Multiversal Ascension-Chapter 56: New Enemy?

Still, he wasn't rude and remained polite. The group continued exploring the various club stands, and after some time, they gathered in a quieter area, away from the noisy crowd, to discuss their choices.

Amelia spoke first, "I'll take archery!"

Mikael rolled his eyes. "Of course. What else would the bow fanatic pick?"

It was true. When they first sparred, they didn't speak much, but over time, as they opened up to each other, Mikael learned how much Amelia was focused on strength. She spent most of her time training, and archery, in particular, was her passion.

When they trained together, Mikael occasionally offered unorthodox suggestions that helped her improve quickly. This was one of the main reasons they had grown so close in such a short time. Unlike the young master who tried courting her despite being weaker than her, and who showed little interest in training, Mikael was strong and trained as often as she did, which impressed her more than any flowery words.

At his words, Amelia rolled her eyes. "Like you're one to talk—you're just as much of a training maniac as I am."

"Guilty," Mikael replied with a wry smile.

"Cough," Aria interrupted, drawing the group's attention. "As nice as it is to watch you two flirt, shouldn't we be deciding which clubs to join? And you, Mikael—what club are you planning to join?"

At her words, Amelia's cheeks took on a slight pink hue, while Mikael remained neutral despite being 'called out.' He simply answered, "Me? I think I won't join any clubs. They seem interesting, but I believe my time would be better spent training."

"Okay, as you wish," Aria said cheerfully before continuing without waiting for a reply. "Now it's my turn, right? Personally, I'm drawn to the painting club. I've always liked painting, and joining a club like that sounds fun."

When she finished, she turned her gaze toward Lucas, who understood her unspoken cue and began to speak. "Like Mikael, I'm not particularly interested in any of the clubs, so I don't think I'll join one either."

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Aria shrugged, clearly indifferent, before turning back to Amelia and saying with enthusiasm, "Shall we go, Amy?"

Amelia hesitated, glancing at Mikael. "And what about them?" she asked.

Aria waved her hand dismissively. "We can go check out the clubs ourselves while the boys stay here and chat. We'll come back for them later."

Amelia still seemed reluctant to leave Mikael alone, but when he gave her a reassuring nod, she relented and left with Aria to visit their respective clubs.

Once the girls were gone, Lucas inwardly celebrated the opportunity to talk to Mikael and began, "So, Mikael, what are your plans after graduating from the Academy?"

Noticing that Mikael was now looking at him inquisitively, he continued, "I mean, you've been spending a lot of time with Amelia. She's the heiress of a duke's family, and her close relationship with a commoner is bound to ruffle some feathers. Without the right connections, things could get... complicated. While you're at the Academy, you're safe. But once you graduate... well, that safety won't last."

He paused for effect before offering his proposal. "Why don't you work for my family? With us, you'll have the backing of a duke's household, which means no one will dare lay a finger on you after graduation."

Lucas's voice became more enthusiastic as he pressed on. "And that's not all. We'll also support your ranking journey by giving you access to dungeons, resources, and everything you need to grow stronger. All we require is a pledge of loyalty to my family."

He smirked before adding, "And if you want to continue your romance with Amelia, I don't have a problem with it. My family won't either."

That was what he said, but his thoughts were far from genuine. 'I might not care, but there's no way the Mournsky family would ever allow their heiress to be with a commoner. In the end, he'll have no choice but to rely on us.'

After finishing his pitch, Lucas turned to Mikael and asked, "What do you think about my offer?"

Mikael, however, didn't let his true feelings show. He simply replied, "Thanks for the offer, but I'm not interested."

Lucas was taken aback. He had expected Mikael to accept, and his smile disappeared, replaced by a more menacing tone. "You realize that having the backing of a duke's family can be very useful, right? But not having it... well, that could be problematic."

At the thinly veiled threat, Mikael's expression didn't change, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. His smile turned icy as he responded in a calm yet firm voice. "Let me make this clear: I don't need your backing or anything of the sort. If you want to take offense, go ahead—but be prepared for the consequences."

His words were delivered with the same detached tone one might use to discuss the weather, yet they carried a weight that made Lucas instinctively feel a chill down his spine. He nearly stepped back but managed to stop himself. The reaction left him feeling humiliated, and while he wanted to lash out, an inexplicable sense of dread held him back.

"Think carefully about the pros and cons of making an enemy of me for no reason," Mikael added before leaning casually against a nearby pillar, completely ignoring Lucas's glare.

'This bastard—how dare he?' Lucas thought angrily. But as he replayed Mikael's words in his mind, doubt crept in. 'There's something about him... something unnerving. He's right, though. There's nothing to gain by provoking him, and if there's even a slight chance he could cause problems for my family, it's better to let this go.'

Ultimately, Lucas sighed inwardly, his anger tempered by logic. 'I'll drop it. There's no point in pursuing this matter.'

The two men fell into a tense silence, waiting for the girls to return.

A few minutes later, the two girls returned and were surprised by the tense atmosphere. However, they didn't comment on it, and the group quickly went their separate ways—Aria and Lucas heading off together while Amelia stayed with Mikael.

As Amelia and Mikael walked together, they reached a bench in a quiet park. Sitting down, Amelia asked, "So, what happened?"

"Huh?" Mikael replied, pretending not to understand.

"The atmosphere when I came back—it was tense. Did Lucas and you got in a conflict or something?" she pressed.

"Oh, that." He shrugged nonchalantly. "He tried to convince me to join his family—basically to work for them. I refused, and he didn't take it well. He threw out some veiled threats, and I gently explained why making an enemy out of me wouldn't be a good idea." He finished with an innocent smile.

A frown appeared on Amelia's face as anger flared inside her. The thought of Lucas threatening Mikael made her upset, but she kept her emotions in check and asked sincerely, "Do you need my help?"

Mikael waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, I'm good. I mean, what kind of son-in-law would I be if I relied on your family to solve my problems?"

"Son-in-law?!" Amelia exclaimed, her voice rising slightly as a faint flush colored her cheeks.

A playful smile appeared on Mikael's face. "Yeah, let's not beat around the bush. You've clearly noticed that I'm pursuing you."

She seemed flustered and stammered, "I-I..."

Seeing her reaction, he spoke again. "No need to think too much about it for now. There's no urgency."

Amelia gave him a grateful nod, clearly surprised by his sudden confession.

Mikael, wanting to plant a seed without delving into the subject too much, shifted back to the initial topic. "As for Lucas, I don't think he'll push the issue. He doesn't seem as dumb as the other so-called 'young masters' I've encountered. And even if he does... so what?" His tone was calm and confident.

Normally, Amelia found displays of arrogance from boys pathetic, as they often stemmed from their privileged backgrounds. But Mikael's confidence was different—it came from his own strength. As a warrior, she found it irresistibly attractive.

Still, more than shy about his sudden 'confession,' she was worried about the dangers he might face. Once again, she said, "If you're ever in danger, don't hesitate to contact me. I'll help you."

Mikael knew her words were genuine. If he asked for her help, she would protect him, just as she would have if she knew that he was the target of an assassination attempt days ago. But he also knew that asking for her help would lower her opinion of him. As a warrior, deep down, she would see it as cowardice.

But Mikael didn't fear the noble houses. 'I'm already an enemy of a marquess's house. What's adding a duke's house to the list? For a native of this world, it would be catastrophic, but for me? I couldn't care less. As long as I'm in the Academy, I'm relatively safe. And if things get too dangerous, I can always leave this world, grow stronger, and come back to crush the noble houses!'

He reached out and gently patted her head. Normally, Amelia would have dodged; she didn't particularly like affectionate gestures and preferred to express herself through fighting. But this time, her emotions were a mess. Mikael's 'confession' and her concern for his safety overwhelmed her usual reservations. 'Screw it,' she thought, and let his hand rest on her head, finding the gesture unexpectedly comforting.

After a while, the two sat in companionable silence, simply relaxing. Eventually, she gently removed his hand, stood up from the bench, and asked, "Want to go spar?"

Recognizing her attempt to change the subject, Mikael smiled playfully. "Are you sure you want to lose again?"

Her lips curled into a small smile, and she retorted, "Lose? I seem to recall winning not too long ago."

He gave her a mock unimpressed look. "One win against countless defeats. But I'll admit, you've improved a lot. Sure, let's spar."

Since the start of the Academy year, Amelia had made significant progress. She had reached E rank as a warrior and even developed a new technique. She has been working on this techniques for weeks and even months now, but it was only with Mikael's unorthodox advice that she'd managed to create it.

During one of their sparring sessions, she had launched an arrow that Mikael was about to deflect. Suddenly, the arrow split into five, taking him by surprise and allowing her to land her first—and so far only—victory against him. She called the move Dividing Shot.

The two made their way to the Academy's training section, attracting attention along the way. Amelia drew admiring gazes, while Mikael received glares of resentment for being near her. Neither of them paid any mind to the onlookers.

Eventually, they arrived at the training grounds and rented a small sparring room. This time, Amelia paid for the space. The room was compact, about 10 meters by 10 meters, but durable enough for their training. Most importantly, they were alone—a preference for both, as their sparring sessions often attracted too much attention.

***

"Ahh... ahh... ahh..."

"You're really a monster," Amelia said between short breaths, lying flat on the floor, utterly exhausted after a long sparring session.

Mikael sat not far from her, also tired but hiding it better.

A faint, tired smirk appeared on his face. "Like you're one to talk—you're nearly as strong as me."

Hearing his words, she wanted to get angry but was too worn out to muster the energy. "T-That's the problem! I'm nearly as strong as you, and I'm an entire rank above you! It doesn't make sense," she replied in a weary voice.

Mikael simply shrugged, offering no explanation. Seeing his lack of response and too exhausted to pry, Amelia let the matter drop. She remained sprawled on the floor, recovering in silence.

After a while, Mikael stood up, drawing her gaze. At that moment, she noticed something unusual—his body, previously covered in sweat from their sparring, was now perfectly clean, and he smelled fresh, as if he had just stepped out of a shower.

Curious, she couldn't help but ask, "What's that?"

"A utility spell called Clean. It's basically a spell that lets you take an instant shower and stay fresh anytime you want. Do you want me to use it on you?"

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