After two luxurious days spent entirely on the noble pursuit of trying to start a family with my beautiful wife, Shade Winter, it was finally time to see her off.
She departed using magic. She insisted on it, explicitly forbidding me from stepping foot outside the house just to see her out. Why was she so adamantly keeping me indoors, you ask?
Because of the masterpiece I had unleashed upon the neighborhood just yesterday.
I had constructed a massive, glaringly inflammatory banner and draped it directly from my rooftop garden, letting it cascade down over the entire fifth floor of the villa. It broadcasted some deeply provocative truths for the entire world to see:
[Vice Principal Lisa Swallow claims only commoners think they can be badass Mage-Knight Summoners!]
[The Academy taught me absolutely nothing under the leadership of Vice Principal Lisa Swallow.]
[Vice Principal Lisa Swallow freeloaded at my wedding and couldn't even manage a single nice word.]
[Vice Principal Lisa Swallow is banned from my vacation villa.]
[Heartfelt thanks to all the fellow commoners supporting Mage-Knight Loki Sky for Vice Principal!]
It had been proudly on display for a full twenty-four hours now. Considering at least half of the Royal Academy’s student body walked past my house on their daily commute, the public relations damage was already catastrophic.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Thorin stood nearby, staring up at my latest project and slowly shaking his head. I was currently using a hammer to nail additional warning signs around the perimeter. The goal was simple: make it so the guards only had to point at a sign instead of wasting their breath talking to undesirable visitors.
"Brother," Thorin sighed, his voice a mix of awe and exasperation. "You were born in the wrong Earth era. If our side had possessed your brand of vile schemes, we would have won the World War months ahead of schedule."
I pointed my hammer at him with a wicked grin. "Brother, we did win the war. And technically, it was the last World War Earth ever had to suffer. Cough."
With a dramatic roll of his eyes, Thorin vaulted cleanly onto the back of his mount, Brown Sugar. His uniform was immaculate, the copper epaulets gleaming under the morning sun. "Are you absolutely sure you want to skip the first day of school? All the prime instructors are going to be snatched up, and their class rosters will fill up fast."
I waved him off dismissively as I began walking back toward the front door. "You’re forgetting a crucial detail, brother. None of those 'prime instructors' are allowed to take on a commoner student anyway, so why bother? Oh, but here is a final piece of advice before you go."
I paused, turning back to him. "Even though that Amazonian Knight instructor is arguably the perfect fit for your development as a Full Knight—and admittedly very easy on the eyes—she is, frankly, completely unhinged. You might enjoy the view during drills, but her attitude is absolute garbage and her temper is a powder keg. You’re too calm for that chaos. That Dark Knight instructor is your best bet. He isn't corrupt."
Clop, clop, clop.
Thorin rode out of the gates, clearly pondering my words. But at the end of the day, he was still Thorin.
"He is one hundred percent going to choose her class just for the visuals," I muttered to myself, sighing as I walked inside. "Men."
I spent the rest of the day in the courtyard, drilling Taki and Yin in the fundamental concepts of Wing Chun. Thanks to their superhuman physiques and reflexes, they absorbed the martial forms faster than any ordinary human from Earth ever could.
The day passed in relative peace. Later in the afternoon, my guards reported that the infamous Vice Principal had indeed attempted to drop by.
Apparently, she had noticed my absence at the Academy and decided to hunt me down. Instead, she was greeted by my glorious propaganda display.
According to the guards, she completely lost her mind, screeching and hurling verbal abuse at them. Fortunately, I had previously installed powerful noise-canceling enchantments around the villa. Once the outside sound hit a certain decibel level, the barrier blocked it entirely, ensuring her screeching didn't ruin my quiet afternoon. She was too blinded by rage to realize that throwing a public tantrum on my sidewalk only drew a larger crowd to appreciate my artwork.
When Thorin finally returned home that evening, he brought company.
While I had explicitly banned Vice Principal Lisa Swallow and the third prince, Vali, from the property, the guards obviously had no authority to stop Thorin from bringing an honored guest inside.
"Brother, I'm home," Thorin called out as he entered the living room.
I was currently lounging on the sofa, casually flipping through a manual on 3rd Circle Summoner spells written in Eastern Common. My head was resting back, because my beautiful teacher, Shehuang, currently had her face pressed against my stomach, sniffing me intently while utilizing my lap as a pillow. She was wearing nothing but a scandalous, ultra-short black silk dress that leaned heavily into nightgown territory, leaving her bare feet and smooth legs completely exposed. It was, by all metrics, an incredibly lewd sight.
When Thorin walked in and witnessed Shehuang acting like a shy, utterly obsessed house cat, his face instantly flared crimson.
"Hello again, Sir Sky. I'm incredibly sorry to barge in so unannou—"
Princess Lana Balder’s voice abruptly froze mid-sentence.
Sensing the newcomers, Shehuang didn't panic. Instead, she lazily crossed her silky legs, her piercing golden eyes scanning the stunned pair. "Oh, Loki. It seems someone has arrived to forcefully drag you back to school, hehe. You really are a genius, Master~♪!"
Thorin cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to salvage the situation for the princess. "Lana, please don't misunderstand. Shehuang is... my brother’s personal maid. Cough. Actually, Shehuang, when exactly did you get back?"
With a sudden, fluid swish, Shehuang spun her legs off the sofa. She moved with such blinding speed and grace that one could easily wonder if she was wearing anything beneath the silk dress at all—and a closer inspection confirmed a total absence of panty lines. She stood up, stretching her arms high above her head in a deliberately seductive arc, showcasing every curve.
"You have company, my lovely Master," she said, her voice dripping with lazy amusement. "Stay and play with your guests while I go take a very long nap in your bed, Maaaaaaster~♪!"
She leaned down, planting a playful kiss directly on my cheek, before sashaying away. She made a pointed show of swaying her wide hips as she walked out, entirely ignoring poor Thorin's question. Feeling her lingering emotions through our bond, I knew she was thoroughly enjoying her little prank.
"Cough. My apologies, Princess," I said, breaking the stunned silence as I gestured toward the vacant armchairs. "The maids hailing from the Eastern Wastelands have... vastly different customs than the ones we are used to."
A proper estate maid immediately stepped into the room, quietly pouring hot black tea for everyone.
"Now," I continued, leaning forward. "As long as the topic of conversation isn't about forcing me back to the Academy, what can I do for you?"
Lana was still so thoroughly flustered by the departing temptress that she completely forgot her original opening line. Blushing, she quickly pivoted to a different angle. "Sir Sky, what do you intend to do about your magical training? I am genuinely worried that you will fall far behind the other students if you skip classes."
I simply held up the heavy text I had been reading. Lana’s eyes widened as she recognized the script. She actually knew how to read Eastern Common.
"Is that... Buff Summons?!" she gasped, leaning closer. "And it's an authentic edition from the Eastern Wastelands! Wait, you can actually read that?"
"I happen to have a Dark Elf summon and a pair of Eastern maids, so yes, the language isn't an issue," I replied smoothly. "Despite my erratic behavior, I am actually quite intelligent. It's a trait my brother and I share, haha."
Lana pouted internally, her pride taking a heavy hit. She was a royal princess, yet she was only on the verge of becoming a 2nd Circle Summoner herself. Attempting to regain her footing, she tried a different angle. "What about your physical cultivation? Surely you need specialized medicines or high-grade elixirs to break through to a 3rd Circle Vanguard?"
Thorin, knowing exactly how this would end, simply took a quiet sip of his tea. I smiled, pointing a finger at my brother. "I am a certified Alchemist, Princess. Who do you think manufactured the medicine that advanced this Full Knight to the 2nd Circle? Formulating a 3rd Circle elixir for myself is basic chemistry."
Princess Lana sat there, completely utterly defeated. Her lips parted in a cute, frustrated pout.
Sip.
Thorin and I lowered our teacups in perfect, synchronized unison, revealing a striking similarity in our mannerisms that neither of us liked to openly admit.
"I... I see," Lana murmured, her shoulders slumping. She stood up, looking thoroughly deflated. "Then I shall take my leave. Forgive me for bothering you, Sir Sky."
Seeing her genuinely downcast expression, I stood up to escort her out. Thorin remained on the couch, leaving the two of us to walk side-by-side down the long hallway toward the front gates.
Her pace was incredibly slow, her eyes fixed on the floor before she finally broke the silence. "You explicitly banned the Third Prince, Vali, from entering your home. Do the two of you share some sort of history?"
I stopped walking, blinking at her in genuine disbelief. "Should I be opening my doors to a man who relentlessly pestered my wife to marry him? A man who explicitly sent Vice Principal Lisa Swallow to insult me on my very wedding day? Princess, either you are completely blind to his dealings, or you are a far better actress than I gave you credit for."
Lana froze. She instantly threw her chin up, placing her fists on her shapely hips as an indignant pout took over her face. "I am not privy to Vali’s personal schemes! I honestly had absolutely no idea that happened. I... I sincerely apologize on his behalf. That is completely unbecoming of a member of the royal family. And as for acting, I have absolutely no need for such deception!"
I turned and pointed back toward the villa doors. "Then tell me, whose bright idea was it for you to get close to my brother? If you tell me it was entirely your own volition, I will gladly apologize for the insult. But if someone else heavily suggested you pursue him, then you're just playing a part in their script, aren't you?"
Her eyes flared with indignation, but as her mouth opened and closed without a sound, it became glaringly obvious that she had no idea how to lie. This specific character flaw was incredibly endearing, but in the cutthroat arena of royalty, it was bound to be fatal.
"As long as my brother doesn't end up as collateral damage in these political games, I won't interfere," I said with a heavy sigh. "I assume your older brother is currently waiting for you, correct?"
Lana’s hands dropped to her sides, her entire posture deflating as shock washed over her features. "How?! How could you possibly know he was waiting outside in the carriage?"
I offered her a faint, knowing smile. "Puppets can only travel so far before the puppeteer runs out of string. Your brother would never trust you alone with Thorin. If anything happened to a royal princess due to his negligence, I imagine your father would be furious. Furthermore, Prince Vali always ensures his handlers are hovering nearby. He systematically orchestrates your social calendar to meet specific individuals who can bolster his future political ambitions. But of course, this is all just hearsay on my part. I'm sure I am merely judging a fine gentleman with the cynical heart of a villain."
Lana actually took a physical step back, her eyes wide with a touch of fear. It was clear she had never once looked at her life through this lens, let alone realized I had deduced the entire web of manipulation just off the top of my head.
Quickly forcing her expression back into a mask of composure, she looked at me with profound seriousness. "So... if my brother hadn't made things so incredibly difficult for you and your wife, you wouldn't have gone to such lengths to hide your capabilities? The entire kingdom would have known about the world's first Mage-Knight two months ago?"
I nodded, entirely upfront about it. "If I hadn't gone into hiding to evade your brother's machinations, Thorin would have proudly announced our breakthrough to the world. So yes, that is correct."
Her shoulders slumped lower, the light completely leaving her eyes. "I see... I will do everything in my power to keep him away from you. I'm truly sorry."
As she turned to leave, a wave of pity struck my heart. "Stop."
She paused in her tracks but didn't turn around.
"Don't do anything reckless," I advised quietly. "A puppet that suddenly stops cooperating gets tossed into the scrap heap the moment it loses its utility. Don't try to stop him from playing his game. You just need to focus on protecting yourself, understand?"
The crisp autumn wind swept through the courtyard, catching her brilliant golden hair. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked softly, her voice carrying a trace of vulnerability. "I am a member of the royal family, and it seems I am entirely managed by my brother. What if I am forced to speak ill of you to Thorin?"
"My brother is almost as intelligent as I am; he can handle himself. As for why I am advising you? I'm honestly not entirely sure. I suppose I just hate seeing you used as a mindless pawn. A Summoner should possess far more spine and spunk than that."
She kept her back to me, but I didn't fail to notice her hand gently pressing against her chest as she spoke. "Hey, Loki... if you see me around your brother in the future, just know... he isn't the person in my heart. Not anymore."
My expression turned entirely flat. "Please refrain from calling me by my first name. Address me as 'Sir' first, or people are going to start spreading rumors that we have an incredibly unhealthy relationship, got it?"
Instantly, her proud, haughty demeanor snapped right back into place. She spun around, planting her fists on her hips and tilting her chin high into the air. "Fine, Sir Loki. If you insist on refusing my friendship, then we shall simply act like bitter enemies. See you around, Loki!"
With a theatrical spin, she marched toward the gates, mimicking the exact, dismissive hand wave I always used on other people.
Standing there on the path, a sudden realization hit me. Wow. I am an incredibly annoying person to deal with.
Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't even noticed that Thorin had been standing by the villa doors the entire time, quietly watching our conversation unfold.
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