Hope Is Not Optional — Manuel Flores 71
Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Selene
Isabella stared at the paper on the floor, then at me, then back at the paper again, as if her eyes were failing her after ninety years of service.
Honestly, I couldn’t blame her. The bold, glowing word I had written sat perfectly centered on the blessed parchment. I offered her a calm smile, but she didn’t return it. She simply lifted a trembling finger and pointed at the paper.
“Did you… did you just do that?”
“Yes,” I answered. “I followed your instructions just now and did it.”
Her eyes widened again and she leaned slightly closer, inspecting the strokes as if they might suddenly fade away and reveal that I’d cheated.
“Impossible.” Isabella straightened, her brows dropping into a frown. “Even if you followed my instructions perfectly, this level of spiritual control cannot be achieved on the first day.” She shook her head. “It takes months. Even the most talented students struggle to make a single stroke appear.”
She looked from the glowing ink to my face. “And yet, you completed a full word that should take months to learn in one attempt?”
I nodded again. She stared at me as if she were trying to solve a puzzle.
I understood what she was talking about, because in my past lives, this exact stage had tortured me for an entire year.
Writing a single word on a blessed scroll sounded simple, but it wasn’t. The parchment rejected weak spiritual energy no matter how many times you tried. You needed perfect focus, a clean thread between body and spirit. And back then, I had none of that. But now it was easy.
“I guess you can call it luck,” I said, giving the simplest explanation I could manage.
Isabella finally exhaled, shoulders easing as she straightened her back and forced her composure to return.
“This is very good,” she said, her tone returning to its usual dignified manner, though her eyes still sparkled with awe. “You are the first Moonborn in history to complete this on the first try.”
I dipped my head politely. “Thank you, Mistress.”
She cleared her throat, slipping back into her strict demeanor. “Our lesson is over for today. I will take my leave now.”
She stood, and I rose immediately after her. “Make sure to take care of yourself,” I added.
Her eyes lifted to mine, and she gave a nod. Without another word, she turned and walked out of the room.
When she finally left, I stretched my arms above my head, feeling the stiffness in my shoulders loosen. For someone who barely moved during lessons, she somehow managed to make my entire body tense just by existing.
Behind me, Evelyn practically bounced on her toes.
“My lady, you’re amazing. I heard even the first training is difficult, and yet you cleared it without much effort.”
I glanced at her. “Effort… I wouldn’t say I didn’t use much effort.”
“W-what?” she blinked.
12:57 Tue, Dec 23 M
Chapter 71
“Nothing,” I said, waving it off. “Let’s go back to the room. I need to replenish my brain cells after talking to those dumb people.”
Evelyn nodded immediately. “Yes, my lady”
Silas, who had been standing guard outside the hall, silently fell into step behind me as we walked toward my courtyard
The moment the servants saw me, they lowered their heads.
Even the guards who hadn’t bothered to show an ounce of respect in the arena the other day were now bowing deeply, their eyes fixed on the floor. None of them dared look at me or Silas directly. Sila’s status had upgraded the moment I became the Moonborn.
Fear was a wonderful tool.
We reached my room, and just as I was about to open the door, a familiar presence washed over me.
I paused.
Evelyn looked at me, worried. “My lady? What is wrong?”
“Don’t freak out.”
“What do you mean by that?”
言える
= M
O
I didn’t answer. Instead, I opened the door, and there he was.
Lucas.
The insane phoenix who terrified the entire world, the same creature who made every pack lose sleep for days, was casually sitting on my bed with his legs crossed, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve like he owned the place.
Lucas’s golden-red eyes lifted to mine, bored and unimpressed. “You really have a lot of nerve leaving me waiting, kid,” he said flatly.
Evelyn froze, then screamed. Before I could remind her again not to freak out, she launched herself in front of me.
“W-Who are you?!” she shrieked. “How dare you come here!”
I rubbed my temple. I did warn her.
Silas burst in the moment he heard Evelyn’s scream. He took one look at Lucas lounging on my blanket, and immediately his sword was out, blade pointed directly at the phoenix’s throat.
His voice dropped into a cold growl. “Who sent you here? Your next answer will determine whether you live or not.”
Lucas looked at Silas’s sword, then at Silas, with the exact same expression someone would give a toddler holding a stick and declaring war.
The corner of Lucas’s mouth lifted lazily. “Funny,” he drawled, before ignoring Silas completely. His golden eyes slid back to me with all the entitlement of a spoiled deity.
“I’m hungry. Get me something to eat, kid.”
Evelyn’s face flushed a violent red. She inhaled sharply, ready to release all her fury straight into his face.
I touched her shoulder before she could explode.
She turned to me quickly. “M-my lady?”
12:57 Tue, Dec 23
Chapter 71
“It’s okay,” I said. “I know him.”
Her eyebrows shot up in confusion, but she stepped back. Silas finally found his voice, still frozen with his sword held taut “You… know him?”
“Yes,” I said, moving past him as I walked toward Lucas. “But I do hope he can at least change his character and stop being so proud.”
Lucas scoffed loudly. “You’re asking for too much, kid. Know your place. Do you even understand who I am? I’m powerful. Obviously I should have an ego.”
Silas’s jaw clenched. “Who are you?”
Lucas opened his mouth to deliver one of his dramatic titles, but I cut him off immediately.
“He is the new bodyguard.”
The silence in the room dropped so hard I was surprised the floor didn’t crack.
Silas’s expression crumbled. He looked like his brain had simply shut down. Evelyn, on the other hand, looked like she had just seen fate slap her across the face.
“What?” she squeaked.
Lucas finally realized what I’d said. He blinked at me, slowly, almost offended by the audacity of my lie. Then he sat up straighter on the bed, glaring. “Yeah, what?” he repeated. “I wasn’t made aware of this. Who do you think you are to appoint me as a bodyguard? Me? I’m too respectable and too important to be someone’s bodyguard.”
He pointed at himself dramatically, and I resisted every urge to roll my eyes.
I was thrilled to have Lucas back, but I really had to get his ego under control before he introduced himself as the Phoenix Emperor or something equally dramatic in front of an audience.
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12:57 Tue, Dec 23
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