Elenor slammed her fist hard against the ground. Her eyes burned with endless hatred and an unrelenting resentment. Her family had already been torn from life because of the dirty games of those empires; it was as clear as daylight that the other empires had cooperated in all of it.
The other emperors had never been able to stomach the fact that Azera and Turanya had been blessed with the world's most brilliant scientist. They had made countless offers to Soren, but Soren was not an ordinary man; he was bound to his state and his people with unbreakable ties. He had proven he was not someone who could be bought with the answer he gave to the last offer made to him:
"Even if you gave me all your lands and all your wealth, I am Soren Altarez of Turanya—and that will never change until the day I die!"
Elenor was certain they were guilty; she was not a fool. Moreover, Soren had never hidden these truths from her—she would have learned them eventually anyway. It had been easy to restrain her and keep her from acting when she was little, but what would happen when she grew up and learned the truth? Soren would have great difficulty stopping her. Elenor was very intelligent; even Soren considered his granddaughter's intellect superior to his own. Yet because she had lost her family along this path, Elenor had never wanted to concern herself with inventions or science.
Elenor's ruby-red eyes gleamed with a cold killing intent. She had already begun constructing scenarios in her mind.
"If those bastards take all the Awakened with them while trying to save their own hides, the continent would collapse within five years! Only Azera, Turanya, and the surrounding kingdoms would remain. Two empires couldn't be everywhere at once; this would gradually turn into a war of attrition, and we would fall into a disadvantageous position!"
Not for a moment did Elenor doubt her own emperor or the emperor of Azera. She knew them well; they were not cowards, but madly courageous. They would never abandon their homeland or their people. Their war culture was clear: the leader entered the battlefield first and left last. Soren continued speaking, his voice growing even more serious, as if confirming Elenor's analysis.
"…And that's why… AHHH! I HATE SAYING THIS—I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE I'M SAYING IT!"
Elenor looked at her grandfather in surprise, but the uneasy feeling inside her only intensified.
"This cracked old man… He did something to my watch, didn't he?"
Soren let out a deep sigh and spoke in an icy, extremely serious tone. Elenor focused completely; whenever her grandfather became this serious, it meant he was either about to do something very important—or something unbelievably reckless.
"Our planet is extremely dangerous! There's no telling where danger will come from. I can't chain you to myself… though I would very much like to…"
Elenor's eyebrow twitched. In your dreams, old man! she thought.
Soren coughed and continued:
"I've gone nearly mad imagining you in danger every moment—weak, alone, wounded! Since I can't be at your side, then I'll prepare you! Whether you want it or not!"
The cold expression in the final part of the recording made Elenor feel, for a moment, as though she didn't even recognize her grandfather.
"I've installed a training program into your watch! And I've locked your permissions so you can't alter that function until you reach your limit! Until you reach B-rank, you are not allowed to tamper with these settings. You will train yourself with an eight-hour daily program. If you do not begin within two days, the punishment protocol will activate. I guarantee you will experience pain close to what you felt during integration! For the first time, I am being selfish about something and restricting your freedom. Your cute grandfather is gone; I must be a disciplined and harsh one now. I am forcing you to grow stronger! Even if you hate me, I don't care—just live!"
Elenor couldn't process what she was hearing for a moment. When she grasped the reality, her mouth fell slightly open. As the memory of the terrible pain she had just endured surfaced in her mind, her entire body trembled violently. Frowning, she shouted at the hologram in astonished fury:
"Pain close to the integration?! Training?! PUNISHMENT?! Am I your granddaughter or a special forces soldier?! Since when did you turn into a demonic drill sergeant?!"
Soren's voice suddenly changed; he began speaking in a helpless, sorrowful tone that touched Elenor's heart.
"Still… don't be too hard on your grandfather, all right? I know I'm doing wrong, but I can't help it… I can't lose you, my precious granddaughter; you are my last surviving relative and my everything."
Elenor's eyebrow twitched again. She wanted to rip off the slipper on her foot and throw it at the hologram in anger, but she didn't even have the strength to move her arm. The arm she tried to lift fell weakly to the ground. She was breathing heavily, her face tense with fury, and finally, gathering all her strength, she roared:
"DON'T PLAY THE EMOTIONAL CARD, YOU ROTTEN OLD MAN!"
No matter how angry she was, she understood him. But understanding him didn't mean she wanted to relive that hellish agony. Still, one truth remained.
"I was going to train anyway, but as an ordinary human I had limits. I was planning to make myself armor or weapons. But now I have a greater opportunity… or rather, it's on my wrist."
Her eyes drifted again to her left wrist. Remembering the integration made her shudder violently. Ignoring her grandfather's emotional manipulation, she sank into thought.
"Actually, this isn't a bad thing… I inherited one of my grandfather's bad habits… When I focus on something, I lose my sense of time. Ever since I came here, I've been constantly designing projects in my head, and thanks to LYRA I have even more inspiration… There's a high chance I might neglect training; I could even go one or two days without sleeping while researching without realizing it… One of the main reasons I wanted an advanced smart watch on my fourteenth birthday was this. On my thirteenth birthday, Uncle Omar bought me a motorcycle… When I mastered riding it, I lost track of time and returned home late every time… Aunt Amanda punished me with a demonic training regimen!"
Remembering Amanda made Elenor shudder again. To her, Amanda was both a mother figure and the most terrifying authority in her life. She was deeply afraid of disappointing or angering her. Considering Amanda's past as a special forces commander, her subordinates and family knew better than anyone how frightening she could be when enraged.
Elenor let out a deep sigh and focused on her grandfather, who was still chattering, trying to make himself forgiven. Ignoring him, she continued designing new projects in her mind. After a few seconds, Soren finally returned to the main topic.
"Ahem… ahem… now that we've finished that matter, I should give you some information. Your watch is extremely special; every material used in its construction came from my personal vault and that of our Emperor… To be honest, making another device close to yours is almost impossible. I can produce similar devices with the same functions, but in terms of quality, power, efficiency, and capability, they would fall far short of yours."
Hearing this, Elenor let out a mocking chuckle. But when she remembered the painful experience she had gone through earlier, her face darkened for a moment.
"I admit… I'm impressed by LYRA right now…"
Immediately afterward, she burst out angrily again:
"BUT YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME ABOUT THE PAIN! YOU COULD HAVE LEFT A NOTE AT LEAST! I COULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT I WAS GETTING INTO BEFORE PUTTING IT ON!"
Then her voice turned ice-cold.
"If we meet, we're going to have a long talk, Old Man! Believe me, that conversation will last hours! I'm already looking forward to punishing you. Hahahaha…"
After letting out a rather sinister laugh, she focused again on her grandfather. She was already planning to make a mental list of all the ways she could punish him.
"Just wait, you rotten old man," she thought.
Soren continued explaining:
"Another feature of your watch is that it itself functions as an artificial mana core!"
At this, one of Elenor's eyebrows rose in astonishment.
"…Even though I'm angry with you, you still manage to amaze me, Grandfather. Once again, you've achieved the impossible."
The narcissistic Soren puffed with pride as he continued:
"I always strive to give my granddaughter the very best. However, there is one point: LYRA cannot produce mana, but it can absorb and store it."
Elenor's eyes lit up, her mind rapidly running analyses. If used correctly, with this absorption ability she could neutralize many mana-based attacks. Of course, she first needed to fully understand how the system worked.
Soren continued:
"Your watch can draw mana from monster corpses, mana plants, or anything that contains mana. But this is not limitless; since the watch is part of your body, it can only absorb as much as your body can withstand."
Elenor processed this information instantly:
"What if I take the DNA of a creature that is powerful in terms of mana and strengthen my body? Something like a dragon, for example…"
But immediately after this thought, she flinched and covered her face in embarrassment.
"I'm already thinking about DNA integration… I knew it. As long as it's useful to me, there's a chance I could abandon my humanity…"
She sighed. Elenor was generally someone who acted with logic rather than emotion. As rift fractures continued across the planet and monsters spread everywhere, she was well aware that she needed to keep taking precautions. Moreover, while more than half of the Awakened in Nevarion were making escape plans, she was prepared to protect her loved ones, her country, and herself—even if it meant giving up her humanity. Pushing these thoughts aside, she focused on Soren again.
The hologram recording continued:
"I've added combinations of various spells into your watch! I've explained in detail inside the watch how you can use them, but remember, my dear, your mana channels pass through the system created by the watch, and it's far more complex than an aura. So be careful when using mana before you grow stronger; excessive use can damage your body."
Elenor made a mental note of this. The possibility of casting spells opened countless doors before her, so she did not complain about the limited usage.
"Also, I've uploaded all my accumulated knowledge into the watch. All my projects are inside it, and the watch itself is also the key to all my laboratories and projects across the planet… You are now holding my entire legacy in your hands…"
Elenor was surprised, but this was something she had expected; she was Soren's only heir.
"Also, with the Emperor's permission, I was able to grant you an authority. You are now my proxy. The necessary information, authorization documents, and codes are in your watch. Every order you give, every word you speak, will carry the same weight as if it came from me. In other words, at this moment, you are one of the few people with the most authority after the imperial family."
Elenor froze. She had never expected such an enormous responsibility and authority. She muttered to herself:
"This is called favoritism…"
She knew the principle that had guided the administration of the two empires for generations: those who deserve it receive what they deserve. Family ties or blood relations came after talent and character in the eyes of the imperial family. To the Emperor, Soren was Soren; Elenor was simply Elenor.
Soren continued proudly:
"You deserve this completely! My IQ is 283! I have proven through my achievements that I am the most intelligent man in this world! But I am not the most intelligent! My dear granddaughter, my pride and joy, your IQ is 298! You are someone who could revolutionize many fields! You simply don't want to deal with science! I respect that… But sooner or later, you will have to show your brilliance, my little one… I hope I live to see those days!"
Soren took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away tears of pride. Elenor rolled her eyes after looking at her grandfather, who had once again become childlike. She thought to herself:
"…This is still favoritism… If I had wanted such a position, I could have risen to it easily on my own, but my plans about that weren't clear; I was going to decide next year. Right now, the only thing I wanted was to ride my motorcycle, travel, see different places, and experience excitement."
After taking a deep breath, she stared into the distance and continued thinking.
"But rest easy, old man… Because of the current situation, I'm going to have to step into science anyway…"
Elenor chuckled mockingly.
"In fact, it's obvious in every way that I'm your granddaughter. For the last few years, projects have constantly been forming in my mind, but I kept ignoring them. Considering everything that's happened, I'll have to use my intelligence to its fullest now. It's time to take Grandfather's title of 'the most intelligent person in Nevarion' from him."
When she thought about the broad authority she had been given, a bitter expression appeared on her face.
"Even if this authority will be useful to me, it's not something I've truly earned yet. I hate favoritism and would never use it unless it was a last resort… but in my current state, I'm not even in a condition to use anything anyway."
In the hologram, Soren, who had stopped crying, continued speaking:
"I'll say one last thing and end the recording. Once LYRA is worn, it is impossible to remove it. You'll see what I mean in time. It will be a part of you for the rest of your life. At the moment, ninety percent of your body is under its supervision. I didn't want it to touch your brain, but I didn't completely forbid it either; the decision is yours. Be very careful, my girl. I'll be avoiding you for a while—after all, there's a high chance you're very angry with me… Also, don't tell Amanda anything; I'm afraid she'll hunt me down. And don't tinker with LYRA too much. Even though I trust my invention, it's a system that surrounds your entire body; too much meddling will give you nothing but pain…"
Soren took a deep breath and spoke for the last time:
"Take care of yourself, and work hard."
When the hologram shut off, the laboratory fell silent once more. Elenor leaned her head back in exhaustion. Her mind was in chaos.
"So everything except my brain is under the watch's control, huh…"
With great difficulty, she lifted her left arm, which was trembling violently from exhaustion, and looked at the watch.
"…At least I'll become stronger. But right now I can't even lift my own body. I hope I recover quickly."
With the distracting hologram gone, the sharp and disgusting smell spreading from her body filled her nose again. Her eyes widened in horror; reflexively, she covered her mouth and nose with her hand—but that was a huge mistake. That stench was seeping from every part of her body, and just imagining the grime on her hands, which had the most contact with the environment, was enough to churn her stomach.
"UUGGHHH! DAMN IT! IT SMELLS AWFUL!"