster.

"These are...!" Orren gasped.

He looked up.

First at the runes... then at Lucien.

Memories of Lucien’s earlier display flooded back into his mind.

The air-written rune.

The strange aura.

The calm precision.

He turned back to the parchment again, reading and rereading the runes.

And this time... he didn’t doubt.

Seeing Orren’s stunned reaction, Belinda’s eyes lit up.

She leaned closer, her expression filled with excitement and anticipation.

"Well?" she asked, barely able to contain herself.

Orren exhaled slowly then spoke.

"Belinda... the reward we gave him was severely lacking."

"I know!" she whispered back quickly. "I said the same thing. Even the Headmaster agreed. We definitely need to recalculate his rewards."

"Good. I’ll handle it personally," Orren said, then grinned. "But first... I need to copy this. Heh. This is too valuable to show in public. If I can integrate just a fraction of these into my family’s talismans..."

"Hey!" Belinda frowned. "Don’t hog the credit! I’m copying it too!"

Their quiet exchange wasn’t as quiet as they thought.

Maelin, who had been standing nearby the entire time, had caught everything. Her eyes flicked toward the parchment with interest.

Curious, she stepped over and leaned in for a peek.

The moment she saw the runes, her eyes gleamed. Her decision was immediate.

She turned to the class and clapped her hands.

"Class dismissed! We’ll continue tomorrow. You’re free to go."

The students blinked.

Wait, what?

Just like that?

Before anyone could question her, Maelin had already crossed the room, snatched a blank notebook and squeezed herself in beside Orren and Belinda.

Now all three professors were hunched over the parchment, eagerly scribbling down notes like overachieving students at the academy’s final exam.

The class was speechless.

They hadn’t heard the details of what was going on... but the reactions spoke volumes.

Something very important was in that parchment.

And just like that, Maelin dismissed class over it.

Today had already been chaotic... and now this?

No one had quite recovered from the whirlwind of revelations, drama, and surprises that had unfolded in Maelin’s classroom.

Soon enough... Vivian made her way toward Lucien. Her friends trailed closely behind.

Eager.

Excited.

Full of questions.

But she wasn’t fast enough.

The other students beat her to it.

In an instant, Lucien found himself surrounded.

Even the boys who had been glaring daggers at him just minutes earlier were now acting friendly. Too friendly.

They hovered around him like buzzing bees, their earlier hostility replaced by thinly-veiled admiration and opportunism.

Only a few students remained seated, quietly watching the scene unfold, waiting to see how things would play out.

Then came the barrage of questions.

"Baron Lucien, how did you do that with the rune?"

"Was that spell cast or scribed?"

"Can you teach us?"

Lucien said nothing at first. His expression remained unreadable as the questions piled up.

But then... something caught his attention.

A group of students... around ten of them... were quietly sneaking toward the exit. Their eyes burned with hostility as they glanced back at him.

Lucien’s gaze locked on the familiar face among them. Coalheart. The tension in his eyes sharpened.

’Thornel’s faction,’ he noted. ’Not done yet, are you?’

Then...

Cutting through the chatter like a blade came a loud voice.

"Brother-in-law! How are you so skillful?!"

Lucien twitched.

"Who the fuck is your brother-in-law?!"

With just a thought, Lucien released a thin wave of Sovereign Aura directly at the boy.

The student froze in place.

His playful smile evaporated as a cold sweat ran down his spine. Trembling, he backed into the corner like a scolded animal.

The others quieted. They sensed the sudden pressure.

Then... embarrassed but undeterred... they resumed their questions, albeit more cautiously.

"Uh... Brother, that rune earlier... was that a spell?"

"Can you teach us how to do it too?"

"I’ve never been interested in runes before, but now I kinda am, haha..."

Lucien finally gave them a small smile.

"Haha... Actually, it’s a skill. It would be hard for others to mimic."

That answer both satisfied and frustrated them.

Hard was an understatement.

In truth, Lucien had used a complex four-skill combo.

He used CRAM SESSION first to copy PERFECT CALCULATION.

Together with STEADY HANDS and PHANTOM INK, the result was near-miraculous.

To say that only Lucien could pull it off wasn’t arrogance.

It was just fact.

Just then...

A lone boy who had remained seated finally stood up.

There was something composed about the way he moved.

Calm.

Deliberate.

Confident.

He took a step forward.

The other students instinctively parted to make way for him. Their chatter silenced in real time.

It wasn’t fear. It was respect.

Lucien’s eyes narrowed.

This one... was different.

He quickly activated INSPECT.

***

Name: Caelum Jadecrest ♂

Age: 15 years old

Race: Human

Job: Space Mage

Level: 56

Title:

• Jadecrest Heir

• Space Prodigy

Skill:

• Spatial Awareness

• Item Box

Magic:

• Space Magic (Intermediate)

Magic Affinity:

• Space Magic

Favouravility: 40

Status: Curious

***

’Jadecrest...?!’

Lucien’s brows twitched.

That was a ducal family.

And this boy... was their heir?

Lucien discreetly gulped.

But what caught his eye more wasn’t the title. It was the skill.

Spatial Awareness.

Another skill Lucien hadn’t seen in SKILLPEDIA.

But even from the name alone, it was clear.

A high-tier perception-type skill...

If Caelum had it active, then...

’He might’ve sensed my Divine Energy earlier...’

Lucien remained outwardly calm but inside, he was tense.

It was only a guess... but with each encounter, Lucien was reminded that the capital was a gathering pool of monsters.

Young monsters and heirs of powerful families... each armed with rare affinities and special skills.

’Just how many 5-STAR skill holders are walking around this place?’ he wondered bitterly.

His eyes flicked to Caelum again.

Sharp and guarded.

The boy had stopped just a few feet away, staring at Lucien with a curious gaze.

Lucien squinted slightly.

’What’s your angle, Jadecrest?’

Caelum then spoke.

"Baron Lootwell. The Golddust Family won’t let this off easily. Please take this and feel free to ask for help if the time comes."

With a calm expression, he extended something forward.

A medal.

Etched with the Jadecrest sigil.

...

The atmosphere shifted again.

Lucien’s eyes quietly fell to the medal then to Caelum’s polite smile.

For a brief second, silence.

He blinked slowly.

He understood.

This wasn’t just a gift.

It was a move.

A political offering disguised as a gesture of goodwill.

The moment Lucien accepted it, the narrative would shift:

—Baron Lootwell joins the Jadecrest faction.

—Jadecrest protects Lootwell’s interests.

—In return, Lootwell owes them.

Smart.

Subtle.

Effective.

But Lucien... didn’t play by their rules.

With an innocent tilt of his head and a voice full of faux wonder, he replied....

"Wow... another one for the collection."

He gently took the medal... and placed it on the table in front of him.

Then...

He raised his hand.

Inventory → Medals → Display

Several medals blinked into existence beside the Jadecrest piece.

Click. Click. Click.

One after another...

Lucien didn’t say anything.

He just sat there... casually stacking medals like souvenirs on a souvenir shelf.

A quiet statement to the room...

’I don’t belong to anyone. I’m bigger than your games.’

The room fell utterly silent.

Even Caelum paused. His eyes flicked across each medal.

The students were stunned.

Silvermine and the Department Heads medals??

No one had ever seen a Baron... especially someone his age... hold this much silent authority.

Even more terrifying...

Lucien didn’t seem to care.

Somewhere deep inside, Lucien smirked.

’If this keeps going, the system might just give me a title called Medal Collector.’

[Ting!]