The Sovereign System.

Sebastian gripped the blade tightly, a look of confusion momentarily flickering across his face as if he were assessing his own newfound strength.

He looked towards the blade in his hand, still wet with the blood of the bandit leader.

From the carriage, Luke had only seen a blur as the butler closed the distance in the blink of an eye. If he hadn't seen Sebastian literally punch through someone's chest before, he might have been surprised.

Yet that didn't change his visceral reaction to witnessing a murder.

Once again Luke felt queasy, his Earth-born morals crumbling in the face of this new reality.

A shudder ran through his body as a strange yet sharp aura began to manifest from the man staring at his blade.

Sebastian raised his head, a wicked expression appearing on his features for a moment, as if he was enjoying the sensation of killing someone.

"O-Okay, we've learned our lesson!" one of the bandits stammered, his hands trembling in surrender. Their earlier bravado had shattered, fear plastered on their features as they realized they were facing something far beyond their abilities.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "Who said you could leave?"

The words left his mouth like a death sentence, his tone colder than ice. 

"RUN!"

The bandits scattered, desperation fueling their flight. With each one picking a random direction, it was every man for himself.

A grin, dark and unbidden, tugged at the corners of Sebastian's mouth as he kicked off the ground. 

His figure blurred, and before the bandit could even scream, Sebastian was beside him, running effortlessly alongside. The man's eyes widened in horror as the blade slipped between his ribs, his breath catching in his throat.

SHLICK.

The bandit let out a choked gasp, a wet, gurgling sound as blood spilled from his mouth. His body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Luke could only watch on as Sebastian turned into a wild hound, tracking down his prey with vicious intent.

"You think you can escape!?" He shouted darkly.

"GEH~"

Another scream. Another life extinguished.

Luke heard the last two screams from the bandits echo outside the carriage. Even without seeing the carnage firsthand, he could vividly imagine the despair in their eyes as they were hunted down like prey.

He wasn't such a good person that he would acquit obvious murderers from punishment, but the way they died was almost as if they were pigs going to slaughter.

'It was either them or me…' He reminded himself, still wrestling with his crumbling morals.

When Sebastian reappeared, his expression was calm, as if the massacre had been nothing more than routine. He wiped the blood from his blade with the bandit leader's tattered clothes, his movements precise and methodical.

'This guy could tear through armies, but what if that strength turned against me?' Luke felt a shiver run down his spine at this revelation.

There was no doubt, he wouldn't stand a chance.

A strange mixture of admiration and fear welled up inside him. If not for the glowing "S+" Loyalty rating the system showed next to Sebastian's name, he might've been paralyzed with terror.

Sebastian climbed into the carriage and sat opposite Luke, his features softening back into the calm, collected butler Luke had grown used to.

"Are you alright, Young Master?" he asked, his voice gentle, as though the violence outside had never happened.

"Physically? Sure," Luke replied, adjusting himself in his seat. His muscles felt tense, but the adrenaline was beginning to fade.

Sebastian nodded, seeming to understand. Once again a look of care appeared on his features, like a father who was worried about his son after witnessing such a scary scene.

"Don't worry, Young Master. I've recently been blessed by the Gods. I won't let anything happen to you." Sebastian's tone was confident, as if wanting to assuage any worries he may have.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Blessed by the Gods?"

"Mmm. To be blessed by the Gods means to gain power beyond the normal limits of a man," Sebastian explained.

Luke's curiosity was piqued, his thirst for knowledge of this world evident on his features.

"When did you receive this blessing?"

Sebastian thought for a moment. "Earlier this morning, when the traitors surrounded me."

Luke's mind raced. 

'Of course!' he shouted in his heart.

It all made sense now. The system window he'd seen when his life was at stake wasn't his own, but Sebastian's.

'Damn, this Scholarly Pursuit is already paying off' He thought.

While he may have been able to come to the conclusion on his own, it certainly wouldn't have been this fast.

"Sebastian... I think I was the one who bestowed you with that power." Luke said, his expression serious.

Since the man was loyal to him, he felt no hesitation in disclosing this information. After all, if he couldn't trust his butler, who else would he trust in this new world?

A heavy silence filled the carriage.

Sebastian blinked, his composure wavering for a brief second. "Excuse me?"

The problem was, would he believe his words?

Judging by the technology of this world, there was no way that Sebastian would know what a system was. Therefore it would be more believable if he were to use a terminology that he'd be more familiar with.

"I was given an ability to strengthen my subordinates. I'm not sure how it works, but I was able to upgrade your Strength, Agility and Endurance back then." Luke explained, doing his best not to sound like a crazy person.

Sebastian raised his eyebrow, his disbelief evident..

The carriage lurched forward, interrupting the tense atmosphere. It seemed the coachman had resumed the journey in the meantime.

Sebastian remained silent, as if weighing up his words.

Luke waited patiently, observing the butler's expression. He knew that what he said sounded outlandish, even by his own world's standards. Such power was usually reserved for a god, yet here he was, claiming to have such abilities.

Just when the silence began to feel strained, something shifted. Sebastian's eyes widened, as if struck by a sudden realization. A new intensity flickered in his gaze as he looked at Luke with a newfound zeal.

'Huh? Why is he looking at me like that…'

"Young Master," Sebastian asked, his voice now carrying a new weight, "are you being truthful?"

Luke blinked. The butler's tone had shifted, and the sudden intensity in his eyes made Luke's stomach churn. 

'What is he thinking?'

He shifted in his seat, suddenly unsure. "Yes," he replied, though the certainty in his voice faltered just slightly.

Sebastian's lips curled into the faintest hint of a smile. There was a new energy in his eyes, one that Luke couldn't quite place, but it made him uneasy.

"Young Master, what do you think about attending the Military Academy?" Sebastian asked, a sly grin creeping onto his face.

Luke blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift in attitude. He had expected Sebastian to either dispute his claim or at least express some doubt. But instead, the butler seemed entirely convinced.

He wasn't sure what the Military Academy had to do with anything, though.

"I'm not entirely opposed to it," Luke said cautiously, "since that's probably the only place I'll have access to books." He eyed Sebastian warily, sensing that the butler's enthusiasm was getting ahead of him.

"Alright, it's settled!" Sebastian slapped his leg, his grin wide and his eyes gleaming with a fervor that unsettled Luke.

'Too eager' Luke thought, suspicion creeping into his mind. 

'What's he so excited about?'

Luke's brow furrowed. "Sebastian… Tell me, what does it mean to enroll in the Military Academy?"

Sebastian looked at him with a nonchalant expression, as if what he was about to say was the most normal thing in the world. "Oh, nothing much. It's just a place where you learn about killing, subjugation, leadership... Essentially, it's where young prospects study the Art of War."

Luke's face drained of color.

'Art of War?' His mind raced as he tried to process the words. It sounded like something out of a bloody historical drama. 

'This place is insane.' He concluded.

For a moment, he felt like he had been dropped into a twisted version of the Three Kingdoms period from Earth—an era defined by constant warfare and brutal conflict. Why was this world so obsessed with war and killing?

Sebastian, oblivious to Luke's horror, continued rattling off a list of preparations that needed to be made before he could apply to the Academy. His enthusiasm was palpable.

Luke, on the other hand, felt his anticipation crumbling. 

'I'm just a random guy from Earth. What could I possibly accomplish in a place like that?'

 The thought of being surrounded by warriors, learning to kill and command armies, made his stomach churn. He was just a nobody who spent his time playing mobile games, not some battle-hardened strategist.

And while he had the system, it seemed more geared toward making others stronger than helping him.

'Wouldn't I just be better off collecting strong subordinates?'

It seemed like the safest option. After all, he had no desire to step foot on a battlefield or to lead armies. If he could surround himself with powerful people, he could simply let them do the fighting while he stayed far away from danger.

'Mmm, that would be for the best.' he thought, a plan already forming. 'I'll find strong subordinates and let them handle the dirty work.'

But just as he was about to open his mouth to convince Sebastian, a sharp sound interrupted his thoughts.

[DING]

Luke froze. The familiar chime echoed in his mind, dragging his focus away from his escape plan.

[New quest received]

'Quest? This system gives out quests?'

He willed the system open, his heart pounding with unease. His eyes scanned the new message, and as he read the details, his stomach twisted.

Main Quest: Ascent to Power (Part 1)

Details: The Sovereign System will not settle for weakness. Only those who aim to leave their mark in history may wield its power.

Task: Successfully enter the Military Academy.

Reward: Weapon Proficiency

Failure: Removal of the Sovereign System. All registered subordinates will turn on the user.

Luke's hands went cold. Removal of the system, and mutiny?

His eyes subconsciously moved to Sebastian who was still prattling on about the Military Academy.

'You've got to be kidding me.' His chest tightened as the weight of the quest sank in. He stared at the words, willing them to disappear. This wasn't what he wanted—he'd never asked for any of this.

If he joined the Military Academy, he'd be thrust onto the battlefield, where death awaited him at every turn. But if he refused, there was no doubt he'd die to Sebastian.

It was a nightmare—an unwinnable situation.

'Why?' He gritted his teeth, anger flaring within him. 

'What did I do to deserve this? Are the gods punishing me for all the times I bullied free-to-play players in mobile games back on Earth?'

He let out a deep sigh and leaned his head back against the carriage wall, staring at the ceiling in defeat. His mind raced through all his options, but no matter how much he tried, there was no way out.

For a few moments, he wallowed in self-pity, wishing for a different path. But in the end, the cold, unrelenting logic of survival pulled him back. 

'It's not like I have a choice. Hoping for an easy way out was just wishful thinking.'

Another sigh escaped his lips, this time tinged with resignation.

"Okay. I'll join the Military Academy."