We finally arrived at the imposing gates of the Caria Mastery Academy. The structure itself was a massive fortress of heavy gray granite and reinforced iron, looming over the 2nd District like a sleeping titan. It looked completely different from the sun-bleached, open-air pavilions of the Sisiphon Magic Academy. There were no swirling arcane circles or levitating crystals here. Instead, the air vibrated with the rhythmic, heavy thud of wooden practice swords clashing against iron shields and the echoing crack-crack-crack of firearms discharging from the distant shooting ranges.
This was a prestigious military school dedicated entirely to the art of physical dominance. Instead of focusing on mana reserves, the curriculum here only recognized raw martial prowess, master-class marksmanship and ruthless swordsmanship.
As I walked through the courtyard, my single jade-green eye scanned the training fields, a bitter wave of nostalgia hitting me beneath my hood.
"This was his school." I thought
Long before Elias became the feared, shadow-draped Knight of the capital, he had walked these exact stone paths. This was the very proving ground where he had forged his deadly, S-rank marksmanship and mastered the specialized revolver that now sat at his hip.
The students moving between the armories and the barracks wore striking, rigid uniforms of ivory and charcoal gray… a stark contrast to the ivory and gold attire of the scholars back in the desert. They looked like young soldiers in training, their postures straight and their faces hardened by grueling physical discipline.
Beside me, Zenni stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw dropping as he took in the spectacular, intense view. He watched a group of upperclassmen effortlessly slice through heavy training dummies with massive broadswords, his eyes shining with absolute astonishment and a newfound, burning desire to belong here. This wasn't a place for weak mages, it was a sanctuary where a broken civilian from the slums could build real, tangible strength from the ground up.
I reached out with my right hand, giving his shoulder a firm, grounding nudge to snap him out of his daze. I gestured toward the main fortress building ahead.
Zenni quickly blinked, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous but eager smile.
"Right... sorry, Eirene. It's just... it's incredible. I'll do my absolute best here, I promise."
With my heavy merchant cloak securely hiding my bound wings and the lethal weight of the Death Chant Shotgun strapped to my back, I led the boy up the grand stone steps and straight into the central administrative hall, proceeding directly toward the Registrar's Office to finally secure his enrollment and give him the future he deserved.
We stepped into the quiet, oak-paneled Registrar's Office, the sharp scent of fresh ink and parchment replacing the heavy dust of the courtyard. Sitting behind a neat desk was an elderly registrar, her spectacles sliding down her nose as she looked up at our contrasting figures… a scrawny boy in civilian clothes and a tall, heavily layered, silent mercenary with a massive shotgun strapped to her back.
"What can I do for you two today?" the registrar asked, her voice crisp and professional.
Since I remained completely mute beneath my canvas wrap, Zenni immediately stepped up to handle the talking, his posture proud but polite.
"I'd like to enroll as a transfer student in the combat division, ma'am," he said clearly.
The registrar tilted her head, tapping a quill against the desk.
"Very well. I will need your birth certificate, your legal residency papers, and your previous academic report card to verify your entry eligibility."
To my surprise, Zenni didn't stumble. He unzipped his backpack, reached inside, and pulled out a neatly organized folder. He had come fully prepared. He handed over his official birth certificate from the Sisiphon civilian registry and his final, certified report card from the Sisiphon Magic Academy before the cartel collapsed. He had kept his papers pristine through the entire trek across the Caria peaks.
The registrar hummed, reviewing the documents. Her eyes skimmed over his birth date, noting his age… fourteen years old. Then, she looked up, her gaze shifting past Zenni to lock directly onto my heavily cloaked, imposing figure.
"Zenni, is the girl standing behind you your mother?"
A sudden, silent shock rippled through me beneath my hood. His mother?! I was only eighteen years old! But because of my heavy, layered traveler's cloak, my battle-worn posture, and the deep desert tan that made me look like a rugged, experienced survivor, she completely misjudged my age. She saw a fierce, protective woman bringing a young boy in from the wild.
Before I could awkwardly pull out my notebook to correct her, Zenni hurriedly cleared his throat, his face turning a little red.
"Uh, no, ma'am! She's my legal guardian. She's the one who will be handling all of my tuition and academic expenses."
"Ah, a guardian. I see, the standard tuition, uniform fee, and processing cost will be exactly one gold coin. This will cover his expenses all year round. Since he is entering as a first-year student and the combat mastery course runs for four full terms, your guardian can choose to pay annually, or pay four gold coins right now to fully secure his dorms, his meals, his training gear, and a guaranteed academic scholarship until graduation." the registrar nodded smoothly, pulling out a large financial ledger. She looked at me, her tone respectful.
Four gold coins.
I stood in the dim office, staring at the desk. That was the exact, entire amount of my payout for claiming Oksana's head back at Chief Anton's office. It was every single piece of currency I had to my name. If I handed it over, I would walk away completely broke, left with nothing but the clothes on my back and the shotgun on my spine.
I looked down at Zenni. He was staring at the floor, biting his lower lip, knowing how massive that amount was for a civilian. He looked like he was bracing himself for me to say no, preparing to be turned away and sent back to the streets.
"I played the mother figure last night, I might as well finish the job." I thought
Without a single shred of hesitation, I reached beneath my heavy cloak, grabbed my leather purse, and pulled out the four gleaming, heavy royal gold coins. I placed them firmly on the registrar's desk with a soft, metallic clink. I didn't care about the money. I had an S-rank status now, and a twelve-gold bounty waiting for my head if I ever needed to hunt myself. But Zenni needed a life.
The registrar's eyes widened slightly at the sight of pure royal gold. She quickly swept the coins into her drawer, a bright, satisfied smile crossing her face.
"Wonderful. Payment received in full for the entire four-year tenure."
She turned back to Zenni, pulling out a glowing, runic stamp from her desk drawer.
"Zenni, please hand me your status card. I will officially update your registry, stamp your job class into Student, and authorize your new transfer. This will grant you immediate access to the first-year dormitories and activate your full scholarship."
Zenni frantically pulled out his all-D-rank civilian card, his hands shaking with pure, unadulterated joy as he handed it over. The registrar pressed the runic stamp down onto the surface. A brief flash of blue light illuminated the room, and the job description on the card seamlessly shifted from Civilian to Mastery Student.
She handed the card back to Zenni, tipping her spectacles.
"Welcome to the Caria Mastery Academy, young man. Your dorm keys and uniforms are waiting for you at the central barracks."
Zenni clutched the card to his chest, his eyes watering as he looked back at my hooded face, completely overwhelmed by the future I had just bought him. His journey out of the slums was complete and now, my path into the dark could finally begin.
I peeped through Zenni's card, it is easily understandable.
Name: Zenni Roy
Rank: Not an Adventurer
Magic: D-rank
Magic Mastery: D-rank
Swordsmanship: D-rank
Marksmanship: D-rank
Battle IQ: D-rank
Job: Mastery Student
Affiliation: LKBA
Zenni stared at the glowing blue runes on his card, his hands trembling so violently that he nearly dropped it. Then, the weight of what had just happened finally broke through his rugged, slum-born shell. He burst into tears, weeping openly right there in the middle of the Registrar's Office.
He knew the value of four royal gold coins. He knew I had risked everything… hunting a high-tier drug lord, walking through a war zone, and giving up every single piece of wealth I had to my name, just to guarantee a future for a scrawny, low-rank kid he barely knew.
"Eirene... I... I don't even know what to say,"
Zenni choked out through his sobs, wiping his face with his sleeve. Before I could react, he lunged forward and threw his arms tightly around my waist, burying his face into my heavy, layered traveler's cloak.
I froze rigid. He was hugging me tightly, his hands pressing into the fabric just inches away from the compressed, hidden wing joints of the Crimson Phantom pinned against my spine. My heart hammered against my ribs, but as I looked down at his shaking shoulders, the panic faded, replaced by a quiet, grounding warmth.
"I promise you, I will study hard! I'll master the sword, I'll master the bow, I'll become strong! I promise I'll repay you for everything you've done for me! Thank you... thank you for saving my life, Eirene!"
Behind the desk, the elderly registrar adjusted her spectacles, her eyes softening as she let out a quiet, sentimental awe at the wholesome scene. To her, it was just a beautiful moment between a fierce, self-sacrificing maternal guardian and her beloved ward.
Overcoming my usual cold, distant armor, I slowly raised my lone right arm, wrapping it securely around the boy's shoulders for a brief, comforting moment.
"You're safe now, kid," I thought silently.
I gently patted his back, nudging him toward the door so he could claim his dorm keys. Zenni wiped his eyes, gave me one final, beaming smile full of unadulterated hope, and began walking down the grand corridor toward the central barracks. As his small silhouette began to fade into the bustling crowd of ivory-and-charcoal uniforms, I slowly lifted my hand, waving a quiet, final goodbye to the boy I had hijacked, saved, and raised. His new life had begun.
"Eirene... you've done a lot for that boy."
The sudden, deeply professional voice echoing directly behind my shoulder made every muscle in my body lock up.
I recognized that voice instantly. It was smooth, calculating, and carried the weight of the capital's highest administrative power. I slowly tilted my hooded head back, my single jade-green eye scanning the shadow behind me.
Standing there in the polished hallway, dressed in immaculate, high-ranking administrative robes, was Nautilus Cotton, the elusive High Secretary of the Capital Knights Bureau Association or simply CKBA.
Anton had told me yesterday that the CKBA building was under a high-security audit and that Nautilus wouldn't be available until today. Yet here he was, standing in the heart of my brother's old military academy, his sharp eyes locked onto my heavily layered, scarred form. He didn't look at me like I was a hero, or a mother figure, or a simple merchant. He looked at me like a handler looking at a lethal, unpredictable asset.
Nautilus adjusted the cuffs of his uniform, stepping closer as his voice dropped to a low, confidential murmur that didn't carry down the hall.
"The audit is finished, and the files you requested are secured,"
Nautilus said, his eyes casting a brief, knowing glance toward the heavy Death Chant Shotgun strapped over my bound wings.
"We have a word to discuss in my office. Follow me."