Chapter 28: Shadowless
No sooner had a maid notified Han of the alert than he gathered his maids in the living room to talk. He sat on the sofa as they stood at attention around him. Since Hanna was still battling the Dragonification Spell, she was exempt from the meeting.
Another maid took charge and explained the call from the main household. Han listened with a straight face.
"Shadowless Academy requested help from Tenaxis to host an exam for their acolytes. The main house agreed and lent Shadowless Academy a significant portion of Tenaxis’s land for the exam. Young Master Han’s Mansion is part of the land given to Shadowless Academy, but the main household said it wouldn’t be a problem because we’re here and only acolytes will take part."
Han asked, "What exactly is Shadowless Academy?"
"It’s one of the Underworld’s academies that teaches Dark Arts and is known for training some infamous Dark Practitioners. Those academies are like Dark Families, except there are no blood ties and anyone can join. Dark Families also approve of them. They often send their own talents there for experience and pull strings in the shadows to help their own blood. Shadowless Academy is especially famous for its rigid rules, fairness, and independence. It’s hard for other families to control people there, so even their own blood can die there, which makes the experience more valuable."
Han nodded.
For a moment, he feared his family had found out about his awakening, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Instead, it was simply an exam, and Shadowless Academy probably wanted to use the monsters in Tenaxis’s lands as enemies for budding Dark Practitioners.
"If Young Master Han wants, we can request backup from the main household," the maid added.
Han shook his head.
He didn’t want anyone from the main household sniffing around his mansion and possibly finding out about him or his progress. On paper, it seemed like everything would go well as long as he remained in his mansion. If anyone wandered too close and tried anything, he’d kill them.
Given my recent actions and experience, I should be able to kill with ease. I’ve never killed anyone, so it would be good to learn how it feels and how it affects my mindset and bloodline. Killing wyverns and asserting dominance already felt great. How would it feel to do it to outsiders?
"When will the exam begin?" Han asked.
"Next week."
"Shadowless Academy’s teachers and masters should arrive soon to prepare the area for their exam. Stay alert and watch the grounds. I won’t trust anyone. If someone comes too close to my mansion, notify me and we’ll take care of them together," Han ordered.
All the maids bowed. "Understood, Young Master Han."
Then everyone, except the two who stayed behind to tend to Han, scattered to carry out his orders. He looked over his shoulder at the maid to his right.
Tapping an armrest, Han asked, "What does Tenaxis gain?"
"Academies have a variety of people from all over the world. They’re a great source of information and talent. Different people mean different essences for artifacts. The main household has also sent a few of its talented members to Shadowless Academy, and our overall relationship with them is good," the maid on the right replied.
A maid on the left added, "This exam will not only use the monsters living in the forest, but Shadowless Academy will also bring its own resources to make it more competitive. Chances are the corpses of acolytes will fall into the main household’s hands, and maybe the leftover resources as well. We don’t have details of the main deal, unfortunately."
"Yeah, I know," Han said, nodding.
In the end, he could only wait to see whether trouble came knocking. If it did, he would crush it with his awakened force.
—
Han and the others sensed powerful mana waves across the land. They definitely belonged to Shadowless Academy’s experts. Their presence kept everyone on alert. Han often peered out his office window while drafting new magic circles and spells. The maids tended to their duties as usual, but a tense aura hung over them.
It was then that Hanna’s coffin stirred.
The maid overseeing her widened her eyes with gleeful surprise. Hanna!
A bony hand pierced through the coffin’s scales and reached out, the wet sound of knitting flesh whispering against the dry rasp of scales as cold air spilled from within. Ribbons of flesh climbed up those bones and knit a slender forearm and hand, covering them in smooth white skin. The hand grabbed the edge of a protruding scale and ripped it off. It didn’t stop at one.
The maid rang her small bell and called the second maid.
When the second maid saw the commotion, she smiled and nodded to her friend before bolting to Han’s office. After he let her in, she beamed and delivered the news.
"Hanna’s Dragonification is over!" she said, breathless.
Han smiled. You did it! Good girl!