Chapter 335: Chapter 335: A Pawn’s Despair
The atmosphere suddenly froze, not just in terms of perception, but in physical reality.
Space was stagnating; even high-class Magus could not move a muscle.
The Principal of Kanzax Academy, Great Witch of Space Banderia—it was easy to see that she was a Magus who had pushed an extremely rare magic type, [Space Magic], to the grand-class.
Naturally, her combat power was terrifying.
"Morizion, I don’t have time to play games with you. If you think that becoming a grand-class Magus means you no longer have to respect anyone, then you are mistaken."
"A grand-class Magus? In the Sword Family?"
The high-class Magus from the other Families were horrified. Although the space around them was frozen, their thoughts continued to race.
The news that the Ancestor of the Sword Family had become a grand-class Magus was a massive boulder thrown into a silent lake.
"Of course I still respect you, Banderia. But is it really worth it for you to take away members of my Family?"
"Don’t talk nonsense. The Sword Family is shameless, refusing to accept defeat and attempting to murder its own members to vent its anger. I am merely protecting my students."
Faced with the Principal’s mockery, Morizion could not help but sigh inwardly.
He naturally hadn’t wanted to appear so early. This secret was supposed to remain hidden until the appointment period for the new Commander-in-Chief of Kanzax arrived, but the failure in the resource distribution game had forced his hand.
Otherwise, the Sword Family would have faced absolute disaster.
Inside the pocket space, everyone could still see what was happening outside, and everyone fell silent—even Faith.
His hands were clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white; the silence was the loudest thing in the room.
Faith knew that from the moment Morizion stepped out, he had already lost half the chessboard, if not the entire game. His plan to topple the Sword Family had collapsed, and his plan to escape was as precarious as a candle flickering in the wind.
Faith’s subordinates—Elna, Cody, Ame, and Stan—looked at the lonely back of their master with aching hearts. On the other side, Cecilia was also in a turmoil of emotions, but all she could do was grip the sword in her hand tightly.
"Faith, if someone has to die, I’ll die before you."
"Shut up, sister! We aren’t dead yet!"
Faith snapped back at Cecilia, but everyone knew he was just trying to keep everything from falling apart. They were all conscious of one fact: would the Principal really oppose another grand-class Magus for their sake?
No one knew this better than Faith. In his value system, even if he placed the most "valuable" person, Cecilia, on the scale right now, she wouldn’t outweigh a grand-class Magus.
"This world... is truly ridiculous..."
That was all Faith could mutter.
Ten years of preparation, ten years of revenge—all of it had been overturned in a single moment.
Outside, Morizion spoke.
"Let’s do this."
"The Sword Family will stop delaying the acceptance of the resource distribution game results. In exchange, Cecilia and Faith will return to the Sword Family."
"Faith, Cecilia, I know you can still see and hear me. If you both return, all previous mistakes will be forgiven. I will even grant Cecilia an exemption from the intensive training program."
"Furthermore, I will give you both a fair fight against Budot to avenge your mother whenever you wish. As long as you are loyal to the Sword Family, I can give you anything."
Morizion’s offer wasn’t without its charm. But how could someone like Faith not see through the old man’s tricks?
First was the trade: "The Sword Family will stop delaying the results... in exchange for Cecilia and Faith’s return."
It seemed fine on the surface, but in reality, these were two completely unrelated matters that Morizion had forcibly linked as an equal exchange. In this relationship, both sides of the trade only had to give up a small benefit, but the "objects" being traded had to pay a heavy price.
Why say that? Just look at the conditions.
"The Sword Family will stop delaying the acceptance of the resource distribution game results," meaning they would accept receiving only 0.6% of the total resources for the next three years. It looked like a massive concession, but in truth, the Sword Family wouldn’t suffer much.
The small resource intake would only be a fatal blow if the Sword Family only had high-class Magus like the other noble families. But with the appearance of Morizion—a grand-class Magus—no other Family could suppress them. The impact was negligible.
"In exchange, Cecilia and Faith will return to the Sword Family." This was a proposal aimed directly at the establishment represented by General Cass, or rather, the Commander-in-Chief of Kanzax. In his current position, the old man Morizion could have made absolute demands, yet he proactively yielded to the requirements of the establishment. He only asked the establishment to "pay a small price"—the siblings Cecilia and Faith, who weren’t particularly connected to the establishment or the Commander-in-Chief. It was certain that if given the chance, General Cass would agree without hesitation.
In short, neither General Cass nor Morizion would face any difficulty in this agreement; instead, the difficulty was pushed onto the Principal and Kanzax Academy.
The Ancestor of the Sword Family was trying to indirectly force the Principal to hand over Faith and Cecilia!
He had seen the immense potential not only in Cecilia but even in Faith. Especially with Faith—now that Morizion had stepped forward, the Sword Family would no longer be limited to Adia. At that point, Faith’s strategic mind would be a vital asset, no longer locally restricted as it was in the resource distribution game.
Thinking of this, even someone as good at maintaining composure as Faith couldn’t help but turn pale. Not just Cecilia, but even he was about to be turned into a living weapon by that old man.
As for Morizion’s promises? Faith didn’t believe a single word. There was no one to guarantee them, and no one would intervene once they returned to the Sword Family. The old man’s promises were worth no more than a scrap of torn paper.
"Damn it, you old fox..."
Faith grit his teeth. The current situation seemed to have reached a complete deadlock. The only thing he could hope for was whether the Principal would show mercy and refuse to hand him and Cecilia over.
Leaving his fate entirely in the hands of another was, for Faith, more unpleasant than being stabbed.
