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After the duel ended and Damian disappeared from sight, Elena decided to occupy herself by replaying memories from the past while waiting for him. There was no longer any sense of regret tied to those memories; it was purely curiosity to understand the difference between then and now.

Elena was not naïve enough to be unaware of the many discrepancies between her past and present, but she reflected on her past with a slightly different mindset than before. In simple terms, she felt a certain ease of heart that allowed her to take this action.

For whatever reason, she rewound her memory.

Before long, the scenery reflected in Elena’s eyes transported her back to the time when she first returned to the past.

Back then, just like now, Elena watched the duels from the audience seats in the training grounds. However, the purpose of being there and the nature of the duels reflected in her eyes were completely different. Yet because of the similarities in location and events, that day’s memories naturally resurfaced.

What had prompted her to head to the training grounds that day?

It seemed she had wanted to see Noel’s face and also to uncover the origin of the discomfort she felt from Damian the previous day. It was a rather complicated mix of reasons, making it hard to pinpoint exactly why. But ultimately, the reason she arrived there wasn’t what mattered; what did matter was what she witnessed that day.

The difference between what she saw back then and now was limited to whether Hailey was present or not. The topic of Rex Morpheus’s class that day was a brawl similar to today’s duel, with the main characters standing in the training grounds just like they did now.

Reinhardt, Noel, and finally, Damian.

Thinking back now, it seemed that day marked the first meeting between Noel and Damian.

As the engagement between Edelweiss and Kraus dissolved, the Emperor saw no need to send anyone to the south, and thus Noel and Orcus likely had no reason to come south. Perhaps that’s why the scene Elena observed in the training grounds back then was crowded, yet reminiscent of today’s first encounter between Noel and Damian.

Unlike now, Reinhardt, who had not yet become friends with Noel, quickly exited the scene as soon as Noel engaged Damian. His strict demeanor towards superiors made this action understandable. In fact, it wasn’t just Reinhardt; everyone present except Damian likely found it difficult to approach Noel.

No matter how high the influence of the Duke’s family and the Kraus might be, supremacy belonged to one—the Imperial Family. Noel, being one of the two heirs of that family, would surely weigh heavily on anyone meeting her.

In that scenario, only Damian treated her differently.

Elena couldn’t know with certainty what kind of mindset Damian had when facing Noel, but one guess might be that he viewed her as a peer rather than a princess since she stood before him, sword in hand.

No fierce encounters unfolded that day.

Similar to today’s first duel between Noel and Damian, Noel ended up breaking her sword and Damian swiftly moved on to his next opponent.

Many spectators witnessing this scene were left astonished, including the past Elena, albeit with a slightly different perspective.

“Idiot…”

Reflecting on her past self, Elena lightly smacked her head. Though this recollection wasn’t intended as a source of regret, considering her former actions, it felt appropriate to do something to relieve her pent-up frustration.

Why had she thought of him as the Damian she knew, even after witnessing such a conclusive evidence of discomfort?

Having gone to confirm her unease, she still equated him with Damian despite the significant proof in front of her. Reflecting on it now, it seemed like one of the most foolish actions she could have taken. It indicated how deeply immersed she was in her previous memories, yet it still left her feeling regretful.

While she didn’t realize it before, the current Elena understood well where the meeting between Damian and Noel would eventually lead.

Although she hadn’t discussed this specifically with Noel, it was easy to see that the events of that day were a turning point in her feelings for him, unless one were blind to the truth.

In truth, this wasn’t something to nitpick about. Who could fault someone for developing feelings for another? What Elena regretted was simply that despite having ample time, she had squandered it on trivial matters.

Nonetheless, the expression on Elena’s face as she recalled the past wasn’t dark. Now she wasn’t clueless about what the problem had been, and she was different from her past self.

As she sensed Damian’s presence nearby, Elena wrapped up her reflection.

Turning her head to face him, a warm feeling began to fill her heart. It truly felt better to see him up close than from afar. Observing Damian’s expression made her realize she was not the only one experiencing this sensation, causing her emotions to swell even more.

*

It was still during the second period of classes. Orcus strolled leisurely around the Academy Building.

It goes without saying that Elena wasn’t the only one to finish Melina Cobbs’s exam.

Though she had come out first with a perfect score, the exam she had given wasn’t simply meant for that.

Regardless of the results, as long as one completed the problems, they could leave the exam room. Of course, it was important to perform well for Melina’s good impression, but over time, more students began to emerge from the room.

Because of this, the number of students who exited early was not large, but Orcus, being called a genius, managed to leave the room faster than others, even if it took him slightly longer than Elena and Richard.

“Richard Ertuven. That guy is the heir of the Twilight Tower, so that explains it, but what about Elena…?”

Emerging third from the classroom, Orcus thought of Elena who had gone ahead and shook his head with an exasperated expression. Knowing her personality, she wouldn’t have written down anything incorrect, so from Orcus’s position, seeing Elena finish all the questions in just five minutes seemed utterly unbelievable.

There were indeed some questions that only those well-versed in Spatial Studies could handle. It appeared somewhat unrealistic for students who had mostly focused on other subjects to solve them. In the end, there was no denying that Orcus himself was exceptional for completing those questions, but still, five minutes was pushing it…

Orcus had confirmed how outstanding of a mage Elena was during the recent Hunting Tournament, but realizing her brilliance in this way gave him a different kind of perspective.

Her talent was unprecedented in the history of the magic world.

To be honest, even if one called her a genius, Orcus couldn’t help but feel a bit envious of Elena, though he managed to push that feeling aside and think in another direction—such as whether she would be a harm or a benefit to the Empire.

The marriage of the Edelweiss and Kraus families alone would already be a significant issue, but if the two of them became transcendents in the same era, power would concentrate in a way unprecedented in the history of the continent.

Having more transcendents affiliated with the Empire was a welcomed development, but a concentration of excessive power warranted caution.

“Well, I suppose I won’t have to worry about that as long as Damian is around.”

As he wore a serious expression, thinking deeply, Orcus’s face brightened as he recalled Damian.

His trust in Damian wasn’t just blind faith; there were reasons behind it.

No matter how exceptional Elena was, he knew she would ultimately act within the bounds of Damian’s influence. If she were an independent entity, things might have been different, but with Damian acting as a brake, predicting her actions wouldn’t be too difficult.

Damian was a person nearly devoid of desire for power, so Orcus understood that worrying about it wasn’t necessary.

“Well, I’ll keep my thoughts to a minimum here.”

After walking around inside the building for a while, Orcus began to silence his footsteps with magic. He wasn’t headed toward the training grounds where Elena and others were currently dueling. While he wouldn’t say he had no desire to be there, he had other matters to attend to.

Orcus stopped in front of a darkened research lab. Whether the lab’s owner hadn’t come in or not, there was no presence coming from within, but one could tell who the owner was simply by looking at the nameplate hanging next to the door.

[Professor George Heniwei, Department of Life Studies]

The name engraved on the nameplate was familiar to Orcus. He couldn’t possibly forget someone whose name was on the document he had sent to Damian.

Gazing at the now-empty lab, Orcus tilted his head slightly and muttered.

“When I checked yesterday, there wasn’t any mention of an absence. The barrier seems intact. Well, could this be a stroke of luck?”

Having unexpectedly found some free time, Orcus had dropped by to handle some tasks. Initially, he had merely intended to have a brief conversation face to face, but now that he was staring at the empty lab, his mind shifted.

Orcus grasped the doorknob and twisted his mana to unlock it; the door vibrated momentarily before swinging wide open as if it had been waiting for this.

The tranquility he felt outside proved true as he entered the lab, finding there was indeed no presence within, just as he had thought. Nevertheless, he still held onto the signal transmitter he had tucked into his pocket, readying himself as he stepped through the door.

At first, he moved his eyes to survey the area without moving his hands. While nothing might jump out at first glance, there could be a reaction if he touched something.

After disarming the mana encased in anything that felt magical, Orcus finally began to move his hands. Given the limited time, he only intended to have a quick look, so he opened the most accessible drawer first.

“What’s this?”

It was a drawer that required a key, yet on the desk above it lay what looked like the key to that very drawer. Surprised, Orcus stared at the key for a moment before opening the drawer. He half-hoped it might not be the right key, but it turned smoothly as if it were meant for it.

“Is the owner a fool? With security like this, whatever’s inside can’t be that important…!!”

The expression of Orcus, who had opened the drawer with disbelief, changed 180 degrees as soon as he saw its contents. From the outside, it seemed like an ordinary stack of documents, but to Orcus, who was deeply attuned to the divine, it reacted the moment it made contact with the air.

“Wow… is this coming from here?”

Papers imbued with the essence of Foreign Beliefs.

The contents inscribed on the surface clearly depicted a rare and peculiar alchemy that related to conventional magic in an unusual manner.

Faced with the absurd evidence that had suddenly appeared, Orcus felt uncertain about whether he should rejoice or not. It was the proof he had highly longed for, but he hadn’t expected to procure it so easily. It felt more plausible to think someone was trying to frame the owner of this research lab instead.

“I suppose I’ll just take this for now…”

He figured he could ascertain the details later. Whatever the case, it was significant evidence that they had infiltrated the Academy, so Orcus took the stack of documents from the drawer into his hands.

There was a very faint whiff of lavender emanating from the documents he held. However, the scent was so weak that it quickly faded from Orcus’s mind, overshadowed by the holiness imbued by the Foreign Beliefs surrounding the paper.

 

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