"The one who abhors the watcher of darkness in the shroud of shadows."
When I heard those words, I remembered a certain scene in the game.
A certain scene considering Callius when he joined the villain organization. It was a small scene for foreshadowing, and later, it would be revealed that it was Callius.
At that time, those words were the ones that Callius spoke.
As you already know, Callius was normally a villain who swore to get his vengeance.
He wanted to take vengeance on his family. But he was actually powerless.
When he was banished from his family, he had no one to rely on, he was all alone, and most importantly, he was weak.
He was at his lowest.
The Scapegoat of the Augustride Family, the Tyrant, Useless Heir who tormented the workers of the household.
A broken, simple dish that was ready to be cooked for those who wished.
And, of course, those who knew cooked the meal for themselves.
Black Watch.
A criminal group that was deeply engrossed with the world of the 'Chronicles of Aeris.'
Just like the Follower of Hodur, Syndicate of Doom, they also operated from the shadows, but their purpose was different.
If the Followers of Hodur were basically random terrorists who wanted to wake the evil god they believed in, the Black Watch was a group that wanted to rule the world and get the thing they wanted.
'The Ancient Royal Blood.'
Their leader was a reincarnated person who was from the era of the Ancients, and his sole purpose was to recreate the long-lost Ancient Kingdom he used to serve.
His background was a lot more complex, and his goals were clearly deceptive, but he did quite a lot of work in order to regain the order of this world.
He even used demons for his own goals, and that's where he became an antagonist.
In any case, the reason I am talking about them is simple. It is because Black Watch was the group that Callius joined and became the pawn for them to discard.
It was that group that was supposed to attack the Academy at the festival, causing terrorism to the whole capital.
And their goal was simple. To cause distrust for both the academy and the Empire.
To show that they were shaky.
However, that was not what was important right now.
As my brain worked at a rapid speed processing her words.
'How does she know about their code, and why is she mentioning that?'
It was strange, a lot strange, for her to randomly mention the chants of a random criminal organization. Especially the one that Callius would normally join in the game.
'Is she a transmigrator?'
This was immediately the first question that came into my mind. But it didn't matter what she was right now.
The pressure I was feeling was certainly not normal, and it was getting harder and harder to withstand it. Considering she knew something about Black Watch, the reason she was speaking about them meant she was testing my reactions.
That simply meant one thing.
'I need to feign ignorance, but at the same time, I need to stand my ground.'
That was it.
Therefore, I just did what I needed to.
I maintained my fa?ade of ignorance. It was as if those words held no significance for me, even though they resonated with a secret I had long buried.
I continued with a feigned innocence, "I'm afraid I don't understand, President. Your words are quite cryptic."
Her gaze remained piercing, probing for any signs of recognition or reaction. I could also feel incredibly thin mana tendrils entering me from my head, aimed right through there.
<Ding! The host has been affected by Mind Magic.>
<Ding! Trait [Ego] is resisting the effects.>
<Ding! The Mind Magic has successfully countered.>
As the words of the system echoed in my head, I could see the expression on the face of Jasmine returning to normal.
"Perhaps it's best that you don't," she replied, her tone cryptic in its own right. "Some secrets are better left undisturbed, after all."
The oppressive pressure in the room seemed to dissipate slightly, but her enigmatic demeanor remained.
'This woman? Either she was a politician before transmigrating, or she is not a transmigrator.'
It was clear that she was a master at reading between the lines, and I had to be equally adept at concealing the truth.
When talking about transmigration, it is always important to note that not every person on Earth who played the game has the qualifications to become the century's best genius and operate her life like she would normally.
This is the real world; there are people who would aim for her head, starting from her family. Imperial Palace should be a place where countless plans were being plotted.
'Adding this level of mana control and this aura, I am getting from her…..'
She was certainly not normal.
'A regressor.'
Of course, just like the case of Arthur, this one was also impossible to prove. She could have a system that enabled her to get stronger, or she might have seen a vision.
There are a lot of possibilities that might make her know about what was supposed to happen in the future.
But, whether she was something or not was not that important. There was a clear disrespect for me, and I was not someone to simply stand by and let myself walk over.
"I respect your advice, President," I replied, maintaining my composure, "but it's also important to remember that assumptions and prejudices can be quite damaging. Labeling someone based on their background can lead to misunderstandings. I've faced my share of challenges, but I believe it's not where we come from that defines us, but our choices and actions."
There was a subtle shift in her expression, a flicker of something unreadable in those bright purple eyes. I could even swear that I saw a faint smile on her face for a second.
"As for the Scapegoat of the Augustride Family," I continued evenly, "it's a moniker given to me by those who couldn't see beyond the shallowness of blessings. But it doesn't define who I am or the path I choose to walk."
As I stopped my words, I locked my eyes with her purple ones while releasing my new trait.
<Trait [Dragon's Pride] is active.>
"Therefore, I suggest you keep your ideas and speculations within your boundaries. As the saying goes, even the ones that are called gods, when they die, you cannot hear their howls above the wind."
Her bright purple eyes met mine, and for a moment, the air between us crackled with tension.
I had laid down my words, a reminder that I would not be easily manipulated or pigeonholed.
But, it was at the same time incredibly thrilling, to the fact that I was feeling the sense of challenge for the first time in a while.
The fact that the person before me was mysterious, smart, and strong with her own hidden agendas.
It was something that brought me incredible amounts of joy.
After a moment of staring contest, she finally leaned back, retracting her gaze. "I value your insights, Student Callius," she replied, her tone measured. "Let us remember this exchange as one of understanding rather than suspicion. I have a feeling that we will find ourselves working together more closely in the future."
With her taking a step back, I smiled in response and decided not to pursue this matter. In the end, we were fellow villains of this world, and we had nothing to do with each other right now.
"That would be a pleasure."
Hearing me, she nodded in acknowledgment and looked into my eyes once again.
"Then, let's start talking about our partnership, shall we?"
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶