It was six in the morning, but the cafeteria was still empty. There was no one there except a staff member who was slowly and leisurely wiping the tables. The atmosphere was quiet, with only the faint clinking of cutlery and the soft sound of my footsteps on the clean floor.
"Many are out on missions, so the dormitory is pretty quiet. Only a few Finire are here, but they're not the early-rising type," Dante said, his voice calm as he explained a situation that seemed quite normal to him.
I nodded slightly, feeling the silence in the room almost inviting drowsiness.
As I stepped toward the table to get breakfast, the cafeteria staff suddenly turned to me. "Oh, miss, are you new here?" he asked kindly, though a bit surprised to see me.
"Yes," I replied briefly, offering a small smile.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Eira."
Before I could add anything else, Dante cut in with a confident tone.
"Eira Frostheart," he said, smiling at me.
I was shocked, my eyes widening slightly.
Now? Seriously?
I wasn't ready to introduce that family name officially yet.
"Ehh?! Frostheart?!" The cafeteria staff looked stunned, his voice slightly raised in surprise. His expression quickly changed from bewilderment to respect in an instant.
"Oh, I'm sorry! " he said hurriedly, as if realizing his overreaction. "Are you related to the Master?"
Dante nodded calmly and confirmed, "Miss Eira is his niece. From now on, please take good care of her."
"Oh, of course! Absolutely! I will!"
"I am Arun. Should there be anything, please do not hesitate to reach out to me."
The staff replied, his voice sounding much more formal now. He gave a slight bow, showing a respect I never imagined I would receive just because of a name.
I could only stand there, smiling awkwardly.
"Yes... please assist me," I said softly.
As I stood there feeling awkward, the cafeteria door creaked open, breaking the morning silence. The sounds of footsteps—one firm and steady, the other lighter and quicker—began to fill the air. I turned and saw two figures entering the room.
The first was Joshua, a cheerful figure with a wide smile that immediately greeted us. His hair was slightly disheveled.
"Wow, good morning Eira-chan! Dante too."
Beside him, Arion walked in calmly and gave us both a brief nod.
"Eira-chan, are you having breakfast too?"
"Yes."
I nodded and smiled slightly. "Yes, I'd like to have breakfast too," I replied, though the awkward feeling still lingered from the previous moment.
At the breakfast table, there were six sets to choose from. I decided to go with set 2, which consisted of a croissant, fresh fruit slices, yogurt with honey, and apple juice. A light yet refreshing combination—just enough for a simple morning meal.
Meanwhile, Joshua and Arion opted for the heavier set 1, which included scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and black tea. A classic choice that clearly reflected their respective breakfast styles.
The food was served, and we began to enjoy our breakfast. Occasionally, I glanced at Dante, who stood behind me with a calm smile.
"Dante, aren't you having breakfast?" I asked curiously.
Dante nodded politely. "I have already had breakfast, miss. Thank you for your concern."
"Oh, I see…"
I continued eating my meal. While eating, Joshua shared stories about his daily life in the dorm. How he would laze around or simply enjoy the day when there were no missions or patrol duties.
After finishing our breakfast, Joshua and Arion headed to Uncle's office to report on their previous mission and the incident on the train.
Since it was still before 7 AM, Dante invited me to tour the headquarters.
.
.
.
After wandering around for about an hour, we now stood in front of Uncle's office, a room located in one corner of the headquarters.
Knock knock.
The soft sound of my knock echoed inside the room.
"Master, Miss Eira has arrived. May we come in?"
We waited for a moment, listening to the sound of something clattering inside, like stacks of documents being sorted.
"Come in."
Dante slowly pushed the door open, and we stepped into the office.
"Good morning, Uncle." I greeted him while bowing slightly.
"Yes, good morning, Eira."
Uncle was sifting through some documents, with several stacks piled on his desk. It seemed he needed to sign them.
"Please, have a seat."
"Ah, yes."
I sat down on the sofa, and Dante then served tea and snacks on the table for me.
As I waited for Uncle to finish his work, I sipped my tea and nibbled on the scone he had prepared.
A few minutes passed, and Uncle finally rose from his seat. He carried several documents and sat on the sofa across from me, facing each other.
"This is your adoption document; you just need to sign here."
Uncle handed me a document. It clearly stated the name 'Eira Frostheart.' I signed it and handed it back to Uncle.
"After I submit this to His Majesty, you will officially become a member of the Frostheart family. And as your guardian, if you need anything, you can tell me," he explained.
"Yes, Uncle."
"Oh, and this is the document that outlines your inheritance from my brother."
Uncle Zaroth handed me several sheets of paper. As I read through them, it listed the wealth belonging to my grandfather that had been passed down to me.
In addition to savings and stocks, I also inherited several mansions. Not just one, but five of them.
And a trading company.
Huh?
What is this?
A trading company?
I felt like I had hit the jackpot.
I didn't expect him to be this wealthy. So why did he choose to live so simply with me in that old town?
Wait, thinking back, we never lacked money while living there. He also went out a few days each year.
Knock knock.
A knock sounded from outside the door.
Ahh, that knock brought me back to reality.
"Master, this is Sasha. I have brought the documents you requested."
"Come in."
After receiving Uncle's approval to enter, the door swung open, and a woman with short, blonde hair walked in. She wore thin-framed glasses and held a neat stack of documents in her hands. Her professional aura made her look serious, yet her smile conveyed warmth.
As soon as her eyes landed on me, she bowed politely and greeted me.
"Good morning, Miss Eira. It's nice to meet you."
"Um, nice to meet you too."
I nodded in response to her greeting, trying to give a small smile despite still feeling a bit awkward.
The woman, whose name turned out to be Sasha, then handed the documents she was carrying to Uncle. He accepted them with skilled hands and immediately began checking the papers, briefly squinting to ensure everything was in order. After a moment, he nodded and handed the documents back to me.
"The first document is regarding your registration as a Finire, and the second is for artifact ownership," he said.
I read the documents he handed me carefully. They contained the regulations for becoming a Finire and the requirements for using an artifact.
"After reading it, you need to write your stigma and sign at the bottom of the last page."
I read the document carefully, then wrote my stigma and signed it.
"As a Finire, the most important thing to remember is that we cannot kill a human. Our duty is to protect them," Uncle explained, his eyes focused intently on me.
I held his gaze for a moment.
"What if they are a bad person?" I asked, trying to understand the boundaries involved.
"It's not our job to judge them. If you encounter someone like that, all you need to do is capture them and hand them over to the local police," Uncle replied firmly.
"So I'm still allowed to beat them as long as they don't die, right?" I asked playfully, probing deeper into the limitations given.
"Pfftt." Dante suddenly stifled a laugh that was about to escape, his expression showing just how amusing the situation was.
"Hahaha, well, that method is also permitted," Uncle replied with a chuckle, the atmosphere in the room feeling lighter and more cheerful after that joke.