Chapter 77 — No time to waste
After everything that happened today, Noah lay on his bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
The world was silent around him, but his mind was anything but calm.
Thoughts raced through him.
Plans. Dangers. Opportunities.
He knew Solaris wouldn’t underestimate him anymore.
From now on, she would act with caution. With purpose.
More than that...She would be afraid.
Afraid that he might expose the church’s true nature to the world.
But Noah had no intention of doing that.
At least, not yet.
After all, what weight would the words of a mere A-rank child carry?
Even if he had an SSS-rank ice affinity, no one would take him seriously.
He could show the world his true strength...
But what a foolish move that would be.
He wasn’t ready for that yet.
No.
The only real path forward was clear:
He had to take Solaris directly.
If he controlled Solaris, he controlled the church.
And if he controlled the church, the idea of ruining its reputation would only hurt his own future.
The plan was simple.
The problem was execution.
How to get Solaris?
He couldn’t use the same methods he had with Leona.
Or Yuki.
Or Sophia.
Solaris wasn’t the kind of woman you could charm, trick, or tempt.
She was a predator. Not prey.
Noah grinned to himself.
A dark, wicked grin.
"Good thing I came prepared," he muttered.
He laughed quietly, remembering the card he had left behind.
Shadeva. His second shadow. His Originel.
He hadn’t taken her into the White Realm.
Instead, he had left her behind, with one command:
Bind yourself to Solaris’s shadow.
As a Sovereign of Shadows, with Shadeva being part of his very being,
communication between them was possible even across such a distance.
’Any good news, Shadeva?’ Noah asked telepathically.
A moment of silence.
Then Shadeva’s cool, emotionless voice echoed in his mind:
’The Saintess is planning a coup. She wants to overthrow the Castria Royal Family and make the Church the only ruling power.’
Noah arched an eyebrow.
’How?’
’Spies within the royal court,’ Shadeva replied.
’And... a secret. A devastating one.’
Noah’s stomach twisted.
He had a bad feeling about this.
’What secret?’ he asked, his voice sharp.
Shadeva didn’t delay:
’The Empress cheated on the Emperor with his own brother. When the Emperor found out, he killed his brother in a fit of rage.’
Noah’s hands clenched.
But Shadeva wasn’t finished.
’It was all orchestrated by Solaris.
She had the Empress’s family under her control.
She forced the Empress to marry the Emperor, knowing full well she was in love with his brother.
Then she tempted the brother into betrayal.
And when the act was done, she made sure the Emperor discovered it.’
’All of it... just to have a weapon. A scandal strong enough to destroy the royal family whenever she decided the time was right.’
’And now, she’s ready to unleash it.’
For a moment, Noah didn’t move.
His mind went blank.
Then he cursed.
"Fuck!"
He didn’t give a damn about the Emperor.
Nor the Empress.
But Sophie—
Sophie was everything.
Once this secret came out, the royal family would be dragged through the mud.
And Sophie, as a royal by blood, would be stained alongside them.
He couldn’t allow that.
His jaw tightened.
"I won’t let Sophie suffer because of them," he muttered, voice cold.
Noah sat up, resting his elbows on his knees, running a hand through his hair.
The weight of the situation crushed down on him.
"So... I’ll have to ask Elira," he said grimly.
He hated dragging her into this.
He wanted to keep her out of his mess.
But now?
He had no choice.
’How long do we have?’ he asked Shadeva.
’She’s preparing everything tonight,’ Shadeva answered.
’She’ll announce it to the world tomorrow.’
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