“Welcome John. Please, take a seat,” the headmaster Sinclair invited me to sit down, an affable expression on his face but cold eyes watching me.

As it could have been expected from the general scenario of this world, our next destination was an academy for exceptionally gifted young talents. Violet was one of the students of such an institution and she had to return here, as it was arguably the safest place for her.

Several weeks had passed since reaching this place and nothing noteworthy had transpired, except for a couple of events. Marcus wasn’t with us anymore, as the academy let its students bring with them only a single servant or bodyguard, and I had been the one selected.

The first incident happened even before reaching the academy. This world had developed a transport network based on teleportation mana gates and Marcus had guided us to one of them. While the two had successfully used the portal, my impervious physiology had rejected the swirling mana, causing the contraption to explode when I touched its surface. I had nevertheless managed to rejoin my contractee by travelling by foot through the empty lands in between.

The second incident had happened three days earlier. Although the daughter of a powerful man, Violet appeared to be a product of infidelity and as such she was not looked upon positively by her haughty classmates. Moreover, her older sister, legitimate daughter and primary heir, was also a student here and was outwardly hostile towards her. These summed up to make Violet’s daily life quite rough.

Bullying was commonplace and the professors did nothign about it, as the “law of the fittest” culture reigned at the academy. I didn’t intervene either, as my role there was only to keep her physically safe. In the meantime, I spent most of my time in the local library to keep a low profile, as requested by Violet herself.

But when she was forcefully taken into a classroom by a group and threatened with weapons, I took action, in accordance with our contract. It was only thanks to her desperate pleading that no one died that day, but more than a handful of them found themselves unable to walk afterwards.

The fact in itself wouldn’t have been particularly serious had it ended there. After all, the strength of a retainer was the strength of its master. For all intents and purposes, it could be considered a simple scuffle between students. The problem was that even after being subjected to the most advanced medical procedures the academy could offer, not even one of the incapacitated ones recovered the ability to walk. Mana couldn’t heal a wound inflicted by an archuman.

This was the reason why I had been called to the headmaster’s office after the incident. Several professors came to “escort” me. I complied only after being told they were contemplating Violet’s expulsion from the academy.

It was not a viable option. Violet had explained to me that the reason she tolerated all the abuse she got at the academy was that it was the only place where the power of her family couldn’t reach. Differently from her siblings, she lacked backing and the few funds she had were being rapidly depleted to prepare my payment. She had literally given me her everything, her lifeline, her only safeguard, in the form of her belongings. That must have been the reason why the contract had been deemed suitable.

Outside, she would be completely defenceless. Although she had no proof, she knew her kidnapping and almost being sacrificed had been indirectly orchestrated by one of her siblings, trying to cull the competition, starting from the weakest.

Although I was confident in my capabilities, I couldn’t be sure I would be able to protect her perfectly. I couldn’t go against the contract and, most importantly, against the word I had given her. So, I visited the headmaster.

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“Why did you call for me?” I questioned his purpose. He was different from the other beings I had met. He was stronger and his presence more clear. He was a person.

“You know, just to have a chat and get to know you better,” he responded vaguely.

My eyes became two thin slits. His disrespect was displeasing. He appeared to notice my sharp change in demeanour, from detached to visibly irritated. His expression hardened and his gaze became even sharper than before.

“You don’t appreciate half-truths?” he astutely deduced.

“Useless waste of time,” I replied, almost growling. After that, I forced myself to relax my expression. The air of this world was making me more emotion-prone than I used to be.

“I see. Quite a useful skill you have. Or is it perhaps a spell?”

“Keen senses. The body betrays a lot”

“Uhuhu, what an interesting fellow. Tell me, can you also perceive this?”

At these words, the temperature of the room plummeted as the headmaster’s chilly mana filled the room. Frost began to creep up my body and the pressure continuously intensified. It was a clear threat. But a smile slowly crept up on my face.

The Veil was a potent arcane artefact, capable of keeping at bay a species whose nature was to adapt and expand, but it was not omnipotent. It could severely limit archumans’ actions in the Otherlands, but there was an important caveat. The constraint was relative to the world and its inhabitants.

The Veil didn’t make one weak. It limited its strength to that of its surroundings. Meaning, if the surroundings changed, so would the weight of the constraints. The headmaster had revealed its power in front of me and as a consequence, many of the chains binding me down were lifted.

The headmaster got wide eyes as he felt the change happening in me. Even if I had no mana, a sensitive fellow like him would certainly be capable of sensing the strength returning to my flesh. I got up and walked towards the headmaster. I stopped in front of him, on the other side of his desk. Now, his mana couldn’t even touch my skin.

“I know you came out of a summoning circle,” he spoke without fear, worthy of his status as one of the famously powerful people of this world.

“I did,” I responded amicably. His stunt had let me regain a good portion of my strength. I appreciated it.

“Are you a demon?”

I didn’t answer his question immediately. I had internally debated about that issue since reaching this world. I was not one of the ashen ones the locals called demons, but I was a being who came from another plane of existence and could persist in this one only by making a deal with someone.

“I don’t think so. But I’m not one of yours,” was the most honest answer I could come up with.

“So what’s your purpose? Are you a danger?”

“That is yet to be seen”

I left the headmaster’s office. Several professors were there waiting for me.

“Let him pass,” the headmaster’s voice resounded behind me.

They opened the way and I descended the stairs. The last thing I heard was the headmaster’s words instructing the personnel not to let anyone mess with my contractee and that he would personally resolve the issue of the angered parents of the injured students.

When I returned I found a trembling Violet. She relaxed when I told her neither she nor I would face any repercussions. The only explanation I gave her was that the headmaster was a reasonable man. It was wise of him not to stir up a hornet’s nest. I also told her that her daily life should become significantly better from now on.

For the first time since coming to the academy, she fell into a peaceful sleep. She had a smile on her face. She was holding my hand, as she had asked me permission to do so and I had granted it. Seeing her like this warmed me up inside. She reminded me of someone else dear to me.

As usual, I didn’t fall asleep, as I had no need to do so; I cleaned up the blood trickle which had fallen from her eyes to form a replica of the summoning circle that had brought me here.

I sighed. I didn’t understand the details, but it appeared she was still marked as a sacrifice.