I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 181: Rat Race

BAM!

Edmund Hale slams his palm against the table with full force.

"How can you say that?!" he snaps. "Are you forgetting what we stand for?"

"I don’t understand why you’re angry," Isabelle replies calmly. "Ethan is my apprentice, yes. That is correct. But he also has his own life outside the Custodians. He has his own business to run. It was his team that cleared the dungeon. How can I ask him to turn over the heartstones when he earned them with his life on the line?"

She isn’t afraid. Not one bit.

She and the rest of Arcanus have already decided they will not share the heartstones Ethan earned with the Custodians.

"Greedy bastards!" Edmund slams his hand on the table again as the call ends.

Victor, seated across from him, has listened in silence. He’s upset too, though far more restrained.

"You heard her," Edmund continues, voice sharp. "And I’m sure it’s not just her. It’s all of them. Arcanus. Who do they think they are? Have they forgotten they’re Custodians? Have they forgotten the oaths they took?"

Victor sighs. "As much as I disagree with them, we can’t force them to hand over the heartstones. Isabelle is right about one thing. None of our apprentices have taken the same oaths we have. They’re not obligated to share anything."

"But if this continues," Edmund argues, "they’ll gather resources and prosper while we keep declining. If that happens, they’ll make magic exclusive to themselves and their followers."

Victor smirks faintly. "Are you saying you agree with the Vitari now? That magic should be for all?"

Edmund takes a deep breath.

"I don’t completely disagree with that. Magic should be for all. But I also agree with you. We must be careful how it’s handled."

Victor nods. This has been weighing on his mind for months. Mana has returned to Altheon. That truth won’t stay hidden forever.

And if they misstep, another war will follow.

"What about Jonathan?" Victor asks. "I heard he requested a meeting with Arthur Montrose." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Edmund nods. "Yes. Jonathan told me he’s meeting Arthur Montrose tonight, in Solarys."

Victor smiles. "Excellent. I’m sure Jonathan will handle this better than Isabelle."

"We can only hope so."

------------------------------

"Can anyone learn magic?" Claudia asks.

She points at Maeve, Julian, and Liam.

"Can I do that too?"

Arthur looks at Theo. He doesn’t know how to answer that, and subconsciously, he looks at his little sister for guidance.

Theo smiles faintly. "Theoretically, you can. But it’s not that simple. How can I explain this in a simple way?"

He pauses. "It’s the same with any other skill. Take cooking, for example. Everyone can cook, in a manner of speaking. But some people excel at it, because of talent and hard work."

He glances at the other three, who are busy wiping out the insects.

"Not everyone can be that good." He looks back at Claudia. "You understand what I’m saying?"

Claudia nods. "Yes. I do. I can learn magic, but whether I’m good at it or not depends on my talent and hard work."

"Yes. That’s it."

Claudia’s sharp mind gradually returns.

"I agree with you, Thea. This skill is a weapon. A deadly weapon. If we teach anyone without teaching the morality behind it, it’s going to be dangerous."

Arthur nods. "With great power comes great responsibility."

Claudia looks at him and rolls her eyes.

"Of course. Only you would say something that zen."

Arthur laughs. "Am I wrong, though?"

She shakes her head. "No. You’re not. You’re very right."

She gets up, dusting off her clothes.

"Now I understand why you invited me here. I’ll add another clause to our hiring contracts. Rhaenas enters dungeons alone. No other team enters with you."

Arthur looks thoughtful.

"But what if we’re hired to rescue another team?" Theo asks.

Arthur and Claudia look at each other, then answer at the same time, "We’ll add an NDA clause too."

------------------------------

"I can’t believe that was level eight," Maeve says, wiping her face with a cold towel.

"Yeah. It was easy," Julian comments, taking a long drink of cold water.

"Well, we can’t be cocky," Liam says. "We still need to be careful. But yeah, I know what you mean."

"Kids, that was impressive," Claudia says, clapping once.

"As your manager, I couldn’t be happier. I’m confident I can sell your services until all you do is clear dungeons."

She grins widely.

"What’s your schedule today? I need to know."

"We’re meeting a potential client," Arthur says. "But Claudia, the nature of this deal is a bit sensitive. I think—"

"It’s okay, Art," Maeve cuts in.

She looks up from her phone. "Things changed. I need to make a call first. I’ll let you know." She gets up and leaves the gym.

"I take it this client is Maeve’s acquaintance?" Claudia asks.

Arthur nods. "You could say that."

"Besides that," he continues, "we don’t have anything else today. And tomorrow is the test with Mr. Linus."

Claudia types notes into her phone. "Okay. Got it."

"Anything else I should know?"

They all exchange looks and shake their heads.

"I don’t think so," Arthur says.

"Oh," Julian suddenly says, "is there any piece of jewelry you particularly like? Rings, bracelets, earrings. Something you’d wear all the time."

Claudia frowns slightly, but answers.

"I like earrings."

Julian nods and grins. "Got it."

"It’s your welcome gift," he adds.

"Oh." Claudia smiles. "You’re giving me earrings?"

"Yes. We all have one." Julian shows his wood-colored bead bracelet.

He points to Liam’s black bead bracelet, Arthur’s black leather bracelet, and Theo’s gold chain bracelet.

"Oh wow. You weren’t kidding. I should wear it all the time too?" Claudia asks.

Julian nods. "They’re not just accessories. They’re basically our backpack and communication devices. For Rhaenas only."

"Backpack?" Claudia blinks. "You mean space bracelets? Montrose space bracelets?"

Julian grins. "Yes. And the exclusive version. Only for us. The capacity is much larger than the commercial ones."

"Oh wow! I’m excited already. Thank you, Julian!"

"Guys," Maeve says as she returns, "we don’t have anything else today, right?"

"No," Arthur replies.

"Then it’s best if Arthur meets my teacher this afternoon."

Julian frowns. "Something wrong?"

Liam and Theo are already paying full attention.

"My teacher just informed me that there’s another team clearing dungeons faster than average Sentinels. They just cleared their first dungeon. Now my teacher’s side is anxious."

"Because they don’t want to be late to the race," Claudia says.