CHAPTER 64: Destruction of the Azirph Family.
Aiden glanced at Olivia for a moment before he turned away. The slight shift of his eyes wasn't obvious to anyone else, but Olivia noticed it clearly.
She slowly sat back in her seat, her brows rising just a little. She had seen the way Aiden was observing her—quiet, careful, and without any change in expression.
She looked at him for a moment longer, scanning Aiden from head to toe. She studied his calm posture, his steady breathing, and the way he held his book with cold indifference.
After a few seconds, she opened her own book and began reading, pretending not to care, but her mind was still lingering on him. She felt discomfort as if Aiden knew who she was.
After everyone finished introducing themselves, Professor Logan finally started his lecture. His deep voice filled the entire class hall as he explained basic mana theory and the nature of fire mana.
He talked about how to control fire mana more efficiently in battle, how to increase the heat concentration without wasting energy, and how to balance mana flow during rapid attacks.
He even explained different battle strategies—how to work together in a group, how every mage had a role on the battlefield, and how they needed to understand each other's strengths and weaknesses to fight as one unit.
Every student sat straight as they listened carefully. Some were whispering the professor's words to themselves to memorize them better, some were writing everything down quickly, and others nodded along with serious expressions on their faces.
But to Aiden, who was already a Stage 2 mana cultivator, all of this was nothing new. He had learned all of this long ago from his parents and the many teachers he had before coming here.
This class offered him no new knowledge. So he just sat there silently, listening only out of respect but not gaining anything useful.
Two long hours passed before Logan finally ended the class. All the students stretched their bodies and began leaving the class hall. There was still one hour left before the next class would start, so Aiden decided to visit William—he had a few important questions, and he also had a request he needed to ask him.
Aiden stepped out of the fire department building and walked through the wide corridors. Students passed by him, talking among themselves, but he ignored everything as he made his way to the principal's office. The hallways were quiet compared to the earlier crowd, and his footsteps echoed softly as he walked.
After a few minutes, he reached the large wooden door with a metal plate that read Principal's Office. He raised his hand and knocked gently.
A few seconds later, William's voice came from inside."Come in."
Aiden opened the door and walked inside. William looked up from his desk, his eyes filled with curiosity, the moment he saw who it was. He clearly wanted to know why Aiden had come to see him.
William pointed toward the chair in front of him and said."Come, sit."
Aiden walked over and sat down calmly. He waited quietly, looking straight at William without blinking.
William leaned back slightly and said, "You fought with David in the morning, even when I told you not to cause too many conflicts."
Aiden didn't say a word. He didn't nod, didn't shake his head—he just looked into William's eyes with the same calm, unreadable expression.
William sighed and said, "Well… it can't be helped. It was David who started it. But you should have been careful."
He paused for a moment, then continued, his voice turning more serious.
"You didn't know that the Aimiel family has been a subordinate family to the Draconia family for many years. The Draconia family sent David to test you. And you… You just did what they wanted."
Aiden heard this, and he felt surprised. At the same time, he felt alarmed and threatened. His body stiffened slightly.
He recalled his actions from the morning and thought about how impulsive he had been. He had acted without thinking. Now that he understood the bigger picture, regret washed over him. He stayed silent, lost in deep thoughts.
William watched him closely before warning him with a grave tone.
"The Draconia family has already taken note of you. Now, they will try to make your life at the academy much more difficult. You should be prepared to face anything they throw at you. I can protect you from high-level threats, but not from other students. You will have to deal with them yourself."
Aiden heard this as he slowly came back to reality. He nodded seriously, understanding the weight of William's words.
Seeing this, William relaxed his shoulders a bit and asked,"So, why did you come to my office?"
Aiden looked at him and replied, "I want to ask you about something. And I also have a request."
William nodded."Go ahead. Tell me what you want to know, and tell me your request."
Aiden leaned forward slightly and said, "I want to know the history about the Azirph family… and why they were destroyed and are called traitors."
William raised his brows. He did not expect Aiden to ask about this topic. After thinking for a few seconds, he finally spoke.
"So you want to know about the Azirph family. I will tell you about them. But to understand them, you need to know about the noble system of this continent."
He continued slowly so Aiden wouldn't miss anything.
"In this continent, there is no royal family like in the other continents. There is no king. Here, each noble family rules their own region, and they formed an alliance to defend against the other continents."
"In this alliance, one family is selected as the Alliance Head. That family leads all the noble families. They hold the highest authority. You can consider this family as the royal family of this continent."
"The Alliance Head is chosen based on power. The family with the highest number of Stage 4 and Stage 5 mana cultivators becomes the leader."
"For the past twenty years, the Draconia family has been the Alliance Head. But before them… the Azirph family held that position. Their bloodline specialty was parasitic mana, just like how the Draconia family has lightning mana."
"Azirph family had been the Alliance Head for a century. But suddenly, they were accused of being traitors. The accusation was that they had colluded with the royal family of the Northern Continent and planned to hand this continent over to them."
William shook his head as he continued.
"But all of it was false. Lies created by the Draconia family and their supporters. In reality, the Draconia family was the one secretly working with the royal family of the Northern Continent."
He continued with a heavy voice.
"There were many traitors inside the Azirph family, too. Because of them, many fake proofs were found. So all the noble families turned against the Azirph family."
"A massive war began. Even though the Azirph family was strong, they were still outnumbered. The whole continent united against them. A large-scale war broke out, and in the end, the Azirph family was destroyed."
"But… the other families also suffered great losses."
William took a deep breath before saying the last part.
"The family head of the Azirph family… he was one step away from becoming a Stage 6 Angel. A being mentioned only in myths. He was the strongest man on this continent."
"He made a deal with all the noble families. In exchange for his life, they would spare the remaining children of the Azirph family."
"Everyone feared him, so they accepted the deal. The family head sacrificed himself, and some of their children survived. The war ended after that."
Aiden listened to everything carefully. His heart felt heavy. He felt bad for the Azirph family… and for his teacher. At the same time, his hatred for the Draconia family grew inside him, deeper and darker than before. His desire to destroy them increased even more.
The room was silent for a few seconds. William then asked,"What was the request you wanted to make?"
Aiden composed himself and said, "I want a separate training room so I can train in peace."
William nodded without hesitation."No problem. I will arrange one of my private training rooms for you."
Aiden felt a little surprised. He did not expect William to grant this request so easily.
William then added,"Do you have anything else to say? I am a very busy person."
Aiden shook his head. He stood up, bowed respectfully, and left the principal's office.
William watched him leave and smiled slightly to himself.
"He has become a lot more respectful than before."
Author's Note: Aiden learns about the destruction of the Azirph Family as his hatred for the Draconia family increases even more.