Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 141: Strategic Meeting (1)

After hours of reading, Kaiser finally completed the first book. He felt refreshed, having consumed a lot of information from the book.

"It is interesting."

He said with a pleased smile on his face—faint but visible.

Maya nodded enthusiastically, closing the book before her. It was already noon, and she was starting to feel hungry.

Kaiser read her thoughts with a single glance, then closed the book. Maya’s eyes unconsciously drifted to his wrist, finding it devoid of the academy’s limiter bracelet.

"That..." She lowered her voice deliberately. "Your limiter isn’t on... is that okay?"

Especially after remembering Eren’s words, she was very worried. It could surely be used against Kaiser. After all, he had broken the rules by not wearing the limiter on the academy grounds.

"Oh, that. I forgot about it."

Kaiser shrugged indifferently, not concerned at all.

"Then you should cover your wrist well." Maya sighed, tying her handkerchief around his wrist.

"Thank you." He nodded, then picked another book from the table.

"You want to return to your room to cook. It’s okay, you can go."

He opened the new book, skimming through the first page.

"What about you? Aren’t you hungry?" She asked, genuinely curious.

They had been here for hours without moving.

"I had an all-you-can-eat buffet before coming, so I’m good." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Ah..." Maya blinked, amazed. "Alright then, I’ll get going now. I’ll message you later."

She packed her remaining books into her bag, then left hesitantly. It was obvious she didn’t want to part with him yet, but hunger made her do otherwise.

’She hasn’t changed much. I expected this.’ He thought to himself. ’So why don’t I feel disappointed?’

He always had some expectations for Maya, and seeing that she hadn’t evolved was supposed to make him disappointed.

’No. It’s not that I’m not disappointed. It’s simply because I understand that this break lacks a catalyst for change.’

For students of the Academy, these breaks were their time of rest. A moment where they could set their conflicts aside and enjoy themselves.

’Unfortunately, it is almost over...’

Shaking his head, he began reading the book before him.

...

Night came swiftly. Kaiser left the library after a brief chat with the eccentric librarian woman, then headed to his room.

Checking his mobile phone, he realized no one from his class had messaged or called him.

’Hm? Has that Hazel girl finally learned some manners? I thought she would have spammed me with messages already.’

Unlocking the door to his room, he stepped inside. The air carried a slightly frosty but pleasant smell—Kaiser’s own scent.

Dropping the novel onto the table, he untied the handkerchief around his wrist, folding it neatly and placing it on Maya’s novel.

He sat at the edge of his bed, staring at his lightless shadow on the ground. He had a feeling it was staring back at him.

’I have quite a few high-ranking shadows at the moment, but how much more can my soul bear?’

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Putting aside the addition of more shadows, is it even possible for the current ones to grow stronger?"

Having a Rank 3 Awakened Shadow like the Cursed Knight was fine, but he would eventually outgrow them.

Looking at his shadow, which remained silent, he concluded that it didn’t have an answer too.

His eyes shifted abruptly, gazing at the door. He could sense four different human shadows approaching him.

’Hm... Hazel, Ysabella, Liam, and Ariel? So they chose to come tonight.’

Clicking his tongue, he manifested a thin strand of darkness to unlock the door from the inside. When they finally arrived and knocked, he said flatly.

"Come in."

There was a brief pause, then Hazel twisted the knob and entered. The remaining three followed behind her, with Ariel closing the door behind him. Even though they were just four, he tried his best to go unnoticed.

"Were you expecting us? It’s unusual to leave your door open at night."

Hazel questioned, staring at his figure intensely. He looked the same, though there seemed to be some auspicious air around him.

"Not really. But I had an inkling you’d eventually come." He shrugged, then stood up to seat on the chair. "You can sit on the bed."

"Welcome back, Kaiser." Liam smiled gently, sitting directly opposite him. His expression was full of care as usual.

"Kaiser, we really missed you during this holiday." Ysabella grinned, her face bright and radiant.

""We?""

Kaiser and Hazel echoed, both perplexed.

"Of course!" Ysabella did a thumbs-up. Then, she stepped close to Hazel and threw an arm around her shoulder.

"Hazel has been pretty gloomy ever since you left. If not for that ’princess’ guy sometimes talking to her, she’d probably crash out."

"Hah?" Hazel stared at her in shock and deeper confusion. "Ysabella, are you alright? You should stop spouting nonsense if you have nothing to say."

The girl’s sharp retort made Ysabella shrink with a pout. Pursing her lips, she said in a low voice.

"Whaaat... I’m just saying the things I saw."

Folding her arms beneath her ample bosom, she sat beside Liam, while Ariel and Hazel remained standing.

Kaiser ignored their little banter, instead studying them more carefully.

Hazel looked just like he had last seen her—pretty and filled with self-confidence. However, it was quite obvious there was a matter on her mind.

Liam also looked the same. In fact, he looked better, perhaps having refreshed himself during the break. However, his smile wasn’t as bright as usual. It seemed he was worrying about something too.

’Ysabella...’

That girl was always two-faced—portraying sweetness, but hiding her disgust for the world. There was no change in her at all, utterly disappointing.

’Perhaps I should create a catalyst for her to be true to herself.’

Smiling faintly, he directed an interested gaze at her. The girl shivered beneath her clothing, feeling like a rat in a laboratory.

And finally, he turned to look at the last person present in the room.

’This guy...’

Kaiser paused slightly. Ariel was quite difficult to read. It was as if his heart and intentions were always masked beneath several lies and deceit.

This made it really annoying for Kaiser to try unravelling his thoughts. Losing interest in the boy, he turned back to Hazel.

"Since you’re all here now, how about you update me about some interesting matters that occurred in my absence?"

He rested his chin on his palm, leaning on his right arm.