The dean of the Knight Academy was more than just the dean. She was also the lord of this entire territory—a female noble named Leila Ketch, a female member of the Blood Race who looked to be in her forties, though her true age was unknown. At this point, she was firmly in middle-aged territory, but her appearance and figure went without saying.
The Ketch family was an earl household. On the surface, they resembled the Hill family in claiming eternal neutrality, refusing to align with any faction. In reality, the opposite was true. They maintained excellent relations with all three great families, playing both sides masterfully.
It was less neutrality and more being thick as thieves with everyone.
As for the Hill family…
For so many years, they had been utterly isolated in the Northern Region. During the last great war up north, not a single member of the other three great families had come to their aid.
The Ketch family, for its part, had little interaction with the Hills.
That said, word had it that the Hill family was about to change family heads—and it was that child, the girl who had enrolled just a few days earlier and left an indelible impression on Leila all those years ago.
Should she try reaching out to the Hill family?
On a side note, this Knight Academy City had only survived to this day thanks to funding from countless families. The Ketches didn’t just cozy up to the three great families; they had the backing of numerous nobles.
The Ketch family’s diplomatic strategy was to please everyone. No matter the situation, they always projected friendliness, and the current head, Leila Ketch, embodied this perfectly. Thus, the moment she laid eyes on Sang, she greeted him warmly. “Earl An, hello. I’m delighted to meet you…”
As the dean of the Knight Academy and lord of the city, Leila Ketch had undoubtedly received advance notice from the Central Hub about the famous Earl Inset An coming to train on her turf.
You don’t hit a smiling face.
Sang removed his mask, revealing his true face as a gesture of goodwill, and grinned. “Yeah, hi, Dean Auntie.”
“Ah… Auntie…”
In that instant, Sang distinctly felt a surge of killing intent. It was so sharp! This woman was probably Platinum tier… no… maybe even Diamond tier.
Terrifying!
I’m done for… done for…
Sang realized he’d said the wrong thing. He felt the same awkwardness as when the disciplinary director used to stare him down. He quickly corrected himself. “Dean ma’am, I… I’m here to check in.”
“Er… here specifically to learn noble etiquette and knightly conduct. It seems you really do need it…” Leila said in a sarcastic tone.
“Sorry…” Sang mumbled weakly.
After a brief, awkward silence, Leila Ketch realized she’d lost her composure. She dealt with all sorts of nobles every day, but this wild kid had caught her off guard. She quickly composed herself, speaking with elegant dignity. “Very well. I’ve received the letter from the Central Hub. I know all about your situation. Unless you have special requests, will you follow my arrangements?”
“Yeah, no problem!”
“Let’s go, then…”
“Okay… Auntie…”
He’d done it again.
Leila Ketch’s face darkened once more.
Seeing this, Sang bolted without another word.
Staring at the now-closed office door, Leila Ketch’s sullen expression finally eased a bit. Her noble poise clearly needed work if a human boy could throw her off like that.
Sigh… that wild child had better not come back—Leila Ketch rubbed her forehead, thinking to herself.
But then…
The very next second, the door swung open again. The boy had returned, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry, Auntie, I forgot my bird.” He whistled, and the Little Chicken flew back to his shoulder. Then he bolted once more.
Leila Ketch: “…”
A long moment passed. A voice came from behind her. A man leaped in through the window, landing smoothly on the floor. “Hmph… so that’s the human hero who made his name in the Northern War? The one who supposedly wiped out the Montgomery family single-handedly? Doesn’t look like much.”
“Ogier, as the academy’s swordsmanship instructor, I hope you always keep a humble heart…”
“Sigh, I get it…” The man named Ogier grumbled. “Leila, if you’re so eager to test that boy’s depths, why not let me give him a try?”
“Foolish!”
Ogier fell silent at Leila Ketch’s sharp rebuke. Glancing over, he saw her inexplicably grave expression.
Waves stirred in Ogier’s heart. After all, Leila Ketch—the name alone carried weight. In her youth, she’d been called “Dual-Sword Leila,” mastering sword qi early and dominating the scene. Though she’d never taken an official rating, her strength was unfathomable.
For someone so formidable to fear a human boy…
A moment later, Leila Ketch closed her eyes slightly, recalling her brief encounter with the boy. She murmured in confusion, “Something’s off… something’s off. That boy has no trace of mana flow on him, yet he’s accomplished so much. There’s only one explanation—his power has reached an immeasurable level. He’s likely surpassed Diamond tier.”
“You… you’re saying what!? A human in his teens at Diamond tier? That would make him even more of a freak than Lance back in the day!”
Lance.
Even now, the name left a deep impression on countless humans and Blood Race members alike. He’d graduated from the Knight Academy before twenty, the first human to reach Diamond tier. After joining Black Gear, he’d rocketed to squad leader.
In the end, he’d even drawn his blade against the True Ancestor.
Leila Ketch shook her head. “I’m just saying it’s possible… The biggest possibility is that the boy is forcibly suppressing his mana, able to completely hide his presence…”
“That’s something only Diamond tier can do. Terrifying…”
Sang: I’m an Abandoned Child… I don’t actually have that stuff… no channels, no mana… stop overthinking it~!
…
“Hey-ho~”
Meanwhile, Sang strolled along the campus path, mask back on, sneezing nonstop. Someone must be badmouthing me behind my back.
Unbeknownst to him, evening had fallen once more—the twilight hour when day yielded to night. Perhaps due to the height of summer, the sky was breathtaking, draped in an ethereal veil of deep blue laced with orange-red.
Thinking of the new student life about to unfold here, Sang felt pretty good. No more facing the True Ancestor, no more getting dragged into organizational drama.
Sigh… but thinking of the True Ancestor always brought that lonely silhouette from ten thousand years of isolation to mind.
Human servility was truly frightening.
He didn’t want to dwell on the True Ancestor. Time to think of others.
“If only Luna and Adolf were here too…” Sang wished those two could enjoy this carefree campus life as well.
Wonder how they’re doing now?
I miss them…
…
A child of seven or eight had been deep in slumber just minutes ago. Now, several Blood Knights burst into his home, dragging the whole family to the center of the mansion’s grand hall—including the boy. He had no idea what was happening. He only saw his parents pleading desperately with the knight leader.
“Please, we were wrong to sell Blood Race intel in secret, but at least spare the child. Adolf… he knows nothing…” His father knelt on the ground, begging nonstop.
His mother did the same.
The family servants stood by, faces ashen as the grave, alive yet no different from the dead.
“The Taylor family—outwardly loyal servants of the Blood Race, in truth traitors feeding intel to human resistance groups. By current law, no trial needed. Purge them immediately.”
Hearing the judge’s words, eight-year-old Adolf seemed to grasp something. His face went deathly pale, his body trembling.
Am I going to die?
Here? At the hands of the Blood Race?
But then…
The helmeted knight leader spoke slowly, his tone dripping with mockery. “Spare the child… how amusing. Truly amusing…”
With that, the knight stepped before Adolf, his massive shadow engulfing the frail boy. He slowly drew a knight’s sword… Everyone froze in terror, thinking he’d kill the child first. But the next instant, he tossed the sword to the ground.
Staring at the gleaming blade on the floor, Adolf looked up in shock, his face full of bewilderment. Even through the helmet, he could see the knight’s crimson eyes.
That piercing gaze seemed to bore through Adolf’s body, even his soul.
“Boy, I’ll give you a chance at redemption. Kill everyone here, and I’ll let you go…”
The words crushed Adolf with unprecedented mental pressure, more than any eight-year-old could bear. Blood tears streamed from his eyes. Through the blurry crimson haze, he saw the red spider lily crest on the knight’s back.
In that moment, he glanced at the sword on the ground, then at his parents and the servants…
…
Suddenly, a familiar, gentle female voice pulled the boy from his nightmare. Adolf’s eyes snapped open. One second, he was consumed by hatred; the next, his expression softened.
“Luna…” Adolf gazed at the girl beside him, finally regaining his composure, and said.
“Yeah… Adolf, did you have some kind of nightmare? You’re drenched in sweat, and your face looks all wrong…”
In the face of Luna’s puzzled expression, Adolf was stunned for a moment. He looked left and right, and at last he remembered: he had been practicing his superpowers in the academy’s arena. As he trained, he’d grown tired and decided to rest there for a bit. Unexpectedly, he had dozed off.
“It’s nothing, just a rather unfriendly dream…” Adolf replied as he wiped away his sweat.
At his words, Luna merely gave a strained smile and didn’t press the issue. Everyone had secrets they didn’t want to share with anyone. She simply reached into her bosom and pulled out a fragrant handkerchief, handing it to the young man so he could wipe his sweat himself.
We all knew Adolf had secrets. Adolf knew that we knew he had secrets. Interactions like this one—mutual respect and unspoken understanding—were the best way to get along.
Luna smiled faintly. “Alright, it’s getting late. Let’s go to the academy cafeteria for dinner.”
“Okay.”
With that, the young man and the girl left the arena together. The sky had already taken on the hues of twilight, where the fading sunset and the bright moon coexisted, painting a scene of unique beauty.
Both of them wore the academy’s standard light gray uniforms. The young man stood at one meter eighty, with medium-short curly hair that was a deep blue verging on black. His features were handsome, and having just emerged from the arena, a knight’s sword hung at his waist. Drenched in sweat, he exuded a rugged masculine beauty. The girl, by contrast, had long, light golden hair unsuitable for a commoner, tied back in a long ponytail. Every smile and frown carried a gentleness tempered by resolve.
“Jeez… Adolf, you can’t keep getting lost in your training like this. You have to eat on time every day, got it?”
Adolf replied irritably, “I know, you’re getting more and more nagging…”
“Who asked me to promise Sister Lilian that I’d take good care of you? And… did you forget? On the day Watermelon was taken away, I made the same promise to him.”
Luna was a sensible, good girl.
But if he had his way, Adolf would rather she weren’t quite so sensible. More than anyone, he yearned desperately to grow stronger.
Only by becoming stronger could he venture to the Central region and rescue Watermelon. Only then could he spare Luna from doing things she hated. Only then could he bring peace to all of humanity—and fulfill his revenge…
That single red lycoris had been etched into Adolf’s mind for life. No matter what, he had to pluck it. Otherwise, he would never know peace.
Come to think of it… a red spider lily had recently appeared at the academy. He really wanted to kill her…
Only by slaying her could he take the next step forward.
At that thought, Adolf seemed to connect it to something else. “Oh, right, Luna—I have some good news to share with you.”
“What good news?”
“After some time exploring it, I’ve finally gotten a rough grasp on my superpower. I can become even stronger now.”
Luna was genuinely happy for him. “What kind of superpower is it?”
Adolf answered candidly, “It’s killing intent. I’ve discovered that whenever I strongly desire to defeat someone, an inexplicable power surges within me. My superpower converts killing intent into physical strength. The more intense the hatred, the greater the power… I think it’s an amazing ability. It seems to have no upper limit.”
Everyone’s 【Channel】 was different, giving rise to all sorts of superpowers—some bizarre, some ordinary. But a superpower as ominous as this one left Luna with a faint unease deep in her heart.
Killing intent, huh…
Even so, she didn’t let it show. “Mm, I see. That’s impressive. I hope you can control your power well.”
“Mm!” The young man nodded solemnly.
Soon after, the two continued toward the student cafeteria. As they walked along the school path, they spotted a strange figure standing diagonally across from them, some fifty or sixty meters away. The figure wasn’t tall at around one meter sixty, with a slender build that looked like it might be blown away by the wind. Dressed in casual clothes and wearing a mask, he had deep blue hair, and a pygmy pheasant perched on his shoulder.
Though evening had fallen, the last rays of sunlight seemed to favor that person alone, enveloping him in a serene, distant glow.
“What a strange person…” Luna remarked.
A hint of disdain flickered in Adolf’s eyes. “A body that frail, and he’s still carrying a knight’s sword…”
Hearing Adolf’s words, Luna gave a barely audible wry smile. Adolf’s original intent had been to protect the weak, to grow strong for the sake of the vulnerable. Yet somewhere along the path to power, he had begun unconsciously scorning them.
The human heart was truly complex.
Would every dragon-slaying youth inevitably become the dragon?
