Journey to Become the Zenith-Chapter 16: Bait Cast Beneath a Quiet Sky

Bait Cast Beneath a Quiet Sky

Footsteps barely broke the silence as Victor’s team settled onto the cobbled lane, each step meeting rock like breath on glass. The street lay bare beneath a slow gray sky, still and waiting.

Ahead stood the Adventurers’ Guild, close enough to touch. It rose like an old giant - wide shoulders, cracked skin, built from battles, promises, time. But then Videl paused, feet halting mid-step, forehead tightening into ridges.

Out came the truth, sudden and unstoppable.

"Victor," she asked quietly, "I thought you didn’t like people knowing how strong you really are. If that’s true... then why did you stop suppressing your mana back there? Why show that knight even a glimpse of your real strength?"

His eyes flickered open, a slow frown creeping across his face. Confusion settled in like fog at dawn.

"Huh? When did I ever say that?"

Finding herself surprised, Videl blinked at the question. It landed without warning.

Out in the village, she spoke - calm, careful - "during practice. I questioned why you hid your real strength from Uncle Leon and Auntie Anna. Trouble, you called it. Yet here we are. This knight means to tell the principal, no doubt." . Hard times could grow worse. Is that something you’re fine accepting?

Worry sat heavy on her. Almost too much to hold.

Finding clarity took time, yet it arrived - what she pulled from his old words now made sense to Victor.

"Videl," he said calmly, "it’s not that I want to avoid trouble itself. I just don’t want to trouble my parents."

A hush fell as his gaze dipped just a touch.

"If they knew how strong I really was, they’d worry. They’d think about how to help me, how to push me into places like the Knight Academy. And when they realized they couldn’t afford it - no matter how hard they tried - they’d start blaming themselves. They’d think they were terrible parents, unable to support their own son."

Videl’s chest tightened.

She thought of her own parents. Of their expressions when they learned she had the strength to defeat a red bear. Pride mixed with fear. Hope tangled with worry.

She was just about to sympathize—

when Victor continued.

"Well... honestly?" He shrugged. "I also didn’t feel like explaining myself to them."

She froze.

"With knights and principals though?" His lips curled into a sharp grin. "I don’t care what they think. I only wanted to scare that peeping instructor a little."

His golden eyes gleamed.

"And if they decide to come after me?" His grin widened, vicious and excited. "Then they better be ready. I’ll crush them into nothingness. I don’t care what reason they use—I just hope they’re strong enough to entertain me."

For a brief moment, something ancient surfaced.

The conqueror.

The destroyer.

The being once known as Anos.

The thought of an entire academy—knights, instructors, even the principal—rushing him all at once sent a thrill through his veins.

Too much of a thrill.

Victor’s smile faltered.

...No.

He forced the thought away, steadying his breath.

The hunger for battle still lingered within him, quieter than before—but never gone.

Videl felt it.

That rising pressure. That sharp, suffocating intent.

She remembered it.

The same aura.

The same grin.

The day Victor fought the adult red bear.

Even Lane, standing silently beside them, felt her fingers curl slightly. Her dark eyes stayed on Victor, alert, wary.

Then—just like that—it vanished.

Victor exhaled slowly, grounding himself.

"That’s not all," he said, his voice calmer now. "There’s another reason."

Videl listened closely.

"It’s bait," Victor continued. "The principal will come looking for me once I register as an adventurer. And when he does, I’ll use him to boost my prestige."

He glanced toward the Adventurers’ Guild, eyes sharp and calculating.

"You don’t climb the world alone. Sometimes... you step on the right people."

Videl didn’t fully understand—but she trusted him.

...

At the same time, inside the Knight Academy—

Jimmy stood before the principal, recounting everything that had happened at the gates. His tone was respectful, but his excitement leaked through his words.

Finally, he placed the shattered glasses on the desk.

The principal picked them up carefully.

These weren’t ordinary tools. They were crafted from rare materials harvested from formidable monsters, enchanted to endure extreme mana fluctuations.

To shatter them—

simply by revealing mana—

meant the boy had surpassed a critical threshold.

"So," the principal said slowly, eyes still on the broken lenses, "were you able to invite him to the academy?"

Jimmy hesitated.

"...No, sir. He rejected the invitation."

The principal set the glasses down.

Looked up.

The air darkened.

"Did you at least get his name?"

"No, sir—" Jimmy quickly added, sensing danger. "But his friend will be enrolling. She arrives in two days. Here is her registration form."

The principal took the paper.

The handwriting was messy—but firm.

Then he noticed the village name.

Kanal Village.

His eyes narrowed.

The forgotten village.

The birthplace of Hero Neil, the one who slew the Dragon King with two heads.

"...Interesting."

Could this girl be a descendant?

If so... then her companion might be as well.

"We may yet salvage your mistake," the principal said. "Inform me the moment the girl named Videl arrives. I will speak to her personally."

"Yes, sir," Jimmy replied, saluting.

After Jimmy left, the principal rose and walked to his bookshelf. He searched until his fingers stopped on an old, untitled book.

Its cover bore the image of a two-headed dragon.

He opened it.

Found the passage.

And smiled.

"I wonder..." he murmured, "...if they inherited that skill as well."

The skill that made Hero Neil a legend.

The skill that carved his name into history.

The principal’s aging bones stirred with excitement.

His years were nearly over. Death waited patiently.

But before he faced the God of Death—

His final wish might yet be fulfilled.

To train the strongest knight of a new era.