Chapter 85: Adios, Professor

Even if it was only one of the Demon Heads.

The EXP rewards from doing that would be astronomical, even worth more than killing all the Demons in Hebthej. Lancet would know, he had read Renan reap all the benefits.

The novel had made it clear that the second Demon Head, which ambushed the team with a new army, was far more rewarding than the first.

This was because the second Demon Head was stronger than first, seeing it was able to create a Gloom Domain — a feat only possible for the Demon Lords themselves and a few select Heads.

Perhaps Lancet was being a little greedy. If Thor killed the first Demon Head, he would also be getting the EXP. This meant, by extension, he would be killing both Heads and claiming the EXP.

With Astensia leading the defense by destroying the armies of Demons, Lancet was certain to be the person to return from the mission with the most rewards.

Still, the EXP — although enticing enough — wasn’t all that he wanted. The Profits, the artifacts and high-tier equipment were what Lancet wanted.

And even more, he wanted to gather as many Creativity Points and EXP to level up Astensia and Thor so he could get more Summon Slots.

Lancet didn’t want a lack of Slots deterring him in the future from making Heroines in the cases of emergency.

Now, doing this wasn’t going to be easy. Lancet had come to terms with that from the very start. But it was only made more difficult from the way he was being treated by Professor Wolfgar Windviper and others who were facilitating this mission.

Being shoved to the background while his Summons did all the work was an insult, and Lancet didn’t care whether or not they saw it that way.

He made a decision on what he was going to do. And to start, he walked up to Professor Wolfgar’s office and knocked intently on the door.

"Come in," a gravelly voice barked from the other side.

Lancet pushed the door open. Professor Wolfgar’s office was almost a photocopy of what Lancet imagined it to be. Different posters of combat tactics were plastered across the walls, and various equipment and unique weapons lay scattered across a massive, scratched oak desk.

Wolfgar took a moment to look up, his single eye focused on a casualty projection report.

"Lancet," Wolfgar grunted, recognizing his footsteps. "Training is over for the day. You deploy tomorrow morning. Shouldn’t you be at the dorms resting?"

"I’ll rest soon, Professor," Lancet said smoothly, stepping into the room and letting the door click shut behind him. "I just had a quick logistical question before we deploy tomorrow."

Wolfgar finally looked up, setting his pen down. He leaned back in his creaking leather chair, crossing his massive arms. "Make it fast. What is it?"

"If the evacuation team encounters heavy resistance in the tunnels, do we have authorization to break formation?" Lancet asked casually.

Wolfgar frowned. "You won’t encounter heavy resistance. Vernon and the vanguard will draw the primary aggro at the plaza. And we have Astensia covering the overflow, remember? You just keep your head down and ferry the civilians. Is that all?"

"Actually, no," Lancet said, his tone turning instantly direct. He slipped his hands into his pockets. "About Astensia and Thor. I won’t be summoning them tomorrow. I’m just going to do my assigned job as a Class Group-D student and help with the evacuation."

For a moment, the only sound in the office was the bulb on the ceiling humming.

Wolfgar’s remaining eye narrowed into a dangerous, predatory slit. The leather chair groaned as he slowly stood up, placing his scarred hands flat on the desk. "Excuse me?"

"Uhm... Pretty sure you heard me, sir," Lancet replied, not breaking eye contact.

"This isn’t a game, Lancet," Wolfgar growled, the ambience in the room growing heavier with his rising Grace. "Have you forgotten everything we strategized? The entire plan rests on them."

"You mean the entire plan rests on me," Lancet corrected, his voice hardening. He took a step forward, the bitter frustration of the last two days finally spilling over.

"You keep focusing on them, talking about them like they’re actual students here. But I’m the student of Awakener Supreme. It is actually my power you need. I am the one who brings them here. I am the one who anchors them to this reality."

Wolfgar’s brow raised, startled by the boy’s directness.

"All of you painted me as useless the moment you saw my Class was ranked Dull. And now that you see what my Class can actually do, you want to use it to the fullest while throwing me in the silence of the backlines."

Wolfgar’s jaw tightened, but Lancet didn’t let him interrupt.

"No," Lancet stated firmly. "Vernon Heavenblum isn’t the most important member of this team. I am. And until you and everyone else accepts that fact, I am not summoning anyone."

Wolfgar stared at the freshman. The Head of Combat was used to dealing with arrogance, but this was outright insubordination from a Bronze Dorm student on the eve of a massacre.

"Is that your final word?" Wolfgar asked dangerously.

"It is."

"Then you’re off the team," Wolfgar fired back instantly, pointing a thick finger at the door. "Get out of my sight. I’ll find a replacement for your slot on the evac line."

Lancet didn’t look like he particularly cared. He downturned his lips and shrugged. "Fine by me," he said lightly. "Adios, Professor."

With a turn on his heel, he walked toward the door calmly. He reached for the iron handle, pulled it down, and opened the door.

"Wait."

Lancet paused, leaving his back turned for a fraction of a second to hide the triumphant grin flashing across his face. He composed his features into a mask of indifference and looked back over his shoulder.

Wolfgar was rubbing the bridge of his nose, exhaling a long, ragged sigh. The Head of Combat looked distinctly like a man who knew he had just been checkmated.

"Close the door, Leogardt," Wolfgar grumbled.

Lancet shut it.

"What is it that you want exactly?" Wolfgar asked, dropping back into his chair.

Lancet walked back to the desk. "Tomorrow morning, there will be an allocation of Profits sent to the vanguard’s Academy accounts. Funds that must all be spent on equipment for the raid."

Wolfgar’s remaining eye widened in genuine surprise. "How the hell do you know about that?"

Lancet ignored the question. "I want the biggest share. Seeing that I am bringing two Awakeners vastly more powerful than your top Awakener, and neither Astensia nor Thor requires new equipment, it is only fair I get the Profits that would have been allocated to them."

Wolfgar stared at him, bewildered. He had been bracing himself for a massive ego trip. He had expected Lancet to demand a frontline position alongside the Class Group-As, or a bigger, flashier role.

"Is that all you want?" Wolfgar asked, thoroughly confused. "I thought you wanted to join the offensive team, or be given a bigger role."

"I’m fine with what I have," Lancet replied smoothly.

’Besides,’ Lancet thought to himself, ’a bigger role would only distract me from what I actually plan to do out there.’

"So that’s it? Profits?" Wolfgar rubbed his scarred chin. "You know you can’t actually keep the money, right? It must all be spent in the Academy’s Vault before we leave, or it disappears."

"I don’t mind that," Lancet said. "Just give me unlimited access in the Vault to get whatever I need for the raid as well."

Wolfgar sat in silence for a long time. He looked at the confident freshman standing before him. The kid was holding the entire Hebthej operation hostage, and he was doing it with a completely straight face.

Finally, a rough, barking sigh escaped Wolfgar’s throat.

"Fine," Wolfgar conceded, pulling a crystal screen from his drawer and aggressively signing his name across the file displayed on it. "You’ll have it."

Lancet smiled. "Thank you, sir."

Wolfgar watched him for a while, slightly irritated yet strangely impressed. "I didn’t know you had the guts to pull a stunt like this, Leogardt."

Lancet took a deep breath, shoulders raising and falling in smug victory.

"You’ve all been underestimating me from the start, Professor," Lancet said, then he leaned over with hands still in his pockets, his smirk widening to a grin. "Don’t stop anytime soon. It’s fun for you and I when I leave you all shocked."