“You did well today, Adion,” His grandfather said with a smile, putting a hand on his shoulder, “I’m surprised.”

  “Why are you surprised I did well?” Adion questioned.

  “Don’t praise him too much, Grandpa,” Ailera said, “Or he’ll grow too confident in his abilities. This should be the bare minimum going forward.”

  “Haha,” His grandfather laughed, “Don’t be too harsh on him, Ailera. He’s still young, after all.”

  “Whatever,” Adion muttered, turning his head to look out the carriage's window. Even if it was deep into the night, it was warmer than the middle of the day compared to most summer days.

  I should get Grandpa to buy some cooling runes. I’m not going to be able to sleep in this heat.

  “By the way, why did the Headmaster leave just as he arrived, Adion?” Aiden asked him, “Do you know?”

  Adion had only told his siblings and grandfather that something important came up and he would tell them about it later. He didn’t want to bring down the mood during the ceremony. But now that it had ended, he had no reason not to tell them.

  “Heavenly Light has initiated the attack against the formation in the Remori manor,” Adion said.

  “What!?” His family members exclaimed in shock.

  “The Headmaster left immediately to check what was happening. Even if he probably won’t be able to stop anything, he promised me he’d try to help aunt escape.”

  “That’s good, that’s good,” His grandfather said absentmindedly.

  “But how can they actually attack the Remori manor now? The Valis Royal family has control there now, along with aunt’s family. Are they going to take on the whole kingdom?”

  “I don’t know,” Adion said, shaking his head, “I would be surprised if they have that kind of power, but…they have been planning it for years, after all. And the Headmaster has told me that they have their roots in Quemer. If they have sent over mages from there, they might be a lot more powerful than even the Valis Kingdom right now. A teleportation formation might have been worth it for them to do this kind of move.”

  “That’s certainly not good news,” His grandfather said slowly, “It seems like things will be turbulent from now on. But it’s not something you children should think about, just focus on your studies. Even if Heavenly Light have become much stronger, they still don’t have a chance to stand against the Academy.”

  “Right,” Ailera nodded.

  Just when things had managed to become peaceful for once, this happened. I have to get stronger as fast as I can.

  The carriage soon arrived at Adion’s grandfather’s mansion. But the good mood that came from a successful ceremony had been muted considerably.

  As they were just about to reach the doors to the manor. His grandfather stopped and turned around with a light smile on his lips and asked, “What do you say about accompanying me to the Fire Phoenix Church tomorrow morning?”

  “The Fire Phoenix Church? Do they want something from us?” Aiden asked.

  “It’s nothing like that,” His grandfather said, shaking his head, “I’m still not sure what those people from Quemer have figured out. But I trust my own eyes, and that Amelia is not someone who wishes us harm.”

  “Did she say something?” Adion asked.

  Bishop Amelia had unexpectedly appeared at the ceremony to congratulate their grandfather, but Adion had no idea what she had talked to his grandfather about.

  “She just congratulated me,” His grandfather answered, “But I have found myself reminiscing a lot these days. A lot of old memories have come to life after those people from the Fire Phoenix Church appeared. It’s…Why don’t we go inside first?”

  “Alright,” Adion nodded.

  They all headed to their grandfather’s study. No one felt it was important to wake Marli up, so Ailera went to grab a few drinks for everyone.

  “You all know by now that I am from the Fire Phoenix Empire,” His grandfather began talking as they sat down, “I have never talked about it since it would have dire consequences if it ever came to light. The fewer who knew, the better. But my faith has, at times, slipped out. I instructed you all in magic, after all. And speaking of fire has always evoked a certain reverence in me. That is due to my upbringing and belief. But it would be strange for our family to follow the Fire Phoenix Church in the Valis Kingdom, with Gantanos being the prevalent faith. It wouldn’t have been too strange, I guess, but I didn’t want to take any risks.

  “With time, I gave up on ever making the Fire Phoenix Church a faith of the Remori family. But now, things are different. The Fire Phoenix has returned. I’m sure you all believe so more than anyone else, considering we are the only ones who know that the Celestial Phoenix has indeed returned, thanks to Adion.

  “And from today, we are a family of Cyalis. Hellemi, Fire Phoenix, and Gantanos, all have a hold here. Before, only Aiden had a fire core. And while that is still the case, thanks to the Fire Phoenix Wisdom Pill, Adion and Ailera will also have a strong relation to fire.

  “Talking with Amelia…She’s very devoted. Her love toward the Fire Phoenix stirred something in me I guess, and I decided that it was time for me to show my devotion again as well. That’s not to say I’ll force you all into anything, but it would make me happy if we could share this as a family.”

  Adion and his siblings turned to look at each other in slight confusion. Ailera looked at their grandfather and said, “Of course, we’ll go with you to the Fire Phoenix Church, Grandpa. If that is our origins, we should know more about it.”

  Aiden and Adion nodded along to Ailera’s words.

  “Haha,” Their grandfather laughed, “That makes me truly happy. Then, I will tell you a short story about Fire Phoenix before we go to bed. Tomorrow, we’ll go pay our respects to our protector.”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Adion felt slightly awkward at those words. But seeing his grandfather smiling, he couldn’t offer any resistance.

  Whatever. It’s not like I think the Fire Phoenix is evil, like the Hellemi Church does. So it doesn’t matter. It will be fun to listen to Grandpa’s stories.

  “Where have you been off to?” Bishop Derman asked Amelia as she stepped inside the mansion the Church had bought once they arrived in Cyalis.

  Bishop Derman was sitting atop the mantelpiece, above a fire that had long gone out. Even if it was summer, the people of the Fire Phoenix Church wouldn’t miss a chance to light a fire at such a convenient place.

  Why hasn’t anyone made sure to keep the fire burning?

  The only light in the hall was from a small candle next to Bishop Derman. It was lighting up his face in an eerie way.

  “Are you going to pretend you don’t know?” Amelia asked.

  “Hehe,” Bishop Derman chuckled, “Of course, I know. Why did you go there?”

  “What does that have to do with you?” Amelia questioned.

  “He’s a traitor to the Empire. It has everything to do with me,” Bishop Derman answered calmly.

  Amelia didn’t respond, as she simply stared at Bishop Derman without any expression.

  “You were already aware that I knew,” Bishop Derman said to himself in a low voice, nodding his head. He once again addressed Amelia, “What I can’t seem to figure out is your relation to him. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but I just can’t figure it out. You weren’t born yet when he left the Empire, and you have never been to Shiora before. Yet you knew all about his traitorous actions already. Even more, you want to protect him from me.

  “You have always been willful, but your loyalty to the Empire and the Church is something not even I dare to question. So why?”

  “It’s none of your business,” Amelia answered, “You know better than I do that acting against him would be utterly foolish. It has been a long time, and he poses no threat to either the Empire or the Church. But acting against him would definitely set Cyalis against us. He is now a Noble, and his grandson is the disciple of the Headmaster. If you create trouble for us just because of this, I’ll report it to father, and I have no doubt that he would punish you severely.”

  “But if I can get away with it unnoticed, I’ll be rewarded,” Bishop Derman said with a smile.

  Amelia didn’t reply. She had been thinking about whether to tell Bishop Derman about what happened at the ceremony all night.

  “I can trust your word, right?” Amelia asked.

  “Of course, you can,” Bishop Derman said after a brief pause.

  “I might have found a way to get us the Elixir of Life,” Amelia said, “You should know that is far more important than taking care of Arlen Remori. So if I tell you about it, I need you to promise not to act against him.”

  “You would go so far?” Bishop Derman asked, “You know how important the Elixir of Life is for us. Would you really not tell me about it if I refuse?”

  “I’m the one who has the plan,” Amelia said, “As such, it would only be fair for you to give me this promise. I might have told you out of loyalty to the Empire, even without the promise, in other circumstances. But if it is one thing that trumps my will of seeing the Elixir of Life in our hands, it is that I refuse to suffer a loss from you. So either give me your word, or forget about it.”

  “Hehe,” Bishop Derman chuckled, “It is true that you are a proud woman. Very well, if your plan can get us the Elixir of Life, I won’t move against the Remori family.”

  Amelia felt herself relax. As much as she disliked the old man, he wouldn’t go back on his word.

  “The Headmaster has left Cyalis,” Amelia said.

  “Oh?” Bishop Derman perked up.

  “I don’t know where he has gone,” Amelia said, “But he left the ceremony in a hurry right as he arrived after he received a message through his touban. I overheard Adion Remori say that he had something to take care of, and later, he told his siblings that he wouldn’t have lessons with him for a while.”

  “That would make things a lot easier,” Bishop Derman said, “But it’s probably well guarded. Even I can’t force myself into the Academy, even without the Headmaster there to stop me.”

  “I’ve obviously thought about that,” Amelia said, “While you have been occupied with thinking about Arlen Remori, I’ve been thinking about how to get our hand on the Elixir of Life. You should know that even if the Council is the unquestionable ruling power of Cyalis, there are a lot more institutions that can influence this city. And in the Academy, Houses are something that holds considerable power. Even if it is only students who are officially members of the House, the power they hold goes beyond that.

  “I have investigated the Houses both inside and outside Cyalis with the help of the Clerics in the Church. I’ve found a professor who is close to the project involving the Elixir of Life. With a little encouragement from me, he was willing to tell me all about where they kept the elixir and what measures they have taken to keep it safe.

  “I also made contact with Eternal Fire. They were surprisingly willing to cooperate with the Empire after I promised some benefits. Or perhaps it isn’t so surprising, we are the number one authority when it comes to fire magic, after all. If we make contact with them, they’ll be able to contact their members in the Academy and have them escort us as visitors. The only risk is when we move to steal the elixir. But considering your power, it shouldn’t be too hard to make our move without causing a disturbance. At most, you’ll have to fight a Soft Soul mage.

  “But even if all else fails, with the Headmaster gone, we should be able to get out of the Academy even if we are discovered.”

  “Well, well. It seems I have forgotten just who you are after this little incident with the Remori family. I almost feel ashamed. I had long ago resigned myself to waiting for the elixir to be moved to the Alamani family. Very well, we will move according to your plan.”

  “Good,” Amelia nodded, “We will make our move tomorrow. The further away the Headmaster is, the better.”

  “Haha, alright,” Bishop Derma laughed, “I’m almost hoping to be discovered. It would be boring if everything went without a hitch. I’m itching for a fight after so long.”

  “Don’t cause unnecessary trouble,” Amelia said with a frown.

  “Don’t worry, I’m only joking,” Bishop Derman said with a smile. He jumped off the mantelpiece and started walking away. “Goodnight, Amelia.”

  Amelia didn’t say anything back and started walking to her own bedroom.

  The Headmaster will probably be able to figure out that the Fire Phoenix Church were the ones behind this sooner or later. I’ll have to leave behind some safety measures for our people here.

  Instead of strengthening our position on Shiora, we’ll probably end up weakening it. But the Elixir of Life is far too important.