Isaac followed her gaze.
He saw nothing.
Still, he had a strong feeling he knew who she was referring to.
’It must be Professor Catherine,’ he thought.
His first instinct was that she was using some kind of invisibility, so he activated his [Demonic Eye] skill.
But even then, nothing changed.
He couldn’t see any aura, shadow, or hint of her existence in that spot.
’If I can’t see her with Demonic Eyes, then it’s not just invisibility.’
He considered the possibilities.
’Her ability is probably something like [Perception Inhibition]… It’s making people ignore her existence completely, even when she’s right in front of them.’
Curbing his thoughts, he turned back to Avery and said,
“No. She’s not the Lord of the humans.”
Avery nodded as if she expected the answer. “I see. Is that because she’s not human?”
Isaac didn’t respond right away, so Avery continued.
“But still the Lord of humans must be stronger than her, no? That’s rather surprising. She feels like a high-rank species, and a Champion-rank awakener. To think there is a human who is as strong as her, if not stronger.”
Isaac blinked.
That comment caught him off guard.
’So Professor Catherine… she’s not just a non-human. She’s a high-rank species? And a Champion-rank on top of that?’
He had always suspected she wasn’t a human.
But to hear it confirmed so casually from Avery was still surprising.
’But is that all?’
A different thought bubbled up in his mind.
He remembered the assassin that came to assassinate him last night.
He had said something strange. Something that stuck with Isaac even now.
’Conqueror Candidate.’
He didn’t know what that title meant, but his instincts told him it wasn’t something to ignore.
Whatever this “Conqueror” thing was, it wasn’t common.
It felt… absolute.
Still, he kept his thoughts to himself and looked back at Avery.
“The Lord of humans is just a normal awakener. He’s not very strong. But he’s good at leading people.”
“Huh?” Avery frowned slightly. “Then… humanity is going to—”
She stopped herself before finishing the sentence.
Her expression changed as if she realized something she hadn’t thought of before.
“Avery?”
“It’s nothing,” she replied. Her voice was calm, and spoke as if she was reassuring him. “Please don’t worry. With me here, I’ll protect you, and all of your associates, no matter what danger comes.”
Isaac didn’t know how to respond to that, so he simply gave a small nod.
“I’ll begin now. I’m going to fuse with your land.”
“How long will it take?”
“Anywhere from two to three weeks. I’ll be dormant during that time, and I won’t be able to respond to anything.”
“That’s fine,” Isaac said.
Avery stepped toward the center of the field.
Her posture was relaxed, but her presence shifted slightly.
The air around her seemed to grow heavier.
Isaac stood by and watched.
First, she casted a spell.
It let out a bright land and covered the land before disappearing.
’That must be the defensive spell she talked about before,’ Isaac thought.
Slowly, Avery’s body began to shimmer, then ripple like the surface of water.
Within seconds, she started dissolving gently until her entire form transformed into a stream of crystal-clear liquid.
That stream flowed downward, soaking into the soil beneath her feet.
In moments, she was gone.
Isaac stood in silence.
The land responded almost immediately.
He could feel it.
The very earth beneath him felt as if was growing a life.
The grass twitched faintly, and the soil, dark and rich, gave off a faint energy.
’The entire field is being energized.’
Every inch of it was transforming.
Even the individual soil particles were evolving.
’The field’s quality is shooting through the roof in real time.’
And this was just the beginning.
If things kept improving like this for two or three weeks, and then jumped again when Avery woke up—
’This place is going to become a treasure.’
Isaac gave a low whistle, impressed.
Then he turned and headed back toward the house.
As he approached the door, he noticed someone standing just outside.
Professor Catherine.
She wasn’t smirking.
That signature half-amused expression she always wore was gone.
Instead, she had a serious look on her face as she stared out at the field.
Isaac followed her line of sight back to the spot where Avery had dissolved into the ground.
She still didn’t say anything.
Isaac stopped next to her.
“She saw through your disguise. That was surprising.”
“She did.”
Professor Catherine finally responded.
Her tone made it clear she wasn’t particularly thrilled about it.
Isaac glanced at her.
Isaac glanced at her, unsure whether to push the topic. But before he could speak, she turned toward the house.
“Come inside. We need to talk.”
“Inside? Isn’t that being a little bold, Professor Catherine?”
She stopped and looked over her shoulder.
Then, after a brief pause, her usual expression returned.
A faint smirk tugged at her lips.
“How is that bold? I’m just asking my dear Isaac to come inside.” Her tone softened deliberately, teasing but measured.
With her mood returned to normal, they both broke into a chuckle.
They headed toward the house and entered through the front door.
The living room was quiet, with sunlight filtering softly through the curtains.
They sat across from each other with Professor Catherine on the couch, Isaac in the chair across from her.
She leaned backwards slightly, and folded her arms below her chest.
“Isaac. Can you tell me what you did to the land?”
Isaac didn’t answer immediately.
His fingers tapped against the armrest. He looked at her without speaking.
“I know you want to keep your secrets,” she said. “And I trust you enough that I don’t need to force you to explain everything. I know you’re sensible. If you’re hiding something, you must have your reasons.”
Her eyes remained on him.
“But whatever you did to the land, it drew something serious. The elemental spirit that came—Avery—she’s not just some wandering lesser being. She’s strong. Incredibly strong. If she wanted to, she could wipe out everyone in Fortified City 89.”
Isaac’s expression grew more serious.
Professor Catherine continued, her tone steady but grim.
“The only one who could possibly stop her is Vice Principal Eleanor, or the other Overlord-rank Awakeners.
“But they’re not options we can use right now.
“Two of them are deep in the Mourning Frost Mountains. Another is meditating in seclusion. And Vice Principal Eleanor is also occupied. That means, for the time being, we’re on our own.
“If someone with bad intentions had come instead of Avery, that would’ve been it. We wouldn’t be having this conversation. The city would be gone.”
“I see…” Isaac muttered.
It wasn’t something he had considered.
He didn’t expect the land’s upgrade to invite that level of danger.
After a moment of silence, he asked, “Should I not upgrade more land, then?”
Professor Catherine didn’t answer right away.
She sat back, thinking.
“You can still do it,” she said eventually. “Now that Avery is here and protecting your land, your security’s improved significantly. There is no need to be worried anymore.
“Also, I’ll try to speak with Vice Principal Eleanor today and see if she can return soon.”
Isaac tilted his head, feigning ignorance. “Return?”
She looked at him with that familiar smirk.
“Your maid, Leonora. She’s Vice Principal Eleanor. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
Isaac raised a brow, but stayed quiet.
“Master’s acting is so bad, I’m surprised she thought her disguise was doing anything.” Professor Catherine chuckled. “Just don’t tell her you know about her disguise. It’ll make things hard for both of us.”
That caught him off guard.
She had just confirmed the Vice Principal was living in his house disguised as a maid. And more importantly, she trusted him enough to reveal that.
He thought for a moment.
’Is this her way of showing trust?’
If so, then maybe it was time to respond in kind.
’She is going to know about the Plow when I use it. Might as well show it to her now.’
He reached into his spatial ring and took out the Terraheart Plow.
The metallic sheen of the artifact gleamed under the indoor lighting.
“I used this,” he said, placing it on the table between them. “This is what I used to plow the land last night.”
Professor Catherine’s eyes lingered on the plow.
“I see. You have a good plow now.”
She glanced at him.
“I suppose you will be plowing a lot of land from now?”
His lips twitched.
For a moment he wondered if it had been a good choice to help her improve her mood.
Professor Catherine didn’t press him further about the tool.
She seemed satisfied with the explanation, or maybe she just didn’t want to ask about things he wasn’t ready to answer.
She stood up.
“I’ll leave for now.”
“Professor.” Isaac called her.
“Yes?”
“I wanted to ask if it’s possible to use that plow on land outside the city. If we can convert the soil outside into fertile land, it’ll save space and provide long-term benefits.”
Professor Catherine thought about it.
“That is a good plan,” she admitted. “We can expand the farmland outside the city. But wait until your elemental spirit—Avery—wakes up, or until master returns. We can’t afford another unknown force appearing in the city while there’s no one to handle it.”
Isaac nodded in agreement.
The room fell into a quiet lull.
Professor Catherine walked toward the door, heels clicking softly against the floor. But she paused before stepping outside.
She turned her head slightly.
“I’ll return in an hour or two at most. Until I come back, do self-study. Don’t just waste time doing nothing.”
“Alright,” Isaac replied with a small nod.
She stepped out and closed the door behind her.
Isaac let out a small breath and stood up, intending to head out and harvest the crops. But before he even reached the door, something light drifted down from above. A figure phased cleanly through the ceiling and floated down like a feather carried by the wind.
“Isaac~”
Emily landed directly in his lap, arms wrapping around his neck without hesitation. She was still in her oversized hoodie, and her hair was a mess, like she’d just rolled out of bed. Her voice was sleepy, but her grip was strong.
“Don’t leave me alone,” she mumbled. “I’ve been lonely these days.”
Isaac chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. Her body was soft and cool to the touch, like always. Her presence brought a calm that felt strangely grounding.
“I’ve been right here the whole time,” he said.
“Not enough,” Emily muttered.
As if it were a silent challenge, she tightened her hug. He could feel her entire body pressed against him, her cheek resting on his shoulder. He smiled and hugged her a bit more firmly.
Eventually, the haze of sleep faded from her eyes, though she made no effort to move away. Her arms remained where they were. Her breathing had evened out, but her face still looked relaxed and content.
Then, suddenly, she pulled back slightly and looked at him, smiling.
“I’m okay now,” she said brightly. “I’ve recharged with Isaacium.”
Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Isaacium?”
“Yep,” she said with a grin. “The most potent source of energy on Earth.”
