Chapter 238: I Will Always Be Your Friend "You know, I’ve been meaning to ask," Princess Xenia said after handing the registration back to Alex. "That thing on your neck, is that a hickey?" Alex had completely forgotten about the kiss mark on his neck because of the commotion that happened earlier. "It’s just a bruise I got after scratching my neck," Alex answered. He still had no clue if it was a hickey or not. So he really couldn’t affirm, or deny anything. "It’s a hickey." Vaan smiled. "I gave it to him when he was sleeping." "Oi, don’t create any misunderstandings!" Alex complained. "Dim Dim!" Dim Dim also told Vaan to not lie, making the cute lady—errr boy giggle. Princess Xenia no longer wanted to pursue the topic and bid her goodbye. However, before leaving the room, she once again warned Alex that it wasn’t only her brother that was paying close attention to him, and his club, Endless Horizon. "The Crest Clubs are also now watching you guys," Princess Xenia warned. "It is best if you guys keep a low profile for now." After giving that last reminder, the princess finally left the room, leaving Alex, and the members of his club behind. "She’s right, you know?" Nessia sighed. "I have been approached by other clubs, who were trying to poach me. Three of them were from Crest Clubs as well. I’m sure that the others might have similar experiences. That last one that tried to entice me was the Inner Sanctum." "I have also been approached by the Inner Sanctum," Chuck commented. "If they invited me a month ago, I might have joined them without thinking twice. But now, I have no reason to join them." The Inner Sanctum was an exclusive club for the Mages, or any other magic profession in the academy. They were very picky with their members, and they would only invite the most talented magicians in the academy. "I can understand Nessia being invited, but why did they invite you, Chuck?" Alex asked. "Why?" Chuck flipped his hair. "It’s because I’m a genius, of course." "... Sure." Alex wanted to say that he was a genius troublemaker, but held it back instead. "So, did they entice you with benefits?" Alex asked as he sat on top of his bed. "Did they gave you offers that you can’t possibly refuse?" ""They did."" Nessia, and Chuck admitted. Instead of being anxious, Alex just found this information quite amusing. During his playthrough, Nessia had indeed become one of the members of the Inner Sanctum. However, this only happened when she became a Second Year in the academy. As for Chuck, he only appeared as a side character, whose only purpose was to create mayhem wherever he went. "You don’t look too worried that we might get poached by other clubs," Nessia said. "Why should I be worried?" Alex shrugged. "I’m sure that our Club will give you more freedom than the other clubs in the academy. Lastly, you will no longer have to worry about meeting their expectations." Charles, who had remained quiet until now, also shared the fact that he had been scouted by none other than the Obsidian Fang. "Interesting..." Alex rubbed his chin. "So, what did they offer you?" "The one thing I want the most," Charles replied. "The cure for my sister’s disease." Alex became silent because he knew that Eris only had a few years to live. In order to cure her disease, Chuck must get his hands on the pill called Aurelia’s Tear, which could be exchanged in the academy for a hundred thousand academy points. "What answer did you give them?" Alex asked after a few minutes of silence. "I said that I’ll need time to think about it," Charles answered. Clearly, this was a very difficult decision for him because he had to choose between being loyal to his friends, or ending the suffering of her sister. "Charles, do what you must," Alex said, while patting the teenage boy’s shoulder. "It’s not like we are suddenly going to become enemies or something even if you joined Obsidian Fang. Also, I will always be your friend. Remember that." Every Crest Club gained funding in the academy, and this included a monthly allowance of academy points. So a hundred thousand academy points was something that they could give without too much effort. After all, these clubs had existed for many years, and they had saved up enough points after many generations. Compared to them, the Endless Horizon Club was just a newborn chick without any foundations. Charles looked at Alex with a complicated gaze. Clearly, this was a very hard decision for him to make. The young man had helped him clear the Dungeon of Beginnings, and also helped him clear the second trial of the academy. It was not an exaggeration to say that what Alex did was a debt that was hard to repay in his lifetime. Without him, he might have died inside the Dungeon of Beginnings, and would never have the chance to reunite with his sisters ever again. Alex also knew that the teenage boy was having a hard time, so he told him the words he said earlier. While he wanted Charles to remain in his club, he also knew that his main goal in the academy was to cure his sister’s disease. Nessia looked at Charles sadly because the latter had also told her about his sister Eris. In fact, she had visited the orphanage with him, and met the adorable girl who had just turned five years old. "Alex is right, Charles," Nessia commented. "The Obsidian Fang is a good club, so you being there is also a good thing. Besides... you can help us spy on them if you become a part of their club." "Brilliant!" Alex smirked. "You’re really a genius, Nessia." "Ahem!" Dim Dim raised its body proudly, as if it was the one that raised Nessia as a baby. Charles blinked once then twice after hearing the young lady’s words. "Become a spy?" Charles asked. "Yes!" Nessia answered. "I’m not telling you to betray them or anything. Just tell us things that you can tell us without feeling guilty." "Indeed." Alex nodded. "This is what you call having friends in high places." The two tag-teamed to tell Charles that actually joining Obsidian Fang was beneficial to their club. In the end, Charles said that he would think about it, and excused himself to leave the room, so that he could have some time to think. When the teenage boy finally left, Nessia, and Alex’s shoulder sagged, and the two sighed at the same time. Both of them didn’t want Charles to leave, but they also didn’t want to tie him down because they knew that he wished to save his sister as soon as possible. In the end, they simply thought of ways on how to make joining Obsidian Fang more beneficial to their own club, so that the teenage boy wouldn’t feel too guilty if he left. "You must really treat him as a friend," Vaan commented. "That’s because he is one," Alex answered, and Nessia nodded to agree to his statement. Chuck also sighed because he got along well with Charles. He was very down to earth, calm, and was a very dependable teammate. Also, Chuck couldn’t hold a conversation with Renard, so having Charles around was a life saver. "I just hope that whatever decision he makes, he will not regret it," Nessia said. "I’ll return to my room. For now, we should keep a low profile because we are sticking like sore thumbs here in the academy." Alex agreed to Nessia’s statement, and promised that he would not do anything for the time being. Vaan also left, but before he did, he thanked Alex again for saving him, and promised to return the favor in the future. "Finally, it’s quieter," Chuck said before lying on his bed. Although he looked calm on the surface, the teenage boy was actually feeling a little worried about their club, especially after his brother went to look for him earlier. "We will crush your club. Look forward to it." Chuck’s brother, Caspian, said that threat with a smirk plastered on his face. It was very obvious that he wasn’t just making things up because he looked very confident when he said those words. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞 After thinking about it for a while, he decided to share this information to Alex, so that their president could think of a countermeasure, just in case his brother’s threat really came true. However, to his surprise, Alex seemed very eager for this news rather than being anxious about it.