The World Is Mine For The Taking

"The statements made in that article… were complete lies."

My voice rang out, calm but ironclad, across the gathered courtyard, the sound echoing faintly against the academy walls behind me.

"The Academy has never allowed just anyone—especially not those who haven't made it into the Gold Class—to become Magic Knights. That article, with all its baseless claims and fabrications, was nothing more than an underhanded attempt to smear the name of Milham Academy of Magic Knights."

I paused for a moment, letting my words settle in the silence that followed.

Dozens of eyes were fixed on me... every face a different mix of curiosity, suspicion, or unease.

"This institution," I continued, with more force now, "has always upheld a proud and sacred tradition that only those who've proven themselves through merit and sheer determination can ever hope to rise to the title of Magic Knight. That tradition is our foundation as well as our legacy. What was said in the article contradicts that legacy and undermines every single individual who fought tooth and nail to ascend to the Gold Class and earn that honor."

I stood tall, my hands clasped in front of me as I faced them all.

I had returned to the academy on my day off, just for this—just to cut through the poison that had been injected into public discourse with a single, calculated piece of fake journalism.

"I'm here today," I went on, "to stamp out any notion—any rumor—that the current administration is relaxing standards and allowing unqualified students from any class to graduate as Magic Knights. That's simply not true."

My eyes swept over the crowd, holding each person in a stare that dared them to doubt me.

"And to the person who published that disgraceful article—filled with nothing but blasphemous lies—I say this: your actions have consequences. You've deliberately sown confusion, distrust, and unrest across the kingdom. And whether you believe it or not, justice will find you. But if you come forward—if you surrender peacefully and retract what you wrote—there is still a chance for leniency. A small one. But a chance nonetheless."

I gave one final, solemn bow to the crowd before me, feeling the weight of the moment press against my shoulders.

Most of them were members of the press, now holding the dual power of paper and internet at their fingertips.

These weren't just ordinary reporters.

They were part of the new wave—media conglomerates who could flood the world with news in mere seconds thanks to modern technology.

That's why I brought them here. I needed the truth to reach as far, and as fast, as the lies had.

But deep down, I couldn't help the simmering frustration.

Who the hell had the nerve to ruin my rare day off with this bullshit?

And if they ever stepped forward... I swear, this wouldn't end peacefully.

One of the journalists had the audacity to ask me if I'd spoken with the Princess about the matter.

When I did, she simply gave a polite smile and calmly stated that she had nothing to do with the situation.

But that smile...

It was too perfect.

Too composed.

It almost felt like she knew something—and was hiding it behind that gentle mask.

This whole thing was a damn mess.

Nothing made sense anymore.

Why had this happened?

What was the motive?

Who was behind it?

I stared out at the crowd again, scanning their faces.

And then—

Just for a fleeting second—

I saw something.

No… I didn't really see it.

It was gone too fast.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

But I swear, I saw a face...

Split into a faint, knowing smile.

***

Leon's POV

I released a new article—one that picked apart every word Galdea had uttered during her little press conference.

She thought she had buried the first article, the one exposing the Academy's so-called new policy.

But in truth, all she did... was hand me more material.

Now, I was going to twist it again.

Subtly.

Beautifully.

In a way that made it sound like she wasn't exactly confirming what was in the first article… but also wasn't really denying it either.

Galdea had no clue.

No…

The whole world had no idea that Leonamon already owned nearly every media outlet across the globe.

And the people Galdea had addressed at her conference?

Every single one of them—those note-taking reporters, those people—were my staff.

The articles went out immediately.

Faster than she could blink.

And instead of quelling the flames, she only stoked them higher.

Sure, we included her quotes.

We even published most of her speech word-for-word.

But we wrapped it in such a way... that it only fueled more doubt.

She might've thought she'd been clear—but by the time the articles hit the public eye, it looked like she had danced around the topic.

Like she hadn't firmly denied anything at all.

That was the trick.

It wasn't even a blatant twist of words.

No.

Her original phrases were mostly left intact.

Just framed differently.

The right omissions.

The right emphasis.

The blemish—that forceful denial she gave—we buried it under layers of context.

To the public, it was as if she had avoided the truth entirely.

"You're really good at this, huh?" Titania purred beside me, her body still warm, still flushed from the sex we just had.

She lay naked in my bed, her long golden hair tangled across the pillow, cheeks glowing with the aftermath of our pleasure.

I glanced at her, a satisfied smirk on my lips.

"Well, I did invest a ridiculous amount of resources into this. There's no way I'm losing now," I said, my voice cool and confident.

"You really are such a good man, Leon," she whispered, curling up against my chest, her fingers trailing down my stomach in lazy circles.

I turned slightly, brushing her bare thigh with mine.

"More than that, Nia..." I murmured softly into her ear, letting my breath brush against her skin as she lay beside me. "Has your father ever mentioned anything... anything at all about your kingdom recently?"

"Hmm?" She turned her head lazily to face me, her long lashes fluttering as she blinked. "No, not really. I haven't received anything from him yet. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing in particular," I said. "I was just curious if... you know, if anything bad had happened back there."

"Well, I'm a bit worried too, with everything going on," she admitted, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Bethlan Kingdom's not exactly big. But knowing my father, I'm sure he's fine."

She gave me a warm smile, the kind that tried to hide the unease behind it.

"If something had happened to him," she continued, "he would've contacted me right away. He'd tell me not to come back and to stay safe here."

That was... reassuring, I suppose.

Still, I'd heard whispers, or rather... vague reports of strange activity involving some of the magic knights stationed near that region.

Something about it felt off.

What exactly were the magic knights doing, gallivanting across the world like this, while their own homeland sat on the edge of instability? What kind of sense did that make?

Just as the thought settled heavily in my chest, my phone began to ring, its vibration thrumming against the nightstand like a warning.

I reached over, picked it up, and answered without even glancing at the caller ID.

"Hello?" I said, my tone neutral.

"Hi, Leon." The voice on the other end was soft and tentative. "Um... can you come over to my dorm for a moment? I really need your opinion on something. Is that okay? I hope I'm not interrupting or anything…"

It was Johanne.

"Well, you're not," I replied after a pause. "But… weren't you supposed to be meeting with your father today?"

"I was," she said quickly, a hint of tension in her voice. "But I really need to figure something out first. I've been going back and forth, thinking about whether I should show up as a man and confront him about how he changed my gender... or show up as a woman and face him with my real body."

A heavy silence lingered for a second.

Honestly, this wasn't the kind of thing that had to be said in person—it easily could've been a phone call. But from the sound of her voice, I could tell this meant something more to her.

"All right. I'll come," I said. "Just wait for me there."

"Okay. Thank you, Leon," she said gently, and then the line went silent.

I ended the call and turned to see Titania shifting her position on the bed.

"Johanne?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," I replied simply. "She said she wanted to talk."

With a low chuckle, Titania rolled over onto her stomach, her smooth, bare skin exposed as her hips swayed slightly. Her tone turned playful.

"Fufufu~ Are you planning on making hers as well?" she teased, flashing a wide, mischievous grin. "I mean, I did find it strange when she was still a man... but now that she's been revealed to be a woman all along? I think I'm totally on board with it."

She was clearly enjoying herself, toying with me in her usual flirty way.

"Well, I am a man of opportunity," I said with a grin, pulling my shirt over my shoulders. "And who wouldn't want the Sword Saint's heir all to themselves?"

"Leon, you bad boy," Titania purred, giggling as her legs kicked lightly against the bed.

My gaze dropped to her thick, round ass which was still firm and still flawless. I reached out without a word and delivered a sharp slap to it.

SMACK!

"Ahhh!" she moaned, her voice rising in pleasure as a red imprint of my hand began to bloom across her snow-white cheek.

The sound of that satisfying impact echoed faintly in the room, lingering for a few seconds longer than it should have.

With that little indulgence done, I finished getting dressed and walked out of the room, heading toward Johanne's dorm.