Several days had passed since Ivan boarded the wizard ship and set sail toward Academy Island.
During those days, the massive vessel crossed vast oceans and occasionally docked at other continents similar to the Valen Continent. Each time the ship stopped, new children with wizard aptitude were brought aboard.
Some arrived accompanied by nervous parents or guardians, while others came under the supervision of noble escorts or merchant caravans. Each child carried a different story, yet they all shared the same destination.
The Academy Island.
By the time the ship resumed its journey again, nearly another fifty wizard seeds had been gathered.
Life aboard the ship gradually settled into a routine.
Meals were served regularly in the lower deck cafeteria.
Cabins were quiet during the evening hours.
Occasionally, wizard apprentices could be seen walking through the corridors, their white robes drawing curious gazes from the young candidates.
For Ivan, the days passed in a calm and steady rhythm.
He spent much of his time observing the ship and the people around him.
Occasionally he would recall fragments of knowledge recorded in William's diary, quietly comparing the information with what he saw in reality.
The wizard world was still unfamiliar territory.
But Ivan understood that observation was often the first step toward survival.
However, during these days, one thing had changed slightly in his daily life.
Olivia.
Since the two of them had been assigned to the same cabin, interaction between them was unavoidable.
At first, their conversations were brief and somewhat awkward.
Olivia was clearly shy and not used to speaking with strangers.
Yet as the days passed, the distance between them gradually faded.
Sharing meals together and living in the same confined space made silence difficult to maintain forever.
Slowly, they began speaking more often.
Through those conversations, Ivan learned a considerable amount about her backgroun
Olivia came from the Aelin Continent.
Her father, Mark, was a free merchant.
In this world, merchants were generally divided into two categories.
The first type were noble merchants.
These merchants served under a noble lord and received protection and support from that noble family. With a powerful backer, their trading routes were safer, and business often proceeded smoothly.
The second category consisted of free merchants.
Unlike noble merchants, they operated independently.
They had no noble patron to protect them and no official banners to guarantee safe passage.
Everything depended on their personal connections, reputation, and ability to negotiate with the countless authorities they encountered during their journeys.
It was an extremely dangerous profession.
Bandits frequently targeted caravans traveling through remote regions.
Pirates patrolled coastal waters.
And corrupt officials often demanded unreasonable tolls or confiscated goods under false accusations.
A single disaster could erase years of accumulated wealth.
Yet despite these dangers, free merchants still existed.
Because the profits could be enormous.
Mark belonged to this second group.
Through years of hard work, he had gradually built a modest but stable trading network across several regions.
This time, Mark's caravan had traveled to a port city on the Aelin Continent to replenish goods and expand their trading routes.
While resting in the port city, he encountered an old acquaintance—another merchant who mentioned the wizard aptitude test that was currently being conducted in the area.
The suggestion had been casual.
More of a passing comment than serious advice.
Still, Mark decided to take Olivia to the testing site.
In his mind, it was simply a matter of trying their luck.
Very few people possessed wizard aptitude.
The chances were extremely small.
To his surprise, Olivia passed the test.
Her aptitude was evaluated as top-tier third class.
Although it was not considered exceptional among true wizard talents, it was still regarded as very good.
For an ordinary merchant family, such a result was beyond expectation.
Olivia herself had never imagined becoming a wizard.
But Mark strongly encouraged her to seize the opportunity.
In this world, the path of a wizard could completely change the destiny of a family.
After much hesitation, Olivia finally boarded the wizard ship.
And began the journey toward the Academy Island.
Ivan listened quietly when she told him this story.
His expression barely changed.
Many people on this ship had arrived in similar ways.
Luck… opportunity… coincidence.
All of these played a role in determining one's future.
Because they lived in the same cabin, Ivan and Olivia often ate together in the cafeteria.
Even so, Olivia rarely initiated conversation.
Her personality was gentle and reserved.
Most of the time, she simply listened while Ivan occasionally asked a few simple questions.
Ivan himself was not particularly talkative either.
Their conversations were calm and unhurried.
Yet somehow the atmosphere between them felt comfortable.
One afternoon, the two of them were eating lunch in the lower deck cafeteria.
The large dining hall was lively.
Dozens of wizard seeds sat around long wooden tables, chatting in small groups while finishing their meals.
The air carried the smell of roasted meat, bread, and seafood.
Ivan ate quietly while observing the room, as he often did.
Just as they were finishing their meal—
A voice suddenly sounded behind them.
"Olivia."
The moment she heard the voice, Olivia's body stiffened.
Her hand trembled slightly.
Ivan noticed the change immediately.
He raised his head and turned toward the source of the voice.
A boy about fifteen years old was walking toward them.
He had blond hair and sharp red eyes, and his expression carried a natural arrogance that suggested he was accustomed to authority.
Behind him followed four or five other boys of similar age.
They walked half a step behind him, clearly behaving like attendants accompanying their master.
The blond boy stopped beside their table.
His gaze fixed directly on Olivia.
A mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"So you really thought you could escape me just because you awakened wizard aptitude?"
His tone was cold and contemptuous.
"You belong to me sooner or later."
Olivia's face turned pale.
Her fingers trembled as she lowered her head.
Without hesitation, the boy reached forward and grabbed her wrist.
"Come with me," he said impatiently.
"There's no point hiding."
Ivan watched silently for a moment.
Olivia's expression was filled with fear and reluctance.
It was obvious she did not want to go with him.
Ivan slowly stood up.
His movement was calm but firm.
He reached out and caught the boy's wrist.
"Why are you taking my roommate?" Ivan asked quietly.
The boy frowned and looked Ivan up and down.
Ivan's clothes were clearly expensive, made from high-quality fabric rarely worn by commoners. However, there was no noble insignia anywhere on them—no family crest, no embroidered symbol that represented a noble house.
The boy immediately reached a conclusion.
Just a rich merchant's brat.
His sneer deepened.
People like that might have money, but in a noble's eyes they were nothing more than wealthy commoners.
"This girl is my fiancée," the boy said coldly.
"I can take her wherever I want."
Ivan glanced toward Olivia.
She immediately shook her head.
That was enough.
Ivan looked back at the boy.
"Let go."
The boy's eyes darkened.
"You dare interfere with my affairs?"
He suddenly tightened his grip on Olivia's wrist and tried to pull her away again.
Ivan's hand moved slightly.
His grip tightened.
As a Lower Knight, his physical strength was far beyond that of ordinary teenagers.
The boy immediately felt as if his wrist had been caught in an iron clamp.
Pain shot through his arm.
Olivia seized the moment. She quickly pulled her hand free and stepped behind Ivan, instinctively hiding behind him.
Seeing this, the boy's face twisted with anger and humiliation.
"Beat him," he snapped.
He gestured sharply toward the boys behind him.
The group hesitated.
They looked at Ivan, then at each other.
Although they usually followed Victor's orders without question, something about Ivan's calm expression made them uneasy.
However, before anyone could step forward—
Ivan released a faint trace of his knight aura.
It was subtle, almost imperceptible.
Yet the effect was immediate.
An invisible pressure spread through the surrounding air.
The boys' expressions changed instantly.
Most of them were young nobles who had grown up in comfort and luxury. Very few had undergone real knight training.
They had never faced the presence of a true knight before.
Their bodies stiffened.
Their courage vanished almost immediately.
Even Victor's expression froze.
He had not expected this quiet boy to possess knight strength.
For several seconds, no one moved.
The atmosphere became strangely tense.
Finally, Victor stepped back.
His eyes burned with resentment as he stared at Ivan.
"You'll regret this."
The threat was spoken through clenched teeth.
Then he turned abruptly and walked away, his followers quickly hurrying after him.
Only after they disappeared from the cafeteria did the tension in the room finally ease.
Ivan glanced back.
Olivia was still standing behind him, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Her face was pale, and she kept her head lowered as if afraid that Victor might suddenly return.
For a moment, Ivan said nothing.
The noisy atmosphere of the cafeteria slowly returned around them, but Olivia seemed completely unaware of it.
"Let's go," Ivan said quietly.
Olivia nodded.
Her fingers instinctively caught the edge of Ivan's sleeve as they walked out of the cafeteria.
The grip was light, but it carried a faint sense of desperation.
Ivan noticed it but did not comment.
The two walked through the corridors of the ship in silence.
Olivia's steps were uneven, as if her legs still had not fully regained their strength.
Only after they returned to their cabin did Ivan finally stop.
He closed the door gently behind them.
The room fell into silence.
Ivan turned around and looked at her.
"Tell me what happened," he said calmly.
For several seconds, Olivia said nothing.
She simply stood there, her head lowered, her hands clenched tightly in front of her.
Then her shoulders began to shake.
Tears fell one by one onto the floor.
The emotional tension she had been suppressing finally broke.
Ivan froze slightly.
In his previous life, he had lived an ordinary and relatively solitary life.
Comforting someone—especially a crying girl—was not something he had much experience with.
For a moment, he simply stood there, unsure what to do.
Should I say something?
He hesitated.
In the end, he stepped forward and awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder.
The movement felt strangely stiff.
"It's… fine," Ivan said after a moment.
Even he could hear how unconvincing his words sounded.
Olivia continued crying for a while.
Gradually, the intensity of her sobbing weakened.
After some time, she wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly calmed down.
For a while, Olivia said nothing.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers twisting nervously together as if she were gathering the courage to speak.
"The town where I grew up…" she began softly, her voice still a little hoarse from crying, "it belongs to a baron's territory."
Ivan leaned lightly against the wall, listening without interrupting.
"The boy from earlier… Victor Ironheart…"
She paused briefly, clearly struggling to say the name.
"He's the third son of the baron who rules our town."
Ivan nodded slightly.
That already explained much of the arrogance he had seen earlier.
Olivia lowered her gaze.
"In the town… everyone knows him."
Her lips tightened slightly.
"Victor is… infamous."
She hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"He's lazy, cruel… and he likes taking things that don't belong to him."
"He often took girls from the town by force."
Her hands trembled slightly as she spoke.
"But because he's the baron's son… no one dared oppose him."
She took a slow breath.
"When I turned thirteen, he noticed me."
The words came out quietly.
"He said I was beautiful."
Her expression showed clear disgust.
"He began appearing everywhere I went. In the market… near my home… even outside my father's warehouse."
Ivan remained silent, allowing her to continue.
"However… my father's business had a strong reputation in the region," Olivia said.
"Most of the town's supplies were transported through his caravans."
Grain, tools, salt, cloth—essential goods passed through Mark's trade routes.
Because of that, even the baron had to maintain a certain level of cooperation with him.
"So Victor couldn't openly take me," Olivia said.
"At least… not at first."
She gave a bitter smile.
"But he didn't give up."
Her voice grew quieter.
"A year later, my father's caravan was attacked by bandits."
Ivan's eyes moved slightly.
Merchant caravans were always targets for bandits.
"The losses were terrible," Olivia continued.
"Several wagons were destroyed, and many goods were stolen."
Her father's business nearly collapsed because of it.
"To rebuild the caravan and continue trading… my father had to borrow money from the baron."
She lowered her head.
"That was when Victor saw his chance."
Using the debt as leverage, Victor began pressuring Mark.
"He demanded that my father promise me as his fiancée."
Ivan frowned slightly.
"And your father?" he asked.
Olivia shook her head quickly.
"He never truly agreed."
"But he couldn't refuse openly either."
A merchant who owed money to a baron did not have many choices.
"The pressure never stopped."
From that moment on, Victor's harassment became even worse.
"He followed me constantly."
Her voice trembled slightly again.
"Once… he even tried to abduct me."
Ivan's expression finally hardened slightly.
"What happened?"
"My father found out in time," Olivia said.
"He reported it directly to the baron."
The baron had been forced to respond, if only to preserve appearances.
"Victor was punished," Olivia said.
"But it was only a light punishment."
A few days confined to his residence.
A symbolic reprimand.
Nothing more.
"After that… things didn't really change."
Victor simply became more careful.
The harassment continued.
Eventually I became so afraid that i rarely left the house.
"That's why my father brought me on the trade journey this time," she said quietly.
"He thought traveling with the caravan would give me some peace."
She gave a weak, helpless smile.
"Neither of us expected the wizard aptitude test."
And certainly not the result.
"I passed the test…"
Her voice softened.
"And my father insisted I come here for my Safety."
For a moment, the cabin was silent.
Then Olivia added quietly,
"But we never imagined Victor would have wizard aptitude too."
She looked down again.
"And that he would end up on the same ship."
Ivan remained silent for a moment.
Situations like this were not uncommon in noble territories.
In many places, the will of a noble carried more weight than the lives of commoners.
Power often decided everything.
After thinking briefly, he spoke calmly.
"You're safe on the ship for now."
Olivia looked up slightly.
Just as she was about to say something—
A loud voice suddenly echoed through the corridors of the ship.
"All wizard seeds report to the main deck."
The announcement reverberated through the wooden walls.
"The second test will begin shortly."
The announcement repeated several times.
Olivia's fingers tightened slightly around Ivan's sleeve. She swallowed, her small hand trembling a little.
Ivan straightened, his eyes scanning the cabin briefly before he spoke, calm as always.
"Come on."
After calming herself, Olivia nodded and followed him.
By the time they reached the main deck, dozens of wizard seeds had already gathered.
More were streaming in with each passing moment, some whispering nervously, others fidgeting with robes or sleeves.
The air was thick with excitement and anxiety, a strange mixture that made Ivan's chest feel lighter—calm and observation taking over instinct.
At the front stood five figures dressed in white robes.
Wizard apprentices.
Among them, Ivan recognized one person immediately.
Kael.
The apprentice who had tested his aptitude.
Kael stepped forward.
His calm voice spread across the deck.
"Form a line."
"Your names will be called one by one."
"The second test will begin shortly."
The crowd hesitated for a moment, then gradually began to organize. Nervous whispers, shuffling footsteps, faint gasps of tension—all mingled in the salty air above the ocean.
Ivan didn't move immediately. His gaze swept over the students. Some faces were pale, drained of confidence. Others were rigid, trying to hide their fear.
Olivia walked beside him, keeping close, her eyes fixed on the platform ahead, her breath shallow. He could feel the tension radiating from her, soft but unmistakable.
One by one, names began to be called.
Children stepped forward.
Ivan watched quietly.
Then—
A name echoed across the deck.
"Victor Ironheart."
The blonde boy from the cafeteria stepped forward, his posture deliberately arrogant. His red eyes scanned the crowd casually before settling briefly on Ivan.
For a fraction of a heartbeat, their gazes met.
Victor smiled coldly.
A smile filled with hostility.
Then he walked toward the testing platform.
Ivan's expression remained calm, as always.