The notification disappeared a few moments later.
Zael rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Thirteen days..."
For some reason, hearing the actual countdown made it feel more real.
The Dean, meanwhile, seemed far less concerned than before.
"Well, that's still nearly two weeks."
Zael looked at him.
The old man shrugged.
"What? Did you expect me to start giving some dramatic speech about how the battlefield is a meat grinder where hope goes to die?"
"...Maybe."
The Dean snorted.
"That's the vice dean's specialty, not mine."
Zael couldn't help but laugh slightly.
The old man smiled.
"Look, the battlefield is dangerous. Very dangerous."
"But if everyone who entered was doomed, nobody would volunteer."
Fair point.
The Dean leaned back in his chair.
"Most people survive."
"Really?"
"Most."
The old man deliberately emphasized the word.
"Whether they come back stronger, traumatized, rich, famous, crippled, or hunted is a completely different discussion."
Zael suddenly felt that wasn't much better.
The Dean continued.
"Besides, this isn't your first dangerous situation."
"You're saying that like it's normal."
"You fought through military camp, survived an invasion, killed a commander-level demonized awakener, and somehow ended up on multiple government watchlists."
The Dean shook his head.
"At this point, normal stopped applying to you a long time ago."
Zael couldn't argue with that.
The old man suddenly pointed toward him.
"Actually, your biggest problem isn't the battlefield."
"Hm?"
"You've become too famous."
Zael frowned.
The Dean opened a drawer and pulled out a tablet.
A moment later, he tossed it across the desk.
Zael caught it.
Then immediately regretted looking.
The first thing he saw was a forum post.
"AEGIS Student Defeats Commander-Class Invader?"
Below that—
"Who Is Zael Nightshade?"
And below that—
"Capital Station Incident Explained."
"..."
Zael slowly scrolled down.
"..."
Then further.
"..."
The posts kept going.
There were pictures.
Videos.
Arguments.
Conspiracy theories.
One post claimed he was secretly the son of a hidden powerhouse.
Another claimed he was an experimental government super-soldier.
One particularly ridiculous theory suggested he was an ancient being that had reincarnated.
Zael nearly choked.
"These people have too much free time."
The Dean burst out laughing.
"Welcome to fame."
"I don't want it."
"Nobody ever does."
The old man took the tablet back.
"Fortunately, public attention fades quickly."
"Unfortunately, attention from powerful people doesn't."
That was a much more reasonable concern.
The Dean glanced at the clock.
"Anyway."
His tone shifted slightly.
"You have less than two weeks."
"Use them wisely."
Zael nodded.
That had already been his plan.
The Dean continued.
"Your advancement stabilized?"
"Yes."
"Any issues?"
Zael hesitated.
Origin Dominion immediately came to mind.
As did the whole personal law thing.
But after a brief pause, he simply said,
"No major issues."
The Dean studied him for a second.
Then nodded.
He clearly didn't believe that answer.
Fortunately, he didn't push further.
Everyone had secrets.
Especially awakeners.
Especially talented awakeners.
Especially whatever category Zael belonged to now.
The Dean stood.
"That concludes our meeting."
Zael blinked.
"That's it?"
"What were you expecting?"
"I don't know. Some mysterious mission? Secret inheritance? Ancient treasure map?"
The old man looked offended.
"This is an educational institution."
A pause.
Then he added,
"Those things usually come later."
Zael laughed.
The Dean smiled faintly.
As Zael stood to leave, the old man spoke one final time.
"Oh, and Zael."
He stopped.
"What?"
The Dean's expression turned oddly amused.
"Try not to destroy any more public transportation hubs before you leave for the battlefield."
"...That happened once."
"Once was enough."
Shaking his head, Zael left the office.
The evening sun hung low above the academy.
Students moved around the campus.
Repair crews were still working on damaged buildings.
Life had already begun returning to normal.
For the first time in a while, Zael didn't have an immediate crisis to deal with.
No invasion.
No battlefield.
No commander trying to kill him.
Just thirteen days.
Thirteen relatively peaceful days.
As the thought crossed his mind—
His communicator suddenly vibrated.
A message appeared.
Aurelia: "I heard you caused trouble less than three hours after arriving."
A second message appeared immediately.
"Explain."
Zael stared at the screen.
Then sighed.
Apparently peace was overrated.
---
As Zael exited the administrative tower, he glanced at the message on his communicator.
Aurelia: You know what,I'm coming over.
He shook his head.
Even with access to high-speed transportation, it would still take some time to get here.
Putting the communicator away, he headed toward the dormitory.
The academy was gradually recovering from the invasion.
Students moved between buildings.
Repair crews worked nonstop.
Naturally, conversations about the battle could be heard almost everywhere.
And unfortunately, many of those conversations involved him.
Zael ignored the whispers and continued walking.
Then a disturbance erupted near the academy gates.
At first, he paid it little attention.
Until dozens of students suddenly stopped whatever they were doing and turned toward the entrance.
Curious, Zael looked over.
A convoy of luxurious black vehicles rolled through the gates.
His eyes narrowed.
Even he recognized the insignia.
A major family.
A genuine powerhouse family.
The kind whose influence reached far beyond a single city.
The moment the emblem became visible, the surrounding students exploded into discussion.
"That's impossible."
"Why would they come here?"
"Wait, isn't that—"
"No way..."
The convoy eventually stopped.
The first door opened.
Aurelia stepped out.
Immediately, the noise level doubled.
Many students recognized her.
Others recognized the family emblem.
Those who recognized both nearly lost their minds.
Then another door opened.
Auralis practically jumped out.
The silver-haired girl stretched dramatically before looking around with obvious curiosity.
Unlike her sister's composed demeanor, Auralis seemed completely entertained by the attention.
Her eyes swept across the academy grounds.
Then she spotted Zael.
A grin instantly appeared.
"There he is!"
Without waiting, she started walking toward him.
Aurelia sighed.
"At least pretend to act properly."
"I'm representing the family perfectly."
"No, you're not."
"I absolutely am."
"You jumped out of the vehicle."
"It was a very elegant jump."
Aurelia pinched the bridge of her nose.
Clearly, this was not a new conversation.
The sisters approached.
Students instinctively made way for them.
By now, almost everyone was staring.
Auralis reached Zael first.
She circled him once.
Then twice.
Zael watched her.
"...What are you doing?"
"Inspecting."
"For what?"
"Injuries."
Zael blinked.
Auralis nodded seriously.
"The reports made it sound like you fought half the invasion force by yourself."
"That's an exaggeration."
Auralis looked disappointed.
"So only a quarter?"
Before Zael could answer, Aurelia finally arrived.
Unlike her sister, she simply looked him over quietly.
Checking.
Observing.
Making sure he was actually fine.
After a few moments, she nodded.
"You seem alright."
Zael smiled faintly.
"I'm fine."
"Good."
Simple.
Direct.
Very Aurelia.
Auralis immediately ruined the serious atmosphere.
"Apparently, he also became famous."
Zael groaned.
"Oh, this should be good."
Auralis pulled out her communicator.
"Oh, it's fantastic."
Then she began reading.
"Hidden genius exposed."
Zael closed his eyes.
"Stop."
"Secret heir of an ancient clan."
"Auralis."
"Government super weapon disguised as a student."
"Auralis."
She continued anyway.
"One person thinks you're secretly a Tier Five pretending to be a student for research purposes."
At this point, even Aurelia's lips twitched slightly.
Auralis noticed.
"You laughed."
"I didn't."
"You did."
"I didn't."
"You absolutely did."
For a moment, the sisters stared at each other.
Then Auralis grinned triumphantly.
"I win."
"There wasn't a competition."
"There always is."
Zael suddenly understood why Aurelia always looked so patient.
Years of experience.
The conversation eventually settled.
Aurelia glanced toward the academy buildings.
"The damage is less severe than I expected."
"The stronger lecturers handled most of it."
She nodded.
That aligned with the reports she'd received.
Then her expression became slightly more serious.
"The countdown started."
Zael knew exactly what she meant.
"The battlefield."
Aurelia nodded.
"Thirteen days."
For a moment, the three fell silent.
Not because they were afraid.
But because the date had finally become real.
For years, every talented awakener heard stories about the Gods and Demons Battlefield.
Now they were approaching the point where stories became reality.
Auralis was the first to break the silence.
"I wonder where we'll be deployed."
Aurelia answered immediately.
"Probably nowhere near each other."
Auralis groaned.
"Why do you always destroy my optimism?"
"Because someone has to."
"You're supposed to support your younger sister."
"I'm older by six minutes."
"That's practically an eternity."
Aurelia didn't even bother responding.
Zael couldn't help laughing.
For the first time since returning to the academy, things felt surprisingly normal.
An invasion had just happened.
The battlefield was less than two weeks away.
The future remained uncertain.
Yet somehow, standing here listening to two sisters bicker about six minutes of age difference felt far more real than all of that.