Blade Over Magic

Read Like a Book

When Collins finished, the different representatives stared at him with varying degrees of shock. It was clear that his actions had completely subverted whatever closed-door agreements had been made prior to the group’s arrival.

But more than that, it was the offers themselves that were the real kicker.

They were... good. Really good, actually.

Because on paper, they pretty much solved every issue Mia and Xavier had raised when they warned the group about their prospects.

By allowing them to become Captains right off the bat, they avoid the bureaucratic nonsense that most other factions would have actually ensured hit the group even harder than most. They would also be allowed to retain their cohesion as a group, effectively shutting down the main strategies of factions like the Nobility. They would be given a great amount of freedom which most other factions would strive to strip away, their families would be given military accommodations so that they wouldn’t be threatened or intimidated, they would have access to Repositories of resources that other factions would control in order to have strict manipulation of their growth, and by being allowed to simply work as instructors in Avoma, the military, and therefore the Royal Family, could effectively act as a shield against any opposing Factions.

It pretty much took care of all the immediate issues Xander and the others would face while also ensuring that they gained quite a bit from it as well. Calling the offer attractive would be a severe understatement.

Moreover, Collins’ action of forcing the Mage Tower representative back into their seat wasn’t just to get them to be quiet, it was a silent declaration, saying that they weren’t afraid of the retaliation from top Factions like the Mage Tower.

It was an extremely bold set of moves, but that just made the offer all the more attractive. It was to the point that Falael, Curtis, and Aubrey found themselves tempted.

And yet, all eyes were on Xander, who was currently rubbing his chin in thought.

’It’s attractive, I can’t even lie to myself. It’s actually a very appealing set of offers... that being said.’ His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and he asked calmly.

"It’s an appealing offer, I’ll give you that. However, the part where you mentioned that we could even be instructors at Avoma if we wanted to, that part of the sentence sounded casual, like you were just throwing out there. But that’s your true goal, isn’t it?" He tilted his head slightly.

"By having us, specifically me, as an instructor, you intend for me to teach my swordsmanship to people cleared by the Royal Family. As a faction constantly striving to increase its strength and influence, having multi-layered power systems within its framework is another important way of doing this. And after seeing its efficacy in that footage, I will take a shot and say that they deemed my display as sufficiently powerful." His gaze deepened. "You mentioned that we would have ’some obligations’, but you didn’t specify what. So would I be correct to assume that means I teach who they send, and no one else. Allowing them to have effective monopoly on my skills and knowledge." The room went rigid, but Xander continued.

"Moreover, this applies to my companions as well. I believe everyone here is smart, so I believe that you’ve done background checks into all of us. Hence, you should also be aware of the fact that Cadet Falael had a defective mana pool a few months ago, yet they unleashed a spell breaching the High Mage level. Cadet Aubrey practiced simple Perception Magic, yet she was one of the most important pieces both in the battle against the ants and in the final confrontation against the specimen. Cadet Curtis was already a decent Ice Mage, yet both the quality, scale, and properties of his magic have increased dramatically. All in the span of a few months. So can I venture a guess and say that other than wanting monopoly over my swordsmanship, the Royal Family also intends to study my companions to see how they changed so much so quickly, and if possible, see if these changes can be replicated?" The room went deadly silent.

Several Sergeants went pale, some representatives sat up, Sergeant Alya rested her chin on her palm, and Collins narrowed his eye ever so slightly. And behind him, Samuel’s eyes shone like he’d just witnessed a diamond blooming.

This told Xander everything he needed to know.

In truth, while he was intelligent and used a very useful method of pattern recognition. He would have never made such bold guesses in front of people like these without clear evidence. After all, if he was incorrect, not only would he have made a fool of himself, it would also allow these metaphorical hungry sharks a glimpse into his thought process. So he had to be extremely careful in relation to the conjectures he made.

So what changed?

Well, simple.

Xander could now read intent.

From the moment he entered the room, he stopped suppressing his ability to read intent, allowing him to have a clear grasp on the true feelings of everyone in the room, watching how these different intent lines changed, intertwined, and reacted.

The Major General’s, in particular, were quite controlled, which made sense. However, he wasn’t able to completely hide them like Mia or Xavier, so Xander could still observe them if he watched carefully, and he had been doing just that the whole time.

Hence, when he made his offer, Xander had detached himself from the situation so that he could judge things objectively, using the intent he perceived as a base, and by analyzing every word Collins stated while cross-referencing his intent, he came to the conclusion he did.

And evidently, he had hit the nail on the head.

This just went to show how terrifying even a lesser application of the Myriad Paths could be.

A few seconds of tense silence passed, and Aubrey, Curtis, and Falael all glanced at each other, their bodies subconsciously preparing for a conflict to break out.

"Hmph. Alright, you aren’t some just some brute with a sword, I’ll give you that." One of the representatives from the Mage Tower spoke, looking at Xander with a sneer, yet Xander knew that he was actually quite shaken.

So he simply said.

"I’m simply aware of our value. So I’m making my judgements based off this. For instance," He looked at the two representatives. "I’m guessing you intend to make me sign some sort of agreement stating that I’m allowed to continue practicing my swordsmanship, but I’m explicitly barred from teaching it to anyone else ever, and you will give me some resources to placate me in the situation I do agree, and at the same time, you will attempt to directly recruit my companions, correct?" The two mages stiffened, then Xander looked at those from the Nobility faction.

"In your case, you will most likely promise us the titles of lesser nobles, giving us our own territories, but we will also need to marry specific people from more prominent families, tying us to them, and we will be systematically separated from each other during all of this, and like the Royal Family, you intend to monopolize me by having me teach swordsmanship to certain people decided by you, and no one else, right?" They sputtered, but were temporarily unable to muster a proper response.

Xander simply nodded.

"It’s a given. However, at the end of the day, all of this is a moot point." This caught everyone’s attention.

"... And why is that?" Collins asked carefully, and Xander met his gaze.

"We have already decided on a faction to join." At this, all the people in the room were surprised. Even Samuel looked curious, as this seemed to exist outside his calculations.

Xander intentionally waited for the tension to almost reach a boiling point, then he spoke.

"We’ll be joining the Lowell family." A moment of stunned silence. Then an uproar.

"That is absurd! You think you can leverage your father’s authority as an illegitimate child?!"

"Does he even know about this? Or are you just spouting nonsense to create a smokescreen?"

"You better think carefully about your next actions." The wave of dissent primarily came from the representatives of the other factions, while those from Avoma looked at him sternly.

Yet Xander simply fished something from his pocket and held it up. As soon as they saw it, everyone fell silent instantly, most going pale.

It was a circular amulet in the shape of a green eye. And in this eye, the pupil was replaced with a clock, all three hands on "12".

"Th-The symbol of the Lowell family." Someone from the Nobility faction stuttered.

"That’s right. You should also know that my father, Xavier Lowell, is the only one who can give these out. Any attempt for someone who isn’t him to do such will result in immediate execution, and I have no intention of dying just yet, so it is safe to say that this is real." At that, one of the Mage Tower people retorted weakly.

"You could be bluffing." Xander just looked at him.

"Will you bet on that? You know what will happen if you try to deny the existence of such an item. Do you not?" The mage flinched and lowered their hand. They knew exactly what that meant.

After all, defying someone with such a symbol was akin to defying the Verdant Mage himself, and that was not a fate anyone desired.

"Glad we are in agreement, then." Xander pocketed the amulet and looked back at Collins.

"So, sir. When can we hold the graduation ceremony?"