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The unprecedented event of Count Niflheim’s estate being directly attacked by the Mystics.

This incident threw the entire household into chaos.

Even the Count of Niflheim, who had been away on business, rushed back in a hurry.

Amidst the confusion, Xenia found herself in an extremely troublesome situation.

More precisely, her body was tense with anxiety.

And with good reason.

Before her stood one of the most powerful figures in the Empire.

Her white hair cascaded down as she rested her chin on her hand.

Every little movement exuded a strange sense of intimidation.

The Duke of Whitewood.

Raksid Anubecia.

The one hailed as the Empire’s greatest hero.

Facing her, Xenia couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

No matter how talented she was, she couldn’t possibly hold her head high in front of the Duke of Whitewood.

Raksid was a living legend of the Empire.

The Duke of Whitewood observed Xenia with an intrigued expression.

“So, you’re saying this girl is the reincarnation of Zerion?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

The Duke of Whitewood turned to the attendant beside her.

Xenia’s gaze flickered toward him.

The man had introduced himself as Ryu.

She still felt uneasy about the whole situation.

Reincarnation of Zerion?

It was true that Xenia had wielded Zerion’s Stellar Magic.

To the magic academy, this was nothing short of a miracle.

Stellar Magic was an impossibly complex magic.

In fact, it was magic that only Zerion himself had been able to decipher.

For Xenia to use it meant she was a phenomenal talent.

So much so that rumors had recently spread within the Niflheim household.

The Transcendent Sage Zerion had never officially fathered a child.

However, there was a tale that he had loved someone once.

Due to the Great War, Zerion had been sent to the front lines, and his relationship with his lover faded into obscurity.

But some speculated—

Could Zerion have left behind a child?

The Empire had always been ahead of other nations in magic.

As such, magical families competed fiercely to recruit those with talent into their lineage.

So people couldn’t help but wonder—

If Zerion had left behind a descendant, they would undoubtedly display extraordinary talent.

Would the magic families, obsessed with magical prowess, have simply let that go?

It was impossible to confirm whether Zerion had truly fathered a child.

But now, for the first time since Zerion himself, someone had emerged who could wield Stellar Magic.

This led the academy to speculate that the Niflheim bloodline might have inherited Zerion’s lineage.

The Count Niflheim’s household strongly supported this theory.

In fact, one of the reasons the Count had been leaving home so often recently was to push this narrative.

The title of "Transcendent Sage, Zerion’s bloodline"—

They knew how much this would elevate their household’s status.

Given Xenia Niflheim’s case, the academy couldn’t easily dismiss the claim.

The Count Niflheim’s estate aggressively promoted this idea.

But ultimately, it was just speculation.

No one knew the truth.

It wasn’t even certain that Zerion had left behind any descendants at all.

And now, in the midst of all this, Xenia was suddenly being declared Zerion’s reincarnation.

She was understandably bewildered.

“Hm.”

As confusion swirled, the Duke of Whitewood pressed her fingers against her chin, studying Xenia.

Xenia instinctively shrank back under the weight of that gaze.

“The reincarnation of Zerion, huh?”

The Duke of Whitewood shifted her attention from Xenia to Ryu.

“…More than that, that appearance of yours…”

She muttered to herself, tilting her head slightly in thought.

Then, she shook her head and refocused on Xenia.

“Well, it’s true that only Zerion ever wielded Stellar Magic.”

She didn’t bother to dwell on the subject further.

Instead, she moved on to explain why they were meeting alone.

“The brat from Niflheim isn’t here yet, but I’ll tell you in advance.”

Calling Count Niflheim a "brat"?

The only person in the Empire who could speak that way about a Count was the Duke of Whitewood.

“As you’ve already been attacked, the Mystics will continue to target you because you are Zerion’s reincarnation.”

“Ah, y-yes.”

Xenia tensed as she responded.

“So I have a proposal. I plan to personally hunt down the Mystics.”

The Duke of Whitewood, moving in person.

A Grand Duke of the Empire taking direct action would cause an uproar.

But whether or not it stirred chaos, the Duke of Whitewood was determined to personally eliminate the Mystics.

“Since you’re going to be targeted anyway, I propose you come with me.”

Xenia’s eyes widened.

Since she was already a target, she might as well be taken along?

What kind of absurd reasoning was that?

“Honestly, this is his idea.”

The Duke of Whitewood gestured toward Ryu with her chin.

Even she didn’t seem entirely pleased with the suggestion.

Unlike Ryu, whose skills were proven,

Xenia was still a fledgling—a newly hatched prodigy.

Even if she was Zerion’s reincarnation, she had many shortcomings.

Her chances of being in danger were much higher.

“Your Grace, I understand your concerns,”

Ryu finally spoke.

“But given that we haven’t fully identified the members of the Mystics, it would be safer to include Lady Xenia rather than leave her unprotected.”

He spoke smoothly, effortlessly making his case.

“Lady Xenia’s Stellar Magic will prove to be an incredible asset. I trust that if you allow her to join, she will exceed expectations.”

Xenia felt utterly dumbfounded.

Her opinion wasn’t even considered—it had already been decided that she would be included.

“Hm.”

But her pride flared.

If the Duke of Whitewood hesitated to accept her, it meant her skills were lacking.

As the future leader of the Niflheim estate, she couldn’t afford to show weakness.

She was a perfectionist.

And her definition of perfection included the Niflheim name.

“I’ll do it. I’ll go!”

Xenia declared her resolve.

In reality, Ryu had practically forced her hand, but she had no choice.

If she backed down now, the Niflheim estate would look pathetic.

She was the acting representative of the Count Niflheim’s household.

A scion of one of the Empire’s most prestigious magical families.

She would do this perfectly.

“Good grief, why are young people so full of fire? Why not bring all your friends while you’re at it?”

“That’s why I already brought the other two.”

“If we all die, the world will be in chaos.”

“I have faith that Your Grace will take full responsibility and crush everything in your path.”

Xenia’s mouth fell open in shock.

A mere attendant speaking so casually with the Duke of Whitewood?

Who exactly was this man, Ryu?

The Duke of Whitewood clicked her tongue in annoyance and stood up from her seat.

"I’ll make sure to deliver your message to that Niflheim brat. Since that’s your decision, pack your things."

"Y-Yes."

Xenia found herself suddenly joining the task force set on defeating the Mystics, following Duke of Whitewood.

Inwardly, she was on the verge of tears.

She had been studying magic every day—how had things turned out like this?

She felt a bit resentful toward Ryu, who had pushed this onto her, but she knew he had done it with good intentions.

Swallowing back her tears, Xenia resolved to face what lay ahead.

* * *

After Xenia joined, I returned to the carriage.

I needed to put things in order before she got on.

‘Doesn’t seem like my identity’s been exposed.’

If anyone found out that I was Vikamon, things would get complicated.

For now, I had to keep using the identity of Ryu.

As I approached the carriage, I spotted a familiar face—one tied to me by misfortune.

Though his face was disguised, his towering height made it easy to recognize him.

"You've been working hard."

"You too."

His true identity was none other than Cardinal Centriol.

Feeling a sense of responsibility for what happened in Acrede, he had willingly followed us on this mission.

Of course, it made sense.

After all, Acrede was inside this very carriage.

If the Holy Kingdom found out, it would turn everything upside down.

However, with the Mystics actively targeting Acrede, we couldn't just leave her unprotected.

‘Besides, we need Acrede’s help to find Vulcan.’

Half of Acrede’s soul was currently linked to Vulcan.

This, in turn, gave us an opportunity to locate the Mystics’ headquarters.

The Guardian of Heroes, Aquiline’s reincarnation.

Musika.

She was using Vinesha’s body to track Narea’s soul through Acrede.

So, to find the Mystics, we needed Acrede.

The same applied when using the artifact Soul Tracker.

The scenario had changed quite a bit, but the process remained the same.

"If the Holy Kingdom finds out that Lady Acrede is here, what do you think will happen?"

"They’ll turn the world upside down."

I casually tested the waters, and Centriol answered politely.

Right now, no one knew that Acrede was here.

As far as the world was concerned, Acrede was merely on an academic tour at Zerion Academy.

In a month, she was scheduled to return safely to the Kingdom of Lium.

If discovered, it could lead to major diplomatic consequences.

Yet, Acrede was willing to take that risk to find Narea’s soul.

To her, Narea was like her other half.

Of course, she would give everything to find her.

‘This scenario is completely tangled up.’

Things were getting complicated, but I had already made my decision.

Vulcan was moving aggressively—he had even attacked the Count Niflheim’s estate directly.

Letting him run wild was not an option.

‘The sequence may have changed, but the main storyline remains intact.’

Originally, Lucas was meant to lead the Saint and Xenia in a battle against the Mystics.

So, in essence, the story was unfolding as it should.

‘Come to think of it, isn’t it academy mock battle season?’

Hannon would have to take my place in the mock battle.

I wasn’t sure if he’d be okay, though.

This also meant I’d once again miss the chance to go up against Ban.

But aside from that, there shouldn’t be any major issues.

‘I specifically warned him not to cross paths with Lady Iris.’

Hannon genuinely believed I was Zerion.

So he would undoubtedly do his best for me.

I chose to trust him.

Besides, Eve was now using Azure Flame to help Iris with her nightmares.

That meant she wouldn’t need me anymore.

Things would resolve themselves smoothly, even in my absence.

"You’re back?"

Just then, the carriage door swung open, and Isabel greeted me warmly.

No matter how I disguised myself, she always recognized me instantly.

To this day, I had no idea how she did it.

Enough brooding.

Everything was going according to plan.

All that was left was to finish the mission and return to Zerion Academy safely.

As I stepped inside the carriage, familiar faces came into view.

Musika, Acrede, and Isabel were there.

"Oh, you’re—"

Just as Musika opened her mouth to greet me,

she suddenly stopped speaking.

Blinking twice, she furrowed her brows slightly.

"What’s with that look?"

Musika’s unexpected reaction took me by surprise.