Chapter 254: Brother? (4)

Louis’s command was unexpected.

“Move to the right and tighten up.”

The students exchanged puzzled glances at the sudden order.

Immediately, Louis’s booming voice cracked like thunder.

“Didn’t you hear me? Move to the right and tighten up!”

Only then did the students snap to attention and scramble to the right side of the auditorium.

Louis nodded in satisfaction. “From now on, any student whose name I call will step to the left.”

With that, he beckoned to a trainee standing at the back. Having witnessed the Tower Lord’s temperament firsthand, the trainee scurried forward eagerly.

“Read the names on this list in a loud, clear voice.”

“Yes, sir!”

The trainee took the list from Louis and began shouting the names:

“First… Sam Cartin.”

At the mention of his name, a hesitant student shuffled awkwardly to the left.

The trainee continued calling out names, and after about fifteen minutes, the roll call came to an end.

“Good work,” Louis said.

“T-thank you!” the trainee stammered, retreating. Louis turned his gaze to the students on the left.

Exactly fifty-seven students had been separated to the left.

As the specially called students looked bewildered, Louis’s voice rang out again.

“You must be wondering why your names were called, aren’t you?”

Several students on the left nodded, and Louis’s smile deepened.

“The students gathered here on the left are truly remarkable and precious individuals.”

Louis’s words lit up the faces of the students on the left.

And for good reason: the students segregated to the left were mostly scions of influential families with considerable power.

Those who had assumed they were entitled to special treatment.

But as the story unfolded, their faces turned ashen with dread.

“They must have thought so highly of themselves that they looked down on Our Tower of Aspiration and the Transcendence Academy as mere puddles.”

”…?!”

“From fraudulent admissions to bribing professors and instructors, manipulating grades, and everything in between…”

By the time the students on the left sensed something was amiss, it was already too late. The verdict had been delivered.

“If you’re truly so remarkable, why would you need to remain at our academy? Therefore… you are expelled.”

The startled students’ faces grew even paler, and naturally, Brew was among them.

The Headmaster’s Office at Transcendence Academy.

Clink.

Floria sighed as she watched Louis casually sip his tea, the teacup moving lightly between his hands.

“You could have at least given me a heads-up,” she said.

“Why? It’s much more entertaining this way.”

”…How utterly hilarious.”

Even Floria had been kept in the dark about Louis’s latest round of expulsions.

A staggering fifty-seven students had been expelled.

It was inevitable that the students would protest, and Floria already felt a headache brewing over how to manage the fallout.

Louis chuckled at Floria’s heavy sighs. “What’s the problem? We just expelled the ones who deserved it.”

“That’s true, but…”

“I’ve always felt you’re too cautious, Floria. You’re almost excessively careful.”

”…”

“Sometimes, you need to be bolder.”

”…Is that so?”

Of course, we shouldn’t be as recklessly bold as the Tower Lord, Floria thought, but the words remained unspoken. She simply nodded in agreement.

As the two continued their light conversation, a knock sounded at the door.

Knock, knock.

“Tower Lord, I’ve brought the students you requested.”

“Come in.”

With Louis’s permission, the instructor entered the Headmaster’s Office, escorting two students.

The students were none other than Shiba and Sierra.

“Then I’ll take my leave now…”

The instructor who had brought them bowed deeply and quietly left the Headmaster’s Office.

Only the four of them remained in the Headmaster’s Office.

Sierra, summoned by Louis, wore a troubled expression. Just last semester, he had been her partner on the tech team, but now he had ascended to such heights that she couldn’t even dare to look at him.

As Sierra fidgeted, still awkward around him, Louis spoke.

“The Cassius Family… they’re more renowned than I expected.”

”…”

“Five generations ago, they were a Duke Family, but repeated misfortunes led to their decline, eventually losing even their Baron title. Now, they can’t even maintain that—their entire family fortune has been sold off. A truly tragic fate.”

”…”

“Count Syron acquired all of the Cassius Family’s debts, didn’t he? Is that correct?”

”…That’s right. To be precise, it was Count Syron who completely severed the last thread of our family’s lifeline.”

“Do you know why they did it?”

“Honestly, I’m still wondering about that myself. Why would a massive noble house like Count Syron target a family as close to ruin as ours?”

“It’s simple. Trace your family’s lineage far enough, and you’ll find a connection to the Royal Family.”

”…Huh?”

“Six generations ago, the wife of Duke Cassius had an affair with the then-king and bore him a son. Of course, Duke Cassius at the time was completely unaware of this.”

”…?!”

“That child became the last Duke Cassius.”

“N-no way… I’ve never heard such a story before…”

“What good could come of revealing that the king of a nation and the duchess consort had an affair and conceived a child?”

”…”

“There’s a reason the once-prosperous Cassius Family suddenly declined. The elder brother of the last Duke Cassius—the man who would later become King Meldenik—knew about his half-sibling’s existence.”

“Ah…”

“Count Syron seized control of your family after learning this scandalous secret of the Royal Family, which had been passed down in whispers. He planned to marry you off to his own heir, thereby mingling royal blood into his lineage and legitimizing his claim to the throne. Since I heard this directly from Count Syron himself, it must be true.”

”…?!”

The ugly truth Sierra had never imagined.

In the end, she was nothing more than a pawn sacrificed to Count Syron’s greed.

Sierra’s face paled.

Louis held out an envelope to her.

“Take it.”

“What… is this?”

“When all of Count Syron’s assets were transferred to the Tower of Wishes, your family’s debts became ours as well. This document proves it.”

”…?!”

Sierra’s eyes widened in shock.

“Why… why are you doing this?”

“I’m giving you two choices. First, you can tear it up right now and be free.”

”…”

“Second, you can graduate from the Transcendence Academy, join the Tower of Wishes, and work to pay off the debt.”

Sierra’s eyes flickered.

Normally, she would have torn the document to shreds without a second thought.

But something was holding her back.

“Why are you going to such lengths for me?”

“Because I like you.”

”…Excuse me?”

“Your talent, your tenacity—I find them quite appealing. Our Tower of Aspiration always welcomes promising individuals.”

”…”

“And my Tower of Aspiration will become the foundation for your own.”

A shadow of internal conflict flickered across Sierra’s face.

Tearing up the document would completely free her from the past that had haunted her for so long.

But keeping it, while the debt would remain, would give her a sense of belonging.

The Tower of Wishes, a colossal bastion of ambition, offered terms overwhelmingly advantageous to Sierra, no matter her choice.

Driven by this, Sierra posed a question to Louis.

“Tower Lord,” she began.

“Yes?” he replied.

“If I were to join the Tower of Wishes… that demonstration you gave me before, the one where you told me to watch and learn closely… would you show it to me again?”

The memory of that day remained vivid in her mind.

During the practical assessment, Louis had displayed an impossible mastery of Transcendent techniques, a display that became both her ultimate goal and a guiding beacon.

Louis smiled at Sierra’s unwavering gaze. “Absolutely,” he answered.

In response, Sierra returned the documents to him.

“I just don’t like being indebted to anyone,” Sierra said.

“That’s exactly the kind of personality I admire,” Louis replied, returning her smile.

Sierra is a remarkably promising talent, he thought.

Overshadowed by the Twins and the Flame Siblings, Sierra’s abilities were undeniably among the highest achievable by humans.

With such talent right before him, Louis knew he had to stake his claim.

In the end, a single debt document had bound Sierra to the Tower of Wishes, a tremendous bargain for Louis.

Having secured such an exceptional talent, Louis now turned his gleaming eyes toward another promising candidate.

“Hey,” he called out.

“Huh?” Shiba, who had been standing there dumbly listening to Louis and Sierra’s conversation, responded.

A piece of paper fluttered down in front of Shiba.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“A pledge to work at the Tower of Wishes after graduating from Transcendence Academy,” Louis replied.

”…”

“Yep, a pledge to work there for five years without pay.”

“No way! Why?!” Shiba roared.

“Why? Because I feel like it.”

“Miss Sierra is getting her debt forgiven, but you still have to pay me! Fair compensation for labor is fundamental!”

In the past, Shiba wouldn’t have hesitated to join the Tower of Wishes. It wasn’t exactly a place you could easily get into, even if you wanted to.

But now, things had changed.

Having toiled under Louis for months, Shiba was keenly aware of how terrifying the Tower of Wishes had become. Entering it would mean embarking on a treacherous path strewn with thorns, forever altering his life.

“I can’t go! No, I won’t go!” Shiba shouted, his voice filled with bitter protest.

“Is that so?” Louis casually pulled something from his pocket and tossed it to Shiba.

“What’s this…? Uh… Huh?”

It was a ring, boldly emblazoned with the unmistakable crest of the Burnt Family. Shiba’s eyes shook as if an earthquake were ravaging them.

“H-how did you get this, Louis?”

“Long ago,” Louis replied, “a fellow named Carrie Bunt gave it to me.”

”…?!”

Shiba, a descendant of the Burnt Family, couldn’t possibly be unaware of Carrie, the ancestor who had brought the family to its greatest prosperity.

“So, he said he’d grant any wish if you brought him the ring… You took it to the Burnt Family, but they were completely ruined, right?”

“Uh… well…”

“And you’re the only descendant left? Is there anyone else?”

“Ah, no.”

“Then you’ll have to work it off yourself. Just five years.”

“But… our family is ruined…”

“Ah, so because you’re ruined, you think you can just disregard your ancestor’s promises?”

“Ah, no… that’s not what I meant…”

Louis’s relentless mockery and the ring in Shiba’s hand completely drained Shiba’s spirit.

“I knew Louis was older than I thought, but no way he actually knew Ancestor Carrie?! …Ah, so that’s why…”

Shiba finally understood why Louis had purchased the portraits of Carrie Bunt and Lucia Bunt. He also realized he couldn’t escape Louis’s clutches.

Shiba asked, his eyes filled with anxiety and despair, “Still, working for no pay at all is too harsh… Could you at least give me a little?”

“That depends on how well you perform.”

“Y-yes! I’ll work my hardest!”

Forced to swallow his pride, Shiba reluctantly signed the oath with his own hand.

That day, one talented individual willingly entered the Tower of Wishes, while another was dragged in by the scruff of his neck.

Two years had passed since that day.

Buzz… Buzz…

The communication stone, which hadn’t rung in ages, suddenly began to signal.

“Huh?”

Louis blinked, retrieving the stone from his pocket dimension. “Mother and Father?”

It had been ages since he’d last heard from his parents.

Ah, maybe I should have called more often?

Regretting his neglect, Louis answered the call.

A familiar, cheerful voice greeted him:

Louis responded warmly to Genelocer’s energetic tone: “Yes, it’s me.”

But his delight quickly turned to shock as his father continued: