A decorated officer—a legendary Colonel like Mr. Aldrick… 

…Was sure to have a lot of money, right?

She relaxed into Trizstan’s chest, but her mind was fleeing him with every passing second.

Could she get more out of this ‘date’ than mere information and leverage for the sake of Trizstan?

After all…

The way he just disrespected her identity—not once, but twice. 

The way he assaulted her and acted like nothing happened.

If Trizstan could flip a switch like that, who said he wouldn’t repeat it? Who said it wouldn’t be worse next time? 

Could she stop him?

If she had the option, she should take it…

But could she just… leave like that?

Well, no, she couldn’t. Not on her own anyways. She depended on Trizstan financially, socially, and professionally… He facilitated her entire life in New Baymort, after all. 

But could she use Mr. Aldrick’s influence to facilitate her escape? 

A new life…

A new start…

A new man…

Of course, she wasn’t naive; she wouldn’t jump into Gerald Aldrick’s arms blindly. 

Not like she did with Trizstan Attila…

No, this wasn’t the same situation as in Akashima. This time she had agency—she had a choice.

She would stake Mr. Aldrick out on that date. See through every crack behind that polished exterior, every lie leaving his lips. Until she was certain he was useful—not another trap she could fall into.

With her mind reading ability, it would be a walk in the park. He couldn’t escape her scrutiny even if he tried.

But then what? 

Even assuming Mr. Aldrick turned out to be the saving grace she needed, could he even keep her safe against the likes of Trizstan Attila? He was the owner of the Spiriter Home, a pivotal benefactor in the Spirit Academy sphere—since the orphanage prepared displaced or otherwise mistreated spiriters for the academy. Not to mention he surrounded himself with allies far more prominent than himself. He had just been invited as a guest of honor to an assembly with Theodore Franciste, the King of Northern New Baymort, after all.

As a Colonel, Robin just realized, Mr. Aldrick perhaps had a disadvantage. Sure, he was revered and apparently legendary, but all that time he wasted in Volnyr, Trizstan systematically built himself up in New Baymort.

Contrary to him, Mr. Aldrick turned down the one token of authority within this nation granted to him on a silver platter—the position of Principal at the Spirit Academy.

So what could Mr. Aldrick have that Trizstan lacked?

And that was when it dawned on her. 

As a soldier, he…

She decided to risk the question.

“How strong is he?” 

Truthfully, Mr. Aldrick didn’t seem that intimidating to her. Not only was he entranced by her presence, he was agreeable to a fault. Not just with Robin, he had even taken the blame for Ms. Solbakken’s irrational behavior on two occasions now. Once to dampen the issue of a scheduling conflict—and before that, he literally took the blame for abusing a child.

But that could have been a double-edged sword. That kind of composure, such a polite exterior—that took a certain kind of confidence. 

Needless to say, she was curious.

“Ah—well… I don’t have first hand experience,” Trizstan spoke, and as Robin rested against his chest, she felt his breath reverberate beneath her cheek. “After all, Mr. Aldrick didn’t use his ability lightly even while at the academy. I believe it had something to do with bending the earth, but I could be downplaying it with such a simple explanation.”

Robin nodded—a common ability. Could be superficial or powerful, depending on his level of mastery. She assumed it had to be on the stronger end of the spectrum considering his prior position in the army.

“But there is this rumour I’ve heard from veterans returning from Volnyr,” Trizstan continued—Robin perked up. 

“They say that once he lost his mind; with the sheer intensity of his spirit, he sent down a meteorite from the sky and killed thousands of soldiers and civilians alike.”

Robin’s head snapped to attention—eyes zeroed in on Trizstan who looked as relaxed as ever. 

“You can’t be serious?” she sputtered, mouth hanging open.

What– How even—

That was the furthest thing from a common ability, not even a master of elements could perform a feat of that magnitude. 

That transcended beyond divine.