Chapter 1: The Ordinary Genius
Rain pattered softly against the tall windows of the city's largest academy, a place where heroes and prodigies were supposedly born or so the pamphlets claimed. Among the crowd of dazzling students stood one boy whose presence was… almost laughably ordinary. His black hair fell messily over sharp eyes that, if you looked closely, seemed far too knowing for someone of his age.
"Lave… what are you doing here?" asked a classmate, eyeing him with curiosity and suspicion.
Lave or so the world thought shrugged lazily. "Just… enjoying the rain." His tone was bland, bored. The student frowned. How could someone so average-looking exude an air of competence that made everyone uncomfortable?
In truth, Lave was anything but ordinary. He had spent his previous life mastering every conceivable skill: swordsmanship, magic, strategy, infiltration even knowledge of secret organizations and conspiracies that spanned nations. In this life, he intentionally hid all of it, crafting a façade of mediocrity so flawless that no one suspected the storm lying dormant within him.
He adjusted his bag and strolled through the crowded corridors. His mind was elsewhere, already imagining his very own organization: one that would operate in the shadows, pulling strings and controlling events without anyone ever knowing. Fame, glory, or accolades held no interest for him. His true ambition was far more entertaining: to become the unseen hand guiding the world's chaos the Phantom Sovereign.
It began with the smallest step: an anonymous tip to the city guard about a minor bandit gang. He knew exactly where they would strike next and, predictably, they did. Conveniently "thwarted" by a mysterious figure no one had seen or knew, whose legend would begin to spread.
From a rooftop across the city, Lave watched the chaos unfold. He smirked faintly. The world had no idea that the boy they thought harmless, even weak, was already orchestrating events with masterful precision.
Recruiting the First Member
In a dim corner of the city's bustling marketplace, a girl with fiery red hair and a knack for hacking and minor illusions tried to pickpocket a nobleman. Naturally, she failed miserably.
Lave, pretending to trip over a crate, "accidentally" saved the nobleman with an awkward dive. The girl blinked, caught in the act.
"You're… not going to report me?" she asked, suspicion thick in her voice.
Lave yawned. "Nah. But… I might need someone like you. Ever thought about working for someone… bigger?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Bigger than the thieves' guild? And what would you even want with me?"
"I'm… assembling a team," he said, shrugging as if it were a casual weekend hobby. "Call it… a club."
The girl hesitated, then nodded cautiously. Something about him… she couldn't explain it. A nagging feeling that this ordinary-looking boy wasn't what he seemed.
Thus, the first piece of his shadow organization clicked into place.
Comedic Misunderstandings
Back at the academy, Lave was known as the perfect example of mediocrity. Teachers dismissed him. Students mocked him. And yet, at every turn, he secretly solved mysteries, stopped small disasters, and manipulated situations so subtly that the public credited coincidence.
One day, a supposed "elite hero candidate" tried to provoke him into a duel. Lave, feigning clumsiness, tripped and accidentally knocked the boy unconscious with one hand. Rumors spread that he was either cursed, stupidly lucky, or hilariously weak. The truth? He had intentionally held back a fraction of his power.
The hilarity of the misunderstanding wasn't lost on him. He smiled to himself as students whispered about the "clumsy genius," completely unaware of the storm beneath the surface.
Foreshadowing True Power
That night, Lave sat atop the academy's roof, watching the city lights reflect on the rain-soaked streets. A faint, otherworldly glow shimmered from his hands as he practiced spells no one would believe existed. Swords appeared and vanished at his command, and tactical diagrams formed midair with a mere thought.
"This is only the beginning," he murmured, eyes glinting with anticipation. "By the time the world realizes anything… I'll already be everywhere."
Somewhere in the shadows, the first whispers of his coming legend began to circulate. A name nobody knew, a figure nobody saw: the true puppet master behind events, the invisible hand shaping destiny.
Lave the Phantom Sovereign was awake.