First Imperial Mage Alchemist Belladriel.
As both a mage and an alchemist, she is one of the Seven Heroes of the Empire.
Few are aware of her recent activities.
One might say she is following in the footsteps of Bergamot.
Having delegated most of her tasks to her representative, she has been focusing on her own matters.
Recently, she discovered something unusual in the North and decided to investigate.
“This is the result.”
Belladriel handed Epherna a crystal orb containing the information she had gathered.
As Epherna infused mana into the orb, information began to flow into his mind.
After a moment, Epherna, having absorbed all the information, calmly spoke.
“…It wasn’t just the north. Could the religious zealots have had a significant role in the affairs of the plains?”
“It may not be significant, but it cannot be dismissed.”
“This is serious.”
This confirmed the existence of a group known as Evergreen.
It meant that countermeasures needed to be prepared, causing Epherna to furrow his brow.
“And a few days ago, with the help of the Knight Commander Darion, I managed to enter the Royal Fortress of the Eastern Principality.”
The Royal Fortress of the Eastern Principality.
It had been forcibly closed off by powerful curses and barriers even after the war ended, preventing entry for years.
After Ern killed the Duke of the Eastern Principality, the curse and barrier that emerged kept the fortress’s doors tightly shut.
Recently, Belladriel managed to resolve the curse and enter the fortress.
“Did you find what the Duke of the Eastern Principality was trying to hide?”
“No, I did not find anything of that sort.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
What was the Duke of the Eastern Principality trying to hide?
Epherna thought it might be related to the Summer Sun, which had been implanted into her when they kidnapped her. There would likely be a significant reason behind it, and that reason would almost certainly be a secret that no one should know.
‘Eastern Principality… Me… the Summer Sun… and Evergreen.’
If any connection could be drawn between these three and Evergreen, the picture that emerges is…
‘It’s still too early.’
She shook her head.
There was nothing she could determine yet.
She needed more, clearer information.
“Thank you. I won’t forget your effort.”
“I’m honored.”
******
Returning to the dormitory, Epherna told Ern of her decision.
“I think I need to leave the Academy.”
There is only so much that can be learned and obtained here.
Seeing things only through texts and videos when they need to be seen and confirmed with her own eyes was driving her mad.
“I’ll let the headmaster know. I checked, and it seems that a few days off can be recognized as a field experience absence. Where are you going?”
“To the Eastern Principality.”
Over the past few years, Epherna had been unable to pay attention to the affairs of the Eastern Principality.
The Second Prince had been handling matters related to the Eastern Principality, and there was not enough time for her own tasks.
However, having realized that everything starts from the Eastern Principality, visiting it to gather information was no longer a choice but a necessity.
Ern thought for a moment about the upcoming schedule and then said.
“It seems that departure will only be possible in a week. I also have things to do to be able to skip classes.”
“That’s fine. I have exams starting tomorrow, so I won’t have much time for a few days.”
“Oh right, there are exams as well?”
That explains why there were so many notebooks and books scattered on the desk lately.
Though Epherna is usually too busy to study, it seems that exams are an exception.
“And I asked Belladriel for a favor.”
“A favor?”
“To investigate the Dragon Clan.”
It wasn’t to find Ern’s name.
Epherna wanted to learn more about the creatures that existed during the Mythical Era.
This was because she suspected that the purpose of Evergreen’s curse in the closed northern region might be related to the Blizzard of Winter.
The Blizzard of Winter is currently kept by the Imperial family.
Only the Second Prince, Epherna, and the Seven Heroes who defeated the Demon King know its location.
‘If they knew and cast a curse in the closed area…’
If Evergreen had cast an immortal curse limited to the area on monsters and was trying to find the Blizzard of Winter hidden in the closed region by manipulating them, it would be highly likely that they knew the hidden stories of the Mythical Era, which only the imperial family should know.
The identity of the hidden story is known only to Epherna, as the Second Prince is bedridden. It is a story even Ern does not know.
-If you collect all the essences of the Mythical Era, the wish of the person who collected them will come true.
“…”
Epherna was subconsciously convinced of Evergreen’s purpose.
*****
Midterm exams.
A period of hardship where many students cry, laugh, and despair.
Once this period is over, students can even grab the professor by the collar without much scolding.
The feeling of guilt when realizing that the questions, which were thought to be easy, were actually difficult for students… is negligible.
“Seriously… how can the grades be like this when I covered everything from the textbook?”
Ern could only be horrified as he continued grading.
He had made the difficulty easy enough to ensure an A if students just stayed awake in class, but there were students with blank papers, some who drew pictures, and even those who left traces of drool from sleeping.
“And Epherna… has full marks.”
Seeing the full marks of his well-raised daughter, Ern smiled with pride for a moment.
However, he could only make a despairing face at the ongoing deluge of papers.
“Maybe I should switch to multiple-choice questions next time… That might raise the average a little…”
He had thought that short-answer or essay questions would be easier, but it turned out that most students couldn’t even answer them.
Knock. Knock.
“Come in.”
He granted entry while focusing on grading.
When he put down his red pen and looked up, he saw someone quite unexpected.
“Student Council President…? What brings you here?”
Emeldia Skyes.
The daughter of the Marquis family, known for their long-standing loyalty to the Imperial family.
Why was she here?
Could it be a complaint about the grades?
No, Emeldia isn’t in my class.
“I came to ask Professor Astra a question.”
“Certainly. Feel free to ask.”
“How can one become a member of the Personal Guard?”
“…?”
*****
Emeldia’s decision to become a member of the Personal Guard was not a simple spur-of-the-moment decision.
Four years ago, after Epherna showcased her presence with fireworks at a victory celebration, Emeldia had been captivated by her.
Though they were both fifteen, her mana and control were incomparable to hers.
The blood of the Skyes family, which had sworn loyalty to the Imperial family for a long time, turned what started as mere admiration into a deep-seated aspiration.
As time passed, her childhood admiration evolved into genuine affection and eventually into a sense of duty.
Even though it was a sense of duty, the bloodline of the family that made the Empire the greatest power on the continent was deemed deserving of her service.
Emeldia merely accepted this thought, but when Epherna entered the Academy and first appeared in the Student Council, the long-lost admiration was rekindled.
She regularly visited the Student Council, remembered each student’s name, and took the time to understand their personalities. This was the hallmark of a true adult.
Whether it was due to her genuine character or her strategic approach to gaining favor, Emeldia admired both.
It was not an exaggeration to say that Epherna visited the Student Council every single day.
What she did there was nothing extraordinary.
She simply chatted with the students, laughed, and brightened the atmosphere.
If this was truly her personality, she was a benevolent ruler; if it was strategy to gain favor, she was a shrewd tactician.
Emeldia didn’t care which it was. The fact was that the members of the Student Council had developed an affection for her.
And.
Every time Emeldia saw Epherna’s proud eyes, she felt a thrill and heat as if her cells were shivering.
Believing that this emotion stemmed from respect and admiration, she started wanting to become a member of Epherna’s Personal Guard.
If she became part of her Personal Guard, she could be by her side 365 days a year.
She would experience feelings she had never felt before and wouldn’t want to escape from.
After receiving Ern’s brief advice, Emeldia left the faculty office, and Ern continued to press the top of his pen, deep in thought.
“…Skyes, you say.”
A family with an obsession with the Imperial family that is almost frightening.
Their loyalty had been unwavering for centuries, but their occasional bouts of fanaticism made it hard to gauge their limits. He had heard that the head of the Skyes family had cast some absolute magic on their own blood for the sake of the Imperial family 600 years ago, but he hadn’t expected it to be to this extent.
“I did give some advice, but…”
Ern felt a pang of bitterness.
The positions in the Personal Guard were already filled.
Himself, Temur, and ‘that thing’.
Soon, by Epherna’s side, there would be a beast many times more useful than any human, as she had planned to summon a spirit for quite some time.
“I’ll have to talk to her about it later.”
But first, he needed to finish grading.
Ern began to write on the relentless downpour of exam papers.
