Enemies are awake when you're sleeping.

Thump!

Umberto's heavy pair of hands slammed down on the counter in front of him.

"Gerald! Is this the behavior of the men you recommend to be a teacher in this Academy!? He willingly incites and distributes violence! Even when my subordinate wanted to simply settle a family issue!"

Leandro who slowly came to terms with his losses stopped thinking about the personal and focused on what's best for his company and family. his face was a mask of a calm lake. Even he Leandro himself wouldn't say he was worse than Umberto Popov, the difference in their families was that Popov was not bound by image. He was notorious and well know.

Offending himself political was solved politically but with Popov that same thought cannot be trusted. He would measure his aggression against Lazaro by seeing how Gerald chooses to act.

Gerald felt a momentary moment of weakness, he, for a second, thought of letting go of Lazaro. But then he realized. It didn't matter if He relented now, Umberto Popov would simply seek to wrong him with other excuses as he was notorious for that. And even more so, If Gerald backed down he'd never be taken seriously.

With a silent sigh. Gerald ignored and beamed at Lazaro.

"You have the right to choose five students if they agree they are your starting attending and will hold privileges in the Academy as an extension of yourself."

"GOOD! GOOD! GOOD!" Umberto nearly screamed as he slapped the counter repeatedly "If that's how it is, I hope you're well guarded when leaving the academy grounds! LET"S GO!"

He and his people moved, Enraged a he was, he randomly chooses aside to walk, only to raise his head and meet Svletana's smiling eyes

One more time he had to lost face and swallow his pride!

"DAMN IT!" The counter in front of him exploded in pieces as he roughly turned to leave from the other side.

"Pffft hahaha! Hilarious!" Svletannas's commentary followed his back turning his neck a bright shade of red.

Leandro coldly gazed at Gerald, "Mr. Gerald must be truly wise, to see something that nobody else does." With that comment, he turned to Lazaro. "You're still charged with other crimes but as things were disturbed today, the trial will be carried on a more formal occasion."

He clearly wanted to go out and let the matter slowly die. But Lazaro smiled in response. "I hope you're well disposed of, because I'll make sure people do not forget what you accused me today, without proof whatsoever. I wonder how your image looks after accusing an Academy's effective teacher of heavy crimes."

"Should you warn your enemies of your intentions like that?" Lucas casually asked Silver beside him. they stood there with some distance the whole time.

"When you're stupid, yes." Silver said smiling.

Lucas frowned in confusion.

SIlver looked at Avila who was wandering near Leandro's group.

"Hey, I'll shoot an arrow at you."

Avila turned and scoffed.

Fhip

His eyes abruptly shot open. Avila jumped backward like a monkey and with a wide gash spilling blood on his leg. "ARE YOU CRAZY YOUR NUT MOTHERFUCKER!?"

"See?" Silver chuckled and sheathed his materialized bow.

A flash of light flashed in Lucas's eyes and he nodded firmly.

The people around wet Silent. They had watched everything, 'What the hell Silver meant!? What the hell did Lucas understand!?'

"HAHAHA!" Svletana laughed form the highest stand while her aunt facepalmed.

As they chuckled, Lazaro found himself lax the military and other groups lowered their guards, people were laughing there was no more tension. He felt his heart skip a beat and his leg muscle spasm. It wasn't due to tiredness, he had perfect control of his body...' My mind again?'

Gerald awkwardly coughed and called attention on himself, "Now, Lazaro. Choo-"

"Boar, Silver, Amélia, Sophia, and Lila. Now, I want to choose my house."

Again, Gerald coughed. "You can choose one of the high-end apartment on the live-in five stars united front ho-"

"I want something near the forest slightly isolated is better. I remember seeing some abandoned houses coming here."

"That's the periphery of the-"

"I know some that are already furnished." Silver said.

Lazaro looked at the darkening sky. "It's getting dark, Let's choose one already so I can sleep." He yawned and waved Gerald goodbye.

He turned his back and left the old man frozen in place with no face left. The stadium just followed him and the others with their gazes.

He thought he was losing instead of winning, but Lazaro thought about it again.

Lazaro just embarrassed two of the most powerful men on the Kingdom, and he did so under his wing. Although he cut his words and lacked respect, he still under his wing, but who wouldn't expect someone like Lazaro to not show respect for authority? Gerald thought that maybe he just rose a few ranks in people's eyes. Just by having Lazaro under him.

Deep inside he felt stupid but one thing he understood early on his path to politics is that when doing something stupid, do it bolder and louder.

With a chuckle, He turned around. To Svletana's aunt.

"Vera, I hope you take good care of my indicated professor."

She sighed. "Well, first I need to know what he'll teach."

"Oh, seems I forgot to mention that, oh well, you can ask him directly." He said and walked away laughing.

"Mr. Lazaro of Superbia, Class start on Monday morning, come to me at nine in the morning. I'm Director Masha Ivanov."

Lazaro waved his hand in acknowledgment and walked off.

"..This is the most we talked after the divorce," Masha said to herself.

"Amen to that, I can't imagine being near that ball of invisible narcissism for more than a few minutes." Svletana laughed. "Aunt is really fit to be a politician with the endurance you built all these years by being with him."

"He's good in hiding it, that's why I stayed with him. And don't call me a good politician when my greatest and only card on the table is a volatile niece like you."

"~~I love you too."

*****

"Why are you coming with?" Lazaro asked with locked eyebrows.

"I'm hungry," Lucas said sternly,m without moving an eyebrow.

"I think it might be amusing, and I don't have another place to go." Silver said while examining the leave he tried to whistle with but wasn't able to.

"I don't have food," Lazaro said.

"I'll make some, you're all invited." Larissa stepped up with a gentle smile.

Lucas nodded simply, while Lila who just woke up but was still being carried by Lazaro squinted at Larissa "You said you would only use him for that, why are you coming with us?"

"I'm his new live-in housemaid." Larissa's gentle smile came with a dark aura behind making Lila flinch.

"W-We can buy what we need on the mini market." she looked elsewhere and said.

The idea was bad. very very bad. Thought Lila. She knew they both had the hots for each other, and, for some reason, it didn' bother her a lot but she felt the need to act, She had barely held onto someone else other than her sister who might want her after all.

She thought while looking at Lazaro's smiling face.

They went to the dorm and Lazaro put down Lila that was better and picked up Hyera who became an unknown woman to others by now. he turned with her in his shoulder. And looked Lucas and Silver on the eyes.

"There's a couple more houses if you want to bring your family."

Lucas blinked.

"The iron rule, respected by all, is to not meddle with students. And their families until graduated. I might be assassinated at a training exercise but my family won't be harmed regardless of grudge." He said it so casually that Lazaro doubted huge powers cared for that rule.

He looked at Larissa who nodded.

"For the more ancient world around us, we're similar to an ant colony. Politics and power struggle still exist but we're all working to improve humanity's capacity to survive amidst other races.

"..."

Lazaro took a moment to look at the others, they all knew there was a real chance of a nocturne attack. Yet, they all came to 'dine'. weirdly none of them seemed bothered.

Lazaro felt an annoying tug on his gut.

"You survived a three-day journey through the relatively safest area, you're not a deity, Do not confuse fearlessness with being dumb. Despise and laugh at the enemy but do not ever underestimate or doubt their conviction to harm you. Regardless of iron rule, you're still in danger."

His eyes opened wide.

"If a mosquito threatens to come closer smash it down."

As Lazaro gazed at them, they nodded in silence.

"Good."

*****

Amélia was alone in her dorm room. Her wrist driver, the replacement for cellphone and simple computers shone with different messages but the clearest to her were two.

One was the news she received a proposal to become one of Lazaro's pupil, while the other was Ricon, Leandro's younger brother asking if she could please accept being Lazaro's pupil, with a fat digital check attached to the message. She bit her lips until it bled.

And typed yes.