"Melian! You’re back!" exclaimed Miriel as she hugged her tightly, happy to see her friend again. "I missed you!"

"Hey, I wasn’t gone for months!" replied Melian cheerfully, with a smile that made her even more beautiful. "And anyway, take it easy hugging me so tightly, you might kill me!"

Slowly, all the other members of the small club approached Miriel, and it was evident from the smiles on their faces that they were more than happy to see Melian again.

Elaine, however, stood a bit apart, watching the Queen of the Spellcasters from a distance. She immediately noticed how everyone else gathered around her, almost like bees with their queen.

At that moment, Elaine understood why Miriel considered her the true leader, even though she wasn’t the mastermind behind this group. Even Hardil, who seemed like a grumpy and tough guy, couldn’t stop laughing and joking with her.

[They really care about her...] thought the elf, in front of such a beautiful scene. Yet, while watching the kids from afar, she felt a strange premonition, which she ignored, judging it unfounded.

Elaine hadn’t expected to encounter the Queen of the Spellcasters; thinking about it, Elaine realized she had only seen the best aspiring magical knight of the academy, while there was no trace of the other three. They knew there were four, but she didn’t know why the others weren’t there, and she didn’t question their absence either.

Melian noticed Elaine’s glances and began to observe her curiously.

"...Anyway, I see we have a new member here," she said, referring to Elaine. "Who is she?"

"Oh! You’re right!" replied Miriel cheerfully, who stepped away from the group, took Elaine by the arm, catching her a bit by surprise, and dragged her toward Melian. "Her name is Lucy Blazestorm, a first-year student from section A, and she’s a fourth-generation elf capable of Ice Manipulation. Lucy, this is Melian Celebrindal, she’s in her final year and is the queen of the spellcasters, as well as the jewel of us elves in this academy!"

The two girls scrutinized each other for a few seconds; Elaine, looking at her more closely, understood why she was the queen; she had nothing to do with the other students she had met so far. Even the King of Spades, Triton, wasn’t at her level.

Sensing her mana, Elaine immediately noticed a flow of energy that flowed inside the queen in an extremely calm and pure way; the princess of Blueheaven didn’t expect such a young girl to have such control over her energy.

But once again, she felt a strange sensation, strange vibes coming from Melian; she didn’t know exactly why, but her instinct told her that if she wanted to stay here, she would have to keep an eye on that girl, although Elaine thought at the same time that she was being overly paranoid.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy," Melian extended her hand. "I hope you’ll like it here..."

"I hope so..." replied Elaine, who after a moment of hesitation, shook Melian’s hand.

"Great!" exclaimed Miriel, happy that Elaine was now part of the group and that no one objected. "How did your mission go, Miriel?"

"Mission?" mumbled the princess of Blueheaven, not understanding what the head of the school radio was talking about.

"Oh, right! You’re a freshman, you couldn’t know!" Miriel began. "You see, when you get to the third year, the guilds do some scouting in the school, looking for young prospects who, in the not too distant future, will become mages. The guilds also have the opportunity to choose the best students and take them out for internships, to observe their magical, combat abilities and their aptitude—"

"In my case," Melian interrupted Miriel, "I was taken on trial by the 'Sleeping Forest' Guild, one of the best guilds in Mykotos. Of course, it wasn’t an easy mission, but I managed well..." concluded the queen of the spellcasters, with a smile on her face.

"Well, as expected, right?" added Haldir, who had eyes only for Melian, who gave a small laugh covering her mouth, giving a light "playful" push to the big guy; "Stop it, I’m not that great!"

Everyone at that moment was laughing with her and praising her, but Elaine wasn’t in the same mood; she had just met her, but from the way she almost abruptly interrupted Miriel, she got the impression that, with that sentence, she wanted to show off in front of the newcomer, almost as if she wanted to mark her territory or prove her superiority over her.

[Am I wrong, perhaps?] Elaine wondered, perplexed, who once again tried to ignore her instinct’s warning; she had just taken a step forward in her plans, and she didn’t want a stupid feeling to ruin everything, as she immediately understood that going against Melian was equivalent to going against the whole group.

Ignoring her feelings, she paid particular attention to what was said: the fact that the guilds took students from the third year onwards was a pleasant discovery, as if she had the chance, she could test what she had learned in a real mission.

She also understood, however, that she had to work even harder to become visible to the scouts, already starting to think of a way to be relevant, even though she realized this would alter her initial intentions to remain anonymous.

[Interesting...] Elaine thought. [I’ll keep in mind what I heard today...]

"Well, what are we doing standing, shall we sit?" said Melian, inviting everyone to sit down.

"No, I’m leaving," replied Elaine negatively, surprising the others a bit. "Today I just came to meet you, from tomorrow I’ll come here regularly."

She still didn’t feel ready to be with other people. And that strange premonition she felt, without realizing it, was influencing her much more than she could imagine.

"...Okay," replied Melian, who seemed almost disappointed by that answer. "I hope to see you tomorrow, so we can get to know each other better..."

Elaine nodded, and after raising her hand, she greeted everyone almost coldly, turning and heading towards the exit of that immense library.

But as she was leaving, she heard footsteps behind her; curious, she turned around and saw it was Miriel.

"Wait!" exclaimed Miriel, running a little to catch up with Elaine, who had already walked quite far in a few moments.

[What does she want now?] the princess of Blueheaven wondered.

"Ah! Finally, I caught you! Damn, you walk fast!"

"Is there a problem?"

"No... I just wanted to tell you about the favor you owe me!"

[Damn... I had forgotten about that] Elaine sighed, annoyed, as she had forgotten their deal made that morning with all that had happened today.

"And what would that favor be? I repeat, I don’t want to do any interview..." Elaine clarified, to avoid unnecessary discussions.

"I know, I know..." murmured the girl, although her first intention was really to interview her; so, the girl remained silent for a few seconds, thinking about what she could ask instead of the interview.

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She began to think and think, without saying a word and slowly stroking her chin, looking for an answer to give. This obviously annoyed Elaine, who wanted to go back to her room to study a bit on her own.

"Look, you’ll tell me next time, okay?" the elf cut short, tired of waiting. "I have things to do, so—"

"Shopping!" Miriel exclaimed abruptly, interrupting Elaine who, puzzled, didn’t understand what the girl meant. "That’s the favor you owe me! You’ll have to accompany me shopping! And not only that, you’ll have to bring two guys too!"

[...What the fuck she's talking about?!]

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That Evening...

Brenin had one last lesson to attend, that of Professor Dwiel, so he headed to the training room. Despite more than 24 hours having passed since the battle between Gygas and Triton, the outcome still deeply troubled Brenin, who couldn't fathom how Triton could lose.

He knew the truth but was so selfish that he completely ignored it. With this attitude, he faced one of his classmates in a sparring match using wooden swords, without using mana or any elements.

The fight was ordinary: Brenin knew he was much stronger than his opponent, so he merely parried every blow, putting his adversary at a disadvantage. The opponent slowly became tired, his arms growing increasingly sore. Though on the defensive, Brenin controlled his opponent's movements.

[Damn it...]

Gygas had no trouble in the sparring but was tense. More than tense, he was nervous; initially fine with being in section B, he now longed to face stronger opponents. No one in his class was even remotely his match.

[Damn it... That bastard fights strong people, while I...]

Brenin got distracted, and his perfect parries started to falter. His opponent noticed the gaps in his defense and saw an opportunity to strike.

The boy changed his rhythm suddenly, catching Brenin off guard. Lost in thought, Brenin fell out of sync and was overpowered by his opponent's tempo.

[Now!]

The opponent aimed a thrust at Brenin, who was defenseless at that moment. He was confident he would land the blow, convinced he could knock out the best student in the class.

[You... What do you think you're doing?!]

Brenin, who had been staring into space, realized what was happening and got furious. He couldn't let himself be hit by such an opponent.

With a rapid leg movement, Brenin moved so quickly that his opponent almost lost sight of him. Unconsciously, Brenin had broken the sparring rule by using mana to dodge.

Brenin got behind his opponent, strengthened his arm, and struck his classmate's back with the wooden sword with brutal force. The boy was overwhelmed by pain, unable even to scream, and collapsed unconscious.

At first, Brenin didn't realize what he'd done. But when the fight "ended" and he saw his classmate on the ground, he understood.

Shocked, he stepped back, letting the wooden sword fall from his hand.

[What... have I done?!]

"Brenin, what the hell are you doing!" shouted the professor, rushing to the unconscious student. "I said no mana, what were you thinking?!"

Brenin wanted to respond but didn't know what to say. He didn't want to hit him in such a brutal and unfair way. It was almost a muscle memory, not a conscious action.

But he couldn't say that; the professor wouldn't take him seriously. So he remained silent, lowering his gaze.

Dwiel observed him and clearly didn't appreciate the silence. It made him angrier. "You're done for today, get out of here!" the professor yelled, authoritatively pointing to the exit.

Brenin stood still for a moment, then agreed it was better to leave before causing more trouble. He left without apologizing to his classmate or the professor.

----------------------------------------

Night fell, and while Erwin slept soundly, Brenin was awake. Funny, he thought, since usually he was the one sleeping while Erwin stayed up late.

Already troubled, the sparring incident filled Brenin's mind with thoughts that kept him from sleeping.

With that action, Brenin felt he had betrayed everything he believed in, including his "code" as a knight. But the real reason for his despair was that he had betrayed another person's beliefs.

"Father... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I betrayed you..." Brenin muttered, covering his eyes with his arm as if to hide his tears.

He felt sad, nervous, defeated, and angry. He hadn't felt this way in a long time and knew the only thing he could do was vent. Vent with his beloved sword.

He got out of bed, careful not to wake Erwin, and left the room, heading to the nearest gym.

Once there, he drew his sword and, without delay, began slicing the air with precise, graceful movements, performing a beautiful dance under the full moonlight, the only witness to his elegance.

A bit of the tension and anger dissipated, but it wasn't enough. Not for him, with his head full of questions and doubts about himself. [Damn it... It's not enough...]

Brenin didn't know what to do until he had an idea that could help clear his mind.

He closed his eyes and focused deeply, recalling every movement, every skill, his power, his speed. Slowly, his blue eyes opened, slightly glowing.

Even though he was alone, his eyes created something, or someone: for Brenin, standing before him was the person he hated most at that moment, Gygas.

[It's not a perfect copy, but at least I can clear my doubts...]

Brenin got into position while the imaginary Gygas, like the real one, stood with an open defense, ready to attack at any moment.

[Let's go... Come on!] Although it was just an illusion, to Brenin, that bastard felt real. The imaginary Gygas launched an attack without hesitation, catching Brenin off guard.

Brenin tried to use his eyes to detect his movements, but Gygas was so fast that his innate ability was ineffective, putting Brenin under pressure and forcing him to parry.

His movements were clumsy. When he parried, the impact with Gygas's sword knocked him back several meters, nearly knocking him out with one move.

[Damn it...] Brenin thought, trying to recover. But Gygas didn't stop his onslaught, continuing to press Brenin, who barely managed to parry the blows with such imprecise movements that every part of his body was under terrible pressure.

Gygas's strikes grew more violent and powerful, and Brenin started to take hits. Eventually, with a brutal slash, Brenin was cut in half. This was all in his head, but it felt so real that he screamed in pain before touching his stomach, realizing none of it was real.

"No... It's not possible..." Brenin whispered in disbelief. "Gygas can't be that strong, I can't accept it!"

And so, all night, Brenin fought the imaginary Gygas, always ending in his defeat in various ways. After hours of training, his mana and stamina depleted, he collapsed, utterly exhausted.

At that moment, it became clear to him, despite his denial...

"Brenin... is really stronger than me... Damn it... Damn it!"

A tear rolled down his face. His expression remained the same, but his eyes and soul were crushed. Gygas was stronger than him, but he couldn't accept it. How could he, after his father had instilled the same beliefs in him for years? His father's words had become his creed, and now it felt like his creed was built on lies.

This realization drove him into a crisis, unable to accept his father's words as false.

"No... They're not false..." Brenin concluded, denying everything. "I'm the weak one. If only I were strong... If only..."

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!

Suddenly, Brenin heard applause behind him, almost causing him a heart attack.

He turned, thinking it was the gym's custodian. [Great, just what I needed...] He thought, ready for another scolding after Dwiel's.

But to his surprise, a boy stood at the door, applauding.

The boy was as tall as Brenin, wearing the standard school uniform, of average build similar to Erwin but slightly bulkier. His purple hair was gelled back, revealing a not-so-large forehead, and he wore two stars on his chest, indicating he was from section B.

"Bravo, congratulations!" the mysterious boy began, approaching. "You know, it was an entertaining show! You threw yourself around like you were possessed! Are you acting for theater, by any chance?" he joked.

Brenin didn't find it funny and, not wanting to talk to anyone, got up, gathered his things, and started to leave.

"The gym is yours, I'm done..."

"Hey, wait! You don't remember me, do you? I'm in your class!"

Brenin stared at him for a few seconds, not recognizing his face. But that didn't matter, as he only remembered the faces of those he found interesting.

"Okay. As I said, I'm done, the gym is yours."

Brenin decided to ignore the boy, who was a bit surprised by Brenin's dismissal. But the mysterious boy didn't give up. This time, he grabbed Brenin's arm, stopping him.

As you might expect, Brenin didn't take this well, glaring at the boy, who felt a shiver down his spine from those blue eyes that looked sinister in the dark.

[Be brave...] "Hey, relax, I just want to help you!"

"Help me?" Brenin repeated, even more annoyed. "I don't need anything. So, if you'll excuse me..."

With force, Brenin easily freed himself from the boy's grip and headed for the exit. But before he could leave, the boy stopped him again, this time holding a firm grip.

"Hey, bastard, if you don't let go, I—"

"So... Are you telling me you don't want to become stronger?" the boy interrupted with a strange smile.

"...What?"

The boy with purple hair observed Brenin for a few seconds. Once he saw that Brenin was focused on him, he let go.

"Exactly, I'm asking if you want to become stronger..."

To Brenin, the question was stupid. To achieve strength, he needed no one's help, no shortcuts, just intense training and immense willpower. But the mysterious boy knew how to pique Brenin's interest.

"Of course... Everyone here aims to become stronger."

At that moment, the boy with purple hair's smile turned more mischievous, and for a moment, Brenin felt an odd sensation that abruptly vanished.

"In that case, let me help you, Brenin..."

The boy reached into his pants pocket, and in the next instant, he pulled out a small vial with a wooden stopper, containing tiny fluorescent blue spheres inside. After taking them out, he handed them to Brenin, who wondered what these spheres could be.

"If you want to become strong, then take these..."

END OF CHAPTER 41 - DOUBFUL MEETINGS