Time skip.
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I realized I had spent nearly an entire week doing nothing except recovering, sleeping, and shamelessly eating expensive food.
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Honestly? I regretted absolutely nothing.
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“This is incredible…” I muttered while staring emotionally at the warm strawberry tart in front of me. The cream was soft, the fruit fresh, and the crust practically melted in my mouth. I almost wanted to cry.
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Back in my original world, desserts like this would’ve cost half my salary. Now?
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The servants simply placed them in front of me like it was normal, I was beginning to understand why nobles acted superior all the time. Luxury was dangerous.
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“I think I gained weight…” I whispered in horror while touching my stomach. Unfortunately, even if I was internally losing my mind over desserts, I still had to maintain Zavon Auclious’ terrifying image in front of everyone else.
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Which was exhausting. So very exhausting!
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Because apparently, the original Zavon Auclious barely smiled, rarely spoke unnecessarily, and constantly looked like he was one inconvenience away from destroying a kingdom... Meanwhile, I had to actively stop myself from reacting to every magical thing I saw.
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Still, I managed somehow... In front of servants and visitors, I maintained a calm expression, spoke little, and stayed mostly inside Zavon’s office like the overworked archmage I supposedly was.
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Thankfully, my injuries gave me a reasonable excuse to avoid too much interaction. The fight against Asden Mikae had genuinely left this body damaged.
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Even after receiving treatment from the empire’s best healers, the pain never fully disappeared, sometimes my chest still ached sharply when too much mana moved through it.
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Other times, my entire body felt unbearably heavy, apparently, getting slammed into the ground by the Hero was not good for one’s health.
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Who would’ve guessed?
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“Your mana pathways are still unstable, my lord,” one healer had explained nervously during an examination. “You must avoid excessive strain for now.”
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Meanwhile, I was busy wondering if it was normal for an old body to make this many cracking noises every time I stood up. Still…
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Life inside Zavon Auclious’ mansion remained strangely peaceful. At least until the letters started arriving.
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A lot of letters.
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Stacks of them.
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“My lord,” Dasten said calmly one morning while placing another pile onto my desk. “Additional correspondence from the capital.”
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I stared at the mountain of paper in silent disbelief.
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“…There’s more?”
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Dasten just stared at me.
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I wanted to cry.
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Apparently, being one of the empire’s most influential men came with endless responsibilities...Nobles requesting favors, military reports, academy documents, and political matters.
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And among those letters…
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Were names I recognized from the story...Villains..!
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Or more accurately—Zavon Auclious’ allies.
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People who stood against Asden Mikae in the original timeline, slowing his progress throughout the story. Dangerous individuals powerful enough to become major obstacles for the Hero himself.
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And somehow…They were all associated with this old man...
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Honestly?
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I wasn’t even surprised anymore...At this point, if someone told me Zavon secretly controlled half the empire, I would probably just...accept it.
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Still…The amount of work was horrifying.
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Paperwork covered nearly the entire desk..reports, requests, financial records, and official documents requiring Zavon’s approval.
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I stared at them for a full minute before quietly pushing the pile away.
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“No.”
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Absolutely not...I had not survived transmigrating into a seventy-three-year-old villain just to do paperwork...So naturally…
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I ignored almost all of it.
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Instead, I focused on learning how to properly act like Zavon Auclious! Walking style, speech patterns, magic control, even small habits...!
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And strangely enough…Most of it already felt familiar.
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Not because I remembered reading about it...But because this body remembered. Sometimes I would instinctively know how Zavon organized bookshelves or where he preferred sitting during meetings.
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Other times, my hand moved naturally while writing signatures or activating magical tools.
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It was unsettling...Like slowly becoming someone else without noticing.
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And during all of this…One person remained constantly near me.
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Dasten...Zavon Auclious’ butler...The only servant whose name the old man actually remembered.
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Which honestly said a lot.
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Dasten was a middle-aged man with neatly combed dark hair streaked with silver and calm grey eyes that rarely revealed emotion, efficient, quiet, observant, and most importantly—
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Trustworthy! At least according to Zavon’s memories.
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Every morning, Dasten would bring tea, organize documents, and calmly inform me about the latest events across the empire, political conflicts, academy affairs, noble disputes...And sometimes…
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Information from the underground world.
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Because apparently, Zavon Auclious’ connections extended far beyond legal society.
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“One of the eastern smuggling groups was eliminated last night,” Dasten reported smoothly while handing me tea.
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I nearly choked internally.
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Why was he saying that so casually?! Outwardly, however, I simply nodded like a terrifying mastermind.
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“I see.”
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“The survivors are requesting protection under your authority.”
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“…Mm.”
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I had absolutely no idea what that meant...
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Dasten studied me quietly for a moment before speaking again.
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“You seem less interested in such matters lately, my lord.”
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My heart almost stopped...But before panic could fully settle in, Dasten lowered his gaze slightly.
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“I assume the battle against the Hero affected you more deeply than expected.”
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I didn't answer...
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The silence inside the office lingered for a while after that.
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Only the quiet scratching of Dasten organizing papers could be heard while I continued avoiding the horrifying mountain of paperwork in front of me.
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Seriously! How did this old man survive like this? Did nobles not believe in resting?
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I had just reached for another pastry when suddenly—
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The crystal orb resting on the shelf nearby began glowing brightly...I jumped slightly in my seat.
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The pale blue light swirled inside the orb like liquid mana, illuminating the dim office.
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“…What is that?” I asked before quickly clearing my throat and straightening my posture.
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Right.
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Terrifying archmage persona...!
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Dasten calmly approached the orb as if this happened every day...Which it probably did.
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After placing one hand near the floating magical symbols circling around it, he spoke.
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“It is a communication request, my lord.”
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He paused briefly before glancing toward me.
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“From the principal of the Imperial Magic Academy.”
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Ah.
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That immediately made me sit straighter internally...The principal.
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Haven Elmaire.
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A character I definitely recognized from the story. One of the empire’s strongest mages and one of the few people capable of speaking to Zavon Auclious almost casually.
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She was intelligent, composed, and terrifyingly perceptive...Which meant I absolutely did not want to mess this up!
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Dasten activated the orb fully.
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The mana inside expanded before slowly forming the figure of a woman above the crystal.
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Long dark hair flowed behind her shoulders neatly, violet eyes calm and sharp beneath silver-rimmed glasses. Even through magical projection, her presence felt elegant and intimidating.
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“Zavon.”
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Her voice was smooth and composed..I instinctively straightened my back.
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“Haven.”
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Good...Short answer...Cold tone...Very villain-like..!
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I was improving.
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Her violet eyes scanned me carefully.
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“I heard about your battle." Straight to the point, very principal-like behavior.
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“How are your injuries?”
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I thought for a second. “Manageable.”
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That was technically true...I only felt like collapsing every morning.
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Haven sighed softly.
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“You disappeared for nearly a month after the battle. The academy has become unusually restless.”
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I blinked...Restless?
“Your students have been asking constantly when you intend to return.”
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…Students?...Missed Zavon Auclious?...That was genuinely difficult to imagine. This was the same man who terrified entire classrooms into silence with a single glance.
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Then again…
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According to the story, Zavon was actually an exceptional teacher, strict,cold, mercilessly demanding...But exceptional.
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“The advanced magic division especially refuses to focus properly lately,” Haven continued calmly. “One student attempted a sixth-tier spell yesterday and nearly destroyed an entire training hall.”
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I stared silently...For a moment, the room became quiet.
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Then Haven tilted her head slightly.
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“…Zavon?”
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I realized I had been silent for too long.
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“I do not intend to return.”
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The words came out calmer than I expected, the office instantly fell silent, even Dasten stopped moving behind me.
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Haven blinked slowly.
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“…What?”
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There was genuine surprise in her voice now...Honestly, I understood why.
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This was probably the equivalent of hearing someone abandon a decades-long obsession overnight.
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“I no longer wish to teach,” I continued carefully.
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Haven narrowed her eyes slightly.
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“That is unlike you.”
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“You dislike unnecessary social interaction,” she continued thoughtfully, “yet you remained at the academy for years.”
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Ah...Right...That was true.
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Zavon Auclious never enjoyed teaching itself...He only tolerated it. Which meant there had to be another reason.
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And Haven spoke it aloud almost immediately.
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“You still have not found a disciple.”
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The moment those words were said—Something inside my chest tightened unexpectedly, a strange emotion surfaced...Not mine.
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Zavon’s.
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Disappointment, bitterness...The feeling appeared so suddenly it genuinely startled me.
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And with it came fragmented flashes of memory—Students standing nervously inside large classrooms...Expressions of expectation, disappointment, failure.
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Again and again.
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Then—
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A young boy with Dark-blue with white ends hair, brilliant Indigo like galaxy eyes, unmatched talent.
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Asden Mikae...
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The memories vanished almost instantly, but the lingering emotion remained heavy inside me.
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Haven was still watching carefully through the orb.
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“You once told me,” she said quietly, “that the only reason you continued teaching was to find someone worthy enough to inherit your magic.”
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Her gaze sharpened slightly.
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“Have you finally abandoned that goal?”
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For a moment, I didn’t answer...Because strangely enough…I could understand Zavon Auclious a little better now.
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He had not stayed at the academy because he cared about students.
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He stayed because he had been searching...Searching desperately for someone worthy...Someone capable of reaching the place destiny itself had denied him.
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And unfortunately…
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He found Asden Mikae.
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For a brief moment, silence filled the office once more.
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The glowing orb hummed softly between us while Haven continued watching me carefully, her sharp violet eyes seeming capable of seeing far deeper than I wanted.
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Unfortunately for me, Zavon Auclious’ memories had become increasingly active lately.
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Especially whenever Asden Mikae was mentioned...Fragments surfaced without warning, small moments, faint emotions.
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Enough to make my chest feel strangely heavy.
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Because the truth was…Zavon Auclious had genuinely admired Asden once.
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Not as the Hero...Not as destiny’s chosen child.
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But as a student.
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I could vaguely remember the feeling of seeing Asden for the first time inside the academy...A young boy standing silently among countless other students...Calm, sharp, overflowing with talent, different.
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The memory felt distant, but the emotion behind it remained painfully clear.
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Interest...Expectation...Hope...!
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Zavon Auclious had wanted Asden Mikae to become his disciple from the very beginning, not because of destiny.
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But because Asden was extraordinary..A genius...!
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Someone capable of understanding magic at terrifying speeds, Someone who reached heights others could only dream about...And perhaps…
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That had been the beginning of everything.
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Because admiration eventually became comparison.
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Comparison became frustration.
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And frustration slowly rotted into envy.
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Until the bond between teacher and student collapsed completely.
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“…Zavon?”
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Haven’s voice pulled me from my thoughts...I realized I had gone silent again.
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Her eyes narrowed slightly...Then, unexpectedly, her expression darkened.
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“Are you perhaps becoming weak after that battle?”
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The atmosphere inside the room shifted immediately...Even I could feel it.
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The question itself wasn’t simple concern, testing...Because for someone like Zavon Auclious—Weakness was dangerous.
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Before I could answer, Dasten stepped forward slightly beside the desk.
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“With all due respect, Lady Haven,” he said calmly, though his voice carried unusual firmness, “you should refrain from speaking such nonsense to my lord.”
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Oh...That surprised me a little. Dasten rarely interrupted conversations.
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Haven merely raised an eyebrow.
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“I asked a reasonable question.”
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“And yet an unnecessary one.”
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The tension between them became strangely sharp. For a second, I genuinely felt like I was watching divorced parents argue.
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I quickly raised a hand before things became awkward.
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“It is fine, Dasten.”
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The butler immediately stepped back silently.
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I shifted my attention back toward Haven, who still observed me carefully through the glowing orb.
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Then I sighed quietly. “It is obvious, is it not?”
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Haven’s brows furrowed slightly.
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“The world already decided who the Hero would be long ago.”
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The words left my mouth calmly...Too calmly.
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And strangely…I wasn’t entirely acting anymore.
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Because fragments of Zavon’s emotions still lingered beneath the surface, the bitterness, the disappointment.
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The exhaustion of endlessly chasing something never meant for him.
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“Asden Mikae possesses talent beyond reason,” I continued quietly. “The Sigil favors him. Destiny favors him.”
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A faint smile appeared on my face...One that honestly surprised even me.
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“I suppose even I might become jealous 16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMuZyyJZhOx
eventually.”
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The moment the words left my mouth, the room fell silent, Dasten froze subtly behind me.
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Haven’s expression changed almost imperceptibly...Because those words—
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Jealousy...Coming from Zavon Auclious himself—Carried dangerous implications.
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It wasn’t entirely a joke...Because somewhere deep inside this old body…
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Zavon Auclious truly had been jealous.
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16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69aV9oi58z
and then Add to home screen.