Chapter 492 Rumors?

"Jester?"

—Master?

"Before doing anything significant to anyone... tell me first."

Michael’s voice was cold and commanding. It wasn’t a request. It was an order.

Thanks to Jester’s high intelligence—only further amplified by absorbing Li Yang’s memories—Michael had nearly forgotten the nature of what this creature truly was.

A parasite.

A taboo.

The words it had spoken earlier had sent a chill crawling down Michael’s spine.

And while what Jester said wasn’t exactly wrong—even Michael could admit that it would be far more useful to him than the two youths, suggesting to kill one of them was crossing a line he wasn’t willing to budge on.

—Yes, Master.

Jester responded without hesitation. But there was a tinge of disappointment in its tone.

It didn’t think it had done anything wrong. It didn’t even sense that Michael might now be more cautious of it. In Jester’s mind, its Master simply had a different plan.

Still...

It was a pity.

As Michael’s warning settled into silence, Jester withdrew its consciousness without another word.

The room remained heavy, and Michael finally let out a slow breath. He looked down at the two unconscious boys—Ace and Lia.

They had no idea what had nearly happened.

A few minutes passed.

Then—

A groan.

Michael’s eyes flicked up instantly.

Ace stirred first.

The boy’s hand twitched, fingers digging into the wooden floor as his body slowly curled in on itself. He gasped sharply, chest heaving as he sat upright, wild-eyed and sweating.

Lia wasn’t far behind.

He woke with a sharp inhale, bolting up halfway before a wave of disorientation knocked him back down.

Michael said nothing at first. He simply watched them.

Ace blinked rapidly. His gaze shot around the room—panicked—before finally landing on Michael. And then—

He froze.

For a brief moment, he just

stared

.

And the expression in his eyes wasn’t fear. It was awe.

Like he was looking at something divine.

Something sacred.

Michael raised a brow slightly but said nothing.

Then Lia, having steadied himself with a few deep breaths, also turned—and the same look crossed his face.

Michael could already guess why.

The new memories. They’d come from

him

. Or so they believed. After all, they had no idea Jester existed. They had no knowledge of what had truly happened.

What Michael didn’t know was that to them, Michael had

gifted

this knowledge directly.

He looked like a god in their eyes.

Michael decided to test the waters subtly.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

Ace swallowed, blinking again. "I... I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like... something in me woke up."

Michael gave a small nod. "Can you recall anything?"

Lia nodded slowly, his face still pale but composed. "The movements. I remember them. Not all... but enough. It’s like muscle memory I never had."

Michael leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes sharpening.

"So, no discomfort? No pain in your head? Nothing... strange?"

They hesitated.

Then Ace shook his head. "Nothing strange, my lord. Just... new. Everything feels new."

Michael narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe them—but he wanted to see if there was

anything

off. Jester’s technique was invasive, after all. If either of them exhibited signs of fragmentation—split perception, hallucinations, instability—it would mean Jester’s method wasn’t perfect.

But so far...

They looked stable.

Lia’s breathing had slowed, and he sat straighter now. Ace, though not as composed, was no longer trembling.

Michael spoke. His presence alone caused both boys to straighten unconsciously.

"Ace. Lia."

"You’ve taken the first step."

Their eyes widened a little.

"But this isn’t a gift."

The air shifted.

"What you’ve been given must be earned. If you fail, you’ll lose more than just the opportunity."

He paused.

"You’ll lose my trust."

That struck a chord.

Ace lowered his head. "We won’t fail."

Lia echoed him. "We swear it."

Michael gave a faint nod of approval.

They were ready.

Or at least, ready enough.

Before sending them out, he handed Lia his cultivation method.

The door closed behind them with a soft click.

—They’ll serve you well, Master. Especially the blond one... he’s useful.

Michael’s eyes narrowed.

"I told you already, didn’t I?"

—Yes, yes... I won’t touch them unless ordered. I understand.

The response was obedient—but not apologetic.

Michael let it drop for now.

"Now, let’s talk about..."

*

Outside the door, Ace and Lia stood in silence.

The hallway was quieter than usual, but the tension in the air was heavy—almost suffocating.

Several maids passed by, eyes lingering longer than they should have. One even stopped outright, staring at them as if she expected a bruise or a missing limb.

They had heard the screams.

One could only imagine what kind of rumors were already beginning to circulate.

A young servant whispered to another in a corner alcove, poorly hiding the glance she threw their way.

Another maid, older, kept her distance entirely, clutching a basket to her chest with nervous fingers as she avoided eye contact.

Lia shifted uneasily. The weight of their stares was heavier than he expected.

He clenched his jaw, but it wasn’t embarrassment that made him restless—it was anger. Rage that they could look at him like that. That they could

assume

things.

Ace, by contrast, remained motionless. He stared straight ahead, face calm—but his fingers twitched slightly at his side.

"They think we were punished," Lia muttered bitterly under his breath.

Ace didn’t respond immediately. Then, with a low, measured voice, he said, "Let them."

Lia turned to him, confused. "What?"

Ace’s eyes were unreadable. "Let them think whatever they want."

"Easy for you to say. You didn’t scream like a dying rabbit. Now that I think about it, I kind of hope the rumors end up being we were punished and not something else."

Ace raised a brow and did not understand at first. It was only a few seconds later his face paled.

"Let’s just not think about this and something else instead. Like what just happened."