Chapter 72: You’d better be ready to become my slave, Noctis Evernight.

Keeping the black bow hidden behind my back, I turned toward Eris.

"E-Eris! How long have you been here?"

Eris didn’t answer immediately. She first looked at my face, then at the black arrow embedded near the center of the target. Her eyebrows drew together slightly, but it was impossible to tell what she was thinking from her expression.

"I just got here," she finally said.

The moment she started walking toward me, cold sweat ran down my back.

How much had she seen?

How long had she really been there?

Had she noticed Umbrella transforming from a bracelet into a bow?

After coming right up to me, Eris tilted her head slightly and stared into my eyes. The surprise on her face had been replaced by a serious expression.

I swallowed involuntarily.

While I wondered what she would ask about Umbrella, what kind of lie I should tell, and how I could escape if she didn’t believe me, Eris suddenly spoke.

"I’m sorry!"

"Huh?"

Every excuse I had prepared vanished from my mind.

Eris looked away from me. As she tucked a strand of crimson hair behind her ear, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"You heard me. I said I’m sorry."

I stared at her in surprise for several seconds.

"For what?"

Eris’s eye twitched.

"Ahh, why do you have to be so stupid?"

"For what happened earlier..." She folded her arms beneath her chest and continued reluctantly. "I might have overreacted a little."

"A little? You punched me in the stomach with all your strength."

"I didn’t use my Nexus."

"That doesn’t make the punch hurt any less."

"It was still all your fault."

Eris pointed an accusing finger at my chest.

"You make me worry with your ridiculous requests. You suddenly say you want to learn how to fight, then give me excuses I don’t believe when I ask why. After that, you try to fool me by making that face."

"My expression had nothing to do with it."

"You held both my hands, looked into my eyes, and said, ’Eris... Please.’"

"It was a completely sincere request."

"You knew what you looked like while doing it."

I did, but I chose to remain silent so I wouldn’t lose the option of using the same method again in the future.

Still, none of what she had said had anything to do with Umbrella.

"So you didn’t see it?!"

The question left my mouth before I could think.

With her finger still pressed against my chest, Eris tilted her head curiously.

"See what?"

I studied the genuine surprise on her face. If she had realized the bow in my hand was made from Umbrella, she would have known exactly what I meant.

So she really had just arrived.

I slowly released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

"Haha... It’s nothing."

"Hey, what are you talking about now?"

"My archery skills." I turned toward the target and pointed at the arrow embedded in it. "Didn’t you see my last shot?"

"I did."

"Then what did you think?"

Eris looked at the target again and shrugged.

"Nothing."

My eyes widened slightly.

"Nothing?"

"What was I supposed to think?"

"I hit it!"

"Was that supposed to be difficult?"

"..."

I had practiced archery for years in my old life. I had spent countless hours learning the correct stance, controlling my breathing, and relaxing my fingers properly during the release.

Eris, however, treated my achievement as though it were no more impressive than a child throwing a ball at a wall.

"You don’t understand my value because you know nothing about archery."

"You managed to hit a large board twenty meters away?"

"It was close to the center."

"It wasn’t in the center."

"That was my first shot!"

"Then you need more practice."

I narrowed my eyes at her. For someone who had come here to apologize, she seemed more interested in annoying me than earning my forgiveness.

Even so, I decided to enjoy this rare moment. I straightened my back, raised my chin slightly, and put on the most arrogant expression I could manage.

"Regardless, the Great Noctis accepts your apology, mortal."

Eris’s face immediately twisted.

"Do you want to get punched again?"

I took a step back and raised both hands.

"There’s no need for violence. I said I accepted your apology."

When Eris began clenching her fist, I decided it was the right time to change the subject.

"So, will you train me?"

"No."

She answered so quickly that I doubted she had even listened to the entire question.

My shoulders immediately slumped.

"Why?!"

"I already told you why." The threatening look on Eris’s face turned serious again. "I won’t help you until you tell me clearly what you’re hiding and why you want this."

"Then why did you apologize?"

"Apologizing doesn’t mean I changed my mind."

"What’s the point of regretting punching me in the stomach if you’re still going to refuse to train me?"

"I never said I regretted it."

"Eris!"

When she saw the disappointment on my face, she briefly looked away.

"Talia said you went back to the mansion sulking."

I fell silent for a moment.

So when Talia returned to training, she had told Eris that I had left in a sulk. She had probably said it with her usual indifferent expression and then watched Eris struggle with her guilt.

As soon as her training ended, Eris had returned to the mansion to find me and then come all the way out here.

So she had been this worried because she thought I was upset with her...

A pleasant warmth spread through my chest, and the corners of my lips rose involuntarily.

Eris noticed immediately.

"Hey, why are you staring at me with that grin?"

"It’s a secret."

"I see. You’re asking to get punched again."

The moment Eris raised her right hand, I caught her wrist and held her hand between both of mine. It was the second time I had done this today, but unlike my first attempt, I didn’t try to make myself look innocent.

Eris’s eyes dropped to our hands as her body tensed slightly.

"What are you doing now?"

To show her that I was serious this time, I stared directly into her eyes.

"Eris, let’s make a deal."

"A-a deal?"

The slight tremble in her voice suggested that she was wondering what kind of proposal I had prepared. Since she didn’t try to pull away, I held her fingers a little more firmly.

"Yes. A secret deal that stays between the two of us."

Eris remained silent for a while. As her gaze moved across my face, her earlier teasing attitude completely disappeared.

"Tell me what it’s about first."

"You training me."

"My answer is still no."

"You haven’t heard my offer yet."

"Does your offer involve telling me the truth?"

I didn’t answer the question directly.

Eris was right. The real reason I wanted to learn how to fight was the System and the Overlaps I might encounter in the future. However, I had another goal I could tell her about.

Only a few minutes ago, while I was wondering what to do with my boredom, this idea hadn’t even crossed my mind. But ever since I discovered that I couldn’t use the Nexus bow, it had begun to make more and more sense.

The Nexus Academy...

It was the best place to learn about the powers of this world, Overlaps, and Nexus users. Since young people who wanted to become Guardians were trained there, joining the Academy would also be the safest way to learn how to fight.

There was only one problem.

I didn’t have a Nexus.

Still, only a few days ago, I hadn’t had the System, Umbrella, or White Snake either. Now that seemingly impossible things were becoming a normal part of my life, I didn’t want to accept that entering the Academy was beyond my reach.

I took a deep breath.

"Actually, yes. I do have a goal."

I felt Eris’s fingers move slightly between my palms.

"What kind of goal?"

"I want to join the Nexus Academy."

Eris’s eyes suddenly widened.

After the initial surprise, a bright excitement she couldn’t hide appeared in her eyes. The girl who had thought my request was ridiculous only minutes ago disappeared, replaced by an Eris considering the possibility that we might attend the same Academy together.

The moment she opened her mouth, I gently squeezed her hand to silence her.

"I know what you’re thinking. No, I haven’t lost my mind, and I’m not an idiot."

"But Noc, you—"

"I don’t have a Nexus. I don’t meet the Academy’s application requirements, and it’s nearly impossible for an ordinary person to pass the entrance exam. I know all of that."

The excitement on Eris’s face began giving way to concern.

"Then how do you plan to do it?"

"I don’t know yet."

"Noc..."

"But I believe I can."

My voice sounded more determined than I had expected.

Only a few days ago, I thought I would be helpless against even a single Nexus user. Then I had entered a real Overlap, fought dozens of creatures, and destroyed the Core with my own hands.

I owed most of that to Umbrella, Cecilia’s potions, and luck, but I had still survived. I had time, and I didn’t know what else the System might give me.

"To enter the Academy, I first need to become strong enough to defend myself during the entrance exam. That’s why I want you to train me."

Eris studied my face carefully, but the suspicion in her eyes didn’t completely disappear.

"That still doesn’t mean you’ve told me everything."

"I never promised to tell you everything. I told you I have a real goal."

"Did you come up with it five minutes ago?"

My eye twitched slightly.

This girl knew me far too well.

"What matters isn’t when I came up with it. What matters is how determined I am to achieve it."

"Do you really think you can join the Academy?"

"I’m certain of it."

I wasn’t actually certain, but if I wanted to win this deal, I couldn’t let that show on my face.

Without releasing Eris’s hands, I took another step closer.

"Besides, I’ll make this interesting for you too."

"How?"

"We’ll make a bet."

One of Eris’s eyebrows rose.

"What are we betting?"

"If I manage to join the Nexus Academy, you’ll owe me one wish. Whatever I ask for, you’ll do it."

"Whatever you ask?"

"Yes. No running away, refusing, or adding conditions afterward."

A cautious look appeared in Eris’s eyes.

"And what if you fail?"

A confident smile formed on my lips. To prove I wouldn’t back down, I had to name the greatest price I could offer.

"I’ll be your slave for the rest of my life."

Eris’s eyes widened again.

"You can’t be serious."

"I’m completely serious. If I fail to enter the Academy, I’ll do everything you tell me. I’ll prepare your meals, clean your room, and pick up every one of your socks from around the house."

"You already cook for me."

"But then I won’t be able to ask for money in return."

"You don’t ask for any now."

"Focus on the important part of the deal."

The corners of Eris’s lips curved slightly, but she quickly composed herself and tried to look serious.

"Do you understand what being my slave for the rest of your life means?"

"I don’t need to think about it because I won’t lose."

"The Academy doesn’t accept students without a Nexus."

"There has to be an exception to the rules. If there isn’t, I’ll create one."

"That’s easy to say."

"Then you shouldn’t be afraid to accept my offer."

Eris’s fingers trembled slightly between my palms. Alongside the concern in her eyes, a growing excitement was beginning to appear. She was probably almost certain that I would fail, but she couldn’t ignore the possibility that I might attend the same Academy as her.

I held her hands a little more firmly as I stared into her trembling eyes.

"So, what’s your answer?"

Eris remained silent for several seconds.

Then the hesitation on her face slowly disappeared, and a smile cheerful enough to worry me spread across her lips.

"You’d better be ready to become my slave, Noctis Evernight."