A Favor

"Were there really that few chances to become a Transcendent?"

Sulu repeated Donald's words to himself, already forming plenty of guesses.

That was right!

Transcendent power fundamentally changed human nature, and no authority would tolerate its spreading unchecked.

That was why the inheritance was strictly controlled, usually held only by nations, powerful agencies, a handful of institutions, secret organizations, and families.

The Transcendent world and the ordinary world were like two sharply divided circles, and it was extremely difficult to cross over.

As for Catherine, a Transcendent herself, how should he put it... She seemed like a wild one, a lucky soul who had stumbled upon Transcendent power by chance.

And that had stirred Donald's greed.

He seemed to be dealing with some trouble of his own lately and needed to gain power on the Transcendent side as soon as possible. He was willing to take risks for it and was... quite desperate!

"St. George University is a church school. It would never allow someone to wield shadow magic or other Transcendent powers associated with darkness... So the attacker was most likely a lucky soul who had stumbled upon Transcendent power! We can't allow someone suspected of attempted murder to keep wielding such power!"

Donald continued, wearing an expression of righteous indignation.

Hmm, that all sounds reasonable. I wonder what you'd look like if I told you there were two attackers yesterday, and they might belong to an organization?

Sulu's thoughts stirred.

But then he thought of something else.

That was right. The Church of the Goddess of Light had always championed light and charity... In short, it leaned heavily toward the righteous. Yet Catherine wielded shadow magic, which was associated with darkness. That made it highly likely she really was hiding out at the university.

A covert operative like her was like a rat in the sewers. Even without evidence of a crime, if someone reported her to the Church's powerful agencies, she would most likely be finished the moment she saw the light of day.

At that thought, Sulu immediately felt much more at ease. "So... what's your plan?"

"I found some people and leaked information about that wild Transcendent as a bargaining chip..."

Donald said, "Then I had them go after her. If everything goes smoothly, we can settle things today... And as payment, we'll get a share of the spoils. Even if the other party's Transcendent power is too dangerous to handle, the merit we earn can still serve as a foot in the door to a powerful agency!"

"Cool-headed judgment, brilliant analysis! So... that's why you didn't ask me who the attacker was."

Sulu clapped twice.

Throughout all this, Donald had merely acted as an intermediary, keeping his own risk to a minimum.

And the attacker's true identity—the bargaining chip—had remained in Sulu's hands the whole time.

Too bad... If I had connections like his, I could cut Donald out and handle this on my own...

Sulu sighed inwardly. "Sounds reasonable. How will we divide the spoils afterward?"

"I don't want anything. But if the spoils include secrets about Transcendent power, I need a copy!" Donald said gravely, interlacing his fingers.

"Deal!"

Sulu smiled. "Now can you tell me the truth? What exactly was the good news this afternoon?"

Donald gazed at Sulu for a long moment. "If everything goes smoothly... one of the university's trustees will meet with us."

Afterward, Sulu and Donald walked out of the Combat Club together, leaving a crowd of stunned onlookers behind.

Charlie and Baron were especially shocked.

Those two had been waiting for Donald to avenge them. They hadn't expected the scheduled match to be canceled at the last minute, and on top of that, the club president was going to lunch with that guy.

They were convinced the two of them had made some shady deal. Their feelings of betrayal and abandonment were practically tangible, and their resentful stares were almost visible.

Sulu couldn't shake the feeling that two bitter women were glaring at him from behind. It was terrifying.

"Heh..."

Seeing this, Donald laughed without a trace of self-awareness. "To be honest... you really did cause losses for my Combat Club. So... how about becoming my coach?"

"Not interested. I hate low-paying jobs, and even more so jobs with no salary, only commissions," Sulu replied flatly.

"Then how about becoming an honorary coach? It'd only be in name, with no duties required. What do you think?" Donald persisted.

It was clear that he was very attached to the Combat Club.

"That's fine!"

Sulu had never cared about appearances. "But I'll need an honorary fee!"

"Sure!"

Donald paused, then readily agreed. He asked in confusion, "Just how short of money are you?"

"I learned from my roommate."

Sulu thought of Sean, and his expression darkened.

Whether that guy was hopelessly in love or had been influenced by Catherine, Sulu's resentment toward her had only grown.

That was exactly why he was so eager to launch his crackdown.

Donald was much better off financially than Sulu. The two of them left campus and went into a restaurant that looked quite upscale.

Donald really did have a knack for handling people and socializing. It was no wonder he was president of the university club.

With his sunny features and radiant smile, he found it easy to get along with people.

Still, Sulu felt that his powerful family connections were the main reason for his success.

By the end of their pleasant lunch, Sulu had learned that the club president's full name was Donald Wesley. He was the second son in a wealthy merchant family that had been in the steel business since his grandfather's time. He had come to a church school entirely because his father was a devout follower of the Goddess of Light. And thanks to his father's generous donations, he had extra opportunities at St. George University.

The second son?

Sulu studied Donald's face, forming a few guesses.

That status brought to mind certain parallels. In medieval Europe, for instance, a noble family's second son couldn't inherit the title. He could only serve another noble as a steward or join the Church and seek another path.

The Church of the Goddess of Light wielded far more influence than those churches in his previous life that did nothing but talk.

So, for a merchant's second son, trying to join the Church of the Goddess of Light through St. George University is a pretty good way forward. Church members have high status and a good reputation, and ordinary positions don't forbid marriage...

Donald is more interested in Transcendent power, and the Church of the Goddess of Light must have information about it. He just needs the right status and merit to get access. Is that why he's so eager to connect me with them?

Sulu wasn't angry about being used.

At most, they were simply getting what they each wanted.