I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 202: Non-Negotiable

"And Rhaenas doesn’t?"

Victor’s voice shimmers with quiet anger. There is a reason the others elected him as the unofficial leader of the Custodians.

The call falls into silence.

Everyone can feel Victor’s anger and power through the connection. Victor rarely loses his temper, but when he does, no one dares talk back. Not because they respect him.

Because they fear him.

He is the most powerful magus among them, and they all know it.

"I... I..." Isabelle stammers. She realizes too late that she has made a mistake. In defending Ethan, she completely forgot that Maeve is doing the exact same thing, except Maeve shares what she earns.

Victor lets his aura linger.

He has known for a long time that Arcanus is greedy and selfish, but he has always chosen to look the other way.

Now he is forced to face it.

And it angers him more than he expected.

No one speaks after Isabelle falls silent.

The call stays silent for the next few minutes.

Victor takes several slow, steady breaths. He doesn’t like staying angry, but Arcanus keeps testing his patience.

"Look," Victor speaks again.

"Like I said, I have met Rhaenas’ leader, Arthur. After meeting him twice, I like him. I really like him. He’s trustworthy, and I’m willing to vouch for him. And I’ve known Jonathan for a long time. I trust him as well."

He looks at the Arcanus members one by one.

"I’m willing to vouch for Jonathan too. If you don’t believe him and still want to request a formal hearing, then let’s vote. How many of you agree to a formal hearing?"

Victor is certain the vote would be in his favor.

Judging by the sour expressions on Arcanus’ faces, they know it too.

Meanwhile, Vitari and the Neutral faction look visibly relieved.

Lucien, the unofficial spokesperson of Arcanus, looks uneasy. This is the first time Victor has openly opposed them like this. He usually tries to stay neutral and avoid conflict.

This is a bad sign for Arcanus.

Victor has clearly stated that he supports Maeve. The rest of the Neutral faction will automatically follow him.

Arcanus will be outnumbered.

Tsk. We need to build our army faster. The Hunters need to start clearing dungeons now.

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Arthur steps out of the shower, feeling unusually tired.

He doesn’t know why. The dungeons have been easy, his team members are all contributing. Even Maeve, who is taking a break, is helping in her own way.

He agreed to let Maeve rest because he noticed how deeply Jonathan’s disappearance has affected her.

It’s his magic that worries him more.

He can feel himself on the verge of a breakthrough, but for some reason, it hasn’t happened. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

It’s been several weeks already.

Nothing has changed.

Arthur exhales quietly.

He’s drying his hair with a towel when there’s a knock on his door.

Before he can answer, the door opens.

A head of red hair peeks in.

Then a pair of almond-brown eyes.

When those eyes land on Arthur’s bare upper body, they widen. But they don’t look away. The whole face appears next, wearing a grin.

"Oh wow, Class President. You have a nice body. Nice abs too," Claudia teases.

Arthur ignores her. He turns around and reaches for a shirt, his back facing her.

Then he hears her breath hitch.

Arthur freezes.

He realizes his back is covered in scars. Ugly scars.

He quickly pulls the shirt on, covering them, then turns back around, bracing himself for the reaction.

He swallows, preparing for mockery.

But it never comes.

He looks at Claudia, and this time his breath hitches.

She’s not looking at him with disgust.

Not with pity either.

She’s looking at him with understanding.

Pure, uncomplicated understanding. No mockery. No judgment.

Arthur is stunned.

The room falls into silence.

Not an awkward silence.

A comfortable one. The kind that doesn’t need to be filled.

Arthur finds himself smiling without realizing it.

"What do you need, Claudia?" he asks, his voice gentler than usual.

Claudia clears her throat.

"I want to discuss Rhaenas’ hiring terms. I’ve been having trouble because potential clients don’t want to pay our prices," she says smoothly, as if nothing happened.

Arthur buttons his shirt. "Then what do you want to change?"

"I don’t know, Mr. CEO. You’re better at this than me. That’s why I’m discussing it with you," she replies.

Arthur walks over and ruffles her hair. "That’s not discussing. That’s asking. You should learn the difference."

"Hey! That’s my hair!" Claudia tries to swat his hand away, unsuccessfully.

Arthur laughs freely. Something lifts from his chest, something he didn’t realize had been weighing him down for days.

"You want to know what I think, right?" he says. "I say, let them protest. If they don’t want to pay, then we don’t need to do their dungeons. It’s simple. You pay, we do your dungeon. You don’t pay, we don’t do your dungeon."

He walks out of his bedroom with Claudia, shoulders lighter, steps surer.

Claudia’s eyes twinkle. Really twinkle.

"I like that. So basically, I can reject anyone who doesn’t want to pay, right?"

"Yes." Arthur nods without hesitation. "Anyone who doesn’t want to pay. We don’t lower our prices because they’re friends, acquaintances, or powerful families. If they’re truly our friends, they’ll pay. Because they understand what dungeons are. They understand the risk. And they understand that we’re putting our lives on the line."

Claudia exhales slowly, as if something finally clicks into place.

"Makes sense. So far, I’ve been trying to negotiate." She straightens. "After this, I won’t."

Arthur smirks. "I’ll let you in on another trick."

"Oh?" Claudia mirrors his grin. "Do tell."

"Every time they ask for a lower price, you raise it," Arthur says calmly.

Claudia freezes.

Then—

"Ooh! I like that. No. I love that!" She almost claps, then turns and smacks his back hard.

"I like you, Class President! I knew you were smart!"

Arthur laughs again, louder this time, feeling for the first time that Rhaenas is no longer just strong.

They’re in control.