Daniel’s gaze swept over the assembled individuals, his tone calm yet sharp.
“And now you ask who I am?” he remarked, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Your… student?” Reno echoed in confusion, unable to piece together what was happening.
The
grand steward
, however, had already realized the truth.
“You… You’re the headmaster of Crossbridge Academy, the Daniel Elise spoke of?”
“That’s correct,” Daniel replied nonchalantly.
The grand steward stiffened but maintained his composure.
“Daniel Headmaster, may I remind you that this is Dragonscale Bank’s inner sanctum, a restricted area where outside guests are strictly prohibited. I must ask you to leave immediately.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “That’s fine. I wasn’t planning to stay long. I’m here to retrieve something.”
The grand steward’s eyes narrowed. “Retrieve something? There’s nothing here for you. If you’re looking to purchase goods, the public counter is outside.”
His voice turned cold as he added, “You’ve already overstayed your welcome. Leave now, or I’ll have to make things more explicit.”
Daniel gave no indication of heeding the warning.
“Don’t worry, I’ll leave as soon as I’ve taken what I came for,” he said casually.
Before the grand steward could respond, he found himself completely immobilized.
His eyes widened in shock—when had this happened?
He hadn’t sensed Daniel casting any spells.
There were no incantations, no gestures.
It was as though his very ability to move had simply been erased.
He glanced sideways, hoping Reno might intervene.
To his dismay, Reno was just as frozen as he was.
Only their eyes retained mobility, darting frantically as they struggled against the unseen force holding them in place.
Panic rose in the grand steward’s chest.
What kind of power was this?
To render them both immobile in an instant without any discernible effort?
Was this even within the realm of what the world permitted?
Suddenly, a small vial flew out from the grand steward’s chest.
His eyes widened further as he realized what it was.
The vial contained a
rule derivative
, an artifact similar to the tendrils Hayes had summoned earlier—remnants of godlike entities far beyond mortal comprehension.
He watched helplessly as the vial floated into Daniel’s hand.
The artifact within should have been reactive to anyone who tried to claim it, yet in Daniel’s grip, it remained utterly still.
The grand steward was stunned.
Handling such objects required extreme caution, even for him.
Yet Daniel treated it like a trivial trinket, casually pocketing it without eliciting the slightest reaction from the artifact.
The implications were terrifying.
If Daniel could handle such a volatile object with ease, what kind of monstrous power did he truly possess?
Elise’s warnings now echoed loudly in the grand steward’s mind.
She had repeatedly urged Dragonscale Bank to abandon its plans regarding Lake City and to forgo participation in the Battle for Dominance.
Now he understood why.
From her restrained position, Elise watched the exchange unfold.
She had heard enough of the conversation to recognize Daniel’s voice.
When he came into view, she dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
“Daniel Headmaster, please! Save my sister! I beg you—surely you can bring her back to life!”
Her pleas grew more desperate as she bowed low, her forehead striking the ground with each motion until it was smeared with blood.
Daniel sighed softly. “Stand up. I cannot bring your sister back. She is gone—truly and completely.”
Elise’s sobs grew louder.
Daniel continued, “However, I can retrieve her body from the secret realm if that’s what you wish.”
Elise clung to his words like a lifeline. “Yes! Yes, please! Thank you, Daniel Headmaster. That would mean everything to me.”
Without another word, Daniel vanished. Moments later, he returned with Imora’s lifeless body. Seeing her sister again, even as a corpse, brought a fresh wave of tears to Elise’s eyes.
“Thank you… Thank you, Daniel Headmaster,” she whispered between sobs.
Meanwhile, at a different location, members of
Dawnlight Empire
,
Sanctuary of Extension
, and
Dark Empire
were engaged in a tense discussion.
“We were just about to leave,” said a representative from Sanctuary of Extension coldly, clearly still irritated by recent events.
“You should,” a Dawnlight Empire prince retorted smugly. “After all, retreating in fear of a mere artifact isn’t exactly something worth sticking around for.”
“Better than dying in the secret realm,” the elder from Sanctuary of Extension snapped back.
“At least Yesar stood tall until the end!”
As tensions flared, a third voice interjected. “Enough! The result is settled—Karea Academy has won.”
Even the Dark Empire, known for its composure, had been shaken by the unexpected turns of the Battle for Dominance.
The result had taken everyone by surprise.
Just then, a calm, unfamiliar voice interrupted their argument.
“Dawnlight Empire, Sanctuary of Extension, Dark Empire… How convenient to find three of you together. Now, where can I find the Cult of Calamity?”
The three turned to see a stranger approaching. Their confused glances exchanged silently. None of them recognized him.
“And you are?” one of them began to ask.
“Stop,” Daniel said, raising a hand. “No time for introductions.”
With a flick of his wrist, Daniel immobilized all three of them before scanning the area with his mind power.
Finding the Cult of Calamity wasn’t difficult; their heavy use of curses left a distinctive aura that was easy to trace.
Moments later, Daniel descended upon the Cult of Calamity’s central gathering point, capturing its most powerful member before returning to
House Ponton
.
Within House Ponton’s hall, an unprecedented sight unfolded.
Representatives from all six major powers—Dawnlight Empire, Sanctuary of Extension, Dark Empire, Cult of Calamity, Dragonscale Bank, and Karea Academy—were gathered together.
Each one, no matter their rank or strength, sat subdued, their faces marked with frustration and defeat.
Even the Cult of Calamity’s elder, who had been taken without understanding why, sat among them, bewildered by the situation.
All eyes turned to Daniel, who stood before them, his expression unreadable.
For the first time, even Hayes—the first to be captured—began to doubt his assumptions.
He had thought Daniel’s actions were driven by his connection to Nora.
But now, seeing the sheer scale of the situation, he realized there was far more at play.
Daniel let the silence hang for a moment before speaking, his voice steady and commanding.
“You’re probably wondering why you’re here. Let me make it simple: I’ve grown tired of your meddling. Today, we’re going to settle a few things.”