The laughter surrounding the Divine Spoon Art gradually subsided.
Not completely.
That was impossible.
Every few minutes someone would remember a ridiculous rumor and start laughing again.
At one point, Victor Rosenfeld nearly started another argument regarding whether a spoon could theoretically become a legendary artifact if enough people believed in it.
Fortunately, Duke Aktaris ended that discussion before it evolved into a scholarly debate.
The atmosphere slowly returned to normal.
The dinner continued beneath the warm golden glow of crystal chandeliers.
Outside the massive windows of the Grand Dining Hall, snow continued falling across the mountain fortress.
White flakes drifted through darkness.
Ancient dragon statues watched from distant towers.
The North slept beneath winter's embrace.
Inside, however, House Rosenfeld remained lively.
Kel quietly observed the gathered family members.
For a brief moment, he simply listened.
The conversations.
The laughter.
The small arguments.
The familiar warmth.
It felt strangely distant.
Not because he didn't belong.
But because the last several years had changed him.
Frostbound.
Exploration.
The Dragon Realm.
The countless battles.
The countless responsibilities.
Sometimes it felt as though several lifetimes had passed since he had last sat at this table.
Then—
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Kel."
He looked up.
Across the table sat Aria Rosenfeld.
Silver hair.
Blue eyes.
Elegant posture.
A noble lady through and through.
At seventeen years old, she was only one year older than him.
Among all his cousins, she was the closest to his age.
And perhaps one of the few people within House Rosenfeld capable of keeping up with his thought process.
The two had spent considerable time together before Kel departed.
Many family members jokingly referred to them as partners in crime.
Mostly because whenever one proposed an idea, the other usually improved it.
Which often resulted in chaos.
Aria rested her chin upon one hand.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"So."
Kel immediately recognized that smile.
It was the same smile she used whenever she was planning something.
"What?"
Aria's smile widened slightly.
"Do you need any information?"
The room gradually became quieter.
Several family members looked interested.
Everyone knew what she meant.
Aetherial Institute.
The destination Kel would soon enter.
The academy that stood above all others within the Empire.
A place where nobles, commoners, geniuses, monsters, heirs, and future legends gathered.
The beginning of Kel's next journey.
Aria leaned back comfortably.
After completing her first year at Aetherial Institute, she possessed more firsthand knowledge than anyone else present.
"Anything."
She shrugged.
"Campus life."
"Teachers."
"Exams."
"Students."
"Organizations."
"Troublemakers."
"The people you should avoid."
"The people you absolutely should avoid."
Victor laughed.
"There are two categories?"
Aria nodded seriously.
"Yes."
"One group causes trouble."
"The second group causes catastrophes."
The room laughed.
Kel smiled faintly.
The description sounded surprisingly accurate.
His gaze briefly shifted toward Aria.
Memories surfaced naturally.
A year ago.
This same table.
This same dining hall.
This same atmosphere.
Aria had been the center of attention then.
Everyone asking the same question.
Which academy would she choose?
The Empire contained many prestigious institutions.
Military academies.
Magic academies.
Noble academies.
Political academies.
Knight academies.
The choices had been endless.
Aria had spent weeks unable to decide.
Then she approached him.
The conversation remained surprisingly clear in his memory.
"Kel."
Sixteen-year-old Aria had appeared before him carrying several academy brochures.
Her expression was unusually troubled.
"I need help."
Kel glanced at the pile.
Then immediately understood.
"The academy issue."
Aria sighed.
"How did you know?"
"You've been carrying those brochures for two weeks."
"..."
"You also keep glaring at them."
"..."
"And muttering."
"..."
Aria had immediately sat down beside him.
"I hate making decisions."
Kel looked at her.
"No."
"You hate making irreversible decisions."
Aria froze.
Because he was correct.
She always feared choosing incorrectly.
Not failure.
Regret.
Kel remembered studying her for several moments before speaking.
"You want challenge."
She nodded.
"You dislike restrictions."
Another nod.
"You enjoy exploration."
Again.
"You prefer practical learning over theory."
Aria crossed her arms.
"Get to the point."
Kel smiled slightly.
Then answered.
"Aetherial Institute."
Silence.
Aria blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...Really?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Kel's answer had been simple.
"Because you'll be miserable everywhere else."
The memory faded.
Back in the present, Aria was still watching him.
Waiting.
Curious.
Across the table, Arthur suddenly grinned.
"I remember that."
The younger boy laughed.
"You looked completely lost."
Aria pointed at him.
"I was evaluating options."
"You were lost."
"I was not."
"You absolutely were."
The two immediately began arguing.
The family laughed.
Eventually Aria sighed dramatically.
Then looked toward Kel.
"Honestly."
"I still think you manipulated me."
Kel raised an eyebrow.
"Manipulated?"
"You somehow spent ten minutes explaining why every other academy would annoy me."
Several family members laughed.
That certainly sounded like Kel.
Aria continued.
"Then you spent two minutes explaining Aetherial Institute."
"And somehow I agreed."
Kel calmly took a sip of water.
"Because I was correct."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The worst part was that Aria couldn't deny it.
She groaned.
The family laughed again.
Then Helena smiled.
"Wasn't there another discussion?"
Immediately—
Several people remembered.
Aria's face twitched.
Victor burst into laughter.
"Oh yes."
"The commoner incident."
The entire table became interested.
Arthur nearly stood up.
"What happened?"
Aria covered her face.
Unfortunately.
Nobody intended to spare her.
Victor immediately answered.
"She wanted to enter as a commoner."
The room exploded.
Even Duke Aktaris looked amused.
Arthur stared at Aria.
"What?"
Aria immediately defended herself.
"Kel was doing it!"
"That doesn't make it a good idea."
Arthur replied instantly.
The room laughed.
Aria pointed accusingly toward Kel.
"This is his fault."
Kel looked innocent.
Which somehow made everything worse.
Aria sighed dramatically.
"I was inspired."
"That's dangerous."
Kel replied.
The family laughed again.
Then Aria mimicked his voice.
Perfectly.
"'Aria.'"
"'You are accustomed to noble life.'"
"'You have servants.'"
"'You have never cooked.'"
"'You have never washed clothes.'"
"'You get lost inside your own bedroom.'"
The room erupted.
Even Helena nearly laughed into her tea.
Aria looked betrayed.
"He spent twenty minutes destroying my confidence."
Kel corrected her.
"I was presenting facts."
"Those facts were unnecessary."
"They were relevant."
"They were cruel."
"They were accurate."
"..."
Aria fell silent.
Because unfortunately—
They had been accurate.
The family laughed even harder.
Far away within Scarder Lake—
Seiren's laughter echoed through the telepathic connection.
"You truly said that?"
"Yes."
"Merciless."
"Accurate."
"Mercilessly accurate."
Kel ignored her.
Meanwhile, Aria finally looked toward him.
A small smile appearing.
Unlike before.
This smile contained sincerity.
Gratitude.
"I never thanked you properly."
The room became quieter.
Aria's voice softened.
"If I hadn't listened..."
Her gaze drifted slightly.
Toward memories.
Toward the island academy.
Toward countless experiences.
New friends.
New rivals.
New challenges.
A new world.
"...I would've regretted it."
Silence followed.
Not uncomfortable silence.
Warm silence.
Then Kel simply nodded.
"I know."
Aria rolled her eyes.
"You could at least pretend to be humble."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
The room laughed again.
Then Aria leaned forward.
The playful atmosphere gradually disappeared.
Her expression became more serious.
More focused.
The expression of an actual Aetherial Institute student.
The expression of someone who understood what awaited him.
"Jokes aside."
The room gradually quieted.
Aria looked directly into Kel's eyes.
For several moments.
Neither spoke.
Then she asked.
"How much do you really want to know?"
Kel immediately noticed the change.
This was no longer casual conversation.
This was a warning.
Information.
Preparation.
A senior speaking to a future student.
His silver eyes narrowed slightly.
"Everything."
Aria slowly smiled.
Not a playful smile.
A dangerous smile.
The smile of someone remembering chaos.
"Good."
She folded her hands together.
"Because Aetherial Institute is far stranger than the stories."
Several family members became interested again.
Even Duke Aktaris listened.
Aria continued.
"The entrance examination isn't the real problem."
Kel remained silent.
Listening.
Observing.
Calculating.
Aria's next words caused the atmosphere to shift.
"The real problem begins after you pass."
Outside the windows—
Snow continued falling.
The mountain fortress stood silent beneath moonlight.
Inside the dining hall—
The conversation was changing.
The jokes.
The laughter.
The stories.
They were ending.
Slowly.
Naturally.
The discussion was approaching something more important.
The beginning of Kel's next journey.
The legendary academy.
The island beyond the Empire.
The place where countless future legends gathered.
And for the first time that evening—
Even Kel felt genuine curiosity.
Because soon—
He would stop being Count Kel von Rosenfeld.
Soon—
He would become Aedon Flinth.
And enter a world entirely unknown to him.