“…That was quite reckless, Erekaya.”

Inside the chairperson’s office, Lisitia von Edelstein, the chairperson of Nineveh, sighed as she addressed Erekaya.

“I’ve heard all about it. You ended up in quite a predicament during your duel with Altina von Rudel Seryas.”

“…Predicament? I was merely doing my best during the duel assessment.”

“That’s precisely what made it a predicament.”

Buzz—

The chairperson concentrated her aura in her right hand, compressing it, and then channeled it into Erekaya’s wounds.

The essence of the aura was none other than life energy.

Aura, as a force combining the life energy inherent in all humans with the magical energy in the atmosphere, could be utilized not only for destruction but also for healing others and rejuvenating their vitality.

With the chairperson personally channeling the aura to heal Erekaya, her sword wounds began to heal at a noticeable speed.

It was an unbelievable sight, as if time were being reversed. Yet, for Erekaya, it was a scene all too familiar.

After all, it was the chairperson who had played the role of her mentor and helped her reach the mastery level.

Thus, while the chairperson was healing Erekaya’s wounds at a speed faster than most disciples or magicians, her own face remained rigid.

It was slow. Normally, she would have already healed Erekaya’s wounds, but for some reason, the healing speed was strangely sluggish.

“…Indeed, there’s residual aura remaining within the wounds you received, Erekaya. And that residual aura is resisting the aura I’m trying to channel, further impeding the healing process.”

Just moments ago, Erekaya had sustained injuries during her duel with Altina.

And within the wounds she bore was not only her aura or the chairperson’s but that of a third party.

Therefore, when everything was taken into account, the conclusion that could be drawn was singular.

“How astonishing. Altina von Rudel Seryas has truly reached the mastery level.”

The chairperson exclaimed, her tone incredulous.

Even someone like her, who had been hailed as a genius from a young age, had entered the mastery level in her early twenties.

And being recognized as entering the mastery level in her early twenties—setting aside the Seven Heroes—was celebrated as an unprecedented achievement in the continent’s history.

Yet now, to find not one, but two individuals at such a young age who had reached the mastery level mocking her?

“Well, it’s not crucial that Altina von Rudel Seryas has indeed reached the mastery level in the current situation, so let’s set that aside. There are plenty of other issues stacked up like mountains at this point.”

The chairperson pressed on her temples, seemingly plagued by a headache, and finally spoke.

“Setting aside everything else, I only have one question to pose. Erekaya, why on earth did you reveal during this duel that you had reached the mastery level?”

At least in terms of keeping their composure, both of them hadn’t incited their auras in their swords. However, to the chairperson, the actions of Erekaya and Altina today were akin to shouting from the rooftops that they had ascended to the mastery level.

As a result of their duel, the training ground had literally been reduced to rubble, and not only were the barriers surrounding it destroyed, but buildings nearby had also collapsed due to the aftermath.

By this point, anyone with a keen perception would have figured it out.

That the dominant influence of their prowess was not at the level of ordinary students, but rather that of a master, a being referred to as the absolute ruler of humanity.
“Your actions this time are uncharacteristic of you, Erekaya, who dislikes taking risks. After all, weren’t you the one who suggested hiding the fact that you had reached the mastery level out of concern for drawing attention from others?”

“…That’s…”

Erekaya had no way to excuse herself for that, even if she had ten mouths. However, it wasn’t a matter of simply stating the truth either.

How could she possibly speak in front of the chairperson?

Originally, she had intended to just go through the motions instead of battling at full strength, but after learning that that man had taken on the role of Altina’s mentor, she had almost lost her composure!

…And the fact that if she were to defeat Altina, it might spark some kind of interest in her from him was also part of her reckless ambition.

The chairperson was still unaware that this man, Jin, actually descended from the Pendragon lineage.

Of course, the chairperson wasn’t completely oblivious and had some inkling, but her suspicions would remain just that—suspicions—with no concrete evidence to substantiate it.

It wasn’t that the chairperson didn’t believe; rather, she simply wanted to approach this matter with caution.

This man, Jin, was a descendant of the Pendragon family—exiled from the house fifty years ago.

Even though she was the primary reason behind the ruin of Jin’s life, the blood and kinship they inherited proved that they had an inseparable bond.

He had always been alone until now. Because Erekaya had made it that way.

He’d lived his life up to this point without relying on anyone because Erekaya had created that environment for him.

And Erekaya had been unable to rescue Jin, who found himself isolated in that environment—no, she hadn’t even known he existed until he arrived in Nineveh.

While he went through a lonely and desolate childhood, she could only find happiness all by herself—

In this context, Erekaya perhaps had no right to call that man ‘family.’

And precisely because of that, she could not remain still at this moment.

If she turned a blind eye to her past mistakes, distancing herself and doing nothing under the pretense of ignorance, then this moment would remain unchanged.

Ultimately, Erekaya had no choice but to approach this issue with extreme caution.

She harbored no desire to repeat the same mistakes or commit the same errors.

“…..”

Seeing Erekaya’s demeanor, the chairperson let out a silent sigh.

It seemed that the lord she had chosen to serve was not particularly fond of discussing the events that had transpired today.

“…Well then, I understand. If that’s how you feel, let’s set this issue aside for now. There’s also an important matter that I need to report to you.”

“Report? What is it?”

“Yes, I have news that a certain clue has been discovered which may uncover the hidden past of that man, Jin.”

“A clue?”

In that instant, Erekaya raised an eyebrow.

Just a short while ago, when she had met with the chairperson, she had been informed that no clues could be found. How had they suddenly managed to uncover something now?

Considering the meticulousness of the Pendragon family and the elders behind them, any clues regarding Jin’s origins would have surely vanished long ago.

“Of course, I didn’t hold out much hope in that regard either. As you know, the elders of the family are notoriously tenacious about such matters.”
“However, upon further thought, I realized there’s a more efficient method than rummaging through the family’s old records.”

“What is it?”

“Honestly, it’s nothing special. It’s simply the idea that, even if we don’t know much about that man, others might know something about him.”

The chairperson subtly spread a rumor throughout Nineveh.

The rumor stated that Jin was not just a simple commoner, but rather a hidden scion of a prominent noble family known to every student attending Nineveh.

If someone who knows something about Jin’s origins exists, there would surely be some reaction from somewhere. And even if nothing comes of it, all the students of Nineveh would be wary about touching Jin, which would mean there would be no downside for the chairperson.

Truthfully, she didn’t hold out much hope. Simply spreading such nonsense wouldn’t miraculously reveal long-lost clues, after all.

Yet truly, a clue had been discovered.

“There’s a servant who usually cleans his room, and they mentioned something interesting. There is a family photo hanging in one corner of his room, and the overall appearance of that family looks oddly noble. So, it seems that the notion of that man being of noble descent is not entirely unfounded…” she relayed.

Thump—

At that moment, Erekaya’s heart began to race fiercely.

A family photo.

His family.

His true family, with whom he should have shared all the rights and happiness as a descendant of Pendragon.

The image of a warm family that had been shattered by Erekaya del Pendragon and the Pendragon Duke household.

Could all of that be contained within that single photo?

“…Where is that photo now?”

For some reason, her tongue felt dry. Erekaya, attempting to conceal the anxiousness that surged from deep within, quietly spoke to the chairperson.

“Well… for some reason, it seems that he removed the photo from his room starting yesterday. I also entered his room while he was away, but ultimately, I couldn’t find the photo.”

“…What about creating a montage based on the servant’s testimony?”

“I considered that as well, but the servant’s memory was rather vague. They could only remember that the individuals in the family photo all had black hair.”

Black hair.

A family with black hair. And a small boy with black hair.

A family photo that captured their likeness…

An inexplicable emotion stirred within her heart. It was a strange sensation, as though a bug was wriggling in her mind, akin to someone squeezing her heart tightly.

Trying hard to ignore that feeling, Erekaya clenched her hands firmly.

“…So, aside from the cleaning servant, no one else has seen that photo?”

“Yes, as of now that seems to be the case. However, upon checking the dormitory access logs, it turns out there has been one person who has visited the room where that man is living.”

“Who is it?”

Just as Erekaya posed her urgent question, the chairperson hesitated, deliberating whether to answer, before finally speaking reluctantly.

“…Altina.”

“Altina von Rudel Seryas. She is the only person you are familiar with who has access records to that man’s room.”