Chapter 219: Conspiracy!

Deep within the forest where no light dared to reach, bones lay scattered across the cold earth, bleached white beneath centuries of moss and rot.

The silence here was absolute, broken only by the occasional rustle of wind through dead branches.

Then, slowly, the bones began to shift.

“It seems you have finally recovered your body.”

The voice echoed through the darkness, neither male nor female, ancient and weightless, as if it came from everywhere and nowhere at once.

A skeleton rose from the ground, joints clicking into place one by one until a full, pristine frame stood upright among the trees.

Where there should have been emptiness, faint embers of green light flickered within the hollow sockets of its skull.

“Took you long enough to wake me,” the skeleton muttered, voice dry and rasping like wind through a cave. “Where am I? Last thing I remember is that woman’s mana bomb tearing through my chest.”

“You are in the forest outside the Academy’s southern border. Your soul clung to these bones out of pure stubbornness. Few would have survived what was done to you.”

The skeleton flexed its bony fingers, testing the joints with mild curiosity before letting out something between a laugh and a wheeze.

“Yeah… that woman got me good. I don’t know how a healer could be this good at nearly ending someone’s life.”

“Lyssandra,” the voice said, almost thoughtfully. “Her reputation precedes her. A healer who mastered destructive mana alongside restoration is rare, even among S-rankers.”

“Tch. Rare or not, she humiliated me.” The skeleton’s tone darkened, embers flaring brighter. “I was forced to run like some coward. Me.”

“And what will you do now, Knight?”

The name settled over the clearing like a verdict. Knight rolled his bony shoulders, considering.

“I need a body worth using. This pile of bones won’t cut it forever. And I need to make that woman pay, along with whoever stands beside her.”

“There is a path,” the voice offered, patient as ever. “Since the Academy knows about something valuable like an inheritance dungeon, if word reached certain hands, chaos would follow, chaos you could use.”

Knight’s skull tilted, intrigued. “The Paragon Guild would tear the place apart for something like that.”

“Precisely. Let them clash with the Academy’s forces. In the confusion, you slip in unnoticed, take what you need, and rebuild what was lost.”

A slow, grinding chuckle escaped Knight’s hollow throat.

“Now that’s a plan I can work with. Leak the news to the Paragon Guild, let the vultures circle, and I pick at the bones nobody’s watching.”

“I will see it done.”

“Good.” Knight turned, bones creaking as he faced deeper into the forest. “And when I’m strong enough again, I want a body that can actually hold a sword properly. Preferably one that doesn’t fall apart when I sneeze.”

“Patience, Knight. A new vessel cannot be rushed. The ritual requires both time and sacrifice, and you are still far from ready to claim either.”

“Then find me the time. I’m not exactly going anywhere, am I?” Knight gestured at himself, the loose rattle of bone punctuating the bitter joke.

The voice offered nothing close to amusement, yet something about its silence carried a weight of agreement.

“Very well. Rest here until I call upon you again. The seeds I plant will take root soon enough.”

Knight lowered himself back to the forest floor, bones settling among the leaves once more, embers dimming to a faint glow.

“Make it quick,” he muttered, before the green light vanished entirely, leaving only stillness behind.

—

Elise sat across from Elara in the dormitory lounge, swirling a cup of tea between her hands, a small smile refusing to leave her face.

“So he just handed her a whole case of Echo Stones?” Elara asked, eyebrow raised.

“That’s… generous. Almost too generous.”

“He completed the dungeon, remember? It’s not like he’s short on resources,” Elise said, still smiling. “Isolde looked so flustered, too. It was kind of cute, actually.”

“Cute,” Elara repeated flatly. “Elise, I’m not talking about Isolde. I’m talking about Soren.”

Elise blinked.

“What about him?”

“He gives gifts to one girl, helps another conquer a dungeon, and somehow ends up close to half the Academy’s strongest women.”

Elara set down her own cup, arms crossed.

“Don’t you think that’s a little concerning?”

“He’s just being kind.”

“He’s being a playboy, Elise. Open your eyes.”

Elara’s voice sharpened.

“You should be careful around him. Men like that don’t commit to anyone; they just collect people.”

“That’s not fair,” Elise shot back, frowning now.

“You don’t even know him properly. He’s helped so many people without expecting anything in return.”

“Or he expects everything in return, just slowly, so nobody notices until it’s too late.”

“Why are you so against him? Did he do something to you?”

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt!”

Elara’s voice rose, frustration bleeding through.

“You talk about him like he’s some hero, but heroes like that always have someone left behind.”

“I can take care of myself,” Elise snapped, standing abruptly.

“I don’t need you deciding who I should trust.”

Silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable. Elara opened her mouth, ready to argue further, but stopped herself, exhaling sharply instead.

“Fine,” Elara said quietly. “Do whatever you want. I’m only saying this because I care.”

“I know you care,” Elise said, softer now, though her arms remained crossed. “But that doesn’t mean you get to choose my path for me.”

Elara looked away, jaw tight, clearly still unconvinced but unwilling to push further.

Elise grabbed her cup, turning to leave, but paused at the doorway, glancing back.

“You know,” she said, a teasing edge creeping into her voice despite the earlier tension,

“If you’re so worried, maybe you should just join him too. Then you can watch him yourself, up close.”

Elara was shocked and opened her mouth to protest, but Elise was already gone, the door closing softly behind her, leaving the lounge quiet once more.

Left alone, Elara stood frozen, cheeks slowly warming as the words sank in, refusing to fade no matter how she tried to push them away.

“…what.”

She sat back down, staring at her tea, the surface long gone cold, suddenly unable to focus on anything else for the rest of the evening, her thoughts circling that one careless suggestion over and over again.

And the event where that guy stole her first kiss.

‘I will Never…!’

She couldn’t help but shake her head, forcefully throwing such thoughts out of her mind. She didn’t know what kind of soup Soren made Elise drink.