Chapter 116: Exposed [4]
The silence following that sudden voice was almost holy.
For a long heartbeat, neither Gileard nor Michael moved. The inspector’s once-lethal aura evaporated into the air, leaving only the faint shimr of golden mana fading around his shoulders.
Michael’s lungs finally rembered how to breathe, dragging in sharp, shaky gulps.
Then, she stepped fully into the light.
Silver hair spilled down her back, catching the glow of the mana lamps. The familiar shade—soft as moonlight, with the faintest blue tint near the ends—was unmistakable. Her eyes, calm yet sharp, surveyed the room like they were assessing a battlefield. The faint clink of armor followed her as she moved, each step composed and deliberate.
Michael’s jaw dropped slightly.
"Aria...?"
The word slipped out before he could stop it.
She turned her head toward him, her expression softening just enough to confirm his guess.
It was indeed Aria—the sa Aria who once helped him in the most unexpected of monts, the one he had ntally filed under "too good to be true and too dangerous to be near."
Only now, she was apparently the granddaughter of the very man trying to crush him like a bug.
Michael’s brain imdiately froze, rebooted, then crashed again.
Of all the plot twists in this cursed world... THIS one wasn’t in the ga files.
anwhile, Gileard—who had just been radiating enough killing intent to make dragons kneel—was suddenly fidgeting like a guilty schoolboy caught by his teacher.
"Aria... what are you doing here?" he asked, the gruffness in his tone oddly softened.
"Saving your reputation," she replied dryly. "And his life."
Michael blinked.
Did she just... sass her grandfather?
The inspector’s eye twitched slightly.
"I wasn’t threatening him. I was rely testing—"
"Testing what?" Aria cut in, her tone sharp. "His cardiac endurance?"
Gileard coughed into his fist, suddenly looking everywhere but at her.
Michael just sat there, silently observing, his expression caught sowhere between amusent and awe.
This girl just made an S-rank fold like wet paper. What kind of family dynamic is this?
The two continued talking—rapid-fire sentences, quiet but charged. Michael couldn’t follow a word of it. Their expressions shifted from scolding to defensive to... nostalgic? Maybe they were reminiscing about childhood sword lessons or sothing.
Then, abruptly, both of them turned their heads toward him at the exact sa ti.
Michael froze under the dual gaze—one amused, one mildly annoyed.
The feeling was akin to being caught stealing sweets by both your teacher and your crush.
Gileard’s expression was unreadable, but his narrowed eyes scread "You’re still not off the hook."
Aria, on the other hand, smiled—a bright, disarming smile that could probably convince demons to apologize for existing.
"Junior," she said sweetly, "let’s go."
Michael blinked.
"Huh?"
He looked from her to Gileard, half expecting the man to explode.
"Wait... I can leave?"
Gileard t his gaze with that sa tired sigh one gives to children who’ve already lost the argunt. He waved his hand, as if brushing off the whole situation.
"Go."
Michael didn’t move imdiately—partly out of disbelief, partly because his body hadn’t caught up to the idea of freedom.
Aria’s lips twitched.
"Honestly."
Without warning, she strode forward, grabbed his wrist, and tugged him along with surprising strength.
"Hey—! Wait, my sword—!"
"You can summon it later, idiot."
And just like that, she dragged him out of the Law Hall’s interrogation chamber, the heavy door slamming shut behind them.
---
[Inside the Law Protector Hall – Monts Later]
The room felt oddly empty without the chaos.
A soldier rushed in, panting slightly, his armor clinking as he saluted sharply.
"S-Sir! Forgive ! I tried to stop Miss Aria, but she—uh—used a high-tier wind step to—"
"Stop."
Gileard didn’t even look up. He was already gathering the scattered docunts on his desk, straightening them with practiced calm.
"Don’t apologize. I know better than anyone how impossible it is to keep my granddaughter waiting."
The soldier blinked.
"Y-Yes, sir. It won’t happen again."
"Make sure it doesn’t happen next ti."
The old inspector’s tone softened slightly. "And next ti, just... let her through earlier. It saves everyone the trouble."
"Understood, sir."
The soldier turned to leave, but paused.
"Sir... about the accused. Is the Chief of the Disciplinary Committee guilty?"
Gileard froze mid-motion. His fingers rested on the edge of a file before curling around it, thoughtful.
After a long pause, he smiled faintly.
"Hard to tell. The situation’s... fifty-fifty."
He stacked the files neatly, a glint of interest flashing in his eye.
"Bring the complainants in tomorrow morning. I have so questions for them."
The soldier bowed again and hurried out.
Once the door closed, silence returned to the room.
Gileard’s hand lingered on the topmost file labeled Michael Wilson. His expression softened into sothing almost fatherly.
"What a courageous lad..." he muttered under his breath, a faint smirk curving his lips.
"Let’s see how far that fire can take you."
---
Outside, the Academy grounds were painted in hues of orange and gold. The sun hung low, dipping lazily toward the western spires. The air was warm, tinged with the scent of iron from Aria’s armor.
Michael and Aria walked side by side along the cobbled path leading away from the Law Hall. She had finally released his hand—though not without a glare that dared him to complain about being dragged.
"So..." Michael began, scratching the back of his neck. "Is Inspector Gileard your grandfather?"
"Obviously."
"But your surna doesn’t match."
Aria sighed, then gave him a light flick on the forehead.
"Idiot. He’s from my mother’s side."
"Ah—right, of course. Makes total sense," he said, rubbing his head with a sheepish grin.
Note to self: never question a woman’s family tree again.
They walked for a bit in silence, their boots crunching against gravel. The golden light reflected off Aria’s silver armor, making her look like so holy knight descending from heaven.
Michael glanced sideways at her, amused.
"You look like you just ca from the front lines. Did you fight a war before saving ?"
Aria chuckled, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Not quite. The Academy assigns field missions to second-years. My team’s task was monster suppression near the Southern Village. We just returned a few hours ago."
Her tone softened, though pride still laced her words.
"We cleared an entire nest of Steelfang Lycans."
Michael blinked.
"That explains the armor—and the sll of blood."
"Excuse ?" she said sweetly, her eyes narrowing.
"Ah—uh, I an—heroic scent of victory!"
She snorted and looked away, but he caught the corner of her lips twitching upward.
Then she turned back to him, eyes narrowing playfully.
"You know, Junior, you’re really sothing. Accused of extorting nobles one week after becoming Chief. That’s... a record."
Michael groaned.
"It seems I’ve beco their favorite punching bag."
"You could’ve fooled ," she said, smiling. "The way you faced Grandpa? I thought you were made of steel."
"Steel?" he repeated. "More like sheer stupidity and divine luck."
They shared a short laugh before Michael tilted his head curiously.
"By the way, how did you even find out I was arrested?"
Aria smirked.
"How could I not? Who do you think is the President of the Royal Club?"
Michael stopped walking.
"...Right."
Of course she’d know everything. She probably gets daily reports before breakfast.
"Anyway," he said quickly, changing the topic, "thanks for the rescue. Again."
"You owe two now," she said lightly. "And this ti, I’m keeping score."
"Deal," he said with a grin. "But next ti you go monster hunting, take with you."
Aria blinked, surprised.
"You? On a field mission? You’re barely E-rank."
" I am E- rank now" he corrected imdiately.
She stopped walking, her eyebrows rising.
"Already? You leveled up in just a few weeks? You’re really a genius...junior.
"Guess I’m a fast learner," he said with mock modesty.
Her expression softened into genuine admiration.
"You’re progressing faster than I expected. Fine—if we get another task soon, I’ll let you join us."
"Great. I’ll bring snacks for all senior "
"Just don’t get eaten," she replied with a laugh. "Now, if you’ll excuse , I need a shower before I start slling like the Lycans we killed."
Michael chuckled.
"That’s... fair."
Aria smiled one last ti—bright, tired, and sincere.
"See you, Junior."
And with that, she waved and walked toward the dormitory, her silver armor glinting in the fading sunlight.
---
Once alone, Michael stretched, letting out a long sigh. The warmth of the sun felt good after the cold tension of the interrogation room.
He glanced down at his smartwatch, the screen flickering to life. Several ssages popped up one after another.
---
[Mom: Son, your elder brother has reached C– Rank! (3:06 PM)]
[Mom: After his progress, your brother and father went to a D-level dungeon together for training. (3:06 PM)]
[Mom: Don’t skip als. Eat properly. (3:07 PM)]
---
Michael smiled faintly.
As expected... My brother’s a monster too.
Then another set of ssages appeared.
---
[Victor: Boss, I’ve deposited 3 Billion into your Alliance account.]
[Victor: Boss, I’ve changed my location. Will et you on Saturday.]
[Alliance Union Bank: ℜ3,000,000,000 transferred to private account – Ref 558278782156.]
---
Michael blinked
.
Three billion...?
The corners of his lips slowly curved upward.
"Guess I’m rich now."
For a brief, dangerous second, he toyed with the idea.
If I send half a million to my family, their reaction would be priceless.
Then reality hit him.
Nope. They’ll ask a hundred questions, and I’ll have to write an essay explaining everything.and this money I have to invest in The Drawn rcenary Guild .
Hope the chairman finds any evidence and will give him a call after I take a bath.
He sighed and slipped his hands into his pockets.
After midterms, I’ll visit ho. Until then, let’s keep this a secret.
Just as he started walking toward the dorm building, his smartwatch buzzed again.
Ring~ Ring~
He glanced at the caller ID.
"Leon, huh?"
He tapped the screen, and a small holographic window projected Leon’s grinning face.
"Michael! You’re back from the Law Hall already?"
"Yeah," Michael said casually. "Just a misunderstanding. So nobles are trying to fra ."
"Knew it," Leon said with a relieved chuckle. "I called because we planned to et this evening. Still on?"
"Of course. I was the one who arranged it."
"Right, right. My bad," Leon said, scratching his head with a sheepish grin. "Then let’s et at the cafeteria in an hour. I’ll tell the others."
"Got it."
The call ended, and Michael stepped into the lift. He leaned against the glass wall as it ascended, watching the orange sky fade into deep violet.
Before the doors opened, he scrolled through his contacts and selected a familiar na.
[Calling: Alex]
The line connected, but before the other side could answer, Michael smiled faintly.
"Let’s see how deep this rabbit hole really goes."
---
To be continued...
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