"I’ve never seen anyone fight like that," Mei admitted. "Everyone thought you were cornered, but somehow you kept slipping through every attack. I couldn’t even follow your feet during the last exchange."

Lina scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

"I just remembered my training."

"Just remembered?"

Mei stared at her as if she had said something absurd.

"Lina, most people remember their training."

"They don’t dismantle a Class C noble in front of the Emperor."

Lina’s cheeks flushed faintly, she genuinely didn’t know what to say.

High above the arena, the Emperor had not resumed his seat.

The ruler of the Empire stood near the front of the royal viewing platform with both hands resting lightly behind his back. His sharp eyes followed Lina until she disappeared into the waiting corridor.

Only then did he speak.

"Alistair."

The single word carried no anger, yet everyone seated nearby instinctively straightened.

Principal Alistair remained as relaxed as ever. Reclining comfortably in his chair, he calmly poured another cup of tea before looking toward the Emperor with the same peaceful expression he wore during every academy ceremony.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

The Emperor gestured toward the tunnel Lina had just entered.

"The silver-haired girl, Lina Woods, what do you know about her?"

The question was simple, but the silence that followed was not.

Several ministers seated nearby exchanged cautious glances. Even Duke Kenneth allowed his attention to drift subtly toward the conversation without turning his head.

Alistair lifted the porcelain cup to his lips and took an unhurried sip before answering.

"Her official records identify her as a commoner from one of the Empire’s outer territories. She earned admission to Aurelius Academy through the entrance examinations and was placed into Class A after demonstrating exceptional compatibility with her contracted beast."

Every word was technically true.

The Emperor listened without interrupting, but when Alistair finished, he frowned.

"That is her file, I asked about the girl and who trained her."

Alistair’s faint smile remained unchanged.

"The file describes the student, Your Majesty.

,It tells me very little."

The Emperor folded his arms.

"I have watched countless tournaments over the years."

"I know the difference between talent and discipline forged through extraordinary instruction."

His gaze returned toward the arena below.

"The way she managed distance, the way she guided rather than blocked."

"The patience she displayed while dismantling an opponent stronger than herself."

He slowly shook his head.

"Those things are not learned by accident."

For the first time since the conversation began, Alistair allowed himself a thoughtful pause.

"The Academy accepts students from every corner of the Empire," he said calmly. "Some arrive carrying burdens. Others arrive carrying gifts."

"And occasionally, one arrives carrying both."

The Emperor studied him for several long moments.

"You still haven’t answered my question."

Alistair looked directly at him.

"My answer is simply that Miss Woods has displayed remarkable growth since entering the Academy."

Whether that growth came from an unknown mentor...

Relentless effort...Or something else entirely...

He left unsaid.

A short laugh escaped the Emperor.

"You’ve become quite skilled at answering questions without revealing anything."

"I learned from years of teaching young nobles."

That earned another chuckle.

Even so, the Emperor’s expression gradually became serious once more.

"I do not intend to interfere with your Academy."

"But the Empire has a responsibility to recognize exceptional individuals before others do."

Without raising his voice, he spoke toward the shadows behind the royal platform.

"Captain."

A figure dressed entirely in dark ceremonial armor stepped forward before dropping to one knee.

"Your Majesty."

"I want a complete report."

"Family history, records, instructors, previous travel routes."

"Known associates."

"Every document concerning Lina Aurelis that exists within Imperial territory."

"If gaps appear...find out why."

The captain lowered his head.

"It shall be done."

Before anyone else could speak, the armored figure stepped backward into the shadows.

A heartbeat later...

He was gone.

The Emperor finally returned his attention to the arena, though his thoughts remained fixed on the silver-haired girl who had just captured the attention of an entire stadium.

Some talents were meant to change battles.

Others, had the potential to change kingdoms.

The royal platform settled into silence once more, but it was no longer the comfortable silence of honored guests watching a tournament. It was the quiet that followed the dropping of a stone into still water, the kind that spread outward in invisible ripples.

Every influential figure seated beneath the imperial canopy understood what the Emperor’s order meant.

A personal investigation from the throne was never casual curiosity. Whether Lina knew it or not, the moment she stepped off the arena floor, her life had become a subject of interest at the highest level of the Empire.

Duke Kenneth remained perfectly composed.

From the perspective of everyone around him, he looked like an aristocrat who had witnessed an unexpectedly entertaining match.

His posture was elegant, his breathing measured, and the silver cane resting against his knee never shifted even slightly.

Only Kenneth himself knew how violently his thoughts had begun racing.

He replayed every movement Lina had made, the way she redirected Gideon’s hammer.

The precise footwork and the timing of every counter. It wasn’t identical, but it was familiar.

Buried within those movements were fragments of something ancient. Something that should never have appeared in the hands of a teenage commoner attending a human academy.

His fingers tightened around the head of his cane.

’Impossible ...’

The style lacked the elegance of modern human swordsmanship. It favored efficiency over spectacle. Every slash existed for a reason. Every retreat prepared the next advance. Kenneth had witnessed techniques like that only a handful of times during his unnaturally long life.

Long before this Empire had risen, long before many of the great noble houses had even existed.

He had no intention of believing in a coincidence, that someone had taught that girl, or that someone was guiding her.

His first instinct was simple.

Capture her, by separating her from the Academy he could extract every secret she possessed.

The thought vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, not because he lacked the means.

Because of timing.

His crimson eyes shifted almost imperceptibly toward the Emperor, his attention changed everything.

The moment the Emperor had ordered an investigation, Lina ceased to be an unnoticed commoner. Any unusual disappearance, kidnapping, or assassination attempt surrounding her would immediately attract scrutiny from the Imperial Court. Even worse...

His gaze drifted toward Alistair.

The Principal hadn’t spoken much during the exchange, which worried Kenneth far more than if the man had questioned Lina openly.

Alistair rarely involved himself with individual students.

If he had chosen not to dismiss Lina’s performance...

Then perhaps... Kenneth crushed the thought before it fully formed.

No, he could not afford assumptions, Information before action.

His grip loosened slightly.

’Watch her, observe every match, and learn everything.’

Only after understanding the truth would he decide whether she was a threat...

...or an opportunity.

Far below the royal platform, the atmosphere around the instructors’ gallery differed completely.

Professor Valerius stood near the stone railing overlooking the arena. His broad shoulders blocked part of the afternoon sunlight as he watched workers repairing the battlefield with synchronized earth magic.

His molten-gold eyes weren’t focused on the broken stone.

They were remembering footprints.

He had spent decades training soldiers, hunters, and Vanguard elites.

They have the instinct of those who survived enough battles.

Lina possessed them.

Not the polished movements of a noble academy, nor the disciplined precision of the military.

Something older, something that adapted instead of imposing itself.

He folded his arms.

"A strange girl..."

One of the instructors standing nearby glanced toward him.

"You think so too?"

Valerius answered without looking away from the arena.

"She fights like someone who has already survived war."

The instructor blinked.

"She’s barely sixteen."

"So her body says."

The reply carried enough weight to end the conversation.

Valerius rarely made careless observations.

If he believed something about Lina felt wrong...

He intended to discover exactly what it was.

Several seats away, Elizabeth remained smiling.

To everyone watching, she appeared exactly as she always did—gentle, cheerful, almost childishly fascinated by the tournament.

Only her tightly interlocked fingers betrayed the tension beneath that pleasant expression.

The silver compass rested inside her sleeve.

’Is it broken? Impossible’

Its enchanted needle had cracked completely during the earlier encounter with Lina.

No matter how many times she tried to channel holy mana into it...

Nothing happened.

Elizabeth stared quietly toward the rookie waiting area, her smile never disappeared.

Yet her thoughts refused to settle.

’What happened...? The compass has never failed.’

.

She replayed the scene again.

Lina shifting and the strange surge of mana.

The compass spun wildly, then it went silence, at first she had blamed the damaged artifact.

Now...

She wasn’t so sure. Then there was Chloe.

The timid support girl had somehow survived a noble Spell-Weaver without receiving serious injuries.

And Lina...

Lina had defeated a heavily armored Vanguard without ever summoning her contracted beast.

Elizabeth slowly exhaled, neither event made sense by itself.

Together, they bothered her.

For the first time in many years, the sweet smile she wore so naturally felt strangely heavy.

Something inside Aurelius Academy was changing.

She simply hadn’t figured out what.