In the royal concubine's private chamber, the echo of a blow thundered through the room.
The table trembled beneath Prince Leopold's fist. The crystal glasses vibrated, and wine spilled across the wood.
—"Damn barbarians! They do not know their place!"
Alessia remained seated, watching him silently.
Marcus Valentine smoked beside the window, completely indifferent.
—"You have made a disgraceful spectacle," Marcus commented.
—"Shut up!"
—"No. On the contrary. If you continue like this, perhaps your death will become the excuse needed to start a war."
Leopold turned sharply.
—"Do you think Father would allow something like that?"
Alessia let out a faint laugh.
—"Of course he would."
The prince froze.
—"From the day you were born with Gamma affinity, you stopped being a son and became a tool."
Silence fell over the room.
—"Our father only values one thing."
—"...Blood."
—"Perfect blood."
Leopold slowly clenched his fists.
Alessia continued.
—"Magical affinity is inherited through the mother. No child can surpass the talent of the woman who gives birth to them... except through extraordinary miracles."
—"And you..."
She paused.
—"...were not one of those miracles."
The words pierced the prince's pride far deeper than any sword could.
Marcus released a cloud of smoke.
—"The heir was chosen years ago."
—"Naira Ferrussi Becker."
—"Epsilon affinity."
—"The Emperor's favorite."
Leopold lowered his head.
He knew.
He had always known.
But hearing it from someone else still hurt.
Alessia walked closer until she stood before him.
—"You can still be useful."
—"Win the princess over."
—"Make her trust you."
—"That is all Father expects from you."
Leopold let out a bitter laugh.
—"The princess?"
He slowly shook his head.
—"She does not even look at me."
His expression darkened.
—"And that damned boy..."
He gritted his teeth.
—"...that Lusian Douglas."
Alessia exchanged a glance with Marcus.
Then she decided to reveal the truth.
—"Do you know why Father is also interested in him?"
Leopold raised his eyes.
—"Because he is Sofía Douglas' son."
—"Epsilon affinity."
—"And Father wants to unite his bloodline with Naira's."
The prince became completely still.
Marcus added casually:
—"If the plan succeeds, the Empire will obtain an heir even more powerful than the current imperial family."
All color drained from Leopold's face.
—"That... brat?"
His breathing began to quicken.
—"Epsilon?"
No one answered.
There was no need.
Then he exploded.
—"WHY?!"
His scream made the windows tremble.
—"I am a prince!"
He struck the table again.
—"I have spent my entire life proving my worth!"
Another blow.
—"And some bastard born in this miserable kingdom possesses the one thing I could never obtain!"
He breathed heavily.
His voice finally broke.
—"Why...?"
—"Why him... and not me?"
The room fell silent.
Marcus extinguished his pipe.
—"Because talent has never understood titles."
Alessia looked at her brother for several seconds.
For the first time, she felt pity.
Only for a moment.
Then she spoke again with the same coldness.
—"Get used to it, Leopold."
—"In the Empire, a man's value is not decided by his surname."
—"It is decided by his affinity."
And you...
She lowered her gaze.
—"...were born condemned."
Emily scanned the ballroom until she found Alejandro speaking with several knights. She took a deep breath before approaching him.
—"Alejandro... can we talk for a moment?"
He nodded without asking questions. The two moved away toward one of the palace balconies, where the noise of the banquet barely reached them, mixed with the sound of music.
—"Is something wrong?" he asked after noticing her expression.
Emily remained silent for several seconds.
—"I want to ask you a favor."
Alejandro frowned.
—"You know you can ask me anything."
She lowered her gaze.
—"Please... control yourself when you are around Lusian."
The words caused the young man's expression to harden.
—"Did he ask you to tell me that?"
—"No."
Emily shook her head firmly.
—"It is my decision."
Alejandro remained silent.
—"I know you hate him," she continued. "And I also know why. I am not asking you to change your feelings."
She took a deep breath before continuing.
—"But today Larryet reacted to your hatred in front of everyone. If you confront Lusian again, you will not only put yourself in danger."
Her eyes began to fill with tears.
—"My family will be in danger too."
Alejandro looked away.
—"Emily..."
—"I just lost Manuel."
Her voice cracked.
—"I do not know what I would do if I also lost my parents because of a war between the Carters and the Douglases."
Silence fell between them.
Alejandro slowly clenched his fists.
He knew Emily was right.
The Carter family could never stand against the Douglas duchy.
Even all their allied houses together had no guarantee of survival if Sofía Douglas decided to intervene.
Emily stepped closer.
—"I want to remain your friend, Alejandro."
Her eyes searched for his.
—"But I need you to promise me that you will not lose control in front of Lusian again."
Alejandro remained still for several seconds.
Finally, he let out a bitter smile.
—"I will do my best..."
He paused.
—"...because you are the one asking me."
Emily smiled with relief.
Days later, at dawn...
A massive caravan of mage soldiers and knights advanced toward the Academy.
The banners waved beneath the wind while the thunder of thousands of hooves echoed like a war drum.
The Erkham family had mobilized three thousand soldiers among knights and mages. The Douglases and Bourlance each contributed one thousand troops, while the remaining noble families sent five hundred men.
Ten thousand warriors marched toward a single objective: discover what had caused the disaster and ensure the demon cult had not established a base in the Cymopelia Forest.
When they arrived, the silence was unsettling.
The destroyed buildings still covered the ground with mountains of stone and burned wood.
The former Class A, once the pride of the Academy, was nothing more than a pile of ruins.
Sofía Douglas advanced at the front of her army, riding Thunder.
The enormous black steed walked firmly among the debris, while Larryet and Umber followed from the flanks.
Beside her rode Lusian, observing every corner of the battlefield.
Waiting before the main entrance was Magnus.
The director seemed to have aged several years in only a few days.
His face was still covered in bandages, and his left arm rested motionless inside a sling.
—"Master Magnus," Sofía greeted respectfully. "You should be resting."
Magnus smiled bitterly.
—"I will rest when this is over."
His gaze traveled across the ruins.
—"Until I discover what happened here... I will not be able to sleep peacefully."
Sofía dismounted from Thunder.
—"Do not blame yourself. The demon cult is responsible."
—"Perhaps... but it was my duty to protect those children."
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Finally, Sofía broke the silence.
—"I was informed that an unknown creature appeared. I would like to hear your account."
Magnus slowly closed his remaining eye.
—"I have never seen anything like it."
His voice was heavy.
—"A massive reptile emerged from the forest, chasing other beasts. We attempted to stop it before it reached the walls."
He shook his head.
—"It was a mistake."
Remembering the scene caused his breathing to quicken.
—"Our spells did absolutely nothing. Then it opened its mouth..."
Magnus looked toward the enormous gap where the wall had once stood.
—"A single beam of light was enough to erase that wall from the map."
He did not hide the trembling in his voice.
—"Hundreds died before they even understood what was happening."
Afterward, he fell silent.
—"Fortunately, the creature lost interest and returned to the forest to continue hunting monsters. Without the wall... the rest of the beasts invaded the Academy."
Sofía remained motionless.
—"No element worked?"
—"None."
The answer came immediately.
—"Fire, ice, wind, earth... nothing managed to penetrate its skin."
Silence returned.
Lusian stared at the destroyed wall without saying a word.
He recognized it.
He did not need to see it to know what creature had appeared.
The Sacred Light Lizard.
One of the hidden bosses of the Cymopelia Forest.
In the game, it was an Omega-class monster whose defense bordered on absurdity.
Elemental magic could barely scratch it, and facing it head-on was equivalent to a death sentence.
There was only one way to hurt it.
Dark magic.
And even then, it had to strike a tiny weak point at the exact right moment.
Failure meant death.
Lusian felt a chill run down his spine.
If that creature remained in the forest...
...then the expedition of ten thousand soldiers might not be enough for them to return alive.
The young woman remained hidden among the Bourlance troops. The helmet completely concealed her face, and her tied-up hair made it impossible to recognize her at a glance.
From a distance, she watched Director Magnus speaking with Duchess Sofia and Lusian.
Her chest tightened.
Seeing her uncle covered in bandages hurt more than she had expected.
She wanted to run to him.
Tell him she was fine.
Encourage him.
But she forced herself to remain still.
If he discovered that she had infiltrated the expedition, he would send her back immediately.
Right now, patience was her greatest ally.
Meanwhile, the expedition finished organizing itself.
The ten thousand soldiers were divided into several detachments that would explore different areas of the Cymopelia Forest. Their orders were clear: discover the origin of the monster stampede, locate any hideouts belonging to the demon cult, and find the mysterious beast responsible for the destruction of the Academy.
Before the march began, Sofia called Lusian.
—"I want you to remain by my side throughout the entire expedition. You will not take a single step away from me. Understood?"
Lusian nodded seriously.
—"Yes, Mother."
Sofia then turned her gaze toward Albert.
—"Albert, do not take your eyes off him."
—"It will be my honor to protect the young master," the knight replied, bowing his head.
Sofia looked back at her son.
—"There will be no tournaments or training sessions here. If an Omega-class creature appears, even I will have difficulty protecting you."
Lusian smiled calmly.
—"I know. I promise I won't do anything reckless."
The duchess watched him for a few moments before nodding.
Shortly afterward, the order to advance was given.
Thousands of soldiers began entering the enormous trees of Cymopelia. As the light disappeared beneath the dense canopy, the forest regained its unnatural silence.
No one spoke.
Everyone understood that once they crossed that green frontier, returning alive would no longer be a certainty, but a privilege.
At the Douglas residence, a messenger arrived shortly before noon.
—"I bring a gift and a letter for Young Lord Caleb," he announced with a bow.
A servant received the package and, a few minutes later, delivered it to the heir's chambers.
Caleb broke the seal with curiosity.
The moment he read the first few lines, his heart began to beat faster.
It was a letter from Isabella Armett.
The young woman apologized for the coldness with which she had always treated him. She explained that, after reflecting for several days, she had realized she wanted to speak with him away from the watchful eyes of their families. At the end of the letter, she proposed meeting him alone in a secluded place, specifying the date, time, and meeting location.
Caleb read it again.
And a third time.
For several seconds, he remained motionless.
—"Could this be a joke...?" he murmured.
But as he looked at the delicate handwriting and the Armett family seal, all his doubts began to fade.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
—"I knew it..."
He pressed the letter against his chest.
—"I knew that sooner or later, you would finally notice me."
Without wasting a moment, he took paper and a quill.
He wrote a brief reply accepting the meeting and promising to come alone.
When he finished, he carefully folded the letter and handed it to the messenger, who was still waiting at the entrance of the residence.
—"Deliver this as soon as possible."
—"As you command, Young Lord."
The messenger bowed before departing.
Caleb remained by the window, unable to contain his excitement.