The sword slid out of the scabbard without any resistance.
It had a curved black blade with pitch black texture that seemed to pull oneself into it.
"A kodachi. Well it's a bit long for a kodachi."
The sword's shape was exactly how katana swords were depicted in his previous world.
'I'm sure the original Obitus was different.'
'Did the appearance change to fit my preference?'
It fit perfectly in his hand, the weight was balanced, and he could tell his control over Death and Darkness increased tremendously.
"Something is weird…"
His Divine Energy control seemed to have improved.
"Why is Obitus absorbing my Divine Energy?"
Something changed when he pulled out Obitus.
He couldn't put his finger on it.
Suddenly, Paimon opened her mouth.
"How is this possible?
"Why can your Spirit connect you to the Underworld?"
Her words made Neo's brows jump.
He realized what was wrong.
"My stats aren't suppressed anymore. The debuff disappeared."
As a kin of Death, he was weakened in the world of living.
However, that was no longer the case.
Neo returned the sword to the sheathe.
The debuff reappeared and Obitus stopped absorbing his Divine Energy.
His limbs felt heavy.
As if he was wearing sand bags.
"How fascinating. I've never seen anything similar."
He did his best to hide his smile.
After curbing his excitement and taking a powernap, he visited Leonora's room.
He rang the doorbell twice.
"Leonora, open the door."
He knocked this time and the door opened.
Neo called out to her a few more times from the doorstep.
"Should I just enter?"
He decided against it when suddenly he heard a scream from the room.
His eyes widened and he ran inside.
"Leonora! What happened!?"
She turned to him and…
Charlotte closed the set of documents.
She rubbed her eyes with a sigh.
"Is there a problem, master?"
Elizabeth stared at her with worry hidden deep within her gaze.
"The owner of Mystica Fauna Preserve filed a complaint against Team Umbra.
"He wants to be reimbursed for the Phoenix's death."
Phoenix was one of the rarest mythical beasts.
Its value couldn't be counted with money alone.
"And? The money is a problem?"
"That too. But there is something else I can't understand.
"For someone like his personality, Derek is complaining quite calmly.
"I expected him to burst through my door yesterday, but he only sent a letter."
He wanted to suppress the matter without creating much commotion.
Charlotte closed her eyes.
She tried to think of a reason behind Derek's strange actions.
"Eliz, how is that boy?"
"How does he act? Is he the type to put others at risk for his benefits or does—"
"Neo is kind, gallant and heroic."
Charlotte closed her mouth when she received a swift answer from Elizabeth.
"It's my fault for asking the question from you.
"Sigh, where did my Eliz go? You look just like her but act like a little girl who had her first puppy love.
"My Eliz will never act like that."
Elizabeth looked away at the accusation.
Charlotte stood up and decided to leave the room.
She wanted to get some fresh air.
While on the walk, she continued to think about the mysterious circumstances around Neo's A-rank mission.
"However, he doesn't look like the type to kill a phoenix just for his personal benefits."
Could there be more to Neo's action?
Why would he kill an innocent phoenix?
He even tried to protect the phoenix—
"He tried to protect the phoenix."
Charlotte repeated the words.
"How was he able to stay near the phoenix?
"The bird should've attacked him as soon as he tried to get close to it."
The phoenix was not normal.
She realized something was wrong.
"Did Derek know about this? Is this why he was trying to close the case without causing any fuss?"
An ominous premonition swept through Charlotte's heart.
Charlotte's eyes glowed.
Her senses expanded crazily.
She could see everything inside the academy in great details.
Students sneaking out into the bushes, ongoing classes, teachers gossiping in the staff rooms.
She zoomed into the Mystica Fauna Preserve.
It was now clear to her.
Derek was planning something at the wildlife sanctuary.
He escaped when he was about to be caught.
"Tessa, Talia, send an investigation team to the Mystical Fauna Preserve.
"I want to know everything Derek did there."
Two dolls wearing maid dress appeared behind her.
"Understood, master."
The dolls disappeared leaving Charlotte alone in the long corridor.
She sighed as he looked out of the window.
"Was this a coincidence too?"
Or did Neo know something was wrong with Derek and did all of this to expose him?
Neo, a first year, came to the academy a few days ago.
There was not enough time for him to find dirt on Derek.
However, the proof infront of her eyes was saying otherwise.
"Sigh… I hope all of this was a misunderstanding and Derek did nothing."
Charlotte massaged her brows.
She was beginning to struggle with understanding the full extent of Neo's plan.
Leonora's Room, Seraphim Hall
Leonora was about to throw her controller in anger when she saw Neo.
Her gaze wandered to his back.
She noticed the opened door.
"Why did you enter the room without my permission?"
Instead of answering her, Neo stared at the TV display and 'GAME OVER' written on it.
'Did she shout because she lost the game?'
He was at a loss when he noticed the room.
Empty snack wrappers and soda cans were littered on the floor.
Her clothes were strewn across the bed and chairs.
The desk, dominated by a glowing monitor and tangled cables, was surrounded by scattered game cases and half-finished energy drinks.
"Rude," she spoke sharply. "First you enter a girl's room without permission and now you are checking everything.
"Don't you have any manners?"
Neo opened his mouth.
"You think I wanted to enter this dumpster—"