Precedence System: I Take My Rewards In Advance

People like Ethan were predictable in certain ways.

Prideful men rarely accepted humiliation quietly, especially those who had spent most of their lives being obeyed. Ethan had already shown how violently he reacted when Ollie refused to move out of his way.

Someone like that would remember what happened today. More importantly, he would remember Zishan.

But knowing what someone was likely to do did not make them harmless.

Sometimes, it only gave you more time to prepare.

“I’m not kidding, Dad,” Elinox said, pulling Zishan’s attention back toward the conversation. “Also, he’s not my boyfriend yet.”

Fadrieth went rigid. “Yet?”

Even Zishan’s thoughts stopped.

Noxelle turned toward her daughter with renewed interest.

Elinox took several seconds to realize what had just come out of her mouth. “I don’t mean it that way.”

Fadrieth remained unconvinced. Meanwhile, his wife, Noxelle, looked delighted.

“I mean he’s not my boyfriend, yet I brought him to my house, if that’s what you wanted to ask,” Elinox explained. “As I said, I brought him here mainly because I’m assisting with his military promotion.”

Fadrieth’s eyes narrowed.

Noxelle’s face brightened in the exact opposite direction. “Is my daughter finally in love with somebody?”

Elinox stared at her mother. “What are you talking about, Mom? Stop with your delusions.”

“But look at your ears.”

Elinox stiffened.

“They’re red.”

Light Mana gathered around both sides of her head and subtly altered how the light reflected from her ears.

Noxelle gasped. “That’s cheating! You clearly like him. You don’t even have to admit it anymore; your ears already did that for you.”

Elinox lowered her hand with an exasperated look. “Mom, I never said that.”

Several servants who had remained in the courtyard became extremely interested in pretending they were not listening.

Elinox seemed to notice. Her Light Magic brightened slightly. Every servant found somewhere else to direct their attention.

Noxelle continued without caring about what she just did. “And who wouldn’t like a handsome young man?”

She glanced toward Zishan again before giving a small approving nod. “Your father back then… well, not quite, but passable.”

Fadrieth became very quiet.

The conversation had started with him trying to identify the suspicious young man his daughter had brought home. Somehow, his own marriage had become the subject under examination.

“What do you mean, passable?” he asked, questioning whether his wife truly loved him.

Noxelle barely spared him a glance. “You heard me.”

“You said you’d gladly kneel for me anytime!” Fadrieth pointed at himself. “You even told me I was the most handsome person you had ever come across! You said I had the bigges—I mean, yes!”

Elinox closed her eyes.

Zishan found himself unsure where he was supposed to look. Clearly, he did not believe that a High General would like him romantically. However, he did not deny the possibility also and just pretended he was not listening.

Noxelle folded her arms. “Well, not anymore.”

Fadrieth seemed genuinely offended.

His wife ignored him and gestured toward Zishan.

“Look at the young man our dear Noxi found. Isn’t he quite handsome?”

Zishan cleared his throat. ‘I don’t know whether I’m being complimented or being used as a weapon in somebody else’s marriage.’

Noxelle had already returned to the more important matter in her mind. “What’s his name, Noxi? You should at least be able to tell us that much.”

“Zishan,” Elinox said, sighing.

Noxelle repeated it under her breath. “Zishan…”

Fadrieth waited for the rest.

When Elinox did not continue, he raised a brow. “Zishan what?”

“I can tell you his first name. His surname is more complicated because it involves another noble family. Until certain things are confirmed, I’d rather not explain that part.”

Both of her parents became more attentive, though Noxelle’s curiosity quickly took over.

“Mysterious too,” she said with clear interest.

Elinox sighed again. “It’s not supposed to be mysterious. It’s a legal issue.”

That only seemed to make Noxelle more interested.

Zishan kept his mouth shut. For once, saying less really did seem like the safest option.

House Walker had already given him enough problems without accidentally turning the Holmes family into another part of the investigation before Ernest finished checking what had happened.

Fadrieth, however, had finally remembered the far stranger problem.

“Wait.” He pointed toward Zishan. “You still haven’t explained how this young man is supposed to become a Captain at Level 99. Are you serious? And my brother approved of it? Has he gone stupid serving in the military for so long?”

Elinox glanced toward Zishan before answering. “You might not believe me even if I explained everything, so I’ll tell you this much.”

Her father waited, folding his arms over his chest.

“Although he’s only Level 99, his combat power exceeds what his Level suggests.”

Fadrieth frowned. “He hasn’t even completed his First Ascent yet. How can the difference be large enough to justify making him a Captain?”

Elinox allowed the question to sit there.

Fadrieth considered Zishan more carefully. A Level 99 soldier receiving a promotion recommendation from Elinox herself was already unusual. A Level 99 soldier being brought directly into the Holmes estate was even stranger.

Then, there was Ethan.

His Level 300 son had been reduced to a terrified mess.

And the courtyard had nearly collapsed under a pressure powerful enough to make the capital tremble.

Fadrieth’s attention drifted across the cracked stones before returning to the young man standing near them. “I’m also fairly certain he isn’t a prodigy like you…”

His voice trailed off as the state of the courtyard returned to his attention. Residual Mana still lingered among the shattered stones, and the disturbance had originated from this very area. Then, there was Ethan, a Level 300 Beast Tamer who had been left terrified by something that happened before Fadrieth arrived.

His gaze settled on Zishan again.

The young man was only Level 99, yet he had been standing near the center of the damaged courtyard when Fadrieth arrived.

A possibility finally occurred to him.

“Wait… who was emitting that pressure earlier?” Fadrieth asked, turning to his daughter. “That wasn’t you?”

Noxelle’s amusement faded slightly as she finally considered the same possibility.

Her eyes moved toward Zishan.

Elinox did not answer at once.

Several meters away, however, Zishan had already drifted back into his own thoughts and completely missed the fact that three members of House Holmes were now discussing whether he had caused a phenomenon that shook the capital.

His thoughts had returned to Ethan once more. ‘Yes, yes. If he comes knocking on my door again, I’ll just close it and slam him back to wherever he came from.’

Then, his attention drifted toward the corridor where Ethan had disappeared. ‘Or I could hang him somewhere in the capital and strip him naked in front of everyone.’

The idea entertained him for a moment, until he considered what would happen afterward. Humiliating Ethan that badly would almost guarantee retaliation, and someone with that kind of pride would probably spend far too much time thinking of a way to return the favor.

And if the bastard ever caught him at his weakest, there was a very real possibility that he might decide to return the favor.

Zishan’s face tightened. ‘No shit, Sherlock. I don’t want this preciously built body of mine exposed in front of everyone.’

He glanced down at himself for a moment. His uniform had already suffered enough throughout the war, and he had worked far too hard to keep the rest of him respectable.

‘This body is reserved for one girl only.’

The thought slipped out so naturally that it took him a second to realize what he had just told himself.

‘Why did I think that…’

His eyes moved toward Elinox, who was still speaking with her parents while supporting Silvy in one arm and maintaining the strands of Light Mana flowing toward Ollie. Zishan watched her a little longer than he meant to, only to catch the moment she started turning in his direction.

He looked away before their eyes could meet, finding the damaged wall nearby far more interesting than it had any right to be.

‘Whatever. Bigger problem first.’

Ethan mattered more to him.

The strange rage that had overtaken him earlier was gone, yet for the nth time, the memory of it remained clear enough to keep him from dismissing what had happened. Zishan could tolerate insults, noble arrogance, and probably even Ethan trying something against him personally if the man was stupid enough to test that boundary.

Silvy and Ollie were different.

Seeing them resting nearby brought back the image of Silvy hanging unconscious from Ethan’s hand and Ollie dragging himself across the courtyard despite barely being able to move. The lighter thoughts occupying his mind disappeared as those memories returned.

If Ethan Holmes ever tried to hurt either of them again, public humiliation would probably be the least of his concerns. And after what had happened earlier, Zishan was not entirely sure the decision would remain his to make.

Author’s Note: I reached the 100th chapter for this novel. Kudos to me. Next goal: 500 chapters! This will be quite a ride. Btw, help me reach at least Tier 1 of the Win-Win Challenge. I’ll mass-release chapters if we reach it! Regardless, thank you so much for giving this novel a shot! :]

See Synopsis for the Goals!

See Synopsis for the Goals!