Seven long years had passed since I last saw him, but there was no mistaking the commanding presence before me. It was Jay Flynn.
He was no longer a mere character from the pages of a novel, a figure rarely mentioned.
"You haven't made any progress in these seven years, have you?" Jay Flynn's voice carried an undertone of disappointment as he sized me up.
From a young age, I possessed the uncanny ability to discern people's emotions.
"You've been using my money as if it were your birthright," he accused, his eyes reflecting a mixture of curiosity and simmering anger.
"Could it be that you've come to request even more funds from me?" His voice sneered with skepticism.
Or perhaps he thought I was here to salvage some remnants of my tarnished honor.
With a bow of my head, I spoke, "I have a request."
Jay Flynn's expression remained inscrutable, a blend of curiosity, disappointment, and concealed anger.
"Perhaps you've come to regain your lost honor," he mused aloud.
"I wish to secure a place within the guild," I declared.
For seven years, although we resided within a mere seven kilometers of each other, Jay Flynn had not once visited. Lucas Flynn and Jay Flynn might as well have been worlds apart. Even upon learning of his grandson's demise, he hadn't graced the cemetery with his presence.
"Enough of your nonsense. What is it that you truly seek? Don't attempt to sugarcoat your intentions before me."
The tension in the room grew palpable, Jay's words causing mine to tremble. But I couldn't afford to display weakness. "That is my genuine desire."
Even as I provoked him, I had no other choice. For the sake of my talent, he had married three times and fathered four children. Yet, three were deemed unworthy, and one disinterested in inheriting the family's power.
"Why?" Jay questioned, his disregard for his offspring evident as he treated his sons like discarded refuse.
After my adopted brother's death, it was highly likely that Jay Flynn was somehow involved, given his unwavering belief in bloodline superiority.
"Do you truly believe yourself worthy of this position?" he challenged.
"Yes," I affirmed. "I am even prepared to die for it."
I sensed something, a shift in his demeanor.
"Why?" His voice bore down on me, a dominating presence befitting an L-ranked Hunter.
This was suffocating.
'I wish I could just treat this as a jest and flee,' I thought. But there was no turning back now.
"I... want to live!"
The pressure lifted, but tension still hung in the air.
"Is your life in danger?" Jay inquired, his words implying a potential threat.
'There's no way I can ask him to eliminate Kay. If Kay dies, there will be no story, and I'll meet the same fate.'
"No," I admitted, "It's because I've become worthless. I'll perish sooner or later."
It was the truth. Even if I fled to the ends of the earth, the Flynn family's enemies would hunt me down. 'Why bother with enemy clans when my own illegitimate siblings would seek my demise?'
"I want to become more than just a king... I want to be a god!"
This was not the Lucas Flynn who drowned himself in alcohol daily and wallowed in self-pity. These were my words, my sincere aspirations.
"What prompted this sudden transformation? What changed your mind?"
This was the test.
"People don't change easily, nor can they," I replied, keeping my composure.
"If living as trash is your destiny, so be it; live and die as the ultimate wretch," Jay Flynn asserted.
But I knew he wouldn't simply relegate me to the status of an ant, given his emphasis on bloodlines.
"If I am trash, then the Flynn family will be reduced to the same fate," I countered.
"Huh?" Jay Flynn's eyebrows furrowed.
"I have youth, and you've generously provided me with funds. This wretched existence has drained the life from me. Now, I'll embrace a life that excites me!"
Jay Flynn chuckled. "You certainly have the audacity to declare yourself my only worthy successor in your current state. But what can a wretch like you achieve?"
"Clan head, no, Grandfather. I am not trash... I've simply fallen into the abyss."
I could reclaim my former self, as I'd told him before.
"That's right. You weren't born trash. Life's circumstances and your surroundings shaped you into this."
"As I said, I will become a god!"
Jay Flynn laughed like a madman, his gaze finally settling on me as if he could peer into my soul.
"Don't think you can raise my expectations with empty words. You may leave now."
'Was it a success or failure?' I wondered.
As I exited the room, I saw Ana, who was panicking more than I was.
"How did it go, Master?"
"It went... well." I forced a reassuring smile.
We walked through the hallway and reached the exit.
"Young Master," a stern voice called from behind.
Philip Do, Jay Flynn's secretary and the current head butler of the Flynn house, stood there.
He had been Jay's closest confidant and perhaps the strongest figure in the Flynn household after Jay himself.
"This is a gift from the President," he said, presenting a wooden box.
---
In recent days, the Lucas mansion had calmed down.
The young master, once known for his drunken escapades and bullying of the weak, had vanished entirely. He now dedicated himself to rigorous training.
"The former Anisely Lucas Flynn, once an elite student, is making a remarkable return..."
"Hehehe..."
I overheard these murmurs as I entered the mansion.
"Is that the respect you show to your master?" I chided, causing those gossiping to cower in fear.
"I apologize, Chief Ana," one of them stammered.
"Leave at once. Don't spoil my mood so early in the morning."
First, I needed to replace the maids with more suitable ones.
"Thank you, Chief Ana."
"We'll leave immediately," they muttered before scurrying away.
As I strolled through the hallway, I glanced at the framed photographs of the master hanging on the walls.
I vividly remembered the day I first entered this mansion.
But the atmosphere had been different then. It was alive, warm, and filled with the kindness of the young master and his mother.
He had been gentle and compassionate. When did he transform into this?
It was all due to his father, who consistently ignored the young master and his mother. Even when his wife passed away, he never made an appearance.
'Why am I thinking about this now?'
Before I realized it, I had reached his room.
"Master, I'm coming in."
The door creaked open.
Zzz...Zzzz.
'He's still sleeping.'
First, I needed to tidy up his room and prepare for his awakening.
'Hmm, the young master has been studying. He has truly changed.'
In the mirror, I glimpsed my reflection, my smile signaling the beginning of a new, promising chapter for Lucas.