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Chapter 229
lissa had already enrolled in the academy and proved her abilities — she even had a history of joining the student council.
And yet, she was now taking the entrance exam alongside the new students?
Not understanding why, I looked further down and saw that all cadets from lissa's batch had already taken the exam.
Only lissa's records were missing, so they decided she would take the exam with the new students.
The docunt in front of was essentially a consent form for that.
Without a word, I looked over the docunt, then grabbed the family head's seal.
Thud!
I stamped it without hesitation.
Flutter...
And then, another docunt fell onto the desk.
“Huh? Is this one for ?”
It was a letter from none other than Professor Roml — lissa’s ntor — and the Dean of the Imperial Academy.
[Request to appoint Lord Leon Cascadia as a short-term lecturer.]
Huh?
All of a sudden?
I’ve worked as a test proctor before, but I’ve never actually taught anyone.
From the looks of it, they wanted to oversee a special course for students with poor academic performance and new cadets entering the academy this sester.
For so reason, a considerable number of students were enrolling at the academy under various categories.
It seed several professors, not just , were assigned to handle them.
However, a personal note was attached to my assignnt list — lissa was among the students I was to oversee.
After thinking about it briefly, I stamped the docunt casually.
The reason I accepted was simple.
In other words, lissa is re-entering the academy and falls under the applicable category. And I get to teach her?
I get to legally make my annoying little sister’s life difficult?
How could I pass this up?
* * *
The next day, Luna temporarily took the Millennial Fruit of the World Tree.
She ntioned that she might be able to turn it into sothing even better, so she must have so sort of plan.
At the very least, if Luna said so, it wouldn’t just be a minor improvent.
Maybe she’ll turn it into a 12 enhanced Millennial Fruit or sothing?
Just then, I heard Luna humming a tune outside the door.
— Oops, my hand slipped~ Oops, my hand slipped~
Did I just entrust a fish to a cat?
I was getting a little worried.
I wanted to grab her and ask what she was trying to do, but now wasn’t the ti.
There was sothing more important going on.
I had already sent word — it was about ti they arrived.
“Young Master, the two guests have arrived and have been shown to the drawing room.”
“Alright. Let’s go.”
As I rose from my seat, a maid quietly bowed and followed behind .
Waiting in the drawing room were a man and a woman.
“Thank you for coming such a long way, Duke Catsey. And Sword Saint.”
“It’s been a while, Leon… Hah. This is unbelievable. Am I really seeing what I think I am?”
Sword Saint Osberg Mielephon widened his eyes in shock, as if he had realized sothing just by looking at , and Duke Catsey Mielephon wore an expression filled with concern.
Without hesitation, Duke Catsey asked,
“Forgive for getting straight to the point, but how is Isna?”
“She’s currently asleep. I’ve healed her external injuries, but she seems ntally exhausted.”
She had already been asleep for over 24 hours.
It was clearly not just ordinary sleep, but according to Luna, she wasn’t in any critical danger.
“Sigh… May I see her?”
“Of course.”
I guided them to the guest room where Isna was resting.
Seeing her sleeping soundly and peacefully, Duke Catsey let out a deep sigh and pressed her fingers against her temples.
“To think she’s sleeping so peacefully after turning the household upside down…”
“It looks like simple sleep, but she’s unconscious due to ntal exhaustion and needs rest. If we had been even a little later, she might not have survived. Her injuries were that severe.”
After showing them Isna’s condition, I took them outside the room and explained the circumstances under which I had found her.
“The Great Forest, the elves’ territory… No wonder we couldn’t find her. She was hidden deep in the woods.”
“So, you haven’t discovered anything more?”
“Nothing concrete yet. However, when I found the young lady, her body bore traces of the power belonging to the monster that attacked the forest. It’s possible she knew what was about to happen in the Great Forest.”
It was only a hypothesis.
The day Isna was attacked — she must have discovered sothing, left the house, and headed for the Elven Forest.
“Then, those behind the monster in the Great Forest attacked Isna?”
“It could also be the opposite. That’s not the kind of monster anyone can control.”
They seed confused, but there was no helping it.
Until Isna herself woke up, nothing could be confird.
“For now, once the young lady wakes up, we can confirm things then. Until that ti, I believe it’s best for the Mielephon family to take utmost care in protecting her.”
Duke Catsey silently nodded at my suggestion.
“Sigh… Very well. Then, may we take her with us now?”
“She should be fine. Traveling by teleportation gate won’t be too taxing in her condition.”
Duke Catsey seed convinced and stood up imdiately.
Just then, Sword Saint Osberg, who had been silently watching , called out.
“You there. May I ask you sothing?”
“Please, go ahead, sir.”
“Have you… witnessed Blooming?”
His question referred to sothing I had spoken of long ago.
Will, Intent, Blooming, Transformation, Transcendence.
Among them, the stage of the Mind Master was Blooming.
No one had properly recognized it before, but being the Sword Saint, he seed able to sense it despite my attempts to conceal it.
After a brief pause, I answered.
“Yes.”
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“I see.”
He looked a bit dazed and bewildered as he replied.
“So… you never needed a master to begin with.”
Sharp old man.
Duke Catsey looked at Osberg sitting silently across from him.
“What are you thinking about, Father?”
“It’s nothing. I’m just… a bit overwheld. Don’t worry about it.”
“Is it because of those who attacked Isna? I plan to organize a search party as soon as we return to the estate. Once we identify them—”
“No. Do not do that.”
Osberg looked at Isna, who was asleep with her head resting on Catsey’s lap.
“What do you an, Father? If we leave them be, they’ll keep targeting Isna.”
“I know. What I an is, do not disperse our forces.”
He closed his eyes briefly and then opened them.
“If Leon is warning us like that, then the enemy must not be taken lightly. If we split our forces and suffer annihilation, it would be a disaster beyond words.”
“I understand that Lord Leon possesses extraordinary skills for his age. However, relying solely on his judgnt and responding passively does not seem wise.”
Catsey’s decision seed firm.
Leon had asked her to focus on protecting Isna, but she was intent on hunting down and eliminating the culprits.
Osberg imdiately realized that it was a mother’s fury toward those who had targeted her daughter.
Even with her cold deanor, he knew well how much she cherished her children.
Normally, he would have respected his daughter-in-law’s opinion, but this ti he flatly rejected it.
“No. Do as Leon said.”
“Father!”
“If Leon says it's dangerous, then it truly is dangerous. If it were just a re cult, he wouldn’t even have brought it up.”
“What do you an…?”
“What do you think of Leon?”
The question ca out of nowhere, but Catsey answered politely.
“He is still an incredibly talented boy.”
“Did you not see anything else?”
“What do you an by that?”
“I couldn’t see it. Unless I stake my life, I don’t see a way to win against him.”
“…”
This wasn’t just anyone speaking—it was Sword Saint Osberg.
The utter seriousness in his words left her speechless.
“What do you an…”
“That boy has always been unusual. Not only did he break through the Expert level in one go, but he also opened the path to the Master level right then and there.”
The shocking revelations continued.
“But now, even that visible level of his is completely gone.”
In other words, Leon had either reached the sa level as Osberg—or perhaps even surpassed him.
“That’s not sothing possible…”
“No, under normal circumstances, it’s impossible. For a teenager to reach the Expert level is enough to call them a prodigy. If one becos a Sword Master, they’re a once-in-history genius.”
Even in historical records, no one was ever ntioned to have reached the Master level in their teens.
There were so vague phrases, but they were all lacking credibility.
Still, witnessing such otherworldly growth firsthand made it impossible to dismiss.
“Maybe you misread it.”
“Yes, under normal circumstances, that would be the case.”
With a chuckle, he looked down at his hand.
“Child.”
“Yes, Father.”
“How long do you think it’s been since I lost my competitive spirit?”
“Practically since you were granted the title of ‘Star,’ I would say.”
“Yes. It’s been a long ti. But… what would you think if soone like felt a strong sense of rivalry toward a boy who hasn’t even lived a fifth of his life?”
For soone who has reached an imnse level and stood unchallenged for years, to feel rivalry ans he sees the boy as a genuine threat.
Though he spoke with a smile, this was a matter close to instinct.
One doesn’t awaken a seasoned warrior’s fighting spirit unless they’re truly powerful.
Knowing this, Duke Catsey had no response.
“For now, we need to proceed with caution. In fact, there’s sothing I haven’t told you—during the search for traces of Isna, there was a fatality. A betrayal.”
“What?”
“He wasn’t the kind of man to betray us. But at the ti, he had already beco soone else entirely. It was as if his soul had been carved out of his human body and replaced with sothing else. He tore out his own heart and unleashed a strange kind of magic.”
“What happened to him?”
“How could soone live after their heart was torn out? At the ti, I thought he’d rely been bewitched by a monster, but now that I hear all this, I’m starting to think otherwise.”
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