The entire world seemed to fall silent once Ryuk stated his wish, and that made his beating heart seem like a loud drum echoing through the entire area.
Looking into the eyes of the Fallen Lady, Ryuk couldn't read her emotions, but he could see her silvery eyes slowly revolving—the silvery particles within them, that is.
For some time, she remained unmoving, staring dazedly at Ryuk before she turned her back and walked toward the balcony.
"Come, see..." she suddenly said, and Ryuk also walked toward the railing and looked down.
Now he could see the entire Eclipsed Citadel, hundreds of gothic buildings with high, pointed spires, thousands of Fallen Angels—male and female—walking around the area in various advanced technological equipment.
A cacophony of laughter and words filled the air.
The gaze before him was surreal and incredibly grand.
It gave Ryuk the illusion that he was some sort of king staring down at his people.
"There are many things that we Fallen Angels are capable of and can do for others.
"We can unflinchingly take the lives of others, so far as they aren't our own."
"We can gift one an entire mansion filled with maids and servants that will do anything their requester desires."
"The grandest of properties, the most beautiful of maidens, the most magnificent of artifacts...
"These are the wishes of people who have possessed this card of yours, and the majority of them have had their wishes fulfilled by us.
"Yet, through all these things that are so grand, all you can request is to gain access to an academy?"
She asked Ryuk, and he could feel the silvery light shining on the side of his face, revealing that she was currently staring at him.
In Ryuk's head, he was also reflecting on what she had said.
Ryuk knew well that all he truly wanted was to take vengeance for Uncle Bob by killing the Knull.
He could have requested the Fallen Angels to simply kill the Knull that had taken his uncle's life.
He knew it would be well within their power.
But Ryuk thought differently.
There isn't much fulfillment that will come from such a request. He would rather kill the Knull himself with his own hands.
And the best path to do that was growing his strength personally, relying on no one at all.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted by the thought of owning a large mansion filled with maids and guards that would obey his every whim or becoming the richest person in Grade B with the largest amount of money imaginable.
But somehow, Ryuk also felt those were hollow and shallow wishes.
All those things, he would undoubtedly be able to get if he grew strong enough, and there would be no enjoyment in achieving them at all if he couldn't, with his own hands, bring an end to the Knull that had killed his uncle.
And besides, he had to find out about...
Ryuk was thinking when suddenly the notification flashed before his gaze.
[WARNING!]
[AN ABILITY IS BEING USED ON HOST!]
[HOST MIND IS BEING READ!]
[IT WOULD BE ADVISABLE FOR HOST NOT TO THINK OF ANYTHING REGARDING HIS ORIGIN!]
The system suddenly screamed at him before he could think of his Knull origin, and Ryuk stopped his thoughts, staring at the lady who slowly took her eyes off him.
"Now, I see why. You really are something else.
"One would expect a kid to waver in will, but your resolve is staunch, and you know well what you want.
"Your journey is one driven by vengeance. One so strong, you refuse to think of anything else until you achieve it," the lady stated, echoing exactly what Ryuk had been thinking in his mind.
Ryuk couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
If he had thought about his Knull origin, then his thoughts would have easily been read by her, and who knew what trouble he would have gotten himself into?
He could only thank the system once more in his heart.
"If you're well-adamant in your wish, then we will agree to it..." the lady stated as Ryuk unknowingly heaved a sigh of relief.
Finally...
He thought, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath of the Apex Energy that filled the air. But his eyes soon snapped open at her words.
"But..."
She said, and Ryuk turned to the lady, who looked straight into his eyes.
"While your wish is easily acceptable by us, it is another matter entirely to allow the Ascension Academy to take you fully in."
"What?"
Ryuk asked in shock, his face turning ghostly pale as a faint smirk appeared on the lady's face, something that defied her normally god-like aura.
"I can personally recommend you to the Ascension Academy and ask them to take you in. But as for what class of student they place you in, I can't control that.
"The Ascension Academy will never allow someone to decide where they place students."
"Most likely, you will be nothing more than an Outer Student.
"You will receive only the most basic of training, and 80–90% of your time will be spent as a servant to the officially accepted students of the academy.
"You'll be nothing but a servant—a not-so-good path of growth for a person with a big dream like yours..."
The lady said, and Ryuk's eyes furrowed.
He wasn't liking where this conversation was going.
While the Fallen Family could make him join the Ascension Academy, the academy itself had the rights to decide where he would be placed.
Right now, Ryuk had the lowest of the low grades and was possibly the weakest in Grade B.
The Ascension Academy wouldn't even blink before throwing him into a servant position, and he would slave away his life, serving other students.
That wasn't something Ryuk wanted at all.
"So, if you really want to fulfill your goal of killing that Knull, you would have to go in as a normal student, meaning taking their tests and passing.
"In that aspect, I can offer you much help..."