The next day, Atticus woke up and followed his usual routine. Nothing had really changed; he was still the first and only person to complete the course.
After the morning session, he returned to his room. A quick, refreshing shower later, he sat down cross-legged inside the training room and began the process of absorbing mana.
Despite having numerous skills to train, Atticus knew that neglecting his mana absorption would be a mistake. It served as the foundation for all his skills, and without a strong body, the potential of his skills would remain limited.
So, increasing his mana rank was a top priority.
After several hours later, Atticus heard the doorbell ring. His eyes flickered open, and he halted his training. He stood up and went to answer the door.
Upon opening it, he found a slender boy with square-shaped glasses standing there with a smile – Lucas. Atticus wasn't surprised by his visit; he was expecting it. He promptly invited Lucas inside, "Come in."
Lucas nodded and entered.
Atticus gestured for him to take a seat at the table, and they both sat down. Without wasting any time, Atticus got straight to the point, "Tell me about Rowan."
Out of everyone in the camp, Atticus couldn't say he trusted anyone apart from Ember. However, knowing Ember's reclusive personality, he believed that he even knew more about the family than her.
Atticus wasn't entirely sure if he could trust Lucas, but he didn't have much of a choice. Lucas was the only person he was acquainted with and knowledgeable enough about the inner workings of the family.
He didn't have a way to ensure Lucas's loyalty, nor did he have any leverage. Torturing someone who wasn't involved didn't sit well with him, and it could easily backfire. Besides, despite not being an expert in reading people at a glance, Atticus had a sense that Lucas was smart enough to choose his alliances wisely.
And indeed, Lucas didn't disappoint. He smiled, having always been a good judge of people. While he found it hard to read what Atticus was always thinking, he was certain that Atticus wasn't someone you'd want to be against.
"What do you want to know?" Lucas quickly responded with a smile.
"Everything you know," Atticus replied, his gaze locked onto Lucas's eyes. He was trying to see if there were any discrepancies in his behavior, anything that could indicate nervousness or deceit. Atticus trusted no one and was scrutinizing Lucas for any signs of deception.
"Alright. I don't know much, but I know he lost his wife some years back. It was due to some power struggle between our family and the tier 1 family in Sector 5," Lucas spoke, adjusting his glasses with his finger.
"The Ravensteins and the other tier one family got into some kind of dispute, and his wife was killed during the fallout. He was enraged and wanted to go to war to wipe them out, but the Sentinel Guardians and other families intervened and convinced both families to stop. The rest of the Paragons had to put their foot down before Master Magnus agreed to stop the war. Sir Rowan became enraged after hearing that and wanted to continue the war, but the main family forbade him from doing that."
Throughout Lucas's explanation, Atticus's expression remained mostly neutral. He wasn't particularly interested in Rowan's reasons; he just wanted to confirm his assumptions. After a few seconds, he simply said, "I see."
Lucas continued, "I don't know if this is useful, but sir Rowan's hatred for the main family is common knowledge."
Atticus's eyes narrowed at Lucas's comment. Lucas smiled, as if reading Atticus's thoughts, and said, "So why did the main family not do anything?"
Seeing Atticus's silence, Lucas went on, "Well, no one knows the actual reason. But I think it's because the main family has him bound by a mana contract due to his sensitive position. So, I believe they're not too worried about him betraying the family."
Atticus nodded. He had also speculated that this was the case. However, he found this situation odd. Helodor had tried to kill him, and there was no denying that fact. 'Maybe he did that on his own?' Atticus deduced, his mind working through the information he had gathered so far.
'But Rowan is not faultless either; he probably commanded Helodor to provoke me. Even though the higher years weren't allowed to attack, they were allowed to defend themselves,' Atticus reasoned.
It was natural for others to assume Atticus was weaker than a third year. Since Rowan hated the main family, Atticus knew that, begin bounded by mana contract, the best he could ask Helodor to do was embarrass and lower his reputation by beating him up in public.
Then, he had a sudden realization, his thoughts clicking into place like pieces of a puzzle falling into position. 'So that's why he was training her so hard. Seeing as she became an intermediate rank by 10, she obviously possesses high talent. Maybe even transcendent. He must be planning something with her, and that needs her to be better than me, the heir of the main family,' Atticus deduced. He had finally understood why Aurora was being treated in that manner.
With all the information he had gathered from Lucas, it wasn't hard to come to this conclusion with his intelligence. All of this only took him a few seconds in reality. If Lucas found out that Atticus had reached this conclusion in just a few seconds, he would never be as proud of his intelligence again.
"Thank you, Lucas. I guess I owe you one," Atticus said after a moment of contemplation.
Lucas smiled and replied, "No need. It's my pleasure to help." After experiencing what he had gone through in his childhood, he recognized the importance of connections, the bigger, the better. In this camp, Atticus was the biggest fish one could catch. There was no way he was going to miss this opportunity.
Atticus smiled back and thought, 'Hmm, he's this shrewd at 10; he'll definitely be useful in the future.'
Atticus knew that Rowan wouldn't be his only enemy. Despite not actively seeking out enemies, they would come to him like flies because of his position in the family. It wouldn't hurt to have someone smart on his side.
Atticus nodded, and after talking for a while, Lucas left, leaving Atticus sitting down deep in thought.
'Now, how should I deal with this?' Rowan was a Grandmaster-rank individual. No matter how powerful Atticus had become or how godly his intelligence was, he couldn't win in a fight against Rowan, not even in a thousand years.
'There's nothing I can do for now,' he concluded. Rowan obviously couldn't do anything harmful to Atticus, but if Atticus attacked him, Rowan was clearly allowed to defend himself.
Atticus was vengeful but not stupid. This was clearly beyond his current capabilities, so he had to be cautious. "But I won't forget this," he muttered, his gaze icy.
