From the large window of the grand hall, the main courtyard of the duchy stretched into view.
Hundreds of soldiers marched in perfect formation while mounted knights trained alongside their magical beasts. The relentless clang of hammers striking anvils echoed from the forges, where blacksmiths and mages worked day and night crafting weapons and armor.
The war had not begun yet.
But Duke Laurence Douglas had already lit the fuse.
Two days later...
Night had settled over the Douglas estate.
The glow of torches and lanterns bathed the corridors in a soft amber light, while the scent of melted wax lingered in the air. In the adjoining halls, officers studied maps, organized supply routes, and received an endless stream of messengers arriving from every corner of the duchy.
The mobilization continued in absolute secrecy.
A hurried knock at the door interrupted the meeting.
"My lord!" a knight exclaimed as he entered, still out of breath from running. "A new piece of evidence has been found!"
Every eye turned toward him.
The officer carefully raised a sealed leather pouch.
"A few hours ago, during another inspection of the murder scene, one of our investigators discovered this hidden in the bushes a short distance from the restaurant."
With extreme care, he removed a letter.
The Armett family seal remained perfectly intact.
Laurence stepped forward and practically snatched it from his hands.
His eyes raced across its contents.
His expression darkened even further.
"It's an invitation..." one of the commanders murmured.
The investigator nodded.
"According to our experts, the ink, the seal, and the handwriting all match authentic documents written by Lady Isabella Armett."
Silence fell over the hall.
The letter proved that Caleb had indeed been summoned to that location.
Laurence crumpled the parchment in his fist.
"I knew it!"
His voice echoed throughout the room.
"Noah can't deny it anymore!"
And yet...
Sofia remained perfectly still.
She extended her hand.
"Let me see it."
Laurence handed it over with obvious reluctance.
The Duchess examined the document for a long time.
She didn't seem to be reading only the words.
She studied the ink.
The paper.
The pressure of each stroke.
Even the folds in the parchment.
Everything appeared genuine.
Yet it was strangely convenient...
As though someone had planned every detail.
Little by little, the Douglas estate returned to its routine, though the atmosphere remained shrouded in quiet mourning.
Two weeks had passed since Caleb's death.
The soldiers continued their discreet mobilization, messengers came and went without rest, and despite the outward calm, everyone knew that war could erupt at any moment.
That evening, Sofia had invited Emily to dinner.
It was more than a simple courtesy.
The noble social season lasted only four months each year. After that, every family returned to its own territory, and gatherings became rare. If she wanted Lusian and his fiancée to continue growing closer, she couldn't allow months to pass without them seeing each other.
When Emily entered the main hall, she performed an elegant curtsy.
"Greetings, Grand Duchess. I hope your expedition into the forest concluded without any major setbacks."
Sofia offered a faint smile.
"It's been quite some time since we last met."
Her eyes rested on the young woman.
"How is your family?"
"Much calmer, thank you for asking."
Emily lifted her gaze respectfully.
"Although we're all still worried about the growing tensions between the noble houses."
Sofia nodded.
It was a concern they all shared.
"That's precisely why I wanted to speak with you."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"Lusian will turn sixteen before long."
"As his fiancée, you will be responsible for organizing his birthday celebration."
Emily blinked in surprise.
"Me...?"
"That's right."
Sofia spoke as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Invite whichever noble families you believe are appropriate. The duchy's administration will provide you with everything you need."
Emily remained silent for a few moments.
She had never before been entrusted with a responsibility like this.
Sofia continued,
"I know these past few weeks have been difficult for you."
"But keeping yourself busy can also help you heal."
Emily gave a deep curtsy.
"I'll do everything I can not to disappoint you."
"I'm certain you won't."
At that moment, two women walked through the adjoining corridor.
Marta.
And Catalina.
The former walked with an empty gaze.
Since Caleb's death, she seemed to have aged several years.
As she crossed paths with Sofia, she barely lifted her eyes.
The resentment she carried was impossible to hide.
Sofia met her gaze without looking away.
"I understand your pain."
Her voice remained perfectly calm.
"But I will not allow that pain to turn into disrespect toward this family."
Catalina reacted immediately.
She gently took her sister by the arm.
"Our apologies, Duchess."
"We were only passing through."
She gave a quick curtsy and led Marta out of the hall before the situation could escalate.
Silence lingered for a few moments.
Then Lusian appeared from the corridor.
He had witnessed the entire exchange.
"What did they want?"
Sofia let out a quiet sigh.
"I suppose they were looking for someone to support them..."
"But right now, they're not in a state to think clearly."
Then she studied her son's face carefully.
There were fresh bruises.
Some of them still carried a faint purple tint.
"Albert has been pushing you too hard again."
Lusian let out a tired laugh.
"Ever since I showed him a new spell, he's become obsessed."
"He keeps saying it still has too many flaws, so he makes me cast it over and over again."
"That explains how you look."
Emily couldn't help smiling.
She slowly stepped closer until she stood in front of him.
"Would you allow me to help?"
Lusian looked at her in surprise.
"With what?"
She gently raised a hand.
A soft green glow enveloped her fingers.
"Your injuries."
Lusian smiled.
"I'd really appreciate that."
Emily rested her hand on one of the bruises on his face.
The warm sensation of healing mana slowly spread across his skin.
The pain disappeared almost instantly.
"Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me."
She answered with a shy smile.
"It's part of my job as a healer."
A short while later, the four of them took their seats around the table.
Dinner passed peacefully.
Until Emily slowly set down her utensils.
A strange pressure began spreading through her chest.
Her breathing quickened.
She placed a hand over her heart.
"W-What's happening?"
Lusian also tensed.
But Sofia remained completely calm.
"Don't be alarmed."
"It's a normal reaction."
Emily looked at her in confusion.
"Normal?"
"Your magic core is absorbing an enormous amount of mana."
"It will need a few minutes to adapt."
The young woman slowly lowered her gaze to her plate.
"What... exactly are we eating?"
Lusian smiled proudly.
"Basilco's meat."
Emily's head snapped up.
"The... King of the Cymopelia Forest?"
Sofia nodded.
"An Omega-class magical beast."
"Its meat strengthens the body and accelerates the growth of the magic core."
"It's a delicacy that very few people will ever have the opportunity to taste in their lifetime."
Emily froze.
She looked down at her plate once more.
Only moments ago, the meal had seemed like nothing more than an elegant dinner...
Now it had become a treasure worth more than the fortunes of many noble houses.
Lusian smiled proudly.
"My mother was the one who defeated it."
Emily slowly turned her gaze back to Sofia.
For a brief moment, she realized that the woman sitting across from her was more than just the Grand Duchess of the kingdom.
She was a warrior capable of hunting creatures that the vast majority of humanity knew only through legends.
After Emily's mana had finally stabilized, Lusian accompanied her to the Sanctuary of the Arcane Spring, located in the northern district of the capital.
The sanctuary was surrounded by small ponds whose crystal-clear waters reflected ancient runes carved into the stone. A gentle current of mana flowed constantly through the area, which was why many mages came there after experiencing a sudden increase in the strength of their magic cores.
"You'll feel better here," Lusian explained as they walked beside the water. "The spring's mana helps stabilize your magic core while it's still adapting."
Emily took a deep breath.
The tightness in her chest had eased considerably.
"Thank you for bringing me."
She gave him a small smile.
"By the way... how was the expedition to the Cymopelia Forest? Was it really as dangerous as everyone says?"
Lusian let out a weary laugh.
"Exhausting."
He looked at the water for a few seconds before continuing.
"And the trip back was even worse. Too many things happened."
Before Emily could ask another question, a familiar voice broke the sanctuary's peaceful silence.
"Lusian!"
Kara approached with confident strides.
Four knights of the Bourlance family followed a few paces behind her, watching their surroundings carefully.
The young woman smiled as she stopped in front of them.
"So you're here to stabilize your mana too."
Lusian glanced at her escorts and shook his head with amusement.
"I see your father learned his lesson."
Kara snorted.
"It wasn't my idea."
"I'm surprised he still lets you leave the mansion. If I were him, after you ran away to sneak into the forest, I'd have grounded you for a couple of years."
"You talk as if you've never done anything reckless."
She pointed a finger at him.
"I heard you ran away from home once too."
"So you have no right to lecture me."
Emily watched them quietly.
It was the first time she had ever seen Kara and Lusian talk like this.
There were accusations.
There was teasing.
Yet neither of them seemed genuinely upset.
Eventually, she couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Excuse me..."
She looked back and forth between them.
"How long have you two known each other?"
They answered at exactly the same time.
"We don't know each other that well."
Emily blinked.
Then she smiled.
"That's strange..."
"Because you sound like you've argued far too many times to say that."
Kara let out a small laugh.
"Believe me."
"I could never be friends with someone who moves around that much in his sleep."
Emily's eyes widened.
A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
Lusian immediately covered his forehead with one hand.
"Not that again!"
He quickly turned to Emily.
"Don't listen to her. It was all a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?"
Kara smiled mischievously.
"I only told the truth."
"You were the one who climbed into my bed!"
Several knights failed to suppress their laughter.
Emily's face turned bright red.
Kara simply shrugged.
"I don't see the problem."
"I slept very well."
"That's exactly what you shouldn't be saying!"
Kara enjoyed Lusian's exasperation for a few more seconds before her expression changed completely.
Her playful smile disappeared.
A competitive spark lit up her eyes.
"Still..."
"I've been wanting to find something out."
She slowly drew her sword.
"I want to see how much you've improved."
Lusian smiled as well.
He knew that look perfectly.
"So you're still convinced you can beat me?"
"After everything that happened in the forest..."
"I'm much stronger now."
Lusian rested a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Then you'd better prove it."
Kara pointed at the academy uniforms they were both wearing.
"If I win..."
"You'll do everything I tell you for an entire week."
Lusian chuckled softly.
"And if you lose..."
"You'll wear your academy uniform for a full week."
"Even if there aren't any classes."
Kara accepted without hesitation.
"Deal."
The knights from both families exchanged glances.
No one needed to give an order.
As if this had become routine whenever the two met, they immediately cleared the sanctuary and formed a wide circle around them.
Emily took a step back.
Only now did she realize that their argument...
Had never been just an argument.
It was the beginning of yet another duel between the academy's two most troublesome rivals.
Kara slowly let her cloak fall onto the grass and fully unsheathed her sword.
A defiant smile spread across her face.
"Don't worry, Lusian."
"I'll try not to break too many of your bones."
Lusian answered by drawing his own blade.
"That's exactly what Albert told me this morning."
The knights of both families silently stepped back, forming a wide circle around the two young warriors.
Emily watched from the side, unable to hide her concern.
She had never seen Lusian fight at full strength.
"Begin."
Kara vanished.
She hadn't cast a single offensive spell.
She had simply reinforced her body.
Her magical affinity flowed through every muscle, strengthening her tendons and bones. A faint glow enveloped her as her speed increased explosively.
Lusian barely managed to raise his sword.
Clang!
The metallic impact echoed throughout the sanctuary.
Lusian was driven back several meters, leaving two deep grooves across the stone floor.
His arms trembled.
"What strength..."
It wasn't surprising.
Kara's affinity specialized in exactly that.
Physical Enhancement.
Trying to match her head-on was pure stupidity.
Kara smiled.
"Is that all you've got?"
She disappeared again.
Her attacks came one after another.
Each strike forced Lusian farther back.
His sword barely managed to deflect the relentless blows.
Emily's eyes widened.
"Incredible..."
Kara was like a storm.
She wasn't casting spells.
She didn't need to.
Every swing of her sword carried the overwhelming power of her affinity.
Lusian realized he couldn't keep blocking forever.
He extended one hand.
Seventeen spheres of darkness appeared around him.
Without hesitation, they shot toward Kara from every angle.
She frowned.
Her sword shattered them one after another.
The black explosions slowed her advance just enough.
Lusian seized that tiny opening.
Dark spikes erupted beneath Kara's feet.
She leaped backward.
A dark spear emerged immediately after.
She cut it aside.
Another appeared behind her.
Then another.
And another.
The ground itself had become a field of deadly traps.
Kara smiled.
"That's more like it."
"Now you're actually fighting."
Her body glowed once more.
The power of her Physical Enhancement surged again.
She charged straight through the spikes, ignoring the shallow cuts they left behind, and closed the distance.
Her sword came crashing down.
Lusian managed to block...
But the impact rippled through his entire body.
His right arm went completely numb.
"If she lands one clean hit..."
He never finished the thought.
A kick slammed into his abdomen.
His body flew several meters through the air.
Emily instinctively stepped forward.
"Lusian!"
Before he could get back on his feet, Kara was already standing over him.
"It's over!"
Her sword came down.
Lusian rolled away at the last possible instant.
The blade split the stone beneath him.
The moment he regained his footing, he launched several more dark spheres to force her back.
He was breathing heavily.
He couldn't afford to keep trading blows.
Then he remembered Albert's endless training sessions.
"Never fight where your enemy is strongest."
"Make them fight where you want."
A slow smile spread across his face.
Kara charged again.
At that exact moment...
Two jet-black swords materialized, floating at Lusian's sides.
Kara's eyes widened slightly.
"What...?"
The swords vanished.
An instant later, they reappeared behind her.
She spun around and blocked the first strike.
The second sword appeared at her flank.
She managed to stop that one as well.
But the moment they disappeared...
They materialized in front of her again.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The swords never stopped reappearing.
They followed no fixed pattern.
They attacked from every direction imaginable.
Kara began to retreat.
It was the first time she had ever seen a spell like this.
There was no pattern to memorize.
Every time she destroyed one of the swords...
It simply rematerialized beside Lusian before launching another attack.
"What kind of spell is this?"
Lusian didn't answer.
He continued firing dark spheres while the two floating swords kept Kara under relentless pressure.
She tried several times to close the distance.
The result was always the same.
The swords forced her to defend herself before she could reach him.
Little by little, she understood.
"He's not trying to defeat me..."
"He's stopping me from getting close."
Her enhancement armor absorbed part of the damage.
But every block consumed mana.
Every burst of speed did as well.
Meanwhile...
Thanks to his Epsilon affinity for darkness, Lusian consumed only half the normal mana required for each spell.
As the minutes passed, the difference became increasingly obvious.
Kara's pace began to slow.
Her breathing grew heavy.
The dark swords continued to appear without pause.
At last, she leaped backward.
Her sword lowered a few inches.
She breathed heavily as she stared at Lusian in disbelief.
"How...?"
She tightened her grip on her sword.
"How the hell are you still casting spells?"
"We've been fighting for almost an hour."
"You should've run out of mana ages ago!"
Lusian was breathing just as heavily.
He, too, was nearing his limit.
But he smiled.
"I guess..."
"Albert was right."
Kara frowned.
"What does that old monster have to do with this?"
"He forced me to train until I completely emptied my mana core."
"Every single day."
"For weeks."
"Every time I thought I was done..."
"He made me cast another spell."
"And then another."
Kara fell silent.
Now she understood.
It wasn't that Lusian had more mana than she did.
He had simply learned how to manage every last thread of it.
The two dark swords continued floating at his sides, ready to strike again.
For the first time since the duel had begun...
Kara realized that getting close to Lusian was far more dangerous than keeping her distance.
Emily watched the two young fighters as they caught their breath.
The battle was over, but the battlefield spoke for itself. The grass was covered in sword marks, the stone was split by deep cracks, and traces of mana still lingered in the air.
What impressed her most wasn't Kara's strength.
It was Lusian.
He had cast spells throughout the entire battle without ever losing control. While Kara leaned on her sword to recover her breath, he was still maintaining those strange floating swords of darkness.
"How can he still have so much mana?" she wondered.
She remembered Sofia's words during dinner.
"The Forest King's meat will strengthen your mana core."
No...
That alone couldn't explain what she had just witnessed.
Emily took a deep breath.
She became even more convinced that Lusian's magical affinity was extraordinarily high. Only someone with exceptional efficiency could sustain such a prolonged battle while casting magic almost continuously.
She shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside, and walked toward them.
"That's enough, you two. Let me see your injuries."
Lusian and Kara exchanged a glance before complying.
Emily began with Lusian.
As she applied healing magic to the cuts on his arms, she asked,
"Any broken bones?"
Lusian shook his head.
"No. The clothes I'm wearing are enchanted. My mother had all my outfits reinforced after the attack on the academy."
Emily examined the torn fabric.
Now she understood why several wounds had barely managed to cut through his clothing.
Kara snorted.
"What a waste of money."
"I don't need to hide behind enchanted clothes."
"My body is enough."
Lusian smiled calmly.
"Yeah... it showed."
Kara raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that even with all that strength, I still managed to hit you more times than you hit me."
"I'll be expecting to see you wearing the academy uniform for a full week."
Kara gritted her teeth.
"I'm still not used to that ridiculous spell of yours."
Albert, who had been watching the duel from a distance, slowly approached.
His gaze moved from Kara to Lusian.
"It was a good fight."
Kara smiled proudly.
"Thank you, Sir Albert."
The old swordsman nodded.
"Your Physical Enhancement has improved considerably."
"Your father has done an excellent job."
Then he turned to Lusian.
"And you..."
"You finally managed to keep two swords active throughout an entire battle."
"Not bad."
Lusian let out a faint smile.
Praise from Albert was worth more than any applause.
Emily watched them in silence.
Now she understood something she had never truly grasped during her classes at the academy.
A mage's strength wasn't determined solely by the rank they had reached.
Magical affinity, mastery of spells, and combat experience could completely change the outcome of a fight between two people who appeared evenly matched.
And Lusian...
Seemed to have learned that lesson long before anyone else.