Three Divine Wishes: Yes, I'm OP!

[A/N: Well... the last Chapter probably should have been the first of this volume, but oh well. Welcome to Volume 2!]

----

Back at the Academy of Veils, soft light from the seven suns filtered through the tall crystal windows of the Planning and War Room.

The tactical map still hovered above the polished stone table, its surface now entirely claimed in the deep purple of Academy control.

Harlan Steele settled into his chair with a slow, satisfied smile. He leaned back, fingers steepled, and let his gaze drift across the final markers of the Southern Continent.

"With that... The first step is complete," he said, voice calm and carrying quiet pride. "Now we set our sights on the Western Continent."

Luna and Yume exchanged a brief, knowing glance across the table.

Soft amusement flickered in Luna’s pink-and-purple eyes while Yume’s cooler expression held a sharper edge of shared understanding.

Harlan turned toward them, a light, almost joking tone entering his voice.

"I wonder... if we finish the full conquest well ahead of schedule, do you think Lord Dream might offer us a particularly nice reward?"

Yume scoffed quietly and propped her elbow on the table, resting her cheek against her hand. Blue-streaked hair drifted as she looked at the headmaster with open dryness.

"Tsk.... more like a swift death." She said before she continued. "You do realize... that we know, Headmaster."

At the sheer randomness of her words, Harlan’s brow lifted in mild surprise.

Inside, however, his thoughts promptly scattered in every direction, latching onto the most unrelated and arbitrary notions he could muster.

’Let’s see... the current growth rate of the eastern herb gardens, the latest tally of training swords, the precise number of recruits accepted last month...’

Absolutely anything, so long as it had nothing whatsoever to do with the conversation unfolding before him.

Catching the flicker of his thoughts, Luna let out a soft, amused chuckle that broke the short silence between them.

"Oh, Harlan... hiding your thoughts won’t do you any good," she said, her tone airy yet carrying an unmistakable undercurrent of certainty.

"It’s far too late for that, you know. We’ve been aware of your little... project for the past three years—ever since the day we first crossed paths again."

A hint of color drained from Harlan’s face, though he maintained a carefully composed mask, still feigning mild confusion as though nothing had been revealed.

"Mistress Luna... Mistress Yume, I’m not sure what you two are getting at," he said.

Yume tilted her head slightly, blue-streaked hair shifting with the motion. Her voice remained calm and precise.

"Is that so, huh?"

She let the silence fill the room again, the soft hum of the tactical map suddenly feeling much louder.

Harlan’s heartbeat quickened, and a thin sheen of sweat formed at his temples.

’Just... how strong are they?’ he wondered.

Even after reaching the peak of the Star Union, he still couldn’t gauge the power of either Yume or Luna.

And hell, he couldn’t even see Luna clearly—an obvious sign of the gap between them.

Still, after Number One’s warning, he couldn’t stop himself from trying to help his lone disciple.

Though... it was only an escape route to another world.

His fingers gripped the table’s edge tighter, and the scattered thoughts he had been clinging to as a shield began to crumble under the weight of their quiet certainty.

Yume’s gaze never wavered.

"Well, where is that disciple of yours... Tyron Alabaster?"

Harlan took a slow, steady breath.

The facade finally broke, and he sat up straighter in his chair, the polished composure of the Headmaster slipping into something weightier and more genuine.

"Alright... I admit I helped him leave," he said, voice low, "But... it was only because I did not want his foolish ways to ruin the bright future he still has."

Luna clicked her tongue softly, the sharp sound cutting through the stillness of the room. A faint, almost wistful smile of disappointment curved her lips as she pushed herself up from the chair.

"Oh, and here I was hoping you’d keep playing the fool just a little longer."

Yume rose too, and together they turned toward the door.

Luna lingered for a heartbeat, glancing back over her shoulder, her pink-and-purple hair falling in loose strands around a face now stripped of any trace of warmth.

"Lord Dream will be informed of this matter," she said.

"So, it would be best if you do not place yourself in an even tougher position. Focus on the task he has given you. Perhaps that will earn you a chance at living."

They walked out without saying another word, the heavy door shutting behind them with a quiet, final click.

Harlan remained seated in the sudden silence of the Planning and War Room.

Sweat ran freely down the side of his face now, soaking into the collar of his robes. His hands trembled once against the polished stone table.

’Did I truly make a mistake by sending Tyron away?’

The question circled endlessly in his mind. And if he was being honest with himself... he was not even certain the boy was still alive.

-----

Far to the east, on the frozen borders of the Kingdom of Blackwood, the wind howled nonstop.

And... Melvin Blackwood stood alone amid a sea of enemies.

Hundreds of thousands of Barbarians and Storm Dragons filled the snow-choked plains, their war cries shaking the air, their weapons and claws raised toward the single figure that had held this border for three unbroken years.

CRACKKKLEEEEE!!!!!!

ROOOOARRRRRR!!!!!

Lightning danced over scaled backs, while heavy axes and spears shimmered with a frost not their own.

The earth shook at the march of the horde.

Yet, just as he had for the past three years, Melvin stayed silent.

He simply... moved.

HUM!!!

In that moment, the Eternal Blade of Frost sang a low, hungry note as it left its sheath.

[Absolute Frost Dominion (Above Origin)]

[Winter’s Sovereign Veil (Above Origin)

HUMMMMM!!!!!

The moment he tapped into two of his innate powers, the air grew bitingly cold.

Each breath turned into tiny ice crystals before it even left the lips.

The movements of the closest warriors dragged into a sluggish crawl as Winter’s Sovereign Veil rolled in, blanketing the land and snuffing out warmth and any sense of haste.

A Barbarian chieftain roared from the front ranks, voice raw with disbelief.

"Th... three years! One man holding an entire border for three years—"

SHKKKKK!!!!!

The words had barely left his mouth when Melvin’s blade flashed once.

[Ice Affinity]

In moments, the manipulation of his affinity caught the man’s swinging axe mid-arc and turned it into fragile, glittering ice.

And... Melvin’s follow-up cut was almost gentle.

The Eternal Blade grazed the man’s throat, sending a spray of blood that froze mid-air into a flawless arc of crimson crystal.

The chieftain’s body locked solid before it could fall, becoming another silent statue among the snow.