"I could sense her affection for me too, but I refused to admit it," Shel said wryly. "After all, I always saw them as children who hadn’t fully grown up. I believed those feelings would fade with time. I’m over a decade older than both Lofna and Hilna. To them, I was just a teacher—or an older brother, even a father figure."

He’d underestimated his importance to Lofna. He’d also completely missed Hilna’s hidden feelings.

Worst of all, he’d fallen into a mental blind spot, carefully engineered by the System’s suggestive words. His misjudgment led him to choose the fated option, step by step, toward a future someone else had designed.

"Let’s set Lofna aside for now... That day, I drove a carriage carrying Hilna.

"Holy Knight Perry and Talia escorted us through marshes and forests. It took weeks to navigate those treacherous roads across several principalities. When we finally reached the border of the Great Darksend Region, they parted ways to continue their HolySee missions.

"With a travel permit from the Holy Knight, Hilna and I crossed smoothly into the Principality of Bartzan. We stayed in a tourist city centered around an exquisite grand fountain.

"Bartzan was far richer than Great Darksend. Vast plains dotted with windmills and pastures stretched endlessly. Its cities dwarfed tiny settlements like Ipoli, home to mere thousands.

"This was Hilna’s first long journey. Her first glimpse of a true city—teeming with over ten thousand souls.

"After a moment of wide-eyed wonder, her excitement exploded. She dragged me through streets for hours: sketching by the fountain, listening to choirs chant hymns in the square, tasting local delicacies at restaurants, even learning folk dances from strolling couples...

"I’d brought ample coins, expecting expenses and odd jobs along the way. Instead, the opposite happened.

"Hilna’s radiant charm shone through. Everywhere we went, her smiles and gentle words won instant goodwill:

"Passersby paused to admire her sketches; choir children gathered around her, begging her to sing; restaurant owners gifted her free meals, eager for her praise...

"We stayed only two days. Yet when we left, hundreds gathered to bid Hilna farewell. Everyone called her 'the blue-haired angel walking among mortals.'

"It stunned me.

"This pattern repeated endlessly. In every town, Hilna’s charisma—paired with the fortune-telling magic I’d taught her—quickly won hearts.

"Once, even a local bishop tried to detain us. Clergy insisted Hilna was a divine envoy sent by the Eternal Father to spread joy and piety. I had to argue fiercely to free us.

"The more people she met, the more effortlessly she navigated crowds. I grew certain: she had the grace and presence of a future empress.

"By the time we reached Veran Republic’s port, two and a half months had passed. True to my promise, I’d documented our journey. At a local cathedral, I paid extra to rush my letters to the red-haired girl in the riverside cottage back in Ipoli.

"Then we boarded a Church-owned ferry. It sailed across the Organ Sea, rounded Longhorn Peninsula, and followed its coast. The voyage was calm, utterly uneventful.

"As a Church vessel, it carried no rough sailors. Passengers were wealthy merchants and well-born nobles—mostly pilgrims heading to the City of Glory to pay homage to the Pope, or parents seeking admission to the ancient Divine Academy for their children.

"I felt like an anxious parent, peppering fellow travelers with questions: entry requirements for the Academy, residency permits for Glory City, ways to earn a living... terrified my mistakes might ruin Hilna’s future.

"But after meeting Hilna, they all reassured me: 'Don’t worry. The Church will surely accept this child.'

"Finally, our ship docked at Port of Saints, mere miles from Glory City. Our journey neared its end.

"Barely settled in a harbor hotel, Holy Knights tracked us down—Perry had alerted the HolySee from Great Darksend, warning them to watch for 'a girl named Hilna and her teacher.'

"After testing Hilna’s magic—watching her cast several high-tier spells—the knights were awestruck.

"Hilna was immediately escorted into Glory City.

"I never got to gaze upon the city’s ancient, towering walls. Never walked streets trodden by saints. A speeding carriage rushed us straight to the Radiant Cathedral within Glory City’s heart.

"Waiting there was a high-ranking Cardinal Bishop.

"Solemnly, she led Hilna to a simple preaching hall. After chanting hymns, she summoned starlight from the heavens, bathing Hilna in its glow.

"Studying the girl intently, the bishop suddenly cried out in ecstasy. She declared this 'angelic gift' must be announced to all—a blessing from the divine.

"Then came cheers, music, footsteps, hymns, prayers... It was too loud. Too long. I barely remember details now—only a deep, restless irritation...

"Instantly, Hilna became the talk of the Church.

"Back then, the Church ranked students in three tiers:

First—modest magic talent, ordinary backgrounds.

Second—strong connections, mediocre talent.

Third—exceptional talent, worthy of elite cultivation. These true prodigies could choose any mentor below the Pope himself.

"Hilna wasn’t just Tier Three. She ranked first among them. Archbishops and Cardinals fiercely competed to become her mentor.

"Hilna and I weren’t fools. We saw through their polished words—the greedy glint in those dignitaries’ eyes. They wanted to claim this rising star, to build their own factions.

"Such extraordinary talent would attract dangerous attention before she even came of age.

"I also sensed hostile stares—resentment and jealousy—fixed on Hilna.

"Fellow students at the Divine Academy, children her age, resented this girl who’d shaken the Church the moment she arrived.

"Regret gnawed at me. Bringing underage Hilna to Glory City might have been a mistake. A sapling couldn’t thrive under the shadow of ancient trees. Instead, I’d exposed her to open hostility.

"Seeing me as Hilna’s key guardian, the bishops turned their schemes on me. They showered me with threats and bribes, sweet words and warnings, demanding I decide for her."

It was a wretched memory.

Robed in silks and jewels, miters gleaming, staffs heavy with power—these Church leaders circled Shel, a nobody. They believed they honored him with their attention, pressing him with questions:

"Make the wise choice for your child."

"Don’t bury her future in your shortsightedness."

"You, with merely average talent—you’ve done well just not to corrupt her..."

Their words pounded his skull. His volatile temper nearly snapped.

Then, into that clamorous hall strode an authority who silenced all dissent. A warrior who commanded absolute quiet.

He wore heavy armor. Ornate pauldrons blazed with sacred runes. Golden chains coiled around his arms and waist, clanking with each step. His iron boots cracked the sturdy bricks beneath them. Only his head was bare—framed by snow-white hair and a beard to match, crowned by a simple black iron circlet. An aged warrior, yet half a head taller than Shel even in armor.

His gaze swept the room—not lingering on the radiant girl at its center, but settling on the agitated Shel.

He marched forward, stopping before Shel. "You are Teacher Charles, correct?"

He used an honorific. Murmurs rippled through the stunned crowd behind him.

"Yes. And you are...?"

"I am Aether Monroe." He bowed slightly. "If you trust me, I would be honored to mentor Miss Hilna. And you as well."

"Aether Monroe?!"

"Indeed. I believe we might learn much from each other."

The stern elder turned to the silent bishops. "Do any of you object?"

Heads shook mutely. No objections.

"And you, Teacher Charles?" His eyes held Shel’s. "If you believe I am worthy, give me your answer."

"I... have no objections."

Hilna added softly, "I follow Teacher Charles’s decision."

Thus, Aether Monroe—the continent’s Sword Saint, Captain of the Papal Guard—became Hilna’s mentor.

And Shel’s future father-in-law.