Night had fully descended upon Aetherial Island.
The noise surrounding the admission results had finally begun to fade.
Students who had passed celebrated.
Those who failed departed quietly.
Some cried.
Some laughed.
Some swore to return next year.
And some simply sat alone beneath the moonlight, staring at the academy that had rejected them.
Such scenes repeated every year.
Dreams were born here.
And dreams died here.
Aetherial Institute remained indifferent to both.
The academy district remained illuminated by countless magical lanterns.
White pathways glowed softly.
Floating lights drifted through the air like wandering stars.
The entire island possessed an unreal beauty beneath moonlight.
Ancient.
Mysterious.
Timeless.
Meanwhile—
Kel and Seraphina had left the admission plaza long ago.
Unlike most successful applicants.
Kel had no intention of joining celebrations.
Parties attracted attention.
Attention attracted trouble.
And trouble inevitably found him.
So he avoided the first step entirely.
They eventually arrived at a small inn near the outer academy district.
The establishment was neither luxurious nor poor.
Simple.
Clean.
Quiet.
Exactly what Kel preferred.
The innkeeper had been surprised to see a silver-haired beauty following behind him.
Naturally.
Everyone had become accustomed to making assumptions.
Kel ignored them.
As always.
Two rooms were rented.
Separate rooms.
Because unlike what half the students aboard the ship imagined—
Seraphina was simply someone who currently had nowhere else to go.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
After dinner.
The corridors gradually became quiet.
Most guests retired for the night.
The inn slowly settled into silence.
Meanwhile—
Inside his room.
Kel sat beside the window.
Moonlight entered through partially opened curtains.
A cool sea breeze drifted inside.
The room itself was modest.
A wooden desk.
Bookshelf.
Bed.
Wardrobe.
Nothing extravagant.
Nothing unnecessary.
Exactly the type of room Kel liked.
The silver-haired young man sat calmly upon a chair.
One hand resting against the armrest.
The other supporting his chin.
His gaze lingered on the academy visible in the distance.
Towering structures illuminated beneath moonlight.
The next chapter of his life waited there.
Aetherial Institute.
A place filled with geniuses.
A place filled with opportunities.
A place filled with trouble.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke.
"You look worried."
"I'm thinking."
"Dangerous activity."
Kel ignored her.
The Guardian laughed softly.
Far away.
Scarder Lake rippled beneath moonlight.
Then Seiren asked:
"What are you thinking about?"
Kel remained silent for several moments.
Then answered.
"A peaceful academy life."
Silence.
Then—
The Guardian burst into laughter.
Not ordinary laughter.
The kind of laughter that made ancient lake spirits question reality.
"You?"
More laughter.
"Peaceful?"
Kel sighed.
The reaction was expected.
"Kel, I have known you for years."
The laughter continued.
"You walked into a cursed lake."
"Entered a dragon realm."
"Became Dragon Emperor."
"Built a frontier territory."
"Created two famous techniques."
"Accidentally conquered organizations."
"Collected strange followers."
A pause.
"And now you want a peaceful academy life?"
Kel considered her words.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
The Guardian laughed harder.
Eventually.
The laughter faded.
Seiren became quiet.
Then—
She sensed something.
"Wait."
Kel slowly stood.
His expression became serious.
The atmosphere within the room changed.
The moonlight remained beautiful.
The room remained peaceful.
Yet something ancient seemed to awaken.
Something hidden.
Something dangerous.
Seiren immediately understood.
"...you are serious."
"Very."
The Guardian stopped joking entirely.
Because she finally realized what Kel intended.
The silver-haired young man walked toward the center of the room.
Then sat cross-legged upon the floor.
His breathing slowed.
His heartbeat calmed.
His mind entered absolute stillness.
The room gradually became silent.
Even the wind seemed quieter.
Then Kel spoke.
Not aloud.
Not through telepathy.
Simply stating a fact.
"I am going to seal ninety-nine percent of my power."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even Seiren became speechless.
For several moments.
Nothing happened.
Then—
"...what?"
Kel repeated himself.
"I am going to seal ninety-nine percent of my power."
The Guardian sounded horrified.
Actually horrified.
"Why?!"
The answer came immediately.
"If I don't."
A pause.
Then—
"I don't think I can live peacefully."
Seiren froze.
Because she understood.
Unfortunately.
She understood perfectly.
The current Kel was absurd.
Not talented.
Not strong.
Not gifted.
Absurd.
His true abilities had long surpassed normal standards.
Dragon Emperor.
Master of Space.
Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts.
Count of Frostbound.
Guild Master Nameless.
Controller of countless hidden assets.
The list continued endlessly.
Compared to ordinary students—
Kel was a monster wearing human skin.
If he entered academy life normally—
Nothing would remain normal.
Not classes.
Not examinations.
Not friendships.
Not competitions.
Nothing.
And Kel wanted something different.
For once.
He wanted to experience life as Aedon Flinth.
Not as Kel von Rosenfeld.
Not as Nameless.
Not as Dragon Emperor.
Just—
A student.
Seiren remained quiet.
Then finally asked:
"How much will remain?"
"One percent."
The Guardian almost fainted.
"ONE PERCENT?!"
Kel nodded calmly.
"Approximately."
"That is insane."
"Probably."
"You will become weak."
"Compared to my current self."
A pause.
Then Kel added:
"Not compared to ordinary students."
Seiren immediately realized he was correct.
Again.
One percent of Kel remained terrifying.
Which itself was terrifying.
The sealing process began.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Methodically.
Kel raised one hand.
Mana emerged.
Not outwardly.
Inwardly.
Complex symbols appeared around him.
Ancient geometric structures formed.
Layer after layer.
Seal after seal.
Thousands of tiny runes floated through the room.
The atmosphere gradually grew heavier.
Moonlight reflected from countless symbols.
Each seal represented control.
Restriction.
Limitation.
One by one.
Kel began locking away his abilities.
His overwhelming mana reserves.
Seal.
His monstrous aura.
Seal.
His spatial authority.
Seal.
His dragon-related powers.
Seal.
Countless abilities disappeared beneath layers of restrictions.
The process resembled locking away an ocean.
Inside a bottle.
Seiren watched silently.
The sight was beautiful.
And frightening.
Very frightening.
Because only someone absurdly powerful could seal themselves to this extent.
Hours passed.
The night deepened.
The academy slept.
The island became quieter.
Yet inside one small inn room—
Thousands of seals continued forming.
Each one layered atop another.
Complex.
Precise.
Perfect.
Eventually—
The process ended.
The final rune settled into place.
The room became still.
Kel slowly opened his eyes.
Silver light briefly flashed within them.
Then vanished.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The overwhelming pressure disappeared.
The invisible weight vanished.
The terrifying presence faded.
He looked...
Normal.
At least.
More normal.
Inside his mind—
Seiren carefully observed him.
Then blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...you actually did it."
Kel nodded.
"I did."
The Guardian sounded amazed.
"You feel completely different."
"I know."
"It's strange."
Kel stood.
Testing his body.
Testing his mana.
Testing the seals.
Everything functioned perfectly.
The restrictions held.
His power remained accessible if necessary.
Yet under normal circumstances—
It would stay locked.
Exactly as intended.
The silver-haired young man walked toward the window.
The academy remained visible.
Beautiful beneath moonlight.
Mysterious.
Ancient.
Full of unknown possibilities.
For the first time since arriving—
Kel felt relieved.
Truly relieved.
No longer would every accidental action reveal too much.
No longer would every instinctive movement expose his identity.
No longer would overwhelming strength solve every problem.
Now—
He could actually live as Aedon Flinth.
At least.
That was the plan.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke softly.
"You know."
"What?"
The Guardian sounded amused again.
Very amused.
"I give those seals one month."
Kel frowned.
"Why?"
The laughter returned.
"Because somehow."
"Someway."
"You always find trouble."
A pause.
Then—
"And trouble always finds a way to break your plans."
Kel stared at the academy.
The academy stared back.
The night remained peaceful.
And for the first time in years—
The future felt uncertain.
Not because of danger.
Not because of enemies.
Not because of fate.
But because tomorrow—
Aedon Flinth would officially begin his first day as a student.
And Kel honestly had no idea what would happen next.
Which made it strangely exciting.