*Erwin's POV*

I was lying on my bed, thinking about my encounter with Elaine. I believe the words I said were true and she deserved them, but at the same time, I felt a little guilty.

Given how she treated me, she didn't deserve any compassion, yet after what had happened to her, she did.

"Maybe... I should have been kinder..." I muttered, sighing deeply. From what little I knew of her, she wasn't the type to ask for help easily. So, it must have been something important.

Despite my reluctance, I started thinking that maybe, just this once, I should help her.

Suddenly, the door to my room opened, and Brenin walked in, drenched in sweat. He smelled awful, and his expression was that of a beaten dog; clearly, he had trained himself to exhaustion.

It wasn't the first time he pushed himself to the limit. In fact, every day had been like this since that bastard Gygas stole Brenin's "prey."

Since that day, we hadn't talked about Gygas, but as days passed, Brenin got worse. Some days, he wouldn't even speak, and I had hoped this "phase" would pass, but now I was doubtful.

I occasionally trained to my limits too, but his training seemed more like a punishment than exercise.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked Brenin, concerned, but got no response. "Listen, I wanted to ask if tomorrow—"

Brenin glanced at me from the corner of his eye, panting heavily. Then, he looked straight at his bed, grabbed a towel, and headed to the communal bathrooms without a word.

"...What the hell!" I exclaimed, almost exasperated by his behavior. "Is everyone trying to piss me off today?! Damn it, if only Oscar were here..."

At that moment, I felt a bit sad. Every time I heard or mentioned his name, I felt a pang in my heart. It had been several days since his expulsion, but I still couldn't come to terms with what had happened. Not only was I sad for his fate, but also because I had lost the only person I could consider a friend.

My classmates treated me as if I didn't exist; Elaine was more of an enemy than a friend; Brenin had become even more insufferable, and Claire... well, after our "intimate" moment, she started avoiding me like I had the plague. I was alone, and it hurt.

The only thing that comforted me was the letter Oscar left me, and I often got emotional, especially in the early days. I was sad, but I had to make it for him too. I absolutely couldn't afford to fail.

"Well, I guess it's time to train hard for myself too!"

If I wanted to become strong, I had to break all my limits... well, not like Brenin, who seemed to be torturing himself, but train to become stronger day by day... and maybe, I knew something that could be useful.

I turned to the other side of my bed, where my small nightstand was, and took the book on it. Since I arrived here, I hadn't opened it because it seemed too complex.

In recent days, I had tried several times to understand what was written in it without success... but I wouldn't give up because if Ron gave it to me, it meant it had some use.

And if I couldn't decipher it alone, maybe I knew someone who could help me with this task, although I wasn't exactly thrilled to be with her.

"Argh..." I muttered, putting my hands in my hair. "She said 2:30 PM, right?"

*End of Erwin's POV*

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

*Elaine's POV*

For several minutes, the carriage, pulled by its horses, took us toward the city of Veras. Since I arrived at the academy, I had never been here at night, partly due to the academy rules that prevented us from leaving at night. But as the landscape rushed past my eyes, I couldn't help but notice the beauty of everything I saw, leaving me a bit stunned.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Melian asked, understanding what I was thinking.

"...Yeah, I didn't think it could be so beautiful..." I replied, setting aside my hesitation towards her.

Veras was an enchanting place, with its white stone houses glittering under the moonlight and flower-filled gardens filling the air with sweet, delicate scents. The cobbled streets wound through the green hills, leading to lively squares full of merchants and street artists, even though it was late.

Despite Veras' beauty, my thoughts returned to Lorein: the nights illuminated by soft lights reflecting on the kingdom's streets and buildings, the snowy days with children playing happily. I remembered every detail with painful clarity, aware that all this no longer existed in Lorein.

Clenching my fists, I felt a fierce determination growing inside me. I would do anything to restore my father's kingdom. No obstacle would be too great, no sacrifice too heavy.

As the journey continued, we left the center of Veras, entering a more rural but still fantastically scenic area.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Throughout the trip, I couldn't help but notice the perplexed look of the coachman, who occasionally kept looking at me for a few seconds before turning away.

This went on until at some point, the coachman finally spoke up.

"Miss Melian," the coachman began, looking at the now rougher road. "I see you have someone new with you..."

"Oh, yes!" replied the elf with a big smile. "This is Lucy, and although it doesn't seem like it, she's also an elf, though of the fourth generation!"

"An elf... of the fourth generation?" the coachman repeated softly, thoughtful. "So, her blood is 75% human, am I right?"

"Exactly!" replied the girl, with a smile that had something strange.

That question made me tense; it was far too strange to ask, especially given his tone, which almost seemed to emphasize that I was a fourth-generation elf.

Something was wrong: first Hardil's odd behavior, now this... I couldn't understand what was happening, but I knew I had to be very careful. Anything could happen.

For a few minutes, silence reigned again until the coachman stopped the carriage in an even more rural area than before.

"We've arrived, miss..."

Skeptical, I looked out the window and was astonished to see an immense mansion completely immersed in nature.

"W-Wow..." I exclaimed, surprised by the grandeur of such a mansion.

"What are you standing there for, Lucy?" Melian's loud voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Come on, let's go!"

---

As we got out of the carriage, besides observing the mansion up close, I noticed that ours wasn't the only carriage; there were about thirty, with many people starting to enter through the enormous main entrance. They were all elves. There wasn't a single human among them.

There were so many people, too many people; who could move so many in the middle of the night? It had to be someone very important...

"Whose house is this?" I asked Melian as we approached the mansion.

The girl smiled, remaining silent for a few seconds. "It's my father's."

"What..."

"...Yeah, not bad, right?" Miriel interjected, in her usual manner. "You know, Melian's father made a fortune here in Mykotos, and over the years, he's become one of the richest people in the kingdom! Ahhh... Her father must be living the dream! Not only is he rich, but he has a prodigy daughter!" she concluded, praising Melian, who covered her mouth, smiling.

[He made a fortune, huh?]

I thought about what Miriel had said. While this partly explained why they had such a gigantic house, there were other things that didn't add up. For example, how could he mobilize so many elves to one place? Why build a house here in the middle of nowhere? Why not in the city center, connected to every commercial area?

But what intrigued me the most was Hardil's state of mind, who hadn't spoken since we fled the academy. It was clear that something was troubling him, something related to this event, and probably me.

The only reason he wasn't saying anything was to avoid going against Melian, who had "indirectly" threatened him a few minutes ago.

[Better stay alert...] I thought as we got closer to the mansion.

When we reached the entrance, I began to understand why Hardil seemed so worried. As soon as the elves saw me, their expressions were confused, perplexed, irritated.

It took me a while to realize they looked at me like that not because I was new, but because of my "human" appearance.

They looked at me so badly that I thought some of them might attack me at any moment. But they didn't. Some of them even looked away after a few seconds, probably because I was with Melian, the owner's daughter.

At that moment, I found another answer to my doubts, concluding that Melian's family wasn't just simple merchants.

The guards, upon seeing us with Melian, moved aside without resistance, allowing us to enter the mansion.

The doors closed behind us with a dull, almost threatening sound. The light inside was dim, the candles flickered as if they feared being extinguished. Shadows stretched across the walls, giving the house a gloomy and sinister atmosphere. Every step echoed in the silence, and the air was filled with a strange odor, a mix of incense and something more acrid, almost metallic.

Melian led confidently, but I couldn't help but feel a shiver down my spine. I looked at Hardil, and his face was even tenser, his eyes full of worry. There was something deeply wrong with that house, and I felt it to my core.

I had reached my goal, but the fear I felt now was much greater than the happiness I experienced for achieving one of my objectives.

After walking through the atrium, we found ourselves in an immense living room illuminated by crystal chandeliers that reflected light in a thousand facets on the decorated walls. The ceiling was high, with intricate frescoes telling ancient elven stories, while the dark, carved wood furniture gave an air of decadent luxury. Heavy velvet drapes in dark red hung down to the floor, framing large windows that showed the outside landscape.

The room was crowded with people, and as soon as they saw us enter, their eyes turned to me with almost shocked expressions. I felt their stares piercing me, but I kept my cool, understanding that I was not welcome.

Melian's father, Lucius, approached us. He was an imposing man with a penetrating gaze and an air of authority. He had long gray hair, and his eyes were the same color, as was his velvet jacket, matched with black silk pants.

"My daughter!" Lucius exclaimed, immediately hugging Melian, who also hugged her father.

"Father! I've missed you!" she exclaimed, happy to see her parent. Seeing her, I realized it was the first time I saw her truly smile.

After exchanging some signs of affection, Lucius looked up. He greeted Mirel and Hardil, who returned the greeting. But then, when he saw me, his expression became darker.

"Melian, I see you brought a new friend... Who is this girl?" Lucius asked his daughter, his expression relaxed but his tone annoyed.

"This is Lucy Blazestorm… She's a fourth-generation elf," Melian explained with a reassuring smile. "She wanted to learn more about elves… So I thought I'd bring her here."

"Fourth-generation..." the man repeated, looking at me intently. I thought he would kick me out, and I was ready to leave; I didn't expect his response at all.

"You know, Melian, this place is not for humans…. But it is for 75%, so… why not?”

The man seemed even more relaxed, then indicated some seats to his daughter. "Make yourselves comfortable. Lucy, you're welcome here!" he said, extending his hand.

I didn't trust his words at all. But I had no choice but to play along, shaking his hand. "Thank you, sir. It's an honor to be here."

We went to sit on elegant velvet armchairs. As we sat, the atmosphere in the room remained tense, and I watched every movement around me.

I carefully observed everyone in the room; besides being pure elves, their mannerisms, walk, and clothing made it clear these elves were wealthy, upper-class. I was increasingly convinced they weren't here to talk about business or trivial matters. No, they were here for something more important. Something so important that Melian's father built a house in the middle of nowhere.

My curiosity skyrocketed, and at that moment, I couldn't hold back any longer.

"Melian," I asked softly, "what do your parents do here?"

She smiled enigmatically. "You said you wanted to learn more about elves, right? Well, what better place to learn about your origins and elven thinking than here, where they talk politics?"

[...BINGO!]

For a moment, her answer filled me with hope: this was much more than I could have imagined. Not only could I observe them, but I could also understand their thinking and what they thought about the kingdom.

But then, a shadow of worry crept in. Until that moment, I hadn't thought much about it, but if it was true that I could now build a circle of loyal followers, it was also true that some of them might support Umarth's ideas.

Worse, these people were so wealthy that it wasn't unthinkable they were being funded by Umarth to learn more about the kingdom.

The secrecy of this place, all these upper-class elves… yes, this was more than a suggestion; it could be real. And if it was true, then… I had trapped myself without wanting to.

END OF CHAPTER 47 - AMIDST GLANCE AND SILENCES