A squirming boy had been decked out flat across the cold floor. His silver armor, which used to gleam brilliantly in the sunlight, was battered and dented; the sumptuous crest of feathers were dusty and broken, like the loser of a cock fight.

Take it away, Joshua said, staring down at the unconscious body with cold, half-open eyes.

You! Gehog bared his razor-sharp teeth at Joshua as he ran over to Veron. Help me right now!

Ah. Yes, I Gehogs scream snapped Natasha out of her daze. She rushed over to Gehog and grabbed Verons other arm.

Gehog glared at Joshua.

The heir of Agnus is Babel von Agnus. It wont change no matter what you do! No matter how talented you are, youre nothing unless you do something incredible. Today went your way, but the day will come when youll regret it.

Yeah Joshua burst out laughing. Ill be looking forward to it. Eventually.

Damn it Gehog staggered away. Their confidence and smug posture was gonenot it looked like they struggled with each step forward.

What Agareth stared blankly into space. ...Who are you again?

Everyone has secrets, just like you.

Thats Agareth swallowed his words. Youre right.

Joshua approached Icarus, who was still on the ground.

Are you all right?

Im all right.

Were you surprised? Im not the person you thought I was.

As far as that goes, I was expecting it. Icaruss response made Joshuas brow furrow. I thought it was unusual from the very beginningwhy would the son of a fallen aristocrat take the risk of enrolling in the Academy? Everyone knows the Imperial Family doesnt bother with people that poor. Maybe you came here to find ways to rebuild your family, but its unreliable; besides, then youd be leaving your family to suffer while you live in luxury.

Joshua grinned. Icarus had certainly thought this through.

Did you come here to make connections, like Raksha? That doesnt make any sense! No one here would pay attention to a fallen nobleI mean, just look at me!

But all else aside, Young Master Ash is the onlyout of a thousand studentssole heir of a fallen nobleman. Theres exceptions to everything. Very few need to conceal their identities.

I never considered that.

But the Young Master seems to overthink things. It appears there are others who are already aware of the Young Masters identity. Icarus recalled the brown-haired girl hed met1.

I was expecting this. Joshua grinned. Even knowing Joshuas true identity, Icarus spoke his mind without hesitation. This was the sort of courage Joshua expected from the finest soldiers. Its no wonder he considered fighting a million troops with only ten thousand men.

Joshua looked into Icaruss eyes as he thought. Those signature charming blue eyes, overflowing with courage; despite his severe beating, those eyes never lost their shine. Joshua had a sudden urge to complement Icarus for his lovely, gem-like eyes.

Why are you staring at me like that? Icarus flushed.

Your eyes are lovely.

Huh?! The boys cheeks went red as a tomato.

By the way, are you going to keep calling me Young Master?

What?

Was I the only one who thought we were friends?

Icarus and Agareth offered him a wide-eyed stare.

Its not funny for friends to call me Young Master.

The three of them shared a warm smile.

The Principality of Thran was a minor kingdom, ruled by a prince rather than a monarch, and had long been a part of the Swallow Empire. Thran was a self-contained state and could fend for themselves without the help of an empire, but the rest of the continent disagreed; Thrans long association with the Swallow Empire had led to it being regarded as a vassal state.

The Prince of Thran had worked for decades to prove that Thran was capable of thriving on its own. He wanted to create a fully independent Thran Kingdom. The Swallow Empire regarded Prince Anthony as a troublemaker, despite its pride; yet, the Prince was known as the Eloquent Magician for his charm that captured the hearts of the neighboring countries.

It got to the point where the Empire couldnt do anything about it anymore. The charming Prince was free to plot the independence of Thran.

But heaven was not always on his side. The Principality of Thran soon encountered a major challenge: Prince Anthony, the icon of chance, suddenly became ill and bedridden.

In a bed large enough for ten full-grown men, only a single elderly, ailing man slept peacefully. Several people sat around the bed, wearing solemn expressions. Even as he slept, silent and still as the dead, he was carefully watched over by his subjects.

He was the Prince of Thran, Anthony de Val Agretta III.

Can we ease his pain? Is there anything you can do? A man in his thirties was the first to speak. His eyes flashed with a glowing crimson hue.

Im sorry We all need to prepare ourselves now. His Majesty is over seventy years of age; its a miracle he survived this long without mana.

Father A young woman wept.

How could there be no way, Priest? If I need to, Ill bring you a dragons heart right now

The priest just shook his head.

Your Majesty The man trudged towards the bed with a pained expression.

Ulabis.

Yes, yes! The mans head snapped up. Your Majesty, Ulabis is here.

Come closer The Princes eyes opened weakly and he gingerly beckoned to the man. Hello Im sorry I have a lot of things to do, but I feel so weak I just want to rest now.

The Prince held the mans hand, and both of them wept. Ulabis struggled to maintain his composure.

Thran my daughter I dont know what to do but as an old mans dying wish please take care of them.

Ulabis bit his lip.

Thran my dear Thran I give it to you.

You mean me, Your Majesty?

Prince Anthonys head sank weakly back down.

Your Excellency!

Dark clouds hung over the afternoon sky.

Year 721. The saint of Thrans freedom, its ruler, Prince Anthony de Val Agretta III, passed away at the age of 78.

I need to prepare to leave as soon as possible. Joshua looked back at the Academy building, silhouetted against the sky.

I never thought Id be leaving so soon. Joshua chuckled. Cains going to be surprised. The thought of Cains confused expression sent Joshua into full-blown laughter.

Then he turned and kept walking. There was no point in waiting any longerhed completed all of his objectives, and hed made up his mind to leave.

Ill pack my things and say my goodbyes, and then Ill go straight to the Imperial Palace.

It was obvious after his interaction with Amaru the day before. The reality was, working with a large group of skilled people was far more beneficial than recovering his strength by muddling in the past.

Who wouldve guessed that Joshua would achieve far more in this life than in his past life?

More importantly, there might be some hidden treasures buried in the Imperial Palace.

Joshua halted. While he was walking in a daze, hed managed to arrive at his destination: his private training area on the outskirts of Arcadia.

He couldnt afford to put it off anymore. Joshua needed to shake the feeling that hed acquired his new skills by pure chance.

But I dont know how far I can go with a body that just learned the third stage of the Magic Spear Arts.

Joshua pushed open the door and his face immediately tensed. Someone he didnt recognize was laying on the sofa.

Is it Cain? No. Joshua backed up warily. For the first time since resurrecting, Joshua was nervous. Alarms ran constantly in his head. Even without getting close, he knew that the dirty man on the sofa was dangeroushis colossal presence quietly filled the air.

Hes strong. Joshuas anxiety was peaking, and he had to choke down a dry lump.

Ah! Youre finally here! Ive been looking forward to seeing you for a long time. The man sluggishly pulled himself up and smiled like he was pleased with himself.

Ah, you look nice He offered Joshua a smile and stood up, stretched, and grinned manically once more. Joshua von Agnus.