Earlier, during the first contact between a professor and an entrant, the feed was brought back, as usual, to the headmaster's office.
Vica and Astor looked over the display in silence, unsure what to feel. Every year, a compilation of students from their own information team and a particular professor's data gathering would be their basis to find hidden potential. But Xian stayed under their radar and abruptly appeared, already with a backer.
"What do you think of what you're seeing, Vica?"
"He's strong. And he moves like there is no pressure at all." Vica said honestly, with slight awe. She had seen many formidable and berserk-type fighters, but none like Xian, who could ignore the suppression between gaps of power.
It wasn't possible that Caesar was holding back, either, since the point of their presence was to overwhelm the entrants and make them perform under that pressure.
Xian, who rampaged against Caesar wantonly, was a strange sight to behold for both of them. While the academy had witnessed extreme geniuses who performed well in combat, their niches were often spread out in other areas too.
Meanwhile, the entrant before them right now showcased exceptional ability in combat and seemed to be inherently resistant to a powerful opponents pressure based on his movements.
It is known that when facing an enemy at the level of a professor, an entrant typically experiences sluggishness due to the power difference. When a certain threshold is reached, one's 'Life Rating' rises and a natural deterrent is emitted against weaker enemies to intimidate or even render them unconscious.
The case for Agrind beasts was even more extreme and intense. If the wrong level of personnel is deployed, they could be annihilated without any fight because of that sense of oppression.
There was no sign of Xian being affected by that at all though.
And that was enough reason for Astor to want him. These days, he'd been looking for successors to pass on his martial techniques, basically, a disciple.
'An innate trait to resist pressure from under stronger opponents…' Astor had only seen something similar among dying madmen. Xian might just be the first to reach the unsolvable problems in the far reaches of the world, where Agrind beast have become too strong for human's to tackle.
If a young potential like Xian, who had an unstoppable nature, were to learn his destructive techniques… Astor's back tingled in excitement at the thought of such a monster. Furthermore, his physique weren't too bad compared to Astor, even if smaller.
"Vica, what do you think about getting a butler for yourself?"
"You want him on our side?" she said with some concern. 'Taking a subordinate of a duke and his daughter's butler, no less is a bit...'
"I might be able to finally choose a successor. After all this time," the old man said, absent of his usual lightheartedness. Instead, he had an expression of yearning for the frontlines.
It was a matter that had been on her father's mind for a very long time. Without a son and only a daughter, Astor had no choice but to look for a successor. Vica was not suitable to learn the immense martial technique that he possessed. This was also the reason why he stagnated and never left the academy.
There was no one to continue his legacy, and while he wasn't afraid to die in a raid or on the battlefield, he wanted to leave something behind for later generations.
If only a woman could also have the so-called Yang Energy, then she could've learned it herself. Unfortunately, even her innate talents leaned toward the Magic Class, thoroughly severing what chances she had.
"Vica. Take measures to sway him to our side. It's best if he leaves Renedon voluntarily and thoroughly joins us in our 'cause'."
Vica's expression hardened with determination. "...I'll see what I can do."
…
Back to the present.
But how should she convince Xian to take their side?
At first, she wanted to try the regular and most normal way, a negotiation with an offer. But that would merely put them in a business-like relationship. For her father, she needed him to be tied down more than that.
A promise of money? As a butler of a reputable house, he must already have quite the salary. Would directly telling him about the headmaster's intentions and tempting him with power work? Maybe. Maybe not.
But Vica wanted to avoid a situation where they could be leveraged. He might just keep using the headmaster and demand excessive support in return, gaining that power and abusing the fact that the old man wanted a successor.
She clearly saw that while Xian hadn't done anything wrong, he could be underhanded and had little qualms about it.
So, in the short duration during their walk, the decision she came up with was...
To basically honey trap him into submission.
Vica was quite proud of her looks and body, having received a mountain of letters from suitors and those interested in marriage since her adulthood. As she grew older, it died down, but she still received occasional piles from those who refused to give up or wanted influence in the academy.
From time to time, she would wear 'mature' dresses and even earn new admirers from younger noblemen. Those who went overboard and ogled creepily were, of course, handled properly. She could tell the basic difference between admiration and just straight-up malicious gazes.
Besides, based on her knowledge, men who fell for a smile and intimate touch were easier to bend than those won over by coin or title. And the way Xian gazed at her for seconds was proof he had that kind of nature.
Today would be her first time trying, but recently, she'd been reading novels with somewhat explicit nature and similar topics, by the recommendation of Miss Celine. It was time to put that knowledge to use.
Xian's answer earned him a sweet smile from Vica's thin red lips. Slowly, her grip loosened as her fingers traveled from Xian's wrist to his shoulders, and finally to his neck. Instinctively, he covered the back of his head with his freed hand.
Noticing that, she smiled and let out a faint chuckle. "What's wrong? Are you afraid of being touched?"
"It's a habit." That part of the body, after all, was where all the nerves connected to the brain. It was a prime target for shock to make people unconscious and Xian, knowing what kind of world this was, did it as a measure against possible injection of mind control techniques.
Some mind control used mediums like the eyes or hearing, but those could be easily resisted by him, who had [Defiance]. But if it was a direct contact technique or spell of the sort? Xian wasn't so sure.
Unknowingly, he had just saved himself from Vica's very real attempt to do exactly what worried him.
"You must've lived a dangerous life to have a habit like that. Interesting." Vica kept him pressed as she went on. "But now, I want you to tell me the truth. When you first laid your sinful eyes on me, what were you imagining in your mind?"
"I was burning your amazing figure into my mind," he answered without hesitation, which surprised Vica.
Vica's smile twitched internally at that sentence. This young man had remained silent and polite earlier as they walked, but was he thinking about her body all along? Of course, there was the possibility that he was lying.
But for now, it was important to show her intention.
"I like that you're being honest. Especially down there..." Vica slowly let Xian go as she reverted back to her usual self, unable the to endure the stiff thing that's been poking at her legs. It was enough to confirm that what she did had the desired effect, thus, she moved to the next phase.
"Then how about you become my student assistant? We can spend time together without suspicions and slowly get to know each other. And also… spend more moments like these." Of course, Vica wouldn't really go all the way with Xian. After leading him on for a while, she was going to throw him to the headmaster to be trained.
He wouldn't have time to chase after her once that happened.
At this point, she was expecting Xian to be at least smitten enough to be obedient. But he didn't show any reaction on his face, apart from his lower parts earlier… Meaning, there wasn't even a blush or a wince.
He still stared at her with those calculating and cold, sharp eyes. The same ones he used to gaze all over her body earlier, making her wonder if her method wasn't as effective as she thought.
Meanwhile, Xian's mind spun and formed a conclusion about why he was being seduced.
'They're already trying to recruit me for their cause?'
In the plot of the game, the Rozenfall Academy aimed to maintain the balance between various human factions, acting like an arbiter in the shadows. Of course, not everyone affiliated was included in the faction, but the nature of missions and quests players received differed once a faction was chosen.
Her choice of method when trying to rope him in was likely because of his gaze that lingered over her. But he hadn't done anything special to be scouted like this…
'No. I did.' Xian remembered the urge for battle and how he couldn't think straight in anticipation of a fight. The thirst for battle occupied his mind so much that he didn't notice his performance had become excessive instead of just right.
'Perhaps, if Castreyja had come first before me, she would've been scouted instead.' She was a regressor, after all, stronger and more experienced than even some professors at the academy. All that held her back was her weak body.
Just then, a realization clicked in his mind. He remembered exactly why Castreyja was chosen at this point in time.
The headmaster was looking for a suitable successor. Originally, he will be impressed with her impeccable combat capabilities and find compatibility with his techniques due to her rare trait, the 'Bursting Sunfire'.
It was akin to the yang physique in Eastern novels, where the body can radiate extreme heat and performed extremely well with fire-affinity techniques.
But now, instead of Castreyja, the headmaster saw him, a man who could naturally harness the required energy to learn his martial techniques. Furthermore, his fight with Caesar must've been quite the show to behold. In this world, the 'power gap pressure' was an overused skill by higher-level opponents.
They likely saw how he moved unhindered while facing Caesar and thought of his potential. Well, it was a boss-only trait, after all. Even 'near-complete characters' only had a pseudo version of the skill.
Xian finally showed a reaction. But rather than an embarrassed smile, Vica saw a sinister grin and felt like she was going to be violated.
'W-what a terrifying smile!' But she remained calm. Xian posed no real threat to her, even if he multiplied right this moment. Unless he's an old monster in under a young mans skin.
"That's a wonderful idea. But I think we need a few more 'moments' to think about this, Miss Vica."
Xian was basically saying he wanted 'more' before agreeing, but left the interpretation for Vica to figure out. In this way, they could be together, with Vica still trying her best to somehow seduce him into submission. And in the process, Xian can build up affection levels and look out for her 'events'.
'You'll be on my list of heroines to conquer.' A journey to conquer one heroine was already tough in the game, but now he was trying to defy all notions and build a harem.
But well, was there any other way to enjoy his time there and make full use of his regression power? The answer was no.
Vica felt cold sweat trickling down her neck and thought she failed because she wasn't used to performing honey traps. "You're quite the greedy boy, huh?" She reached out for Xian's cheeks, which he grabbed in return.
"I get that a lot." That wasn't true, but Xian didn't really think the answer to that matters much.
"For now, let us head back, Miss Vica. I'm but a new student who still need to familiarize myself in the academy." Said politely by Xian.
But in his following actions, Xian tried to be more proactive and embody the kind of person Vica saw in him. "We still have a lot of time in the future after all." Holding her hand, he raised at the level of his waist and gave bowed down to give her a kiss on the back of her hand.
Vica didn't resist. But somehow, she felt more embarrassed than ever, even though she'd experienced this countless times in various gatherings and settings.
"I hope our next 'moments' become more fruitful as time passes."
'Wha—! This guy is really into it!' She felt overwhelmed and trapped in a situation she caused herself.
That day, Vica was left in confusion. She assumed that her seduction had yielded exceptional results and definitely caught Xian's attention. However, she couldn't manage to rope him in right away. Instead, it might've resulted in an entirely different problem altogether.
'This won't be easy huh?' Sure, he was seduced, but that didn't sway him instantly nor cloud his judgement.
'Celine, those books you gave me doesn't work!' Xian's gaze that she caught observing her body from up and down earlier had become rather difficult to meet, filled with expectation and 'passion'.