Chapter 332: Limitations He Wished To Break
"By the way, the two of you seem to be in a good mood," Alex commented. "Did you and Dim Dim do something together?"
Chuck and Dim Dim exchanged a glance at each other before smirking at the same time.
"Well, we did do something together. Isn’t that right, Dim Dim?"
"Dim!"
"And you’re not telling what it is?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Nope," Chuck answered. "But I’ll give you a hint. It’s about a girl."
Little did Alex know, Chuck had already dealt with the Mini Boss he was very wary of. In addition, Chuck had also placed her under his control!
Truth be told, Alex had enough reason to be apprehensive. In the game, Eleanora was a very difficult opponent to deal with.
Unfortunately, she had made the mistake of targeting Chuck. This mistake had ensured that her plan of enslaving Chuck and Alex would never be realized.
Now, she served a different Master.
A Master who made her understand that she couldn’t defy his will no matter what.
At the mention of a girl, Mary’s hand that was holding the teapot trembled a bit. Princess Xenia’s gaze sharpened just a little, but her expression remained composed.
Alex noticed this change right away and decided to steer the topic away for his roommate’s safety.
"By the way, Vaan, has Prince Garen been troubling you lately?" Alex inquired.
"No." Vaan shook his head. "He’s very polite and respectful toward me. Also, he no longer makes any advances. But he has mentioned that he doesn’t plan on giving up. Alex, he might challenge you again in the future."
Alex sighed. ’Maybe I should tell him in private that Vaan is actually a boy, so he will stop pestering him.’
However, since this was Vaan’s secret, and the Prince seemed to be behaving himself, Alex thought he should just let it be for the time being.
"By the way, where’s Renard?" Alex asked after noticing that Mr. I-Have-Trust-Issues was not in the club room.
"He said he was going to do something important today," Mary replied.
"Ah, he might be meeting Lady Celestria again," Lotte commented. "While I was wandering around the academy, I saw them talking in one of the gazebos in the academy’s garden.
After hearing Lotte’s comment, a devilish smile appeared on Alex’s face.
’So it has finally begun,’ Alex thought. ’She will try to poach Renard and persuade him to transfer to Solara Academy.’
This happened in the game as well, and it was not a minor event. It was actually one of the turning points in Renard’s life.
There were advantages and disadvantages in transferring to Solara Academy.
In other words, Renard had a fifty-fifty chance of accepting Lady Celestria’s proposal.
Depending on his favorability rating of the academy, Renard might seriously consider transferring, especially since the Saintess would surely offer excellent conditions when trying to persuade him
Although Alex would feel regret if Renard did indeed choose to transfer to a different academy, he reminded himself that this was no longer a game.
Renard and the other Heroes and Heroines could decide what course they wished to take in life.
Alex was merely there to deal with situations that they would not be able to handle with their current strength.
Of course, he had no intention of holding their hand or eliminating their problems for them.
If the Heroes and Heroines didn’t face adversity, none of them would grow. That would become a major problem when the Third and Fourth Arc of the Story came along.
Alex then glanced at Nessia, the only Heroine part of his club.
After she had discovered the hidden room in the clock tower, she had gained access to the Codex of Eternal Weave, which contained the secrets of Ancient Runes that were no longer in use in the current era.
Perhaps this was also the reason why Alex relied on her so much. He wanted her to become more proficient in Rune Magic by letting her get as much first-hand experience as possible.
Although she might feel like she was being treated as a Rune Slave Worker right now, all her hard work would benefit her in the future.
In short, Alex was only speeding up the process since Nessia was the only Heroine he could easily interact with.
Renard wasn’t really a team player and liked to do things solo.
But as long as he was part of Endless Horizon, there would be plenty of opportunities to let him understand that working together as a team would be more beneficial than facing the world on his own.
While Alex mulled over Renard’s role in the grand scheme of things, a scene elsewhere in the academy was unfolding exactly as he had predicted.
Under the soft glow of moonlight, Renard stood at a gazebo in the academy’s garden.
His arms were crossed and his sharp eyes were fixed on the elegant young woman before him. Lady Celestria, the Saintess of Solara Academy, wore a serene smile as if she had all the time in the world.
"Renard," Lady Celestria began gently, her voice carrying the weight of both confidence and kindness. "You don’t belong here. Frieden Academy is... respectable, but it will never give you what you truly desire."
Renard narrowed his eyes. "And you think Solara Academy will?"
"Yes." Lady Celestria’s expression softened, but her words were sharp. "You want certainty, control, and power. The only things you let yourself rely on. At Solara Academy, you won’t have to fight with your back against the wall. You won’t have to waste your brilliance babysitting others."
Her words were deliberate, piercing through Renard’s insecurities and discontent.
"You will be free to act as you wish. Free of constraints. Free of... leaders who hide things from you." Lady Celestria’s gaze lingered, as if she already knew about Alex and his secrets.
Renard’s lips thinned. He hated how accurate her words felt.
Truth be told, he felt confused about what he should be doing in the academy.
He was learning at a rapid rate and he enjoyed the challenges that he was facing. However, being part of Endless Horizon made him feel that Alex was indeed hiding things from him.
And not just from but from the other members as well.
The president of his club seemed to always know things before they even happened.
The Battle Royale in Mistral Weave Forest and their adventure in the Heracle Mountain were just two examples. Based on Alex’s instructions, it seemed like he knew what the upcoming Dungeon Expedition would be like as well.
There were times when Renard wished he could talk to Alex in private, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to make the first move.
The feeling of being led by the nose made him feel uneasy. Even if Alex appeared to have made the right call again and again, Renard disliked being told what to do without knowing why.
He wanted to be free, do things his way, and rely on his own strength to break through any obstacle before him.
"You don’t have to give me an answer right now," Lady Celestria said. "You can tell me your answer after the dungeon expedition or before we return to Solara Academy. Either way, I hope that you will consider my offer seriously."
Renard reluctantly nodded. "I’ll think about it."
If he were honest, he would be able to admit that he had already found his answer. But he was still hesitating.
A part of him wished to return to being a lone wolf.
But after spending some time with his club members, he had slowly started to open up to the possibility of trusting a handful of people.
He sincerely believed that he couldn’t trust anyone but himself.
However, because of everything he had experienced during the Scholarship Trial of the Academy, he had become painfully aware of his limitations.
Limitations that he wished to break so that he could reach his goal for revenge.