Chapter 9: Inside the Guild

Inside the Guild.

The most influential figures of the continent stood inside the room, staring at the black-haired boy peacefully sleeping on the bed.

— Who is he, Klaus? And how could his awakening—if that was even an awakening—cause such chaos? — asked the purple-haired woman without taking her eyes off Nor.

— I don't know who he is, Icarus, — Klaus replied calmly.

— Don't be ridiculous. Someone this unusual can't exist within your empire without you knowing about it.

— Believe it or not, that's the truth.

Icarus remained silent for several seconds as she stared at the sleeping boy.

Then, as if making up her mind, she walked toward the bed.

— Icarus? — Klaus frowned.

— What are you planning? — Opus asked with interest.

But the woman ignored them.

Stopping beside Nor, she slowly reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder while sending a thin thread of mana into his body.

The next instant, her consciousness was swallowed by an endless void.

A gigantic black-and-white sphere floated before her.

So enormous that even her perception couldn't grasp it in its entirety.

One half was completely white.

The other half was completely black.

The moment she looked at it, an indescribable fear filled her heart.

In hundreds of years of life, she had seen countless mana cores.

But never anything like this.

Never.

Icarus instantly pulled her hand back.

Her breathing became uneven.

Cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

She unconsciously took several steps backward.

Klaus and Opus immediately noticed her condition.

For the first time, both of them saw fear in the eyes of the usually arrogant and confident Icarus.

— What happened? — Klaus asked seriously.

For several seconds, Icarus simply stared at the sleeping Nor.

— This... — she muttered.

— What is that...?

— Icarus, what did you see—

Before Klaus could finish, someone knocked on the door.

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

— Come in.

The door opened, and Edora Grey and Orlan Void entered the room.

— Oh... So it's Edora Grey and Orlan Void. Two of the Miron Empire's greatest talents, — Icarus said while looking at them carefully.

Her voice sounded normal.

But what she had seen still lingered in her mind.

— We greet the rulers of Dormund and Miron, as well as Headmaster Opus, — they said in unison while bowing.

Klaus shifted his gaze toward them.

— Is your friend alright? — he asked, referring to Chuck.

— Yes. Thanks to your help, he's fine now. He's only sleeping because of mana exhaustion, — Edora replied.

— Good. — Klaus nodded. — Then let's get to the point. Explain exactly what happened here and who this boy is.

But just as they were about to begin their explanation, Nor's eyelids twitched.

He let out a quiet groan and slowly opened his eyes.

— Ugh...

The first thing he saw was a gray ceiling.

Where am I...? Nor thought as he tried to remember what had happened.

A few seconds later, his memories returned.

Ah... right. I passed out on the training grounds...

So did I awaken mana or not...?

At that moment, Nor suddenly realized he wasn't alone.

Slowly turning his head, he froze.

Five people were staring at him.

No.

They weren't simply looking at him.

Every single one of them was observing him.

Studying him.

Evaluating him.

As if trying to determine exactly what was sitting before them.

— Hello...? — Nor said cautiously as he sat up slightly.

He quickly activated his status ability to inspect them.

The first window appeared before his eyes.

WHAT?!

That's the Emperor himself?!

And he's almost seven hundred years old?!

Nor was screaming internally in shock without even realizing his eyes had widened.

Klaus immediately noticed his reaction and narrowed his eyes.

— You recognized me...

His expression became more serious.

— Who are you?

Nor instantly jumped off the bed, bowed, and hurriedly introduced himself.

— My name is Nor Verner. I'm seventeen years old. I've lived with my grandfather near Ravenport my entire life...

Seventeen years old...

Icarus silently stared at him.

Nonsense...

After what she had seen inside him, believing such a thing was impossible.

At that moment, a man dressed entirely in black appeared beside Klaus.

— Everything he said is true, — the man stated calmly.

Silence filled the room.

— Then he's either an impostor pretending to be Nor Verner... or an anomaly.

Roy glanced at Nor for a moment.

— I believe it's the latter.

The room fell silent once more.

Nor could feel the atmosphere growing heavier.

Klaus continued watching him carefully.

There was clear caution in the ruler's eyes.

Meanwhile, Icarus looked at Nor as if something that should not exist was sitting before her.

A trace of fear still remained in her eyes.

Only Opus appeared unusually calm.

In fact, he seemed amused by the situation.

— An anomaly... what a wonderful word, — he said with a faint smile.

Nor swallowed.

He was liking this situation less and less by the second.

Not understanding what was going on, he turned his attention to the man in black and activated his status.

After seeing Roy's status, Nor let out a quiet sigh.

It seemed there wasn't a single normal person in this room.

Meanwhile, Roy calmly looked back at him.

Expressionless.