Fian returned to the dimensional home with Gara that day.

After meeting Elowen, Fian hadn’t brought up anything she had said. Gara, meanwhile, was buried in his own thoughts and didn’t ask.

They arrived in front of the mansion inside the dimensional home. Just as Gara was about to step inside, Fian suddenly spoke.

"Elowen Elfutih told me that before he died, Headmaster Asta wanted me to take his surname and formally join House Elfutih."

Gara’s steps halted instantly.

He turned to Fian, eyes wide with shock.

Fian then explained everything in detail, including Elowen’s suspicion that Asta Elfutih’s death had not been an accident, but a trap laid by another party.

To be honest, Gara agreed with that theory.

Someone who had lived for hundreds of years, someone who knew the mist monsters inside and out, should not have died so carelessly. It was almost impossible for Asta Elfutih to make such a fatal mistake.

Unless there was someone else involved.

Someone acting in secret. Or worse, someone he trusted, striking from behind.

Gara didn’t dwell on the theory for long. What weighed on him instead was how much everything around him had changed in just two years.

He himself had gained a high-ranking noble position.

Madha had left for the border.

And now, Fian had become the successor of a sacred elf house.

Anxiety crept into Gara’s chest.

Madha had left so Gara could rise higher.

Would Fian leave too, to fulfill his role as the heir of House Elfutih?

Gara suddenly grabbed Fian’s cloak.

He lowered his head, hiding eyes that had begun to glisten.

"Don’t leave me," he whispered.

His chest felt tight. Gara didn’t want to be left behind again.

Fian stiffened when he heard those words.

In front of him was the fragile figure of the beautiful man who had always appeared strong and unshakable. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Fian’s heart ached, yet warmth spread through him at the same time.

All this time, he had believed he was useless, that he was only forcing himself to stay by Gara’s side.

He thought Gara might have wanted to push him away long ago, but felt pity for someone with no home and no family.

Fian wasn’t good with words. He wasn’t someone who could express affection through sweet gestures.

He had long since given up, quietly preparing himself for the day Gara might tell him to leave.

But now, for the first time, he heard Gara ask him not to go.

All the thoughts that had piled up in his mind vanished in an instant.

"I won’t leave," Fian said softly. "Don’t be sad."

To anyone else, his tone might have sounded cold.

But to Gara, who had been with Fian for two years, those words were deeply sincere.

Gara lifted his head, revealing hazel eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

Fian felt as though an arrow had pierced his chest, tight and painful.

"I don’t want you to abandon Headmaster Asta’s final request just because of me," Gara said, his voice dejected.

"I’ll stay here," Fian replied quickly. "Elowen didn’t ask me to go anywhere."

Hearing that, Gara let out a breath of relief.

Maybe Elowen Elfutih assumes Fian will remain at the academy and only leave after graduating to fulfill his duties as heir.

The thought still hurt.

But for now, Gara chose to focus on enjoying their time together.

He didn’t want anyone else to disappear without warning, like Madha had.

Gara was still overthinking.

To cope, he threw himself into keeping busy, channeling all his frustration into class competitions.

Every day, he claimed the highest score, no matter what kind of practical lesson it was.

That day, they had Strategy class, once again taught by Langga.

Without giving any lecture, Langga immediately led them into the forest behind the academy.

From the outside, the forest looked dense and dark. But deeper inside, it opened into a wide grassy plain.

Several horses, deer, and other wild animals grazed peacefully in the distance.

Langga signaled Pere, who distributed papers with sketches to the ten students.

Jett, whose Talent revolved around construction, immediately lit up when he saw the drawing of a towering structure on the paper.

He entered full focus mode, frowning repeatedly as he searched for flaws in the design.

His concentration ended when Langga finally explained the task.

"In your hands is a sketch of a tall structure made entirely from stacked grass."

The explanation made the students voice their confusion without realizing it.

A building made of grass?

Only Jett looked enlightened.

"No wonder I couldn’t imagine this standing with normal materials."

Langga then explained the method.

Unlike ordinary constructions built by stacking materials, this structure was made by binding blades of grass together.

The bottom layer needed the most grass, compressed tightly with no hollow spaces. A solid foundation would make the upper structure easier to build.

"The grass you use is the grass here," Langga added. "Don’t worry about depletion. It will grow back to normal within a week."

After that, he immediately ordered the students to begin.

Each of them had different abilities.

Langga wanted to see who would take the lead and assign roles accordingly.

Would it be Jett, with his construction expertise?

Revan, who excelled in strategy and understanding his classmates’ strengths?

Or perhaps someone else would surprise him?

Jett was the first to speak.

"The first thing we need is a solid foundation. Just gather as much grass as possible."

Langga watched with an amused expression.

Now he waited to see whether they would simply grab grass by hand, or actually utilize their Talents.

Before anyone around Jett could act, the grass suddenly rose into the air, flying rapidly and gathering into one spot.

Everyone stared blankly.

In just a few minutes, a massive mound of grass had formed.

Their gazes unanimously turned to Gara, who was staring intently at floating streams of water carrying grass through the air, his hand extended forward.

"All that water belongs to Gara?" Miki shouted in disbelief.

Before they could recover, more water appeared within the pile, flattening and compressing the grass with precise pressure.

"Just how insane is Gara’s water control?" Revan muttered.

Langga and Pere were just as stunned.

In the end, a strategy class meant to sharpen strategy awareness concluded with absolutely no strategy at all.

Because Gara solved everything with pure brute force.

...