One Goal

Ch 7

POV Charlotte

I instantly went on my guard. He knew my real name.

"What sort of partnership?" I asked warily.

"Attempting the entry examination of the institute together."

Question my foot. This was clearly a threat. He knew I was hiding my power for a reason and yet asked me.

"Of course, if you don't agree, maybe somebody will leak your secrets."

"I will kill you during the examination itself."

Seeing that he was blackmailing me, I shed all pretence and directly threatened him.

"Don't worry, although I'd like to see you try, there's no need to get all violent. It's not like I am selling you off or something. I will only use you for minor things, I will even compensate you for them."

"What sort of compensation?"

"What do you want? Gold? But seeing you're a noble you already have loads of it. I have some elixirs and pills if you want."

I was speechless. Who walks around with precious pills and elixirs in their pocket? This isn't the Empire. If the people knew they wouldn't give a damn about your nobility title.

"I don't want them."

"So you advanced on your own talent then? Man, even I feel jealous now."

While he was rambling on, I was lost in thought. What do I want as compensation? Only when I was asked I realized that all my previous missions were done as tasks for the empire so the payment was determined by my family. Most of the time the reward was gold and lower-level artifacts. Afterall, the majority of my missions were to assassinate people till the 3rd refinement level. I rarely got 4th refinement level targets, and to this day I had only assassinated one 5th refinement target, which was the last mission I did. For that, you could say the reward was the aura suppression ring that I was wearing.

"Intel. I want information."

I finally said after thinking about it. Gathering information alone was too difficult. Moreover, this person already knew that I had to do a mission.

Upon hearing my request, he was shocked a bit before smiling again,

"That is my speciality."

"Then I agree to help you in the exams. But honestly, I don't think you need any."

From his display of composure, I could tell he was a skilled individual, that is why I was taken aback a little when he asked for help in the entrance exam.

"I am flattered by your praise, but I still want to be sure of it. In return for your help from time to time I will help you gather the information you need. You will have to wait a little though."

I nodded. Gathering intel was a difficult and time-consuming task, so it wasn't something I didn't expect.

"Since you agreed I will give you some free information as a gesture of goodwill."

Although I didn't expect a down payment, I was curious as to what he was going to tell me.

"Aren't you curious how I got to know your real name?"

Yes. When he called me Charlotte I thought he knew that I was from the Albrecht family, but clearly he only knows my given name.

"How did you know?"

"The Guest Ledger"

Ah. That's right. My father told me to use my real name while registering for anything once I entered the institute's territory. Apparently, the academy cross-checks this information at the time of admission. Over the past years, there has never once been an incident of spies being able to infiltrate the Greenwich Institute. Every person is scanned and their name checked. Entering with a false identity is nothing short of suicide. If not for the artifact I had with me I wouldn't even dream of entering with a false power level.

Seeing the look of clarity flash across my face he continued,

"Then, let us finish our unfinished business and meet tomorrow 9'o clock at the city gates."

"Alright" I nodded as he left.

Wait. If I have been used my real name in the ledger, his name should also be present there. Was he testing my intelligence by doing such a thing?

** ** **

POV Krauss

At the very least she isn't after me. I was standing in front of her without any disguise of any sort and yet she didn't recognize me. But I really was surprised. She looked to be about the same age as me and yet she was at a higher level. She was even able to detect I was following her.

Without going outside, you really won't know the vastness of the world. How many more people in this world were more talented than me? I hadn't even entered the institute and I had already met a peerless genius.

'Infinite geniuses, countless paths, one goal.' My mother told this phrase to me on the day she tested my talent.

*8 years ago*

In a white palace with large windows.

"Third Prince since you will be turning ten years old, your talent will be tested. You will have to decide what path will you choose based on the results."

"Mother what do they mean by testing talent?"

A young child asked a figure lying on a bed.

"They will test how strong you can become in the future."

"How will they do that?"

"There will be two tests. In one, they will take a drop of your blood, dilute it with water and pour it on a device that will show your fighting talent. In the other one, they will give you a mana core and ask you to shout in it as loud as you can. Depending on the colours and their brightness displayed in the core your magic affinity will be decided."

"Wow, but I will definitely be the strongest no matter the path I choose."

At that innocent statement the frail figure could only laugh.

"Do you want to know your talent now instead of tomorrow?"

"Is it possible?"

"When have I said something false to you?"

"Then I want to do it now."

The child demanded excitedly.

"Swansa. Get the orb."

The figure asked the servant standing by the door.

Soon the servant returned with a wooden box the size of a fist.

"Here, Young miss."

"Don't call me young miss anymore, I am already reaching the end. How can I be young anymore?"

"Don't say that young miss, there still might be a way to cure-"

"Enough. A way to cure a mistake doesn't exist. Bring the box to me now."

Once the box was in her hands, the figure chanted some spells to open the box.

Inside was a sphere that appeared to be made of some glass like material.

"Here, Krauss hold this and shout as loud as you can while thinking of the worst headache you ever had."

The little boy closed his eyes and did as the figure told him to.

"AAAAAAAAAA..."

"That's enough, stop."

When he opened his eyes in his hands was a ball, half of which was glowing orange and the other half was glowing with a pale blue colour.

"Du-Dual attribute."

The servant was shocked at the results, but the figure lying on the bed fell in a deep thought.

"Mother am I talented?"

"Yes. Too much for your own good."

"Then will I become strong in the future?"

"That no one can tell."

"But why? You said if I had talent I will become strong when I grow up."

"Look at me. I was also very talented, but now I am sick because of one mistake I made. Listen Krauss, the world is bigger than what you can ever imagine. There are infinite geniuses, countless paths to power, and only one goal. Yet there isn't anybody alive in this world who has succeeded."

"Then what should I do to become strong?"

"Well. The first step is to choose your method. What this sphere tested was your magic affinity. You are one of the few lucky ones who have dual affinities. Ice and Fire. We still don't know your martial ability. But that can be checked tomorrow."

"So in the end I will have to wait?"

"Yes."

"But you said you will check it now. You tricked me."

"I did what I said I was going to do. It was you who assumed otherwise."

After the child left the figure on the bed spoke.

"Swansa tomorrow, feed him a water mana pill before they test his affinity."

"Yes young-, your highness."

*back to the present*

My mother manipulated the results by feeding me the water pill before the test. Because of that the fire affinity didn't show up in the mana core. After the test was over, she told me to never reveal my full talent until I grew strong enough. Even now, nobody knows that in addition to a strong ice affinity, I have fire affinity as well.

Although dual affinity sounds good, for me it is not so much. Ice and Fire are two opposing attributes. Because of this, when I was a child I used to get constant headaches due to the imbalance of mana in my body. This did, however, increase my mental pressure tolerance, and allowed me to quickly learn new spells and advance faster. On top of that, the biggest advantage of having affinities shows up when you become a sorcerer, and I was still a magician.

"LEON."