The imposing door of the headmaster's office stood before Xian once again.
Its dark wooden panels were carved with understated patterns. The craftsmanship was elaborate without becoming gaudy. The door was thick enough to belong at the entrance of a fortress rather than an administrator's office. Somehow, it fit the man occupying the room beyond it remarkably well.
Xian remembered seeing the same door countless times in the game, although remembered might have been too generous a word. His knowledge of Rozenfall: Romance and Ruin was enormous, but it was not perfect. The academy had hundreds of corridors, rooms, staircases, courtyards, and buildings. Most had served as little more than backgrounds while Adrian moved from one quest marker to another.
The headmaster's office had been one of the more recognizable locations, but even then, the game rarely gave the player reason to care about the door itself.
Xian had already entered the office once since arriving in this world. Back then, he had exchanged his entrance-examination reward for permission to rummage through Astor's belongings. That visit had earned him the Glimpse Lens.
It had also led to a much stranger encounter with the headmaster's daughter afterward.
Xian raised his hand and knocked lightly.
Thump. Thump.
'Must be made from an expensive material.' For some reason, that was the first thought that came to him.
Only a moment passed before the lock clicked from the other side and the door opened just wide enough for Vica to peek through.
A faint blush colored Vica's face, making him grin involuntarily.
"Miss Vica." Xian had wanted to tease the woman who tried to seduce him, but in light of her position and power, he held back. She was, after all, unique among mages and Astor's only daughter.
"What's with that strange look on your face?"
"… It hurts me that you find it strange when it's the same look I've always had, especially during our first meeting."
At that, Vica flinched a little and looked at him resentfully. Xian wondered why she was so expressive compared to the personality he knew from the game.
Xian had been tempted to say something more. After all, this was the same woman who had once pinned him against a wall and pressed herself against him. She had restrained his arms with enough strength to make him question whether she was really an upstanding mage. Then she had questioned him about his attraction to her, deliberately using it as leverage to draw him into Astor's side.
However, Vica Ellios was also the headmaster's only daughter. She was a highly unusual mage in her own right, with considerably more institutional authority than a first-year student.
There were times when exercising restraint was simply another form of survival.
[Vica Ellios]
[Rozenfall Academy — Chancellor-in-Training]
[Kinetic Combat Mage Lvl. 46]
'Hm, she turned out to be so strong…' Xian had just used the Glimpse Lens on Vica. She was the same level as the academy head butler. Yet the fact that her potential couldn't be seen suggested there was still a difference in their overall class.
'Looks like I have to upgrade the glimpse lens right away.' He needed to visit that young artificer, the sooner the better.
"Hah… listen here." Vica let out a defeated sigh. "I know we had some… strange interactions before. But I need you to forget all of that before you enter this office."
Xian tilted his head.
Forget it?
That was quite a request she was making after what happened.
She had pressed him against a wall with her body and held him there with enough force to make him briefly question whether she had chosen the wrong Emanation Path. She had whispered into his ear and conducted what could only be described as an improvised honey trap.
Xian had completely forgiven her attempt to manipulate him once he realized why she'd become distant.
"Is the headmaster inside?"
Vica stared at him for another second, perhaps checking whether he truly intended to cooperate.
Then she nodded. Without another word, she stepped aside and left the door open for him. Since Astor was around, it was time to get down to business. He didn't want to risk offending the strongest human currently alive in the game.
The room was as excessively spacious as he remembered. Shelves, old decorations, documents, and objects of questionable importance lined the walls. An enormous desk dominated the far end of the office.
Behind it sat an equally enormous man.
Even seated, Astor Vitorre Ellios had a presence that made the oversized headmaster's chair seem just right for him.
"Hrm? Well, if it isn't the First Seat. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I've received your summons, Headmaster," replied Xian, paying no mind to Astor's jest. Astor had used the same kind of casual, boundary-pushing humor with Vica. It seemed meant to strip away formality and force familiarity as quickly as possible.
"Heh. Being the First Seat, surely you know why I've summoned you, right?" Astor leaned back in his chair, one massive hand resting against the armrest. Since meeting him in person, Xian had found Astor quite different from his game version.
In the game, Astor had been imposing, solemn, and mostly expressionless. Even his eccentricities had carried the dignity expected of one of humanity's greatest living martial practitioners.
This Astor seemed to regard dignity as something to be deployed only when convenient.
"I have some guesses."
"Oh?" Astor's expression brightened. "Pray tell, then."
"… Is it about my scuffle with the Common student?"
"Haiya, the commoner, you say?" Astor shook his head with exaggerated disappointment as he slowly looked at Vica. "Look at this man you chose, Vica. He didn't even bother to know the name of the student he assaulted."
"Is this the type of man kids these days like?"
"H-Headmaster… Please take this seriously…" Vica stammered from the side, holding her arm back. Xian could have sworn she was resisting the urge to strike Astor.
"Alright, I know, stop it with those fumes coming out of you." Astor waved a hand dismissively.
"So. You didn't apologize either, did you?" He scratched his beard. "What was your name again? Xian, yeah?"
"Yes. I am Xian." He decided not to comment on the fact that Astor clearly knew exactly who he was already.
"And I did apologize. I know her name as well. Castreyja."
Astor's eyebrows rose as if he was impressed. "…Well, aren't you attentive!" His palm struck the desk.
"Hahaha! I've changed my mind about you!… I might change it again if you make another mistake, though." The man grinned widely, completely honest about it.
'This version of the headmaster is rather… uncanny and unpredictable. He was so serious when he faced Adrian, but now…' He remembered Astor's scenes with Adrian in the game and the quests he gave him. The man had been far more serious then.
"Well!" Astor clasped his hands together. "Let's treat this meeting as a simple reprimand and a warning. That's what you'll say happened. Got me, Xian boy?"
"Yes? Then, the punishment…" Xian caught the implication immediately.
"Of course! The punishment!…" Astor fell silent while Vica looked increasingly concerned.
Xian waited until Astor finally raised one finger. "Let's see… do it one more time."
He blinked at the headmaster's words. "And one more after that, and I'll deduct enough points to make you fall out of the three Rose titles." He nodded to himself, satisfied with the severity of the punishment he'd settled on.
"Yep, that's enough. Is that clear as day, Xian boy?"
For several seconds, Xian said nothing. Even with the academy's culture of martial competition, he had openly started a physical altercation outside a sanctioned match. There should have been some consequences for that.
Instead, Astor had effectively told him he could cause another incident before the academy even touched his merit points.
"…I see. I thank the Headmaster for his generosity." There was no ambiguity anymore. Astor was basically letting him go. Not merely with leniency, either. The old man was giving him enough leeway that the reprimand barely qualified as one.
"If you're so thankful then listen to the request of this old man here."
"…?"
'So suddenly?' Xian turned to Vica, but she averted her gaze as if refusing to explain.
"A request, Headmaster?"
"You don't seem to want to listen. Even though you just thanked me."
"No, I…"
"Okay, then you're going to listen?"
Xian tried to relax his face as much as possible to keep it from twitching.
"…I will try to live up to your expectations."
If Astor asked for something impossible, Xian was ready to practically regress and redo all his progress. Worse, Astor might ask for something tied to a storyline Adrian was supposed to conquer. Damn the last attempt at regression. He couldn't afford to offend this man of all people.
"Well, you don't actually have to do anything right away. You see, I'm looking for someone to pass my teachings to."
'As expected, instead of Castreyja, he really wants to make me his disciple.' The events in the office with Vica crossed his mind.
"If everything goes well and your Aura somehow matches mine a little bit… You'll be my disciple."
"Can I know the reason why?"
"Heh, playing dumb, are we? With the show you put on with Caesar, you're still asking that question? Aren't you from Renedon's side? This should be ideal for all parties involved." The headmaster had finally spoken plainly, without even trying to hide his intentions.
Watching him now, Xian could believe this was how the real 'headmaster' of Rozenfall and the game's 'strongest' actually behaved. Unless there was still another layer to this personality of his. But then, that would just be crazy.
"Headmaster… I understand, but I'll need considerable time before I can make any decision. I'd also like to clarify several things."
"First, I am indeed employed and supported by the duke, but the person I serve directly is Lady Carmillia."
"…"
"Second, I need to discuss this with my lady, as it might interfere with my butler duties. I am not entirely free to make this decision on my own."
Astor hummed, accepting the point without much resistance.
"Hm. Anything else?"
"Third, I still haven't awakened even a vestige of my Aura. I cannot promise that you'll like the result."
Astor's expression turned a little more thoughtful at that.
"For a Martial Emanator, the way a person fights usually reflects how their Aura awakens and develops. Of course, that isn't always the case, but it usually is."
He leaned back slightly but kept his eyes on Xian.
"And you seem to have something that lets you ignore the 'outward pressure' of Aura to a considerable degree. Even when it comes from a genius-level professor." The man grinned, clearly amused by the memory.
"Do you think Caesar's just some regular entity in this academy?"
Of course, Xian knew exactly who Caesar was and what his standing was.
The youngest professor in Rozenfall's history. A genius in the way of the sword, with an obsessive drive to refine his combat style through extremes.
All that despite being blind.
"We need something like that."
Astor's tone lost some of its earlier playfulness.
"Humanity does."
For a moment, the headmaster's gaze seemed to drift past Xian, toward something much farther away than anything inside the office.
"Hm, to be honest, if it were that simple, I'd put you through a eugenics program. Make an army of soldiers who could resist that kind of Presence."
Xian stared at him.
Astor continued as though he hadn't just proposed something completely outrageous.
"After all, the dangers we have to deal with emit ever-increasing pressure that affects even those of us at the top of humanity's forces."
The absurdity of his previous remark disappeared beneath the weight of what followed.
Astor was joking.
Probably.
But the problem he was talking about certainly wasn't.
"I understand the headmaster's concern. It is bigger than I honestly thought. Thus, I will certainly need to consult my employer all the more."
"Hm, you know, should I just charge into Renedon's house and demand you from him?"
Astor leaned back as though he had merely suggested paying the duke a friendly visit. Not storming the residence of one of the most powerful nobles on the continent.
'Please don't do that.'
"Father! Please don't say such controversial things so easily!" Vica's protest came immediately. Astor only glanced at his daughter, apparently considering whether he had actually said anything unreasonable.
"You're right. Forget I said it, Xian boy. Well, if there's nothing else, you can go. Just take my words to heart. After all, this isn't a totally selfish request. It's for the sake of what this academy exists for." That last part carried far more weight than everything before it.
Beneath all of Astor's jokes and strange behavior, Xian had almost forgotten that the old man was still responsible for Rozenfall.
"Ah, wait." Xian had already begun turning when Astor stopped him again.
"It seems all the factions in the academy have their eyes on you, Xian boy." The old man's expression hadn't changed much, but the warning was certainly not unfounded.
"You should be careful not to tie yourself up with any of them, or else you'll fall hard."
"I will keep that in mind. Then, thank you both."
Xian left the office feeling rather heavy.
The door closed behind him, cutting off Astor and Vica's voices. He continued down the corridor without any particular hurry. Somehow, his footsteps sounded quieter in his own ears.
The illusion of control and comfort was perhaps slowly slipping from his grasp.
He knew exactly what Astor was talking about: the threat of Agrinds that continually destroyed and invaded the world.
There was also the main storyline. It became entangled with such threats whenever the opportunity arose, especially during 'raids' organized to hunt large-scale Agrinds.
'It's tough to imagine that I will one day deal with such things personally.'
The academy around him didn't exactly make that future feel real. Tomorrow, students would still cross the halls talking about classes, assignments, rankings, food, and whatever else occupied them. Most weren't thinking about monsters capable of destroying entire settlements.
Yet many of those same students would eventually be sent out to fight them.
Xian realized just how far he was from truly experiencing the difficulty of the game and its threats. Yet he was already having such a hard time dealing with Carmillia's sudden deaths and his own position.
'And what's really up with the System and regression?'
The uncertainty still nagged at the back of his mind. An entity-given power had been an entirely unexpected addition to his problems.
'The quest, its consequences, and the countdown to the seventh regression…'
Xian rubbed the back of his neck.
It didn't help that the System only responded or popped up whenever it pleased. Thinking harder certainly wasn't going to force it to answer him.
In a world where Rozenfall existed, would he really be able to achieve his ambition?
He exhaled and pushed the question aside.
There was nothing he could do about threats years ahead while he still had problems right in front of him.
For now, he would focus on what he could actually do.
After leaving the office, Xian arrived just in time to see Carmillia and the others come out of the training facility. Everyone wore similarly strained expressions and moved sluggishly, even Rhykard and Gumin.
Whatever they were doing inside clearly hadn't been pleasant.
'Just what the hell is going on in there?'
His eyes naturally drifted toward Gumin, whose legs were trembling as she frowned. He wanted to go straight to her side and help, but Carmillia was his priority.
"Are you alright, Milady?"
"No. Hand."
Carmillia said it curtly and extended her hand toward him. Xian looked at it, then at her tired face. It seemed yesterday's spectacle was going to happen again today.
Not that Xian minded, though. When Carmillia kept to herself like this, vulnerable and reliant on him, he could feel his attraction to her grow considerably.
'If only she could always be like this.'
Then again, if that ever happened, Xian would be hella suspicious instead.
Better to enjoy the peace while it lasted.
He took her hand and supported her as they walked. Unlike yesterday, his movements were far less awkward. He already knew how much of her weight to take and how quickly she preferred to move. He even knew when to adjust his posture as her steps became unsteady.
By the time they reached her quarters, Xian was practically guiding her on instinct.
There were some onlookers along the way, but he paid them little mind. His attention remained on Carmillia's scent, her pretty face, and the occasional brush of their bodies. More importantly, he made sure she didn't trip.
"Today as well, you are dismissed."
Xian paused.
'…? Well, isn't this convenient?'
"Let's talk about the matters you presented to me some other day. And do arrange my nightly teatime from now on. Make sure 'our' maid knows this too."
His attention briefly caught on the wording.
'Our?'
"I'm sure you'll do well enough at this point, won't you? Butler?"
Carmillia's gaze lingered on him for a moment as she said the last word.
"For sure, Milady."
There was something a little strange about the wording and the question at the end, especially coming from Carmillia. But Xian had business of his own, so he simply went along with it.
Now it was time to visit Caesar and acquire his own 'private' space.
Finding the man would have been difficult for almost anyone else, but Xian knew where that strange professor basically lived.
'In the examination grounds.'
The same area where they had chosen between the Five Doors. All he needed to do was find the kind and bubbly professor who knew those grounds better than most.
"Oho? What's a Rose holder's business visiting this old man here?"
"Hello, Mr. Nocturne. I would like to see Mr. Caesar, as we have some matters to talk about."
After a few twists and turns through the academy, Xian had managed to find the old man.
Back in the game, Caesar's card was practically one of the player's privileges after getting involved with him. Xian had visited this part of the academy quite often while controlling Adrian.
Now he was here as Xian, the First Seat among the freshmen and Carmillia's butler.
"Hoho, it's not every day that I see a new student who already knows where to find that lad! But if you're here for him, you've done well to approach me first, hoho!"
Edgar started walking before Xian could say much else.
"How have classes been coming along? Did you take notes during our Monster Ecology class? Ah! I heard you had some fight with a student! Blah blah blah…"
Xian let the words go in one ear and out the other as they walked deeper into the examination facilities.
Edgar didn't seem to notice. Or perhaps he simply didn't need Xian's participation to keep talking.
"Hoho, and did you know? Miss Celine fixed my suit for me. She's really such a sweet child… Oh, we're here. Time passes quickly."
Edgar produced five nearly identical keys. He grabbed the first one his fingers touched and immediately inserted it into the lock.
Click.
It worked.
Xian stared at the remaining four keys, but Edgar was already putting them away. He decided not to ask whether all five keys worked on every door.
"Alright then, I'll wait here until your matter is done. Don't stay too long, though. My back won't hold up if I stand here forever, hoho."
"Alright, Mr. Nocturne."
Xian stepped through the same door, and a strange sensation immediately enveloped him. It felt as though he was being moved despite remaining perfectly still. Even the sensation of the ground beneath his feet disappeared.
For several seconds, distance stopped making sense. Pale stone, dry earth, and flashes of unfamiliar terrain passed across his vision too quickly to properly identify. His body insisted he hadn't moved at all, while everything around him suggested otherwise.
Then the sensation abruptly ended with the ground returning beneath his feet and so did the wind.
Strong gusts carrying sand immediately assaulted him, forcing Xian to raise a hand slightly over his nose. The Glimpse Lens at least served as regular glass protecting his eyes.
The Mist Peaks stretched around him once more.
Jagged stone vanished into thick white clouds, while narrow paths wound between sheer drops whose bottoms disappeared beneath the mist. The academy might have been only one door behind him, but standing there made it feel considerably farther away.
Xian continued toward the heart of the peaks.
Eventually, the path narrowed toward the cave where Caesar usually dwelled, either meditating, training, or possibly polishing his sword.
Xian had never been sure whether Caesar had actually been given the cave or had simply decided to occupy it.
The moment Xian stepped inside, the wind disappeared.
Simple torches burning with blue flames illuminated both sides of the cave. Unlike the violent winds outside, the air within barely moved at all.
The floor was surprisingly polished. A simple table and several shelves occupied the otherwise sparse space, while its owner sat quietly near the center.
Whether Caesar had been meditating, training, or simply doing nothing was difficult to tell.
"You're here." The professor opened his blind eyes, revealing pupils pale as the sky.
"Lucky and lazy student."
"Yes. I've come to give Mr. Caesar an answer regarding your invitation." Xian completely ignored the latter remark.
"Then, you shall kowtow and accept me as your master right away." There wasn't the slightest hesitation in Caesar's voice. Apparently, Xian coming all the way here could only mean one thing in his mind.
"About that… someone else has expressed their desire to take me as a disciple too."
"…And to think you hesitated. Have I gone too lightly in spreading my reputation? Which professor exactly is it? Is it Sir George?"
"No."
"I know. I can't imagine a lazy man like him taking a disciple."
"It's the headmaster."
For several seconds, Caesar didn't respond nor gave a reaction.
"That is quite a tricky situation. But he should know regardless that I am, and will be, better than him at polishing you in your path." Caesar said it unceremoniously, as though it were an absolute truth.
'Same arogance as in the game.' Still, his words weren't unfounded.
When it came to training someone and grooming them into a warrior, Caesar was indeed one of the best professors around. His power and skills allowed him to perceive anything his Reflection captured with terrifying precision, to the point that he might discover weaknesses even the reflected individual themselves had never noticed.
"Well, what is the reason you hesitate? Perhaps you don't know what I can do? Or is it because he offered you something greater than pursuing your path in return?"
"It's neither. It's simply because my Aura hasn't awakened yet. Should my Aura resemble the headmaster's, he told me that I would become the successor to his techniques."
Xian was still trying to understand how Aura awakening even worked in reality. In the game, there had been no need to understand any of this. Players raised characters through EXP, distributed their growth through statistics, and selected whatever Techniques became available through the interface.
Only recently had he learned that EXP itself was merely the game's simplified representation of Anima. What process actually turned that growth into an awakened Aura Core and Attribute was another matter entirely.
"Pft." Caesar was silent for a moment until a small scoff escaped him.
"What an ambitious coincidence the head is hoping for." He gave it another moment of thought.
"But very well. I can wait until then." That was it. Caesar made no attempt to force an immediate answer or threaten to withdraw the offer. He simply accepted that Xian wanted to know what kind of Aura he possessed before deciding who would guide its development.
"You have my gratitude, Sir Caesar. And there's actually another matter…"
Xian reached into his pocket and took out Caesar's card.
It was the token Caesar had handed him during the entrance examination, something normally meant to give his disciple access to additional facilities and resources connected to him.
"Can I make use of this token?"
"Oh, that one…" Xian forgot that Caesar can't see, but it seems he remembered what 'token' he's referring to.
"But you haven't chosen me as your master?"
"Well, yes, but it would be a waste not to take the opportunity." Xian held the card up slightly.
Caesar had given it to him when he invited Xian to become his disciple. As far as Xian knew, that meant he had already met the conditions for using it. All that was left was to ask permission, since his situation wasn't the same as Adrian's.
"Specifically, can I access your private training dome?"
"Do you think you'll be lucky this time as well?"
Xian glanced around the cave. Caesar was sitting inside a mountain lair even though he had his own faculty office and private training grounds.
The irony was difficult to miss.
"…I like to think that I'm certainly quite lucky to still be standing in my current position."
"… Well, aren't you right?" Caesar barely seemed to consider the request.
"Go ahead. I don't use it anyway. Find it yourself, though."
That was considerably easier than Xian had expected.
He bowed once again.
"Thank you, Sir Caesar."
Then Xian left the cave. With that, it was time to fulfill a promise to the academy head butler.