Chapter 102: New Path

Hearing Elias say that Shani had a chance to reject them once more, Jeryon was genuinely confused and curious.

"How so?" he asked.

Instead of answering Jeryon’s question, Elias flashed a cheeky smirk. "Our poor Prince. It seems she hasn’t told you yet, has she?"

Jeryon’s brow furrowed, feeling that the old man was becoming increasingly childish.

It occurred to him that this wasn’t the first time Elias had acted so secretive regarding Shani, as though whatever they were hiding was a monumental surprise.

Meanwhile, back at the dorms, Shani had already been informed that House Ashbourne’s third branch had quietly submitted a custody request for her.

Naturally, they had attempted to pull it off under the radar. But after everything that had happened, Shani would have been foolish not to anticipate their moves.

She had already instructed Logan to keep a close watch on the relevant government departments.

With Logan’s extensive network, there was no such thing as "under the radar." He had acted decisively and reported back to Shani immediately.

"I have already submitted proof that you possess a dual-beast gene, granting you the right to choose between two families. As of right now, you have formally declined House Ashbourne."

"Given your status as a Direct Student candidate, Instructor Laurent has also filed an official request to keep this information classified."

Shani had initially hesitated to invoke her dual-beast gene, fearing that if House Kestrel somehow found out, she would become entangled with them instead.

She knew nothing about House Kestrel.

They had never sought her out, had made no attempt to reach her after she was taken in by House Ashbourne, and she didn’t know a single member of their family.

Shani was no longer the starry-eyed optimist she used to be, she was pragmatic now.

She concluded that the sole reason House Kestrel had never appeared in her life was simply because they wanted nothing to do with her.

If that was how they felt, Shani had no desire to seek them out either.

At least for now, Instructor Laurent could shield her. As for the future, Shani would cross that bridge when she came to it.

Logan’s call ended once he finished delivering his report.

Shani cast a gaze around her room, which felt eerily silent with Nyx still recovering at the medical facility.

She planned to head back there shortly to check on Nyx again, which was the main reason she hadn’t left the academy grounds this Saturday.

Just as Shani rose to her feet, her body froze at the chime of a system notification.

[Host, Target Jeryon of Argenor has been freed from the shadows of his previous fate due to your influence. Unlocked New Path: Overlord of Nova City.]

[First Milestone: Become a Direct Student candidate of a Nova City instructor. Status: Completed. Reward: Beast Essence gained during resonance increased by 10%.]

[Host’s Involvement in Milestone Achievement: High. Reward: Ability to comprehend the language of feline baby beasts.]

[Second Milestone: Win the Tower Competition. Status: Incomplete. Reward: Undisclosed.]

Shani’s eyes widened in utter disbelief as the barrage of notifications washed over her.

’A New Path? Overlord of Nova City? Jeryon?!’

She knew Jeryon possessed a rank that wasn’t even recorded in this continent’s textbooks, but could he truly become the ruler of Nova City, that legendary, marvelous Nova City?

The rewards were equally astounding. "Does Jeryon’s reward apply to me as well?" she asked mentally.

The System chimed in instantly: [The reward for the first milestone applies to you as long as you perform resonance together with your baby beasts.]

Shani nodded thoughtfully. "Resonating with Nyx, huh... And as for understanding feline baby beasts, does that mean I can comprehend Nyx’s meows as clearly as spoken beastman language?"

The System offered no response this time, likely because Shani had already deduced the answer herself.

Shani wasn’t bothered in the slightest by the System’s silence. Instead, sheer excitement surged through her at the thought of finally understanding what Nyx was saying.

As Shani was processing the influx of new information, her smartwatch buzzed with an incoming call from Jeryon.

She accepted it immediately, eager to learn what had actually transpired at the royal palace.

Jeryon’s voice came through low and heavy.

"I’m sorry, Shani. I just found out that it was the royal staff that leaked your information to House Ashbourne. I... I won’t allow that to happen again."

"They would have found out sooner or later anyway. Besides, it’s all resolved now. Don’t beat yourself up over it," Shani replied earnestly.

"Still... as of now, I no longer have anything to do with the palace... I’m not taking any official position, so they won’t be able to use you to pressure me anymore."

Shani raised an eyebrow. Jeryon had answered the question she hadn’t even asked yet.

Still, driven by curiosity, Shani pressed for details.

"So after refusing the Crown Prince position—I mean, refusing His Majesty the King’s decree, what’s your plan moving forward?"

"I’ll focus on becoming a Direct Student so I can be with you—I mean, so I can go to Nova City," Jeryon answered, catching himself and clearing his throat awkwardly at the end.

Shani’s mind selectively filtered out Jeryon’s flustered slip-up, zeroing in instead on the fact that his destination was indeed Nova City.

’So this decision is what activated the New Path detected by the System. But... is Jeryon actually aiming to become the Overlord of Nova City?’

Their call came to an end when grumpy old Elias shouted in the background, ordering Jeryon to get into the hovercar immediately because he was sick of the palace.

...

Over the weekend, Shani visited the medical facility repeatedly to check on Nyx, whose condition was steadily improving, even though she could only view the little panther through the glass of the healing pod.

She and Jeryon conducted energy regulation by resting their hands against the pod.

Their familiar dual energies helped soothe Nyx, making it feel as though both its parents were constantly by its side.

However, without direct physical contact with the baby beast, actual resonance to send beast essence couldn’t take place, even though their scheduled resonance had passed on Friday night.

Their friends dropped by as well to check on Nyx, offering Shani words of encouragement while taking turns bashing Vivienne together.

On Monday, after their resonance class concluded, Shani and Jeryon were summoned by Elias to the Tiger Building.

It was Shani’s first time visiting the Tiger Building.

From the Panther Building, it wasn’t actually as far as the Lion Building, though the path led in a completely different direction.

To reach the Tiger Building, they took a left upon exiting the Panther Building, whereas heading to the Lion Building required taking a right.

Even before reaching the Tiger Building, they spotted crowds of students gathered in the surrounding courtyard.

Some were dressed in vibrant costumes, others were dancing, or rather, leaping around with tasseled pom-poms, while a few performed acrobatic feats through glowing hoops.

Furry baby beasts of various colors could also be seen strolling freely across the lush green lawn.

An unconscious smile tugged at Shani’s lips. The dull, rigid routine of first-year students felt a world away from the lively freedom of these third- and fourth-years.

"They’re club members," Jeryon explained upon noticing the sparkle in her eyes.

"Clubs?"

Shani was instantly intrigued and opened her mouth to shower Jeryon with questions, but she quickly remembered they were on upperclassman turf and didn’t want to act insolent.

She opted to stay quiet, reining in her excitement.

Surprisingly, the upperclassmen were far more relaxed and friendly.

A few even showed off acrobatic tricks for them, treating Shani and Jeryon like an audience, while others offered warm smiles and polite greetings as they passed.

If time allowed, Shani would have loved to linger a bit longer, but Elias was already waiting for them.

They went up to the second floor, passing even more students dressed not in standard academy uniforms, but in colorful club outfits.

"This floor is dedicated to club activities," Jeryon explained once again.

Shani nodded along, beaming a bright, brilliant smile at Jeryon. Jeryon could only blush, utterly rendered speechless.

They reached a room at the far end of the hallway, which, judging by its grand double doors, appeared to be the largest space on the floor.

Upon opening the doors, they were greeted by small sparring rings where several students were actively dueling. The space resembled the Training Hall in the Panther Building. In the corner, a few students were relaxing alongside their baby beasts.

An upperclassman wearing athletic training gear noticed their arrival and walked over immediately.

"Instructor Theron is waiting for you both. Follow me," he said warmly.

He led them toward a door in the far-left corner. Inside stood Instructor Theron, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You two took your sweet time," he grumbled.

"Close the door so I can explain the Tower Competition to you both. You need to participate, and win, if you want to pave the fastest way to get transferred to Nova City."

...