Ryze glanced at the wall clock, then looked back at the audacious man who had just barged into his office, casually taken his seat, and propped both legs arrogantly atop the desk.
With a sigh of resignation, Ryze muttered, "We agreed to et at nine. You’re thirty minutes late. What, did you get stuck in traffic?"
The middle-aged man swept Ryze with a blade-sharp gaze, then turned toward the young man standing quietly beside him—Link.
After a long pause, he spoke in a cold voice, "I was actually planning to co another thirty minutes later... figured I’d show up just in ti to collect your corpse. But damn, you’re a tough old cockroach, Ryze. Still breathing, huh?"
"Cut the crap," Ryze snapped, spitting in his direction. Then he pushed Link forward. "This is Link, my top student. You’d better treat him well."
"Oh?"
The man—Nate—narrowed his eyes and took a good, long look at Link. A beat passed. Then a low chuckle escaped his lips. "He’s got potential, I’ll give you that. But what rotten luck to end up with a half-blind fossil like you for a ntor."
"I swear to—!"
Ryze lost it. With zero hesitation, he lunged forward and swung a punch at Nate’s face.
But Nate was quick—far too quick. He tilted his body at the last second, dodging with practiced ease, then grabbed Ryze’s wrist in a firm grip.
"C’mon now, brother," he said with a mock sigh. "Can’t you let play the role of a dignified senior in front of the kid for just one minute?"
"Get lost!"
Ryze jerked his arm away, scowling. "With that build of yours and that smug attitude, you’ve got ’peer’ written all over you—not ’senior’! Dammit, the more I look at you, the more I regret giving you that bottle of elixir back in the day!"
"Alright, alright! My bad, okay?" Nate imdiately backpedaled, clasping his hands together in apology. "I’ll make it up to you, Ryze—Principal Ryze, esteed Ryze, most magnanimous Ryze!"
And with that, Nate dropped the facade of the cool, mysterious powerhouse. He started massaging Ryze’s shoulders and kneading his legs like a sycophant, utterly destroying the commanding presence he’d had monts ago.
Link stood off to the side, watching the scene unfold with asured silence.
One thing was clear—despite appearances, these two were close. More than that, they were equals. And while Ryze looked significantly older, Nate remained middle-aged in appearance—no doubt due to that elixir they had ntioned.
That explained the disparity in age and appearance between them.
"Get out of here," Ryze grumbled, glaring daggers at Nate. "An apology ans nothing at this point. Do I look like soone who needs your ’sorry’?"
Clearly defeated, Nate sighed and turned away, refusing to et Ryze’s accusing gaze any longer.
Instead, he walked over to Link and gave his shoulder a firm pat. "Still, it’s kinda rare, you know? You’re basically one foot in the grave, and now you decide to take a student?"
Ryze didn’t even respond. He just scoffed and changed the subject.
"You don’t get to question what I do. But while we’re on the topic, you showed up empty-handed. Shouldn’t you be offering so sort of greeting gift to your junior?"
"...What?"
Nate froze. "A... a greeting gift?"
His face went stiff. It was clear he hadn’t prepared anything.
He had only rushed here because he’d sensed Ryze was in danger. Who had ti to bring presents?
But Ryze wasn’t letting him off the hook.
"Ahem!" Ryze cleared his throat theatrically. "You’re a grown man, Nate. You should know better. Link here is a well-mannered student—he won’t ask you for anything. But if you give him nothing, that reflects poorly on you as the senior."
"And let say this now—if you don’t give him a gift he’s satisfied with today, I swear, I’ll expose everything. All your dirty secrets. Let the world see what kind of ’Bloodsoaked General’ you really are! That battle-hardened War Ghost with a spine of steel? A fraud. A charlatan!"
"Alright, alright, stop!" Nate raised both hands in surrender. "I admit defeat, okay?!"
Then he turned to Link. "Nephew, tell —what do you want? If I have it, it’s yours."
"Um... actually, I don’t really—"
Before Link could finish, Ryze shot him a death glare.
Link instantly switched gears.
"Ahem! I an... I’m just a young and clueless kid. I don’t even know what would qualify as a good gift. But of course, soone as worldly and wise as you, General Nate... anything you choose will surely be sothing amazing."
That flattery was almost vicious.
Ryze couldn’t help but grin like a proud father. This kid... he usually keeps a low profile, but when he decides to screw soone over, he really goes all in. He’s more ruthless than I ever was!
And just like that, the pressure was back on Nate.
He scratched his head in frustration, pacing a little before finally mumbling, "Ugh... I honestly don’t know what to give you. How about I take you to my private vault? You can pick anything you like."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Nate felt his heart bleeding.
That vault... It was where he kept all the priceless treasures he’d acquired across countless campaigns. He hadn’t even used most of them yet.
And now he was about to just give one away?
Before he could reconsider, Ryze walked up and gave his shoulder a hearty slap. "That’s the spirit. And rember, Nate—you’re a general. Your word has to an sothing."
"...Of course," Nate muttered, his smile stiff as he turned around. But his face twisted in silent agony the mont Ryze couldn’t see him.
Ryze chuckled inwardly, then turned to Link.
"By the way, Link. I told you earlier I’d be taking you to three different locations. How many have you visited so far?"
Link scratched his head and replied honestly, "None yet, ntor. I haven’t had the chance."
Ryze’s expression turned serious at once. "Then let’s postpone the gift for now. I need to take my top disciple on an important task. Nate, you’re dismissed."
With that, Ryze whisked Link away, leaving Nate standing alone in the office, blinking in confusion as the cool night wind swept in through the open window.
"...What the hell just happened?" Nate finally muttered, sinking into the office chair with a frown. "First I’m supposed to give a gift, then I’m told to wait. Is he just ssing with ?"
His gaze drifted across the room, and suddenly he paused.
"...Strange. There’s... a lingering presence here. Like residual domain energy."
He furrowed his brow, trying to pinpoint its origin.
But no matter how he traced it, he couldn’t quite make sense of it.
In the end, he simply sighed and stood up. "Forget it. If Ryze is willing to blackmail for that brat’s sake, he must really think highly of him. Guess I can’t afford to be stingy."
And with that, he left the office, determination written on his face.
—
Elsewhere, under the blanket of the night sky, Link walked beside Ryze, curiosity brimming in his voice.
"ntor, how long have you known General Nate?"
As he spoke, he realized they were moving at an increasingly rapid pace—yet he didn’t feel any physical resistance. Everything around them blurred subtly, but his footing remained stable.
It had to be a characteristic of high-level espers. T9, at least.
Ryze gave a wry smile. "How long? So long I’ve nearly forgotten. We’ve been together since we were toddlers in cloth diapers. I have nine life-threatening scars on my body—all from saving his sorry hide."
"And he has just as many, all for ."
Ryze’s tone softened with nostalgia, but then he added, "He has plenty of good traits. But if I had to na one flaw... it’s his obsession with playing the stoic. Always acting mysterious and noble. You saw him earlier—he’s a chatterbox and a coward at heart."
"Honestly, if you hadn’t been there today, I would’ve beaten him until even his mother wouldn’t recognize him!"
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