"Hmm, that sounds reasonable."
At the side, Amelia was grinding her teeth in complete fury.
She stared at Neo as if she was going to kill him.
Neo ignored the chill on his back and asked Henry.
"Can we leave for the Academy? I need to reach there by tomorrow to receive my rank."
Henry puckered his lips.
"Thanks for reminding me, fucker. Care to explain what came over you to register into the most difficult course of the Demigod Academy?"
"..."
Neo Hargraves was in the Templar course.
After completing two years of Academy, he would become a Junior Templar.
Templars were the official knights of a Temple.
Among the billions of people living on the continent, only one hundred people received a Junior Templar certificate every year.
The recognition, money, and power a Templar wielded was unimaginable.
The top 25 Templar of every year could attend the college and try their hand on Senior Templar course.
If they passed, they could challenge a Senior Templar.
Needless to say, each Senior Templar was an absolute monster.
It was rare for a Senior Templar to lose their position to a Junior Templar.
The current eighty-one Senior Templars had been there for one hundred years.
"You'll rest today. The rank registration won't start until tomorrow."
Henry did not leave room for negotiations.
After booking two rooms near Academy, Neo decided to crash for the night at 5 pm.
"You want to sleep now?" Henry asked.
"Yes, I'm tired from last few days."
The reason was simple.
Immortal had three charges right now.
Another charge would appear at midnight, but it would be wasted since the skill was at max stack.
If he slept at 6 pm, and spent six hours of real time in Underworld, he would regain the charge he lost as soon as he woke up at 12 am.
He needed Immortal at max stack for the academy's ranking battle that would happen tomorrow.
Because 20% of the students die during it.
Henry gave him a dubious look and allowed him to sleep early.
For some reason, he sent Amelia with him.
Amelia shut the door with a slam and sat at the king-sized bed.
"Why did you lie like that?" She asked in a calm tone.
"You don't look angry," Neo noticed. "I thought you would attack me as soon as we were alone."
"Sigh, there must be a reason why you did what you did. We may have spent only a bit of time together, but I know you aren't someone who acts impulsively."
For someone who seemed relaxed she sure was glaring hard at him a few minutes back.
Amelia always tried to act prim and proper in front of others.
And yet, she was somehow always shouting at him.
'Am I such an asshole that she can't bear my actions?' he thought.
He curbed the thoughts and answered her,
"My brother must've thought you kidnapped me. It wouldn't matter even I tried to convince him otherwise. If I didn't lie back then, he would have killed you by now."
"Why would he kill someone without any justification…."
Amelia stopped speaking.
She covered her face.
"My mom would. If she thought someone kidnapped me, she would end the kidnappers' lives, even if they had genuine reasons."
Was his brother the same?
Amelia looked at Neo sympathetically.
She could relate to him.
Despite that, she thought Henry was a good brother.
Henry, after confirming Neo's safety, did not try to pry into Neo's secrets.
He never asked Neo about his bloodline or tried to force him into answering the questions he was clearly evading.
After answering her, Neo prepared to kill himself (sleep).
"Are you really going to sleep now?" She asked.
"I have a weak constitution. I need plenty of rest before tomorrow's competition."
He lied on the bed and stared at her.
"What?" She questioned.
"Aren't you going to leave? Don't tell you want to sleep together?"
"Wha-!?"
Amelia took a large breathe and calmed herself down.
"We 'have to' sleep together if you don't want your brother to find about your lie."
"Fair enough," Neo yawned. "Just don't touch me while I'm asleep like you did last time."
"I told you it was a misunderstanding!"
Neo used the Death skill to kill himself painlessly.
'I wonder what kind of training Barbatos prepared for me.'
He tried to be open-minded to accept all kind of surprises.
Nevertheless, the Spartan training managed to knock the living daylights out of him.
…
Top Floor, Dover Hotel
Henry took a puff of smoke.
He stood next to the window; his eyes were glued to the sunset.
An old man in butler uniform entered the room.
"Master, is it true young master made the Mermaid Queen's daughter pregnant?"
"What do you think?"
He took another puff.
"Young master was lying. He has a habit of trying to smile whenever he lies."
A chuckle left Henry's lips.
"That fucker really thought he tricked us. Fucking dickhead, he is a hundred years too early to lie to me."
"Master, if I may be so presumptuous to ask, why did you let young master get away with the lie? You never liked when he lied to you in the past."
"Why huh?"
Henry rubbed the cigarette in the ashtray and took out a new one from the pack.
"Because of his eyes when he tried to protect that girl."
Neo was a coward.
After the day their parents died, Neo became a recluse who would shiver uncontrollably just at the thought of meeting other people.
He was pathetic.
When Henry found out Neo registered for Templar course and passed the written exams, he thought it was an impulse.
Neo just wanted to lash out because Henry treated him like a kid.
Henry believed it was a good chance to let Neo meet more people, so he did not stop Neo from trying to enter the Demigod Academy.
But, to Henry's horror, Neo suddenly disappeared.
The news of Neo's appearance at Mermaid Country brought him relief and worry.