Felix's treasure? A roommate who remembers her friends when she strikes gold?
Unbelievable! We've got a saint living in our dorm!
Enguliette chuckled. "You brought us along to dilute the risk, didn't you? Afraid Felix might try something shady, so you made sure we'd notify our families, making it harder for him to act out?"
Sonia shrugged, neither confirming nor denying. "That's part of it. But the treasure? That's real…"
Felix watched Sonia talk so casually about his inheritance and couldn't help sighing. Was inviting her a mistake?
Earlier that morning, Felix had stopped Sonia on her way out of the meditation building, claiming he had a life-changing opportunity to share with her.
But Sonia wasn't the type to fall for vague promises. She'd grown up navigating the cutthroat streets of Kalaris. Empty words without any tangible proof? Not a chance.
Every con artist knows you butter up your mark with gifts before making your pitch. Sugarcoat the cannonball! Felix's pitch didn't even have a sugar layer. Was this an amateur hour scam?
He tried everything to convince her. But with Sonia pushing back at every turn with, "Fine, forget it, I'm not interested," Felix eventually spilled the beans and gave up the reins of control.
The so-called treasure was, in fact, part of Felix's late mother's inheritance. However, his mother had divided her legacy into several pieces, each locked behind specific conditions. Without meeting these requirements, Felix couldn't access the treasures.
One of these conditions required both possessing the Killing Intent Sword familiar and having at least half a wing's worth of mana. Felix met the mana requirement but had lost the sword. What should have been an easy prize suddenly felt impossible to claim.
And then Sonia's Killing Intent Sword came into view.
Felix knew Sonia wouldn't part with such a precious item—one of the legendary 21 Secret Swords. So, he proposed a partnership instead.
His first offer? A fake marriage.
It wasn't about taking advantage of Sonia. Felix had done his research and believed this was exactly what she needed.
Under the Noble Emblem Code, a marriage recognized by the Noble Court would grant Sonia the same privileges as Felix's family. She'd gain the Voslotta family crest, monthly allowances from their family trust, access to their mage training resources, and their proprietary miracles like Dragon's Belly Scales and Dragon's Feast.
Most importantly, she could bypass Kalaris' strict residency laws, securing noble rights to own property and pursue any career.
She could even transfer her mother's agricultural-town status to Kalaris citizenship.
Felix figured Sonia would jump at the chance. After all, her mother, a single parent who had raised her alone, would finally be able to live a comfortable life in the city.
Sonia had raw talent, but even with her gifts, she would need at least a year and a half to unlock her Silver Wings and at least four years to reach Golden Wings. Achieving Three-Winged Saint Realm within ten years? That would take incredible luck and opportunity.
More likely, she'd struggle for decades.
In recent years, noble titles had become rare, reserved almost exclusively for saints. Without a noble emblem, Sonia, no matter how talented, could never migrate her mother's status. Her mother would remain restricted to 30 days of Kalaris residency per year.
In Felix's eyes, marrying him was the fast track. A shortcut worth twenty years of effort.
And it wasn't like marriage was permanent. Divorce was common among nobles. Sonia could achieve her goals, then divorce without losing reputation or benefits.
But no matter how much Felix emphasized the advantages, Sonia turned him down flat.
He couldn't understand it. Why would someone as smart yet pragmatic as Sonia reject such a mutually beneficial proposal?
Was she so confident she could achieve everything on her own?
Or did she simply look down on Felix and refuse to stoop to his level?
With Plan A rejected, Felix reluctantly proposed Plan B: splitting the treasure 50/50.
Although it was his mother's inheritance and shouldn't be shared, Felix recognized that treasures also had expiration dates.
His mother had designed these inheritances to help him at specific stages of his life. Waiting until he was stronger to claim them would only diminish their value.
He needed the treasure now.
Sonia agreed—sort of.
She added an unusual condition: she wanted to bring friends along and promised to share part of her portion with them.
At first, Felix thought she was some kind of altruistic saint. Then he realized: she was hedging her bets against him.
Without solid backing, Sonia—an out-of-town student—would naturally distrust a local noble like him. Bringing friends like Enguliette, Lois, and Adele diluted her risk.
Enguliette was a minor noble. Lois was the daughter of a local merchant. Adele's father worked as an administrator in Kalaris. Most importantly, Lois and Adele likely had emergency communication devices.
And all three had informed their families of their plans. If anything happened, Felix would face immense scrutiny.
In the end, Sonia forced his hand. Even when Felix offered to increase her cut from 50% to 60%, she stood firm.
In negotiations, the person who cares the least always wins.
When Sonia finished explaining the situation, her friends gave Felix wary looks and huddled behind her like chicks behind their mother hen. Felix laughed bitterly.
"If you're so concerned, you can leave now. Just keep quiet about what you've heard."
"No," Lois said firmly, though her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "I'm staying to protect Sonia!"
Enguliette grinned. "I'm just curious what kind of treasure requires a familiar to unlock."
Even Adele, usually timid, looked eager. Who wouldn't want to see what a treasure coveted by a noble looked like?
Felix sighed and pulled out five blank-seal contracts.
Blank-seal contracts were common artifact tools. By binding a contract to the miracle Oath of the Void, they ensured all signatories were held accountable by the Void Realm. Breaking the contract could lead to anything from eternal slumber to soul obliteration.
Each contract was worth as much as a one-wing familiar—expensive, but worth it for such a valuable secret.
The contracts were simple: no leaking information, no records, no exposing anything about the treasure, and no implicating Felix.
The profits from the treasure would be split between Felix and Sonia, who would then share her portion with her friends.
As Adele wrote her name, she whispered to Sonia, "Why did you turn down the fake marriage offer? If it were me, I'd skip the treasure and go for that. It's the Voslotta family emblem!"
Even Lois couldn't hide her curiosity, glancing at Sonia for an answer.
Sonia's expression turned awkward. After a long pause, she muttered, "It's humiliating!"
What kind of humiliation?
The idea of fake-marrying Felix?
Or the idea of taking a shortcut into the noble class?
Lois and Adele couldn't wrap their heads around it. Sonia wasn't exactly the prideful, upright type. Since when did she care about dignity?
Enguliette, however, had a faint guess.
It wasn't because she knew Sonia well, but because they both came from small towns.
Unlike the liberal, pragmatic mindset of Kalaris, small towns clung to old-fashioned values. To them, marriage wasn't just a contract; it was sacred.
Sonia might have embraced city life, but deep down, she still held onto those ideals.
Marriage, to her, wasn't a tool for social climbing. It was a once-in-a-lifetime commitment.
Of course, Enguliette also sensed another reason: confidence.
Sonia believed she could achieve success on her own—and didn't want her accomplishments tainted by shortcuts.
"You're staring at me. Do I have something on my face?" Sonia asked, glaring.
Enguliette smirked. "Aww, are you blushing?"
"Are you sick?" Sonia shot back, rolling her eyes.