“Proof?”
That wasn’t hard.
He opened his system interface and flipped through the Lord tab.
Under the Subjects section, Emily and Alice’s name were already filled in.
He selected the empty section, and chose Celia for it.
A new prompt opened:
[Request: Add Subject – Name: Celia von Rae]
[Subject Slots Available: 1]
[Confirm Y/N?]
He pressed confirm.
A second later, a translucent panel appeared in front of Celia.
Her eyes scanned through it. Her posture stiffened.
“This should be enough for proof,” Isaac said.
Celia didn’t respond immediately. But she nodded.
Then Isaac continued, “Celia, I don’t know why you haven’t joined a guild yet. I’m sure there’s a reason. Maybe it’s personal, maybe it’s something else entirely. And if you still don’t want to join my guild, I won’t pressure you. I meant what I said, this was just an offer.”
The room fell quiet again.
Celia remained still, almost frozen.
Then her gaze softened, and she looked at him with something unreadable behind her eyes.
“I’ll ask my brother. If he agrees, I’ll join your guild.”
“Celia?” Arlene blinked, clearly caught off guard.
But before she could say anything else, Celia turned to her and said, “Let’s go. We’ve stayed long enough.”
She gave Isaac a slight nod. “Thank you for the tea. And the conversation.”
She placed down the cup that Emily had brought during their talk.
He returned her nod. “Take care, both of you.”
Emily waved them off, and then the door shut behind their backs.
Isaac and Emily returned to the living room.
She sank into the couch beside him.
“I didn’t think Celia would actually agree,” Emily said.
Isaac glanced at her and smiled faintly. “To be honest, I was sure she would.”
Emily looked surprised. “Why? She’s never joined any guild before. What made you think now would be different?”
He leaned back and let out a quiet chuckle.
“Because of her personality. Honestly, with the way she acts, it’s amazing she’s still inside the city. If she had it her way, I’m pretty sure she would’ve run off with some random exploration team to see new places.”
Emily tapped her chin. “You think her brother’s the one stopping her?”
“It’s highly likely that’s true,” Isaac nodded. “And now, she has an excuse. The class advancement materials. She can join my guild using that as a reason.”
Emily nodded, lost in thoughts.
The two of them walked down the hall and entered the study room.
Alice was already waiting inside.
“It’s time. We can leave to buy the shop now.”
Alice stood up. “I’ll get ready. Just give me half-an-hour”
“Okay.” He nodded, then he turned to Emily, walked over, and lightly pinched her cheeks. “Make sure you actually study while we’re gone. Professor Catherine is definitely watching from somewhere. If you slack off, she’ll double your lessons later.”
Emily grimaced but nodded reluctantly. “Okay…”
Isaac chuckled and ruffled her hair before heading out.
He and Alice stepped outside and climbed into the jeep parked near the farm. The engine hummed quietly as they rolled out.
…
Celia’s POV
One Hour Earlier
Celia leaned against the car window.
Her eyes remained fixed on the scenery speeding past.
They’d left Isaac’s house around ten minutes ago.
Arlene sat in the driver’s seat, and steered through the roads.
Their military vehicle had arrived quickly after Arlene’s call, as expected.
Only the two of them were inside.
“Why aren’t we teleporting? It would’ve been faster.” Arlene asked without looking at her.
“I wanted time to think,” Celia replied quietly.
“You can think?” Arlene glanced at her with mock surprise.
Celia turned to her with a half-hearted pout. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Isn’t your head just a decoration? If there was anything useful in there, you wouldn’t be doing half the things you do.”
Celia opened her mouth, ready to fire back, but closed it. She couldn’t exactly argue with that. At least not the second half.
After a few moments of silence, Arlene spoke again.
“Do you think Isaac is getting greedy? I never expected him to create a guild.”
Celia let out a soft sigh. “I don’t think so. With Talent, and him being a Lord Candidate, creating a guild would’ve happened eventually.”
“Huh?” Arlene blinked. “You think his planning something?”
“Yes. If I had to guess, he’s thinking of taking over this city.”
“…What?”
“That’s why he’s recruiting people. The guild is just the first step. As soon as he gathers three Subjects, and a few powerful ally, he’ll start conquering in earnest. And when he succeeds, he’ll reshape the Guild into a government.”
Arlene blinked again, completely speechless.
“When did you get so… smart?”
Celia didn’t answer. She just looked away and folded her arms.
“I don’t think he’s doing anything wrong. In fact, it makes sense. The moment we have a proper Lord, the Fortified City system will function at full capacity. Everyone will benefit.”
“But…?” Arlene asked.
“But the people in power won’t want to give up their seats. They wouldn’t want to lose their authority to someone else. They will target Isaac. It’s going to be Isaac against the city.”
Her words faded into silence.
Even Arlene didn’t have anything to say.
Celia didn’t add anything for a while.
Her thoughts circled back to the earlier conversation.
’Does Isaac really trust me that much?’
He had told her about being a Lord Candidate.
Knowing full well that, if she decided to spread the news, it would throw him into chaos long before he was ready to deal with it.
’He’s betting a lot on me keeping my mouth shut…’
Another sigh escaped her lips as she stared up through the tinted window at the dull grey sky.
’It’s starting to feel just like home all over again.’
’Another fight for the throne.’
Celia didn’t know if it was irony or not.
But she had never expected that the Fortified City 89 — the city where she and her brother reached after escaping into the human world — would be the place where another fight for throne would start.
And again, her brother and her were going to be at the center of it all.
…
Isaac POV
Isaac and Alice headed to the jeep that had been parked near the edge of the farm.
The engine hummed to life as Alice slid into the driver’s seat, saying she wanted to drive today.
The road from the outer farmlands toward the central base wasn’t long, but it was enough for a few minutes of peace.
Once they reached the base, they took the teleporter straight to the central sector of Fortified City 89.
From there, they caught another vehicle that took them directly to Sector 7.
The cityscape changed noticeably as they moved.
The roads became narrow, and the air was less clear.
Mid-sized buildings lined the sides, some covered in shimmering digital displays, while others showed signs of wear and tear.
And yet, the amount of people was far higher than Isaac had seen anywhere.
It was as if there was a festival going on.
But Isaac knew this was a daily occurrence for this location.
Sector 7 sat at the junction of the middle and outer ring of the city, a sweet spot in terms of foot traffic and visibility.
Their destination wasn’t hard to find.
The shop stood prominently at the edge of a busy intersection.
Five floors tall, broad frontage, and multiple glass panels that reflected the skyline.
It had several counters visible even from outside. Its size alone made it stand out among the surrounding buildings.
The structure had likely served various businesses in the past, but it was still in excellent condition.
The large parking space in front and the transport-friendly location made it ideal for anything: from a regular business to a high-traffic system-based shop.
As they approached, Isaac noticed a familiar figure standing near the building entrance.
Selene.
She was already deep in conversation with a man who appeared to be the seller.
Her posture was as graceful as always, and her expression was calm.
But it was someone else who caught Isaac’s attention.
Oran.
The man stood slightly behind the seller, half-hidden in the shade of a pillar.
He wasn’t saying anything. Just… standing there.
His hands trembled. His shoulders were hunched.
Every few seconds, he would glance around nervously, then go back to biting his nails.
His eyes were wide, bloodshot, and filled with something close to terror.
“I don’t want to sleep… I don’t want to sleep…”
He was muttering some gibberish.
Isaac looked at Alice.
She returned his gaze calmly, but her eyes said it all.
’Do you think this is Catherine’s doing?’ her look asked.
’I think so,’ he answered with his own glance. ’She said she would deal with him.’
Neither of them said a word. They didn’t need to.
Selene eventually turned around and spotted them.
Her expression brightened a little as she walked toward them.
“You two look better,” she said. “No lingering injuries or pain, right?”
Alice shook her head. “We’re fine.”
Isaac gave a small nod.
“Good,” Selene said, then motioned toward the building. “Come, I’ll show you around. The seller’s waiting.”
The man standing beside her nodded politely.
Oran followed them from a distance, dragging his feet, as though trying to stay out of everyone’s attention but unable to leave.
They stepped inside.
The first floor was spacious, with a layout that could accommodate rows of product shelves or display counters.
The floor tiles were clean, polished, and reinforced.
There were private booths to the left, likely for special customers or item evaluations.
The second and third floors were mostly open, flexible spaces that could be adapted for anything: storage, crafting rooms, even a lounge area for guild members or important clients.
The fourth floor had several segmented offices and rooms.
And the fifth had an open rooftop space, perfect for building an exclusive or semi-public area.
Isaac walked beside Alice and Selene while the seller explained each feature. He barely heard him.
Instead, his gaze flicked to Alice every now and then.
She wasn’t saying anything, but she kept glancing at Oran. There was something sharp in her eyes.
Isaac sighed inwardly.
’What are you thinking?’ he asked her silently with a sideways glance.
’…Can I kill him?’ she responded with a look that was completely serious.
His lips twitched slightly.
She wasn’t even trying to hide that she wanted to kill him.