—Bang.
Yuma stared at the closed door, then shifted his gaze to Richard, who wore an awkward expression.
"Lucien… Vale?"
"Ah… ahem. Yes."
"Vale is your family name, isn't it, Richard?"
"Yes… well…"
"Explain."
"Haa… Do you remember about that, Your Highness?"
"Hm."
"The Archduke and I thought it would be better if I used my family name for Young Master Lucien."
"The reason?"
"So it would be more natural for me to stay by his side."
"And why does he have a younger sibling? He should have been—"
Yuma trailed off, frowning.
Understanding what he meant, Richard pressed his temple hard.
"I don't understand that part either. As planned with the Archduke, I told him I adopted him because he was my lord's child, and I owed my life to his father. But when Young Master woke up—"
Richard let out a breath.
"He kept insisting his younger sibling should have been where he was found. But—"
Richard looked at Yuma.
"—that should have been impossible."
Yuma murmured, his expression tired.
"And this has continued until now?"
"Yes. No matter how many times I explain that there was no one else there, Young Master Lucien refuses to believe it. He even concluded that his sibling was kidnapped before I found him."
"…Have you asked my uncle?"
"Yes. Even when the Archduke himself said there was no one else, Young Master still insisted."
"You told him the Archduke is his distant relative?"
"I did. And they've been arguing ever since."
"Arguing…?"
"Yes… since then, Young Master Lucien refuses to meet him and calls the Archduke a liar."
"This is quite—"
"Troublesome?"
Richard let out a weak laugh.
"It is. That's why the Archduke and I decided to have Young Master Lucien take my surname, and I'll step forward as his guardian. At least this is better than keeping him in the Archduke's territory in the middle of a cold war."
"…Uncle didn't tell me."
"Perhaps the Archduke simply didn't want you to worry. Young Master Lucien is already his responsibility… and his relative. Have you forgotten how chaotic things were back then?"
Yuma held back a sigh, then nodded.
It had been chaos.
After he killed the mastermind seven years ago, shadows and the god of death surged forward as if making one final assault.
And because the system at the time wasn't as stable as it is now, many lives were lost.
Children and women who had lost their families became a common sight.
The sounds of crying and grief never stopped.
Because of that, many surviving soldiers adopted or sponsored the children of the fallen.
I even tried to adopt Arfy… though it was closer to sponsorship. I was still a child myself, and the proposal was immediately rejected.
As if recalling the same memory, Richard shook his head bitterly.
"I don't know whether to feel grateful… or ashamed that we won because of you."
"Isn't the result better this way?"
"Sending a wounded child to the battlefield made all of us feel like we had lost our conscience, Your Highness."
"But it was the best choice at the time."
"When you ended up unconscious for nearly two months because of it?"
Yuma looked at Richard, whose face tightened as if holding back tears.
He smiled.
"But this is still better than losing more lives."
Richard wanted to argue—that a prince's life was far more valuable than that of the people.
But knowing Yuma, he swallowed his words.
Seeing that resigned expression, Yuma let out a small laugh.
"Let's leave the past behind. What about the mission details?"
"Ah, here."
Richard took a document from his drawer and sat across from Yuma—right where Lucien had been earlier.
Yuma accepted it and began reading. His brows furrowed slightly at a certain part.
"There are two more contaminated students?"
"Yes. Unlike the previous two, this doesn't seem to be by their own will. They were roommates of the earlier victims. There's a possibility they were exposed and the contamination developed without being noticed."
"And their condition now?"
Yuma closed the document and looked at Richard.
"One is from a noble family, so they've already been taken for treatment. But the other…"
Richard stood and opened another door inside the room.
Yuma's eyes widened slightly.
A faint aura of death flowed out from within.
And there—
the child.
"You used a soundproof barrier?"
"Yes. She has no relatives, so I had no choice but to care for her here. I asked purification-type teachers to help suppress it, but their power isn't enough to erase it completely."
Richard looked into the room for a moment, then sighed.
"I couldn't leave her in the infirmary. It would endanger other students. So I isolated this room and brought her here."
"Why not request help from the troops?"
Richard watched as Yuma had already moved beside the bed, checking the girl's pulse.
"It happened almost at the same time as the recent war. We hesitated to ask for help. And after the war ended, we heard you would be coming… so since her condition wasn't critical, I decided to wait."
"You should have contacted me immediately."
Richard placed a hand on the girl's forehead, checking her temperature, then looked at Yuma.
"The teachers can still suppress it. It's not that we can't purify it—it just takes longer."
"…I see."
The moment those words left Yuma's lips—
snow began to fall inside the room.
Richard froze.
He reached out, catching one of the white flakes.
But what he felt wasn't cold.
It was warmth.
The snow melted slowly in his palm, leaving behind a gentle sensation.
When he looked up—
Yuma's eyes had changed.
Completely golden.
And not only that—
as if dancing, particles of golden light floated around him.
"Ugh…"
A small sound escaped the girl's lips.
The falling snow slowly covered her body.
Yuma smiled softly.
He raised his hand and gently stroked her head.
Her once-uneven breathing gradually calmed.
And she fell back asleep.
Time passed unnoticed.
More than five minutes.
Then, like a dream—
the snow disappeared.
The golden light vanished without a trace.
"It's done."
Yuma turned toward Richard, his face returning to normal.
"Let her rest. She'll be able to move as usual tomorrow."
"Thank you very much, Your Highness."
"Hm."
"Your ability is as beautiful as ever. It's been a while since I've seen it."
Yuma shook his head lightly.
"Whether it's beautiful or not doesn't matter. The result is what's important."
Richard fell silent.
He couldn't fully agree.
But he also knew there was no point arguing.
Yuma only laughed softly at that stubborn expression.
Returning to the sofa, he picked up the document again.
"No similarities?"
"No. They all visited different places, so we can't determine where they encountered the god of death who offered them that power."
"Any tracking done?"
"The last detected point was the library… but it's just a library."
"…I see."
Yuma continued reading calmly.
Meanwhile, Richard looked out the window.
"It might be better to investigate from within."
"Yes. That's also what the Archduke's young master said. There's a chance they've retreated because of the teachers' patrols. But we can't use students as bait…"
Another sigh escaped Richard.
"I'll handle it."
Yuma closed the document.
"I'll investigate while I'm here. They'll be more careless if it's a student doing the patrol. And since the victims are students… their targets are likely students who stand out or meet certain conditions."
He looked at Richard.
"Send me a list of students who passed the exam, along with their power types."
"Yes, I'll prepare it."
"Anything else?"
"For now, no."
Yuma nodded, then stood and walked toward the door.
"Oh, Your Highness."
"Hm?"
"Young Master Lucien will be assigned as your guide later. I've also received confirmation—I'll place Young Master Mylo and Young Master Noel in your team. The remaining two members will be decided after the exam."
"Lucien…"
"Yes. Young Master Lucien is an outstanding student. You know how this academy works, right? Students who qualify become guides and mentor new students. In return, they receive recommendation letters for the main forces."
"Hm. I know."
"So rest assured. Young Master Lucien is the best in his year."
Seeing the proud grin on Richard's face, Yuma chuckled softly.
"Then I look forward to it."
"Yes! Please do, Your Highness!"
Yuma opened the door.
He stepped out—
then paused.
Turning back.
Richard was still standing there, waving with an almost childlike expression.
Yuma gave a faint smile.
Then—
Bang.
The smile disappeared.
Yuma's face returned to calm.
Empty.
He looked up at the clear sky for a moment before continuing toward Dormitory A.
"…should I rest?"
His hand rose to press against his temple.
A faint ringing echoed in his ears.
But he didn't stop walking.
"…I hope I won't dream."
The wind whispered softly.
And those words—
were heard only by the wind.
Meanwhile—
"You're certain, Lord?"
"Yes."
A man stood at the doorway.
The same man who had faced Yuma in the last war scratched his head, then looked into the dark room.
Inside, someone sat calmly, enjoying his tea.
"It could just be a facial resemblance…"
"Even so, there's no harm in seeing for myself, is there?"
"I suppose… but please. I'm begging you—hold back. Ask first before acting."
"I'm not a child."
"I know. That's exactly why I'm worried."
The man sighed.
"If his face really is that similar… I'm afraid you'll lose control and tear him apart."
The hand holding the teacup paused.
"…Is he really that similar?"
"From my perspective, yes. But I haven't spoken to him yet, so it might just be his face."
"Then I only need to see him."
"…Alright."
"But are you sure about this information?"
"Yes. Absolutely. The little prince has entered the academy."
A faint smirk formed on his lips.
"I'm a bit concerned about the agent inside… but it doesn't matter. If they die, we'll just replace them. They can't leak anything anyway."
"I see."
"Ah… I should return to my post. Those imperial bastards seem to be starting to track our laboratory."
"Understood."
The man saluted, then left, humming lightly.
Silence returned.
"…similar…?"
The voice was soft.
But killing intent slowly filled the room.
Cracks spread across the teapot on the table.
He looked at it without expression.
Then—
smiled.
Gently.
But his eyes remained filled with killing intent.
"Let's see… who dares to wear the face of our youngest."
He turned—
toward the bed at the side of the room.
A man lay there.
Pale face.
White hair.
And—
a face strikingly similar to Yuma.
"Right?"
The smile didn't change.
"Brother?"