After staying with Chloe for a few minutes to make sure she was comfortable, Vlad rose from the bed and stepped into the attached bathroom.

He stood before the mirror and began removing the bandages from his head.

"Thank god they didn’t shave me bald to heal the injuries," he sighed in relief, seeing that his dense black hair was still there. Next, he removed the bandages covering his entire torso, the strips accumulating on the floor like a coiled snake around his feet.

"Oho, not a single burn mark remaining," Vlad chuckled in amusement, scanning his front and back for any visible scar. His body had healed completely, as if there had never been any injury to begin with.

"I had only heard the rumours, but Holy Magic truly works wonders," he murmured, impressed. "I thought I might be left with permanent burn marks from that fight."

He took a quick cold shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes from his backpack, since the old ones were completely ruined.

When he came out of the bathroom, Chloe was sitting on the bed, rubbing one eye as she looked up at him.

"Oh, good morning, kiddo," Vlad said with a teasing smile, shaking the towel through his damp hair.

Chloe’s face slowly turned beet red as the memories of crying in Vlad’s arms and falling asleep on him replayed in her mind. She inched the blanket upward, hiding her face behind it.

"I’m not a kid," she hissed under her breath.

---

In half an hour, the duo packed their things and left the room. Vlad wanted to see Mikael again before leaving, both to thank him for saving them and to ask how much they owed the Holy Church for the healing and accommodations.

The caretaker, however, revealed that Mikael had retreated into prayer and would not emerge for several days. As for the payment, Mikael had left a single message:

"Soon, I will ask for a favour in return for saving your life."

The message seemed suspicious, but Vlad did not dwell on it. Knowing Mikael, he certainly would not ask for anything unreasonable. At least, that was what Vlad told himself.

The duo stepped out of the church, and when they had walked a fair distance from it, a figure Vlad had least wanted to see appeared before them.

"Greetings, Mr. Vlad. I heard you were attacked by thugs a few days ago," Armin said, his voice carrying a tone of exaggerated surprise. He stood before them alongside a bodyguard who carried a broad suitcase.

Chloe’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. She was about to step forward when Vlad suddenly took hold of her hand.

"Yes, Mayor. I hope you look further into the city’s security so that something like this does not happen again," Vlad replied evenly.

"Pthoo, filthy commoner," the guard beside Armin muttered, spitting on Vlad’s shoe. "The Mayor greeted you first, yet you cannot even return the courtesy. And what is with that tone? People might get the impression you are someone of high nobility."

Before Vlad could respond, Armin rounded sharply on his bodyguard.

"Shut your mouth, idiot. Do you have any idea who you just disrespected? He is a ’D Rank’ who will become the ’Legendary Knight’."

"A D Rank Legendary Knight?" The bodyguard barely suppressed a laugh.

Armin turned back to Vlad and continued, "Forgive the behaviour of my insolent bodyguard. As for your earlier request..."

The smile on Armin’s face widened as he snatched the suitcase from the bodyguard. Turning it to face Vlad, he opened it and said,

"I have already dealt with those thugs. Something like this will never happen again."

Vlad’s eyes widened in shock at what lay inside the suitcase. Chloe snapped her head away. Her expression darkened, and she retched.

Three bloodied heads sat arranged within it. On the left and right were Theo and Matteo, and in the centre was Ronald.

"I hope you are satisfied with their punishment, Mr. Vlad," Armin murmured. He leaned closer and whispered into Vlad’s ear,

"If I ever see you in Barton City again, yours will be the next head placed inside. Get out of here."

With that, he shut the suitcase, shoved Vlad’s shoulder, and walked on. When enough distance had opened between them, both standing with their backs to each other, Vlad spoke in a cold, measured tone.

"The next time I come to Barton City, you will beg me on your knees to spare your measly life."

Armin stopped mid-step. His bodyguard spun on his heel and snarled, lunging at Vlad.

"How dare you, filthy comm—"

Before his fist could land, Vlad delivered a jaw-shattering slap across the bodyguard’s face. The man’s whole body spun from the impact, his feet swinging skyward before his face met the ground at Vlad’s shoe.

Vlad wiped the earlier spit from his shoe with the man’s lips, then walked forward and took Chloe’s hand.

In that moment, Armin had every justification to arrest Vlad on the spot for threatening the Mayor’s life and assaulting his bodyguard. Yet he could not move an inch, pinned in place by a distant gaze fixed upon him from the church window.

---

"Chloe, are you alright?" Vlad asked as they reached the edge of the city.

"Hmm," Chloe nodded, after drinking some water and washing her face.

It was the first time either of them had witnessed something so horrific. Vlad had barely managed to hold his composure, hardened as he was from years of hunting wild animals in the forest. Chloe, however, was completely shaken.

Even so, Vlad offered her no comfort. They would need to grow accustomed to grotesque sights sooner or later. That was simply the nature of the path ahead.

Once she had pulled herself together, they made their way to a towering stone mansion built against the city wall. Its imposing structure was forged from pale grey granite, worn smooth by centuries of wind.

Richly dressed men and women alongside round-bellied merchants advertising their prosperous trade moved in and out through the massive entrance.

Vlad and Chloe stepped inside, reaching a grand hall where two metallic platforms sat at its centre, their surfaces etched with numerous intricate patterns. At regular intervals, a burst of mana surged from the platforms in a flash of bright blue light. Those standing on one platform vanished, while on the other, entirely different people materialised out of thin air. Both entering and departing required travelers to present their identity documents.

This was Teleportation Magic, one of the most advanced and widely used magic in all of Argentum.

Vlad had not planned on using the portal to reach the Academy. The cost of teleportation was exorbitant. But with orientation beginning the following day and evening already settling in, he had no choice. They also needed to complete their admission process before it began.

Still, there was one silver lining...

"Show your identity card and state your destination," said the man seated at the desk beside the platform.

Vlad placed both his and Chloe’s identity cards on the table and said with a smirk,

"Arcane Academy. And I would also like to apply the ninety percent discount of the Black Card."