After Kostin's case, the three began to debate once again who to name as a winner. Lia was relieved to see how easy it was to work like this. She expected that it would be hard; she would be questioned over and over again if she was qualified at all to judge, yet when she brought up her thoughts about the unique flames displayed today, Noga and Coco listened calmly to her. When they debated, they never once berated her, and when she asked a question, they calmly explained it with examples from their own spells. Just by this alone, Lia realized she learned a lot about the unique flames and somewhat got a deeper understanding of her own mixed fire.

When the sun was halfway down on the horizon, they finally concluded, and a 3rd-year student was named the winner. He had bluish-colored fire at his disposal, burning twice as intense as 'normal' flames but consuming half the amount of mana as usual. There were students who displayed stronger, more explosive versions, but he was the most stable and also one that could be used over and over again before one had to rely on potions.

Leaving the competition, Lia was in a very good mood, happily humming. She was about to cut through the Tower of Fire when she realized, at the top of the stairs, Zorgan was waiting for her.

"Um." She stopped on the first step, looking up at him.

"Good job. I was observing it, I am surprised you managed to spot the seed user."

"You knew about him?" Lia asked, tilting her head in surprise.

"Of course. I know all those who buy fire seeds. I am the one who maintains their supply line and makes sure we have enough in stock. He either was brave or foolish to try and bluff me with it. But I was also curious if he would be caught by you three. I knew that with Olivia's absence, someone would try to do something like this. Capitalizing on the suddenly loosened grip on the rules. I expected the two to notice something about it, but they were too relaxed, enjoying the… well… fresh atmosphere."

"Oh…"

"I am also surprised you learned this much about the different types of fire in the short time you were allocated with."

"Wasn't that what you're doing?" Lia asked, pursing her lips.

"Partially." He nodded, "But I was right that someone from the Six could live up to it." He continued, walking down to be on the same level as her.

"If I didn't use a seed before, I wouldn't have noticed. I bet Coco and Noga only missed it because they are not using them. I just had the feeling it was unauthentic!"

"Whatever the reason was, you did good and did it without ever asking me for help."

“Ugh… about that…”

"No." Zorgan shook his head, "I get it. And you were partially right. I was annoyed with you. Asking the Student Council to make you judge my competition was born from that frustration."

"Er… Thanks?" Lia said, twitching her mouth, "I think?"

"You're welcome." Zorgan smiled teasingly, "Whatever the reason was, you passed with flying colors. I will not ask you questions at the end of the year test. You passed, in my eyes."

"T-thanks…" She repeated, now looking a bit more guilty. She wasn't expecting him to be so friendly and open about his thoughts.

"No worries. I am also here to award you with what every judge gets from me at the end of the year." He waved his hand, and a small box fell into Lia's hand with a transparent lid. It was a peanut-sized, blue pill, twinkling once in a while as if covered in ice.

"What is it?" She asked, looking back up at him with an amazed look.

"It is a pill but not a fire seed." He explained, seeing Lia's thoughts swirl in her mismatched eyes. "This one contains the diluted essence of Frozen Serpent. They are snake-like creatures, living on Windswept Fields, and breathe out freezing cold mist. Members of House Berison keep them around as pets."

"Oh? I think I read about them… somewhere." Lia murmured, watching the box before pocketing it.

"I heard that you are trying to turn your water spells into ice. I thought this one may help with that."

"Thank you!" Lia answered, cupping her hands and bowing respectfully, drawing another smile onto Zorgans face, who nodded.

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"There may be rivalries or even conflicts between the Hosues…." Whisperingly, he said to himself just as much as to Lia, "But when times turn dire, they are going to trust their backs to one another."

"Hm?" Lia blinked her eyes rapidly, surprised at those words, but Zorgan said nothing more and simply walked away. "Weird… all the teachers are this weird? It must be because of that Silly Fox…." She added, shrugging and hurrying towards the small transport ship she came with. The thought of Lucian reminded her about what she did, examining Kostin's holding bag, and she had to have answers.

…

….

……

"I am not angry, Zorgan," Lucian said, sitting in his chair, looking out of the window, and watching the clear night sky filled with stars. "I already said I accept your resignation. I have sent out notices for some who may be your replacement. I only ask you to stay until the end of the year."

"I would have done that, Headmaster. And… I am sorry."

"Don't be. You are not a slave; you are your own man, capable of his own decisions! If you ever want to come back, I would welcome you."

"Thank you for your kind words." His voice echoed from his bracelet, dying down, just as soon as Lucian heard knocking on his door and Lia walking in, not waiting for his answer.

"What is the hurry for, girl?" He turned towards her, maintaining a smile.

"I did something!" She sputtered, retelling all that had happened throughout the competition. What was even more astounding for Lia was the fact that Lucian's smile very quickly disappeared, replaced by surprise and then rapt attention. He was asking her to tell it again, in detail, throwing out question after question before falling silent for ten minutes. "So…?" Lia asked after being unable to remain silent any longer.

"I heard about it once," Lucian said, a bit unsure, watching Lia while smacking his lips multiple times. "I need to look it up, but it is something rare."

"I don't get it. Can't you just say it plainly?" Lia moaned, leaning forward, wanting answers, getting impatient.

"Plainly said, your soul is strong."

"My soul?"

"Our soul is our mind. Those mages with a particularly strong soul also have a powerful will and a gifted mind. Of course, this does not mean all talents have strong souls!"

"This still does not make any sense, Headmaster…"

"Let me put it this way!" Lucian scratched his throat, leaning forward, "A strong soul begets a strong mind. A strong mind begets a firm will. What do you need to focus your mana and explore No-Space? The concentration of the utmost order! It seems your soul has great strength hidden deep inside, and you managed to penetrate a low-ranking artifact with your mind! I need to gather the related literature as it is a rare gift, and we don't really have anything that could measure it… or hone it per se. The only tip I can give you for now is to continue studying No-Space, use the telescope, and… try to find stuff with it. It may be one thing that can help you as, to my knowledge, Somia also had a strong soul."

"Maybe I should have been an artificer?" Lia murmured but only received a soft chuckle as an answer.

"Whatever you choose to be! For now, continue as you are and focus on those things that are at hand!"

"Okay." She nodded, standing up, and as she was leaving, Lucian called out once when her fingers touched the doorknob.

"Oh yes, this year's Egg Hunt will be extra hard."

"Oh?" Lia exclaimed as she stopped, looking back at him. "Is it because…"

"Exactly. Because of your plans!" Lucian grinned, flashing his teeth. "I won't let you waltz in with superior numbers and sweep my competition! Get yourself ready, girl! You are going to need all your strength to succeed!"

"Silly Fox…" Lia whispered, opening and closing the door behind her, "You think I would be scared? Bring it on!"

"Her soul is strong," Somia said, appearing after Lia was gone, glancing at Lucian, who was already used to her coming and going as she saw fit. "If she is left to bloom, she will have a chance to go at the 9th Tier."

"...!" Hearing her say that, Lucian flinched, sitting up straight, looking at the half-transparent body of Somia.

"Reaching that stage is not just about mana and power. There is another requirement."

"So… you could have reached it?"

"Who said I did not?" Somia asked something that, once again, shocked him.

"No… that couldn't be true." Lucian thought, not saying it out but just watching Somia, who seemingly read his mind.

"True. I did not. I was joking."

"..." As another shock, Lucian stiffened and then deflated like a balloon, moaning loudly as what he expected was everything but not Somia's joke and the flat face she told it with.

"My mind was there, but my talent was lacking. I was dragged down by my sub-par body."

"That is why you abandoned it?" Lucian asked without thinking.

"Maybe." She answered after a brief pause, "Yes… that may have been the case…." She murmured, crossing her hands, scratching her chin, thinking about it. "I will ask Erias to compile his experiences."

"I should've guessed he had the same strength. Especially after what you told me."

"Mhm." Sonia nodded, "After we are done, I will turn it into a book for you. Teach it to the kid. Erias wants her to be nurtured to the fullest extent."

"Shouldn't we tell this to her mother? To the other Amarins?" Lucian asked, feeling weird that the House of Amarin forefather intended on teaching his descendant through Somia and him.

"No," Somia answered instantly. "The less people know about it, the better. Someone from the Houses could die at any moment. You are in a much safer position. As head of the Institute, you are bound to this island. Even if war breaks out, you are not to leave it."

“Haaahh… still…”

"No," Somia said, her voice firm, looking into his eyes. "If someone who knows about it dies, they will know about it too. Keep it secret and follow your vow as Headmaster." She ordered him before disappearing, making Lucian furrow his brows.

"They…?" He asked, having many ideas and guesses but remaining in a daze until the following day.