Both Cyan and Lucian immediately sensed that something was wrong.
The person who had been the very purpose—the meaning—behind this duel, the one who should have been here to witness it…
Serafina De Borgia was nowhere to be seen.
The two of them scanned their surroundings, searching for that small figure.
Most of the people in the training ground also began to notice her absence, unease spreading among them.
Lucian's thoughts spiraled even further.
"What… where is my sister?"
"Could it be… she's disappointed in me and left?"
"Or what I've done… has turned the engagement into something real, and that upset her?"
"No matter what… it's all my fault… Should I go find her… apologize… would she even forgive me?"
Cyan, too, was filled with doubt.
"Why would she leave… Serafina doesn't seem like the type to walk away just because her brother lost."
An image of Serafina surfaced in his mind—cold, composed, surrounded by surging waves of mana.
"She's strong… someone like her wouldn't just break over something like this."
"Or could it be… does this have something to do with that guy, Fur?"
"He is, after all, a Demon Grand Duke. Even if not him, it's not impossible for lesser demons to come here for revenge."
"Damn it… I was careless. I need to find her immediately."
While everyone was still in confusion, Cyan suddenly dashed off.
"If it just happened, she should still be somewhere in the forest a few hundred meters away."
He sped toward the forest, taking a sip from the mana potion he had just received before unleashing a series of high-tier spells.
His mana dropped below 5%, then surged back to full, over and over again—his body wracked with pain, yet he refused to stop.
"It's all because I came to this world. No matter what happens, I won't let Serafina—one of the most important characters in the game Yggdrasil—die here."
Cyan steeled his resolve.
He discharged electricity through the soles of his feet, creating a voltage difference that sent currents spreading across the forest floor.
He could feel even the smallest fluctuations in the surrounding space—
And then, a sudden disturbance in the electric flow, about 300 meters away.
"That has to be Serafina. At that distance, it's definitely not a wild beast."
Without hesitation, he sprinted toward it.
—
At the base of a tree, Serafina sat curled up, hugging herself, her face buried as she leaned against the trunk.
She was crying uncontrollably, tears streaming down without end.
Rewind to ten minutes earlier—
Serafina had been watching the oath-bound duel between Cyan and Lucian.
Though she had already formed a slight impression of him, witnessing the battle firsthand left her somewhat stunned.
Cyan was nothing like the "useless" figure described in rumors.
Even though he was at a disadvantage against Lucian, he was two years younger—and even at an elemental disadvantage.
Yet despite having no clear advantage, he was still fighting on equal footing.
Serafina felt many things.
She was somewhat pleased—Cyan was taking the battle seriously.
After all, the duel was largely because of her.
That thought made her slightly embarrassed.
"Cyan isn't like other nobles from great families… he's not arrogant. He's fighting this seriously."
Still, she felt a hint of sadness.
Even though Cyan was doing well, he barely used any magic. The energy he emitted seemed only around mid-tier level.
"Even so… once Brother Lucian gets serious, Cyan will probably lose."
But just a few moments later—
She witnessed something terrifying.
Cyan unleashed an overwhelming lightning spell, glowing with an unusual blue hue, completely shattering Lucian's strategy.
Suspended in midair, attacked from two directions with Saint-tier spells—
No one should have been able to break that combination.
And yet—
Cyan displayed not only incredible reaction speed and decision-making, but also unimaginable power.
Cyan—the so-called failure of the Velton main family—
Had defeated Lucian, one of the two geniuses of the Borgia family.
That sight triggered something deep within Serafina—
An emotion long suppressed finally burst forth.
Before she knew it, she had run into the forest, tears streaming uncontrollably.
Serafina knew how strong Lucian was—someone she could never hope to compare to within her family.
And yet Cyan, someone her age, someone labeled a failure…
Had won.
"In the end… in the end… I'm the only weak one."
She had believed Cyan was merely a mid-tier mage like herself—just a bit smarter.
But now, witnessing his performance, the final layer protecting her fragile heart collapsed.
For so long, her feelings of inferiority toward her siblings had weighed heavily on her.
Now, they could no longer be buried.
Everything came flooding out.
Leaning against the tree, Serafina sobbed uncontrollably.
"Why… why… even someone looked down upon in his family is far stronger than me…"
"I've tried so hard… I've worked so hard… yet everyone is still stronger than me…"
"I don't even have the slightest chance to stand beside them…"
"Everyone treats me as someone who needs protection… but I want to become stronger, to be useful to the people…"
"What did I do wrong… why am I so powerless…"
She could no longer suppress anything—only cry, drowning in disappointment toward herself.
At that moment—
A hand touched the tree behind her.
A shadow blocked out the sunlight, drawing her attention.
Standing behind her was Cyan, his face filled with relief the moment he saw her.
He seemed reassured that she was safe and quickly spoke.
-There you are! Everyone's been worried about you! We should head back!
But as he stepped in front of her, Cyan suddenly grew uneasy—
Serafina began crying even harder.
Startled, he asked,
-Hey, hey… are you alright? What happened?
Through her sobs, Serafina spoke.
-Why… why.....
-Why what?
-Why…?
She wiped away her tears and mucus with her sleeve.
Under Cyan's worried gaze, she spoke.
-Why are you so strong? Why am I… why am I so weak? Why are we… the same age… yet so far apart?!
-I…
Cyan was about to answer, but she continued, tears streaming.
-You lied to me… you lied from the very beginning, didn't you… I hate… I hate you.
Seeing the flood of emotions, Cyan fell silent for a moment.
The Serafina before him was different from the one in his memories.
He couldn't help but think.
"She… this girl… thinks she's weak?"
"In the future, she becomes a reliable ally… no matter how strong the protagonist is, he can't do it without her."
"So why is she… so fragile right now?"
"Like an ordinary girl… Has the story changed… or was she always like this from the start?"
Cyan finally spoke.
Wanting to comfort her—yet also recalling the powerful image of her future self—he blurted out:
-Then go train.
Serafina stared at him in shock.
He held out his sword toward her.
Through her tears, she replied,
-I've been training every day… and yet… I'm still this weak. Do you know how pathetic it is to be six years old and only able to use mid-tier magic? I'm even weaker than the people I'm supposed to protect…
Surprised, Cyan responded naturally.
-Then just keep training. If you sit here crying, what's going to change?
-What would a genius like you understand… you slept for five years and still reached this level… how could you possibly understand what I've gone through?
-I'm not as talented as you think.
As he said that, Cyan raised his hand.
Fresh wounds from the recent battle… old scars from countless days of training… calluses carved into his small body by relentless practice—
None of it could be hidden.
Serafina gradually stopped crying.
Then, under her stunned gaze, Cyan began removing his shirt.
-Hey… what are you doing?!
Covering her eyes in embarrassment, she peeked through her fingers—
And froze.
His chest, near his mana core, was exposed.
A well-built body… stretch marks from repeated mana depletion… scars covering his entire body—marks that only holy power could fully heal.
These were things no noble child of his age should possess—
Yet they were etched all over Cyan.
Even his feet were stained with blood, injuries from pushing himself to reach here, from daily training in the forest…
Under her astonished gaze, Cyan spoke.
-I've trained every single day. I've faced countless hardships, risked my life to grow stronger little by little. To stand here today, I never allowed myself to skip even one day.
Serafina stared at him.
She began to understand—just a little.
"He really trained every day… those wounds aren't from the recent battle… and definitely not from someone who slept for five years…"
The rumors had shaped everything.
And now, Serafina blamed herself.
She knew better than anyone how cruel rumors could be—she herself had been the target of countless fabricated stories from jealous nobles.
Though her misunderstanding of Cyan had faded, along with much of her anger and envy—
One truth remained.
She still felt weak.
Still disappointed.
She had truly tried—
And yet, her results weren't even a fraction of his.
Though her emotions had calmed somewhat, sadness still lingered within her.
It wasn't something that could simply fade away.
Serafina remained there—
Sitting quietly, her sorrow impossible to hide.