CHAPTER 167: AFTER THE ACADEMY.

(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they mean a lot. As usual, please don’t hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

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Orion had reasons to believe the rumors.

Real reasons.

He remembered his first conversation with Elysia in the library—back at the beginning of the fourth year. She had known about the supposed "post-academy event" for A1. Not vaguely. Not as speculation. She had spoken about it like it was a certainty, something she had mentally prepared herself for already.

And if she had known...

then the fourth-years of her time had known too.

Which meant the academy wasn’t just allowing this rumor to spread—it was feeding it.

Why? He still didn’t know.

But the pattern was too deliberate to ignore.

"I’m ninety percent sure something’s happening immediately after," Orion said quietly. "So I think we should be prepared for anything."

All three nodded at once.

"If it’s the whole A1," Selene said, "shouldn’t you be saying this to all of us?"

It was public knowledge—even in the lower years—that despite Orion’s dislike for socializing, he was the undisputed leader of A1. Instructor Doran had practically engraved that responsibility onto his forehead. Much to Orion’s irritation.

But he had accepted the role anyway.

"Yes, and I will," he said. "But I wanted to talk to you three first. Besides, I wanted to know your plans after the event... if there’s going to be an event in the first place."

He glanced toward the window, the soft lights of Magnum 1 reflecting faintly against the glass.

"Well, I haven’t put much thought into it," Seris said, waving her hand dismissively. "It’s just a one-year break. We’ll all be back together after. Apart from training, there isn’t much to do."

Orion could tell from the expressions of the twins—Selene and Caelum—that they felt the same.

"Actually," Selene said thoughtfully, "apart from practice, I’m hoping to learn something from Dad this break."

"Finance?" Seris asked, turning to her.

Selene nodded. "Yes."

"Hmmm..." Seris hummed, already bored of the adult topic.

"I’ll most likely be following Dad around," Caelum added. "He mentioned something about maintaining relationships with the outer nobles."

"Any special plans, Orion?" Seris asked.

"Not really," Orion said, leaning back slightly. "But I do have a lot of projects to work on."

His mind immediately flashed back to the half-finished technique he was developing—and the other much larger problem he hadn’t solved yet.

"Now I look like the only one without a direction," Seris groaned dramatically.

"You don’t have to do anything special," Orion said calmly. "I just brought it up in case we had anything to share or talk about."

"No." Seris shook her head vigorously. "I can’t be the only idle one."

Orion waited.

They all did.

Selene quietly took another bite of her snack.

Caelum flipped his book open again but didn’t read, only watched Seris from the corner of his eye.

Orion simply waited, expression neutral, as Seris rattled off an entire list of ridiculous and utterly unfeasible ideas.

And only after letting her run in circles for a full minute did he speak.

"What about getting to know all the Chronos branches?" Orion suggested casually.

Seris stopped.

"What?" she asked, brows lifting.

"I mean..." Orion continued, tapping lightly on the table, "since we’ll be heading to the Royal Academy right after the year break, this is the perfect time to understand the inner workings of the Chronos family. And who better than the only socialite among us?"

It was a compliment—a deliberate one.

And it hit exactly where he intended.

Seris smiled immediately, clearly pleased.

Orion was basically nudging her back into the role she had taken during their early years: their unofficial network builder. Her connections had been incredibly convenient back then. If she could build something similar within the Chronos branches...

He would have his own miniature information web.

Not huge.

Not perfect.

But very, very useful.

Of course, he couldn’t just drop the responsibility onto her directly. That would backfire. He knew Seris too well—her EQ was high, but she was startlingly easy to push if you timed things right.

"You’re right, I guess," she said, thinking it through. "Besides... we have members from different branches in A1 anyway. I could just coordinate them and do something."

Orion nodded. "Exactly."

"You’re right!" Seris said with a grin. "That way we all stay connected—and I get to remain boss."

She laughed triumphantly.

Caelum sighed through his nose and shook his head.

Oh Seris... his expression said without words.

Selene allowed herself a small smile. "At least you found a plan that suits you."

"That’s because he gave me a good idea," Seris said, pointing her fork at Orion. "I swear, if I had gone with my earlier plans—"

"You talked about starting a perfume line," Caelum murmured.

Selene’s shoulders shook almost imperceptibly.

"And becoming a travelling bard," Orion added dryly.

"And opening a bakery" Caelum finished, sounding personally amused by that particular suggestion.

Seris slammed both hands on the table. "IT WAS A METAPHORICAL BAKERY!"

"No," Caelum said. "You described the menu."

Orion covered his mouth to hide a smile.

Selene hid hers behind her drink.

Seris groaned loudly before sinking into her chair.

"Fine! FINE! I get it. I would’ve been a disaster."

"A very pretty disaster," Caelum added.

Seris blinked.

Slowly turned.

And stared.

"...Was that a compliment?" she asked.

Caelum looked away. "No."

Orion nearly choked.

Selene’s eyes widened by a millimeter—a sign of full shock for her.

Seris leaned forward instantly. "Say it again."

"No."

"Say it again."

"No."

"Say it again!"

"It wasn’t a compliment."

"It absolutely was," Seris declared proudly. "My beauty is undeniable. Even you can’t deny it."

Caelum closed his book with audible force.

Orion stared at Caelum, his mind coming to a weird conclusion.

He and Selene shared a glance.

But he shrugged it off for now.

Despite the chaos, the bickering, the noise—Orion felt the tension from earlier ease just slightly. The thought of the future still hovered over them, heavy and uncertain, but the weight didn’t crush him the same way.

Not with them here.

Not with his people.

Seris finally settled down, crossing her arms with a victorious smirk. "Anyway, Orion. Since you’re making us talk about the future, what about you? You said projects, but anything specific?"

"Yes," Selene added. "You rarely mention your personal research unless something’s significant."

"Did you find something new?" Selene asked quietly.

Orion looked down at the table for a moment.