Chapter 26 – The Disclosure

Alice flinched at my bluntness, her anxiety spiking until she began to stammer.

“I… I… Oh, Asher, this… this matter…”

I tried to soothe her.

“Calm down. No one knows about my situation yet. And I swear by the Goddess that I will never repeat what you tell me to anyone. I just need to know how to protect myself.”

Alice hesitated for a few seconds before finally speaking.

“Actually, I’m not sure about other families, but in the Matthew household… I once saw a servant under Master Andrew accidentally win against him in a spar. That person’s room was very close to mine, so when the Church arrived the following night, I happened to witness it.”

“Did they ever come back?” I asked.

“No. That was the last time I saw him. He was such a good guy…” Alice said, her voice laced with pity. “A few days later, I overheard Andrew bragging to his friends. He said he had ‘traded’ that person to the Church in exchange for a large quantity of mana stones. He claimed the guy should be ‘honored’ because he could become a mana source for a future head of a Great House… How can they be so cruel? Even a servant is still a human being…”

Alice’s brows furrowed in a mix of anger and helplessness; tears were on the verge of spilling over. She suddenly grabbed my hand, her voice pleading.

“Asher, you and I are in the same boat. I’m not sure how much mercy they have for those who share their blood, so you must be careful. Don’t try to show off, don’t try to prove anything. It’s not worth it.”

I suddenly felt a pang of guilt, knowing that what I was about to do would likely scare the life out of her. But that guilt vanished in an instant; I knew that if I succeeded, the news might not even have time to spread.

And if I failed? I’d just reset.

If there was one stroke of luck for my plan, it was that tomorrow was Holy Prayer Day, marking the beginning of the windy season in Averula. It was one of the fixed “save points” where Halunar could guarantee a reset for me. With that in place, I could redo this as many times as necessary.

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Holy Prayer Day in Averula shared customs similar to Christmas on Earth. On the eve of the holiday, families would gather for a lavish feast. On the day itself, commoners would take off work and congregate at the Cathedral to receive blessings. High-ranking nobles would even have blessing ceremonies held within their own private estates or castles.

Imperia also granted students a holiday to return home. However, students whose homes were far away stayed in the dormitories, and the Hero candidates were specifically requested not to leave the capital.

That afternoon, I waited in front of Jullius’s room immediately after classes ended. We had been summoned back to the estate to prepare for Holy Prayer Day with the family.

Jullius shot me a look of utter loathing, exactly as expected.

“So you actually showed your face? You’ve been acting quite high and mighty lately. I almost thought you’d forgotten who you serve.”

I bowed my head. “My apologies, Young Master. After what happened… I’ve wanted to apologize, but I couldn’t find the right moment. And then you were deployed to fight in Marbour…”