“So… you finally decided to show yourself.”

  Karl’s voice carried a teasing edge as he looked at Sofie, his expression unmistakably that of a grandfather who had just caught his granddaughter trying—and failing—to be sneaky.

  Sofie paused mid-step, her shoulders stiffening for just a fraction of a second before she recovered. She turned toward him with a polite smile, one carefully honed through years of navigating military corridors and political landmines.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she replied smoothly. “But please tell me why you wanted to see Grandpa.”

  Arin watched the exchange silently, noting how she immediately chose to play the family card instead of hiding behind rank or protocol. It was the right call. In this situation, rules were flexible—but family carried weight.

  Karl chuckled.

  “Sure, sure. Whatever you say,” he replied. “But this isn’t exactly convenient to discuss out here.”

  He gestured lightly toward the hallway, where curious glances were already beginning to gather.

  Sofie nodded once. “That’s fair. Grandpa is currently in a meeting. If this is truly important, I’ll arrange refreshments and let him know you’re here.”

  She turned and walked past Josh.

  She didn’t even acknowledge his existence.

  Josh stiffened but said nothing. No complaint, no protest—only a tight, forced smile. He had finally realized the mistake he’d made. His entire career had been built on knowing exactly who he could step on and who he couldn’t.

  And today, he had chosen wrong.

  As Sofie passed him, Arin caught the faint tremor in Josh’s hands.

  Good, Arin thought. Let it sink in.

  As they began ascending the stairs, Arin paused and glanced back, his expression perfectly innocent.

  “By the way,” he asked casually, “why do you keep these cockroaches around? I swear, they’re everywhere in governments. They always mysteriously disappeared in our city.”

  He tilted his head slightly, as if genuinely curious.

  Josh froze.

  Sofie felt a chill crawl down her spine.

  “Please don’t make people disappear,” she said quickly, forcing a laugh. “He’ll get what he deserves—just… without that.”

  She meant it.

  She had seen those cases before.

  During her investigations into corruption, she had encountered incidents that looked like murders meant to silence witnesses. But the more she dug, the stranger they became. The wounds were too precise. The investigations too thorough. And oddly enough, every trail seemed to start with one place—the local archery club.

  At first, she’d suspected a cover-up.

  But no.

  These weren’t cover-ups.

  They were consequences.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Arin replied easily. “We don’t do anything weird. They just… show up with arrows in their chests. Someone must be trying to frame us.”

  He said it with such sincerity—such flawless conviction—that one might almost believe him.

  Almost.

  That was what frightened Sofie most.

  If they had gotten away with this before the System—

  Then what could they do now?

  Even the Dutch intelligence agency had once been involved. They had suspected the Sonnebergs. Strongly. But suspicion alone wasn’t enough. No judge would authorize mass arrests based on feelings.

  The case had been quietly closed.

  After that, police intervention only happened if there wasn’t an arrow involved.

  As they were seated in Herman’s office, Karl poured tea with practiced calmness.

  “Next time,” he said mildly, “try not to be so on-the-nose.”

  “Okay,” Arin replied cheerfully, refilling his cup. “Good tea though.”

  He was just glad to be out of that awkward hallway.

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  “Knock, knock.”

  “Come in.”

  Herman spoke without looking up, irritation clear in his voice. He was in the middle of discussing a critical issue with the European Legion Commanders—specifically, who would lead the additional one hundred legions recently assigned to Europe.

  Population wasn’t the problem.

  Leadership was.

  Veteran soldiers who had once been privates were now officers, thrown into command far earlier than intended. It was a logistical nightmare.

  So whoever was interrupting this meeting had better have a very good reason.

  The door opened.

  A natural beauty stepped inside.

  Sofie was used to being stared at—but even she felt uncomfortable under the collective gaze of the room’s most powerful military leaders.

  “Hi, Grandpa,” she said. “Sorry to interrupt. Karl says he wants to see you. He claims to have information relevant to the long-term health of the army.”

  That stopped Herman cold.

  He straightened slowly. “Did he say how long it would take?”

  “If I had to guess,” Sofie replied, “about an hour.”

  Herman nodded. “You stay here and continue the discussion. I’ll hear this.”

  The room fell silent as he stood.

  Some commanders stared in disbelief.

  Others exchanged glances.

  Only General Rian smiled faintly.

  “Before you start speculating,” Rian said calmly, “Karl Sonneberg is a war hero. He fought alongside Herman and me during the Russian conflict. He was never recognized because he signed up under a false name.”

  That earned a few sharp intakes of breath.

  Herman had searched for that man for decades.

  “Karl,” Herman said warmly as he opened the door to his private study. “It’s good to see you—under less strenuous circumstances.”

  Karl sat on the couch, sipping tea calmly. Arin was already on his third cup.

  “Yes,” Karl replied. “Though the information I bring is… sensitive. And expensive.”

  Herman’s smile faded.

  “I’m fairly certain you don’t have this information,” Karl continued. “Otherwise, your orders would look very different.”

  The look he gave Herman was sharp—accusatory.

  It made Herman’s blood run cold.

  “How expensive?” Herman asked carefully.

  “Ten thousand points.”

  Herman nearly tripped on his way to the desk.

  “How much?”

  “Ten thousand.”

  That was an obscene amount.

  The government was nearly broke after the currency switch. For the first time in history, they had lost control over money generation entirely.

  “How do you pay staff,” Herman muttered, “when they earn more doing their jobs than the salary itself?”

  Arin handed him a piece of paper.

  “Here’s the receipt.”

  “…Pardon?”

  “You can request one from the System,” Arin explained. “I asked.”

  Herman stared at the book titled Soul Damage.

  As he read, his face grew paler by the page.

  Fifty pages.

  He finished them far too quickly.

  Now he understood Karl’s look.

  “This…” Herman whispered. “This changes everything.”

  “How did you unlock it?” he asked.

  “I observed my soul while using my Physique,” Arin said excitedly. “That unlocked it. There’s more knowledge hidden—waiting.”

  Herman closed the book slowly.

  “Sofie,” he said, standing, “escort Karl out. And fire the pencil pusher who forgot his station.”

  “Yes, Grandpa.”

  As they left, Herman returned to the meeting room, his mood heavy.

  A month to heal soul damage.

  Three years for full resilience.

  The room felt colder.

  Not long after, a rider was dispatched to the heartlands.