Chapter 165: Auriella’s Resolve

"I see. Kael has gotten even stronger."

Sylvia said it calmly, a faint smile resting on her face as she watched the battle unfolding before them.

Auriella, who had heard her words, remained silent.

Her silver eyes stayed fixed on Kael as he exchanged another series of blows with Cairo.

When did Kael grow this strong?

The thought continued repeating itself in her mind.

Only a short time ago, she had been the top-ranked first-year student. She had possessed a strength that placed her above everyone else in their year.

Yet now, Kael was standing against Cairo, an A-rank second-year student, and matching him blow for blow.

Has he already surpassed me.

Auriella’s hands tightened slightly.

I must defeat him.

[Two Months Ago]

"Pathetic."

Madam Voss stared down at Auriella, who was kneeling before her.

The normally aloof and composed Auriella had lost her usual confidence. Her head remained lowered as she listened to her mother’s words.

"To think that you would be defeated by someone who had only picked up a blade a month ago. Someone who had no prior combat training before entering the academy."

Madam Voss’s voice was cold.

"You know the reason I sent you to the Royal Human Academy, even though I could have easily sent you to another institution."

Auriella slowly raised her head.

"Because I was supposed to prove that I was stronger than the heirs of the other noble families."

Madam Voss nodded.

"I see that you still remember your purpose."

She turned away from her daughter before continuing.

"And yet, you went and lost in the first tournament hosted by that pathetic academy. Not only that, you lost to a boy who was still learning how to use his powers and had barely begun training."

Her anger was evident in every word.

"But, Mother, during that fight, he was possessed by a demon."

Auriella attempted to defend herself.

It was not a strong defense, and she knew it.

But the circumstances of her battle against Kael had been unusual.

Madam Voss slowly turned her head.

"And so what?"

Auriella’s eyes widened.

"What?"

"That is not an excuse."

Madam Voss’s expression remained emotionless.

"The Eyes of Ruin that our family possesses make us the perfect killing weapons. Race does not matter. Every living being possesses a weak point."

Auriella remained silent.

Madam Voss’s eyes began glowing.

The same terrifying power that Auriella possessed appeared within her mother’s eyes.

"Before our eyes, every being is equal."

She stepped closer.

"Your loss to Kael had nothing to do with the intervention of a demon. It was simply your own weakness."

Auriella lowered her gaze.

"You fought your way through the tournament without taking a single treatment while battling opponent after opponent. You climbed from the bottom and eventually reached the position of the top-ranked student."

Madam Voss’s eyes narrowed.

"And yet, someone who had only recently begun training managed to defeat you."

Auriella clenched her fists.

"The intervention of a demon was certainly surprising, but your main purpose in this world is to defeat demons."

Madam Voss’s voice became colder.

"So do not create excuses because a demon inhabiting a weak body defeated you."

Silence filled the room.

Madam Voss turned toward her chair and sat down.

"You are dismissed."

Auriella stood.

She did not argue.

She did not defend herself any further.

She simply turned around and walked away.

For once, she looked less like the terrifying first-year student everyone feared and more like an ordinary daughter who had just been scolded by her mother.

She was sad.

A few moments after Auriella left, the main butler of the Voss family entered the room.

He approached Madam Voss with a relaxed smile.

"Is there anything that would require my assistance? The conversation between mother and daughter didn’t seem to go particularly well."

Madam Voss slowly turned toward him.

"It seems you are tired of living."

The butler’s smile widened.

"Then you can kill me at your leisure and check whether you can find another butler as good as me."

Madam Voss stared at him.

After a few seconds, she sighed.

"It would be a hassle to kill you. There are too many ways to do it. It’s almost exhausting."

"Is that so?"

The butler chuckled.

"Why don’t you simply go and tell your daughter that you love her? Perhaps give her a big hug while you’re at it. I’m sure she would appreciate it."

Madam Voss’s expression became colder.

"Weak feelings such as love only breed weakness."

She stood.

"What I want from my daughter is strength. Not something as fleeting as love."

The butler shook his head.

Madam Voss continued.

"I want you to locate several C-rank and B-rank dungeons in the surrounding area and reserve them for us."

She paused.

"And if any guild tries to argue, kill them."

The butler raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly do you need those dungeons for?"

Madam Voss looked at him as though the answer should have been obvious.

"And here I thought you were the smart one."

She walked toward the door.

"The dungeons are obviously for Auriella’s training during the holiday."

The butler followed her with his eyes.

"And where are you going?"

Madam Voss stopped.

"I am going to the Draven Estate."

Her eyes narrowed.

"There are several things Seraphina Draven has yet to tell me concerning that son of hers."

She opened the door.

"Also, inform Auriella that her training begins tomorrow."

She paused.

The butler waited.

"And tell her..."

Madam Voss stopped herself before finishing the sentence.

She simply walked away.

The butler stared after her.

He shook his head.

The world would not end if you simply told your daughter that you loved her.

He sighed before heading toward Auriella’s room.

Auriella sat silently inside her room when the butler entered.

"Why are you here?"

Her voice had returned to its usual cold tone.

The butler smiled.

"Like mother, like daughter, I suppose."

"What?"

"I have been ordered to inform you that your training begins tomorrow."

Auriella looked at him.

"You will begin exploring higher-ranked dungeons as part of your training."

"I see."

She turned away.

"Is that all?"

The butler’s smile became mischievous.

"Well, your mother also sends her love."

Auriella immediately turned around.

"What?"

Her cold expression disappeared.

"You’re lying, aren’t you?"

The butler laughed.

"You can ask your mother when she returns from her trip to the Draven Estate."

Auriella stared at him.

The butler turned toward the door.

"And remember to take your training seriously."

He paused.

"That Draven boy seems to be a hidden genius."

Auriella’s eyes narrowed.

"Don’t lose to him again. You can always reclaim the top-ranked position if you defeat him."

The butler walked away.

"So don’t stop training."

The door closed behind him.

Auriella remained silent.

Her expression gradually hardened.

"I’ll definitely defeat you this time."

[Flashback Ends]

[Present Time]

Auriella watched the battle between Kael and Cairo.

Their movements had become increasingly violent.

Kael’s Darkness Mana continued spreading across the training ground, corroding the arena beneath his feet.

Even Cairo had begun paying closer attention to where he stepped.

Our rematch may not be as easy as I thought.

Auriella watched Kael clash with Cairo again.

He was using both his swordsmanship and Darkness Mana simultaneously.

His strength had clearly increased.

Just as the pace of the battle seemed ready to escalate further, Sylvia stepped between them.

Kael and Cairo stopped their attacks at almost exactly the same time.

"Sylvia, what’s the meaning of this?" Cairo complained. "Can’t you see that I was about to give my protégé a proper beating?"

He paused.

"I mean training."

Sylvia sighed.

"If you two keep fighting, the training ground will be destroyed."

She glanced at the damaged arena.

"And come on. This is only the first day of training. You have plenty of opportunities to beat your protégé."

Cairo’s eyes brightened.

"I see."

A grin appeared on his face.

"So there are more chances to beat him than I imagined. Thanks for the update."

Kael stared at him.

"You guys aren’t even trying to hide it anymore."

Neither of them responded.

Kael sighed.

He turned his attention toward Auriella and noticed that she was already walking away.

"Where are you going, Auriella?"

The question immediately silenced the nearby students.

Auriella stopped.

"I am going to train."

She glanced back.

"Besides, I think we’ve wasted enough time being spectators during this fight."

She continued walking.

Even Zion seemed slightly surprised by her response, although he quickly nodded in agreement.

"I see that you’ve gotten stronger once again, Kael."

Kael looked toward him with a smirk.

"You can’t exactly expect me to remain weaker than my big brother, can you?"

Zion stared at him.

For some reason, that sentence made him question every decision that had led him to this point.

Auriella continued walking toward the academy’s simulation room.

Her expression remained emotionless.

But her mind was anything but calm.

Ever since Kael Draven had disappeared after the previous tournament, she had investigated everything she could about him.

She eventually began hearing rumors about his training.

At first, she refused to believe them.

Kael had supposedly fought simulated versions of the top twenty first-year students while under five times gravity.

The idea sounded absurd.

Someone at Kael’s rank during that period should not have been able to survive such training.

Yet he had.

Not only had he survived, he had defeated the simulated versions of his opponents.

And when he eventually faced the real students, he defeated them as well.

Auriella stopped in front of the simulation room.

She stared at the entrance.

She had always looked down on the simulation room.

Today, however, she had made a decision.

If Kael could fight the strongest students of their year under five times gravity, then she would do the same.

She would experience the same conditions.

She would push herself through the same training.

She would find out exactly how far Kael had pushed himself.

Auriella’s silver eyes hardened.

"I will defeat him."

She stepped into the simulation room.

This time, she would not underestimate Kael.

And she would not allow herself to lose to him again.