Ethan returned to the academy and reported everything he had seen to the officials — the burned mountains, the vanished monsters, and the mysterious armored corpse. His words left everyone silent and uneasy. Meanwhile, Cassandra, after several frustrating failures, finally managed to refine all her required essence stones. Violet had completed her hunt for the mutated Pegasus, and Sylvania successfully gathered the lightning wolf horns.
By the time Monday arrived, everyone in Ethan's team had finished their missions.
That morning, the sun shone gently over the academy's white walls. Cassandra stood alone on the second-floor balcony, her hands resting on the railing. Her long hair swayed softly in the wind as she gazed toward the distant academy gates.
Ethan noticed her from the hallway. She looked quiet — almost lost in thought. He walked over and stood beside her, his calm eyes following her line of sight.
"What are you doing here?" he asked gently.
Cassandra didn't turn her head. "Esdeath and Maruti… they just set off," she said in her usual flat tone. Her eyes were fixed on the gates as if trying to see how far the two had gone.
Ethan stayed silent for a moment. He wasn't sure what to say, but he could sense a strange heaviness in her voice. Cassandra always had a plan for everything — she never wasted words or time. This just showed how serious she was about her plan, But by the mention of plan, He remebered something else.
"About the last member," Ethan finally asked, "Who is it? You said that person might have the potential to become the strongest. Who were you talking about?"
Even with all his knowledge from his previous life, Ethan couldn't recall anyone like that. If such a person existed, maybe the Age of Chaos wouldn't have happened in the first place. Still, he trusted Cassandra's judgment — she was rarely wrong.
Cassandra finally turned to him, her expression unreadable. "Come with me," she said simply.
Without waiting for his reply, she began walking. Ethan raised an eyebrow but followed her quietly.
They passed through the academy hallways, then stepped outside to the garden. But instead of stopping, Cassandra kept walking — past the flower beds, past the training grounds, and into the forest behind the academy.
Ethan blinked in confusion as they went deeper and deeper into the woods. The sunlight barely reached through the trees now, and the air grew cooler. Cassandra seemed to know exactly where she was going, turning left and right without hesitation.
After a few minutes, Ethan scratched the back of his head and finally spoke, "Where exactly are we going?"
Cassandra didn't answer. Instead, she asked him a question in return, her voice calm but serious. "Do you know, in the most ancient times, which kind of people were considered the strongest when it came to weapon mastery?"
Ethan frowned, thinking for a moment. "Umm… I never really studied ancient history, but I'd say swordsmanship?" he guessed.
"That's just a stereotype," Cassandra replied immediately, her tone sharp enough to make him flinch a little.
Ethan gave an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. It wasn't entirely his fault — swords had always been seen as symbols of strength and honor. Almost everyone would have given that answer.
But Cassandra suddenly stopped walking. Her boots pressed into the grass, and she turned to look at him. "It's archery," she said firmly.
Ethan blinked in surprise. "Archery?" he repeated.
She nodded slowly. "Yes. Lord Rama from the Dark Elf side and Lord Hou Yi from the White Elf side — both were known as the strongest people who ever walked this world. Both were archers, and both were called legends of their time. No one could ever decide who was stronger because they lived in different eras."
Cassandra continued, "Even Goddess Seraphine herself wielded both a sword and a bow.", Cassandra didn't counted goddess Seraphine because she didn't know that goddess Seraphine was once a human.
Then she paused and turned her eyes forward. She lifted her finger to point ahead.
"Although we do not have Lord Rama, nor Lord Hou Yi Olyndra," she said quietly, "we do have a descendant."
Ethan looked in the direction Cassandra was heading and noticed a small house built high on a tree. It wasn't anything fancy—just a simple wooden house with narrow stairs spiraling upward. The soft wind rustled the leaves, and the wooden boards creaked lightly as Cassandra began climbing up without saying a word.
Ethan followed her quietly. When they reached the top, Cassandra didn't bother knocking—she simply pushed open the thin wooden door.
Inside, the atmosphere was silent and heavy. A girl sat in the corner of the small room, hugging her knees tightly, her chin resting on them. Her long neon-green hair hung loosely, and faint dark circles shadowed her eyes, showing she hadn't slept properly for days.
Ethan recognized her instantly. It was Valeria Olyndra—one of his classmates.
A few months ago, during the academy competition, Esdeath had wanted to show off in front of Lortell. To prove her superiority, she had completely crushed Valeria in battle. It wasn't just a defeat—it was humiliation. Since that day, Valeria had barely shown up at the academy. Instead, she'd built this little house here among the trees, training alone in silence.
Cassandra's voice broke the quiet air.
"It's not long before we leave for our plan. Are you ready?"
Valeria clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "If it's about dealing with that black-haired witch, I'm always ready."
---
Several hours later, it was already late evening. The sky was painted in orange and purple as Maruti and Esdeath rode in a small horse carriage toward the mountain region mentioned in Maruti's mission note.
Maruti kept her eyes on the map, tracing her finger over the path carefully to make sure they were on the right track. The "mountains" ahead were small—so small that calling them mountains almost felt wrong.
"What's the name of the village again?" Maruti muttered, her tone casual yet curious.
"Tyrian Landings," Esdeath replied softly, her gaze fixed on the path ahead.
After a short while, the carriage came to a stop. They stepped out, stretching their legs, and handed five bronze coins to the driver.
The air smelled of soil and livestock. The village wasn't big at all—maybe just a little larger than Colac Village. The houses looked poorly maintained, their walls cracked and roofs patched with hay. Cows, goats, and buffaloes wandered around freely, adding to the rustic, messy charm of the place.
Maruti leaned closer to Esdeath, lowering her voice so no one could overhear. "Can you tell me why you're here with me? Wouldn't it cause trouble if I take help from another student? They might even be watching us right now."
Esdeath crossed her arms calmly. "Our paths start in the same direction. I'm heading to the city nearby. I'll stay here for the night and leave tomorrow morning."
Maruti raised an eyebrow. "This backward little village exists while a city's nearby? All hail corruption, huh?" she said sarcastically.
Esdeath gave a small chuckle. "Well, this village sits close to the mountain. When it rains, the water flows down toward that town, forming a small river. And you know how it goes—where there's water, there's a city."
Maruti sighed and nodded, accepting the logic, The two continued walking through the quiet village outskirts. The air was growing cooler, and the sky above was slowly being swallowed by darkness. They needed to find a place to stay before night completely fell.
After few seconds of waking maruti added , "Lucky you," she said, walking ahead toward the dimly lit village. "You'll get to leave this place tomorrow, while I might be stuck here for two or three days."
"Not quite, I need to take the train from there, then travel to the capital city. From the capital, I'll use teleportation to reach a village near the border. Thankfully, I have the documents provided by the academy, so I can head directly to the Church Kingdom and then finally reach the place where the Kingdom of Dwarves' army camp is located."
Her tone was casual, but the path she described sounded long and exhausting.
Last time, when she had gone to the Church Kingdom and then to the borders of the Dwarf Kingdom, it had taken barely a few hours because she had traveled with Lortell. They had used a direct teleportation circle—something that only special people could access.
But this time was different. This was part of her test, and using any exclusive service was strictly forbidden. She had to do everything the hard way.
Maruti's eyes widened as she listened. "Wouldn't that take a long time? At this rate, I might finish my mission and head back to the academy before you even reach there!" she said, her voice slightly higher than usual.
"Indeed," Esdeath replied calmly, her expression unreadable.
Maruti groaned, folding her arms. "They really gave you a tiring mission. Must be some racist person who doesn't like black-haired girls," she said with a sigh, though there was nothing she could do about it.
They didn't waste time talking any further. After a short walk through the dusty path, they reached the village chief's house—a small wooden building with a flickering lantern hanging near the door. The chief, an old man with wrinkled skin and kind eyes, welcomed them politely.
When they explained why they came and asked for a place to sleep, his face immediately lit up with joy.
"You came to help? That's wonderful! Let me explain the situation—actually, for the past few weeks—"
But before he could finish, Maruti interrupted him sharply.
"H-hold on, mister! It's too late to discuss all that now. Just give us a place to sleep and send dinner there. We'll talk tomorrow!" she said, not even letting him continue.
The old man blinked, surprised, but then nodded quickly. "Yes, yes! We have one room available."
---
A few minutes later, Maruti and Esdeath stood outside the "room" that the village chief had given them. Maruti's expression twitched with disbelief and irritation.
The house looked like it had been abandoned for years. It was tiny, had no real door or windows—just square holes where they should've been. The walls were rough and bare, with no paint, only cold gray cement. Instead of a bed, there was a pile of dry grass spread unevenly on the floor.
Maruti's jaw dropped. "Did he give us this on purpose because I didn't listen to his problem? Or is this really the best house in this cheap village?" she muttered angrily, her voice shaking with annoyance.
"This place looks like it's made for animals! I'm going back and giving that old man a piece of my mind!" Maruti clenched her fists and turned to leave.
But before she could take a step, Esdeath chuckled softly. "Why the fuss? It's not so bad," she said lightly, and before Maruti could respond, Esdeath jumped onto the pile of dry grass like it was a soft bed.
"It's kind of nostalgic," she added with a small smile. "I used to sleep in a place like this several times—either when my mother forced me to eat more or when the other kids tried to find me. It was like my secret base."
Her voice carried a strange warmth, almost like she was remembering a happy childhood.
But then she froze.
When she looked at Maruti, she found her glaring intensely. Esdeath's eyes widened slightly as a cold realization hit her—those weren't her memories. Fable, the person she used to be, had never experienced anything like that. He'd never been forced to eat, never been chased by kids, never had a secret place like that.
Those Memories… belonged to the real Esdeath.
"Fuck!" she cursed herself, quickly turning around and burying her face in the dry grass. "Good night," she said, her voice muffled.
Maruti stared at her for a few seconds, confused but too tired to question it. With a sigh, she laid down beside her on the rough grass.
When the dinner arrived, Esdeath had already fallen asleep so maruti had to eat her dinner too.
The night passed quietly, filled only with the sound of crickets and the faint rustling of wind through the cracks in the wall.
When morning came, the sunlight slipped through the holes and gently brushed against their faces. Esdeath quietly got up, fixed her clothes, and woke Maruti with a soft nudge.
Without much talk, she left the small village behind— ready to begin her long journey, and Maruti ready to start her mission.