“So…Sig…we are heading to the Headmaster’s office now, right?” Alisa asked with a knitted brow.

“Yeah, there’s someone there right now that I think I know. And on top of that, I’d like to express my apology to him personally.” Sigrun said as he leads the walk down the hallway leading to the Headmaster’s office of Estelle Harmonia Magic Academy.

Several footsteps resounded in the place as each step is landed on a red furnished carpet. The hallway’s east side is full of doors along the path. The brownish wall with standard linear decoration gives off a pleasant atmosphere and the small chandeliers hanging from the ceilings gave a novel ambiance.

To the right is an array of windows where you can peek to the entirety of the Academy. The sun is still afront on the horizon and there’s still no sign of it bidding farewell even though it’s late afternoon.

“Then…what are you guys even doing here, following us all the way…?” Alisa turns around and glances at the additional people with Reed as an exception.

“Oh, I just wanted to hang out with my buddy today. It’s not like we are not allowed here, right? You’ve been spending a lot of awful time with Reed recently even though last month, you were a little distant to him.” Einhert said as he averts his eyes from Alisa’s interrogating stare.

“This is not bad once in a while. I might as well greet Headmaster Valker. After all, the academy orders quite a lot of metal from our family.” Amaryl said with a tinged of seriousness, however, her lips are curved in a smile.

“And…the uppeclassmen…?” Alisa then eyed at the two other figures.

“……” Seigen didn’t say anything and kept looking forward.

“I’m just here to give my father a little greeting. Being the Headmaster’s assistance, he’s busy as of late. Seigen is just tagging along. Don’t mind him.” Ezili said with a monotonous tone and deadpan expression.

“A lot of things are happening today and it’s only Monday.” Reed only muttered with a nervous smile.

“That’s a so-called flag but no matter. Sticking with you guys seems to bring more interesting event.” Ezili exclaimed as her voice expresses a little excitement.

“We suddenly formed a party here. Are we going on a quest or a raid?!” Alisa muttered as she glances back in front.

As the group moves onward, they arrived at the door of the Headmaster’s office. Sigrun then made an attempt to knock, however, a sudden heaving footstep stops him from doing so.

“Ah…she is really here…” Sigrun expresses a gentle but trouble smile.

As the sound of the heavy footsteps ceased, the door is suddenly slammed open.

BAM!

“……” Everyone stood there quietly as a woman in her mid-twenties appeared from the door. The woman dons a light brown hair tied in a braid and beautiful pair of emerald eyes. A green hardened scale rests beneath her jaws and a spiraling pointy horn sprouts upward fascinated everyone.

The woman is wearing a casual knee-length stylish blue skirt, a fastened buttoned shirt tightened with a belt the emphasizes her eroticism and capelet of color teal with collar.

“I knew it…I knew it! It’s…Master!” The woman said in joy as she scooped up Sigrun from the floor with a heartfelt hug.

“It’s really is you, Emeralda. It’s been a good eighty years!” Sigrun happily replied as he wraps his arms around the woman who he named Emeralda.

Emeralda then pulled Sigrun inside and in that very instant, landed her lips on his without a moment to waste. Sigrun in panicked immediately shut the door blocking everyone from seeing Emeralda and Sigrun in an intimate moment.

“Awawawa….!” Alisa could only mutter as she saw something unbelievable and sudden. Her face is ignited in a burning haze as she repeats those words like a broken machine.

“Scoop! Another great scoop! Open it! I need to see this! Hey!” Ezili bangs on the door with one hand and holds her camera on the other. She tried turning the knob but it seems Sigrun didn’t forget to lock it.

“Sigrun my boy…already has a lady?!” Einhert said with eyes bulging from his socket.

“…Lewd.” Seigen said to himself as he turned around to hide his shocked and reddened face.

“I can’t believe it! Little Sigrun is actually popular with the ladies?” Amaryl said with a flabbergasted countenance as she covers her reddened face with both hands.

“Is no one going to say something about that woman, Lady Emeralda, being one of the Ten Paladins?” Reed thought as he watches the turmoil that the momentary scene that showed to them with the same face ablaze.

The five of them stood at the front of the door for a good five minutes when suddenly.

“Ahem, it seems you kids want to make my office your clubhouse, huh?!” Meld suddenly appeared behind them with a twitching cheek. Behind him is Quarts who is smirking in amusement.

Without waiting for an explanation, Meld took out a key from his pocket nonchalantly inserted the key as he got close to the door. Before turning the knob, he glances back at them.

“Someone is here, right?” Meld asked with a knitted brow.

Before anyone could make a response, the door suddenly slammed open again. From inside the office emerges Sigrun with a disheleved appearance with messy hair and flushed face. Around his lips is some traces of liquid one could not or just scared to identify.

“Ah, sorry! I’ve caused you, Dearest father, another trouble.” Sigrun nervously said as he tried to fix his appearance and wipes off the mysterious liquid around his lips.

Meld focuses his sight on Sigrun for a good five seconds and looks towards the couch where Emeralda lies with euphoric expression and ragged breathing like she has some sort of deep ecstasy. For that matter, Meld’s cheek twitches again.

“Damn it, Emeralda! When did you even got here you damn fool!” Meld angrily shouted as he points his finger at the woman laying down on the couch.

“Ahahaha! How are you Meld?! I’ve let myself in while you’re away! My hunch is on spot and I found Master here! You can’t hide anything from us!” Emeralda stood up and said boasting words that seemingly looking down on Meld.

“Master?! You mean Sigrun?! Just how retarded coincidence can be?!” Meld shouted into nothingness this time as his patients grew weary.

“And he is still a good kisser that my mind melted! Talk about golden tongue.” Emeralda added as she licks her lips.

Meld could only heave a deep sigh of resignation. He took a glance towards Emeralda, then to Sigrun, and finally, to Reed’s group that watches the scene with complicated countenance. He didn’t bother turning his sight to the grinning Quarts.

“Now that it has come to this, you kids go inside and firmly lock the door. Quarts…please prepare some tea…” Meld said as he walks towards his desk with a crestfallen face.

Per his order, Reed and the others entered the room and proceed to find themselves a seat, albeit a little far from Emeralda who seized Sigrun into her lap as she nudges her face to his cheek.

The room where the sunlight penetrates the window that brings warmness has a cold and dreary atmosphere where Quarts movement while filling some tea is the only background music. The air feels stagnant for everyone except Emeralda and Sigrun.

“This person in front of us is…Lady Emeralda, the third most powerful member of the Ten Paladins. What sort of relationship does she have with Sig?” Reed asked himself as his watchful gaze landed on Sigrun and Emeralda who seem to start flirting with each other.

As for Alisa, she bears the same thought with Reed. All of them clearly heard that Sigrun and Emeralda know each other eighty years ago. Since Emeralda is an Oreals, a race hailing from Ancestral Dragons, it is possible for her to live for a lengthy time. Both of them doesn’t want to jump into conclusion, however, they already have a gist of what kind of relationship they have.

As for Amaryl, Enheirt, Seigen, and Ezili, they are equally confused, shocked, and excited about what the situation could lead them to. After all, in front of them is one of the Ten Paladins but the question about Sigrun being acquainted with her proves to be a difficult question to give even an assumption.

Quarts finished distributing cups of tea for everyone and find himself a chair to seat. Seeing that there’s a tea in front of him now, Meld sips a little from the cup and as he put it down, he then spoke.

“First of all, you kids with the exception of Reed Chelle and Alisa Hertuclaire has seen something or even heard something about Sigrun from this stupid woman, right?” Meld asked them with a glare.

They nodded in unison without asking anything. All of them, even though in the middle of their panic, heard some specific details.

“Then, are you kids also aware that the Ten Paladins are now in the Brent City? It’s not really an important question, I just want to ask…” Meld said while glancing angrily at Emeralda in which she paid no heed.

“I do!” Ezili answered with bright and sparkling eyes full of confidence.

“Like father like daughter…” Meld muttered as he gave Quarts a turn of his share of glare this time. Meld is only met with a cynical smile devoid of any real sympathy.

“Enough of the Paladins for now. What you guys are about to hear is really highly confidential…or so what I wanted to make it sound like. Alisa and Reed are aware of it right from the start but I deemed that the two of them cannot handle the task by themselves. That’s why, I am going to give you guys the same task as them if you are only willing to hear this?” Meld, with a serious countenance, told the remaining people who are not aware of Sigrun’s identity.

“Headmaster…the way you word it sounds so ridiculous and stupid. Of course, we’d want to get involved if you make it all suspenseful and overdramatic.” Amaryl exclaimed as she crosses her arms that further inflated her already big breasts.

“If my buddy Reed is already involved, then I'll feel a little lonely if I am not. Just tell us already.” Enheirt beckoned Meld to speak.

“I don’t know if you are trying to make us go away from this or not but you are not really convincing. Just cough it up already. If this is really something secretive, then I, Ezili Clear, won’t utter any word of it to other people.” Ezili said as she gave a thumb up.

“Agreed…” Seigen spoke simply.

“I feel like you kids are making fun of me! Damn it…” Meld uttered as he fell into a bit of depressed state. He quickly regained his composure and looks at them with a stern eye.

“Sigrun, as you all may know, is my adoptive son, that is something true. But the name Valker is the only thing that I attached to him. This Sigrun here…is the real article, the Hero of Aldieas.” Meld spoke with an unfaltering voice.

“By hero…you mean the one in the book? The one told to save the world by fighting the Demon Lords?” Amaryl, with suspicion, clarifies Meld’s words.

“Yes, no doubt about it that this man here is Sigrun from that book. I can attest to that.” Emeralda then spoke to them.

“Good day, Lady Emeralda, one of the Ten Paladins. May I inquire of you of what is the meaning behind those words?” Ezili asked on behalf of the group as she stares at Sigrun who became still and quiet upon misnaming the Vajras.

“This is the very Sigrun that I met eighty years ago. I disappeared for five years and mysteriously came back at that time. Can you guess what happened?” Emeralda smiled as if she is giving them a riddle.

“What I know is that, eighty-five years ago, Lady Emeralda, as a young Magus, ventured the Sacred Mountain. After that, it was roughly five years when you came back, powerful, fully strengthened, and able to utilize the Primal power of the Dragons flowing on your veins as race from Oreals.” Ezili answered with hardened voice.

“That’s the surface of it. I refused to speak anything that happened to me at that time. The reason is to cover up the existence of my Master, Sigrun.” Emeralda said as she patted the head of Sigrun.

“It is as Emeralda said. However, I am not that bit troubled if my existence came to be known throughout the world. But…I really don’t remember teaching Emeralda anything…” Sigrun knitted his brows as he glances to Emeralda.

“No, no, no! You taught me a lot of things! From survival to bed techniques to the way of kissing. Master is a good teacher for all of those!” Emeralda grinned as she said those words.

“I knew it! Sigrun said something a while back that his last…err…s-sex…was eighty years ago. Then that means…Lady Emeralda…are you perhaps…Sig’s lover?!” Reed asked with face a little flushed.

“Hahaha! Hardly! Sigrun will never love any creature in this world other than a Vajra named Order.” Emeralda said with a laugh.

“Emeralda, you are saying too much.” Sigrun, with a cold tone, scolded her.

Seeing that Sigrun got a little agitated, Emeralda couldn’t do anything but smile nervously. Amaryl, Enheirt, Seigen, and Ezili are still having a hard time digesting the information and the sudden revelation that in front of them is the olden Hero of Aldieas.