Journey to Become the Zenith

A Missing Piece in the Game

”What happened to Gian?”

Victor’s voice came out calm—too calm. The kind of calm that didn’t belong to someone asking a simple question. It carried weight, quiet pressure, like a blade resting just against the skin.

His golden eyes settled on Lane.

Still. Steady. Watching.

Not demanding an answer... but expecting one.

Lane didn’t respond immediately.

Her fingers had been tracing the edge of his sleeve—absently, almost unconsciously—but they stopped. Just for a moment.

A small pause.

So small most wouldn’t notice.

Victor did.

”I sent him to kill the marquis near our village, but he hasn’t come back from that mission. It has been around a week since I last saw him.”

Her voice stayed even. Controlled. No panic, no visible concern.

But there was something underneath it.

Not fear... not yet.

Just a faint tension. Like a thread pulled slightly too tight.

Victor’s gaze shifted, narrowing just enough to show thought moving behind his eyes.

A week.

The number lingered between them.

Not long enough to confirm failure.

Not short enough to ignore.

”Hmm, it takes around six days to get to the village with a horse, unlike us who can pretty much run all the way here in just three days. So it might be that Gian has just arrived in the marquis’ territory.”

He spoke slowly, deliberate. Each word placed with care, like he was building something piece by piece.

Logic.

Structure.

Control.

Not just for her—

For himself.

Lane nodded without hesitation.

If Victor said it made sense, then it did.

There was no doubt in that.

And yet...

Her fingers tightened slightly around his arm.

Barely.

But enough.

”...He’ll be fine.”

The words came softer this time.

Quieter.

Almost like they weren’t meant for him.

Victor glanced at her.

Just for a second.

He didn’t respond.

Didn’t reassure her.

Didn’t agree.

Because he understood something she wasn’t saying out loud.

Gian wasn’t weak.

He wasn’t careless.

He didn’t fail easily.

If anything, Gian was the kind of man who disappeared into missions—who thrived in the kind of silence that swallowed others whole. The kind of silence where mistakes weren’t forgiven... only buried.

But delays...

Delays meant uncertainty.

Variables.

And Victor—

Hated variables.

The air between them grew still for a brief moment, carrying the unspoken weight of that thought.

Then Lane moved on.

Like she always did.

Back to control.

Back to clarity.

She straightened slightly, her posture shifting as she slipped back into her role.

Lane then continued her report about exterminating the nobles that wanted to steal Videl’s sword. With Brinda’s ingenuity they were able to make it look like the nobles fought each other out of greed.

As she spoke, her voice regained that earlier confidence.

”It was actually... smoother than expected,” Lane said, tilting her head slightly as she recalled the events. ”At first, they were cautious. Watching each other. Waiting.”

Her eyes sharpened slightly, a faint glint of amusement flickering through them.

”They didn’t trust one another enough to act. Not at first. Every single one of them thought they were the smartest person in the room.”

A small pause.

Her lips curved—just a little.

”But that was exactly what made them easy to break.”

Victor remained silent, listening.

Not interrupting.

Not reacting.

But paying attention to every detail.

Lane’s hand finally slipped away from his sleeve as she spoke more freely now, her movements loosening, her confidence returning with each word.

”Brinda suggested we nudge things instead of forcing them,” she continued. ”Small things. Nothing obvious.”

Her fingers moved subtly as she explained, almost like she was replaying the steps in the air.

”A misplaced message here. A whispered rumor there. Just enough to make them question each other.”

Her tone carried quiet appreciation.

”She understood exactly how greedy men think.”

Victor’s gaze flickered faintly at that.

Not surprise.

Recognition.

”Once doubt settled in... it didn’t take much,” Lane added. ”They started watching each other more than the sword.”

”And when that happened...” her voice lowered slightly, ”...they made their own enemies.”

A breath.

Calm. Measured.

”They turned on each other before we even had to act.”

She glanced at Victor then, as if gauging his reaction.

”There was no need for a direct confrontation. By the time we stepped in...” she shrugged lightly, ”...it was already over.”

A faint silence followed.

The kind that wasn’t empty—but full.

Victor’s eyes remained on her, thoughtful.

Calculating.

Not just the outcome—

But the method.

”...Efficient,” he said at last.

A simple word.

But it carried approval.

Lane’s expression softened just slightly at that, though she didn’t say anything in return.

Because she didn’t need to.

The validation was enough.

Still...

Even as she spoke, even as the mission wrapped neatly in success—

That earlier tension hadn’t fully left her.

It lingered.

Quiet.

Persistent.

Like something waiting just outside the edge of thought.

”It was actually... smoother than expected,” Lane said, tilting her head slightly as she recalled the events. ”At first, they were cautious. Watching each other. Waiting.”

A faint smile curved on her lips.

”But greed doesn’t wait forever.”

Victor listened quietly.

He could already imagine it.

A room filled with suspicious nobles. Eyes darting. Hands close to weapons. Everyone thinking they were the smartest one in the room.

And then...

A spark.

”Brinda suggested we feed that tension instead of suppressing it,” Lane continued. ”Small whispers here and there. False information. Just enough to make them believe someone else was planning to betray them first.”

Her fingers traced an idle pattern against his arm again, her tone almost thoughtful now.

”And once that thought took root...”

”They destroyed each other,” Victor finished calmly.

Lane looked at him, her eyes lighting up slightly.

”...Exactly.”

There was a strange kind of admiration in her gaze.

Not because he praised her.

But because he understood her.

Victor exhaled lightly, leaning back just a little.

Efficient.

Messy... but efficient.

And more importantly—clean from the outside.

No direct involvement.

No clear enemy.

Just a group of greedy nobles tearing each other apart over something they all wanted.

”...Brinda enjoyed it,” Lane added after a short pause, her expression shifting into something between mild annoyance and reluctant acknowledgment. ”A bit too much, if you ask me.”

Victor let out a faint, almost amused breath.

”That sounds like her.”

Lane huffed quietly.

”She kept trying to... get closer to you while talking about the plan.”

That made Victor’s gaze flicker for a fraction of a second.

”Did she?”

Lane’s grip tightened just slightly.

”...I ignored it.”

There was a subtle edge in her voice now.

Not jealousy.

Not exactly.

But something close.

Victor noticed.

Of course he did.

His hand moved, resting lightly over hers—not forceful, not commanding. Just there.

Grounding.

Lane’s shoulders relaxed almost instantly.

”...You don’t need to compete with anyone,” he said quietly.

It wasn’t a grand statement.

It wasn’t emotional.

But it was enough.

Lane looked at him, her eyes softening.

”...I know.”

And she did.

Still... knowing didn’t always stop the feeling.

Silence settled between them for a moment—not awkward, not empty. Just calm.

Once Victor was done listening to Lane’s report, he stood up and was about to leave. Lane seeing this, stood up as well and hung onto Victor’s arm. Victor, actually found her behaviour quite cute, so he wasn’t bothered, by Lane being a bit clingy every now and then.