As soon as Arkas mentioned blackmail, a loud laugh echoed through the room.
The sound was deep, hearty, and utterly amused. My gaze snapped to Arkas, but his face remained perfectly still, stoic as ever. Yet, the laughter grew louder. It wasn't him.
Shadows swirled in front of Arkas's desk, twisting together like a tornado before parting to reveal a tall, thin old man clad in a black robe. His white hair and beard gleamed under the light, and his silver eyes practically sparkled with amusement.
I barely had time to process what I was seeing before Steve blurted out, "Holy fuck."
Edgar Smith.
The Edgar Smith.
One of the strongest Grandmaster-ranked individuals alive. The man who spearheaded the department handling all foreign affairs of the Empire. The one who sat at negotiation tables with beings from other worlds and races. And here he was, laughing at us like we were a comedy act.
Steve and I straightened immediately, our backs snapping into a salute.
"Well, never thought I'd see seventeen-year-old kids with the guts to blackmail Arkas," Edgar said, his voice laced with amusement.
Edgar pointed his finger at me and said.
"Young man?"
I blinked.
"Me? No, sir. Never. I would never do such a thing. I respect our commander far too much to even think of something like that."
Edgar raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? So are you saying both Arkas and I misheard?"
I nodded immediately.
"How could you mishear, sir? You're one of the highest-ranked people in our world."
Edgar rubbed his beard, looking deeply entertained.
"And yet, what you're saying makes absolutely no sense, young man."
I nodded again.
"Yes, sir."
Edgar tilted his head, his grin widening before he turned to Steve.
"So, young man, I heard you wanted to blackmail Arkas."
Steve, the absolute genius that he was, stood stiffly and replied.
"No, sir. That would be illegal."
Edgar chuckled.
"And yet, you were just discussing it."
Steve shook his head.
"Discussing is not doing, sir. We were merely running through hypothetical situations. You know, thinking critically. We are probationary soldiers, after all. Strategy is important."
Edgar nodded, stroking his beard as if considering the argument.
"Interesting. So you weren't planning to blackmail Arkas?"
Steve exhaled.
"I mean—what is blackmail, really? It's such a strong word."
I jumped in.
"Exactly! And words are open to interpretation."
Edgar looked at Arkas.
"They're slippery ones, aren't they?"
Akas sighed.
"Like eels."
Edgar smirked.
"So you're saying you didn't blackmail Arkas, but if you did, it would have been a well-thought-out strategic move?"
Steve nodded seriously.
"Correct, sir. Hypothetically speaking."
Edgar hummed to himself, nodding continuously as he stepped toward us.
His silver eyes scanned us up and down, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning, he started walking in slow circles around us, his gaze sharp, assessing.
I held my ground, keeping my face straight, but my thoughts were anything but calm.
'What the hell is this old man doing? Is he… sniffing us? No, wait—why is he touching Steve's hair?!'
Steve's face twitched, but he didn't say anything.
Arkas finally broke the silence.
"Edgar, you're making the kids uncomfortable. I can hear their heartbeats from here."
Edgar ignored him completely and looked us dead in the eyes.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?"
Steve and I answered in perfect unison.
"No, sir."
Edgar turned back to Arkas with a smirk.
"See?"
Arkas sighed, rubbing his temple as if he was too tired to deal with this. Then his sharp gaze landed on me.
"Billion, I got the report that you were fully healed yesterday."
His tone was even, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. "So why am I hearing that you still haven't selected your class?"
That gave me pause. I hadn't expected him to bring that up.
I straightened my back and answered.
"I'm going to do it tonight, Commander."
Arkas's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You should have done it already."
I hesitated.
"June said we could rest and recover first, so I thought—"
Arkas cut me off.
"June said you could rest. She didn't say you should waste time."
I pressed my lips together, feeling a little guilty now.
"Understood, sir. I'll make my selection tonight."
Arkas exhaled through his nose, clearly not thrilled but willing to let it go.
"See that you do. You're already ahead of most, but that won't matter if you stagnate."
I nodded quickly.
"I won't, sir."
"Now that that's settled," Arkas continued, his sharp gaze locking onto me, "there's something else I need to discuss with you."
I tensed slightly. That didn't sound good.
"June told me you used fire to kill the demon."
His tone was calm, but there was an unmistakable weight behind his words.
"As far as I know, you only have one skill, the one I gave you. So tell me, how did you without even a class were able to control the fire element?"
That made me pause.
Explaining how I created the fire meant explaining my talent, Essence manipulation, and a whole lot of other things I wasn't sure I wanted to reveal.
My mind raced through possible answers, ways to deflect without outright lying. But before I could speak, Arkas continued.
"Also, that demon was level 30." His eyes narrowed slightly. "You were 22."
The tension in the room increased.
"To kill someone with an eight-level difference, and not just anyone, a demon, with an epic class?" He exhaled, studying me closely. "Billion, that doesn't add up."
And just like that, I knew he had figured it out.
Maybe he didn't know the exact details, but Arkas wasn't stupid. He knew I had awakened a talent.
Now, the real question was how I was going to get out of this without coming off like a complete ass.
I opened my mouth.
"Commander, I—"
He cut me off again.
"I understand if you don't trust me," he said. "So how about this? I'll call your grandmother."
I froze.
"If she vouches for me," he continued, his expression unreadable, "then I want you to tell me everything. That's the only way I can plan things more accurately."
That broke my expression and my eyes widened.
I hurriedly said.
"No commander, there is no need to do that."
He waved his hand.
"It's ok. I understand where you are coming from." He moved to pick the phone placed on his desk when Edgar suddenly spoke up.
"Wait Arkas."
Then Edgar turned toward me, his silver eyes sharp yet oddly patient.
"Young man," he said, his voice quieter but no less firm.
"There is no pressure. If you don't want to tell, that's fine. And if you do, then I'd rather the decision come from you, not because your grandmother told you to."
He stepped back, folding his arms.
"There will be situations where you'll have to make decisions, some of which will turn out to be wrong. That's part of leadership. Part of life. It's better you start learning to handle such moments now."
Then he went silent, waiting.
I took a deep breath, throwing out all the unnecessary thoughts clouding my mind.
Both of Arkas's questions, how I killed the demon and how I created fire, had only one answer: my talent.
Other than my grandmother and Steve, no one knew about it. And if I kept things the way they were, I could continue to grow without drawing too much attention.
But that was wishful thinking.
Even in the future, when I became stronger, when I surpassed others at a pace no one could explain, people would question, investigate, and doubt.
The choice wasn't about if they would find out.
It was about when and who I let in on the truth.
And as much as I disliked it, Arkas wasn't just some officer. He was my commander. If anyone in this place needed to know, it was him. To top that off he was just like me, hard headed and bold.
I exhaled slowly, lifted my gaze, and met his eyes.
"I'll tell you," I said.