Chapter 170: THE SECRET WEAPON

Kael stood outside the Student Council office with Charlotte and Lilian beside him.

He stared at the door for several seconds without saying a word.

Charlotte noticed his hesitation and raised an eyebrow.

"Why aren’t you knocking?"

Lilian, who was standing slightly behind Charlotte, also looked at Kael curiously. She had been unusually quiet since leaving Class D, clearly still trying to process everything that had happened.

Kael ignored both of them.

His attention remained fixed on the door.

He could sense Auriella’s mana signature from the other side.

His expression slowly became more serious.

"Wait a minute..." Charlotte muttered. "Don’t tell me you’re actually scared of her."

Kael immediately turned toward her.

"Well, you’re not me, so you don’t know what it’s like to be hunted by someone with the Eyes of Ruin."

Charlotte stared at him.

"You make it sound like she’s some kind of monster."

"She is."

"She can hear you, you know."

"I don’t care."

Charlotte sighed.

Lilian looked between them, unsure whether she should laugh or remain silent.

Kael eventually took a deep breath.

There was no point standing outside forever.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door before opening it.

The moment he stepped inside, his eyes immediately landed on Auriella.

She was seated beside Sylvia, while the Student Council’s vice president sat on the other side of the room.

Kael immediately regretted coming.

"So that was you, Kael," Sylvia said with a smile. "I was wondering why you were standing outside for so long. For a moment, I thought you were actually scared of my protégé."

"How did you know—"

Charlotte almost answered before Kael quickly covered her mouth.

"Why would you think that?" Kael asked, trying to maintain a calm expression. "I was simply doing some deep thinking outside."

"Oh, is that so?"

Sylvia’s smile widened.

Auriella also turned her gaze toward Kael.

"You know we could sense your mana signature from the moment you stepped through the door, right?"

Kael went silent.

"..."

He decided to let the silence settle between them.

Then he calmly walked over and took a seat.

Seeing this, Sylvia decided to stop teasing him.

"So, why exactly have you come here, Kael?"

Kael got straight to the point.

"There’s someone I want to participate in the upcoming Inter-High Tournament."

The Student Council office immediately became quiet.

Sylvia’s gaze shifted from Kael toward Charlotte and finally settled on Lilian.

Lilian immediately lowered her head, becoming nervous under the attention of the Student Council President.

"So," Sylvia said, "why exactly should I agree to this request?"

Kael didn’t bother beating around the bush.

"Because our academy is heavily focused on combat power. If we enter the tournament without a balanced team, we’ll be at a disadvantage against academies that already understand the importance of having support-type students."

Sylvia frowned.

"I’m sure you don’t fully understand the major purpose of this academy. You didn’t even attend the entrance examination. Our philosophy is strength above all else. The person you’ve brought here makes me question whether you actually understand why that rule exists."

Kael sighed.

"Well, how has that been working out for you?"

Sylvia’s expression changed slightly.

Kael continued.

"You guys aren’t Saiyans who suddenly grow stronger in the middle of a fight. Not every student in this academy is powerful enough to fight the geniuses from other academies. And those academies don’t rely solely on overwhelming combat power. They also have support-type students who can restore stamina and mana during prolonged battles."

"I know exactly how pointless that can be," Sylvia countered. "I’ve fought against academies that use that setup. It forces everyone to divert their attention toward protecting the healer, turning that person into a weakness."

Kael took a deep breath.

"Well, she’s definitely different. But I’ll have to find another time to prove that to you."

His gaze shifted toward Lilian.

"But at the very least, consider Lilian. I consider her my secret weapon."

Kael smiled.

"And you could do this as a favor from one top-ranked student to another."

Sylvia stared at him for a moment.

She already understood why so many people complained about Kael.

"I’ll keep it in mind," she finally said. "But I hope your secret weapon is valuable enough to actually be useful during the tournament."

"Of course."

Kael’s smile became more confident.

"I’m always right about these things. You’re about to find out why."

With that, Kael turned around and walked out of the office, followed by Charlotte and Lilian.

Sylvia watched the door close behind them.

The Student Council vice president, a Tiger Kin, grinned.

"This Kael Draven keeps impressing me. I heard he fought Cairo to a standstill the other day without either of them gaining the upper hand."

She stretched casually.

"I wonder how strong he actually is. Maybe I’ll spar with him one day just for fun."

Sylvia ignored her and turned toward Auriella.

"What do you think about his idea of incorporating healers into our team for the Inter-High Tournament?"

Auriella thought about it for a moment.

"It’s reasonable."

Sylvia waited.

"But pointless all the same."

Auriella continued.

"There are barely any healers in this academy, if there are any at all. Trying to place the healing responsibility of a hundred students on one person isn’t something I see anyone in this academy achieving."

Sylvia nodded.

"Those were my thoughts exactly. Cultivating a healer at this point would be almost useless."

"But you don’t seem completely against his idea," Auriella pointed out.

Sylvia smiled.

"I want to see whether he can actually make it work. Besides, that student isn’t the first diamond in the rough Kael has picked up."

Auriella’s eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Kael also started training Charlotte after noticing her talent when they were both in Class D."

Sylvia paused.

"And now she can use Mana Emphasization."

"Mana Emphasization?"

Auriella repeated the words quietly.

Her eyes widened slightly.

How is it possible that she has already learned it?

Sylvia noticed her reaction.

"I expected you to be surprised. That’s quite a special skill for her to learn."

She smiled.

"Maybe it’s Kael’s influence."

Auriella remained silent.

Meanwhile, outside the office, Kael walked through the hallway with Charlotte and Lilian.

"Wow," Charlotte said, taking a deep breath. "That was a lot of pressure."

"I agree," Lilian added quietly.

She looked toward Kael.

"But what’s our next plan? I don’t think the Student Council President will simply agree because you came up with an idea. And if you keep troubling her, I’m sure she’ll eventually get tired of you."

"I know."

Kael nodded.

"That’s why we’re going to use my secret weapon."

Charlotte frowned.

"Another secret weapon?"

"Yep."

"And who would that be?"

Kael smiled.

"Just follow me and find out."

He turned and began walking.

Charlotte and Lilian followed behind him.

Eventually, they arrived at the Staff Quarters.

Kael stopped in front of one particular office.

Miss Stella’s office.

He knocked before entering.

Stella looked up.

The moment she saw Kael, a headache immediately formed.

"Why are you here?"

She rubbed her forehead.

"You already kidnapped one of my students. What more do you want from me?"

Kael’s eyes widened.

"What? Not you too, Miss Stella!"

He placed a hand against his chest.

"Don’t tell me you’ve joined them in spreading rumors about me."

"What do you mean, spreading rumors? I simply overheard that you kidnapped one of my students on my way to my office."

Lilian, who stood behind Charlotte, immediately became nervous.

"Did you actually kidnap me?"

She asked quietly.

Kael turned around.

"What do you mean by that?"

He immediately began ranting.

"We literally went to the Student Council, I’m a member of the Disciplinary Committee, and I have no reason to kidnap anyone!"

Stella sighed.

"Then why exactly have you come here?"

Kael’s expression became serious.

"I want you to train Lilian."

Stella frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"She has a healing ability. At the very least, I want her to learn how to use it before we leave for the Inter-High Tournament."

Kael smiled.

Stella’s forehead twitched.

"Do I look like someone you can casually toss a student at and expect me to train her perfectly?"

"Well, it’s in your job description."

Kael shrugged.

"You’re a teacher, right?"

A vein appeared on Stella’s forehead.

She slowly turned her attention toward Lilian.

Stella had always known that Lilian was gifted.

It was the kind of gift that could easily attract the attention of the Church, which was precisely why Stella had originally intended to allow her abilities to awaken naturally.

But Kael wanted to accelerate her growth.

Whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen.

At the very least, Stella would have to deal with it after the Inter-High Tournament.

Lilian shrank behind Charlotte under Stella’s gaze.

Charlotte noticed.

"There’s no need to be scared. Miss Stella isn’t that cruel when it comes to training her students."

"Okay..."

Lilian nodded quietly.

Stella sighed.

"How sure are you that she won’t drop dead from my training? It’s not like everyone is built like you."

Lilian immediately became pale.

Kael stared at Stella.

"You’re kidding, right?"

Stella didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she allowed the silence to settle.

Then she finally spoke.

"I do have some training methods that could work."

She looked toward Lilian.

"But not today."

"Come tomorrow."

Kael let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank goodness."

Everything had gone according to plan.

At least, as far as he was concerned.

He didn’t notice the trouble that had already begun brewing elsewhere.

Back in Class D, Lilith sat quietly in her seat.

Her eyes remained fixed on the doorway through which Kael had left earlier.

He had entered the class with Charlotte.

Then he had casually walked out with another girl.

Another girl.

And I’m here worrying about our future...

Lilith’s expression slowly darkened.

While he enters this class with Charlotte and casually leaves with another girl without even glancing at me.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of her desk.

Her eyes began glowing faintly.

Kael...

A dangerous smile slowly appeared on her face.

We are going to have a very long conversation when you come back.

The upcoming tournament suddenly became the least of Kael’s problems.