Chapter 678: Clara’s price?

In a world where money flowed without rest, trust was never something you could simply purchase.

It was a luxury—rare, fragile, and often far more expensive than gold itself.

Clara learned that truth long before she ever understood what childhood was meant to feel like.

From the moment her earliest memories took shape, her life had been filled with polished smiles and carefully measured words.

Conversations were never just conversations; they were negotiations disguised as pleasantries.

Ideals were worn like ornaments, displayed proudly when useful and discarded the moment they lost value. Everything existed for one purpose alone—profit.

“Remember this, Clara.”

Her father’s voice echoed in her mind whenever she stood across a negotiation table or reviewed the family’s ledgers.

“In this world, talent alone will never be enough to let you live comfortably.”

She had never forgotten those words.

Born into the Luminaria family—whose wealth could rival the treasury of an entire nation—Clara was raised in an environment where numbers held more power than swords.

Their merchant empire extended far beyond a single kingdom, reaching nearly every corner of the continent through caravans, contracts, and invisible strings of influence.

Magic ran through their blood, yes—but it was not their greatest weapon.

Money was.

Clara Luminaria inherited that weapon naturally.

She possessed a sharp mind for valuation, an instinct for risk, and an uncanny ability to read the intentions hidden behind polite expressions.

Growing up in such a cutthroat world, where betrayal was merely another business strategy, she learned to walk the thin line between prey and predator.

Helplessness was a sin.

Carelessness was a death sentence.

So, she trusted no one.

Not fully.

She relied on her own capabilities and nothing else, using people when necessary, striking bargains only when they benefited her and the family.

Every deal had a price. Every favor demanded repayment.

Sentiment had no place in ledgers, and goodwill without profit was nothing more than foolish charity.

There was nothing in this world that could be gained without offering something in return.

And there was no one—no matter how kind or righteous—who would give without expecting something back.

After all, only a fool would risk their assets without securing profit.

That was the way the world worked.

Or at least… that was how Clara believed the world was supposed to be.

“Are you alright, Clara?”

“Huh?”

The voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Her eyes widened as reality rushed back in.

Moments ago, she had been calmly exchanging measured words with the prince of Zelova—carefully chosen phrases, polite smiles, the usual dance of mutual benefit.

Now that same prince lay sprawled across the marble floor, unmoving.

No—worse than unmoving. His body was twisted at an unnatural angle, half of his face crushed inward as if struck by a falling boulder rather than a human fist.

Dead…?

No—barely alive, perhaps.

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked up.

Standing over him was Kagami.

His massive frame blocked the chandelier light above, his broad shoulders rising and falling with barely restrained irritation.

Cracks spider-webbed across the floor beneath his feet, and faint motes of starlike mana still clung to his clenched fists, warping the air around them with sheer density.

“Why did you do that?”

The question escaped her before she could stop herself.

Clara was confused—genuinely so.

She had always known Kagami to be impulsive, the type who solved problems with his fists before his mouth, but she also knew something else: beneath that frightening exterior was a man with a strangely honest heart.

He wasn’t someone who attacked without reason.

“There was no reason for this…” she muttered, more to herself than to him.

“That’s because this bastard tried to use—”

Kagami’s voice was rough, heavy with suppressed anger, but before he could finish—

“You there! Stay where you are!”

The sharp bark of authority cut through the hall.

Clara flinched as guards flooded in from every direction, boots slamming against marble.

Staves, swords, and wands were raised in unison, forming a tight semicircle around Kagami.

Defensive arrays flickered to life beneath their feet, sigils glowing as restraints prepared to activate.

“Put your hands up and comply immediately!”

The captain’s voice was firm, but it carried an unmistakable edge of tension.

Anyone could see why.

Kagami wasn’t exactly reassuring to look at under normal circumstances—and right now, with residual starlight mana still leaking from his fists, he looked outright monstrous.

The lingering energy bent the air itself, pressure rolling outward in invisible waves that made even veteran guards instinctively brace.

That wasn’t the mana of a reckless brute.

It was proof of terrifying output—dense, refined, and barely restrained.

“Alright… calm down. I won’t resist.”

Kagami’s voice was low and rough as he slowly raised both hands.

The violent pressure in the air eased as his flowing mana settled, the dense starlight glow fading from his fists like dying embers.

The guards hesitated for a second, clearly unsure, before quickly moving in.

Magic restraints activated.

Chains of light wrapped around his arms and torso, sealing his mana flow.

Kagami didn’t fight it—he didn’t even flinch.

His eyes stayed locked on the fallen prince, burning with quiet anger.

“Medic! Emergency healers—now! This person is dying!”

A guard shouted as he rushed forward.

Even without the command, healers were already moving.

White light flared, healing circles formed, and several robed figures knelt beside Alain’s broken body, trying to stabilize him.

Blood-stained marble reflected the glow of healing magic, turning the floor into something unreal and surreal.

Whispers started spreading through the hall.

“Hey… isn’t that Kagami Kento…?”

“I heard he was a brute, but doing something like this here?”

“So that guy he punched… wasn’t he a royal?”

“Wasn’t he a prince?”

Murmurs piled up fast, fear, shock, and judgment mixing together in the air.

Kagami ignored all of it.

Didn’t react.

Didn’t explain.

Didn’t defend himself.

He just stood there, restrained, staring at the unconscious prince.

“K-Kagami Kento,” a guard said carefully, “we’re going to need you to come with us for questioning regarding this incident.”

“Sure.”

The answer came without hesitation.

“Wait— I can vouch for his—!”

Clara stepped forward, panic rising in her chest as she realized how serious this had become.

But before she could finish—

“It’s alright, Clara.”

Kagami cut her off calmly, turning his head slightly to look at her.

“They’ll just ask me a few things.”

“But—”

“It’s actually better this way,” he said quietly.

Then, after a short pause, his lips curved into a faint, bitter smirk.

“Besides… I’m kinda glad that bastard didn’t die from my punch.”

Clara froze.

“It’s a good thing I held back.”

Looking at the prince’s half-dead state, Kagami knew immediately that simple healers wouldn’t be enough.

They would most likely take him to the Church.

Or, if the damage was deemed too severe, summon a high-ranking member of the clergy to heal him with divine power.

And the moment divine energy touched the prince’s crushed face, everything would come to light.

No matter how much Kagami’s reputation was dragged through the mud.

No matter how severe a punishment they tried to pin on him.

The truth would surface regardless.

Kagami let out a slow breath through his nose.

If I’d been even a step late…

His gaze flickered toward Clara for just a moment.

She could’ve been seriously hurt—no, worse.

Having fought demons alongside Lucas just last year, Kagami had grown sensitive to even the faintest traces of demonic mana.

It clung to the air in a way normal magic never did—heavy, greasy, wrong.

Once you noticed it, you couldn’t mistake it for anything else.

He had been certain their party had cleared out every demon and demonic follower lurking within the academy grounds.

But the prince had come from outside.

Which meant some wretched fool had slipped through the cracks.

Still, what surprised Kagami the most was the target.

He hadn’t expected Clara to be the one singled out.

The curse energy the prince had tried to use was absurdly dense—so dense that even an ordinary person with no magical training would’ve felt something was off the moment it activated.

The intent behind it was unmistakable.

That alone was enough to make his blood boil.

“Do you even understand your situation right now?”

Clara’s voice cut in, tight with worry.

“You might be a highly favored S-class student of the academy, but even the academy has limits to how much it can protect you. And I—”

she swallowed, clearly shaken,

“—I also have limits in how much I can cover for you. You hurt someone of royal status…”

Kagami glanced at her, then scratched the back of his head with an awkward shrug.

“I told you,” he said calmly, as if talking about the weather, “it’s fine.”

His eyes shifted back to the fallen prince.

“If divine power touches him,” he added quietly, “this whole mess will explain itself.”

“What are you even talking about? And no—it’s not fine.”

Clara’s voice rang out sharper than she intended.

Clunk.

Click.

Additional layers of magic chains snapped into place around Kagami’s arms and torso, glowing runes tightening as they reinforced the restraints.

The pressure increased instantly. Kagami instinctively glared at the guard who had cast them, his killing intent leaking just enough to make the man stiffen before quickly averting his gaze.

Ignoring the restless murmurs and the pointless panic spreading through the hall, Kagami turned back to Clara, who was staring at him with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

“This whole thing’ll be over pretty soon,”

he said casually.

“So don’t worry too much. Just come visit me wherever they decide to toss me—dungeon, holding cell, prison. Wherever.”

“This is not the time for jokes,” Clara snapped.

She rubbed her temple and let out a frustrated sigh.

Looking at Kagami’s half-hearted reactions, it was painfully clear he wasn’t treating the situation with even a fraction of the seriousness it deserved.

He didn’t seem worried about his reputation, the academy’s limits, or the political backlash of assaulting a royal guest.

Even if—even if—the prince really had tried to do something to her…

She still didn’t fully understand what it was.

And if Kagami wasn’t going to explain it clearly, then she had no way to argue his case, no leverage to stop the guards from taking him away.

“Let’s move. Now.”

At the guard captain’s order, Kagami gave a small nod and took a step forward.

Clara’s dissatisfaction boiled over.

She reached out and grabbed his collar, fingers curling tightly into the fabric.

“Wait.”

Kagami paused and looked down at her. “What?”

“I understand that the prince tried to do something to me,”

she said slowly, choosing her words with care.

“But regardless of that…”

Her grip tightened.

“Why did you do that?”

“Huh?”

“Even if the prince really did try something,” Clara continued, her voice trembling with restrained emotion, “why would you risk yourself for me?”

Her eyes searched his face, sharp and calculating despite the chaos around them.

“There’s no benefit,” she said. “No deal. No profit. No return.”

Her voice lowered.

“So why?”

Clara was extremely confused.

Yes—she could half-heartedly accept the idea that the prince had tried to do something to her.

The unease she’d felt, the lingering discomfort on her skin… it wasn’t something she could simply dismiss anymore.

But even if that was true—

Why would Kagami risk this?

Publicly assaulting a royal guest. In front of nobles, merchants, guards, and foreign envoys.

Dragging himself into a political storm that could easily crush him no matter how favored he was by the academy.

For her?

She had manipulated people before.

Guided conversations, nudged interests, made herself useful, valuable—someone worth keeping around.

But this?

There were no clear benefits. No calculated gain. No future leverage.

Her mind—sharp, logical, trained to weigh loss and profit—hit a wall.

What is his goal?

Is he stupid?

Her calculating, demanding, mercilessly rational worldview simply couldn’t process it.

When Kagami saw her panicked, conflicted expression, he burst out laughing.

“What are you even talking about?”

he said, scratching his cheek.

“Benefits? Hahaha. I knew you were kinda weird, but I didn’t think you were this funny too.”

“Huh…?”

“Why would I need a benefit to protect you?”

he continued, genuinely puzzled.

“We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“F… friends?”

“Or was that just me?” he added with a crooked grin. “Ouch. That hurts, you know.”

Then his expression softened—not dramatically, not solemnly—just… honestly.

“But either way,”

he said,

“I don’t need gold, money, favors, or any of that crap. That bastard was about to do something messed up. I saw it. That’s all.”

“That’s… all?” Clara asked quietly.

“Yeah. That’s all.”

He shrugged.

“I don’t know how distrustful you are of people, but trust me—I didn’t have any other intention. I just wanted to protect you. In that moment.”

Her thoughts stalled.

Something warm rose up in her chest—foreign, uncomfortable, and impossible to quantify.

No contracts.

No bargains.

No returns.

Just… action.

Clara stared at Kagami, still utterly confused, as he smiled casually and lightly tapped her shoulder with a gentle punch.

“If you feel bad,” he said, “just come visit me, yeah?”

With that, seemingly satisfied, he turned and followed the guard captain without resistance.

“Kagami!”

He paused and glanced back. “Yeah?”

But before Clara could say anything more—

“Hey! Clara, what happened?”

Janica and Lucas had finally arrived at the scene, both wearing expressions of confusion as they looked between the guards, the wrecked hall, Kagami who was now being escorted and teleported out of the scene and the half-dead prince being carried away.

“Why are they taking Kagami?”

“Isn’t that guy the prince just a while ago?”

“Hy Clara tell us what exactly—”

Yet despite their voices, despite the chaos around her—

Clara’s mind was completely blank.

For the first time in her life, she couldn’t put a price on what she was feeling.

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