Cain Sears doubted his own ears.
‘Fire… magic?’
It was more shocking than hearing face-to-face that he would be expelled from the family.
Cain’s mouth fell open involuntarily.
‘From the Sears family?’
What kind of family was the Sears family?
A family that had tenaciously survived in the frontier since the era when frost magic was despised, continuing their lineage, and with the emergence of Sein Sears as a turning point, began to raise their standing and eventually proudly earned their place among the ranks of the Four Great Noble Houses.
And they had done so by pulling down one of the fire-element noble houses that had occupied two positions among the existing Four Great Noble Houses.
‘Surely this isn’t the Sears family I know…’
With a faint hope, he hurriedly shifted his gaze to the family head’s waist.
But the crest engraved on the family head’s insignia perfectly matched that of the Sears family that Sein knew.
‘What on earth is going on here?’
The fact that Sein Sears’s consciousness, who had just been fighting a death battle with Desmond and ultimately met his end, had awakened in the Sears family 200 years later—organizing and accepting this fact in his mind in such a short time was already an extraordinary feat.
If it hadn’t been Sein Sears, who could calmly assess any situation on the battlefield and always find the best solution, it would have been impossible.
However, even such a Sein Sears couldn’t maintain complete composure upon hearing the words “fire magic” from the frost-element family he had built and cultivated throughout his lifetime.
‘What could have happened to the family…’
Countless thoughts appeared in succession in his mind, but only briefly.
“Ahem.”
As Cain stared at the family head with his mouth agape, Blake Sears cleared his throat.
“My apologies. I understand.”
Cain immediately bowed his head.
‘Right, it was about expulsion.’
He had momentarily forgotten, his mind captured by the intense words “fire magic.”
Cain Sears was now to be expelled from the Sears family.
‘To be kicked out of the family penniless right after regaining my memories… What impeccable timing.’
Perhaps it was better than having regained them later.
If Cain Sears, who couldn’t even use basic magic, were to be driven out empty-handed from the snowy mountains of Gahril, he would likely lose his life with high probability before long.
‘Since the family head has officially declared it, there’s no way to reverse it.’
The weight of the ‘family head’s declaration’ in the Sears family was worth its weight in gold.
The head of the Sears family was always cold and rational, fair and just, and never reversed a decision once made.
An iron-willed disposition.
This was the basic quality a family head of the Sears family should possess.
Cain Sears, who knew this better than anyone else here, calmly bowed his head and tried to pay his final respects to the family head before withdrawing.
“Then…”
And at that moment.
“Wait.”
“…?”
Cain hesitated.
Wasn’t the declaration finished?
Had Cain Sears from before regaining his memories caused yet another incident?
As complex thoughts began to confuse his mind again.
“Well, I will expel you, but…”
The family head cleared his throat a couple of times, then continued in a somewhat softened voice.
“I’ll give you one month’s grace as a final chance. If you can’t show results by then, I’ll truly expel you, so understand that. That’s all!”
Blake Sears completed his declaration and left the cavity with a deliberately solemn expression, passing by Cain.
“…”
“…”
Silence briefly enveloped the cavity.
Once the family head completely disappeared from sight, the gathered people began murmuring among themselves.
“See, what did I tell you? He said he’d give another month, right?”
“The family head really… despite how he looks, he has a soft heart.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
…What about the iron-willed disposition?
While Cain stood there dumbfounded, the people who had been murmuring also began to leave the cavity one by one.
“Well, it’s fortunate for the young master, at least.”
“Fortunate, my foot. If it were me, I’d leave on my own rather than be called out again in a month to be embarrassed.”
“Shh, he’s still the young master, so watch your words. He might hear you.”
“He won’t hear something like this. Have you only been watching the young master for a day or two?”
Oh, he can’t hear? He can hear quite clearly.
It seemed that Cain Sears before regaining his memories had been pretending to be a bit hard of hearing.
Pretending not to hear gossip from those around him would have been better for Cain himself in many ways.
‘Speaking of which, a reprieve from expulsion…’
Of course, receiving the reprieve itself was fortunate.
What an absurd thing it would have been to be expelled from the family he had raised and built right after regaining his memories.
But since he had thought it impossible to reverse once the family head made his declaration, Cain had immediately been thinking of alternative plans in his head.
‘First, I could withdraw and learn magic, then re-enter not as a direct descendant but as an apprentice disciple.’
There would probably be very few cases of someone seeking re-admission to the family that expelled them, but procedurally speaking, it wasn’t impossible.
‘Besides, I don’t need something like the status of direct bloodline anyway.’
Most families in the Empire valued ability over bloodline.
Of course, direct bloodlines had the advantage of a higher probability of inheriting mana circuits or talents for specific elemental systems, but if one had the ability to surpass that, bloodline itself didn’t really matter.
The meritocracy of families had naturally formed as families that emphasized bloodline more had fallen into ruin.
‘And… I lived without such things in my previous life too.’
—Family Head! There was a child abandoned in the snowy mountains, so we brought him, but what should we do…
—Who would abandon a child in these harsh snowy mountains? Bring him in for now. If he has natural talent, won’t he survive?
Sein Sears of his previous life had been taken in by the family at such a young age that his memories were hazy, and grew up with the status of an apprentice disciple.
Sein, who was the youngest without any peers of the same generation, fortunately showed tremendous talent in frost magic, and though there were direct bloodline members who disliked Sein for his unprecedented rapid progress, he ultimately earned the family head’s choice as successor with overwhelming ability.
And finally.
“Sein. I know you’ve struggled ever since entering the family. It would have been better if I had paid more attention to you, but I’m sorry. It’s become a bit early, but I entrust the Sears family to you.”
“Please keep your mouth shut! Isn’t blood flowing out!”
“Cough. That way of speaking never changes, does it? It’s fine. The family’s children should understand the true meaning of your words by now.”
“Family Head!”
“Haha, the boy who never showed tears even as a child… Cough. Don’t worry too much. You’ll be able to do well. Sein.”
After the family head died in battle against Desmond’s followers in the north, Sein inherited the position of family head and continued to lead the Sears family.
From the frontier snowy mountains to entering the Empire’s capital, he accomplished countless tasks that would require ten bodies, grabbing the family by the scruff and raising their status.
This was partly due to the request of his benefactor and teacher who had taken him in, and also to prove that the frost magic he had taught was absolutely not inferior.
‘I can’t give up on the Sears family, not when it’s me of all people.’
With the memories of his previous life, Cain could certainly learn magic and stand on his own even if expelled from here.
No, rather, it might be far better for his wellbeing to escape as quickly as possible from this chaotic family that had been demoted back to the frontier snowy mountains and was using fire magic of all things.
But even so, Cain needed to know what had happened to the Sears family over the past 200 years.
So not being immediately expelled was certainly a good thing.
He wouldn’t have to go through the complicated and difficult procedure of re-admission after expulsion.
However.
‘To grant a reprieve after declaring expulsion… For someone who’s supposedly the head of the Sears family to show such a weak appearance.’
The family head’s dignity was the family’s dignity.
‘I’m worried whether he can properly lead the family like this.’
The talk about fire magic too, and something was wrong. Seriously wrong, Cain thought, shaking his head.
“…Let’s go back for now.”
Before he knew it, only Cain remained in the cavity.
Cain slowly began to walk.
He didn’t remember exactly where his quarters were, but he walked following where ‘Cain Sears’s’ footsteps led him, surveying the inside of the family grounds.
‘It’s desolate.’
The path back was barren.
The gleaming buildings were nowhere to be found, with only old structures sparsely positioned here and there.
Beyond the not-so-high fortress walls, the rugged Gahril snowy mountains surrounded them on all sides.
That sight alone was the same as his previous life’s memories.
‘To think I’d come back to this place.’
To return after 200 years to the place where he first learned magic as a child.
And with the family half-ruined at that.
‘The emotions are… far too novel.’
On the way to his quarters, he could hear several family members whispering as they looked at Cain.
“Hmph, even doing that, he probably won’t come to his senses anyway… Why did the family head give him a reprieve?”
“That’s what I’m saying. He’ll probably just say he’s training and hole up in his room slacking off as usual.”
“Right. What a waste of a personal training room. If he’s going to be like that, he should give the training room to me… How hard it must be for disciples who aren’t direct descendants.”
But Cain passed by pretending not to hear this as well, as ‘Cain Sears’ used to do.
‘Is this it?’
He entered the western quarters where disciples resided, specifically the separate building that only direct bloodline members could use.
[Cain Sears]
Opening the door with the small nameplate, a somewhat stuffy but familiar smell hit his nose.
The bed, furniture, and daily necessities—their quality didn’t even reach the toes of what Sein Sears, the master of frost magic, used to use, but Cain didn’t mind and slowly walked to the corner.
And he picked up a small mirror placed on the table to look at his own face for the first time.
“Hmm…”
Hair as white and soft-looking as early winter snow. Beautiful red eyes that seemed to contain a deep sunset. And skin like white jade.
“Not unbearable to look at. Though my previous life seemed better.”
Along with a very subjective judgment, Cain put down the mirror.
Cain soon sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and fell into thought.
‘The immediate inconvenience is indeed not being able to clearly recall Cain Sears’s memories.’
If he could recall Cain’s original memories, it would help in understanding the family’s current situation, and communication with family members would naturally flow.
But even on the way back, he had tried several times, yet it was difficult to grasp memories like putting his arm into fog and fumbling around.
Just as Blake Sears’s face had felt familiar earlier, he had hoped that looking in the mirror might help even slightly in recovering this life’s memories, but unfortunately, there seemed to be no effect.
‘It looks like this will need some time…’
For now, there was a more important problem than that.
‘First, the expulsion matter. The grace period is one month, and I need to show results within that time.’
What does ‘showing results’ with magic mean in the Sears family?
‘At minimum, I should be able to hunt a snow leopard that inhabits the northwest of the Gahril snowy mountains by myself.’
For a magician to hunt alone a snow leopard that is agile and excellent in close combat is not an easy task.
It’s only possible if you’ve reached the 3rd Circle, or at least can freely use all 2nd Circle magic.
‘Especially since their hide has considerable resistance to frost magic.’
That’s why the Sears family often designated hunting a snow leopard alone as a ‘test.’
‘The disciples always had quite a hard time with snow leopards around this time.’
Of course, Sein Sears in his previous life had accomplished the feat of hunting three snow leopards alone not long after achieving the 2nd Circle, but objectively, snow leopards were not easy opponents for low-circle frost magicians.
‘To hunt a snow leopard within a month with a body that can’t even use basic magic. Even for me, starting with a completely different body from my previous life would make the timeline a bit tight…’
As Cain was thinking this, he suddenly opened his eyes wide with a certain thought.
‘Wait. A completely different body?’
