Chapter 9: The Old Principal

He had done something he had always mocked the original Licht for — using the background of the Valtier family to save his skin.

When a person reaches a level of fame and influence, the truth about the situation rarely matters.

What's more important is what the public wants to believe.

Licht had perfectly played into that.

After all, what's more believable —that someone from the Eight Great Houses was a fraud who had bribed Principal Greyfax, who was known for his disdain of corruption?Or that he had simply been involved in a messy relationship with an attention-seeking cadet?

Anyone else would've done the same thing to save themselves.

Yes. That's right.

That's what Licht told himself.

It was denial.

Stupid, selfish denial — and Licht knew it.

But even if he knew, even if the truth stood right in front of him…

He couldn't face it.

Not now.

Not yet.

As Licht was having these thoughts, he heard the door behind him open with a click.

Licht turned around to see a tired-looking Principal Greyfax walking into the room.

"You put on quite the performance out there."

"Thanks for the compliment," replied Licht.

"It wasn't a compliment though! Do you know how much it's going to take for me to clean up this media disaster?!"

Seeing the old man's distraught look, Licht didn't feel even the slightest sense of pity.

He had only caused this media disaster to save his own life!

If Charlotte's accusations were looked into and Licht was exposed, he would be finished.

Although his arrogant words would cause a lot of trouble, they would also steal the limelight away from Charlotte.

At the very least, the headlines in the media would focus on Licht's arrogance rather than Charlotte's accusations.

He would rather cause a media disaster than end up dead.

"You're the one who asked me to do it in the first place."

In response, Principal Greyfax could only sigh.

He couldn't even get mad. Licht was right. He was the one who asked him to do this.

His granddaughter was supposed to conduct the entrance ceremony, but when the time came, she didn't even bother to show up or leave him a message!

He couldn't blame Licht for him having a rebellious granddaughter, could he?

But what's with kids nowadays? Each one was worse than the other.

Grant Greyfax looked at the young man who was calmly sitting across from him — even after causing all this mess.

Well… he's got guts, I'll give him that.

As one of the strongest people on the planet, it was rare that he met someone so fearless in front of him — much less someone so much weaker than him.

Any Slayer Cadet, even ones that had already graduated, would feel a slight sense of nervousness in front of him.

 Principal Greyfax was admiring Licht's composure but he could never imagine that Licht's carfree attitide was because he already knew his personality and habits!

One of his most obvious flaws—one that had become a habit—was his soft spot for children and students, especially if they were talented.

If that hadn't been the case, there was no way his granddaughter would've dared to skip a major entrance ceremony without consequence.

It was also because of this weakness that, as long as Licht didn't push him too far, the old man would seriously consider almost anything he said.

Licht, of course, was taking full advantage of his kindness. But he wasn't about to start pitying the old man—not when he wasn't done fleecing him yet.

He sat up slightly, his expression calm, and met the principal's eyes with a faint smile.

"Now that you're here, we can get down to business."

Mr. Greyfax raised an eyebrow but said nothing, motioning for him to continue.

Licht cleared his throat and began.

"Since the world sees me as the top-ranked Slayer cadet, I think it's only fair I receive treatment befitting that title."

Greyfax nodded slowly. "That's fine. You'll get the resources and status granted to the top-ranked cadet—officially."

Licht smiled wider. "In addition to that, I'd like five times the standard resources for the top ranked cadet."

The principal's smile finally disappeared.

He indulged his talented students—but even indulgence had its limits.

"Oi, Licht, this isn't the time to be joking around."

Five times the allocation didn't sound like much… but the top cadet already received several times more than the average student. Multiplying that again would make Licht's share astronomical.

He might as well have asked for the moon!

Greyfax sneered and slammed his palm onto the table.

"Out of the question! I have other students to take care of in this academy."

Licht's voice stayed calm. "Then I suppose I'll have to reveal the truth to the public."

Greyfax narrowed his eyes. "What truth?"

"The truth that I'm not actually the top-ranked cadet."

The room fell silent.

"You're bluffing," the principal said coldly.

"Oh? Am I really?" asked licht

"Well, You'd better be."

As he spoke, Principal Greyfax tapped his finger lightly on the table.

Instantly, the entire room began to tremble.

Before Licht could react, an ominous black wave surged forth, filled with screaming, distorted entities—each one clawing and wailing trying to drag him into a bottomless abyss.

It was only then that Licht truly remembered who he was dealing with.

This man—this kind old principal—was not his true form.

He was a battlefield titan.

A living legend.

A being who stood at the peak of the world.

A dragon before whom ants should tremble.

How dare an ant like licht test and provoke him!

Panic instantly flooded Licht's mind.

Did I misread him? Damn it—this isn't a game! I shouldn't have trusted the information from the game… this is real life!

But just as the weight of Greyfax's aura was about to crush him—

Ding!

The trait 「A Valtier's Pride (S)」has been activated.

All of a sudden, Licht raised his head, his purple eyes sparkling with a magnificent brilliance.

A wave of pride surged through him—so intense it teetered on the edge of mental illness.

Becasue of this not only did he withstand the mountain-like pressure pressing down on him, he even went so far as to look Principal Greyfax directly in the eyes.