Chapter 91: Whispers of a Future Storm
Just as Ash left the room, all the Saints turned toward Nichole—their gazes burning with an intensity that made the air feel heavier.
It was Mark who spoke first, his tone cold but calm.
"You never told us there was such a bold kid in your academy. Were you secretly raising a dragon while keeping us distracted with a tiger?"
Hearing that sharp remark from Mark, Nichole broke into a cold sweat. That damn brat... because of him, I have to take all their anger on myself.
"Let me ex—" he tried to explain, but Maelis didn’t let him finish. He grabbed him by the collar, his eyes blazing.
"That kid openly disrespected me, and I still chose to remain silent. Tell me, how do you expect my anger to just disappear after that?"
Sigh... my life really is a mess.
***
After managing to calm them down, Saint Nichole explained everything he knew about Ash—his sudden appearance, his strange potential, and even the things Nichole himself hadn’t been aware of, like how bold the kid truly was.
Hearing his explanation, Alice suddenly shouted,
"What do you mean his potential is capped at Grandmaster Rank? Are you seriously trying to tell us that?"
She stood up, visibly irritated.
"He withstood all of our pressure like it didn’t even faze him, and now you’re saying he doesn’t have high potential? I call complete bullshit on that."
"I agree," Lydia chimed in, her tone equally firm.
But then Mark said something that caught everyone off guard.
"Don’t you find all of this... interesting?" he asked, his voice calm, measured, and controlled.
The others fell silent, all waiting for him to continue before speaking again.
"He walked in, ignored all of us completely, called us incompetent to our faces, and left the very moment Alice signed the mana contract—like he already knew exactly how things would play out. As if every move he made was intentional. As if he was predicting our reactions."
As they heard that, they began recalling the boy’s words, the way he carried himself, his boldness... and when you really thought about it, it was clear that what he did wasn’t just reckless—it was incredibly risky, and yet strangely calculated.
"But what about the reason why our pressure wasn’t affecting him?" Lydia asked, her brows furrowed.
"That’s something even I don’t know the answer to," Mark admitted.
"But what I do know is this—there’s no way that boy is as simple as he seems."
Just then, Lucas asked, "What if he’s ’Unknown’?"
But Myra quickly shook her head, dismissing the thought.
"When I held his shoulder, I scanned his body—only for a split second, but there was nothing abnormal, aside from the fact that he had far more mana than a normal person at his level. In my opinion, that has something to do with his trait."
"And he’s still just at Novice Rank. How could he possibly fight against those demons?" Alice asked, her tone filled with disbelief.
"I’ll conduct another potential test if he returns," she said coldly. "If it really caps at Grandmaster... it’s a waste to take him in as a disciple."
"A pity," Myra murmured, more thoughtful than upset. "A bold soul with no future..."
Mark added, quietly but clearly, "It’s also true that the bold ones tend to die early. But we need more bold one’s like him, now that the demons are attacking our world."
Just as the his words faded, Lydia voiced the unspoken concern.
"Is it really alright... to send a child away like that? To the elves, of all people?", the words slipped out like a quiet whisper, yet they struck the room like thunder. "If anyone finds out... wouldn’t they say we sent him to his death?"
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Until finally, it was Mark who answered,
"It was his choice," he said, folding his arms, his gaze unreadable. "And you should all understand one thing—he did everything in his right mind."
He paused, then added, "That boy... he’s not walking this path because we forced him to. He’s walking it because he chose to. And from the way he looked at us... I’d say he knew exactly what kind of future he was stepping into."
***
What should I do now?
Ash thought as he left the room after signing the mana contract with Saint Alice.
His mind was strangely calm even in such a stressful situation, and it was clear that the Rune of Stability was working its magic, gently keeping his thoughts grounded and emotions steady, as if a quiet stream flowed through his heart, keeping the chaos at bay.
Elves are a hard nut to crack, he thought to himself with a hint of helplessness, fully aware that the path he was about to walk wouldn’t be easy.
Even Ash knew that elves didn’t easily welcome outsiders, especially not humans.
There was history—deep, bitter history.
Humans had once infiltrated the Elven continent and stolen leaves and branches from the World Tree, a sacred symbol of life and power for the elves.
That single act had fractured any fragile trust that might have existed, leaving wounds that never fully healed.
There was no way their relationship could be called friendly, not after something like that.
That was also the reason why even the Saints were hesitant to contact the elves.
It wasn’t just about asking for a favor—it meant confronting the past, settling old debts, and possibly being forced to agree to future demands that could be outrageous or even humiliating.
The elves never forgot, and they rarely forgave, especially when it came to the sacred.
But still, although strained, it’s not like the two sides are at war,
Ash reminded himself, holding onto that thin thread of possibility, that maybe, just maybe, something could be done.
That was why it was extremely difficult—almost unreasonable—for him to even think about asking the elves to teach him Life Magic.
It wasn’t a casual request; it was something that touched the very core of their identity, their lineage, their culture.
And if someone dared to question him and say, "Why not just ask the elves to treat Elysia directly?"—Ash would honestly beat them up for being stupid.
Only one elf is born with Life Affinity in an entire generation of elves. Just one.
And that elf isn’t just anyone—they are the caretaker of the World Tree, the spiritual pillar of the Elven race, and also the head of their people, someone who holds a position equivalent to that of a king or even higher.
How could Ash, a human, walk up and ask someone like that to leave their sacred land and come heal a human girl? It was unreasonable, even laughable, and would probably offend the entire Elven race.
But at the same time, getting someone like that to teach him was no less of a challenge.
It would take more than determination. It would take courage, luck, and maybe even something beyond fate.
No matter what, I have to do it, he told himself again, more firmly this time, as if etching it into his soul.
Because this wasn’t about pride or fear—it was about Elysia’s life.
***
[Melissia Ravencroft]
Where did he go?
She thought to herself but, as usual, received no answer.
Ever since she had seen him that day, fighting the demon with that overwhelming power, her heart had been beating wildly—like it was trying to break free from her chest.
This was an unfamiliar and strange feeling.
She had never experienced something like this before.
Even when she liked Ray, back then, her heart would flutter gently, like a breeze passing through cherry blossoms. But now—it was like thunder, pounding like it would burst through her chest.
I need to find him. I still have the demon’s corpse, and I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do with it.
The demon’s body, which she had quietly retrieved after the battle, was still in her possession.
She hadn’t told anyone about it. Just like she hadn’t told anyone about Ash’s power. Not a single word. She had kept everything to herself.
And yet, her mind was filled with countless questions.
Who is he, really?
What was that power he used during the fight?
How can he use both sword and magic together like that?
Why is he hiding such overwhelming strength?
And many, many more questions swirled around, refusing to leave her alone.
But before she could get any answers, she needed to find him first.
Where the hell did he go? He wasn’t in his room. He’s seriously making me run around this much just to find him...
She was just about to curse him out loud when her eyes finally spotted him.
He was standing near one of the large windows of the infirmary building, his gaze focused somewhere far beyond the academy walls, lost in deep thought.
From what she could see, he looked completely absorbed in whatever he was thinking, unmoving and silent.
He was wearing the standard infirmary clothes, and his silvery-white hair swayed gently in the wind coming through the open window.
In that quiet moment, he looked ethereal.
No, more than that—he looked charming.
The sight of him standing like that made her heart skip a beat, and she felt a warm rush of heat rising to her cheeks.
She took a deep breath, trying her best to calm herself down and act normal.
"You’re awake," she said as she slowly walked up to him.
Upon hearing her voice, he turned around. And for the very first time since she had met him... she saw it—
A faint smile on his face.
Seeing that slight smile, her thoughts froze instantly. Her mind went completely blank.
S-so... s-so...
Her thoughts scrambled like broken static on an old radio.
...h-hand... s-some...
The only word her brain managed to form was handsome .
In truth, ever since his emotions had burst out earlier, Ash had felt a tiny shift—just enough control to slightly move the corners of his lips.
It wasn’t much, just the bare minimum to make a faint smile, but to him, it was everything.
For Ash, even this small smile felt like he had won a once-in-a-lifetime jackpot.
He had come to a conclusion—if letting his emotions loose helped him regain control, then maybe, just maybe, that was the key to bringing his emotions back.
But he couldn’t afford to put Elysia’s life in danger every time just to do that.
But he couldn’t risk Elysia’s life every time to do it.
There had to be another way.
There had to be.
"It’s good to see you," Ash said.
His calm voice brought Melissia out of her daze.
"S-so, h-how are you? Do you feel alright? Are your injuries better now? D-did everything heal properly?"
She started asking question after question without giving him a chance to answer any of them. Her words tumbled out, clearly showing how worried she had been.
I knew it—she’s cute.
He had thought that the very first time he saw her. Now, seeing her flustered, worried, and still managing to rattle off questions like a machine gun, he was certain that first impression wasn’t wrong.
Once she finally stopped talking to catch her breath, Ash calmly replied, "I’m well and fine, as you can see."
Hearing his voice and knowing that he really was okay, Melissia smiled softly. But right after that, she became serious again and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Now can you tell me about that?"
She asked directly, her expression making it clear she wasn’t going to let this go easily.
Ash’s face returned to its emotionless state. The faint smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He sighed quietly, almost too softly to notice, and said, "Let’s change places and talk about it somewhere else."
Hearing that, Melissia didn’t say anything. She simply nodded her head in agreement and followed him out of the infirmary.
***