After telling her that I became an adventurer, Kaylee, who had been in the middle of sipping her tea, spat it out and started coughing. It took her a few moments to clear her throat. Mother gave her a concerned look, while Father offered her a handkerchief. Kaylee accepted and used it to wipe her mouth.

"What did you just say?" Kaylee asked afterwards, her voice rough.

I gave her an amused smile.

"I became an adventurer." I repeated.

Kaylee stared at me, as if I had grown a second, before looking to my parents for confirmation. They both nodded.

"You… What… I…" Kaylee said, unable to finish her sentence.

"Use your words." I said in a patronizing tone.

Kaylee glared at me, before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, she gave me a sharp look.

"Adventurers are crass and vulgar at best." Kaylee said. "And barbaric and brutish at worst. What is wrong with you? Why would you become one of them? You're already an embarrassment to House Sturm. Why would you shame our House further?"

I gave my sister a cold look. Oh? She wanted to play it like that, did she?

"Kaylee!" Father snapped. "Don't talk to your brother like that."

Mother gave my sister a displeased look.

"I didn't realize you were so narrow-minded, Kaylee." she said. "Perhaps sending you here was a mistake."

Kaylee had the audacity to look aggrieved.

"Think of our House's reputation!" She said. "If people find out that a member of House Sturm's main family became an adventurer, we'll never be able to live it down! I worked so hard to elevate our position, only for Gabriel to ruin everything! How could you allow him to do something like this?"

I snorted.

"Allow?" I asked. "Father and Mother helped me."

Mother crossed her arms.

"Exactly, Young Lady." she said. "I know being an adventurer carries a stigma, but I thought you'd be able to look beyond it. It appears that I thought wrong."

Kaylee clenched her fists and looked at me.

"You're a scion of House Sturm." She said. "It's not like you need to work for a living. Why did you become an adventurer?"

I shrugged.

"It wasn't about the money." I said. "Rather, it wasn't just about the money. Adventurers provide a valuable service to society. They hunt down monsters, deal with bandits, protect people, and so on." I gave my sister a sly look. "In fact, not too long ago, I helped deal with a demonic incursion in the Icefall region."

Kaylee gave me a stunned look, before she grabbed me by the shoulders and stared at me with a fiery intensity in her eyes.

"What happened?" She demanded. "Tell me everything!"

"Kaylee, that's enough!" Father said. "Stop harassing your brother like this!"

I glanced at Father and gave him a slight shake of the head, telling him to let me handle this. He looked unhappy, but backed down. Meanwhile, Mother looked annoyed.

"Apologize." I said, turning back towards Kaylee.

My sister narrowed her eyes at me.

"Excuse me?" She said.

"Apologize for calling me an embarrassment," I said. "I'll tell you what I know after that."

Kaylee's expression grew unsightly and she tightened her grip on my shoulders.

"Enough." She said. "I'm not playing around, Gabriel."

I glared at her.

"Neither am I, Kaylee." I said. "I already have to deal with insults and mockery from others because of my lackluster talent for magic. I refuse to put up with it from my own sister. So either apologize for calling me an embarrassment, or you can piss off."

Kaylee struggled for a bit, before she relented.

"I apologize for calling you an embarrassment, Gabriel." She said. "That was cruel and unnecessary of me."

To Kaylee's credit, she looked sincere. However, I already knew she was good at hiding her emotions, so I didn't know if I could trust this.

"I forgive you." I said. "This time. It better not happen again."

Kaylee clenched her jaw before nodding.

"Your brother may have forgiven you, Kaylee," Mother said in a stern tone, "but I haven't. You and I are going to have a long talk after this."

Kaylee wore a pained expression on her face.

"To answer your question," I said, "Icefall City survived, though it was a near thing. We suffered several casualties."

"'We?'" Kaylee asked.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I fought against demons several times while in the Icefall region." I said. "I mean, I told you I helped out with the demonic incursion. Did you think I was joking?"

"But you're only…" Kaylee started to say before trailing off. "You've reached Second Circle."

"I became a Second Ranked Awakened, yes." I said, correcting her.

Kaylee gave me a questioning look, but then shook her head.

"What about House Icefall?" she asked. "How did they fare?"

This time she seemed anxious.

"They survived." I said in a gentle voice. "All of them."

Kaylee sighed with relief.

"What about-?" she started to ask, but Mother cut her off.

"You can hear the rest of the details later," she said, before looking at me. "Gabriel, please leave. Your father and I need to have a talk with Kaylee."

Father nodded.

"Very well," I said, pulling out of Kaylee's grip, "I'll go for a walk."

With that, I left the drawing room just as Mother began lecturing Kaylee.

I checked in on the others to make sure they were settling in alright, before heading out for my walk. Leroy joined me. I started to say that he didn't need to, but then stopped.

While I could ignore some of the rules while in the Icefall region, things were different now. As a House scion, I needed to act the part in front of others. Not every House scion needed to have a bodyguard accompany them, but one of my status did. So yes, Leroy needed to come with me.

The two of us set off to walk the grounds of the Solarian Imperial Academy. I hadn't noticed it before, since I was too distracted by my parents' anger towards Dean Whitaker to notice, but the place was rather beautiful. A manicured beauty, especially when compared to the wilderness near the entrance to the Valley of the Lost, but beauty nonetheless.

Small gardens dotted the grounds, adding a dash of color and vitality. Summer was in full swing, so everything was in bloom. A floral scent filled the air. It meshed well with the quiet and solemn atmosphere of the Solarian Imperial Academy.

Trees flanked certain walkways, providing shade from the sun's heat. Despite that, I still felt a little too warm. So much so that I loosened the collar of my outfit to help cool down.

A sense of peace filled me as I walked around, taking everything in. In the midst of this, I heard Aurora's voice in my head.

'You have a strange relationship with your sister.' She said.

I let out an amused snort.

'How so?' I asked.

'Both of you are roughly the same strength.' Aurora said. 'However, your sister acts like she is better than you. If that happened to me, I'd consider it a challenge and act accordingly.'

'Really?' I asked. 'What is your relationship with your siblings like? If you have any.'

I felt Aurora's pride through our bond.

'Among frost dragons, strength determines status,' she said, 'and I was the strongest among the siblings. I fought and clawed my way up, until I stood at the very top. My parents were very proud of me.' Her mood turned melancholy. 'I miss my family. It's been so long since I last saw them. I wonder if they miss me.'

I sent feelings of comfort and reassurance.

'I'm sure they do, Aurora.' I said. "I would, in their shoes.'

Aurora snorted.

'Frost dragons don't wear shoes,' she said, 'but I understand what you mean. Thank you.'

'Would you like to see your family again?' I asked. 'If you want, we can try and find them.'

I sensed eagerness and hesitation from Aurora.

'Yes.' She said. 'However, not until you're more powerful. Otherwise, they may just eat you before you can say anything.'

'How powerful?' I asked.

'About as powerful as your father at a minimum.' Aurora said. 'However, the more powerful you are the better. Again, frost dragons respect strength above all else.'

I frowned.

'It will take me a few years to reach that point.'

'That's fine. I've waited this long, I can wait a little longer.'

A commotion up ahead caught my attention, pulling me back to the present. While talking with Aurora, I walked around without any particular destination in mind. I looked around and realized that I had no idea where I was.

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This area seemed isolated and out of the way. The buildings here were more worn than the ones I saw earlier. While they were still in good condition, it was obvious that this part of the Solarian Imperial Academy received less attention.

I turned a corner to find a group of students clustered together along a stone pathway, beneath a large oak tree. There were five of them altogether, all boys. Four of them surrounded the fifth, insulting him and pushing him around. Ah, a classic case of bullying. I resisted the urge to sigh.

No matter the realm, there were always people who wanted to make life difficult for others. Earth, Lumina, First Murim. It didn't matter. Assholes existed everywhere.

The question was, should I interfere or not? This situation had nothing to do with me. None of the students had seen me yet, so I could just walk away. Besides, interfering might make things more difficult for Kaylee later on.

Actually, considering how much she pissed me off earlier, that sounded like a good idea.

In the end, I decided to intervene. I was already here, so I might as well do something. Besides, dealing with bullies sounded like fun. I started walking towards the group of students. I didn't have my sword, but my fists should be more than enough to deal with this lot.

"My lord." Leroy said in a tone that was equal parts plaintive and resigned.

"Don't worry," I said, flashing him a grin, "it'll be fine. Just stay here and watch the show."

Leroy sighed, but complied with my order.

As I drew closer, I studied the students in greater detail. The four bullies seemed to be about Kaylee's age, sixteen to seventeen years old. Their victim, on the other hand, looked like he was about Cally's age, if not younger. A new student, I assumed.

The boy was tall and reedy, with pale skin and twig-like limbs. His shaggy brown hair resembled a rat's nest and hid about half his face. I couldn't see the color of his eyes because he wore a pair of thick glasses. His black robes looked shabby compared to the others'. All in all, he looked like a poor and scholarly (aka nerdy) student.

One thing I found interesting was that while the four bullies were all at Second Circle, I didn't sense any mana from their victim at all. He wasn't Awakened. This meant he attended the Solarian Imperial Academy on the basis of his academic genius rather than his pedigree or magical talent. That was the only way someone like him, a commoner without magic, could attend the Solarian Empire's premier academic institution.

A rare opportunity, one that guaranteed a successful future. However, given the boy's current situation, it was an opportunity that came with its own downsides. To a bunch of entitled House scions, a commoner without magic was an easy target. To them, his academic genius meant nothing. In fact, it was just another reason for them to bully him.

I felt a strange kinship with this boy. Perhaps that was why I wanted to help him out. Our situations differed, but I knew what it was like to feel ridiculed and ostracized by my peers. At least I had my House's backing, which protected me from the worst of it. This boy had nothing.

"Arrogant peasant." One of the bullies said. The leader of this little group, I assumed. "How dare you humiliate me! You will pay for this!" He gestured to his friends. "Hold him."

The other bullies grabbed the boy. He tried to fight back, to no avail.

"Please, stop!" The boy cried out, his voice cracking. "Why are you doing this? I never did anything to you!"

The lead bully sneered.

"I was supposed to get the top spot for this year's final exam," he said, "until you came along and stole it. I can't let that stand. You need to be reminded of your place."

The lead bully started slapping the boy. He wasn't gentle about it either. I felt my blood boil. Okay, that was it. At first, I considered talking to the bullies, to try and deescalate the situation. However, after seeing this, I decided to skip that part.

[Concealing Mist]

I breathed out, filling the entire area with a thick white mist. It caught the bullies off guard. They looked around with nervous expressions on their faces.

"What's going on?" The lead bully shouted. "Who's there?"

I approached the group, keeping my steps soft and silent. The lead bully turned to one of his friends.

"What are you waiting for?" He said. "You have Air magic. Use it!"

His friend nodded, before speaking out an incantation and forming a series of mudras with his hands. Moments later, a powerful wind appeared out of nowhere and tried to blow my [Concealing Mist] away. However, it had minimal effect.

Ever since I transmigrated back to Lumina, I often used my [Concealing Mist] against enemies more powerful than me, making it less effective. However, those at the same level of power as me had almost no chance against it. It hindered all of their senses, and it was difficult to get rid of.

"It's not working!" The bully with Air magic said, panic in his voice.

"Useless!" The lead bully said.

He summoned a cone of fire, attempting to burn away my [Concealing Mist]. While it was more effective than the gust of wind from before, it still wasn't enough. After a while, my [Concealing Mist] snuffed out his flames.

I decided to stop playing around and dashed towards the lead bully. He didn't notice me until I was right on top of him. By that point, it was too late. His eyes widened, just before I punched him in the abdomen. I followed this up with a second attack that left him unconscious.

The other bullies realized they were under attack and launched spells in my direction. However, I evaded them with ease. I went to the next bully and knocked him out, before moving on to the next two. Soon, all the bullies were on the ground, unconscious.

With the bullies dealt with, I looked towards the boy. I found him cowering on the ground, hands over his head, shaking.

"Pl-Please don't hurt me." He said in a tearful voice. "I'm no-nothing. I-I'm no one. I'm not a thr-threat to you."

My heart ached when I heard this. What had this boy gone through? How much abuse had he endured?

I stopped in front of the boy and banished my [Concealing Mist].

"Don't worry," I said in a gentle voice, "I'm not going to hurt you."

The boy continued to shake and didn't respond. I crouched down.

"My name is Gabriel," I said. "What's yours?"

That got a reaction. Still shaking, the boy peaked out at me from underneath his arms. When we made eye contact, he gasped and hid himself again.

"I'm sorry!" He said. "Please don't hurt me!"

"I won't." I said. "In fact, I'm here to help you."

The boy peaked out at me again.

"You are?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Wh-Why?"

I shook my head.

"Not here." I said. "Let's go somewhere private." I gestured to the unconscious bullies. "Before these jerks wake up."

The boy's gaze followed my gesture. His jaw dropped when he saw his tormentors all lying on the ground.

"You did this?"

I grinned and nodded.

"Yep!"

I stood up and offered my hand.

"Come on," I said, "Let's go."

The boy stared at my hand for several long moments, before he reached out to take it. At the last moment he hesitated, before his hand clasped mine. I pulled him to his feet, eliciting a yelp from him.

"Good choice." I said. "Come on. Follow me."

I started walking toward Leroy, who wore a pained expression on his face. The boy scrambled to catch up.

"What's your name, by the way?" I asked.

"Har-Harvey," the boy said. "My name is Harvey."

"Nice to meet you, Harvey."

I grinned at him. He gave me a hesitant smile in return.

With that, the two of us headed back to the manor.

To avoid getting even further lost, I asked Leroy to lead the way. Unlike me, he had been paying attention, so he knew the way back to the manor. Harvey trailed along, radiating nervousness and uncertainty through his body language. For some reason, he reminded me of a sad puppy. It made me want to wrap him up in a blanket and give him a cup of hot chocolate.

As we walked to the manor, Harvey kept glancing at me. He opened his mouth several times, but nothing came out. After the sixth time, I looked over at him.

"Is there something you wish to say, Harvey?" I asked.

"Um, where are we going, Lord Gabriel?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm surprised you waited so long to ask that." I said. "To answer your question, we're going to see my parents."

Harvey gave me a bewildered look. "Why?"

"I'm going to ask them to sponsor you." I said in a nonchalant tone.

Leroy looked back at me with an incredulous expression on his face, while Harvey stopped walking and gaped at me.

"What?!" Harvey asked.

I stopped as well.

"I'm going to ask my parents to sponsor you," I repeated.

While I didn't know much about students who got into the Solarian Imperial Academy based on their academic achievements, I knew it was possible for Houses to sponsor them.

Most of the time, these gifted students came from less than well off families. In consideration of this, the academy waived their tuition and housing fees. However, the gifted students were responsible for everything else. Food, clothing, etc. Based on the state of Harvey's robes, he came from a poor family.

Sometimes, a House sponsored one of these gifted students. They would take care of all the student's expenses and provide backing. In exchange, the student would serve that House after graduating from the academy.

However, like any investment, sponsoring a student came with some risk on the House's part. They became responsible for the student's actions. If the student failed to live up to expectations, or if the student committed a misdeed, the House's reputation would suffer. For most Houses, the reward wasn't worth the risk.

"You-You want to spon-sponsor me?" Harvey sputtered. "Bu-But why? We just met less than an hour ago!"

"The boy is right, Lord Gabriel." Leroy said, frowning at me. "Sponsoring a student is a serious endeavor. You shouldn't do so on a whim."

I snorted.

"I'm not doing this on a whim." I said, lying through my teeth. "I have a good reason for this."

Leroy gave me a skeptical look.

"Harvey got the top spot for this year's final exams." I said. "Isn't that right, Harvey?"

"Ye-Yes?" Harvey said.

I gave Leroy a triumphant look.

"There you go!" I resumed walking. "With that settled, let's keep going."

Leroy sighed, before he continued leading us back to the manor. Meanwhile, Harvey followed us in a daze, muttering under his breath the entire time. I heard the word "dreaming" many times.

After we returned to the manor, I learned that my parents were relaxing in the back gardens. I didn't even know this place had back gardens. However, like the rest of the manor, it was… Adequate. I was really beginning to hate that word.

I found my parents seated at a small table, sipping iced drinks. A large umbrella provided shade, protecting them from the sun's light. Their bodyguards stood some distance away, keeping an eye out. Harvey and I approached my parents, while Leroy held back.

"There you are, Gabriel." Mother said. She waved me over. "Come join us."

I looked around.

"Where's Kaylee?" I asked.

Mother sighed.

"In her room." She said. "She's upset with us." She didn't elaborate beyond that. Instead, she glanced at Harvey and gave me a questioning look. "Who's this? A new friend of yours?"

"This is Harvey." I said, gesturing to him. "I'd like our House to sponsor him."

Silence fell over the area after I dropped that bombshell. Mother blinked at me in surprise, while Father studied me with a neutral expression on his face.

"And why is that?" Father asked.

"Harvey here achieved the top spot in this year's final exams." I said.

Father raised an eyebrow at me.

"For his grade?" he asked. "Or the entire academy?"

There was a difference? I looked over at Harvey, since I didn't know the answer. However, Harvey just stared at the ground without saying a word.

"Harvey?" I asked. "Which is it?"

"The who-whole academy," Harvey stammered out.

I looked back at Father.

"See?" I asked. "Impressive for someone his age."

Father gave me an amused look.

"Yes." He said. "I'm sure you considered that before deciding that you wanted to sponsor him."

I grinned at him and didn't respond.

"I have no objection." Mother said, sipping her drink. "However, does Harvey want us to become his sponsors? While he would get our backing, he would also inherit our enemies. He may not want to deal with that."

I smacked my forehead.

"You're right." I said. "I forgot to ask him." I looked over at Harvey. "Do you want us to sponsor you? I was so caught up in the idea that it never occurred to me that you'd decline."

Harvey mumbled something, his voice so quiet that I missed what he said.

"What was that?" I asked.

Harvey looked up at me.

"Yes," he said, "if you would have me."

For some reason, I had the urge to pat his head. It took a lot of effort to resist this urge.

"Good." I said. "Then it's all settled."

Father chuckled.

"Not quite." He said. "I'd like to look into Harvey some more before making a decision. I'm not as impulsive as you are."

"What are you talking about?" I asked in a haughty tone. "I'm a rational and reasonable person."

Both of my parents snorted in unison. I gave them annoyed looks.

"Regardless," I said, "may Harvey join us for dinner tonight?" I let out a nervous chuckle. "I… May have caused a commotion when I met him, and I don't want him to suffer the consequences of my actions."

Father gave me a serious look.

"What did you do?" He asked.

I gave my parents a brief rundown of what happened.

"You did well, Gabriel." Mother said, sneering. "Those fools deserved what they got."

"I agree." Father said. "Their Houses may lodge a complaint, but no one can fault you for defending your friend." He gave me a knowing smile. "Even if you weren't friends at the time."

My parents were saints. Here I was, causing trouble and making demands of them. However, instead of lecturing or scolding me, they helped me. I didn't deserve them.

"Would you like to join us for dinner, Harvey?" I asked. "I don't want anything to happen to you on the way back to your dorm."

Harvey nodded without saying a word.

"Good. Now then." I inspected Harvey's cheeks. "Let's get some ice on your face. That jerk hit you pretty hard."

I would've done that first, but I wanted to talk with my parents first, to avoid further trouble down the line.

"By your leave." I said, looking at my parents.

Father let out an exasperated sigh, before smiling and gesturing for us to go. With that, I led Harvey inside the manor.

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