Young Master's PoV: Woke Up As A Villain In A Game One Day

Chapter 513: My Seniors Might Be Spies For An Evil Organization [I]

The cabin was sleek and modern — barely any furniture in sight aside from five plush leather seats, a small refreshment bar in the back, and a couple of fold-out tables.

All in all, the interior looked like it belonged in a high-end private jet rather than a military vessel.

The jet itself was fully automated, being controlled by a specialized AI. We could take back manual control, but since our destination was already set and the AI could make its own adjustments, there was no real need.

Aarav had seemed to claim a seat by the window. He had his long legs kicked up on an empty chair, lazily swirling the leftover ice in his coffee cup while tapping away on his phone.

The guy was probably just a year older than me, but he looked like such a grown-up.

Vereshia was at the far end, seated stiffly in front of a floating holographic display.

Maps of Iron Height’s rugged, mountainous terrain were flickering in shades of translucent red and blue, projecting right over her lap.

Her brow was furrowed in a hyper-focused frown.

“Door’s sealed,” Vereshia said without looking up from the holograms as the heavy metallic thud echoed through the airframe. “Sit down and strap in. Takeoff is immediate.”

“Where is my warm welcome? ” Where are my complimentary peanuts?” I muttered, tossing my backpack into an overhead bin and taking the seat across from Aarav.

“You’re lucky I didn’t tie you to the landing gear, Lord Theosbane,” she replied, tone completely flat.

Aarav let out a low chuckle from behind his phone. “Don’t mind her, Samael. She’s always so stressed before a mission, going over every single meticulous detail and worrying about every little thing.”

“It’s called planning. You should try it sometimes,” Vereshia taunted.

“Planning is one thing. What you have is paranoia,” Aarav threw his phone aside and looked up at me. “We never properly introduced ourselves, right? Aarav Caldwell. Second-year. Scout and Brawler.”

Scout and Brawler? That was a rare combination.

I wondered what his innate ability was.

The dusky boy held out a hand across the aisle. I took it.

His grip was firm and honest, his expression still easygoing, completely devoid of that arrogant posturing I’d usually notice in upperclassmen.

“Samael Theosbane,” I said, shaking it. “First-year. Anomaly. And I remember you. From Ishtara. You saved me from a monster’s maw. That was deeply embarrassing. For me, at least. You cleared those beasts like they were fruit flies or something.”

Aarav grinned and gave a light wave of his hand, dismissing the memory. “Bah. Don’t stress over it. I was a newly ascended A-ranker back then. And honestly, your list of accomplishments since then makes my little hero moment look like a footnote. They’re calling you a prodigy now. Fastest ever in the history of Apex to reach A-rank, and you hold the record for never losing an official match. Crossed a Death Zone, deflected a natural lightning bolt, helped kill a Greater Spirit Beast while only B-rank. That’s a pretty stacked resume for a first-year.”

Huh.

A prodigy?

I guess he was right.

They used to call me a prodigy when I was little. Of course, I lost that title as I grew up. You know, doing drugs and women and everything else in between that could get me in trouble.

But look at me now! Back on top, right where I belonged. The world seemed to have aligned with my natural superiority at last.

“Well, yeah,” I gave a theatrical sigh. “It is very difficult, Aarav. Being this gifted and this stupidly handsome? Sometimes I wonder how I carry it all on these modest shoulders.”

Vereshia made a sound that sounded like a suffocating hawk. “Modest? Your shoulders? You have the modesty of a peacock on a runway.”

“Oh, shush, President Vereshia,” I rolled my eyes with a cheeky smile. “I know I’m secretly your favorite junior.”

“My favorite junior is Aarav.” Vereshia went back to studying the holographic topographical map over her knee. “Solely because he doesn’t make me want to choke him every time he speaks.”

“Heh. It’s fine. Denial is a natural first response to greatness.”

Aarav choked on his breath, snorting out another loud laugh. “Gods, Shia, you weren’t exaggerating. He really is like this all the time.” he turned to me. “But don’t take it personally. I’m her favorite junior because I’m the only junior she’s forced to talk to regularly. It’s the third-year Ace’s duty to mentor the second-year Ace who’ll eventually take over the Cadet Council. Which means, starting this January, I’ll be mentoring you.”

Yeah. If you’re alive by then. I thought.

Because if I determined that he was the handler, I’d have him executed in Iron Height itself.

•••

“Hmm,” I mumbled. “This is weird.”

Having settled into the plush leather seat, I crossed my legs and tapped my chin, staring at my phone.

“What is?” asked Vereshia, still engrossed in the floating holographic maps.

“I requested Archive records access as soon as I became the Ace,” I told her, my eyes flitting to her. “But the Council denied my request. Do you know anything about it?”

Vereshia finally regarded me, looking just as confused as I was. “No? This is weird. Show me.”

I held the phone out toward her. She leaned across the small gap between our seats, her sharp red eyes narrowing.

“Request ID: 884-A. Clearance level: First-Year Ace,” she read aloud, her brow knitting deeper. “Status: Suspended. Clearance insufficient… What? That’s impossible.”

“Are you not the one who manages requests like these?” I inquired, leaning into the backrest.

“No, it’s one of my colleagues.” She shook her head. “But they couldn’t make such a mistake. They know that the Ace of any batch is cleared for almost any unrestricted access, including Archive records.”

“Wait a second,” Aarav chirped in. “The Academy logs our names with the family name first and the first name second. So your name would show up as Theosbane, Samael. Your sister was the Ace before you. I think whoever flagged the request made a mistake of mixing you two up.”

Vereshia rubbed her chin. “But for a mix-up to happen, Lady Thalia would have had to request access to the Archive records too. Hers got approved, and his didn’t.”

“Makes sense, I guess.” I made a face. “Why would my sister be requesting Archive access, though?”

…On second thought, she definitely would. Thalia had always been the studious type.

“Why were you requesting access?” Vereshia raised both her eyebrows at me. “I never took you for someone who spends his time in… a library… reading.”

“Hey!” I placed a hand over my chest like I was deeply offended. I really was. “I’ll have you know I read the news. Sometimes. Mostly the entertainment section, but the point stands!”

“Right.” Vereshia’s tone was flatter than a wooden plank. “Riveting literature, I’m sure.” Then she went back to studying the holograms. “If you still want access to those records, take my phone.”

I thought about it for a moment. “Nah, never mind.”