Chapter 30: The Past Between Master and Disciple

On the other side of the academy, late at night.

Deep underground in Cantoria Academy.

A small girl in a specially tailored miniature white lab coat — complete with glasses and a serious expression — stood surrounded by machines.

She was none other than the world-renowned Star Xuan.

At that moment, she held a data board that was nearly larger than her own head, apparently preparing to record something on it.

“Well then… let’s start with the most basic spell — Fireball.”

“Fireball?”

Raine frowned, looking puzzled.

“The most basic Fireball spell? Is there even a need to test that, teacher?”

“I mean, sure, I’ve slacked off these past fifteen years, but I haven’t fallen so far that I can’t even cast a proper Fireball, right?”

“Idiot! Of course I know that.”

Star Xuan lowered her board and glared at him, her tone full of exasperation.

If it had been the old Star Xuan — the tall, imposing white-haired man whose very presence demanded respect — Raine might’ve fallen to his knees in apology on the spot.

But now, with the same words coming from a petite girl, he couldn’t feel any pressure at all.

If anything…

She was kind of cute?

(Stop right there, Raine! How could you even think something so disrespectful about your own master?!)

Luckily, that thought only flashed in his mind for a moment before he forcefully suppressed it.

After all, even if her appearance had changed, her soul was still that same Star Xuan — the legendary white-bearded sage who once shook the world.

If she ever learned what her disciple was thinking right now, Raine would probably be vaporized by a super-condensed, hyper-charged Fireball ProMax edition.

Wait — speaking of Fireballs…

“You mean you’re testing my magical output and casting reaction time through Fireball?”

Raine quickly answered before she could scold him again.

That reply earned a satisfied nod from Star Xuan.

“Good. Looks like your brain hasn’t completely rusted.

Exactly. Thanks to my recent research, we’ve successfully created a prototype machine that can measure a person’s magical potential using a simple Fireball spell!”

“Don’t tell me you had him build it again?”

Raine’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the enormous magi-mechanical device in front of them — nearly thirty meters wide.

While Star Xuan proudly introduced the project with visible excitement, Raine’s expression stayed flat.

He wasn’t surprised — he was worried.

Star Xuan didn’t answer his question directly.

But her silence said enough.

“Master… are you really planning to keep that guy by your side forever?”

“This matter… he just…”

Raine’s expression hardened as his mentor fell silent.

It was all the confirmation he needed — she hadn’t taken his advice from fifteen years ago.

“Putting his race aside, even if his alchemy talent is exceptional, that competitive, reckless personality of his will cause trouble one day.

You know that as well as I do! You were there at graduation when he said those things!

And Flanda’s death — wasn’t it because of him—”

“I know that!”

Star Xuan snapped, her composure breaking for a moment.

But the outburst didn’t last long.

She took a deep breath, exhaled, and turned her gaze away from Raine’s questioning eyes.

“Of course I know someone like him will eventually hurt those around him — maybe even me.”

“But his talent in alchemy has been invaluable.

Especially in the fifteen years since you, my useless disciple, left me!”

“I—”

This time, Raine was the one left speechless.

He knew she was right.

When he left fifteen years ago without saying goodbye, the one person he felt most guilty toward was his master.

Before leaving, he had given her all the money he had earned and saved during his years of study — but he knew that wasn’t what she wanted.

Between master and disciple, emotion forms through years of teaching and shared effort.

People always say the disciple depends on the master, but if the master has no children, the bond often runs both ways — the disciple becomes like family.

Star Xuan had once taken on three disciples in total — two men and one woman.

The first was the magical prodigy — Raine himself.

The second was Flanda, a genius in enchantments and spell inscription.

The third… was someone equally gifted, but in the field of alchemy.

A half-dragon named Bost.

The only hybrid among Star Xuan’s disciples — half human, half dragon.

As for their current fates, aside from Raine…

He had already said it.

Flanda was dead.

Though there was no hard evidence, anyone who knew the two of them could guess the culprit — Bost, the other disciple.

And when asked why he had killed his fellow apprentice, his answer had been brutally direct.

“She mocked me — more than once!

Called me a half-breed freak, said I didn’t deserve to be the master’s student.

Said she was a hundred times better than me.

So I showed her — I made her see what it’s like to die at the hands of the ‘worthless waste’ she looked down on.”

Standing up for himself wasn’t wrong.

But the way he did it was monstrous.

And in his eyes back then, Raine had seen something that shouldn’t exist in someone so young — an almost overflowing killing intent, mixed with restless ambition.

That was why, on the day he left, Raine had written about it in his final letter — warning Star Xuan to stay away from Bost.

It wasn’t for himself, but for her safety and for everyone around her.

Because, at that time, his master was the only person he still truly cared about.

But now, fifteen years later, it seemed she hadn’t listened.

Not only had she kept Bost, she had entrusted him with the production of her latest inventions.

She had given him everything.

If Raine hadn’t left back then, perhaps things wouldn’t have come to this.

“It really is my fault.”

Raine sighed softly, stepping toward the giant testing device.

He pressed the glowing red button beside it.

【Beep——System initialized.

According to the integrated test, your magical output will be ranked from low to high.

Your overall level is——】

Before the mechanical voice could finish, a small Fireball shot from Raine’s hand — moving so fast that it was almost invisible to the eye.

In the blink of an eye, it struck the far end of the testing machine and exploded in a massive burst of flame.

When the fire finally died down, the machine’s voice resumed.

【Detected magical level… S-Class.

Based on all Cantoria Academy records, your result ranks first among all students to date!】

“I’ll handle this matter for you, Master.

Don’t worry.”

Without turning back, Raine walked away — leaving only the machine repeating its automated message:

【Keep up the good work! Keep striving for excellence!】