"And that was when I beca a Sovereign."
Finishing his story, Nemur took a sip from the cup.
For the entire ti, I didn’t interrupt him.
"So?"
Though I could guess what he wanted from , I had to play my part.
Nemur cleared his throat, as if the discussion had turned serious for him.
"For you to have this level of understanding of mana chanics... there had to have been a source that helped you."
Nemur leaned on the table, his eyes never leaving .
"Tell about it."
"And what reason do you have for suspecting that I had received external help?"
I spoke my mind.
"You might have been mistaken in your assumptions. I was born with a good level of mana control—resulting in having a good understanding of mana."
My response was calculated.
I had to dig in for more information.
To what extent had this man spied on ? What else did he know about ?
"Hey, kid."
Nemur’s voice turned low.
"I’ve been good to you for being a potential student. But don’t mistake my care for weakness."
I just stared at him without blinking.
"And neither should you mistake my politeness for incompetence," I voiced my thoughts in an equally low tone while leaning on the table at the sa ti.
Nemur’s face was inches away from mine.
He tilted his neck at an unnatural angle before backing off.
"What do you want?"
Jumping straight to the exchange.
I just shook my head.
"Nemur Daithra... you are greatly mistaken about the current dynamics."
Nemur’s eyes slightly widened as I called him by his na.
Though I wanted him to think he had the upper hand—the risk was high.
I couldn’t lose my edge trying to play a long ga.
So battles had to end fast... or else the damage might be irreversible.
"I don’t really need anything from you. You are the one in need of my knowledge."
I laid the facts before him.
"But your life’s still in my hands."
Nemur knew it was a aningless taunt.
"So why don’t you release it? No point in tiring your hands.
Better use them for productive purposes."
"..."
I knew I was pushing his limits.
But I had to appear strong.
For soone like to have such in-depth knowledge of mana, it was only possible if my mana control was on the sa level...
And for soone to have helped reach such a level... I had to have a strong backer.
At least, that had to be the basic assumption an above-average brain could deduce.
"I can help you."
I said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Nemur didn’t speak, urging to continue.
"You want to enhance your own mana control... Is that the reason you want my help?"
He didn’t reply.
"Being a Sovereign, you already have a good amount of mana control."
That was an understatent.
The mana control of a Sovereign was far greater than what I had in my current state.
Without such mana control, it was impossible to beco an Anchor for the world to depend upon.
"So why more?"
There was no need for him to lower himself by negotiating with a kid who wasn’t even a percent of his age.
What could drive him to fall beneath his pride?
Huh!
Was he trying to—
"I want to rank up."
"..."
That was indeed a possibility, but—
"You think using my thod would help you evolve?"
I didn’t think improving his mana control beyond his already monstrous talent was a condition for evolving.
For becoming a Divine.
"It won’t."
Then—
"But I want to close all loose ends before evolving. Only when I am at my maximum possible strength will I have the confidence to truly surpass the limitations of my current body."
This...
I felt like I no longer had the edge over him.
His reason might have been important, but it wasn’t desperate.
And I didn’t want to gamble my life over re profits.
Still...
I could milk him a little more.
"How far can you go for my help?"
I genuinely asked him.
I needed to know his boundaries.
"As long as it doesn’t end with a fight against the Sovereigns."
Coward!
Not that I could bla him.
Fighting the Sovereigns—even after being a Sovereign—was a risk greater than the possible rewards.
"Let’s keep it simple.
Be my guardian until I reach the Diamond Rank."
Nemur blinked once.
"You make it sound simple."
"It’s simple."
I kept a straight face.
Though Arthur was there to be my shield...
An additional backup wouldn’t hurt. And my relationship with Arthur was a secret... there was no need to expose it until necessary.
X would be safe under Arthur, while Kael would have Nemur Daithra as his protector.
Nemur didn’t reply imdiately.
Being a guardian ant not only protecting , but...
My every action would be linked to Nemur, irrespective of how immoral it was.
Be it physically or politically... our images would be linked to one another.
I would get a strong backer, while at the sa ti keeping my image clean.
As X, the world would be against ...
And as Kael, I would be one of the so-called defenders of justice.
The Sovereigns are, after all, the pillars of this world.
They are the rule.
They are the law.
No one would associate the identity of X with a person like , who had been taken under the umbrella of one of the most benevolent Sovereigns in the world.
Nemur Daithra—
The Saint of Namda.
There was so risk, but for soone like him, it was manageable.
At least, that was what Nemur might be thinking.
As for why I asked for protection only until the Diamond Rank, and not higher?
I was confident enough to handle anything when that ti ca.
At the end of the day—
I wasn’t alone.
I had a literal criminal organization serving .
What was there to be afraid of, when—
The End’s Sword stood behind .
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