Point of View: Julio Timal

"I told you, Gase." When Maki left the room, I activated an enchantment to isolate the chamber once more. "Maki would never accept that proposal." She had been insisting on inviting Maki to sit at my table for my niece's birthday.

She lets out a sigh. "At least we tried." During their training days, Gase and Maki grew quite close. She genuinely sees him as a younger brother or nephew. I look at the girl covered by the green cloak and mask. Beneath that special attire hides a young woman whose life went from peaceful to hell, where she lost all hope. It makes me glad to see her able to smile now.

"Did you see a reflection of the old Gase in him?" My question is direct—we trust each other enough to touch on these subjects.

"A little." Her voice is softer than usual. "A young person with talent, born into a simple, loving, and humble noble family. Our childhoods could have been very similar. I just don't want to see him walk the same path I did."

She had always possessed exceptional talent for swordsmanship and fire magic, and worked harder than any other teenager of her age. Her family, a low-ranking noble house, did everything they could to provide her with the best training possible once her talent was discovered.

She carved her way through tournaments, constantly standing out by defeating the favorites. In each competition it was normal to see her on the podium. That earned her rewards and opened up more opportunities to improve. Soon, the neighboring kingdom knew her name, and everyone awaited her future with expectation.

The only duke of the Merno Kingdom tried to approach her family directly, promising a brilliant future for their most talented daughter. Her family was overjoyed when it happened—at first it all seemed like a dream, a fairy tale. But slowly, everything began to change.

She was gradually forced away from her loving family, persuaded by the duke's sweet words that it was all for her future. Once she entered the best academy in the kingdom, she began receiving strange missions: assassinations and espionage against small groups in nearby towns and villages.

At the time, she didn't pay much attention. She completed her missions to build her reputation and gain wealth to help her family. Every task was executed flawlessly, and she had no suspicions—she believed she was targeting criminals or rebels against her kingdom.

As she grew older, doubts began to creep in. She started investigating on her own, and after several months, she uncovered something unexpected. All those she had killed were innocent. They were simply families who had been abused by the duke or by nobles under his protection.

She had been cleaning up the disasters caused by corrupt nobles who saw common folk as animals. Back then, as only a sapphire rank, she could do nothing but remain silent until she became strong enough to rebel or escape.

Her superiors prevented her from visiting her family—her only source of comfort for her terrible deeds. When she finally managed to see them again, they appeared happy and tranquil, grateful for their daughter's support. But when they finally had a chance to speak privately, they revealed the truth.

They were being mistreated. The duke had never kept his promises. It was all a lie to exploit a talented, innocent girl. She nearly lost her mind, and swore to her family she would do everything she could with her own hands.

Her missions began to spiral out of control; she lost focus and was scolded by her overseers. She was eventually imprisoned for several months due to her repeated failures. One day, sitting in that miserable cell, the duke himself came to her, laughing as he told her that her family would be executed for treason. That was the final straw.

On the edge of madness, she began to hate the duke with all her being. She felt powerless, unable to kill him or escape from that wretched place. Months passed, until a miracle occurred in that prison—Ho appeared like a savior, killing the guards and freeing the prisoners.

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When she and Ho locked eyes, something different happened: a bond of siblinghood was formed. They escaped together. She first returned to her village, only to discover that a new noble family had taken her family's place. Her first emotion was rage—she wanted to kill them. But in the end, she managed to restrain her anger and went to a sacred place she had shared with her father.

There, she found letters left for her. Her family had understood a bit of what was happening, and knew their end was near. The content of those letters is unknown even to me—she only shared fragments of their farewell words. They never blamed her. They loved her until the very end.

Ho and Gase migrated to the Empire, where Ho had an old caretaker who worked under my family. Slowly, they settled into a new life. That alone was surprising—anyone else in Gase's situation might have joined a criminal group or a radical faction seeking to exterminate all nobles.

With new identities, and with Ho's caretaker's blessing, they eventually came to me. At first they were wary, but I earned their trust little by little until we reached a point where we considered ourselves family without blood ties.

Gase's life had been full of expectations and dreams in the beginning, only to collapse until she nearly fell into madness. In the end, she managed to dream again, to believe again—with great effort. Deep inside, I am certain she still longs to take revenge on those people. And if she ever does, I won't stop her. That duke is rotten to the core.

That is why she wanted to present Maki to the world as someone close to me. In this way, no twisted or power-hungry noble would dare to lay a hand on him. I understand Gase's feelings, her desire to protect Maki. I too value that young man, and I won't allow any dark hand to seize him or his future.

"Don't worry, Gase. The world already knows of our relationship. No noble will dare approach him with ill intent, knowing our closeness." I pause before continuing. "And if any of them try, we will stop them." Those words calm her a little—I can feel her Imra soften in relief.

"We're in private, you can take off your work attire." The heralds exchange glances and nod. Both remove their enchanted cloaks and masks to sit comfortably on the sofas.

Ho, with his usual black mustache, dark hair, slightly tanned skin, and brown eyes always empty of emotion, settles into his seat.

Gase, with her golden hair and yellow eyes, skin as white as snow, and a beauty worthy of a noble or a model.

"Any idea what kind of object we could give Maki for his training?" They know almost all of the spatial artifacts in our vaults—between the three of us, we should find one.

"I was thinking of the red gloves. They require an enormous amount of mana for each strike and can only be used up to emerald rank. They're perfect for Maki, considering his mana capacity." Gase is the first to speak.

"Not a bad choice. But Maki uses swords like you, and the gloves only channel strikes through his fists." They're good for teaching him how mana weaving works, but won't help him much for other kinds of abilities.

"I was thinking about the last necklace Ho obtained." It's a necklace that allows the user to sense spatial waves and open a path to cast spells. It creates something like a portal through which spells can be directed.

"That's a good option. Maki also fights like a competent mage, and with this he could gradually learn how the spatial fabric moves." Gase agrees with me.

"No." The timid Ho finally speaks, and we all look at him. "Bracelets." Bracelets? Could he mean those four shackles that are worn on the limbs?

"That's a little dangerous. If you don't control your Imra well enough to protect your body, you could lose a limb, or even damage your cube." Those bracelets would indeed be good for Maki. They allow the user to jump instantly from one place to another. The problem lies in how they function. Usually, spatial artifacts open a passage in space. But these bracelets tear space apart to move. Without precise control of mana, Imra, and spatial knowledge, they could lead to death.

"Life mana…" Gase's words spark a realization. Maki can heal himself easily with his life mana. Though spatial mana could interfere with his healing, that too could become part of his training.

"Good choice, Ho." I commend my herald for his idea. It's decided—we'll give Maki that artifact. He is one of the few people capable of meeting all the usage requirements. The mana consumption is also immense if one cannot control it properly.

We continue discussing for several minutes before I am finally left alone. Tomorrow, during the celebration, they will be guarding the surroundings, preventing any possible attempt against my family. They'll handle high-level security discreetly.

"Tomorrow will be another exhausting day…" As Marquis and Arisa's uncle, I must greet nearly all the invited nobles, exchange words, and uphold my family's dignity.

"This will be a gift for Maki in advance for winning the tournament." I take out the communication device and call my former teacher. If Maki wishes to attend that academy, he will do so through the grand entrance.

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