The dorm room was quiet, save for the rhythmic bubbling of the mana-coffee machine.
I was lying on my couch, reading a digital report on Vayne Corp's quarterly earnings. The "Oakhaven Incident" had done wonders for our stock price. Defense contracts were pouring in from every terrified city mayor in the Empire.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The heavy oak door of my suite shuddered under the force of an armored fist.
"Lucas Vayne!" a voice boomed from the hallway. "Open this door by order of His Majesty, King Aldric!"
I sighed, closing my holographic display. I had expected this. You don't just deploy a private army and massacre a Raid Boss without the government getting insecure.
I stood up, adjusted my silk tie, and opened the door.
Six Royal Guards stood there, clad in gold and white plate armor, their halberds leveled at my chest.
"Gentlemen," I said smoothly. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Is the King looking to buy some stock?"
The Captain of the Guard didn't smile. "The King demands your presence immediately regarding the illegal deployment of S-Class weaponry at the Southern Border. You are to come with us."
"Lead the way," I said, stepping out into the hall. "I hate to keep royalty waiting."
The Royal Palace was a monument to excess—massive pillars of white marble, floors of polished obsidian, and tapestries depicting centuries of conquest.
Today, however, the atmosphere was suffocating.
As I was marched into the Grand Throne Room, hundreds of nobles lined the gallery. They whispered behind their fans, their eyes hungry. They were vultures circling a carcass, hoping to see the arrogant heir of the Vayne family stripped of his titles and thrown into a dungeon.
At the far end of the room sat King Aldric III. He was an elderly lion of a man, his hair white but his eyes sharp and dangerous. He didn't slouch. He watched me approach with the calculating gaze of a predator assessing a new threat.
Standing next to the throne, red-faced and sweating, was General Valerius. The same man who had kicked Kaelen out of his office three days ago.
"Lucas Vayne," King Aldric's voice rumbled through the hall, silencing the whispers. "You stand accused of violating the Imperial Militia Act. General Valerius claims you mobilized an unsanctioned private army, deployed illegal automated weaponry, and annexed an Imperial town without authorization. How do you plead?"
General Valerius stepped forward before I could speak, pointing a shaking finger at me.
"He is a traitor, Your Majesty! He owns S-Rank mana-turrets that are restricted to the Royal Army! He turned Oakhaven into a fortress overnight! If we let a merchant house wield this kind of power, who is to say he won't turn those guns on the Palace next?"
The nobles gasped. It was a serious accusation. Treason was punishable by death.
I stood in the center of the room. I didn't bow. I didn't tremble. I simply clasped my hands behind my back.
"I plead 'Competence', Your Majesty," I said, my voice calm and carrying to the back of the room. "Something your General seems to lack entirely."
"How dare you!" Valerius roared.
"Silence," the King commanded. He looked at me with renewed interest. "Explain yourself, boy."
"It's simple," I said, tapping my obsidian phone. A holographic projection sprang to life in the air above me. It was a recording of the security logs from the City Guard Headquarters.
The image showed a desperate Kaelen begging Valerius for help.
Audio Playback: "Prophecies don't move battalions! Get out of my office, son!"
The entire court watched in silence as the General dismissed the warning that could have saved thousands.
"General Valerius had the intel," I narrated coldly. "He chose to ignore it. If I had followed the law, Oakhaven would be a crater, and the Void Queen would be marching toward this capital right now."
I turned to face the sweating General.
"I didn't break the law, Valerius. I privatized world peace because you were too busy sleeping on the job."
Valerius turned purple. "That... that recording is inadmissible! He—"
"Enough," King Aldric cut in. The King looked tired of the General's excuses. He turned his gaze back to me. "You make a compelling case for the General's retirement, Mr. Vayne. However, that does not change the fact that you possess dangerous technology. And..."
The King leaned forward.
"...I am told you looted the Void Heart from the carcass of the Queen. That is a strategic resource of the Empire. Surrender the artifact to the Crown, and I will consider dropping the charges."
The room held its breath. The King was demanding tribute. To refuse was to invite execution.
I smiled.
"No."
The nobles shrieked. Valerius looked like he was about to have a stroke.
"But," I continued before the guards could rush me. "I will offer you a discount."
"A... discount?" The King blinked.
"Vayne Corp currently produces 90% of the Star-Tear Elixir used to treat Mana Rot in your veterans," I said, locking eyes with the monarch. "Including the supply currently keeping half of your Generals—and perhaps even yourself—healthy."
I adjusted my cufflink.
"If I am arrested, production stops. The price skyrockets. And the Empire's healers go on strike because they can't do their jobs. Do you really want to trade the health of your army for one purple rock?"
It was a blatant threat. I was holding the Empire's healthcare system hostage.
King Aldric stared at me for a long, agonizing minute. Then, a low rumble started in his chest.
He laughed.
It was a dry, rasping laugh that echoed off the marble walls.
"Audacious," the King chuckled. "Absolutely audacious. You threaten your King in his own court?"
"I am merely negotiating, Your Majesty."
"I like you," Aldric decided, sitting back. "You are dangerous. But you are effective. And in these times, I prefer effective monsters to incompetent saints."
He waved his hand at Valerius. "Guards, strip the General of his rank. He is relieved of duty for negligence."
"Your Majesty?!" Valerius cried as he was dragged away.
"As for you, Lucas Vayne," the King continued. "You will keep your Void Heart. And your turrets. But you need a leash. Or at least... a title."
The King stood up and drew a ceremonial sword.
"Kneel."
I knelt on one knee.
"For service to the Realm in the defense of Oakhaven, I hereby grant you the title of Honorary Baron. You are now a peer of the realm. Your private army is now a 'Baronial Retinue.' It is legal."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," I said, suppressing a smirk.
"But be warned, Baron Vayne," the King whispered as he tapped the sword on my shoulder. "The higher you climb, the harder the fall. Do not make me regret this."
An hour later, in the student cafeteria of the Academy.
Kaelen sat alone at a table, staring at the magical projection screen on the wall. The news was broadcasting the ceremony live.
Headline: "Vayne Heir Heroically Defends Empire! King Grants Title of Baron!"
Kaelen watched as I shook the King's hand, looking like the savior of the nation. The man who had framed him, humiliated him, and stolen his glory was now being pinned with a medal.
Kaelen's hand tightened around his plastic cup.
Crunch.
The cup exploded, spilling juice all over the table.
"He gets a medal..." Kaelen hissed, his voice trembling with impotent rage. "He breaks the laws... he buys his way out... and he gets a medal for being arrogant?"
"It's not fair," a voice said.
Kaelen looked up. Seraphina was walking past his table. She didn't stop to comfort him. She was looking at the screen, at the new Baron Vayne, with a complicated expression—fear, respect, and something else.
"Life isn't fair, Kaelen," she murmured. "It's expensive."
She walked away, leaving the Hero sitting in a puddle of spilled juice.
[ System Notification: Political Authority Established. ]
[ New Title: Baron Vayne (Rank: Noble). ]
[ Reward: +2,000 Destiny Points. ]
[ Current DP: 13,600 ]
I walked out of the palace gates, the heavy iron medal on my chest glinting in the sun.
I had the money. I had the power. And now, I had the law. The Villain didn't just win the battle. He bought the judge.