Cloud Thinking

Slade went back, and slunk away.

No matter how he argued, how he played the victim, or how he tried to morally blackmail her, Helia remained unmoved and refused to budge an inch.

What alarmed him even more was that with each additional word he spoke, he could feel the malevolence emanating from Helia intensify.

In the end, he even suspected that the princess would take his life on the spot, disregarding everyone's gaze.

Although he was pushed out by the association to be a scapegoat, he didn't want to really die!

Besides, dying now would be pointless—Helia would never change her mind, so he would have died in vain!

It would be better to live on, bring the news back, and await the decision from above.

Maybe I can save my old life.

Helia turned to leave, but was surrounded by the teachers who were in charge of monitoring her after only a few steps.

“Your Highness Helia, are you really going to let the academy take over the resident mage of Belman? Isn’t that against the rules?” one of them probed.

The resident mages have always been selected and managed by the association and are only subject to the association's command—this is an agreement reached between the royal family and the association.

If Carter's Academy, as a neutral party, were to get involved, it would be tantamount to offending both sides at the same time.

But Helia openly declared that the academy would take over the administration of the city's resident mages from the association. Does this mean that the relationship between the royal family and the association has broken down? Is there an opportunity for the academy to take advantage of this?

More accurately, have these hidden agents lurking in the academy finally gotten their chance to rise to power?

"The association has repeatedly provoked the royal family, its disloyal intentions are obvious. What right do they have to talk to me about rules?" Helia said confidently without turning her head.

"As for recommending the academy to take the lead, that's just a temporary measure." She changed the subject, putting an end to their hopes. "Once the situation stabilizes, I will write to my father, requesting the establishment of a special department to oversee the resident magicians in various cities."

"From now on, all resident mages will be selected, assessed, appointed and managed by the royal family."

"The rulers of the empire are solely the Abrahamic royal family; this position is not to be coveted by anyone else."

She spoke with such certainty, as if she had a well-thought-out plan, but in fact, the idea had only just come to her recently.

Helia chuckled to herself: First, scare these scheming fellows so they won't dare to act rashly.

The teachers looked at each other, wondering how much truth there was in those words.

But without a doubt, they would never give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Everyone has ambition; who would willingly remain a hidden pawn forever, enduring double pressure in the cracks?

Being a resident mage is a desirable job—the pay is good, the work is easy, and there's job security; it's stable and respectable.

If you don't have connections within the association, you won't get a chance at all.

The following days were peaceful, and Helia was able to relax for a rare moment.

There are so many things to deal with that even getting a good night's sleep has become a luxury.

On this day, Hilda's men arrived in Bellman, led by Brot.

He has matured a lot. Years of traveling have shed his youthful naiveté and given him a mature and experienced demeanor.

Upon meeting, he flicked Helia on the forehead: "You, you've caused me so much trouble as soon as you came back."

"Brother!" Helia covered her forehead and said coquettishly, then smiled guiltily, "Isn't it because the capable should do more?"

"Come on," Brot said, pressing her head against Brot's with his index finger. "I think you're just a reincarnation of a troublemaker."

This kid's tantrums are never good; we can't always indulge him.

"You kill people with such ease, but do you know how much of a headache it is for me to clean up this mess?" Brot slumped on the sofa, his bangs falling loose, revealing his tired face.

"Those feudal nobles deserve to die, but what about their territories? Who will take care of the people? Taxes, security, garrison troops, daily operations... have you ever thought about these things?"

Helia lowered her head in shame.

She didn't think that much about it; she only thought about eliminating the scourge, forgetting that these "parasites" were also the "cogs" that kept the empire running.

No wonder the "noble killer" Claude, despite his abilities, doesn't take action—killing is easy, but managing the aftermath is the real challenge.

For the sake of stability, sometimes we have to tolerate the existence of these pests.

Seeing her sister's remorseful expression, Brot sighed softly and patted her shoulder: "Aya, you must not be so impulsive in the future."

"In the past, you only represented yourself and could do whatever you wanted."

"But now that you are acting as an imperial princess, you must bear this responsibility."

Even if we're there to protect you, how many times can we do that? How long can we keep protecting you?

The identity of an imperial princess is both a talisman and a shackle.

Helia cannot simply enjoy the benefits without bearing the burdens.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

"I understand, I will restrain my willfulness," Helia obediently replied, then said seriously, "It's just that I don't understand these political affairs very well, so I need to ask my brother for guidance."

Her understanding of the empire's political situation came only from her daily observations and snippets of conversation with her father and brothers.

She was not raised as an heir, but rather as a candidate for marriage.

Furthermore, given that her soul, which came from another world, knew nothing about politics, it was perfectly normal for her not to understand these things.

Although Claude has been grooming her as his successor in recent years, discussing political affairs with her and listening to her advice, it is still far from enough.

She started from a much lower point than Eric, and without any systematic guidance, she was corrupted by the "violence begets violence" mentality in a dog-eat-dog environment. It's a miracle that she didn't go astray; she was inherently kind.

“Until I reply to the capital, you will stay by my side and study.” Brot patted her head. “The North is not yet secure, and I will not let you go.”

“But!” Helia was about to retort when Brot stopped her with a look.

“A qualified leader needs patience the most,” he said slowly. “You are too impatient.”

Helia protested, "But I didn't..."

Before she could finish speaking, she met Brot's complicated gaze and instantly understood what was going on.

There was helplessness, pity, inner turmoil, and an unwavering resolve in his eyes.

“Aya, even the family has its own selfish motives.” He lowered his eyes to avoid her gaze. “My sister has her selfish motives, and so do I.”

"For the Antonio family, your ascension to the throne is most beneficial to the family's development; for your sister, power is the best compensation, both to make up for the debt and to plan for the family's future."

"And I..." he paused, his voice trembling, "I only wish that you are all well."

“I’ve never had any great ambitions since I was a child; all I know is how to have fun. If you ask me about my dream—” He looked up at Helia, his tone firm, “Your dream is my dream.”

Helia frowned and remained silent.

“My father knew I lacked initiative, so he treated me as a subordinate, ordering me to handle trivial matters so that I could find a sense of accomplishment and belonging in being busy.” He laughed self-deprecatingly, “Perhaps I was born to live for others. Once I am no longer needed, I probably can’t survive.”

"Don't say that!" Helia grabbed his wrist suddenly, her eyes blazing with anger.

She was angry that he was unambitious, selfless, and objectified himself.

“Aya, there are countless ways to live.” Brott understood her anger but was unwilling to change. “I can live this way, and it’s not so bad.”

"You can't always demand others to meet your own standards; that's selfish and a constraint on freedom."

"Sometimes you are too domineering, always wanting to bear the fate of others, and in the end you are covered in wounds and still don't get understanding."

"Everyone has their own way of living. You need to learn to let go appropriately, rather than constantly interfering with other people's freedom."

"Even if he chooses death, it is his freedom, and you cannot deprive him of his right to life and death."

Helia ground her molars, finally letting out a sneer and muttering, "Respecting other people's fates, letting go of the urge to help others...?"

She doesn't know her relatives very well.

Aside from Claude and Eric, who lived together for eighteen years and possessed the original owner's memories, the time spent with the members of the Antonio family was too short, and even Hawke knew very little about them.

My brief interaction with Sartre during his convalescence resulted in only a superficial understanding of him.

But instinct made her trust them—this inexplicable closeness was perhaps the power of blood ties.

She didn't know that Brot was like this; being self-centered, she really couldn't understand this way of living and couldn't resist the urge to interfere.

But isn't this just coercion disguised as "for your own good"?

Helia fell into deep reflection.

“I know what you’ve been trying to achieve all this,” Brot changed the subject and got back to the point. “The North will always be open to you; it will always be your home.”

"No matter what you do, the Antonio family will do everything in its power to protect you."

"This is the confidence we give you."

Helia avoided his gaze, not daring to look him in the eye.

She felt unworthy of this profound love.

If this relationship were weighed, her contributions would be far less than what they gave her.

“Brother,” she finally looked up, her eyes flashing with a complex light, “what if one day…the path I take conflicts with the interests of the family?”

Brott paused for a moment, then smiled gently: "Then prove to us that your choice is worth following for the family."

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and extended his hand to her: "Come on, take me to see the empire you've built. Let your brother see just how much our little princess has grown."

Outside the window, the sky over the North is vast and high.

Helia placed her hand in her brother's palm and felt a sense of security she had never felt before.

Perhaps she doesn't have to bear everything alone—her family is both her weakness and her armor.

What she needs to learn is how to find a balance between protecting and letting go.

-

"They really went all out..."

Kalzer unwrapped the bandages wrapped around Yorif's body, his brow furrowing as he looked at the grotesque, crisscrossing scars beneath.

Although these wounds have healed, they are still shocking to behold.

These past few days, Kalzer has been personally taking care of Yorif's injuries, without letting anyone else interfere—Helia doesn't trust anyone else.

Especially after what happened with Analia, she became wary of all healing mages except for Kalzer.

"If we don't use force, we probably won't be able to hide it from those people." Yorif didn't seem to care much.

In his view, for a real man, scars are badges of honor.

After confirming that the wound was healing well and there was no infection or inflammation, Kalzer finally agreed to end his recuperation period.

Yoriff put on his clothes and bent down to button them up: "Even if you come to take care of me, I'm afraid some people will still doubt my relationship with Aya."

“If they suddenly cut off all contact with you, it would only arouse more suspicion.” Kalzer calmly tidied the used bandages. “Placing me by your side to monitor you is exactly what their petty speculations are trying to achieve.”

“Besides, before my teacher and Aya…” He looked down at the bandage in his hand, which was still warm, “in other people’s eyes, I was probably just a pawn that Aya could discard at any time.”

“Those who habitually measure people’s hearts by their own interests naturally assume that Aya is the same way.”

Yoriff straightened his clothes and looked at Kalzer, who was still packing his medicine box: "So what are your plans after this?"

As per the plan agreed upon with Helia, he would temporarily follow Teacher Levita during this period.

Once the collaborative project with the Royal Academy of Magic was finalized, he traveled south to the capital with the rest of the academy.

“I…” Kalzer was speechless.

Helia gave him no clear instructions, as if she had forgotten his existence.

Or perhaps, as the rumors suggest, she is unwilling to have much contact with him because of his relationship with Analia.

Now that Helia is constantly traveling around with Brot, it's difficult for him to even see her.

Professor Analia's laboratory was destroyed, her research project suffered a major setback, and she had no way to seek justice. She seemed poised to break away from the academy and start her own business.

He couldn't possibly leave with Analia.

Where to go from here? He didn't know either.

In the past, he would never have dared to imagine that he could have everything he has today, let alone plan for the future.

Without Helia, he would probably still be struggling to survive in some corner, being bullied and dying without anyone caring.

Unlike now, he is a sixth-tier healing mage and was once a student of the genius Analia—a status that is highly respected in the magical world.

Helia once said that she did not want him to be bound by gratitude, nor did she want him to live for her, but rather for himself.

But he didn't know what to do.

If he was just a walking corpse before meeting Helia, then her appearance made him truly feel the meaning of life.

Since Helia gave him meaning in life, why is she abandoning him now?

Since they parted, he has studied diligently and worked hard to improve himself, hoping that one day he could help her and no longer be a burden to her.

He wanted to stand by her side and witness the realization of their ideal world together.

His dream was to make her dream come true.

“Kalzer.” Yoriff’s voice brought him from his reverie. “Aya is not the type to abandon her companions easily.”

“I know,” Kalzer forced a smile, “but… I don’t know what I can do for her now.”

The sound of horses' hooves came from outside the window, growing louder as they approached.

Yorif walked to the window and looked out, and saw a group of people stopping at the entrance of the academy.

The middle-aged man at the head of the group was burly and wore a cape with the insignia of the Antonio family.

“It’s someone from the Antonio family,” Yorif said, turning to Kalzer. “It seems the North is about to make a big move.”

Kalzer's heart skipped a beat.

Perhaps this is an opportunity.

“I’m going to find Aya.” He suddenly made up his mind. “Even if she doesn’t need me right now, I want her to know that I will always be on her side.”

Yorif smiled with satisfaction: "That's more like it. Remember, true partners don't wait to be called upon, but rather offer their help."

Kalzer hurriedly packed his medicine kit and was about to leave when Yorif called him back.

“Take this with you.” Yorif handed over a sealed envelope. “Give this to Aya for me. Inside are pieces of evidence I’ve collected over the years regarding the dealings between the various families and the Magic Association. It might be useful to her.”

Kalzer solemnly accepted the letter and carefully put it away.

As he walked briskly through the corridor, he couldn't help but recall the bits and pieces of the past few years.

From struggling to survive in the slums, to his rebirth after meeting Helia, and now to his role as a healing mage—his life has been changed because of her.

Perhaps Helia is right; he shouldn't live for others.

But following her ideals and realizing her vision, that is the path he chose for himself.

At the academy gate, he met Brot, who was about to leave.

The young master of the Antonio family looked at him with a thoughtful expression.

“Kalzer?” Brot called out to him. “Aya mentioned you. She said you are a trustworthy healer.”

Kalzer felt a warmth in his heart: "Where is Your Highness now? I have important matters to report."

Brot scrutinized him for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "Perfect timing, I'm going to meet up with her. Together?"

At that moment, Kalzer understood that a new chapter in his life was about to begin.

This time, however, he will actively embrace his destiny rather than passively wait for it.

"It would be my honor." He bowed solemnly, his eyes shining with determination.