The hot sun blazed down, creating a stifling atmosphere.
Sweat soaked Robert's back.
He stood in front of a mansion, shielding his eyes from the sunlight with one hand.
This mansion belonged to Jason Ophillius, the Empire's Finance Minister.
A butler came out from the mansion and bowed to Robert.
"Please come in. They are waiting for you inside."
"Alright,"
Robert replied briefly and followed the butler inside.
The mansion, despite belonging to one of the Empire's two duke families, was surprisingly modest.
It was even smaller than some counts' houses and lacked any significant decorations.
The butler led Robert to an office.
As Robert opened the office door, he saw two men inside.
There was the stern-looking Jason Ophillius and McDowell.
"Are you Robert, the professor who sent me a letter?"
Robert nodded.
"Yes, but..."
He glanced at McDowell sitting beside him, his brow furrowing in surprise.
"Professor Robert, it's been a while,"
Greeted McDowell with a smile.
Robert noticed McDowell's missing right arm.
Ophillius chuckled upon seeing Robert.
"Ah, sorry about that. When I mentioned meeting Professor Robert, McDowell insisted on joining."
"Why is the principal here?"
"As you can see, I'm not in good health and have sought the minister's assistance,"
McDowell said, motioning to his missing arm.
"About that arm..."
"Ah, didn't Cromwell tell you? He must have kept it a secret from everyone. The man has no sense of flexibility,"
McDowell laughed heartily.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Let's keep the pleasantries short. We can have such discussions after the main topic,"
Ophillius suggested, gesturing for Robert to sit.
Robert sat opposite them.
"So, you have something to say about the Astria family?"
"My mentors, Levian and Ephomos, and the Astria family,"
Upon hearing this, Ophillius's previously smiling face turned serious.
"You came to talk about their connection?"
"Where did you hear this story?"
"I've gathered it from various sources. While researching my mentors, I came across this information."
"Does anyone else know about this?"
"A few of my students,"
Robert replied.
"Which students?"
Ophillius asked, with McDowell smiling in response.
"Rudy Astria?"
Robert nodded.
"Aside from Rudy Astria, there's Princess Rie, the Persia family heir, and the daughter of the Railer Baron family."
"Hmm... The Railer Baron family? Where is that?"
Ophillius narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"The Railer Baron family resides in the western outskirts. Their house may not be prominent, but they have a student of exceptional ability and character, so there's no need for worry."
"If Professor Robert says so, then I believe it. Let's continue the discussion."
Robert nodded and pulled out several papers he had brought.
"These documents summarize the incidents caused by the Astria family."
Minister Ophillius scanned the papers.
"Is there any evidence?"
"Not yet. However, finding the necromancers and mana stones the Astria family is hiding will serve as evidence."
According to information gathered by Jack, the Astria family was still creating mana stones from humans.
It implied that the Astria family was still secretly harboring necromancers.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Uncovering the location of these wizards would end all this.
It could potentially bring down the Astria family itself.
However, they must not be completely destroyed.
The best solution would be for Rudy to inherit the family.
If Rudy took over, they could gain control of the noble faction under the Astria family.
Minister Ophillius finished reviewing the documents Robert had given him and looked up.
"So, what brings you to this old man?"
"Please help me. I'll find the evidence. Just use this information to pressure the Astria family."
Robert gazed intently at the minister as he spoke.
Minister Ophillius, seeing Robert's determination, smiled.
"I've become skeptical about making changes as I've aged, but I always welcome doing the right thing. I'm not sure how much help this old man can be, but I'll do my best."
At the Liberion Academy's training ground, a massive explosion echoed across the wide field.
Bang─
"This isn't it..."
Rie murmured.
Clutched in her hand was a staff, a gift from the royal family.
It was specially crafted for her, optimized for chain explosion magic—a commonly used spell, making its construction relatively swift.
But Rie was dissatisfied.
Although the staff increased her magical power and improved her skills, it still wasn't enough.
She had clearly seen the prowess of the rebels.
She had also witnessed Rudy's future abilities.
Her current skills didn't come close to matching theirs.
The gap in power was undeniable.
"What should I do..."
Rie pondered.
Her growth in magic was not slow; in fact, she was advancing at an astonishing pace.
But catching up to those who had already far surpassed her was challenging.
Slumping to the ground, she picked up a notebook and pen.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Indeed... relying solely on chain explosion magic is insufficient..."
Despite her disheveled appearance as she sat and scribbled notes, Rie was undeterred, fully devoted to her magic.
Frowning, she brought the pen to her forehead, discontent with everything she had trained and researched so far.
"Even if I manage to get through the joint assessment between first and second years... what comes after is what worries me..."
The upcoming assessment after summer vacation was not her main concern.
She was preoccupied with the enemies that lay ahead.
Rie was in a dilemma.
'Magic, after all, is limited by the amount of mana one possesses... The maximum power one can unleash is predetermined...'
Lifting her head, she spoke a single word,
"Sylph."
Instantly, a gust of wind swirled, and a green-hued hawk materialized before her.
Rie's greatest strength lay in her ability to use elementals and magic simultaneously.
Until now, her focus had been predominantly on magic, but to surpass the limitations of magic, she realized the necessity of elemental assistance.
If she could synergize the two, she could display a power far greater than her current magical abilities.
"But, the problem is how to handle this..."
Rie had never delved deeply into the realm of elementals before.
Each individual had their limit in elemental affinity, and there was no known method to increase it.
Thus, the limit of her elemental abilities was already clear.
However, with magic, there were no such boundaries.
Her growth felt tangible as it was proportional to her efforts.
That's why she had focused more on magic.
Indeed, continuous growth in magic seemed right, but to become stronger immediately, seeking the help of elementals was necessary.
"But... to start studying elementals now..."
Rie pursed her lips and gazed thoughtfully at Sylph.
"Ah, right!"
While gazing at Sylph and contemplating elementals, something suddenly came to Rie's mind.
There had been a time when she intensely focused on elementals, even scouring through royal elemental masters' records and numerous papers for insights.
Rie hurried to her bag and pulled out her notebook.
Flipping through the pages, she found what she was looking for.
These were notes made when she had to seal Priscilla.
Months earlier, Rie had researched Priscilla at Rudy's request.
While Luna created a magic circle to seal Priscilla, Rie developed one to weaken the elemental's power.
However, due to an unexpected turn of events, the magic circle was rendered unnecessary.
Studying the notes, Rie sought answers within them, as she had never pondered over elementals as much as she did then.
Reading through the notebook, she found several intriguing points.
She immediately got up and headed to her room to find her research materials on elementals.
"Ah..."
After hours of revisiting her research, Rie found the answer she was looking for - the key to becoming stronger.
She leapt to her feet, invigorated by her discovery.
"If I do it this way..."
Gurgle─
"Ah..."
Her stomach growled, signaling that it was time to eat.
She glanced outside; it was already a dark night, and dinner time had long passed.
"...I should find something to eat."
Rie tidied her hair and stepped outside.
She preferred not to have maids around while conducting research, as they were more often a distraction than a help.
Thus, she began looking for a maid to prepare her meal.
"I'm hungry... and my eyes are sore..."
Exhaustion had built up in Rie's body.
Fatigue led to negative thoughts creeping in.
Though she felt she had roughly figured out how to use elementals, she doubted whether it would work effectively.
Lost in these thoughts while walking, she suddenly stopped.
"Huh?"
It was late, yet someone was approaching.
A familiar face.
"Rudy?"
"Where are you going at this late hour?"
Rudy approached Rie with a concerned look.
Rie's eyes widened, and then she smiled broadly before running towards him.
"Hey! What..."
She threw herself into Rudy's arms.
"What's this? Hey, why suddenly?"
Rudy was taken aback by her actions.
Rie, not paying any attention to his reaction, opened her mouth.
"I'm tired. Really exhausted."
"Ah, but why are you acting like this?"
Rudy looked around to see if anyone was watching and tried to gently separate from her.
"Ugh... just a moment longer!"
Even as Rudy tried to pull away, Rie held on tightly with all her strength.
"Haah..."
Hearing Rie's words, Rudy exhaled a sigh and gently patted her back in a resigned manner.
"Everything will be alright. Whatever it is..."
Rudy's words brought a smile to Rie's face.
She then relaxed her arms and stepped back.
"That's enough now."
"So, what was this all about?"
He looked concerned, as if wondering if something was wrong.
"No, it's okay now. I've resolved it."
Rie smiled satisfactorily, feeling reassured and energized by Rudy's comfort.
"I'll be busy for a while, so don't come looking for me. I can't focus when you're around because my heart flutters."
"No, but..."
As Rie spoke assertively, Rudy could only stutter in response, unable to find the right words.
"I'm going now."
Rie walked away with a smile, leaving Rudy behind.
"...What just happened?"
Rudy looked on, puzzled, as he watched Rie's retreating figure.
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