Awakening The Only SSS-Rank Class! Now Even Dragons Obey Me Chapter 871: The Itermediary II

Daniel sat without saying a single word for several minutes, lost in thought.

Serys knew his silence well. Whenever Daniel stared at something like this, his mind was piecing together puzzle fragments at an unimaginable speed, fragments that others didn’t even see existed.

Moreover, since she had asked whether an intermediary really existed, this man had been deep in thought.

As if he was either figuring out how to answer her, or he himself was wondering whether such a thing was even possible.

Finally, Daniel let out a quiet breath.

"We need to find out how Lioran’s connection with the founder was established."

"What do you mean? What difference does it make?" Serys, who hadn’t expected such a sentence, stared at him for a few moments.

Daniel, without answering directly, placed a blank sheet of paper on the table, picked up a pen, and drew three lines on it.

On the first line, he wrote:

"Direct connection."

On the second:

"Connection through an intermediary."

And on the third:

"Combined connection."

He set the pen down quietly.

"If it’s a direct connection, all paths ultimately lead back to Lioran himself. Then there’s no other weak link. And that means we have no choice but to go after him or the founder directly."

Then he pointed to the second option.

"But if there’s an intermediary... that intermediary is the weakest link in the chain. People might not betray their leader... but fear, pain, or death... often breaks loyalty."

In simpler terms, if an intermediary existed, they could go after them and get answers to many of their questions. That way, the founder and Lioran would be less likely to notice the danger, and everything could proceed without issues.

But if they went after Lioran and the founder directly, they would realize something was wrong, and that could ruin everything.

They first needed to find out why the founder supported Lioran so they could stop it.

Serys gradually understood his meaning.

"So first, we need to figure out if such an intermediary even exists."

Daniel nodded.

"Exactly. Before we go after Lioran, we need to know who connected him to the founder."

A few minutes later, they both left the guest quarters.

The silver insignia of the tower leader, now attached to Serys’s robe, acted almost like an absolute command.

Every guard who saw it immediately stepped aside. Every professor who encountered it made way without the slightest objection.

This time, their destination was the forgotten heart of the tower’s history: the Secret Archives.

The massive archive gate was made of a metal that even thousands of years hadn’t been able to dim its quiet luster.

Ancient runes covered its entire surface, and several layers of protective magic made entry impossible for any unauthorized person.

Two elderly guards stepped forward simultaneously.

But as soon as they saw the tower leader’s insignia, they immediately lowered their heads.

"Professor Serys, the doors are open to you."

The runes went out one by one. The heavy sound of the gate opening echoed through the hallway.

Cool air and the smell of old paper and memory crystals welcomed them.

Inside, the archive looked more like an underground city than a library.

Shelves with no visible end, memory crystals floating in glass cases, scrolls sealed with magical chains, ledgers whose age dated back to the tower’s earliest years.

An old man in charge of the archive rose from behind his stone desk.

At first glance, surprise was clearly visible on his face.

"Professor Serys... what do you need?"

"Confidential files related to Lioran." Serys raised the insignia.

They had come to investigate and find the intermediary, and the first step was to review Lioran’s files. Perhaps they could find something there that would help them.

The old man didn’t even ask a single question. He just gave a short bow and went into the depths of the archive.

A few minutes later, he returned with several heavy boxes.

"All of his educational, research, and administrative records."

Daniel immediately opened the first file. The pages turned one after another.

Dates, professors’ names, test results, registered requests, everything was recorded with obsessive precision.

Serys, while opening another file, said quietly:

"Before he awakened his talent... almost no one was willing to be his professor. As you know, the only reason he was even registered in the tower was because of his father and being a Lionheart."

Daniel listened without taking his eyes off the documents.

"Many believed he had no future. Professor Hardin rejected him. Professor Salfus said he wasn’t worth the time."

"Several other professors also turned down his request."

She flipped a few more pages.

Then she paused.

"In the end... only one person accepted him."

"Who?" Daniel immediately raised his head. For a professor to accept a completely untalented student who was only registered because of his family, that truly took courage.

"Professor Ryndor."

A few seconds of silence passed.

This name was not unfamiliar to Daniel. The face of the middle-aged man he had faced in the public debate came alive in his mind again.

A calm, polite, and logical professor... at least on the surface.

"Ryndor..." Daniel repeated the name quietly under his breath.

Serys continued.

"After Lioran awakened his talent... everything changed. Lioran became the tower’s genius. But it wasn’t just him."

She placed several other files side by side.

"From that same time, Ryndor also began to make strange progress. His research budget multiplied. He was transferred to more important halls. He gained more top students. And his influence in the council grew."

"He quickly became one of the tower’s most recognized professors."

"It looks more like a reward." Daniel smiled very faintly.

Serys said nothing, but she felt exactly the same way. Still, it wasn’t strange, after all, his student had become the tower’s most important member.

Daniel suddenly closed the files.

"Bring the founder’s meeting records."

Upon hearing the request, the archive keeper hesitated for a moment.

But again, his gaze fell on the tower leader’s insignia. He said nothing, went to one of the sealed shelves, pulled out a crystal key, unlocked three magical seals, and finally placed a narrow chest on the table.

"All recorded meetings with the founder: names, dates, reasons for the visit, and the tower leader’s authorization."

Daniel opened the ledger. The pages flipped quickly.

Ten years, twenty years, fifty years, a hundred years.

Until suddenly, his finger stopped on one page. His eyes narrowed.

Six visits, all under the same name: Ryndor.

The first visit was recorded only four days after Lioran’s talent awakened.

The second visit, a week later. The third, twelve days later. In total, six meetings, all within just two months.

This pattern was strange and almost unprecedented. No other similar case existed in all of recorded history.

Even the tower leader only visited the founder every few years—not six times in two months! And more importantly, the reason for the visits was recorded as "By the founder’s order."

Meaning the founder himself had requested the meetings with Ryndor.

But after those two months... not even a single other visit was recorded. Serys, now standing beside him, stared at the page.

"Just... those six times?"

Daniel quietly closed the ledger.

"There are two possibilities." He had regained that familiar look again.

A look that showed his mind was analyzing information at breakneck speed.

"Either after that, Lioran’s connection with the founder became direct, or after that, the meetings were no longer recorded... But I don’t know if the second option is possible or not. Is it?" He looked at the girl and asked.

Serys almost wanted to object, but suddenly remembered something. Her face changed color.

"...Wait. There’s one exception." Her voice was lower than ever this time.

"If someone has the founder’s official insignia, the meetings no longer need to be recorded. Even the tower leader can’t stop them or ask for the reason."

"Whenever they want, they can enter the founder’s residence directly."

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. The air in the archive suddenly felt heavier. Daniel smiled quietly, but that smile was not one of satisfaction.

It was more like a hunter who had finally found the direction of the tracks.

"So... now we know what to look for."

His gaze fixed on Ryndor’s name. Then, very quietly, so only he and Serys could hear, he said:

"It’s time... after all this time, to apply a little force in this game."