That afternoon, Emily was making her way toward the boys' dormitory, carrying a small box of medicine in her hands.
She wanted to check whether Lusian's injuries had improved.
Before she reached the building, two voices stopped her.
"Emily."
Alejandro and Manuel Carter walked toward her.
"Congratulations on your victory," Alejandro said with a smile. "I didn't expect you to master Light Magic so quickly."
"You did really well," Manuel added proudly. "It shows how much you've been training."
Emily smiled shyly.
"Thank you. How have you two been?"
"Pretty well," Manuel replied.
Alejandro glanced toward the dormitory building.
"What are you doing here? The men's dorms are in this area."
"I'm going to see Lusian."
The two brothers exchanged a brief look.
"He still has several broken ribs. I want to help him with healing magic."
Alejandro's smile disappeared.
"You still worry too much about him."
Emily tilted her head slightly.
"He's my fiancé."
For a moment, neither of them replied.
Alejandro finally broke the silence.
"That's exactly why we're going to break off that engagement."
Emily frowned.
"I don't want you to do anything that could put you in danger."
"It won't."
Alejandro placed a hand over his chest and pointed to the silver emblem embroidered onto his uniform.
A crowned sword.
The insignia of the Royal Knights.
Emily's eyes widened slightly.
"You joined the King's Royal Knights?"
Alejandro nodded proudly.
"Prince Andrew accepted my application."
His expression hardened.
"One day, I'll reclaim the lands the Douglases stole from my family."
Emily lowered her gaze.
"Then..."
Her voice grew quieter.
"...you're not coming home anymore?"
Alejandro's expression softened.
He ruffled her hair affectionately.
"Of course I'll come back."
He smiled.
"It's just that I have a different path to follow now."
Manuel remained silent.
He also wished to reclaim the Carter family's lands.
But unlike Alejandro, he understood the price of challenging the Douglases.
Provoking one of the Four Great Duchies without sufficient strength wasn't courage.
It was gambling with his entire family's lives.
At that moment, a figure appeared at the end of the hallway.
Lusian Douglas walked slowly beside Umber.
The enormous black wolf padded calmly at his side, carefully watching every movement of his young master.
Emily didn't hesitate.
She hurried over to him.
"Where are you going, Lusian? You should still be resting."
Lusian absentmindedly stroked Umber's fur.
"Professor Cassandra asked me to help with one of her classes."
Emily noticed his restrained breathing and the stiffness in his movements.
His ribs were still hurting.
"Let me heal you a little more first."
Lusian gently shook his head.
"There's no need."
Then he briefly glanced toward Alejandro and Manuel.
"Besides..."
He offered a polite smile.
"It seems my presence makes your friends uncomfortable."
Emily let out a small sigh and gestured for the brothers to come closer.
They obeyed.
Alejandro stood with his arms crossed.
Manuel wore a much calmer expression.
"Don't expect formalities," Alejandro said. "This is the academy. Here, strength matters more than any family name."
"As long as we're here, we're all students," Manuel added politely. "I hope we can get along without any problems."
Emily shot them a warning look.
"You could be a little nicer."
Alejandro ignored the remark.
His eyes remained fixed on Lusian.
"I heard you defeated Kara for the second time."
He gave a slight nod.
"Congratulations."
Although his tone sounded more challenging than sincere.
"When you've recovered, I want to fight you."
"Why?" Emily asked.
"I want to find out how much of that third-place ranking is talent..."
"...and how much is luck."
Lusian let out a quiet sigh.
"If that's what you want..."
He gave a slight shrug.
"I'll gladly accept when the time comes."
There was no pride in his voice.
Only resignation.
"Now, if you'll excuse me..."
He absentmindedly patted Umber's back.
"Professor Cassandra is waiting for me."
He began walking away without looking back.
Then he muttered to himself, so quietly it was barely audible:
"The less we associate with each other... the better."
Emily caught the words and frowned slightly.
"Wait, Lusian!"
She hurried after him.
"Let me come with you."
Lusian opened his mouth to refuse, but eventually sighed.
"If you want."
Alejandro watched the two of them disappear down the hallway.
His expression darkened.
Every time he tried to keep Emily away from Lusian...
She only seemed to grow even closer to him.
Emily walked beside Lusian as naturally as ever, as though the conversation from moments earlier had never happened.
Alejandro's knuckles tightened.
His expression hardened again as he watched the two of them enter the Beast Taming classroom.
Professor Cassandra Lloyd was waiting by the door.
However, the moment they arrived, her attention wasn't drawn to Lusian.
Her eyes settled on Umber.
For several seconds, she even forgot to greet them.
"So..."
"...it really is you."
The enormous dark wolf slowly lifted his head and met her gaze.
Cassandra couldn't help holding her breath.
There was no mistaking him.
Umber.
The first magical beast Duchess Sophia Douglas had bonded with decades ago.
A darkness-aspected beast with Delta affinity.
A predator capable of wiping out an entire squad of veteran knights on its own.
And yet...
There he was.
Sitting calmly beside Lusian.
A question crossed her mind.
No...
Several.
How was this possible?
Magical beasts never abandoned their tamer.
Especially not a creature of Umber's caliber.
So then...
Who was controlling Umber?
The academy housed the heirs of the great noble families, Prince Andrew, and Princess Elizabeth.
Allowing a Delta-affinity magical beast to roam freely across the grounds would have been an unforgivable act of negligence.
And Headmaster Magnus was not a man who would overlook such a danger.
Cassandra looked at the wolf again.
Her fingers tightened around the folder she was carrying.
He didn't seem to be watching over Lusian out of obligation.
He didn't carry himself like a guardian merely following orders.
He remained at the young master's side with complete ease.
As though that was exactly where he belonged.
Had it been the Duchess's order?
Or had Umber chosen to protect the young master of his own free will?
The more she thought about it...
The less she understood Sophia Douglas.
Cassandra pushed those questions aside and regained her composure.
She gave an elegant bow.
"Welcome, Young Master Lusian... Miss Emily."
She offered them a warm smile.
"Thank you both sincerely for agreeing to help me."
Her gaze drifted back toward Umber.
She still found it difficult to believe what she was seeing.
"It isn't every day that one has the opportunity to teach alongside one of Duchess Sophia Douglas of Mondring's three magical beasts."
She took a deep breath, unable to hide the admiration in her voice.
"Today, I want to show my students why Her Excellency is regarded as the greatest beast tamer in the kingdom."
Lusian inclined his head slightly.
"I'll do everything I can to be of help."
Umber remained motionless beside him.
Calm.
Watchful.
As though there was nothing unusual about any of this.
And precisely because of that...
Cassandra's doubts only continued to grow.