She sighed softly as she finally followed Lexa out of the house. Lexa glanced sideways at her before shaking her head. "For someone so strong... sometimes I really wonder why you're like this."
Vexion couldn't help but laugh.
"Even if I wanted to pretend to be more independent, I can't." She smiled gently. "Unlike you, I never really had people. I never had family at least not after my parents died. I never had familiar faces waiting for me. When Master found me, he became my master. He became my family. And now—" A warm smile naturally spread across her face. "—he's also the man I love. He became my entire world."
She looked ahead as they continued walking.
"Being beside him is more reassuring than knowing the sun will rise tomorrow."
Lexa wanted to argue. She wanted to tell Vexion that becoming slightly more independent would probably be healthier. But she couldn't, because she knew almost nothing about Vexion's past. Vexion herself rarely spoke about it.
The little Lexa did know was enough — from around the age of ten, Vexion had lived alone. Years spent running. Years spent surviving. Years spent as a slave. Years spent being hunted.
She had endured that life until she was seventeen, when she finally met Dante.
Lexa had never experienced anything remotely similar. She had grown up in an environment that, while harsh, had never stripped her of every sense of belonging.
So for Lexa, being separated from Dante for several hours was normal — they were subordinates, everyone had responsibilities, it wasn't something worth dwelling on.
But for Vexion, someone who had placed every piece of her heart inside one person, being separated from Dante, even temporarily, felt like leaving behind half of herself.
It wasn't mentally exhausting, nor did it leave her depressed. It simply felt empty, like walking without one of her own legs.
Eventually, however, Vexion remembered Dante's promise.
A reward.
Her mood immediately brightened. She pumped her fist with renewed determination. Today's mission mattered.
She already understood what most of her future responsibilities would become — maintaining the hierarchy, standing at the very top beneath Dante, ensuring that every new subordinate understood exactly where they stood.
She would become the standard they all chased.
Lexa was already familiar with Dante's methods. Amber and Elric, however, were not. Amber would be handed over to Lexa — not because Dante doubted himself, but because Lexa herself had experienced Dante's teaching style firsthand.
She understood exactly how to reproduce it. Amber would not be allowed to progress through slow, patient encouragement.
She would learn the Dante way.
Vexion and Lexa couldn't help remembering her own training.
Learning to manipulate blood without moving a finger.
Learning pushing force.
Pulling force.
Being forced to activate skills using thought alone instead of relying on physical movement. Every single time she instinctively tried to move her hand, Dante simply cut it off.
He forced her to adapt.
Only after she succeeded would he casually regenerate the missing limb. Cruel. Efficient. Unbelievably effective.
Amber was unfortunately about to experience something very similar.
As for Elric, Vexion smiled. Lexa would undoubtedly leave him to her.
She intended to drill into him every principle Dante had casually mentioned regarding what he expected from his intelligence and stealth subordinate.
After all, a shadow worthy of standing behind Dante couldn't simply hide well — it had to become something capable of carrying out its master's will without ever needing to be told twice.
Lexa and Vexion arrived at the Void Ship terminals not long after leaving the academy. The familiar crowds of students moved about the massive station, some heading towards distant training territories, others returning from missions, while merchants and academy personnel carried on with their own work as if the constant flow of powerful cultivators had long become ordinary.
After purchasing four tickets, the two quietly walked toward their designated terminal. Both of them now had less than three thousand Academy Points remaining — an amount that would have worried most first years. Neither of them seemed particularly concerned.
'Master already said he'll solve it when everyone gathers.'
If Dante said something would be handled, there wasn't much point worrying about it.
Soon the Void Ship departed.
The moment everyone had settled into their seats, Amber couldn't help herself.
"...Where is our Lord?"
Her voice carried obvious curiosity.
"He isn't joining us?"
Lexa, seated beside Vexion while Amber and Elric occupied the seats opposite them, calmly shook her head.
"No. Master said he has other matters to attend to. He only gave us simple instructions. In two days he'll personally inspect your progress." She smiled lightly. "So unfortunately for the two of you, today is going to be nothing but training."
Amber and Elric both frowned. Without realizing it, they had already grown somewhat accustomed to Dante's presence — his lazy posture, his calm expression, the way he always acted as though the world around him was someone else's problem.
Oddly enough, it was reassuring.
Amber hesitated before speaking.
"We're heading to the Combat Mountains—" She unconsciously lowered her voice. "—isn't that one of the academy's territories where attacks are permitted? There could be plenty of students who stop others from completing missions or training there. If enemies deliberately target us, wouldn't Lord Dante usually accompany us?"
Elric nodded in agreement.
"I was thinking the same. I'm simply surprised Lord Dante chose not to come. Especially for safety."
Lexa and Vexion exchanged a brief glance before both chuckling.
"You're rather dependent on Master," Lexa observed, "considering you've only served him for a day."
Amber immediately blushed. Elric awkwardly coughed into his fist. Amber hurriedly tried to explain herself.
"It isn't that. It's just—" She looked down at her own hands. "—we've already seen how reliable he is."
Mana gathered above one palm. A small crimson fireball appeared. In her other hand, several metallic chains quietly materialized before disappearing once more.
Both Lexa and Vexion raised their eyebrows.
"..."
'She mastered two already?'
Vexion couldn't hide her surprise. 'It truly must be wonderful, having a skill entirely centered around understanding mana itself. Her growth speed was far faster than even Master predicted.'
Lexa had a different thought. 'Master really does know how to recognize talent. And more importantly, how to nurture it.'
She looked at Amber again. 'To think an entire kingdom, an empire, scholars, royal instructors, all of them nearly discarded someone like this. No — they didn't discard her. They simply never understood what treasure they possessed.'