Gasps rippled through the audience like wildfire. Jeff froze, his face going pale as the weight of the accusation landed squarely on his shoulders.
"W-what?!" Jeff stammered, his voice cracking. "You can't just accuse someone of something like that out of nowhere!"
Akshran's expression remained completely flat, his tone colder than ice. "I just did."
Sophia and Kevin shot to their feet, their faces etched with disbelief. Scarlet, however, stayed seated, a faint smile playing on her lips as though this was nothing new to her.
Akshran, still slouched and half-asleep, raised his hand lazily and pointed a finger at the fresh scratches marring Jeff's forearms. The marks were small but unmistakable, like claw marks from someone desperate to fight back. His voice, calm and indifferent, carried a quiet intensity that silenced the room.
"Fresh scratches on your arms. Small claws... children fight back, don't they?"
Jeff's expression froze for a moment before he forced a cold laugh. "What nonsense. These are from training."
Akshran gave a slow, dismissive nod, as if indulging Jeff's excuse. "I see, I see… but craft glue under your nails? Glitter, too. You get that from training as well? Or is it from projects with kids lately?"
The audience murmured, their eyes darting to Jeff. His face tightened, but he said nothing.
Akshran's gaze dropped to Jeff's pants. His eyes, sharp as razors despite his sleepy demeanor, scanned the faint smudges of dirt on the knees. "That's playground dust," he said coolly. "Not the kind you get from a casual walk. Those stains are inconsistent with adult interaction but perfectly typical for someone kneeling—at a playground or near children. Curious, isn't it?"
Jeff shifted uncomfortably, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.
"You don't seem like a family man to me, Jeff," Akshran added, his tone colder now, each word hitting like a hammer.
Leaning subtly toward Jeff, Akshran's nostrils flared slightly. A faint, artificial sweetness wafted toward him, clinging to Jeff's clothes like an uninvited guest. "And yet, you smell like bubblegum. Children's candy. You don't have kids, do you?"
Jeff opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Akshran's gaze shifted to the bracelet on Jeff's wrist. A gaudy, cartoonish trinket that didn't belong on a grown man. He pointed at it, his voice dripping with quiet contempt. "That bracelet... sentimental value? Or something more peculiar?"
Jeff finally snapped, his voice rising. "This is utter nonsense! You're making all of this up! These things prove nothing!"
The room tensed. The audience sat on the edge of their seats, some gasping softly, others completely silent.
Then Akshran's eyes darkened, an unnerving black that seemed to drink in the light around them. The temperature in the room felt like it dropped, and even Scarlet, with her usual composure, shuddered at the sight of him.
With deliberate slowness, Akshran pulled out his phone and held it up, the screen glowing with a series of photos. Jeff's unusual gaze on Sophia, his eyes lingering far too long on her legs, was undeniable.
The crowd exploded into chaos. Gasps, murmurs, and whispers spread like wildfire.
Before anyone could react further, Kevin stepped forward, his movements swift and precise. In one fluid motion, he drew his blade and pressed it to Jeff's neck. "I'll handle this," Kevin said, his voice cool but edged with fury. His lips curled into a smile as he glanced at Akshran. "Good job, Akshran."
Sophia stood still, unfazed by the commotion. Her expression betrayed no fear, only a faint, amused smirk as her eyes settled on Akshran.
Akshran leaned back in his usual lazy posture, his voice cutting through the chaos like a whisper of steel. "I knew it." His eyes flicked toward Sophia, their calm indifference returning.
Sophia's smirk deepened, her gaze locking with his. For a moment, it seemed like they shared an unspoken understanding, a silent acknowledgment of the situation's absurdity.
"Loser. So that's what you were doing with your phone," Anatolia muttered, her voice dripping with disdain.
The speech wrapped up early, and Akshran was promptly summoned by Sophia to her quarters.
Sophia's room was immaculate, almost unnervingly so. Every piece of furniture seemed deliberately placed, every detail tailored to perfection. Soft light from ornate lamps bathed the space in a golden glow, highlighting the understated elegance of the décor.
Sophia sat at a finely crafted table, sipping tea with an air of calm authority. She gestured to the chair opposite her. "Sit. Make yourself at home," she said, her tone polite but not overly warm.
Akshran complied, sliding into the seat. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sophia interrupted him with a faint smile. "Tea? It helps clear the mind."
His gaze fell to the porcelain cup she slid toward him.
"Don't worry, it's not poisoned," she added with a soft chuckle, the humor somehow not entirely reassuring.
Akshran picked up the cup, sipping slowly, his expression unreadable. "Good tea," he remarked, his voice calm and composed. "Now, what does a duke's daughter want with me?"
Akshran leaned back slightly, his smile sharpening. "You must be upset. I disposed of your little toy."
Sophia scoffed, her tone laced with disdain. "I was planning to discard him anyway. He had outlived his usefulness." Her smile widened, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of contempt.
"Hah. Stellar, don't bother lying to me," Akshran said, his smirk brimming with confidence.
Sophia blinked, her composure momentarily cracking. "You even figured that out?" she said, genuine surprise flickering across her face. "You truly are something, Akshran."
"Which that are you referring to?" Akshran asked, his smirk deepening. "The fact that you knew Jeff had feelings for you and kept him around as a convenient tool? Or the fact that you used his sound-based Resonance to manipulate emotions and rally a crowd to gain followers?"
Sophia's expression hardened, her smile faltering as her composure slipped for the first time. Her eyes narrowed, a twitch betraying her irritation. This guy was clearly showing off.
"How… how did you know that?" she asked, genuinely baffled. She'd played her cards flawlessly—or so she thought.
Akshran tilted his head, as if explaining a simple truth to a child. "When Jeff ogled your legs, you didn't react. That could've been nothing—an illusion on my part. But then, when I showed you the photos of him, your expression didn't change. That was a big tell. Amateur mistake, really."
Sophia stared at him, her confusion deepening as he continued.
"Then there was the crowd. Their outbursts felt natural but also strangely synchronized, almost as if staged—but they weren't. I noticed something odd. Every time Jeff spoke, the energy in the room shifted. And when you made your entrance, that effect amplified. I also felt an undeniable pull, which I can only assume was Jeff's resonance in action. All those little clues added up," Akshran concluded, his tone cool and confident, his smirk deepening.
Sophia's expression of shock barely scratched the surface. "You were asleep!"
"Half-asleep," Akshran corrected casually.
"That doesn't make a difference, duh," Sophia retorted, her disbelief palpable.
Her mind raced, struggling to reconcile what she'd just witnessed. 'This insight… it only comes with experience, experience even I don't have. It's impossible,' she thought, her frustration mounting.
"Why is it that humans refuse to accept their own greatness?" Akshran asked, his tone contemplative. "Is it because they measure themselves against what only a select few can achieve?"
Sophia stared at him, taken aback.
"You should stop obsessing over what isn't," Akshran continued, his voice calm but firm, "and start exploring what is."
"You're oddly philosophical," Sophia said, her tone tinged with skepticism.
'He's like Jin Atsushi', she thought, a faint smile forming on her lips. 'Though, I suppose Jin's smarter.'
"You just compared me to someone, didn't you?" Akshran asked, his sharp gaze narrowing slightly.
Sophia's smile froze. "I'm not even going to ask how you know that."
"So I was right," Akshran said, a triumphant smirk tugging at his lips.
"Fine. Yes, I compared you to someone," she admitted. "The Grand Viceroy's son, Jin Atsushi. Heir to the Central Duke."
"Jin Atsushi?" Akshran repeated, his tone shifting to one of genuine surprise. "Never heard of him."
Sophia stared at him, dumbfounded. "..."