After hearing Rhys’s explanation, the room fell into silence.Everyone quietly sorted through the information he had laid out. The pieces finally fit together in a way none of them had considered before.Nayla closed her eyes and slowly exhaled a stream of smoke.“I see.” She gave a small nod. “That’s certainly one way to look at it.”Rhys nodded in return.“Yes. I think our next priority should be finding the person behind that curse.”He looked at William’s lifeless body.“Anyone capable of placing a curse this powerful can’t be an ordinary mage. His mastery should be comparable to the principal’s. Once we identify him, we’ll naturally uncover far more about the organization itself.”“Hahahaha!”Revon burst into laughter before slapping Rhys hard across the back.“I like you now, newbie!”The force nearly made Rhys stumble forward.Revon laughed even louder.“I’m terrible at all this planning.”“You people can sit around discussing strategies for hours, and I still won’t understand

“Did you notice what happened?” the principal asked with a smile after sending Meave’s staff flying into the air.Meave kept her eyes on the floating weapon before answering.“I noticed a brief burst of Mana from below.”She frowned thoughtfully.“It happened very quickly, so I could barely react to it.”“Correct.”The principal nodded.He raised a finger.The staff, which had started falling, suddenly stopped in midair. It remained perfectly still, as though an invisible hand had caught it.“What about now?”Meave studied it carefully.“You’re using Mana to hold the staff.”She lowered her head in thought.“I’ve done something similar before… back on the island.”“You have.”The principal nodded approvingly.“It’s the same basic technique you used to carry water.”“But…”Meave narrowed her eyes.“My version didn’t use concentrated Mana.”“Exactly.”The principal smiled.“That’s one of today’s lessons.”He bent down and drew a rectangle on the ground with Mana.At each corner, he wrot

“Hmm…”Meave rubbed the sleep from her eyes and let out a quiet yawn as she climbed out of bed.Her plan was simple. She would summon Risa, prepare breakfast, then continue practicing the techniques the principal had taught them over the last two days.But the moment she stepped into the living room, she froze.A sealed letter rested neatly on the table.“…Rhys?”She raised her voice and peeked into the bedroom.He was still asleep, sprawled across the bed without the slightest intention of waking up.“So it wasn’t you…”Her gaze returned to the letter.“No ordinary person could get in here without us noticing…”She frowned.“Someone powerful?”She carefully picked it up.The moment she turned it over and saw the signature, everything became clear.“It was from the principal…”She slowly unfolded the paper.⸻This is Leyfon.The first time I witnessed your talent, I immediately realized it resembled my own.However, I believe your potential in Mana Manipulation exceeds even mine.I ha

A few days later…Rhys relaxed on a beach chair with a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes. He wore nothing but a pair of swimming trunks as he stretched lazily beneath the warm sunlight.“This is nice.”“Hmm.” Gealion lay comfortably under the beach umbrella, shielding himself from the sun. “It’s a little hot, but I don’t mind. It’s actually pretty relaxing.”“I agree.”Anubis scooped up a handful of sand and let it slowly slip through his fingers.“The texture is completely different from the desert where I used to live.”He crouched down and continued examining it with genuine curiosity, fascinated by the differences.Nidhogg, meanwhile, couldn’t have cared less.The black dragon simply slept beside them as if the world around him didn’t exist.After enjoying the peaceful atmosphere for a while, Gealion suddenly spoke.“By the way…”“If we’re talking about the sea, what kind of Divine Beast could you summon from here?”Rhys thought for a moment.“I’m honestly not sure.”“There are

“Heh. You’re nothing compared to me.” Meave’s second mother smiled as she slapped Meave’s biological mother across the face. “You…” Her biological mother instinctively wanted to retaliate. But the second wife only smiled wider. “What?” “You don’t have any status anymore.” “Who exactly are you relying on now?” “You shameless woman.” Meave’s mother bit down on her lip. “You betrayed your own husband just to cling to the Talen family.” “The only thing I’m hearing is a sore loser making excuses.” The second wife looked completely unbothered. Meave’s mother clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. “…Just you wait.” She turned around and walked away. Hidden behind a nearby corner, young Meave watched everything in silence. Scenes like this had become common long before she understood what they truly meant. Unfortunately… Every argument between those two women eventually found its way back to her. The hatred her mother couldn’t vent