The Third Prince Of Darkness

"....However, I plan to reveal my true identity at the Academy tournament."

At these words, the room fell silent for a few seconds, but then Jofmaon stood up from his chair and glared at me.

"So, all this time, I've been calling someone whose name I don't even know, my boss?!" Jofmaon roared.

"You may not know my name, but you know how I act when I'm angry, don't you?" I responded, looking directly at Jofmaon.

"Do you think I'm afraid of you? Just because I respect you for what you did that day, do you think I'm your slave? I'm Jofmaon of the Lion Tribe! And I fear nothing my eyes can see!" Jofmaon shouted, slamming his hand on the table.

Thanks to the distinctive roar of the Lion Tribe, his voice deepened as he spoke in anger, something that would normally make a person tremble, but it didn't scare me at all. Sitting calmly in my chair, I pondered how to resolve this situation. Jofmaon was a skilled warrior, and I wanted to keep him on my team, but I couldn't afford to back down now.

Being at the Dragon Academy meant I couldn't kill him just because I wanted to. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Roxanne, her ears practically steaming with anger, yet she looked at me as if begging for permission. She would probably attack Jofmaon if I gave her the nod. The fact that she had restrained herself until now was surprising.

It seemed like she had taken my words during our many nights together seriously. The old Roxanne would have already pounced on Jofmaon by now.

"Calm down, everyone. We don't yet know why Arthur hid his identity from us. I'm sure he has a reasonable explanation. Jofmaon, please sit down. You've known Arthur for over a year, and we both know that there's always a reason behind his every move. Don't forget our earlier conversations," Ellera suddenly spoke, magically lowering the tension in the room.

Even Jofmaon seemed to calm down as he grumbled and sat back down.

But what was Ellera talking about? Had she spoken with Jofmaon before? I had no idea that she had been doing things behind my back. I guess I've been slacking off lately. But at least, considering that Ellera managed to calm Jofmaon down, this might not be a bad thing. I just hope she's got my back.

"So, Arthur, are you going to tell us why you've been hiding your identity?" Ellera asked, her gaze cold again, matching her voice.

"... As you said, there are reasons why I changed my identity, but I planned to reveal them after the tournament."

"What is your true identity?" asked Faeloria, the elf woman who had been silent until now. She sipped her coffee from a small cup as she looked at me with her crystal-clear blue eyes, reminiscent of the purest seas.

"... I intended for all of you to find that out during the tournament," I replied.

At my words, Jofmaon grumbled again, starting to rise, but he stopped when he saw Ellera looking at him, and sat back down quietly.

There might be more going on between Ellera and Jofmaon than I initially thought, and it was making me uneasy. After all, Ellera was, without a doubt, the most intelligent person I had met since Alpshar, and her intelligence was enough to make even me worry. Luckily, she was on my side… or at least she acted like it. Unlike the others, Ellera was the person I knew the least about.

All I had heard were rumors about her immense wealth and that she had killed her father, but everyone at the Academy knew those stories.

"Please, Arthur, at least tell us why you changed your identity. Or show us your true self," Ellera said, looking at me.

"Fine.... There are several reasons why I changed my identity. The first reason was that I didn't want my enemies to bother me in the academy. The second was to have more freedom at the Academy. The third reason was to form my own team more easily. If you had known my true identity, you would have been suspicious of me when I approached you.

There are a few other reasons, but I assure you they are none of your business. " I said, looking at each face at the table one by one.

"Thank you for sharing that with us, Arthur. So, can you tell us, at least physically, what the differences are between the man before us and your true self?" Ellera asked.

She really knew how to defuse a situation. But that didn't surprise me at all. I had seen Ellera do this countless times before, and many of my problems had been resolved more easily, thanks to her.... I definitely needed to talk to her after this meeting.

"I didn't change my body size or any fine details. So, there are only a few small differences between the way I really look and the way I am now." I said.

"At least let us hear your authentic voice," the beautiful elf Faeloria asked.

I took a deep breath, then looked carefully at everyone's expression before nodding. I lowered my hand under the table and discreetly removed my ring. If they realized I had changed my voice with a ring, They would realize that Roxanne had the same ring, and so they would discover that her identity was also fake. I didn't want to drag Roxanne into this unnecessary mess.

After removing the ring, I drank some water from the glass on the table to soothe the dryness in my throat, and after clearing it a few times my throat, I began to speak.

"This is my real voice... Are you satisfied now?" I asked, directing my words toward Faeloria.

But at that moment, I noticed that everyone, except Ellera, was looking at me in shock, and the most surprising thing was that even Roxanne seemed startled. I think Roxanne barely remembered my voice, but she hasn't heard it for a year and a half, so it's normal for her to forget my old voice.

"Is my voice that bad?" I asked, noticing that the astonished expressions hadn't faded.

"The reason why they are so shocked is probably because the real voice is much more masculine than the fake.... Honestly, even I'm surprised by how deep it is." Ellera said, with that subtle smile of hers.

"Was my old voice really that bad?" I asked, still bewildered by Ellera's smile. I felt everyone's eyes on me for a few more seconds, but eventually, they snapped out of their shock. I noticed that Roxanne's cheeks had turned red, but when she realized I was looking at her, she quickly averted her eyes. I knew my fake voice was a bit softer, but was it really that bad?

Or maybe my real voice was more impressive than I thought.

"Arthur, do you have any other surprises like this?" asked Faeloria, her blue eyes scanning me. Her calm yet probing tone brought the conversation back to a more serious atmosphere.

"I promise I'll explain everything after the tournament," I replied.

"Then we'll wait," said Jofmaon, though this time, there was no threatening tone in his voice. Yet, the distrust he felt toward me was still evident.

The meeting quietly came to an end at that point. However, I could still feel Ellera's gaze lingering on me. She was definitely aware of something. How much I could trust her would only become clear over time.

After the meeting, I told Ellera that I wanted to speak with her privately, and we moved to my study. When we entered the room, where it was just the two of us, I caught a glimpse of Ellera's long white fox tails swaying behind her. She noticed her tail moving and quickly held it still with her hands.

I approached Ellera with a bottle of wine. We both sat across from each other in the armchairs.

"If you're trying to get me drunk, I want you to know that alcohol is just like water to me" Ellera said, taking her glass with that microscopic smile of hers once again.

She did it again… She cracked another joke—or at least tried to. I've never seen her act this way with anyone else. Maybe I can use this. Without a doubt, Ellera is the most talented member of my team. So why have I been rejecting her offers up until now? The answer was simple: I thought she was plotting something, and with all the other problems in my life, dealing with her seemed dangerous.

If I had to face Ellera, I would need to give her my full attention. But now, for some reason, I feel like she doesn't have any malicious intent. Normally, I wouldn't change my decisions based on just a feeling, but this time, I'm going to make an exception.

"Ellera… Do you truly want to be with me?" I asked, looking at her with a very serious expression.

Ellera met my gaze with her usual emotionless face and then, in a voice that was so beautiful and velvety it could probably charm any man if she put emotion into it, she answered, "Of course I do..."

"In that case, I want you to be completely honest when I ask you these questions. But if I sense even the slightest lie, everything ends here."

Ellera didn't look away, not even for a second. It was as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time. "Ask your questions," she said, her voice so calm and confident that it felt like she was answering questions on a test she already knew the answers to.

I paused for a moment. I was about to ask her to do something I had never asked before: to be completely honest. It made me both uneasy and curious.

"What did you really talk about with Jofmaon? Why did he calm down so easily? And is he afraid of you?"

Ellera responded with a brief smile before slowly bringing her glass to her lips. After taking a sip of wine, she said with a slight tone of mockery, "Jofmaon isn't afraid of me. He just knows that our relationship operates on a different level. I gave him some strategic advice regarding you. Controlling warriors like Jofmaon start with gaining their trust.

I've earned that trust, and in return, I can persuade him. But remember, I did this for you... And in case you're wondering, there's nothing special between us, and there never will be."

I continued to look at Ellera for a while. Honestly, it was impossible to tell whether someone like her, whose face showed no micro-expressions, was lying or not. That's exactly why my next question would be more personal, something that would make it harder for her to hide her emotions.

"Thank you for your answer. Now for the other question..... Did you really kill your father?"

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