Karpeta’s eyes widened, horrified.“My… family?” she whispered, fear creeping into her voice.Ethan, standing silently beside Norka, met Malikar’s glare evenly. His expression calm, controlled, but unmistakably firm.The tension in the chamber thickened to a tangible weight, everyone waiting to see if Norka would bend—or if Malikar’s fury would meet the immovable force of her authority.Malikar’s eyes kept burning as he stared at the two of them standing so close together.Too close.Far too close.To him, the sight was unbearable.His jaw trembled with rage.“So this is it?” he said bitterly, his voice echoing across the room. “You dismiss us… lock yourself away with this stranger… and then emerge as if nothing happened?”No one answered.Karpeta looked from her aunt to Ethan, confusion clouding her face.“Aunty… what is going on?” she asked softly.Norka did not respond to her.Her gaze remained fixed on Malikar.Cold.Unimpressed.Malikar noticed the way Ethan stood beside her—calm

One of them, an older man in dark noble robes, frowned.“What is happening here?”Another woman beside him looked around nervously. “Why is everyone shouting?”Malikar turned sharply toward them, his fury still burning.“What is happening?” he barked. “I will tell you exactly what is happening!”He pointed a trembling finger straight at Ethan.“That man! That charlatan!”Several of the Parveja members looked confused.“Charlatan?” one of them murmured.Malikar’s voice rose again.“Yes! This fraud has somehow charmed Lady Norka and turned her against the guild!”Norka’s eyes immediately hardened.“Do not twist the truth,” she said coldly.Malikar scoffed loudly. “The truth? The truth is that you have allowed this man to manipulate you!”“I have not been charmed,” Norka replied sharply.The older Parveja noble looked between them in confusion.“Lady Norka… what is he talking about?”Norka gestured calmly toward Ethan.“This man,” she said, “has just healed me.”Murmurs rippled through t

Even Karpeta, usually timid, found her voice rising. “Aunty… how can you look at us and say you do not care? How can you betray us like this?!” Norka remained completely calm, her gaze unwavering, though a flicker of doubt passed through Karpeta’s eyes. Malikar folded his arms, his expression almost smug. “You hear them,” he said coldly. “Your own family sees the truth. They know who is thinking clearly, and who is blinded by… sentiment.” Raveth stepped closer to her, voice low but dripping with wrath. “Think carefully, Norka. Do not act out of whim or emotion. This is not just about a man—it is about every Parveja who came before you and every one who will come after. Your selfishness could undo it all.” Selvara pressed her lips together, urgency cracking her voice. “Do you truly value one life over the countless sacrifices of our family? Over the generations of toil, the trust, the protection we have built?!” Tarin’s eyes were wide, furious. “You are acting not only reckle

“That is called verification.” “No,” Ethan replied calmly. “That is called wounded pride.” A ripple moved through the room. Malikar’s eyes flashed dangerously. “You dare—” Ethan cut him off again. “Lady Norka has already stated she does not consent to another examination.” He shrugged slightly. “So the matter is simple.” Malikar’s voice dropped into a low growl. “This is not your decision.” Ethan met his gaze. “Correct.” Then he tilted his head slightly. “But it is hers.” For a moment, the chamber was silent. Then the Parveja family members exploded. “This is outrageous!” Tarin snapped, stepping forward so sharply that his chair scraped loudly across the floor. His eyes burned with fury as he pointed directly at Ethan. “You dare accuse a guild examiner of wounded pride?” Selvara’s glare was even colder. “You’ve overstepped yourself completely,” she said, her voice dripping with contempt. “You are a stranger in this house, yet you presume to lecture us about our own

Ethan turned the vial slowly between his fingers one last time.The violet liquid shimmered faintly in the glass.Then he lowered it.“That’s it?” he said calmly.The room went quiet.Ethan looked at Malikar.“This potion…” he said flatly, “…is nothing but a weak and useless mixture.”For a second, nobody reacted.Then the chamber exploded.“WHAT?!”Malikar’s face instantly turned crimson with rage.“You insolent fool!” he roared. “You dare insult my work?!”The other alchemists were equally furious.“How dare you!”“You ignorant charlatan!”“You probably cannot even identify half the herbs inside that vial!”Selvara turned sharply toward Ethan.“This is outrageous!”Raveth shook his head angrily.“Such arrogance from someone who has done nothing to prove himself!”Tarin sneered openly.“You call that useless? That potion is worth more than your entire life.”Luthien scoffed.“You are humiliating yourself.”Darek added coldly,“You clearly have no understanding of alchemy.”Even Karpe