Chapter 92: Five Prodigies

"Isn’t that Akuma?"

"Yes, I heard that he slew all the demons in a single attack. He pierced their hearts with ice spikes, earth spikes, and attacks using all four elements."

"To think he was that powerful... He must have been blessed by the gods."

The students whispered among themselves as they passed the mindless figure of Akuma. His eyes were empty, his expression completely lifeless, and he walked through the academy grounds without reacting to anyone around him.

It had already been a week since Akuma returned from Mubin Port in that state, yet no one knew what had happened to him. There was no explanation for his sudden change, so the students slowly began accepting it as a fact, as if this was simply the price Akuma had to pay for obtaining such overwhelming power.

Akuma continued walking without reacting to the whispers around him. Even when students stared at him with fear, admiration, or curiosity, his eyes remained fixed ahead.

---

High within the castle of Etia, Rize Drough stood inside a training chamber. A straw dummy stood before her, already covered in cuts from the countless attacks she had thrown at it.

"Again!"

Her sword struck the dummy with enough force to scatter pieces of straw across the floor. She pulled the blade back and attacked again, refusing to stop despite the strain spreading through her arms.

"I have become too shallow."

Rize stared at the damaged dummy before gripping her sword tighter. The praise, attention, and title of heir had made her believe she was stronger than she truly was, and the battle at Mubin Port had shattered that belief.

"I allowed all that praise to blind me. I thought being the heir of Etia and being called a prodigy meant that I was already strong enough."

Her voice trembled slightly as she lowered her head. For the first time, Rize began questioning whether she truly deserved the position she had been so proud of.

"But I was wrong."

She raised her sword again and struck the dummy with all her strength.

"Too weak!"

Another strike landed.

"Too weak!"

Rize’s breathing became ragged as she continued attacking. She was no longer training simply to improve herself, but desperately trying to overcome the weakness that had been exposed before everyone.

"Your Majesty, you will not become strong by practicing like that."

A calm voice came from behind her. Rize immediately stopped and turned around, her expression changing when she recognized the woman standing at the entrance.

"Creitas..."

Creitas stepped forward, her blue hair falling over her shoulders while her crimson eyes remained fixed on Rize.

"Training alone will not make you strong, Your Majesty. Experience and harsh reality will."

Rize remained silent as she looked down at her sword. She knew Creitas was right, but accepting her words meant admitting that she had been far more naive than she wanted to believe.

Creitas extended her hand.

"Join us."

Rize slowly raised her head.

"Become a Werewolf Eradicator."

Rize stared at the offered hand for several seconds. Her fingers tightened around her sword as she considered the offer, but in the end, she turned her gaze away without giving an answer.

---

"Welcome, Young Master of the Pero Merchant Group."

"We are pleased to have you in Majica."

Akira Prosei stepped out of the plium wearing an elegant dress that reflected her family’s wealth. She carefully stepped onto the ground before extending her hand, allowing a Majica member to help her down.

"Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m only here because of the exchange for my family supporting the entire organization financially."

"And we are grateful for your father’s continued support."

Akira looked toward the enormous magical facility ahead of her. Strange magical devices and researchers filled the area, making the organization far different from the merchant halls she was accustomed to.

"Then I suppose I’ll have to make sure this investment is worth it."

She adjusted her dress before walking into Majica, her curiosity already growing as she observed the strange inventions surrounding her.

Meanwhile, Ragnir and Kida continued traveling toward the Rootil homeland. They had already spent several days on the road, and the familiar settlements of the Southern Continent had gradually disappeared behind them.

Kida looked toward the distant horizon before turning toward Ragnir.

"Is your hometown really that far?"

"Just a bit more..."

Ragnir sighed as he continued walking. "It’s far because a monster killed our plium."

"I didn’t think a Ratao was hiding in a place like this one. To think it would appear from below and strike our plium... We really can’t predict something like that."

Ragnir sighed in frustration as he continued walking. The memory of the monster that destroyed their plium still bothered him, especially because they had never expected an attack to come from beneath the ground.

"I’m sorry to mention your brother, but your brother is an elf, right? So you must have some elven blood. How come this is your first time going to the forest?"

Kida looked at him for a second before answering. He seemed to hesitate slightly, as though he had rarely been asked about his family before.

"We aren’t related by blood. We have different mothers. He has an elven mother, while I have a human mother, and we were both raised in different places."

Ragnir nodded as he processed the explanation. He had assumed that Kida and his brother shared the same blood because of their close relationship and similar abilities.

"That makes sense... I really thought you were blood related in some way."

Kida gave a small smile before looking toward the distant forest ahead. The trees were beginning to grow denser, marking the territory where the Rootil homeland was located.

"Even though we aren’t related by blood, he’s still my brother."

Ragnir glanced at him before turning his attention back toward the road. He could understand that kind of bond, even if their circumstances were completely different.

"I see. Then I suppose blood isn’t always what makes someone family."