Leaving Erin to rest, Raphael, despite the storm of emotions inside him, first made sure to secure her safety. He knew he had to prevent such an incident from happening again, so he arranged for her protection.
Since Raphael had little influence within the family, he sought help from Kazimir. Thanks to the man's connections, they managed to assign a few knights to guard the infirmary where Erin was recovering.
This was only possible due to Kazimir's old ties and friends.
Once he was sure Erin was safe, Raphael, his eyes blazing with anger and his mana pulsing, headed for the training grounds where he knew the ones responsible for Erin's injuries were still practicing.
***
Fifteen minutes later.
Boom!
A loud explosion rang out across the training arena. Everyone immediately turned toward the source of the sound, trying to understand what had just happened.
— What was that?! — panicked voices rippled through the crowd.
A section of the stands had been blown apart, and in the middle stood a figure in a training uniform, surrounded by a shimmering aura of mana. The dust and debris made it hard to see his face clearly, but those who had been around for the past few weeks started to guess.
Krado was one of them, his face twisted in confusion.
"Is that Raphael? What happened in the infirmary?" — questions whirled through his mind.
In the next moment, three icy shards shot out from the dust at lightning speed. They flew straight toward three cadets standing at the back of the crowd. The shards missed their faces by mere millimeters, leaving cuts on their ears.
— Ah? — one of the girls screamed in horror, unable to comprehend what was happening.
— Aaah! — the others shrieked as well.
The terrified cadets collapsed to the ground, realizing they had narrowly escaped death. Turning to look at the frozen shards embedded in the earth, they saw the sharp, blade-like pieces of ice jutting out. Each shard was no more than ten centimeters long, but their razor-sharp edges made it clear they could have easily killed.
As this realization sank in, cold fear gripped the girls. Their bodies froze, faces drained of color, and their pupils shook with terror. Slowly, they turned toward the figure from which the shards had come, and they saw a boy with eyes blazing with fury. His gaze was so intense that it seemed to glow with a dark blue fire through the haze of dust, intensifying their dread.
One of the girls swallowed hard.
— Raphael Earhart! Stop this at once! — an instructor's commanding voice cut through the air.
Snapping out of their shock, the instructor rushed to intervene, trying to stop the boy who had clearly lost control.
Meanwhile, knights from the family were rushing to the arena from all sides, having heard the explosion.
— Raphael! Do you hear me? — the instructor called out again as he approached.
— I hear you. So what? — Raphael responded coldly, not even bothering to turn around.
His calmness was terrifying. His voice carried a chilling mixture of fury, irritation, and indifference.
Each word he spoke sent shivers through the cadets and even some of the adults watching the scene unfold.
Raphael had openly interrupted the training session of the future knights and revealed his magic to everyone present. And everyone understood that the level of control he demonstrated over his mana was extraordinary for a five-year-old child.
Just recently, he had been at the first stage of the Smoldering Sparkle, and now he had already advanced to the second. Moreover, he displayed an affinity with one of the rarest elements.
But unfortunately, it wasn't fire — a fact that no one in his family found pleasing. If anything, it only deepened their resentment toward him.
Those watching were stunned by the boldness and arrogance with which Raphael wielded ice magic, injuring other children in the process. It was completely unacceptable.
Raphael quickly scanned the knights who had surrounded him. There were at least twenty family warriors with aura levels no lower than the Star Whirlwind stage. He sighed heavily, realizing there would be no easy way out without a fight.
In the next instant, he surged forward, covering several meters in the blink of an eye.
The knights and instructor tried to stop him, but his agility and speed far exceeded their expectations. They had underestimated him because of his age. In just half a second, Raphael stood directly in front of the three cadets who had tormented Erin.
The tip of his rapier was pointed at one of them.
The girls froze in terror. Their eyes were bloodshot, and tears glistened on their cheeks, ready to spill over.
— W-why? — one of the girls stammered in a trembling voice.
— Why? — Raphael repeated mockingly, narrowing his eyes.
His voice carried more menace than his lightning-fast movements. There was a lethal intent woven into his tone, slicing through the air.
— How do you think I should react to what you did to my comrade? — he said coldly.
The cadet's eyes widened in horror. She couldn't believe that all this rage was being unleashed in defense of that orphan girl they despised.
— C-comrade..? — she managed to say, disbelief in her voice.
Raphael simply smirked in response, his icy gaze conveying that he was deadly serious.
The knights, having failed to prevent his attack earlier, now encircled Raphael and pointed their swords at him. They weren't going to make the same mistake twice.
— What are you doing, Raphael? — a stern voice called out from the side as another figure approached the arena.
It was a middle-aged man with graying hair, though his muscular frame spoke of a life filled with battle. Elder Zael, responsible for overseeing the training of the cadets, had arrived.
— I hope you have a good reason for this mess. Otherwise, not even you will be spared the consequences.
Raphael slowly turned his head toward Zael, meeting his gaze with the same calm look.
— Elder Zael, I don't see what the problem is, — Raphael replied evenly. — As the future Guardian of the family, I'm punishing cadets who have violated the code.
Zael's face flushed with anger. It seemed as though he might explode at any moment. Every word Raphael spoke grated on his nerves, and the boy's indifferent tone, as though nothing serious had happened, only fueled his rage.
— What nonsense are you spouting?! You interrupted a training session and nearly killed three cadets! What code violation are you talking about?!
Raphael remained unflustered, his gaze still steady on the elder as he spoke:
— Section five, article twelve. Fighting, causing grievous harm, or killing among cadets who are considered future knights is prohibited. Punishment: from execution to indefinite imprisonment. Exception: in cases of betrayal or self-defense.
— And what are you trying to say with that? — Zael's anger was barely contained, though it was still evident in his voice.
— There's a cadet named Erin in the dormitory infirmary. For the past six months, this trio has regularly beaten her while the supervisors turned a blind eye. Yesterday, they went too far: after beating her with brass knuckles, they broke her right arm, rendering her unable to train with a sword.
A heavy silence fell over the arena.
As Zael processed Raphael's words, the cadets froze in fear. Especially the guilty ones. All their confidence had rested on the belief that Erin wouldn't report what had happened.
"That's how it would've been if that idiot hadn't decided to break her arm," — one of the girls thought bitterly.
The other cadets, who hadn't been involved in the bullying, looked at Raphael with newfound respect. To stand up against the entire family for an orphan — that took incredible courage.
Of course, there were those who thought Raphael was in love with Erin. But the majority grew to respect him for his actions.
After standing in silence for a few moments, Zael finally broke it:
— Do you have any proof?
— Elder, if I may! — one of the cadets from the back stepped forward. Zael turned to him in surprise.
— What is it?
— Everything Master Raphael said is true. I saw them tormenting Erin...
— And I did too! — another boy shouted, stepping forward.
— Me too!
— Us as well!
One by one, cadets began stepping forward from the crowd, confirming Raphael's words. Zael's eyes flicked between the boy, the guilty girls, and the other cadets.
— Then why didn't any of you report this earlier? You know silence is also punishable.
— The supervisors told us to ignore any fights or they threatened to expel us from the cadets... — one of the boys mumbled guiltily.
Zael let out a heavy sigh and turned back to Raphael.
— Lower your swords from him and lift those three up, — he ordered the knights.
— We will conduct an investigation to uncover the truth. But even if they are guilty, that doesn't give you the right to exact punishment on your own, especially not like this. What do you have to say to that?
Raphael looked calmly at the knights who were lifting the girls and said:
— And don't I have the right to punish those who harm my future bodyguard?
Everyone froze. The elder, the cadets, the guilty trio, even the knights under their helmets stared in shock.
— What? — Zael asked in surprise.
Raphael turned his head toward him once again.
— Exactly what you heard, Elder Zael. You're in charge of training the family's future knights, including the bodyguards. Your failure allowed this to happen. Because of your negligence, my future bodyguard is now lying in bed with a broken arm. How do you plan to fix this?
Zael clenched his jaw, averting his eyes.
The boy not only justified his actions by declaring Erin his future bodyguard, but he also managed to twist the situation to his advantage. For a moment, Zael felt like he wasn't talking to a child but to Lucius, or even Isabella.
"You cunning little bastard, where did you get such a sharp mind?"
— I will take this to the matriarch and ensure she handles the situation, — Raphael added, sheathing his rapier.
"Damn it, I was hoping I could at least chop off one of those girls' arms before they stopped me... Well, this way might be better."
Raphael had indeed intended to inflict serious harm on the girls, ensuring they would never be able to become part of the family, not even as servants. But he didn't get the chance.
— Are you threatening me? — Zael asked through gritted teeth, barely containing his anger.
As Raphael walked away toward the infirmary where Erin was resting, he replied indifferently:
— No, I'm simply stating a fact. I hope you'll be prepared to justify yourself.
— Little bastard... — Zael muttered under his breath as Raphael passed him by.
***
April 27th, 1432. Night. The dungeon beneath Castle Dragon's Crest.
Two days after the incident at the training grounds, the three former cadets were locked away in the dungeon, awaiting the outcome of an investigation.
In that time, the entire family learned that Raphael possessed the Ice element. Some were disappointed, while others, like Aurora and Alice, were deeply concerned.
His older sister, Aurora, feared that Isabella would launch a campaign to discredit Raphael, weakening what little influence he had within the family.
But to their surprise, the matriarch did nothing, as though the incident hadn't even occurred. Both Aurora and Raphael concluded that the matriarch was giving him a chance to prove himself, despite his connection to the Ice element, before passing final judgment on him.
This was an unpredictable move, one that was very uncharacteristic of Isabella, and it put Raphael on edge. Unpredictability at this early stage could derail his plans.
Now, Raphael was descending into the dungeon where the girls responsible for Erin's injuries were being held. Thanks to Aurora's support and his declaration that Erin was his future bodyguard, he had received permission from the matriarch to question the girls, despite opposition from the elders and Lucius.
As he walked down the stone corridor lit by lanterns, Raphael carefully considered how to approach the conversation in the most effective way.
— Master Raphael, this way, — said the knight guarding the cell.
He unlocked the door, allowing Raphael to step inside.
— You have thirty minutes.
— Thank you.
The knight warned him and left them alone.
— Why... kkh-kh... have you come, Master Raphael? — rasped the leader of the trio, the one responsible for breaking Erin's arm.
The girls were dressed in simple prison rags, chained to the walls. Dark circles shadowed their eyes, and tufts of hair littered the ground around them. For seven-year-old children, the dungeon was a living nightmare. Stripped of everything they had fought for, their spirits had been broken.
Their mental state worsened with each passing day, with no hope for the future. They were slowly losing their minds.
Raphael felt no pity. Even his anger had subsided once he was certain Erin would be able to continue training. Now, he only wanted one thing—to find out who was behind this incident.
— I have one question, — Raphael began coldly. — Who convinced you to pull that idiotic stunt?
Hahaha!
All three girls suddenly burst into laughter, the eerie unison revealing just how shattered their minds had become.
— Why do you think anyone put us up to it? — one of them hissed.
— You're too cowardly for such a reckless act, — Raphael replied with a faint smile.
— There was clearly some kind of assurance behind your actions. What exactly were you counting on? — he pressed, watching their reactions closely.
The girls' faces twisted with anger.
— Do you think just because you're an Earhart, you can do whatever you want?! — one of the prisoners screamed.
Her voice echoed off the dungeon walls, amplifying the fury in her words.
Raphael sighed heavily and, without warning, kneed her in the jaw. Blood sprayed from her mouth. Grabbing her by the hair, he yanked her head up and whispered just inches from her face:
— You're no longer a cadet. You're trash. Watch your words. I may not be able to lower you any further, but I can make you hurt a lot worse.
Her eyes blazed with hatred, but she said nothing.
— I'll ask again: who's behind this?
A twisted smile crept back onto the prisoner's face.
— Your dear brother, Lucius Earhart.