He narrowed his eyes, glancing at the Venerable Sky's Blessing, Islabith—who was seated beside Amitalamira—feeling his suspicions deepen.
He resolved to keep a close watch on Amitalamira to uncover the nature of the "Wing" that had piqued Islabith's interest, and to understand why she seemed so strangely familiar.
However, the Venerable Sky's Blessing, Islabith, had other ideas regarding such close surveillance:
"My dear Venerable Great Creator Yuto, Amitalamira, Sery, and Jia will be under my care until the students' summer break ends. So, if you're harboring any thoughts about uncovering Amitalamira's secret, you'd best keep them to yourself, my dear."
Yuto let out a deep sigh as he listened to Islabith. After all, she was far more powerful than he was; attempting to defy her would come at a high price—or perhaps not quite *that* high.
He raised a finger in agreement, prompting a smile from Islabith. Amitalamira, meanwhile, was utterly bewildered; the very person who had defeated the Magic Emperor, Aster Guilford, suddenly wanted to train *her*! Amitalamira felt like the protagonist of a novel, or perhaps a mysterious, powerful figure chosen for reasons that defied her own logic—save for that scent Yuta had detected on her.
Lowering her head, she spoke in a highly nervous tone:
"Most Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith and Master Yuta Casiral, I apologize, but I do not deserve such attention; after all, I am merely a maid."
Most Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith offered only an amused smile as she listened to Amitalamira. While she had decided to take the girl on as a disciple, placing her trust in her was an entirely different matter; the bearers of the "Story Merchant" wings were notoriously deceitful and unreliable. Amitalamira's possession of those wings suggested she shared traits with Stefan Telmore—for such wings tended to manifest in individuals who embodied specific, dominant personality characteristics.
Most Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith gently stroked Amitalamira's hair, a soft smile playing on her lips:
"Do not say that, my dear. You are my disciple now, and from this day forward, you must conduct yourself accordingly."
Amitalamira remained silent as she listened to Most Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith, yet a faint smile graced her face. She glanced at Yuta out of the corner of her eye with an inscrutable smile, leaving him with the unsettling feeling that something was amiss—a sensation compounded by the familiarity he had felt upon first seeing her.
He decided to leave the matter to the Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith, who seemed fully aware of what she was doing; after all, she was hardly a fool easily deceived—even Yuta had been unable to pull the wool over her eyes, as she had always seen through his schemes.
Nevertheless, he could not shake a sense of unease regarding Amitalamira for a peculiar reason: he had no recollection of ever meeting her in his past life—indeed, there had been no reason for him to come to this world in the first place.
This sparked a flurry of questions in his mind: Did the Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith have other disciples besides himself, the Venerable Lotus-Blossom Jihao Yuxuan, the Venerable Chessboard Pingtao Xin, the Fourth Venerable, and Ayumi?
He let out a deep sigh, his gaze calm yet concealing a profound determination to uncover exactly who this girl was, why she carried such a strange scent, and the nature of his connection to her—a connection that evoked a bizarre familiarity tinged with hatred. He spoke in a calm, cheerful tone, letting out a slow sigh that drew the serene gazes of the Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith and Amitalamira—though both women were inwardly tense.
"Since my mother, the Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith, wishes to take Lady Amitalamira as her disciple, a private room will be prepared for her, and she will be treated as a member of the family."
Amitalamira remained speechless, staring at Yuta in shock, while the Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith wore a faint, satisfied smile.
The Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith then looked at Amitalamira, signaling for her to leave:
"Lady Amitalamira, wouldn't it be best to see your new room and get some rest after your journey?" Her voice was calm as she gently stroked the girl's hair.
Amitalamira rose and bowed respectfully before leaving with eager delight, watched by the Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith's sly smile and Yuta's skeptical one.
The Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith then turned her gaze toward Yuta Casiral, who appeared lost in thought, and approached him with a faint smile. She sat quietly beside him, unnoticed at first. Yet, she neither spoke nor acted; she simply gazed at him with a calm expression and a warm smile—the look of a mother watching her son, seeing him healthy yet facing a future that was clear but far from bright, a path fraught with death at every turn, all while she remained powerless to protect him.
She sighed anxiously as she looked at him, then placed a finger against his cheek. Yuta turned to look at her, his eyes filled with surprise, though the Venerable Heaven's Blessing Islabith paid little heed to his reaction; Yuta, in turn, offered a faint smile as he looked back at her.
Time passed, and at 8:45 PM in the dining hall, the entire Casiral family was gathered—save for Amitalamira, who had refused to attend, claiming she needed time to adjust to such treatment.
Outwardly, both the Venerable Heaven's Blessing Islabith and Yuta Casiral appeared unconcerned; inwardly, however, they were wary, anticipating Amitalamira's next move due to their suspicion and lack of trust in her. The feeling was mutual, though Yuta remained ignorant of her true nature, whereas the Venerable The Venerable Sky-Blessing Iselabeth understood her true nature and the gravity of the situation.
Chloe and Madeleine, for their part, paid her no mind. Keri and Leri, however, were utterly bewildered: Amitalamira—who had served as a maid just days ago—had vanished, only to return as a disciple of the Venerable Sky-Blessing Iselabeth, while they remained mere students.
Elsewhere, Sery ate in silence, unconcerned with anything around her; she prioritized resting her mind, body, and spirit during the summer break over wasting time searching for her identity.
Yuta let out a deep sigh as he looked at Keri and Leri, who were eating; his action drew puzzled glances from both of them.
Yet, Yuta paid little heed to their stares, speaking in a calm tone as he continued his own meal:
"What did you two do while I was away? I'm curious to know what the young master of House Keri and the young lady of House Leri were up to."
They both continued to look at him without uttering a word, though faint, happy smiles played on their lips as they listened to Yuta.
Keri spoke up enthusiastically, his words revealing to the Venerable Sky-Blessing Iselabeth just how deeply his family cared for Yuta:
"I took first place in the Fifth Holy Knight Squad—we're considered the elite there!"
Yuta's eyes narrowed as he listened to Keri... The Holy Knights were natural-born enemies of demons, harboring an extreme mindset toward any entity that was neither Christian nor human. What heightened Yuta's sense that something was amiss was the fact that Keri and Leri were not Christians to begin with—making their recruitment highly questionable, given that being a Christian was a fundamental requirement for joining the Holy Knights.
Meanwhile, Keri and Leri looked on in bewilderment as Yuta's expression shifted to one of annoyance; they were shocked and deeply afraid that Yuta might harbor hostility toward the Holy Knights.
Then, Yuta spoke in a surprisingly calm tone that left them somewhat confused:
"Don't tell me you've joined the Church of the Stars, led by Duke Shin Akater William!"
Keri and Leri remained silent for several seconds, confirming Yuta's suspicions. Finally, Leri spoke in a highly nervous voice:
"Yes... is there a problem with the Church of the Stars, Brother Yuta?" Yuta took a deep breath as he looked at Ciri, Kiri, Liri, and Jia, all of whom were gazing back at him, trying to fathom the reason for his unusual agitation:
"Yes, there is a problem with the Church of the Stars. It has allowed godless technology companies to operate and ultimately attempted to spread psychological terror back in the seventh century AD. Furthermore, you trust people too easily; this makes any information that could incriminate me—or other highly sensitive matters—dangerously accessible. That is why, if you agree to leave the Church of the Stars, I will give you something millions of times better than anything they could offer. Do you understand, Kiri and Liri? Do you understand?"
Kiri and Liri looked at him for several minutes without saying a word, while Yuta remained silent, awaiting their reply. After all, it was an incredibly difficult decision to make—being at the top of one's class, only to be asked to withdraw.
For Yuta, however, it was essential to safeguard his trump cards and keep the people within his inner circle—specifically his family—away from any organization that might exploit them, regardless of that organization's religious affiliation.
Kiri finally broke the silence, looking at Yuta with an expression that held a hint of sadness yet also contentment with his achievements. He decided not to argue the point, knowing that Yuta had only his and his sister Liri's best interests at heart—just as he had demonstrated over the past few months by providing them with a life of luxury:
"Alright, Brother, as you wish. We will send the message withdrawing from the Church of the Stars once we've finished our meal." Yuta listened to Kerry's words—which carried a hint of sadness—and then finished his meal in silence.
The Venerable Islabith, "Heaven's Blessing," smiled faintly as she ate, unlike Athena, Ciri, and Gaia, who simply watched him without a word; what had just transpired was rather peculiar.
After dinner, in Kerry's room, the two were drafting a letter to withdraw from the Church of the Stars. Their expressions were sorrowful and reluctant; after all, they held the top rank and were frequently praised by the Holy Knights and their peers.
As they wrote, Yuta appeared beside them, a faint smile on his face as he watched them place the letter in an envelope and seal it with their personal crests.
He let out a sigh of relief while watching them—unnoticed by the pair—and then gently ruffled their hair, leaving Kerry and Liri shocked and somewhat flustered.
They turned their gaze toward Yuta, their expressions shifting to annoyance; Yuta chuckled softly at their disgruntled looks.
He gently pinched each of their cheeks, infuriating both Kerry and Liri. Unfazed, Yuta sat down beside them, a faint smile still playing on his lips.
"I've decided to postpone the journey to the Northern Yun-Gai Mountains by a full two weeks," Yuta said calmly, looking at them. Yet, both Keri and Leri remained silent, fixing him with a gaze that couldn't be easily bought—a look that made Yuta regard them with a hint of annoyance.
He glanced at Leri, who was avoiding his eyes, then turned to Keri, whose look seemed to say, "Don't think you'll succeed so easily."
He lay back on the floor, gazing calmly at the ceiling; after all, convincing someone to accept an idea they initially refuse to even hear—let alone act upon—is no easy task. This was especially true with Keri and Leri; holding top-tier rankings meant they were certainly not to be underestimated when it came to intelligence.
He closed his eyes for a few seconds, only to open them again when he felt Keri and Leri embracing him—a situation that made him chuckle inwardly at the irony of it all.
Deciding to feign indifference to their presence, he closed his eyes once more as if nothing were happening, while Keri and Leri smiled faintly as they held him.
Then, Chloe and... appeared Madeline and Siri, who had been watching them, noticed that Yuta's eyes were closed—a clear sign he was asleep—and realized the same applied to Kiri and Liri.
Siri let out a soft sigh as she covered them up. Although Chloe and Madeline were somewhat surprised by her actions, they said nothing; instead, they decided to leave the room, allowing Yuta, Kiri, and Liri to continue sleeping.
The next day, at 7:35 AM, inside the training hall of the Casiral family estate, Kiri and Liri were meditating to calm their energy in preparation for the next step.
A few paces away, Yuta watched them in silence. He held two bottles—shimmering with a blue-gold hue and radiating a soothing, sacred aura—which he then set down beside him, leaving them to complete their mental and spiritual training undisturbed.
Three full hours of meditation passed until Kiri and Liri's auras and presence had achieved perfect balance and stability. Yuta clapped his hands softly—a sound quiet yet sufficient to rouse them from their meditative state.
They turned their attention toward him, smiling gently with an expression of deep ease and relaxation. Yuta picked up the two bottles and walked over to them.
"Since your physical, spiritual, and mental strength are in excellent condition, we will move on to the second stage: using the Purity Potion." Yuta's voice was calm as he handed the two doses to Kiri and Liri; they looked at him with a hint of bewilderment before immediately drinking them down.
A potent, pure, and warming energy began to spread through their bodies. After all, the concoction was made of 90% pure *Kono*—harvested by Yuta from the Yin-Yang Garden during his visit to the Versalkin Academy festival with Beatrice after they had parted ways with their companions—and 10% of the tears of Lavrina, the Ruler of Energy.
They set the empty vials on the ground to refine and circulate the energy throughout their bodies; a powerful force began to well up from the deepest recesses of their being.
Their white hair began to glow with a soft white light, shot through with strands of gold. Twenty minutes passed as they absorbed the elixirs, and both opened their eyes with joyful smiles—they had ascended to the rank of Holy Ruler.
After all, they were 2,013 years old and had consumed resources belonging to Yuta—materials of exceptional quality and rarity—making their rapid advancement perfectly logical.
Liri spoke with overwhelming happiness as she hugged Yuta, burying her face against his stomach, while he gently stroked her hair and listened to her words:
"Thank you, Big Brother! You're amazing. Liri loves Big Brother Yuta so much!"
Yuta chuckled softly as he stroked her hair, then turned his gaze toward Kiri, who was watching him from where he sat, and motioned for him to come over and sit by his side. Kerry let out a sigh tinged with a subtle happiness, then sat down beside Yuta, his gaze fixed on Liri, who was beaming with joy.
This made him happy in turn; Kerry loved his sister dearly. They had lived together in the same house for two thousand years, with no one offering them any help due to that powerful curse.
Looking at Yuta, Kerry spoke in a tone filled with gratitude:
"Thank you, Big Brother Yuta—thank you so much. It has been a long time since I saw my sister Liri this happy and excited. You becoming our brother was the best thing that ever happened."
Meanwhile, at the Casiral family estate, the Captain of the Fifth Squad of the Holy Knights—the unit to which both Kerry and Liri belonged—sat before the Venerable Lady of Heaven's Blessing, Islabith, as well as Athena, Gaia, and Sira.
The atmosphere was thick with tension from her subordinates and with the Captain's own anger and frustration, contrasting sharply with the expressions of Athena, Sira, Gaia, and the Venerable Lady of Heaven's Blessing, Islabith—all of whom appeared completely unconcerned.
The Venerable Lady of Heaven's Blessing, Islabith, spoke in a calm voice:
"Captain Nira of the Fifth Squad of the Holy Knights, you wish to bring Kerry and Liri back as followers of the Church, despite knowing they do not practice the Christian faith. Furthermore, neither Yuta nor any member of the Casiral family is under any obligation to serve the Church of the Stars—or any other church—given that they are not Christians to begin with." "It makes the attempt to retrieve individuals—who are under no obligation to return—solely because they possess terrifying talent that the Casiral family could exploit, seem rather pointless. After all, that family lacks nothing. Am I not right, Nira?"
Nira gazed at the Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith with a look full of tension. She knew the Venerable was right; after all, Kiri and Liri were not bound to them, and—more importantly—Islabith was currently one of the most powerful figures in the human realm.
Nira let out a sigh of frustration; after two hours of conversation, they had failed to achieve their objective: the retrieval of Kiri and Liri.
Yet, the Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith remained unconcerned, knowing full well that Yuta would not let the matter rest so easily. She turned her gaze toward Gia, who was seated beside her:
"You must prepare yourself for the Celestial Immortals Academy. You will encounter individuals who are incredibly powerful and dangerous—far beyond your current level—so preparation is the most important thing you can do."
Gia replied with a faint smile:
"You are right. But ultimately, you will be my mentor, and I expect you to help me become stronger than I am now."
The Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith said nothing as she looked at her, recalling Yuta as a child—a boy who had craved power and knowledge. He had never abandoned that pursuit; after all, he needed to learn and grow stronger to properly manage his empire—or kingdom. "Since you want to become the strongest, let's go! I'm excited to conduct our first training session together, my beautiful daughter." The voice of the Venerable Sky-Blessing Islabith was filled with joy as she rose and left the palace, heading toward the training hall.
Jiya followed her immediately, watched by Athena and Sira, who smiled with amusement at the scene—a mother and daughter, or perhaps a mother and "half-son."