# Chapter 7: Tea with a Tyrant
The Royal Tea Garden was not a place of relaxation. It was a courtroom disguised as a paradise.
Located on the floating island above the Academy's central lake, it was accessible only by teleportation circle. It was a domain of white marble, manicured hedges, and silence so absolute it felt heavy.
I adjusted the cuffs of my uniform as I stepped out of the teleportation circle. The noon sun beat down on the white stone, but the air was cool, magically regulated to a perpetual spring.
I checked my status one last time.
[System Status]
[Mental State: Calm (Enforced by Masquerade)]
[Heart Rate: 110 BPM (Elevated)]
[Threat Level: Extreme]
"Calm down," I told my heart. "It's just a game NPC. A very powerful, sadistic NPC who can execute me without a trial."
I walked down the central path. In the center of a gazebo draped in wisteria, a young man sat at a glass table.
Prince Aric.
He was the definition of Imperial perfection. Golden hair that shimmered like spun silk, eyes of piercing emerald green, and a smile that didn't reach those eyes. He poured tea from a porcelain pot with practiced grace.
Standing behind him were two Royal Guards, their faces hidden behind golden masks. They were Level 50 Elites. If I breathed wrong, I was dead.
"You are punctual," Aric said without looking up. "I appreciate that. Most people are either early out of fear, or late out of stupidity."
"Time is the only resource we cannot regain, Your Highness," I replied, stepping into the gazebo. I didn't bow.
The guards shifted, their hands drifting to their sword hilts. A Duke's son not bowing to the First Prince was a capital offense.
But Valerius Thorne—the persona I had crafted—was arrogant. If I bowed now, I would look like a servant. Aric didn't need servants; he had thousands. He needed a peer.
Aric paused. He looked up, his emerald eyes boring into mine. The pressure in the air spiked. It felt like gravity had just doubled.
[System Warning: Intimidation Aura Detected.]
[Masquerade Check: Passed.]
I didn't flinch. I pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, crossing my legs.
"Tea?" Aric asked, the corner of his lip twitching upward.
"If it is Earl Grey, yes. If it is Chamomile, I would prefer water."
Aric laughed. It was a soft, polite sound, devoid of warmth. "It is Sun-Leaf blend. Imported from the Fire Kingdom. It creates a pleasant tingling sensation."
He poured a cup and slid it toward me.
I picked it up. My hand didn't shake. I took a sip. It tasted like cinnamon and liquid mana.
"So," Aric said, leaning back. "The Void Anomaly. The boy who broke the Crystal. The intellectual who corrected Professor Vane. And the strategist who dismantled Lucas Vane without casting a spell."
He steepled his fingers.
"You have had a busy two days, Valerius. For a man who spent the last year being invisible, you are suddenly very loud."
"I was merely bored, Your Highness," I said, setting the cup down. "Invisibility is comfortable, but eventually, one craves a change of scenery."
"Boredom," Aric mused. "A dangerous affliction. It makes people do foolish things. Like eating forbidden fruit in an old greenhouse."
My blood froze.
He knew.
How? I had been stealthy. I had used the System. Dante was the only one who saw me...
*Dante.* The Second Prince. Aric's brother.
"My brother has a loose tongue when he is amused," Aric said, reading my silence perfectly. "He told me he met a 'fascinating rat' eating the Star-Vein Fruit. He found it entertaining."
Aric's expression hardened. The air in the gazebo grew frigid. The teacup on the table began to rattle.
"I do not find rats entertaining, Valerius. I find them unsanitary."
The mana pressure slammed into me like a physical wall.
[System Alert: External Mana Pressure. 5000 PSI.]
[HP: 98/100 -> 92/100]
My bones creaked. It felt like a giant hand was crushing my lungs. This was the power of a Level 60 Magic Swordsman. He could turn me into paste with a thought.
I wanted to gasp. I wanted to beg.
[Passive Skill: The Masquerade is active.]
My mind remained clear in the center of the pain. I forced my lungs to expand against the pressure. I picked up the teapot and poured myself another cup.
"A rat steals crumbs," I said, my voice steady despite the agony in my chest. "I claimed what was abandoned. That is not theft, Your Highness. That is salvage."
I looked him in the eye.
"And frankly, if the Academy leaves a resource like that unguarded, they deserve to lose it. Incompetence should be punished, not rewarded."
The pressure held for three agonizing seconds.
Then, it vanished.
Aric smiled. This time, it reached his eyes.
"Incompetence should be punished," he repeated. "I like that philosophy."
He waved a hand, dismissing the guards. They bowed and stepped back, fading into the hedges.
"You are not a rat," Aric decided. "You are a wolf in a very cheap coat. My brother is an idiot who plays at being a rogue. He thinks chaos is fun. I do not."
Aric leaned forward. "I desire Order, Valerius. Absolute, unyielding Order. This Academy is a zoo. The commoners think they can rise above their station. The nobles are lazy and entitled. It is messy."
He slid a folder across the glass table.
"I need someone to clean up the mess. Someone who isn't afraid to be hated. Someone who can operate in the gutter while I sit on the throne."
I looked at the folder. It was black, with no markings.
"You want me to be your executioner?" I asked.
"I want you to be my villain," Aric corrected. "The Student Council cannot be seen bullying students. It would damage my image. But you? You are already 'The Trash of House Thorne'. You have no reputation to lose."
[Quest Updated: The Viper's Den]
[New Objective: Accept the position of "Student Council Enforcer" (Shadow Division).]
[Reward: Access to the Restricted Library + Protection from the Student Council.]
[Failure Penalty: Death by "Accident".]
I didn't hesitate. I placed my hand on the folder.
"I have conditions," I said.
Aric raised an eyebrow. "You are in no position to negotiate."
"I am in the only position to negotiate," I countered. "You have plenty of sycophants who will kiss your boots, Aric. You have no one who will tell you the truth or do the dirty work efficiently. You need competence. Competence costs extra."
Aric stared at me for a long moment. Then, he laughed. A genuine, sharp laugh.
"Name your price."
"I want exemption from the mandatory 'Moral Ethics' classes," I said. "And I want the key to the Old Archives."
"Done," Aric said immediately. "Welcome to the Student Council, Valerius. Your first task is inside that folder."
I opened it.
There was a single picture clipped to a profile.
**Name:** Lysandra Blackwood.
**Role:** Third Year. Necromancer.
**Crime:** Selling illegal combat stimulants to first-year students.
"She is a pest," Aric said, sipping his tea. "She has political protection from the Neutral Faction, so I cannot expel her publicly without a scandal. Make her disappear. Or make her stop. I don't care which."
"Consider it done," I said, closing the folder.
I stood up. I had survived. I had gained a powerful patron. And I had my first hit list.
"Oh, and Valerius?" Aric called out as I turned to leave.
I stopped.
"Dante likes you," Aric said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Do not let him like you too much. My brother has a habit of breaking his toys."
"I am not a toy, Your Highness," I said, glancing back over my shoulder. "I am the player."
I walked out of the garden, the white marble shining beneath my boots.
The game had just moved from the tutorial to the main stage. And I had just signed a deal with the devil.