Chapter 44: Alter ego
The night came to an end, and this was the time for Silva to get active. If anyone wanted to assassinate the Viscount, it would be the night when things were lax due to all the fun they had.
Silva got outside the hall before people started leaving, and he created all ten of his clones.
"What do you need from us, Original?" the clones asked.
"I need you guys to scan the area and stop any attempt on the life of the Viscount or his family. If things get too far out of hand, you can always contact Fang, he's close to the city waiting," Silva gave his instructions.
"We understand," the clones said and dispersed.
Now that he was done with that, he went back in to meet the Viscount.
"Sir, the event is over and the Duke has left, I think it is time that we head back," Silva whispered to the Viscount, who was held up in a discussion with some nobles.
"Sadly, I can't right now, but help Fay and Ray get back to the estate. I'll be safe; this place is under the protection of the Duke," the Viscount said.
'I'll be okay? Famous last words,' Silva thought, but he didn't say anything. He bowed and left.
"This message is to the clones: I am leaving with the children. You all have to protect the Viscount. You may be strong, but don't let your guard down even for a second," Silva said to the clones telepathically.
"Your father has some more things to do here; he asked that I escort you to the estate," Silva said to Fay and Ray.
_______ _______
The three of them walked under the night sky. The gentle, cool breeze pushed against their bodies as they walked the path to the estate.
"Silva, do you plan on attending the academy? With your abilities and skills, you would get in easily," Fay asked.
"He may be too much for the academy, honestly," Ray said, looking forward as he spoke.
"The Director was at the event today, and she met me with the offer of joining next year," Silva said.
"Next year? You're only going to be thirteen by then," Ray said in surprise, but then he remembered who he was talking about—this was a guy not bound by common laws.
"At the very least, I'll be your senior," Ray said.
"I can't believe we will get to go to the same class. It will be fun with you there," Fay said eagerly.
"More like dangerous. He's way out of our league; I think only the fourth years will be a match for him," Ray said.
"You guys give me too much credit, but I'll see when I get there," Silva said.
As they walked, he had long noticed three shadows following them, but he didn't say or do anything.
He kept using only public paths where some people were still awake and walking through. He refused to use any path that was sketchy.
For now, he didn't want to fight them, but the people following them started getting ahead of themselves and were approaching.
So Silva ordered three clones to handle the issue, and the people following them vanished.
_______ _______
The next day was the day they were to leave, but before they could go, the Duke arrived at the manor.
He was followed by several guards and his daughter.
As soon as the Viscount and the others saw him, they all bowed to him.
"Raise your heads. I just wanted to see you before you left as a courtesy. I am your host, and it would be bad if I can't do this much," Duke Terron said.
"You have done more than enough for us, my Lord. I do not deserve more," the Viscount said.
The Duke turned his attention to Silva. He frowned as soon as their eyes met—something about this child was throwing him off.
Aside from the absurd strength this child had, there was something about him that was offsetting.
Was it the hair color that resembled that of his wife? What could it be that was ticking him off so much?
The Duke decided to keep those thoughts for another time. This was not important for now.
"Silva, I heard that you will be attending the academy next year. I look forward to what exploits you will carry out when you are there," the Duke said.
Silva bowed to him but didn't say anything. After the small discussion, the Duke allowed them to leave.
The Viscount and his family, along with Silva and their guards, got into their carriages and left the estate.
The Duke looked at the carriages leaving. He snapped his finger, and a guard came close to him.
"Research that Silva. Gather every bit of information about him—his family, his strengths, all the details about him," the Duke ordered.
Inside the carriage, Silva was also deep in thought.
'The Duke will certainly ask for my information. This may become an issue, actually. I don't have the means to hide things from him.
I'm not smart enough to outsmart the intelligence unit of the Duke. System, is there a way—any skill that I can use that will help me?'
[Alter Ego, 50,000 Sp: create a secondary mind that possesses the same intelligence as you]
This skill was very expensive, but when Silva read the description, he knew that it was worth it. And there was also one other thing.
If he bought this skill, he would have ten minds that were all ten times more intelligent than him. That would seriously up his planning and everything else.
His battle sense and everything would be out of this world.
"Purchase the skill."
As soon as he bought this skill, he felt his mind split into eleven parts, but his original mind stayed the same.
"Whoa, this is great," one mind spoke.
"Yeah, having this many minds will allow us to work better," another mind said.
"You all should calm down and let OG mind talk; he needs to address us," another mind spoke.