“Can I come too?” she asked, excitement showing clearly on her face. “I want to meet her.”
Isaac gave her a quick glance.
“Sure,” he said, though inwardly he was surprised. ’When did they become friends? Was it after the battle at the Metavore Hive?’
He turned to Alice to check if she would come along too.
Alice met his eyes, then shook her head gently, wordlessly saying she’d stay.
“Alright,” Isaac said. He gave her a small nod before turning toward the hallway.
He walked with Emily down to the living room.
On the way, he noticed Professor Catherine had disappeared without a word.
’That’s probably her way of saying this is something I need to take care of myself.’
When they reached the living room, Celia was already there, sitting comfortably on the couch.
Standing behind her was a sharp-eyed woman in business attire—Arlene, her manager.
Isaac greeted them with a calm smile and offered a handshake.
“Glad you made it.”
Celia stood and returned the handshake.
While Isaac shook hands with Arlene, Emily wrapped her arms around Celia as greetings.
Celia quickly softened in her embrace and hugged her back. She seemed genuinely happy.
Isaac raised an eyebrow. They seemed to be good friends. Though he didn’t understand when did they become this close.
Noticing his gaze, Emily beamed up at him and said proudly,
“We’ve been chatting online a lot. Celia’s really nice.”
“Yep. We’re good friends now,” Celia replied as she copied Emily’s expression, chin tilted slightly up, like she was showing off.
Arlene sighed behind them, rubbing her temple. It seemed Celia has found a good friend, which was good news, but it seemed they were both the type to be happy-go-lucky.
They all sat down.
Arlene remained standing just behind Celia, maintaining her usual watchful presence.
Arlene glanced toward Isaac.
“Thank you for your help yesterday. That saved us a lot of trouble. And I hope you pardon my intrusion. I’m here to make sure this girl doesn’t run off after your meeting ends.”
Isaac blinked. “Run off?”
Celia’s smile froze. “Arlene… do you really need to bring that up in front of others?”
Arlene didn’t budge. “She has a habit of sneaking off for sightseeing or just wandering around whenever we send her out for work. Usually, we let her do it. But from now on, I’ve decided to supervise her directly.”
Celia gave a dramatic little sigh and sulked into the couch, arms crossed, but she didn’t argue.
Arlene turned her focus back to Isaac.
“We also heard about the assassination attempt yesterday. I’m glad to see you weren’t injured.”
Before Isaac could reply, Celia jumped in. “I told you he’d be fine! He’s really strong.”
Emily nodded quickly beside her. “Of course, Isaac is strong.”
Arlene looked between the two girls, and her brows furrowed slightly.
One of them was already a handful, and something was telling her if both of them remained together, it would be like doubling the risk of spontaneous chaos.
’She is like a mother worrying her child will go with bad influence.’ Isaac noticed her gaze, and chuckled inwardly.
Of course, he knew Emily would never be a bad influence.
Though, given Celia’s personality, she might support Celia on her uninformed tours, which would bring a lot of trouble.
Isaac smiled lightly at Arlene concern regarding the assassination attempt. “Thank you.”
Arlene nodded. “So, what did you want to talk about? Sponsorship for Celia?”
Isaac leaned back a bit in his seat.
It made sense she’d think that.
Celia was the most popular idol, and with her brother being one of the top guild leaders, she didn’t exactly need money.
She only accepted sponsorships or ad campaigns that genuinely interested her.
So any official meeting with her usually meant something serious.
Isaac nodded once. “Yeah. It’s about sponsorship in a way.”
He looked at Arlene for a moment.
Arlene noticed his gaze.
But the one who spoke up was Celia. “You can say it in front of her. I trust Arlene.”
Isaac smiled. “Alright, then. I’m going to create a guild. And I want Celia to join it.”
For a moment, no one spoke.
Even Emily turned toward him in surprise.
He hadn’t mentioned this plan before, not even to her or Alice.
Isaac remained calm.
He had his reasons for creating a guild—several, actually—but the most immediate one had to do with Emily and Alice.
They were about to start exploring the wilderness more frequently.
And once that began, going out alone wouldn’t be safe anymore.
Even Overlord-rank awakeners did not venture deep into uncharted zones without backup.
The risk of encountering an Overlord-rank monster or a cursed land was too high.
’Emily and Alice can join other guilds,’ he thought to himself, watching Celia’s expression carefully. ’But it’s better to have a guild of my own. I can trust my own people more than I can trust outsiders.’
That wasn’t the only reason, though.
There was another reason.
’I don’t want them working under someone else.’
He couldn’t fully explain it. Maybe it was pride. Maybe it was something closer to a dragon’s possessiveness toward its hoard.
Whatever it was, he didn’t like the idea of them taking orders from anyone else other than himself.
’Also, if I get Celia in my guild, it’ll be like announcing to the city that she is in my faction. I want the governor to see it.’
It was the best way to throw it in the man’s face.
If Celia, someone from the Titan Edge Guild and practically raised under the governor’s wing, joined his faction instead, the implications would ripple far beyond the surface.
Celia looked surprised, and hesitant.
“A guild?” she asked, brows pinched in confusion. “Isaac… I can’t join your guild. My brother’s the leader of Titan Edge. If there was any guild I’d join, it would be his.”
Isaac didn’t seem disappointed. He simply nodded.
“Of course, Celia. I understand why you’d say that. But I think you should at least hear my offer first.”
Celia blinked.
She wasn’t expecting him to take it that calmly.
She thought for a moment, then gave a small nod.
“Alright. What’s the offer?”
Isaac leaned forward slightly, his tone still casual but firm. “I’ll get you the materials you need for your class advancement.”
Celia didn’t answer right away.
She sat back slightly, her lips parting as if to say something, but no words came out.
The one who responded was Arlene.
“Isaac,” she began, not harshly, but clearly skeptical. “I don’t want to question you after what you did for us yesterday. But… how can you say that?
“You don’t even know what Celia’s class is, let alone what materials she needs.
“Titan Edge has been searching for those materials for almost two years, and they haven’t found a single one. What makes you think you can?”
Isaac smiled, then calmly said, “I’m a Lord Candidate.”
The room froze.
Celia’s eyes widened.
Arlene’s brows raised in disbelief.
And even Emily, who’d been relatively relaxed until now, looked at him in surprise. Her eyes locked on his face.
She hadn’t expected him to reveal that to others yet.
Isaac caught her glance. He understood what she was thinking.
He had his reasons for revealing it now.
For one, he was no longer as vulnerable as he had been days ago.
He could defend himself now.
And more importantly, Emily and Alice weren’t helpless either.
They were already undefeatable by human Champion-rankers.
And if something really went wrong, Professor Catherine was always nearby.
She might not be visible, but she was there, watching over them from the shadows.
It was a calculated risk, and the benefits outweighed the dangers.
Besides, keeping everything a secret would only slow him down.
Revealing it to a few people he could potentially bring to his side?
That was a step forward.
“Do you mean…” Celia’s voice came out soft. “You’ll buy the materials from the Lord Shop?”
Isaac didn’t answer right away.
Celia continued, her expression clouded.
“But you can’t become a Lord with a Life Talent, can you? Pardon my words, but your talent is not supposed to be combat-oriented.”
Her voice trailed off.
Then she glanced at Emily, her eyes widening a fraction.
She didn’t say it, but her silence said enough.
She was starting to connect the dots.
’Did Emily get the option to become a Lord and pass it to Isaac?’
It made sense. The pieces fit.
Of course, the reality was still overwhelming.
Humanity hadn’t yet produced a True Lord.
If someone completed the process and became a full Lord, they’d be able to unlock the full functions of the Fortified Cities.
The benefits were unimaginable—resource access, city-wide authority, unique shops, and even control over the local law enforcement branches.
It would move humanity from barely surviving to actually thriving.
But….
It could cause chaos too.
The political factions would react instantly.
The ruling party, the central government, and even the military elite would want to pull the Lord Candidate—Isaac—into their side.
Or eliminate them if they couldn’t be controlled.
Celia frowned, visibly conflicted.
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked finally. “Aren’t you worried someone will target you if the news spreads?”
“Target me?” Isaac feigned ignorance. “Only the ruling party would do that. Do you mean the governor will come after me if he finds out?”
Celia’s lips parted, but no words came out.
“Ah—that’s not what I meant,” she stammered.
But her hesitation said everything.
’So, she knows what kind of person the governor is. But she still is on his side.’
And from what Isaac had heard last time, it was because she looked up to him like a parent.
After all, he had saved her.
“Forget about what I said,” she mumbled. “First… can you prove it? Can you actually prove you’re a Lord Candidate?”