Extra's Death: I Am the Son of Hades novel Chapter 368

[Author note: I made an error a few chapters ago. The reward for the Family Quest is two levels of the Empathic Bond skill, not one.]

…

When he didn’t say anything, she realized he was not joking.

"You want something in return?"

"Yes."

Charlotte frowned.

Neo had no lack of wealth.

Aside from mythical treasures inside Academy’s Vault, he could obtain almost anything with ease.

"What do you want? Something from the academy’s Vault—"

"I don’t want those scraps," Neo interrupted.

"S-scraps?" Charlotte stammered.

Those "scraps" were treasures that could make anyone drool!

They were only given to the top-ranked students, and even then, only when they achieved rare and extraordinary feats.

Her hands curled into fists for a moment as she tried to suppress her irritation.

She took a slow, steadying breath, realizing she had almost let her emotions slip.

After a brief cough to compose herself, she returned to her stern expression.

"Then what do you want?"

Neo’s expression remained unreadable as he leaned slightly back in his chair.

"Your vote."

"….!"

She took a moment to make sure she had not misheard him.

"You want my vote for the Senior Templar position?" Charlotte asked in disbelief.

"Not now," Neo clarified. "But yes, in the future, I want ’your’ vote."

The room seemed to grow colder as Charlotte’s gaze hardened.

She studied him silently for a moment before shaking her head firmly.

"You can leave the academy, but I won’t give my vote to you," she declared.

"Why the sudden change of thoughts? I thought you wanted me to be an honorary student."

"Brat, don’t try to be smart with me," Charlotte snapped.

She glared at him.

Her vote would mean the Academy supported Neo.

After a Junior Templar defeated a Senior Templar in combat, a voting process would occur to determine if they could take the ’seat’ of the Senior Templar.

Only Exalted and Paragon Demigods could vote.

In the world of politics, strength alone couldn’t make you reach the top.

Influence was necessary too.

"The academy has always maintained a neutral stance. We never have—and never will—cast any votes."

Charlotte’s voice was firm.

She was about to call the puppets to send Neo away when suddenly, a translucent screen materialized before her.

[Help him.]

"Sphinx?" Charlotte questioned, confused.

[I will owe you one if you agree to his demands.]

Charlotte frowned.

She looked up from the screen and stared at Neo.

Why was the Sphinx intervening on his behalf?

’A favor from Sphinx. It’s valuable, a lot more than the entire academy’s vault,’ she thought.

The knowledge from the Akashic Record was not distributed freely.

Charlotte’s lips pressed into a thin line as she weighed her options.

She could ask something specific—something she desired deeply.

"Fine," Charlotte finally said. "I agree to your demands, Neo Hargraves."

Neo nodded.

He had seen the screen the Sphinx showed to Charlotte.

’What is that fucker trying to do?’

The sound of footsteps broke the silence as two puppets entered the room.

They moved in perfect synchronization and created a portal that shimmered like liquid silver in the air.

"Sphinx said it wants to meet you. Go," Charlotte said.

Neo nodded again.

He passed through the portal and felt a shift.

He appeared a dark tunnel.

The air was cool, carrying a faint metallic tang.

Shadows loomed around him, shifting unnaturally, yet the faint glow ahead drew his attention. Stay tuned with freewebnovel

Neo moved forward.

Soon, the faint glow turned into a blinding light and engulfed him.

The space around him distorted.

A beat later, he found himself in an empty hall.

The hall was vast.

It had high ceiling and the walls were smooth and featureless.