At a small cabin next to a large flowing river....

..........

"Dear! I'm home! What's for dinner?" A middle-aged, bulky man with graying hair and silver eyes bellowed cheerfully as he entered a small but homely log cabin. The man was Aldred's father - Kyle Blackehearth.

"Welcome home honey! We're having your favorites - braised fish with chopped vegetables and roast pork." A slender and delicate woman replied as she walked out of the kitchen carrying a steaming dish of roast pork.

She laid the dish on the table next to the fish dish and a basket of bread. After setting the last of the dishes, she walked up to her husband and gave him a kiss. The woman had rich golden hair with violet eyes and rosy lips. Her face, though beautiful, showed some signs of age. This woman was naturally Aldred's mother - Elena Blackehearth.

Elena looked at her husband expectantly. "So...did you find out anything about our boy?"

"Yes! I asked an acquaintance...a fellow city guard. He said that our son was able to enter a school and a third ranked school at that."

"Really?! That's wonderful! Which school was it?"

"I'm not particularly familiar with this school...this Nightingale Institute of Combat Magic. Elena, do you know of it?"

"Nightingale Institute...of Combat Magic? Hmmm...no...it seemed that I don't have any knowledge of this school. Could it be a recently formed school?"

"Possibly. I had asked around at work, but none of my colleagues had ever heard of such a school."

"I see...if Aldred had found a school, why hasn't he written back?"

"I don't know...maybe he's busy...maybe he had a lot of things to do and prepare for. After all, it's only been a few days since he left. Besides, he's in a school of magic yet he could not use mana. He's going to have to put in extra effort and compensate by learning the various combat styles the school could offer."

"Could something have happened to Aldred?"

"It's highly unlikely. All of the schools that had been given permission to recruit in Sola City had their validity checked by an official of the city. Don't worry too much about it, dear. The school semester has just started...after Aldred gets situated, I'm sure he will write to us. Here, let's eat before the food gets cold."

"En...."

..........

Three months later....

..........

"Is it true Elena?" Kyle rushed home from work as soon as he heard the news. There, sitting on the bed, was Elena. Beside her was a middle aged woman, most likely the midwife.

"It's true dear." Elena smiled as she saw her husband burst in excitedly.

"Congratulations! You're wife is one month pregnant. You must keep her from doing too much strenuous work. In addition, she needs to eat healthier and have plenty of rest. Anyways, you can see to her now. I'll take my leave." The midwife replied as she walked over to Kyle before bowing and taking her leave.

"Uh...yea I got it. Um...Elena, do you know...is it a boy or a girl?"

"Haha, it's only been a month...you can't tell whether it's a boy or a girl." Elena giggled as Kyle scratched his head in embarrassment. "What do you want?"

"A baby girl would be nice."

"Haha, I knew it. Will Aldred be happy with a sister?"

"If it's him...he'll be the happiest."

"Speaking of Aldred, any news from him? How come he hasn't written to us yet? I'm a little worried."

"There hasn't been any news lately. Maybe he's just busy with schoolwork. Here...how about you come with me tomorrow to the Merchant Union and we can both ask around for Aldred's situation. The merchants there have traveled to many places and have heard of many things, maybe one of them will have what we want to know."

"Okay."

..........

The next morning....

..........

"Come on! Get up!" Elena said as she pulled Kyle out of bed. She was excited that there was a chance for her to inquire about the Nightingale Institute of Combat Magic and about her son's situation there.

"Alright, alright! I'm up. Elena, honey, you shouldn't get too excited. Think of the baby." Kyle replied as he massaged his wife's shoulders.

"Ah...sorry. I'm just excited."

"Don't get too excited. You should know that we're only there to ask. It's not like they will definitely have the answer."

"I know. But there's still a chance they might."

"Alright. Don't fret. We have all the time we need. Why don't we have some breakfast before going? You need to take care of yourself and the baby."

"Okay. What do you want to eat?"

"Let's have something light...how about some porridge?"

"Okay, just wait for a bit. I'll make it quickly."

"Don't strain yourself. I'll do it."

"Oh? Are you able to? I've never seen you cook before."

"Well, prepare to be amazed." With that, Kyle got out of bed and went to the kitchen to make some porridge.

After breakfast, the Blackehearths got ready to leave. Kyle helped Elena saddle up his horse. Once she was situated firmly, Kyle mounted on behind her and they galloped towards the Merchant Union in Sola City. After an hour, they arrived at the gates of the city. Upon entering, the excited wife hurriedly pulled the old husband towards the Merchant Union branch office.

"Welcome to the Merchant Union! What can I do for you?" A receptionist professionally asked as he saw Kyle and Elena walk in.

"I want to inquire some information." Elena said as she pulled out a pouch containing some silver coins.

"Okay. What type of information are you trying to find?"

"I want to know about...."

..........

An hour later....

..........

A disheartened couple languidly walked out of the Merchant Union building. The middle-aged man hugged and comforted his depressed wife. "Maybe the school is a pretty unknown school. I mean, how else can our boy be accepted given his No-Affinity status."

"What are you saying Kyle? Even without magic, our son is strong and talented." Elena pushed Kyle away and gave him a stern look.

"And he is. Just give it some time. All schools give out year end breaks. Students usually come home at that time. And I'm pretty sure Aldred will feel a bit homesick as well. I'm sure we'll see Aldred then."

"Okay."

"Come. Don't be too depressed. Why don't we have some lunch? Let's go to this restaurant, Elena. Isn't it your favorite?" Kyle replied as he pointed towards a two-story brick building with a wooden balcony and a dragon head signpost.

"En."

After Kyle successfully comforted Elena and prevented any stress she may have had that would prove harmful to the baby in her womb, he led her to a well-known restaurant called Dragon Heart Tavern named after their famous dish. Once they found a table, Kyle signaled to a nearby waiter that they were ready to order.

"What would you like to have?" The waiter bowed as he brought them the menu.

"Hmm...let's get the roasted salmon with sweet potatoes...and the scrambled eggs with sauteed onions. Oh, and bring a bottle of Revitalizer." Kyle replied as he handed the menu back to the waiter.

"Very well. Please wait a moment." The waiter bowed again before heading towards the kitchen to process the order.

"And here I expected you to order the signature dish - grilled dragon hearts with seasonal herbs." Elena replied with a light chuckle, her hand covering her mouth and her eyes sparkled with mirth.

"Got to think of the baby. Grilled dragon hearts are too salty for you."

"At least you know what's right."

The two quieted down after their short teasing. As they waited for their order, they listened to the gossip circulating around the restaurant. Some were news of demonic beast appearances while others were about which schools produced a genius and so forth. Suddenly, someone said five words that perked both Elena and Kyle's interest - Nightingale Institute of Combat Magic. They both leaned closer in order to listen more clearly.

"So, have you guys heard about the Nightingale Institute of Combat Magic that came to this city to recruit students?" Someone said.

"No, I've never heard of that school. What rank was it? No-rank?" Another person asked curiously.

"Third rank."

"Really? That's pretty decent. How come I've never heard of it?"

"That's the point. It turned out that school is just a paper school."

"Paper school? What does that mean?"

"You stupid or something? Paper school means that Nightingale Institute of Combat Magic isn't a legitimate school...to put it more clearly, it was a fraudulent school...a fake."

"What?! But aren't all of the schools validated for their authenticity before they can send a recruiter into Sola City?"

"Apparently, the official who was in charge of that was paid off. When the City Lord found out, he was pissed. That off-!"

*CRASH!*

Surprised by the loud noise, the people in the vicinity turned around towards the sound and saw a woman squirming on the floor, her face distorted in pain as she moaned laboriously. The middle-aged man next to her had rushed to her and held her tightly as he called out to her.

"Elena! Elena, are you okay? Elena! Someone! Someone get a healer! Quick! Elena, you got to hold on! Elena!"