"...I have the concrete evidence they want so ’desperately’."

"Is it your tactical recorder?" Seria asked. "The official supervisor camera provided by the academy for the raid?"

"Mm." Soren nodded faintly. ’That too.’

"It records everything from start to finish, even how he almost killed another one of his teammates."

"...As expected." Seria exhaled softly, though her expression remained tense. "That recorder is the exact reason I’ve been staying here for the past week."

"Because..."

"They must have expected it too," Seria finished. "Garin knows you had one on you. So, the moment his family realized you and Ryan survived, securing or destroying that device became their top priority. They can’t let that data reach the authorities."

"You mean..." Soren tracked her gaze toward the door, his mind instantly reading between the lines. "They will try something behind the scenes?"

"They’ve already tried," Seria whispered. "Two times, actually. But don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of it. Still, they won’t give up, and if they find out you are awake, they will try even harder."

Soren was a bit surprised, but he nodded in appreciation for her help. Then, a sudden realization struck him, his expression darkening. "They won’t go after Ethea... right?"

"...They might," Seria admitted quietly.

Soren’s fists clenched tightly under the sheets. He forced down the rising anger and asked, "What about Ryan? Is he in danger, too?"

"No, not that much," Seria answered. "Because they already know our connection and will do their best not to offend me again."

Soren got it immediately. Seria was a 5th-circle healer at a young age and with a highly promising future. She must have her own backings, enough to make a powerful family hesitate.

"Then, what should we do?" Soren asked.

"Well, it’s easy," Seria replied. "Just give it to me. And I will intentionally leak the news that it’s in my hands."

Soren stared at her for a second, weighing the tactical shift. Leaking the news that a high-profile healer held the proof changed the entire board. While it sounded simple, it was actually a brilliant idea.

’She’s really something else. But...’

"If they think you have it, they’ll stop targeting me and focus more on you," Soren reasoned. "Are you sure your backing is enough to handle that kind of pressure?"

Seria let out a soft, confident laugh. "They are influential in Kalmira City, but they aren’t stupid enough to openly attack a high-ranking Awakened protected by both the Academy and the Bureau. The moment the public knows the evidence is in my possession, any ’accident’ that happens to me points the finger directly at them."

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Right now, they think they can make you disappear or buy you out because you are just a freelance hunter without a major faction behind you. We take away that option, and they have to play by the rules." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"And what happens after you leak the news?" Soren asked, his gaze narrowing.

"We wait for the official summons," Seria replied smoothly. "When the Academy Council and the Bureau call for the hearing, I will personally hand over the storage drive in front of all the high-ranking officials. There won’t be any room for backchannel deals or hidden agendas."

"That sounds like a solid plan," Soren said, nodding slowly as he visualized the chess pieces moving into position.

Then, he paused. A sharp, alternative thought crossed his mind, and his eyes locked onto hers with a sudden intensity. "But what if we take it a step further? What if we just upload the raw footage and spread it all over the internet?"

Seria blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the sheer boldness of the suggestion.

"Think about it," Soren pressed, a cold, calculating edge returning to his voice. "If we only present it at the official hearing, they still have time to pressure the judges, bribe the committee members behind closed doors, or find some legal loophole to suppress the evidence before it ever goes public. But if the entire city sees exactly what Garin did before the council even opens the case, the public outrage will be too massive for anyone to cover up. They won’t just be fighting us, they’ll be fighting the public."

Seria frowned, her fingers tapping anxiously against her arm. "Leaking it to the masses is risky. The Bureau hates losing control of information. If we bypass the official channels completely, they might penalize you for violating confidentiality protocols before the trial even starts."

"Either way, they might still target me or try to silence me before the trial," Soren countered, dismissing her concern with a flat, logical tone. "A bureaucratic penalty means nothing if we aren’t alive to face it. So if we blast it online, what you said earlier works out perfectly for us, too. Any sudden ’accident’ involving my wife or me instantly points the finger at them. The public would immediately know who did it. I mean, you get the gist of it."

"..." Seria stared at him, her lips slightly parted.

Even after recently realizing that he understood the darker side of the world, this took things to a completely different level.

Using himself and his own wife as an unassailable trap against a high-tier house required a cold, ruthless calculation she had never imagined him capable of.

’Wait... That’s not all... He also...’

A chill ran down her spine as the sheer brilliance of the trap clicked into place.

He was also creating a scenario in which the Garin family would be practically forced to protect him just to keep suspicion off their own heads.

"You..." Seria breathed out, a mix of awe and disbelief taking over her features. "You are completely insane, Mr. Soren. But... you’re entirely right. If the footage goes viral, public pressure will completely tie their hands. They won’t dare touch either of you."

"Mmm." Soren leaned back against the pillows, his gaze turning toward the morning sunlight filtering through the window blinds.

If there was even a slight chance they might target Ethea, he couldn’t afford to sit back and play defense. This was the only way he could think of to guarantee her safety. By dragging the Garin family into the absolute center of the public spotlight, he was forcing them to ensure nothing happened to her.

"Let’s go with that, then," Soren said quietly, his voice completely steady. "The sooner the footage is out, the better."