Inside the small house, her mother remained like a statue, always sat up in her bed while gazing ahead. She was always looking straight ahead, as if trying to find something. Technically, she was alive. She was breathing and warm. She ate food and drank water. However, her mind was frozen. No matter who it was, she did not acknowledge them. It was like she never noticed they were there. That never changed, even for her children. Not a single word. Not a single smile. There was simply… nothing. Nothing at all. It was like the woman herself had departed long ago, leaving behind her body as a twisted joke.
Sitting by her side, Shirley felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and despair. This condition had befallen her years ago when the empire invaded. After witnessing the death of her husband, capture of her daughter, and the destruction of the town, she fell into a despondent state. Her mind had completely shut down from the enormity of her grief. Physicians had explained that she locked herself out of the world because it was too cruel. It was an intentional defense mechanism to prevent insanity. However, that also meant that her future was uncertain. Whether she woke up the next day or decade, no one knew. She might even spend the rest of her life like this… Never waking up from an endless dream.
Her mother started coughing uncontrollably. Shirley fetched a cup of warm water and fed it to her mother. Her motions were so practiced that she did it almost instinctively. She was helpless against that though. Since her mother had contracted this condition, her physical health had been deteriorating every day. She was more sick than healthy nowadays. Shirley feared that one day it would take a turn for the worst. In fact, it was already headed in that direction. Their family savings, built up from the blacksmithing business, were nearly dry. Most of it went to medication or physicians for her mother.
Once the coughing ceased, Shirley sighed. The girl took a good long look at her mother's stoic face, trying to find any semblance of the woman who once was there. Yet, she found nothing. The former kindness and warmth were gone, replaced with emptiness and indifference. How painful was that? For a mother to not even recognize her own daughter… Shirley felt a gut-wrenching pain in her chest. It was extremely frustrating!
Leaving the room, she found Charles and Robert frowning. "What's the matter?" she asked.
"Mother's medicine is close to running out. I went to the apothecary, but they said that their stock has run out," Charles explained. "Their shipments of herbs don't want to come here anymore."
"Where are the shipments coming from?"
"They're from the Zino Kingdom. As for where, I don't know. They didn't tell me."
"The Zino Kingdom, huh?" Shirley was thoughtful. "Looks like I should head to the kingdom after all. We need to find mother's medicine as soon as possible."
"I guess it can't be helped. Robert and I will take care of mother while you're away."
"Don't worry. I won't take as long as last time," she reassured.
Afterwards, she packed some essentials into her knapsack. As she wrapped up, her eyes fell on her sword and halberd. They were among some of her father's greatest works, far better than the common weapons she used in the Xingyuu Empire. They were specifically adjusted to her so she could exert more than a hundred percent of her power. She had intentionally left them behind when she joined the army to preserve it as a memento of her father. However, for a mysterious reason, she had a feeling that this trip would be dangerous. Thinking that, Shirley took them both.
The next morning, Shirley said goodbye to her family and went to the dock where the boat had just arrived. Inari was already waiting there with a grin. It seemed like he had already expected this. As promised, he paid for them both. After the crew finished offloading their goods and resupplied, they departed. Their destination was Presharvo Port of the Zino Kingdom!
***
Firecast, the Zino Kingdom's capital city, was a vast and lush verdant valley, teeming with vitality and life. The city was constructed with nature in mind, preserving as much of its original beauty as possible. As such, from afar, the city blended into the forest to reveal a particularly splendid sight. The crystal-clear waterfall, the towering Asaparagon tree, the twisting golden dragon palace… This was why Firecast was regarded as the most beautiful city in the known world! Furthermore, the density of World Energy made it a holy ground for Arcanists. Whether it was the Conquestian, the Three Sages, the Ten Dawns, or even fledging practitioners, everyone wanted to come here.
As such, it was also the home of the First Celestial Magic University, the most prestigious institution for teaching Arcania. Many famous Arcanists were alumni and many more were professors or advisors. The most famous was undoubtedly Ten Dawn Nassandra Adnire, who soared through the university, being the youngest ever to graduate. It was no exaggeration to say that this was the largest concentration of young talent, potential, and skill in the kingdom!
Owing to its incredible reputation, it was also highly competitive. Entry was restricted to only those who commanded superior Magic Potential. That meant that the school was nearly entirely descendants of Engelsheft Families, which stood at the zenith of power in the kingdom much like the Grand Nobility Households! The arrogance and haughtiness of youth was amplified by their sense of elitism. They would laugh and gawk at others for their pitiful backgrounds. In their minds, they were the future! It was natural to act superior!
Of course, there were outliers. Those who entered without any background, purely based on their future prospects, were known as external seeds. Nassandra was one and now her older brother, Freon, was one as well. It was commonly believed that children inherited their parents' potentially equally. After all, it was a product of their Bloodline. But reality was often disappointing. Freon fell very… very short compared to his sister. They were almost completely different people.
Freon looked at his grade with a dark expression. He had done spectacularly if the goal were to fail. He was graded based on his performance with Arcania. Things such as casting speed, Core Level, Magic Perception, rune knowledge, or flexibility were all tested. Of course, the primary factor was Core Level! If your Core Level was sufficiently advanced, then the rest followed suit. It was the difference between being able to walk and run. Naturally, those that could run were capable of far more! Subsequently, the condition to graduate was High Gaseous Fog Core Level!
That said, how was Freon? After the battle with the emperor months ago, he suffered a severe backlash. He was hoping to push for Medium Gaseous Fog before that. However, that battle dropped him all the way back to the preliminary stages of Low Gaseous Fog. To put it frankly, he was in deep trouble! Freon felt his stomach twist. With his Core, how could he compete at all? In the first place, the admission requirement was Medium Gaseous Fog! In his final year, he was lower than a new student…
"How did you do, Freon?" a girl asked.
Freon sighed. "Take a look at it yourself."
The girl shyly glanced at the paper. When she did, she could not resist gasping in surprise. After all, it was just too startling. The school was extremely competitive and only a thousand students were enrolled at any time. Everyone was given a rank between one and a thousand according to their ability. Naturally, the first ranked was the most superior student with the greatest chance of becoming a future Ten Dawn! The university would also expel the bottom hundred to recruit fresh blood. That meant that everyone had to try their hardest to stay. It was cruel, but effective! But Freon's rank was Rank 977… In other words, he was in line for expulsion!
Freon smiled bitterly. "This… I expected as much. Do you have any good ideas?" He glanced to his friend, Yuna.
Yuna Cascadion was a petite and shy girl. She was wearing the standard uniform: a simple white shirt overlaid by a dark blue and gold blazer with a blue skirt. The emblem of the school was embroidered on her chest. One would think she was younger based on her appearance, but she was actually the same age as Freon! Her extremely reserved personality yielded her few friends.
However, no one underestimated her because Yuna was a top ranker, ranking in at 41! She had monstrous achievements and stacked up against the most prestigious students in the university. Moreover, she was among the few that reached Peak Gaseous Fog! Much like the Realms of Mastery that focused on physical development, the Core Levels had five minor levels demarcating progress: Low, Medium, High, Peak, and Half-Step. The difference between her and Freon was three minor Core Levels, a huge divide!
Despite that, they were still friends. Why? Normally, their statuses would have meant they lived in entirely separate worlds. The reason was because they were both external seeds! Neither of them had any background. Freon was accepted purely based on Nassandra's accomplishments. Yuna was accepted based on her performance and ability. Yet, the two suffered the same discrimination from everyone. In a way, it was the same as nobility looking down on commoners. They did not want to even associate with Freon and Yuna.
The girl thought for a second. "Have you tried talking with a specialist that focuses on backlashes?"
"I tried, but there is no one who would bother with me," Freon explained. "One glance at my rank or status and they reject me immediately."
"Even if you're Ten Dawn Nassandra's brother?"
"Of course, I could say that but…" He could not say his reasons. Taking advantage of his little sister's position to benefit himself because he was useless… What a joke! He felt too embarrassed to do such a thing. He had his own dignity!