The darkness of my cubicle in the dormitory was not an obstacle; it was an invitation. By closing the heavy velvet curtains, I was not just isolating myself from Raymond’s muffled snoring or Daniel’s heavy breathing. I was entering my true domain. The physical world, with its archaic rules and decadent nobility, became secondary. What mattered now was the flow, the constant hum of the millennial energy I had claimed.

(Aria, are you there?), I called mentally, the voice of my thought echoing in the vastness of the neural interface that connected us. (I need a full report. What did the system sensors pick up about the movements of Marie, my mother, and my brothers?)

There was no delay. Her response did not come as sound, but as a palpable presence, a torrent of data that materialized before my closed eyes. A cascade of sky-blue light drew graphs, maps, and transcripts in the emptiness of my mind. Aria’s consciousness was a cold, efficient, and terribly ancient intelligence that processed the kingdom not as a collection of people and lands, but as a complex code to be broken and manipulated. I felt a pang of pride. This was my absolute weapon, and no one else in the world knew of its existence. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Fully operational, Master Shade," her voice resonated, devoid of emotion but laden with lethal efficiency. "Initiating transfer of the passive surveillance report. The data has been compiled and categorized according to your request. Monitoring of the Bartfort family core and the Marie anomaly has been prioritized."

The first block of data expanded, revealing a three-dimensional projection of the Baroness Bartfort’s office—my mother. The image was grainy, a rendering based on mana fluctuations and sound vibrations captured by the micro-sensors Aria had dispersed across the family property before we left for the academy.

The Baroness was seated at her ebony desk, her expression hardened by years of resentment and accumulated debts. She held a letter, the wax of the royal seal already broken. Aria captioned the scene with metadata.

"Baroness Bartfort received news of your victory in the arena, Master," Aria began the report. "Her initial reaction was not one of pride, but financial calculation. The intercepted records of her correspondence with the Royal Bank indicate that she is already trying to use your new ’prestige’ as leverage to renegotiate the barony’s debts. But her plan is more insidious than simple greed."

The image changed to show a second letter, this one addressed to a third-class merchants’ guild in the capital. Aria highlighted the crucial excerpts.

"She is drafting a contract to sell your engagement rights, Master. Without your knowledge or consent, she plans to auction you off to the daughter of a rich merchant who is desperately seeking a noble title, even if it is a low-ranking one like ours. The estimated value of the transaction would cover two-thirds of the family’s current debts. She sees you as an asset to be liquidated before your ’luck’ at the academy runs out."

A cold wave ran down my spine—not from fear, but from deep and pragmatic disgust. I knew that familial affection was a luxury the Bartforts could not afford, but the direct betrayal from my own mother, trying to sell me like cattle to cover her own management failures, was proof of the rot corroding the nobility.

"She doesn’t know about the pact with Rebeca, does she?" I asked, my mental voice sounding icy.

"Negative, Master. The secret has been kept. If she knew you had secured an engagement with the heiress of one of the most influential families in the kingdom, her plans would change drastically. She would try to take control of the negotiation to extract the maximum benefits for herself and your brothers, possibly sabotaging your original agreement in the process."

"Keep her under full surveillance, Aria. Intercept any final contract before it is signed. I will deal with her at the right moment. And my brothers? What are those idiots plotting?"

The interface shifted to show the training rooms of the Bartfort property. My two older brothers were there, not training, but drinking and arguing heatedly over a map of the academy. They looked nervous, afraid of what my sudden increase in power meant for the line of succession, no matter how insignificant our barony was.

"Your brothers are paralyzed by envy and paranoia, Master," Aria continued, her emotionless voice contrasting with the petty nature of the facts. "They intercepted the news of your victory and their reaction was immediate. They are diverting funds from the property that were supposed to be sent for your sustenance and training at the academy. Their goal is to strangle your resources, forcing you to fail the annual exams due to lack of equipment or preparation. They also tried to hire a low-level spy among the academy servants to monitor your steps, but I have already identified and neutralized the threat, sending false data to keep them uninformed."

I let out a mental laugh, dry and humorless. My brothers were so predictable. Instead of trying to improve themselves, they tried to drag down whoever was above them. They were the personification of failure.

"They are insignificant," I decreed. "Continue blocking their espionage attempts. As for the funds, let them think they are harming me. I don’t need their money. The PV balance I have accumulated is more than enough to guarantee everything I need through the system. And now, the main course: Marie."

The interface cleared the images of the Bartfort Barony and transformed into a complex network of social and political connections within the academy.

At the center, glowing in alert red, was Marie. Aria expanded the data on her, revealing the "villainess’s" steps after the humiliation in the arena.

"Marie’s movements are the most dangerous and complex, Master Shade," Aria’s voice took on a slightly more serious tone, reflecting the level of threat. "Her defeat to a ’mob’ in the arena caused significant damage to her reputation and her influence over the princes. She has spent the last few hours trying to contain the damage. Our sensors captured a private conversation between her and the Crown Prince shortly after the duel."

An audio transcript began to roll across the interface, accompanied by a voice spectrum analysis indicating levels of stress and manipulation.

Marie (Trembling, manipulative voice): "My Prince, you saw what he did? That wasn’t normal skill. It was... dirty. He used tactics that no true noble would use. He is a dangerous anomaly, a poison that is corrupting the order of the academy. If we do nothing, he will end up destroying everything we have built."

Prince Julius (Tense, defensive voice): "I know, Marie. I saw it. But what do you suggest? He won legitimately, according to the rules."

Marie (Voice gaining strength, incisive): "The rules were made for normal people, not for monsters like him. We need to isolate him. Make the annual exams so difficult for him that he has no choice but to fail and be expelled. I can take care of that if you give me the necessary authority over the student council. We can ensure he never represents a threat again."

I cut the transmission before Marie finished her victim-playing speech. I had heard enough.

"She is trying to use the annual exams as a weapon," I commented, analyzing her strategy coldly. "She knows she can’t beat me in a direct duel now, so she’s going to try to crush me using bureaucracy and the princes’ influence. It’s a smart move, for a low-level manipulator."

"Exactly, Master," Aria confirmed. "She has already started moving her pieces on the student council to alter the evaluation parameters of the physical and magical exams. The goal is to create tests that favor the high nobility’s fighting styles and penalize any ’unconventional’ tactics you might use. She wants to ensure that even if you are strong, you fail the technical criteria."

"She can try whatever she wants," I said, feeling confidence flow through my veins. "With your support, Aria, and the balance of 16,100 VP, I can adapt to any test they create. In fact, this will only give me more opportunities to humiliate her publicly again. But the engagement to Rebeca Ravenfall changes everything. When the official announcement is made, Marie’s influence over the student council and the princes will suffer a devastating blow. None of them will want to openly antagonize the Fou Holfort family."

"The political analysis is correct, Master," Aria replied, the blue interface shining with greater intensity. "The engagement is the perfect shield. And the Airship will be the sword. The millennial technology you restored not only surpasses anything the kingdom possesses, but will also validate the power of the Fou Holfort family, consolidating your alliance. Marie is playing checkers, while you are playing chess on multiple boards."

I thought about the Airship, the majestic vessel I had found in the ruins of my home island. It was more than a machine; it was a symbol of a lost era, of a power that the "modern" world had forgotten. With it, I would not just be a powerful noble; I would be a force to be recognized by the entire world.

"Marie thinks she is the villain of this story, but she is about to discover that in my world, ’mobs’ don’t just survive — they conquer," I decreed, finalizing the analysis of the data. "Aria, continue monitoring Marie, my mother, and my brothers. I want real-time updates on any changes in their plans. Meanwhile, I will focus on training Daniel and Raymond. If I am going to be the leader, my followers cannot just be dead weight. They need to level up to give me cover when things get serious."

"Understood, Master Shade. The full surveillance protocols remain active."

The neural connection with Aria began to fade, the cascade of data and blue lights dissipating into the emptiness of my mind. I slowly returned to the reality of the dormitory. The smell of Raymond’s cheap snacks was still in the air, and his snoring had resumed softly. I was mentally exhausted, the PV consumption to maintain passive surveillance and the connection with Aria serving as a constant reminder of the cost of power.

But I had never felt so awake. I had the points, the pieces, and now the political and technological support I needed. The board was set, and I was the only one who saw all the possible moves.

I took a deep breath and settled into bed, Rebeca’s malicious smile and Aria’s cold voice mixing in my thoughts as I prepared for rest.

Tomorrow would be a long day. I would have to resolve the bureaucratic details of the engagement, begin the secret preparations for the Airship, and turn two fearful "mobs" into competent warriors. The war was only just beginning, and I was ready to play it to the end.

The heavy curtains around my bed continued to isolate me from the world, but inside me, the light of the system shone with the promise of absolute conquest.

No one—not my own family, not the "villainess" Marie, or the spoiled princes of this kingdom—would stop me. I was the owner of the board, and the game was already won. They just hadn’t realized it yet.