The rusted iron door of the dungeon didn't just open; it was flung wide by a man whose fingers rattled against the keys like dry bones. Count Valmont no longer carried the posture of a provincial ruler. He looked like a man who had seen the shadow of the noose and was now frantically trying to negotiate with the rope.
"It... it was all a regrettable oversight, Master Valerius," Valmont stammered. His voice was thin, watery, and lacked the bite it had possessed only hours ago.
Dorian remained seated on the moldering straw, his sapphire eyes tracking the Count with the clinical detachedness of a butcher weighing a carcass. He didn't rise. He simply let the silence grow, heavy and suffocating, until the Count's silk doublet began to darken with fresh perspiration.
"And these?" Dorian lifted his wrists. The heavy manacles clinked, a sharp, metallic sound that seemed to make Valmont flinch.
"Harek! Remove these at once!" Valmont's scream echoed down the stone corridor, shrill and panicked.
As the metal fell away, Dorian stood, his movements slow and deliberate. Without the iron biting into his skin, his Holy Resonance surged. It didn't 'shimmer' or 'dance'; it was a cold, crystalline pressure that pushed against the very walls of the cell.
"The donation?" Dorian asked, his voice a low, dangerous hum.
"Already processed," Valmont nodded frantically. "Three years of tuition for the girl, Elena. Paid in full. And a further five thousand gold for the Academy scholarship fund. All in your name."
Dorian's lips thinned into a smile that held no warmth.
*Ding!*
**[Good Deed Detected: Extorting the Corrupt for the Benefit of the Deserving.]**
**[Faith Points Received: +50]**
**[Current FP: (9,999,400 points deducted)]**
Dorian stepped past the Count, his boots silent on the damp granite. He didn't look back at the cell next to his, where Kaelen Thorne lay in a dreamless sleep. The future 'Blade Saint' was a piece on the board he would move when the time was right.
As he emerged from the Valmont Keep, the morning air hit him like a physical blow. It was crisp, smelling of pine and the cold, ozone tang of the cliffside. Professor Aris leaned against the stone archway of the gates, her hawk like eyes scanning him for any sign of weakness.
"The Count decided justice was a burden he no longer wished to carry?" Aris asked.
"He realized that his son's health was directly tied to his own generosity," Dorian replied, walking past her.
"The retainers are whispering, Valerius," Aris fell into step beside him. "They say you mentioned a 'ledger.' They say the Count looked like he'd been visited by a ghost."
"People whisper when they are confronted with a truth they cannot buy," Dorian stopped at the cliff's edge. "But tell me, Professor... has the Headmaster acknowledged my 'generous' contribution?"
"He has. He is, to put it mildly, baffled. A student with zero resonance who suddenly manifests enough power to cripple a noble and then donates a small fortune."
"Then I'm pleased to be the cause of his confusion," Dorian's voice dropped. "But remember, Aris... my soul is a mirror. If you see something ugly in it, perhaps you should look at what's standing in front of it."
He didn't wait for her retort. He began the descent toward the Academy, every step a calculated move. He wasn't doing this for the sake of 'good.' He was doing this because power required a foundation, and he was currently building his out of the bones of his enemies.
By the time he reached the Academy courtyard, the rumors had outpaced him. Dorian Valerius, the boy who should have been a corpse, was walking back onto the grounds with the bearing of a conqueror. He spotted Julian Valmont at a stone table, his wrist in a bulky mass of bandages. When the boy's eyes met Dorian's, he didn't bark an insult. He looked down at his bowl, his shoulders hunching in fear.
Dorian didn't even slow his pace. The boy was a broken tool, no longer worth the effort of a glance.
***
**Author's Note:** The Count has been humbled, but the true game is just beginning. If you're enjoying Dorian's ruthless approach to "Saintly" deeds, show your support with **Power Stones**! Your votes directly influence the release of the next chapters. Are you ready for the combat training in **Chapter 8**? Let us know!