Kaiden frowned deeply the moment he saw Zephyrion staring down at him.

"It’s you..."

But his eyes widened the moment he realized his current position, and he quickly pushed himself up before dusting off his clothes and forcing himself into a more composed posture.

Zephyrion’s expression did not change. His gaze moved across the training grounds before slowly moving over Kaiden’s body, lingering briefly on the bruises, scars, and blood staining him before locking onto his eyes once more.

"...you’re going to cripple yourself at this rate."

Kaiden’s eyes narrowed instantly.

"...what are you talking about?"

"You train like someone trying to lose a fight with their own body. Your muscles need time to recover. Running yourself into the ground all day isn’t training, it’s stupidity."

"...you don’t know what you’re talking about."

Kaiden clenched his fists, a spike of irritation swelling within his chest.

He had been pushing himself harder than anyone else... harder than anyone. And now this guy thought he could just walk in here and tell him he was doing it wrong?

"I do." Zephyrion’s voice remained calm. "Keep this up and you’ll get thrown out in the first round of the Proving."

"I won’t!" Kaiden snapped, gritting his teeth. "I’ve been busting my ass every single day for this! I’ll get my rewards at the Proving! And besides... why the hell do you even care?!"

Zephyrion silently stared at him for several moments. Then he suddenly reached into his chest and tossed something toward him.

"What...?"

Kaiden caught it instinctively, then frowned the moment he saw the crude-looking bracelet in his hand.

"This is..."

"Close your eyes before using it. And sit down first unless you enjoy waking up on the floor. You’ll probably faint the first few times, but you’ll get used to it eventually. Don’t open your eyes until you’re comfortable wearing it with them closed."

"..."

Zephyrion explained before turning and beginning to walk away. He spoke without looking back.

"It’s useful for training. If you can handle it, your comprehension will gradually improve over time."

Kaiden stood there in complete silence.

He knew exactly how valuable this relic was. After all, he had experienced it himself before.

However, what truly shocked him was the fact Zephyrion had given it to him in the first place.

They were the farthest thing from allies, and Zephyrion was even Kaiden’s greatest rival.

What sort of rival gave their enemy something they could use to become stronger?

Except... Zephyrion had never once viewed him as a rival in the first place.

For some reason, that realization made Kaiden clench his teeth even harder.

"Why... why are you giving me this?" Kaiden asked in a low growl.

Zephyrion’s steps came to a halt. He remained silent for several moments before slightly turning his head back toward Kaiden.

"Because you need it."

Then he faced forward once more and left the training grounds.

Kaiden tightened his grip around the relic until veins bulged across his arm.

"This guy..."

Zephyrion had just handed him something so valuable without the slightest hesitation... simply because he needed it?

All Kaiden had ever thought about was their rivalry. He had challenged Zephyrion countless times because of it, and had even come to view him as an enemy.

Yet it was painfully obvious Zephyrion had never once seen things the same way. Instead, he had given him something so precious simply because he thought it would help him.

Zephyrion was clearly the kind of person who would help someone even if they weren’t his ally. An honorable person.

Kaiden slowly exhaled as he lifted his gaze toward the night sky.

He had never felt shittier in his life.

...

"My protege... honestly, I didn’t think you were the generous type. To think you’d hand that brat something so precious."

Demorian emerged from the rod as Zephyrion approached his mansion, staring at him with faint curiosity.

"...I wasn’t being generous." Zephyrion slowly shook his head. "It was an investment."

Demorian’s eyes narrowed instantly. As someone who had lived a long life, he immediately understood what Zephyrion meant. An investment toward gaining control over the boy.

"Then the training girl... the village girl too..."

Demorian’s eyes widened as everything suddenly clicked into place. Since he had been watching everything Zephyrion did, piecing it all together wasn’t difficult.

"...you terrifying little bastard." Demorian shook his head.

"What the hell? So all that wasn’t accidental? That training girl getting all attached to you, that village girl practically chasing your approval around like a starving puppy... you planned all of it?" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

So... none of it had happened naturally. It had all been by Zephyrion’s design.

The boy had been slowly working his way into their minds and drawing them toward him.

Demorian stared at Zephyrion in sheer disbelief. The more time he spent around this descendant of his, the more frightening the boy seemed to become.

Were all seventeen-year-olds of this age this terrifying... or was it just him?

"...my protege, you’ve been building an army of subordinates right under my nose."

Zephyrion did not answer.

But Demorian merely shook his head and continued anyway.

"So it’s an investment, huh?" Demorian clicked his tongue. "But that relic looked pretty damn valuable. What if the investment flops and the kid just runs off with it?"

"I have more."

"...Hm?"

Zephyrion calmly pulled back his sleeves, revealing multiple crude-looking bracelets strapped across his arm.

He had long since grown past relying on a single relic.

The more fog he cleared, the harder it became to continue clearing it. At the same time, as his rank increased, so did his comprehension and cognitive capabilities.

After reaching this level, he had simply requested more relics from Garrick.

The one he had given Kaiden was merely one among many, and thus Zephyrion did not consider it a risky investment.

There was every possibility that this alone would not be enough to draw Kaiden in, but in that case, Zephyrion would simply attempt another method.

As for the relic itself, whether Kaiden could truly benefit from it depended entirely on him. If he could withstand it, his comprehension would improve, but the extent of that improvement would still depend on his talent and potential.

Demorian stared at the relics in shock.

"What the hell?! You had more this entire time?!"

"Yes."

"...damn. Well now I feel stupid."

Demorian rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"So that’s why you’re so relaxed about it. Whether it works or not, you barely lose anything. And if the kid doesn’t fall for it, you’ll just try another method later..."

Then Demorian suddenly gave a pitiful look.

"...now I actually feel sorry for him."

Zephyrion remained silent.