Isaac frowned slightly, confused by Selene’s silence. She had been standing still for a few seconds. Her expression was thoughtful, and distracted. When she noticed his gaze lingering on her, she blinked and seemed to come back to herself.
"The evolution went perfectly," she said, then she smoothly changed the topic, "I was just wondering, where are my wings?"
She turned around as she spoke, lightly spinning to show her back, as if expecting something to be there.
Isaac stared for a moment, then glanced at Chairman Lucius.
"You want wings? Isn’t this better? Alice said she didn’t like those," Chairman Lucius said, raising a brow. His voice carried a hint of amusement.
"Ah... well..." Selene gave a small, bashful smile. Her fingers twirled her hairs. She couldn’t bring herself to say it outright, but the truth was simple. The wings would have made her feel special, like a princess.
"The wings of Moon Dragons form from moonlight. Without that, you won’t have wings," Isaac explained.
Selene turned back toward him, her brows knitting slightly. "I... don’t know that."
"You don’t remember this from the Trial?" Isaac raised a brow.
"No. It seems like... we all remember different parts of it," she replied.
That made Isaac think for a moment, but he didn’t dwell on it. There were too many strange things about the Trial already.
"Well, don’t worry too much. You can enter the Moon Dimension. There’s a portion of the moon there, so the moonlight will allow you to form your wings," he said instead.
Selene’s eyes lit up at that. The tension in her shoulders eased, and a genuine smile appeared on her face.
"Now," Chairman Lucius said from the side, his voice returning to its usual composed tone, "you should come home with me and rest."
Selene hesitated, then shook her head. "I need to complete my Class Evolution first."
"Is it necessary to do it today? You just completed one evolution. Take a break." Chairman Lucius frowned slightly.
Selene glanced at Isaac for a brief moment. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks before she looked away again and nodded.
"It’s important to do it quickly," she said quietly.
That brief glance hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Chairman Lucius’ gaze sharpened as it shifted toward Isaac. There was a hint of suspicion in his eyes now, as if he was trying to piece together something he didn’t fully understand.
Selene, however, didn’t give him time to question further.
"I’ll enter the Moon Dimension to begin my Class Evolution," she said.
Then she took out the Moon Pendant and held it toward Isaac.
"Can you protect this until I return?"
"I will." Isaac nodded without hesitation.
He took the pendant from her hand. It felt cool against his palm, faintly pulsing with a soft energy.
Selene gave him one last look, then turned and stepped into the Moon Dimension.
The moment she disappeared, Isaac slipped the pendant around his neck, securing it in place.
For a brief second, there was silence.
Then Chairman Lucius spoke,
"What was that about?"
Isaac tilted his head slightly, as if he didn’t understand the question.
Chairman Lucius narrowed his eyes.
"Why is she in such a hurry?" he asked.
Isaac knew exactly why. He understood the reason behind Selene’s urgency, and the glance she had given him earlier made it even clearer. But instead of answering, he simply shrugged.
"I’m not sure," he said, keeping his expression neutral.
Chairman Lucius continued to stare at him, clearly unconvinced.
Before the Chairman could press further, Isaac spoke again, casually shifting the topic.
"That reminds me, what does my mother-in-law like? I was thinking of bringing her a gift when we meet her" he said, as if something had just occurred to him.
"Your mother-in-law likes—"
Chairman Lucius stopped mid-sentence.
His expression froze.
For a moment, he didn’t say anything at all.
Seeing that reaction, a wide grin slowly spread across Isaac’s face.
In the next moment, there was shift in Chairman Lucius’ demeanor. His aura changed, becoming calm and controlled, like a businessman stepping into a negotiation.
"What do you mean, mother-in-law, brat?" he said evenly. "Aren’t you saying too much these days? There is no—"
"I can help you introduce her to Alice and Selene," Isaac cut in smoothly. "Isn’t the reason you still haven’t told them about her because you’re afraid of their reaction?"
Chairman Lucius fell silent.
That single sentence hit closer than anything else.
Still, he tried to maintain his stance. "I am seeing no one. Look at my age before you start making assumptions—"
"You should know Professor Catherine’s nickname. Evil Sword. And what she does," Isaac said.
That was enough.
Chairman Lucius went quiet again.
He knew exactly who Catherine was. Among Awakeners, she was infamous, not just for her strength, but for her ability to dig up information. No one liked having their secrets in her hands.
Of course, Isaac hadn’t actually asked her for anything.
But Chairman Lucius didn’t know that.
And that uncertainty was enough.
As Lucius stood there, clearly debating his next move, Isaac continued as if everything had already been decided,
"So, when are we meeting her?"
Chairman Lucius didn’t respond immediately.
Isaac kept going, his tone casual. "You know how busy my schedule is. If we’re leaving the city, I’ll need to know the date in advance so I can make space."
There was silence. No one spoke for a moment.
Then Chairman Lucius finally asked.
"...You really know about her?"
"Of course," Isaac said with a smile.
He was lying.
He didn’t know anything about her.
But he had enough clues.
With Ruby’s help, Isaac had access to a vast database of information. Ruby monitored the city’s surveillance systems, tracking movements, patterns, and interactions.
There was no record of Chairman Lucius meeting any woman ’closely’ within the city.
Which meant only one thing.
She wasn’t here.
She was in another human city.
That simple information was enough for Isaac to build his bluff.