Chapter 376: Meeting The Sister-In-Law

"This..." Soren stared at the two items in his hand, looking up at the commander. "You do not have to give me anything, Sir. I only-"

"Compared to what you gave me, Mr. Everly, this is nothing." Ervin cut him off decisively. "Please, take them. It puts my heart at ease."

"...Thank you, Commander. I’ll put them to good use."

Ervin nodded, then glanced toward the hallway. "I’ll leave a few of my subordinates stationed nearby, just in case." He bowed his head slightly. "Take care, Mr. Everly."

"You too, Commander."

Soren watched until Ervin’s figure disappeared down the corridor. Then he turned and went back inside.

───────

By the time they finished getting ready, the morning sun had fully risen. Soren helped Ethea into her wheelchair, and they headed outside. They went to Ryan’s apartment since they had promised to have breakfast at their house. Ryan’s mother had insisted on treating them, saying she would cook Soren’s favorite dumplings and bake cookies for Ethea.

As Soren drove down the morning streets, he glanced in the rearview mirror. A dark sedan was maintaining a steady distance behind them, matching their every turn. He focused his senses for a moment, traced the familiar mana signatures inside, and realized they were simply the guards Commander Ervin had assigned to keep watch. Satisfied they posed no threat, he let it be and kept his focus on the road.

Breakfast went smoothly, thanks to Ryan’s mother’s lively hospitality. After they finished eating, Ryan picked up his gear and joined them, and they headed straight to the Etenia Academy.

Not long after they departed, Ryan asked Soren about what actually happened during the recent incident and whether he had actually fought with the Hollow Pair. Soren shared the story, keeping the details brief but honest. Ryan listened with wide eyes, occasionally interrupting with questions.

"...That’s how it went."

"Amazing..." Ryan muttered in awe as Soren finished. "I wish I had been there too. I could have helped, or at least seen it with my own eyes."

"Don’t worry, there will be many opportunities in the future," Soren said with a wry smile. "Besides, you should worry about the exam right now."

"Right, the exam." Ryan nodded and, recalling something, raised his head. "By the way, Brother Soren, I saw the news about the Outcasts. Nothing happened to you and Sister-in-law, right?"

"There was some trouble, but we managed to take care of it. But thanks for worrying, though."

"Mm."

"Anyway, we couldn’t talk much yesterday. How did the past month go for you?" Soren gave Ryan a meaningful smile. "I see that you have already reached the fourth circle. Congrats."

"Yeah, thank you..." Ryan rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a sheepish laugh. "I actually broke through about a week ago."

"Congratulations, Ryan," Ethea offered with a genuine smile.

"Thank you too, Sister-in-law." Ryan beamed, clearly pleased by her praise.

"That explains why I could not get ahold of you back then," Soren added, noting how differently Ryan reacted to Ethea’s words. ’I almost forgot she is his ’hero’. Well, not that I mind.’

"Pretty much," Ryan nodded, leaning back against his headrest. "It took me four full days."

"Four days?" Soren gave him a quick thumbs-up. "That is fast."

He kept his own breakthrough timeline to himself, knowing better than to bring up the one-day record.

"Let’s test how much you have improved this afternoon, then," Soren added. "I booked a 3rd Circle Gate."

"Sounds good," Ryan nodded eagerly. "I’ve been wanting to test out my new strength."

They kept chatting about their afternoon plans until they arrived at their destination. Soren parked the car and helped Ethea out. Ryan and Ethea went in first. Soren waited about ten minutes before following them.

They reunited inside the academy and made their way to the Vice-Principal’s office. Someone was already waiting for them at the entrance to the building.

"Good morning, Lady Zura." Soren greeted her first, and Zura politely returned the greeting before hugging Ethea.

"And is this the boy I’ve heard so much about?" Zura turned to Ryan with a playful smile. "He looks cute~"

Ryan straightened his back and bowed. "G-Greetings, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Zura let out an amused chuckle and waved dismissively. "Relax, there is no need to be so tense around me. After all, I’m gonna be your teacher once you pass the exam."

"Y-Yes, ma’am!"

"Hehe." Zura giggled before turning to Soren. "You can go on ahead. We’ll be waiting nearby."

Soren nodded in gratitude. "Ryan, let’s go."

"Oh, ok." Ryan hurriedly followed after Soren.

Zura watched them go and turned back to Ethea. "Lea, do you wanna see something interesting?"

"...Are you going to take me to see her?" Ethea guessed as Zura took the wheelchair’s handle.

"Yep. You said you want to learn more about her, right?" Zura’s eyes glinted. "Isn’t this the perfect chance? They’ll probably be in there for a while, so we’ve got enough time to kill."

"...If you say so," Ethea muttered and let Zura do whatever she wanted.

About ten minutes later, they arrived in front of a classroom, and Zura activated an invisibility artifact, steering the wheelchair inside without making a sound.

Ethea’s gaze swept across the room, taking in the fifteen or so students scattered among the desks, before falling upon a particular girl sitting in the front row near the window. Crimson hair caught the sunlight as the girl looked intently at the teacher explaining the lesson.

’...So she is my little sister-in-law.’ Ethea watched her intently, tracking the way she listened to the lecture. When the teacher paused, Nura raised her hand, asked a question, then immediately jotted down the answer in her notebook. ’She really looks cute. But...’

There was a desperate intensity in the way she moved: a girl pushing herself to her limits, eager to absorb every shred of knowledge just to prove her worth and grow stronger.

And strangely, watching her brought back memories of the past.

She... She reminded Ethea of her younger self. She too was like this back then, entirely consumed by her studies and driven by that same relentless urge to prove herself, perhaps even more obsessive about never showing a single flaw.

’...We must save her.’