Shion Lan woke from his sleep and wondered, "Is this Shi Yun Lan some kind of womanizer? First it was Bi Ri, now Fro No Phyllis, and maybe later it'll be Shi Dun Mi."
But then Shiun thought of something else. "Still, this is strange. Shi Yun Lan's temperament is different from the one I deal with in my memories. Back then, he was emotionally numb—feeling nothing except safety and warmth with those close to him. But the current one seems to have a sense of sarcasm, humor, and the like. Could it be that he has complete memories and simply doesn't want me to know? Or is it something else?"
Shion couldn't figure out what Shi Yun Lan was thinking, so he decided to leave the matter for now.
A few days passed, and the monthly student evaluation arrived. The theoretical exam came first. Shion managed to earn a high score, but not an excellent one, which left him disappointed. However, he showed outstanding performance in the practical evaluation.
A fencing instructor and a fifth-level mage were present to evaluate the students each month. They began with the first class, where Baro Ferrer and Fiore Tai displayed remarkable skills and received excellent evaluations from the instructor. The Second Princess also earned an excellent rating, as did the rest of her followers.
Time passed until it was the second class's turn. The General Division went first, led by Harry Gill, who also received an excellent evaluation. Pearl Jewel likewise earned an excellent rating with just a few words, and the mage praised her highly.
Then came the noble squad, led by Kin Light. He activated his skill (Blue Moon), shocking the instructor with the sheer amount of energy he possessed. He delivered his strike and also received an excellent rating.
Next was Shion Lan's turn. He swung his sword with refined technique, and the instructor confirmed that his power was on par with the fourth level, just like Kin Light. The evaluation continued afterward, but Shion paid no attention to the rest and decided to leave to check on his own matters before meeting Sol Hart.
However, a cold hand stopped him. He looked at its owner—Glass Sano, the most famous student in this class, known as the heir of the Sano family and its most talented member. The two looked at each other: one with a deep, icy gaze, the other with a look that seemed to transcend everyone else.
Glass Sano spoke, "First, I apologize for what happened before."
Shion nodded, realizing he was referring to the incident with the instructor of the Razor Family who had targeted him earlier. Glass continued, "I heard from my sister that you trained with her, and she spoke highly of you."
"It's an honor to be praised by the beauty of the Sano family," Shion replied.
Glass smiled and said, "So, do you know that the monthly evaluation determines who will compete in the tournament the academy holds every year?"
"Yes," Shion replied, awkwardly recalling that he had ranked near the bottom last year so he can't enter the tournament. He kept a stiff expression so as not to reveal it.
Glass asked, "Then do you intend to participate this year?"
"If I'm able to participate, then I will enter the tournament."
"I hope to face you—and Kin Light."
With that, Glass Sano went in for his evaluation. Shion didn't look back at him and continued on his way.
...
Shion took care of everything concerning himself, then went to the place where he had agreed to meet Sol to talk.
'Sol told me before that this mission is linked to the aura surrounding it, which was ominous. She also mentioned that this is the final year for the mission, and that her safety wouldn't be assured without it. So what's going on? Is the mission extremely dangerous? But if that's the case, why didn't she seek more experienced people and instead make it secret and restricted to students only?'
Shion was lost in thought when Sol Hart appeared.
"I saw you in the evaluation. It seems you've regained your skills."
"Yes, and I've been careful about my safety so far. You can talk freely about the mission."
The two went to the academy restaurant and set down their food. Sol then spoke.
"First of all, do you know anything about haunted places?"
Shion paused briefly. 'Should I answer based on the stories I know from this world, or from Shi Yun Lan's world?'
He suddenly asked, "Do you want to tame a spirit in a haunted place?"
"You could say that."
Shion thought for a moment. "Then does this spirit place a curse on you or something similar? From what you said before, you aren't well when it's around, and your aura is leaking for some reason. Could that spirit be the cause?"
"Yes—but let me tell you about this spirit before you draw conclusions on your own."
Sol took a breath and said, "Have you ever heard of the Neumann family?"
Shion thought for a moment before replying, "Yes. That family was part of our lessons this year."
"Do you mean they were an example of betrayal?"
"I don't know much personally, but according to what we were taught, they used forbidden magic that targeted the king, and they were exterminated for that reason."
"Then do you know what kind of magic they used?"
"I don't."
"It was spirit magic."
Shion looked surprised, forming his own scenario. "Are you saying you were cursed by that place because you're a spirit mage as well?"
Sol exhaled and said, "Listen to the story from beginning to end without interrupting."
Shion nodded and leaned back in his chair attentively. Sol Hart continued:
"Unlike the six natural elements commonly used here, there is another category that is difficult to wield—what's known as non-elemental magic, such as spirit magic, enslavement magic, and time magic."
She took out a sheet of paper and a pen and began writing a name.
"The Neumann family were not merely spirit mages. Their combat abilities as swordsmen were exceptional as well. They combined spirit abilities with swordsmanship, fist techniques, and more. They were like shadow forces serving the king, though unofficially. They also worked for other families, as long as those requests did not conflict with the treaty between the family's founder and the Fifth King. One of the treaty's most important conditions was not harming the kingdom. Despite being a second-tier family, their importance was no less than that of the Six Great Families."
She pulled out another sheet and continued.
"Despite this status, everything ended eighteen years ago when Florid Neumann took over the family after her husband's death. She was pregnant with their daughter at the time. Strangely, the mother tried multiple times to abort the pregnancy—she did not want the child to be born. Yet she would faint from severe bleeding each time, while the child remained in perfect condition.
"She repeated this many times, to the point that rumors spread claiming she once tried to stab her own belly with a knife to kill the child, but the servants stopped her. She then killed the servants who tried to restrain her. After that incident, everyone began to suspect that the child in her womb was an evil spirit she was trying to get rid of, rather than her having gone mad after her husband's death."
Sol took a breath before continuing.
"After that, everyone distanced themselves from her, letting her do as she pleased, believing the child might be extremely evil. Florid Neumann did not hesitate. The very next day, she brought another knife and tried to stab herself again—but something else happened. The knife slipped and fell to the ground. When she tried to pick it up, the fingers of her hand twisted backward, preventing her from grasping it."
She continued,"Even so, she tried other methods—drinking poison meant to affect the fetus, hiring an assassin to stab her belly, and more. Each time, strange things happened. The poison never reached the fetus because the mother's unusually strong immunity blocked it. As for the assassin, it was said that when he lunged forward to carry out the deed, he stumbled, and the dagger in his hand pierced his own heart, killing him.
Every time something strange occurred, the servants, guards, and family members withdrew further and further. But do you know what's strange, Shion?"
Shion thought for a moment, then said, "Why didn't the mother kill herself? According to the treaty, this family must not harm the kingdom. If the fetus were an evil spirit powerful enough to influence its surroundings while still in the womb, it would be a catastrophe after birth."
"Exactly—and that brings us to the next part."
Sol took out several papers and documents and continued:
"On the day of the birth, the night was filled with thunderclouds and violent storms—fitting for the supposed birth of an evil being. The mother suffered greatly, and the childbirth could have killed her. The family intervened and decided to help her give birth to preserve her life, planning to eliminate the evil spirit afterward.Seventh-level swordsmen and mages were present to ensure the spirit's death before it could cause trouble. The birth was so difficult that they brought in six-circle healers to constantly treat her. Her screams synchronized with the thunder, plunging the area into tension and chaos.
Finally, a maid managed to pull the child from her womb. As everyone prepared to kill it, the infant's face was revealed—and that alone was enough to stop them all. Even the deafening thunder failed to reach their ears for some reason.
The reason was the child before them. You must understand, Shion, that those who use spirit power scan their surroundings with their souls to detect corrupted or evil spirits, to predict movements and counter them. Yet the child's soul was so pure that the moment they examined it with their own souls, they dropped their weapons. They blamed themselves for trying to kill the child. The mother died after giving birth."
Shion suddenly asked, "Then was Florid Neumann possessed by an evil spirit that realized the child would have an extremely pure soul—and she died when she failed her task?"
"You've figured out some truths on your own, but that's not the whole story. I don't know all of it either."
Shion thought briefly, then asked, "What about the forbidden magic you mentioned?"
"We're getting to that."
Sol picked up another document and continued:
"The child who was born was a girl. Along with her pure soul, she was born with a beauty said to inspire beautiful dreams in anyone who saw her even once. She grew up in a very good environment. In that family, inheritance was determined by the purity and strength of one's soul, so it was taken for granted that the girl would become the future head of the family.
When news of her beauty spread in her twelfth year, the king himself came to visit the Neumann family. He was captivated by her beauty and pure soul and said, 'At first, I wished to see the girl to judge whether she was worthy of my son—but I realized that my son is not worthy of her.'"
"This place was then permanently forbidden to the First Prince, Jaiden Joul—until the family was destroyed. I've seen her myself once."
Shion Lan paid close attention as Sol continued.
"When I went to train with them in spirit magic, all I could do was stand there in stunned silence before her. I can only tell you this—she was exceptional. Spirits gathered around her periodically. When she reached fifteen, the spirits concealed her beauty so that no one would fall in love with her. She would have become the academy's lady, if not for that day."