In a commercial street, inside an elegantly decorated and quiet private restaurant room.
“Oh my, you must be Junior Brother Sven!”
Sarah’s voice carried unabashed joy as she enthusiastically greeted the slightly restrained Sven.
“Come, come, sit here! Not bad at all, you’re quite a handsome young man! If you face any difficulties in the academy or have anything you don’t understand in your cultivation later on, just tell me. Don’t be a stranger!”
Sarah seemed exceptionally happy to have another direct junior brother under her master’s lineage.
As she spoke, she naturally picked up the serving chopsticks and skillfully placed several delicious-looking dishes onto the plate in front of Sven. She even patted his shoulder affectionately, like an older sister encouraging her own brother.
Sven was clearly a bit overwhelmed by Sarah’s fiery passion and care.
Under the radiance of Sarah’s overwhelming charisma, he appeared even more at a loss. A visible flush crept onto his fair cheeks as he lowered his head, his voice as soft as a mosquito. “Thank… thank you, Senior Sister Sarah.”
Sitting across from them, Ize ate his food quietly, taking in the entire scene. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
‘See, the social butterfly trait that comes naturally to a female lead really isn’t something an ordinary person can handle.’
His gaze subconsciously drifted toward Emma, who was sitting upright beside him. She was focused on the food on her plate, having almost no presence at all. ‘Look how great Senior Sister Emma is. She maintains the perfect social distance—quiet and doesn’t put pressure on anyone. This is a normal, comfortable way to get along.’
Emma noticed Ize’s gaze. “Ize, why are you looking at me?”
The words almost slipped out of Ize’s mouth. “I suddenly felt that you’re quite nice, Emma.”
Emma’s face turned slightly red. “You’re not bad yourself…”
After a round of warm greetings and hospitality, the smile on Sarah’s face faded slightly, replaced by a serious and somewhat heavy expression.
She looked at Sven, her tone gentle yet solemn. “Junior Brother Sven, regarding the Raymond family and your personal ordeal, on behalf of Star Glory Academy and myself, I express my deepest sympathies and regrets.”
She paused before continuing. “We just returned from investigating the Raymond Territory a few days ago, and we did indeed discover the species of magical creatures that caused that disaster. However…”
Her voice dropped, a flash of lingering fear crossing her eyes.
“Those monsters who call themselves ‘Vampires’ possess strength far beyond our estimates. They are extremely powerful. At that time, I did not have the ability to seek revenge for you.”
Mentioning the word “Vampires” brought back the memory of that terrifying power that had easily shattered her strongest defensive magic, as well as their arrogant posture that treated them like nothing. It remained a cold brand, clearly etched into Sarah’s heart.
Hearing this, Sven’s hands clenched quietly on his knees, his knuckles turning white.
He lifted his head, a flash of tenacity and endurance unbefitting his age appearing on his face. Though his voice wasn’t loud, it carried a sense of resolve.
“It’s alright, Senior Sister Sarah. This grudge… I will settle it myself. In the future, I will definitely become strong enough to personally reclaim this blood debt!”
His confidence naturally stemmed from the giant dragon within his body. Seeing the fire burning in the boy’s eyes, Sarah didn’t say anything to dampen his enthusiasm. Instead, she gave him sincere encouragement.
“Good! Once your body has fully recovered, you must follow Teacher Claire and cultivate hard. You cannot slack off! I believe you’ll be able to do it in the future!”
Ize silently observed the mix of gratitude and the faint trace of budding admiration in Sven’s eyes as he looked at Sarah, and he marveled inwardly once again.
‘Look at that, the standard female lead halo effect. Gentle, powerful, kind, and comes with an encouragement buff. Manipulating an adolescent boy who has just experienced a major upheaval and craves care and guidance is practically child’s play.’
Had it been anyone else, Ize might have offered a small warning out of goodwill.
But Sven looked like a character holding some kind of “protagonist script” no matter how you sliced it.
Ize decisively determined that it was better to keep a safe distance to avoid being dragged into an unpredictable plot whirlpool.
Having made up his mind, he lowered his head again and focused on the food in front of him, trying his best to minimize his presence, only hoping this gathering would end quickly.
“Sorry! Everyone, I’m late!”
A loud and energetic voice broke the atmosphere in the room.
Ize looked toward the source and saw a very burly young man walking in with large strides.
He had a resolute face and sharp eyes. This was his **Second Senior Brother**, Dio, who majored in martial arts and was usually as elusive as a phantom.
Among the direct disciples under Claire, Ize’s interactions with this Senior Brother Dio were few and far between.
Aside from a single meeting under Claire’s introduction when he first entered Star Glory Academy six years ago, the only news he heard about this senior over the years involved keywords like “closed-door cultivation,” “special training,” and “honing martial techniques.”
He was the image of a total cultivation maniac, completely focused and obsessed.
However, this suited Ize perfectly.
He had no desire to get too involved with these obviously extraordinary “seniors.” Dio’s state of proactive “stealth” perfectly met his expectations.
“You’ve come at the right time, Dio. The food was just served.” Sarah smiled and gestured for him to sit.
Dio looked at Sarah first, a bright smile appearing on his face. “Senior Sister Sarah, congratulations! I heard you took the top spot in the recent **Fifth-rank Magic Assessment**! You’ve really brought honor to our Teacher Claire!”
Next, his gaze shifted to Emma, carrying the teasing tone of an older brother. “Little Junior Sister Emma, I haven’t seen you in a while. You seem to have grown up a bit more and gotten prettier.”
Embarrassed by the comment, Emma responded softly, “Senior Brother Dio, you also look like you’ve gotten bigger.”
Finally, Dio’s gaze fell upon Sven, who was sitting next to Sarah, his tone familiar yet concerned. “Sven, long time no see.”
Sven seemed to be well-acquainted with Dio, and his attitude was much more natural. “Yeah, Brother Dio… long time no see.”
***
Dio patted Sven’s shoulder, his tone tinged with apology. “I’m very sorry about what happened with the **Betty Family**. Given my current situation and the internal affairs of my family, I was truly powerless to intervene. As for **Rose**… her choice is even further beyond my control. I hope you can understand.”
Sven shook his head. His eyes dimmed for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. “It’s okay, Brother Dio. I understand… I don’t blame you, and I don’t blame her.”
Listening to their conversation, Ize suddenly remembered that the family Dio belonged to was precisely that **Betty Family**—the one that had been engaged to Sven but decisively broke it off after the disaster at the Raymond house.
Since Dio was a member of the **Betty Family**, it was perfectly reasonable for him to know Sven.
This complex web of relationships made Ize even more determined to stay away from trouble.
After Dio sat down, his gaze swept across the table, finally landing on Ize, who was practically trying to shrink into the shadows of the corner.
He blinked, his face showing unabashed confusion. His gaze moved back and forth between Emma and Sarah, asking with a hint of curiosity and uncertainty:
“Uh… who is this? Is he a boyfriend one of you two brought along?”
The moment those words came out, Emma’s cheeks flushed a bright red. She waved her hands frantically. “Senior Brother Dio! Wh-what are you talking about! This is Junior Brother Ize! He’s our fellow disciple!”
“Junior Brother Ize?”
Dio’s brow furrowed tightly, the confusion on his face deepening as he tried to search his memory.
“Ize…? Which teacher’s new disciple is he? Why do I have absolutely no impression of him?”
As soon as he said this, the entire room fell silent.
Sarah, Emma, and even Sven looked at Dio with strange expressions.
Sarah couldn’t help but wave her hand in front of Dio’s eyes, her tone incredulous. “Dio? Are you alright? Have you been cultivating too hard lately? Ize is a disciple Teacher Claire personally took in six years ago. Just like us, he is your direct junior brother! You were even there at the time!”
“Six years ago… taken in by Teacher Claire… direct junior brother…” Dio whispered those words, his brow furrowing even more. The expression on his face was no longer just confusion; it was a state of stunned bewilderment.
He mumbled softly to himself, his voice so low that only he could hear it. “That shouldn’t be right… how could there be… an extra person? Why don’t I remember this at all…?”
He looked up again, his gaze as sharp as a hawk, scrutinizing Ize from head to toe as if trying to see through him completely.
He was absolutely certain that in his memories and knowledge, there was definitely no such person as “Ize” among Teacher Claire’s disciples!
Forcing down the stormy waves surging in his heart, Dio squeezed out a slightly apologetic smile and said to Ize:
“Junior Brother Ize, my apologies… perhaps I’ve been too focused on cultivation these years. My memory is a bit muddled and I didn’t recall you for a moment. Please don’t take it to heart.”
How could Ize possibly take it to heart?
He was more than happy to be ignored.
He wished Dio would forget him forever.
“It’s fine, it’s fine, Senior Brother Dio. It’s a good thing to prioritize cultivation. I should learn from you.”
However, during the remainder of the meal, Dio’s attention clearly couldn’t shift away from Ize. He no longer focused only on Sarah and Sven like he did at the start; instead, he began to frequently question Ize.
“Junior Brother Ize, how did you enter Star Glory Academy back then?”
“Which family do you come from?”
“Which element of magic are you currently majoring in? How is your progress?”
The questions came one after another. On the surface, it seemed like a senior’s usual concern for a junior, but Ize could faintly sense that the underlying scrutiny far outweighed the care.
Adhering to the principle of “less talk, fewer mistakes,” Ize answered them all honestly, truthfully sharing the information that his “elemental affinity was low,” his “cultivation progress was slow,” and that he had “lost his memory and forgotten things from the past.”
After a round of questioning, Dio’s confusion only increased.
From Ize’s answers, no matter how one looked at it, this seemed like an extremely ordinary—perhaps even bottom-tier in terms of talent—magic apprentice.
How could such an “ordinary person” become a disciple of Teacher Claire?
And how could he… appear in his memory’s blind spot?
Just then, Sarah smiled and interjected, “Dio, don’t look down on Ize. During this trip to the Raymond Territory, he played quite a significant role and helped us a lot.”
Emma also nodded immediately in agreement, her tone full of sincere gratitude. “Yes, yes! If it weren’t for Junior Brother Ize helping me solve a huge problem at Still Moon Pier earlier, I might not have had the face to come back and see Teacher Claire!”
“Wait!”
Dio suddenly looked up at Emma, his tone carrying obvious shock.
“Emma, you went to the Raymond Territory too? You… shouldn’t you be…”
He stopped halfway through his sentence, as if realizing he had misspoke, and abruptly changed his tune.
“…I mean, Teacher Claire actually felt comfortable letting you go too? It’s so dangerous there.”
Emma found the question a bit baffling. “Why couldn’t I go? Teacher was very supportive of me going out for experience.”
Dio rubbed his temples hard, feeling the confusion in his mind grow stronger.
He took a deep breath and turned to Sarah, his expression exceptionally serious. “Senior Sister Sarah, can you tell me in more detail exactly what happened during your trip to the Raymond Territory? Especially… what happened after you encountered those ‘Vampires’.”
Though Sarah felt Dio’s state today was incredibly strange, she still gave a detailed account of encountering the Vampires, Rhea stepping forward, **Bart** displaying crushing strength, and finally being forced to use spatial magic to escape.
The more Dio listened, the more solemn his expression became. The shock and disbelief in his eyes were almost overflowing. This was too far off from the developments in his “memories”!
He couldn’t help but interrupt Sarah to ask a key question. “Senior Sister Sarah, the situation was so dire then… did that Leon from Liyue Academy not step in to help? Or… did he not show anything special?”
Sarah thought back and shook her head. “Junior Brother Leon? He tried to stop the male Vampire from attacking me, but he was easily brushed aside. As for anything special… his lightning magic was fairly precise, but against an enemy of that level, it couldn’t play a decisive role.”
Her evaluation was objective and calm, showing no special interest.
Dio fell silent for a moment, then tried another angle. “Then… Senior Sister Sarah, what do you think of Leon as a person?”
Sarah’s face remained calm, as if evaluating an ordinary, talented junior. “High talent, good potential. His future achievements should be limitless.”
Hearing this answer, Dio fell into a total silence, lowering his head while his fingers unconsciously tapped the table.
‘It’s not right.’
‘None of it is right.’
‘That genius from the Arseid family should have already gone missing by this point according to my “memory”…’
‘Senior Sister Sarah’s mindset, after experiencing such a tragedy and being blamed, should have suffered a massive blow. There’s no way she could still be bright and cheerful like this…’
‘Most importantly… how could Senior Sister Sarah’s attitude toward Leon be so… flat? Even carrying a hint of business-like distance? This is completely different from the trajectory she should have followed in my “memory”!’
Countless chaotic clues and massive deviations collided in his mind.
Finally, he slowly raised his head, his gaze landing once again on Ize, who was eating quietly as if oblivious to everything.
That gaze was deep, complex, and filled with scrutiny and an indescribable probing.
‘Every variable seems to point vaguely toward this… person who shouldn’t even exist…’
Though Ize kept his head down, he could clearly feel that substantial gaze fixed on him. It made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles, uncomfortable all over.
This senior brother was acting far too strange.
His questions were strange.
The way he looked at him was even stranger.
That feeling… it was as if I shouldn’t exist at all.
Alarm bells rang faintly in Ize’s heart.
It seemed that his **Second Senior Brother**, who spent all his time in closed-door cultivation and seemingly only cared about training, was far from being as simple as he appeared on the surface.