Chapter 196 The Highest Achievable Goal
Lyrian answered mostly honestly.
"I joined this school for its resources. I can become stronger much faster this way," Lyrian said.
Julius squinted his eyes slightly, intrigued by this answer. "I see... I won't ask why you want to become strong. It's to rule the world, as you said yourself. That's a hefty dream, you know?"
Lyrian slightly smirked. "I know. Otherwise, it wouldn't be my dream."
Julius matched his smile, pausing for a short second before asking another question. "So... why? Why become the king of the world? It interests me, what kind of person you are to have such a goal."
Julius looked deep into Lyrian's eyes as he spoke, still playing with the pen in his hand. No matter from what angle he looked at the odd boy's eyes, all he could sense from him was genuine answers and a powerful gaze. The power that came from the boy's stare wasn't power in strength or magic, but rather, a power in will.
Lyrian took a moment to think about his answer. When he did speak, he did so truthfully. "Why? Because it's the highest goal there is to achieve. After achieving it... one must feel good, right? One must feel free from restrictions... problems. Why wouldn't you want to aim for the highest goal?"
Lyrian's expression said that he fully believed what he was saying. He couldn't think of a reason why one wouldn't want to aim for such a goal.
Julius was slightly taken aback by the answer. 'He doesn't know why one wouldn't aim to be king of the world? It's simple...' He thought to himself before beginning to speak. "Lyrian, the reason why many don't aim for that goal is because of fear. Fear, and also a disinterest in the pain they would feel if they were to fail at their goal. That failure may result in prison, torture, and sometimes, even death. Especially for such a dream."
Hearing this, Lyrian's gaze didn't waver whatsoever. He didn't think twice before speaking. "I've already made up my mind when it comes to this. I will give it my all, and if I die trying to become the king, then so be it. At least I tried. As for my death... at the least, it was for an honorable reason."
Julius took in a deep breath and leaned back, as Lyrian continued. "But, failure is not an option. The fear that comes from it does not apply to me, since I'm betting my entire life on winning. If I fail, I'll have nothing to lose anyway. I have to win, or else my life's meaningless."
He said with resolve. 'If I fail... my life won't be any better than what it was on Earth. I will be bound by restrictions. I won't be free. I'd rather die than be forced to live a life like that.'
He thought to himself with a firm stance on the matter. "Hm."
Julius' face slowly contorted, as his grin grew wider and wider. Suddenly, he broke out into a small chuckle. "Hahaha, what an amusing character. Ever since the beginning, you have piqued my interest."
Julius began to think to himself. 'I will really have to keep an eye on him now. Who knows... interesting characters such as him are the ones to actually accomplish their insane goals.'
"Well, I won't hold up any more of your time," Julius said, as Lyrian stood up from his seat and addressed him. "No problem. It was a good talk." He seemed to be in a hurry. "Before you go, I want to personally invite you to my event. It's a banquet, for the new kids entering the academy. Of course, you are already invited, but it is simply a kind gesture I would like to propose to you."
He smiled politely. "A banquet... I've never been to one of those. Sounds fun, I'll be there." Lyrian moved his hand forward to shake Julius'. Julius paused on seeing this for a split second. It had been quite a while since anyone had attempted to shake his hand first... the only two times it had happened in the past decade was with the Principal of Anaviotis, and also the King of Yaltas.
However, he happily shook the boy's hand and sent him on his way. As soon the door to his office closed, Lyrian having left, a familiar face appeared in front of the door out of thin air. It was Jalls Silandra, teacher of transportation magic in the academy, and also Glis' older brother. He walked up to Julius' table with an entertained smirk on his face. "Hahaha! What a kid, huh!? I sure wish I was born in his era, to befriend him and see where that journey would take me... wouldn't you? The age I was born in is the most boring one!"
He said eagerly as he sat down. Julius wasn't so impressed by him. "Jalls... I already told you not to spy on my personal meetings. It is rude to those who do not know they are being heard."
He spoke with a hint of disappointment in his tone. "Oh, please... don't pretend like you knew I wasn't here the entire time. The day I get under your nose without being caught is the day the world gets turned upside down. If you wanted to... You totally could have stopped me in the middle of your meeting!"
Jalls spoke in a humorous way, as Julius shook his head. "That would have ruined my trust with the boy. Why do you make my life more complicated... maybe I shouldn't have hired you after all."
Julius palmed his face as he spoke. Jalls' cheeky smile quickly turned into a concerned frown as he heard this. "Wait, no! Don't even think about such things!"
He frantically retorted. As the two continued their chat, Lyrian followed the map on his bracelet through the giant yet confusing halls of the academy and made it back to his room. As he stood behind the white door, beside it, it read: "205." "Here we go..." Opening the door, he stepped inside to have his face contorted with shock. His expression grew bewildered, but not in a good way.