]
The morning air at the northern gate of the Royal Astra Magic Academy felt so cold that it could freeze the dew on the tips of travel cloaks.
Unlike the festivity of the festival that had just passed a day earlier, this morning's atmosphere was filled with a tense and rigid silence.
In front of the large iron gate facing directly toward the expedition path toward the outer regions of the kingdom, three large transport *Wyverns* stood quietly while flapping their wide wings slowly, creating a small wind gust sweeping the ground dust.
Beside those scaly creatures, an armored carriage carved with the official emblem of the Central High Magic Council parked magnificently.
Grand Magister Valen stood near the carriage wheel in his thick black robe, folding both arms across his chest while staring sharply at the academy pathway.
Not long after, the sound of orderly footsteps approached.
Erin walked steadily wearing a dark blue outer travel cloak with silver stripes, her blue hair neatly braided backward so as not to block vision, and her primary magic staff gripped tightly in her right hand.
Behind her, Academy Principal Amelia walked alongside with an equally serious facial expression, accompanied by Professor Adrian wearing complete combat equipment equipped with an iron chest guard.
"Do you really intend to go, Erin?" Amelia whispered softly with a tone full of worry when they were just a few steps away from Valen's position.
"The central council is not looking for the truth; they are looking for a scapegoat for the weakening border seal. I can use my authority as the academy principal to reject this order."
Erin paused for a moment, turned toward Amelia, and gave a reassuring faint smile.
"Thank you for your protection all this time, Academy Principal," Erin replied in a calm voice.
"But if I run away now, the shadows of the past will continue to haunt this academy and my students. I must go to find out who I really am in this world, and what the connection is between my power and that dimensional seal."
Seeing the determination radiating within Erin's yellow eyes, Amelia finally let out a long sigh of surrender.
Logan knew—she knew that the girl before her had a stubborn stance behind her gentleness as an educator.
"Very well," Amelia said with a firm voice.
"Adrian will accompany you as an official guard from the academy side. Do not let the central council treat you arbitrarily outside their territory of power."
Professor Adrian nodded firmly beside Amelia, gripping the magic sword hilt at his waist with a ready stance.
The two of them then continued walking until they arrived before Grand Magister Valen.
Valen glanced briefly at Erin and Adrian, then smiled coldly.
"I thought you would look for an excuse to hide behind the Academy Principal's skirt, Professor Erin," Valen uttered in a sarcastic tone.
"It turns out your guts are bigger than I suspected. Good. We have little time; the anomaly at the northern border becomes more unstable every second. Please get on the carriage."
Without caring about the sharp sarcasm, Erin walked calmly up the armored carriage stairs, followed by Adrian who sat in the outer guard compartment.
The iron carriage door was closed tightly, and within seconds, the driver flicked his magic whip.
The armored carriage began to move forward, leading the small expedition entourage leaving the academy gate under anxious gazes from several class 101 students—including Leon, Serena, and Kai—secretly peeking from behind the second-floor dorm tower.
The journey to the northern region took hours, crossing gray grassy lowlands gradually turning into a landscape barren with thin snow.
The further north they traveled, the air temperature dropped drastically until their breath turned into white vapor every time it was exhaled.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere felt so quiet.
Valen sat opposite Erin, his eyes continuously observing the girl with a probing gaze as if examining a rare specimen in a forbidden magic laboratory.
"You look very calm, Professor," Valen said breaking the silence after a two-hour journey.
"Even though out there, at the edge of the northern ice valley, lies the weakest point where the boundary between our world and the dimensional void is almost collapsing entirely. It is said that anyone with blood or mana resonance similar to the first seal guardian will experience extraordinary mental impact when approaching that location."