A Will Sovereign Chapter 15: Chapter 15— The path Chosen.

Read chapter 15 of A Will Sovereign by Sloche on NovelPedia.

The hall remained silent after the old man's words faded. "If you want to learn how to fight monsters stronger than yourself…" "...come to Martial Peak." Soldret quietly stared at the simple black invitation resting atop the crystal table. Meanwhile— the representatives from the other academies remained calm outwardly. But inwardly— several of them were already dissatisfied. Because they understood something clearly. Martial Peak rarely recruited personally. And when they did— it usually meant they had already decided they wanted someone badly enough to interfere directly. The old man casually drank from his wine gourd again. As though nothing important had just been said. Meanwhile— inside Soldret's mind— the fragmented image of Zephyr slowly faded away. White robes. Golden lightning. The lonely figure beneath the rain. "This time..." Soldret thought silently. "You won't walk alone either." Roiner suddenly sounded amused. "Oh?" "So you've already decided?" Soldret did not answer immediately. But inwardly— his choice had already been made long ago. Meanwhile— the Astral Zenith representative calmly adjusted his sleeves before speaking again. "Martial Peak specializes almost entirely in close-range combat." "But your pathway clearly possesses extraordinary compatibility with external control and perception." "Astral Zenith can maximize those talents far more efficiently." The Celestial Apex elder also added calmly, "Your level of affinity toward essence is abnormal even amongst core disciples." "Wasting such talent purely on martial combat would be unfortunate." Then— another voice entered the conversation. The Aethal Guard representative. "If the boy truly wishes to survive future battlefields…" "...then he should choose a place that teaches reality." His scarred gaze shifted calmly toward Soldret. "The borders are becoming more unstable every year." "The Dark Star Realm is no longer as quiet as before." Even the atmosphere within the hall subtly changed after those words. Because everyone understood the implication behind them. War. Or something close to it. Meanwhile— the Voidspire representative suddenly smiled faintly again. "Interesting." "Everyone here speaks as though the boy belongs to them already." His dark eyes slowly turned toward Soldret. "But ultimately…" "...the decision is his." Silence returned once more. Then— Caelon finally spoke for the first time since the invitations began. "Soldret." Every representative immediately looked toward him. Caelon's expression remained calm. "You've heard their offers." "What academy will you choose?" The hall gradually became completely silent again. Even the servants subconsciously held their breath. Then— Soldret suddenly heard a voice inside his mind. But this time— it was not Roiner's voice. It was the old man from Martial Peak. Soldret's gaze immediately met his. "If you want to know more about those fragments..." "You know where to choose." Soldret's pupils contracted sharply. How? How did Martial Peak know about the fragmented memories? Could they somehow be connected to them? Now— he had even more reason to go there. Soldret calmly looked across the room. Astral Zenith. Celestial Apex. Voidspire. Aethal Guard. Myriad Star. And finally— Martial Peak. Then— his gaze slowly settled upon the old man holding the wine gourd. The old man lazily met his eyes. As if the words earlier were never spoken. As though whether Soldret joined Martial Peak truly did not matter to him. Then— Soldret finally spoke. "...Eight Peaks Academy." The atmosphere subtly shifted. "And specifically—" "Martial Peak." Silence. Then— the old man suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Hahahaha!" "Good!" The terrifying pressure around several academy representatives subtly fluctuated. Especially Voidspire and Celestial Apex. Clearly— they were dissatisfied. Meanwhile— Lyanna immediately looked conflicted. Part of her looked proud. The other part looked as though she wanted to cry again. Seraphina quietly