Inside one of the noble dormitories, the atmosphere was far different from the noisy training grounds.
Jake Umbra paced back and forth inside his room.
His fists were clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms.
"That fucking idiot…"
He slammed his hand against the desk.
"Alex was completely useless."
All he had to do was beat the last ranked kid.
Just that.
Jake had even given him the Chaos Stone to make sure it happened.
Yet somehow—
He still lost.
Jake ran a hand through his hair, breathing unevenly.
"What if… what if the professors noticed?"
A cold sweat slid down his back.
If the academy discovered a Chaos Stone had been used during an official training session…
The investigation would be immediate.
And if it led back to him—
Jake's stomach twisted.
"N-no… it's fine."
He muttered the words to himself, trying to calm down.
"I made sure it couldn't be traced back to me."
The stone had been given through a middleman.
Alex was just a disposable commoner anyway.
Even if he talked, there was no proof.
Still…
Jake's leg bounced nervously.
"…Father would kill me if he found out."
The Umbra family did not tolerate stupidity.
Especially not mistakes that could stain their reputation.
Jake clenched his teeth.
"All of this… because of that damn trash."
Chrono.
Just thinking of the boy's calm expression made Jake feel irritated again.
"How the hell did the last ranked kid win…?"
He fell silent.
For a brief moment, an uneasy thought crossed his mind.
"…Was it luck?"
Jake shook his head immediately.
"No way."
But the unease remained.
And somewhere deep down…
A small part of him felt that something about Chrono was not normal.
The scene shifted to the upper levels of the academy.
Inside a vast office room illuminated by tall crystal windows, two figures stood silently before a large obsidian desk.
Professor Nox.
And Professor Clara.
Behind the desk sat a woman.
Silver hair cascaded down her shoulders like flowing moonlight, perfectly smooth and radiant.
Her eyes, the same shade of silver, shimmered like polished jewels.
They held a quiet authority that made even experienced professors instinctively straighten their posture.
Her beauty was breathtaking.
Not the gentle beauty of a noble lady—
But the overwhelming presence of someone born to rule.
This woman was the headmistress of Nexus Academy.
Aurelia Von Astra.
An SS+ Rank Archmage and the only known Space Affinity user in the world.
Among the countless mages that existed across the four kingdoms, none had ever awakened the rare and mysterious power of Space Magic besides her.
Because of this, Aurelia was not merely the headmistress of the academy—
She was considered one of the most dangerous individuals alive.
Even among the world's most powerful figures, her name carried immense weight.
Standing beside her was another woman dressed in a formal black uniform.
She held a tablet calmly in her hands, observing the situation with sharp eyes.
Aurelia's personal assistant.
The room itself was silent.
Then Aurelia spoke.
Her voice was calm and elegant.
"Professor Nox."
Her silver eyes moved toward the unconscious boy lying on the floor.
"…Explain."
Professor Clara folded her arms slightly.
"That cadet consumed a Chaos Stone during today's training session."
For the first time, the assistant's expression shifted slightly.
Even Aurelia's gaze sharpened.
"A Chaos Stone…"
Her voice remained composed, yet the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Professor Nox spoke calmly.
"It appears someone provided it to him."
Aurelia tapped a finger lightly on the desk.
"…Inside my academy."
The room fell silent again.
Then her silver eyes narrowed slightly.
"Find out who."
After Professor Nox and Professor Clara left the office, the room grew quiet again.
Headmistress Aurelia Von Astra leaned slightly back in her chair, her silver eyes thoughtful.
"Lyra."
"Yes, Headmistress."
Lyra stepped forward and activated the tablet in her hand. A holographic screen appeared above the desk.
"Show me the duel."
"Yes, ma'am."
The recording from the training grounds began playing.
The fight between Chrono and Alex appeared on the screen.
At first, Aurelia watched silently.
Alex's unstable movements.
The violent surges of dark mana from the Chaos Stone.
But nothing seemed particularly noteworthy.
Just another reckless cadet losing control.
Then a name appeared on the display.
Chrono.
Aurelia's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Pause."
Lyra immediately froze the recording.
"Yes, ma'am?"
Aurelia looked at the name again.
"…Chrono?"
Lyra nodded.
"Yes, Headmistress. He is currently the last-ranked student among the first-year cadets."
Aurelia rested her chin lightly on her hand.
"Pull up his file."
Lyra tapped her tablet.
Another holographic screen appeared beside the recording.
Student File — Chrono
Lyra began reading.
"This student applied to the academy approximately one month ago."
"He performed poorly in both the physical examination and the written academic exam."
Aurelia's eyes drifted back to the paused recording.
Lyra continued.
"It also appears he did not register a family name during the application."
Aurelia's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…No family name?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Lyra nodded.
"He enrolled simply under the name Chrono."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"However… after cross-checking several external records, I believe this student may actually be Chrono Zephyr."
"The adopted son of Ragnar Zephyr."
For a moment, the room fell silent.
Aurelia stared at the frozen image of Chrono standing in the arena.
"…The Sword King's adopted son."
Lyra nodded.
"Yes, Headmistress."
"For some reason, he chose not to apply using the Zephyr name."
Aurelia said nothing.
Instead, she pointed lightly at the recording.
"Play it again."
The duel resumed.
Alex charged forward wildly.
Chrono stepped back.
Then—
Right before Alex's sword descended—
Aurelia suddenly spoke.
"Stop."
The recording froze again.
Lyra blinked slightly.
"Yes, ma'am?"
Aurelia leaned forward slightly.
Her silver eyes focused on Chrono's movement.
"…Rewind three seconds."
Lyra obeyed.
The scene replayed slowly.
Alex's sword began falling.
Chrono tilted his head.
The blade missed by a hair.
Aurelia watched the moment several times.
Then she murmured quietly.
"…That timing."
Lyra frowned slightly.
"Is something wrong, Headmistress?"
Aurelia remained silent for a moment.
Then she leaned back again.
"…No."
But the faint smile on her lips said otherwise.
Her silver eyes returned to Chrono's frozen image.
"Keep an eye on this student."
Lyra tilted her head.
"You suspect something?"
Aurelia's fingers tapped the desk softly.
"…Not yet."