Caelen squatted before the assassin and reached out to one of his stump legs, squeezing hard. The assassin screamed, twisted, and tried to get away, but Caelen held him even tighter, his fingers digging into the wounds like clamps.
"You said...." Caelen began.
But the assassin suddenly whirled, flicking droplets of blood directly into his eyes to distract him while, at the same time, he brought his hands together. All his fingers lit up and condensed into a ghostly scythe that chopped brutally downward.
But Caelen wasn’t surprised. His hand shot forward, not even bothering to stop the blood droplets. It was as if he could see through them. His hand gripped the scythe and crushed it into bits of light. He continued until he held the assassin’s hands and then crushed them.
The sound of bones snapping like twigs was sharp in the air, and the assassin’s fingers twisted in different directions.
What followed was a pause, a bit of silence. And then a soul-searing scream tore through the air.
Caelen waited patiently, still holding the assassin’s stump leg with his other hand. When his cries turned into sobbing, he finally spoke again. "So, you said you’ll answer my questions."
The assassin nodded quickly. His eyes were wide with fear. "Yes! Yes! Just don’t...."
Caelen raised his hand, and it flickered forward with incredible speed, taking off the mask of the assassin. He frowned because he found the face behind it familiar, but he was sure he had never personally seen him before.
’Is this from the original body’s memories?’
The assassin looked average. Nothing particularly stood out.
"We will start slowly, but you must answer all my questions quickly and decisively. If you lie...."
Caelen blinked as he searched for which part of the body to destroy next. "I’ll take your eye. Or...whatever. Just know you’ll feel pain."
The assassin didn’t dare speak. His forehead was covered in sweat, and he trembled.
"Imagine I’ve lost my memories. Where am I?"
"This...." The assassin’s eyes shook. He swallowed. "You...you are in the northern part of the Academy. Th...this place is filled with abandoned buildings, and you’ll find the underworld of the Academy here."
"Academy? Which Academy?"
A look of surprise flashed across his face. "You don’t know the...ahhhh!"
Caelen pressed down on his crushed fingers again. "If you speak out of turn again, I’ll take one of your eyes."
"The Academy is the Academy. It’s at the center of the world. The most prestigious and strongest. Everyone wants to enter and learn here."
"Why?" Caelen asked.
"Because...this is the place with the strongest essence in the world. No other place comes close. Cultivating here will greatly improve your cultivation and strength. And sometimes, the essence will get so strong that Wildernesses will spawn, natural treasures will appear, so everyone wants to be here. It is also the most neutral ground in the world, with its own rules."
Caelen nodded thoughtfully. He had vaguely understood what The Academy stood for. ’It must be equal to The Great Awakener Institute.’
"So who am I? Tell me everything you know about me."
A look of deep fear appeared in the assassin’s eyes, and he shuddered. "I...."
"Don’t worry. No matter what, I won’t get angry. Go on, tell me everything about me."
"You are the most useless...I...I mean...."
Caelen’s face turned calm, although his right eye twitched slightly. His voice gained a subtle edge. "Go on."
"Ehhm...you are Caelen Seradon. The Seradon family was a Great Family that was the leader of the Unorthodox Faction. Your Family Leader is known as the Villainess, and your family once ruled every gang and underworld in this world. They were feared to the heavens."
"Were? Was?" Caelen’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Yes. Seven years ago, your Sicon was killed by the Orthodox Faction. The Villainess was killed. Although Great House Seradon was brought down, their influence is still strong."
’Just my luck that I’m reincarnated into the body of a house going downhill. This indeed provides some crucial information.’
"Why was the Villainess killed?" Caelen couldn’t help but frown at the name. It sounded so performative.
"Nobody knows. The Sicons of the Orthodox Faction came together to fight her. There are even rumors that some of the Neutrals participated."
"So....where do I stand in all of this?"
"You....are the heir of the Seradon family. Before her death, the Sicon named you the Young Master of the Seradon family. The heir. Although currently, your father is still the Family Head."
Caelen was stunned for different reasons.
’First, that’s good news. Being high in the politics of a Great House, even one on the decline, will provide me with some resources I can take advantage of.’
’But this is also a big contradiction. If I’m the heir, why was the body so useless and weak? Shouldn’t a Great House train their heir?’
’Something is not adding up.’
"Is that so? Then tell me about my strength and influence as seen by outsiders."
"You...you are the most useless. You are known as the shame of the Seradon family, and you hold the title of the most spoiled young master in the world. You are very well known, My Lord."
The assassin couldn’t help it. The trace of mockery couldn’t be hidden in his voice.
’Just what kind of reputation is this? So this body is just a freeloading bum? But I also noticed something that’s not making sense.’
"Then what am I doing here in the Academy?"
"You are an Instructor."
"Come again?"
"An Instructor. You are a teacher in The Academy."
"How was that even possible?" Caelen was truly stunned.
"Because your family pulled the strings somehow."
Caelen frowned. "But why would I want to come here?"
"According to the rumors, one of the most beautiful women turned you down, but you lo....found her attractive. She’s also an instructor here, so you became an Instructor to gain her attention."
"And?"
"Three years ago, you entered The Academy. And last year, you gained her attention, and you two are together."
’What the.....’
Caelen stood there for a long time, his brain racing through countless calculations. He himself could tell that his body was weak. Then why was he weak?
Better question.
’Why was a weakling allowed to survive?’
The unknown answer sent a chill straight to his heart. As someone who had used those weaker than him for his own advantage, he knew nothing good was in store for Caelen Seradon.
The more one looked at it, the more it looked like a sheep being fattened.