Vera stared blankly at the training ground entrance as the door slowly closed behind Astraea and Rowan.

The heavy wooden door shut with a dull sound that echoed briefly through the now quiet training ground.

For a few moments, she remained standing there without moving.

The afternoon wind drifted across the open grounds, carrying grains of sand over the damaged arena where cracks still covered parts of the stone floor from her earlier beating.

Nina was still rubbing her sore shoulder nearby while the guards finally relaxed now that Astraea had left.

Vera lowered her gaze slightly.

Well...

It wasn’t entirely my plan, though.

She thought to herself as memories from the Trial Base surfaced in her mind.

The beginning of everything.

The moment the entire plan was laid out.

***

Back then, Vera had met Ezra in his usual corner of the library inside the Trial Base.

The library was quiet as always.

Rows of books stretched across the room while sunlight poured through the tall windows, painting long shadows across the wooden floor.

A few candidates were reading silently in distant sections, but nobody even knew the two of them were there with how lonely the corner looked.

Ezra sat in his usual seat.

His arms were folded across his chest while his back rested against the chair.

His expression remained plain as always.

"You said you already have an idea on how I can legally get my revenge."

He skipped every greeting and went straight to the main topic.

Vera wasn’t surprised.

She lightly tapped the table with her finger while staring at him.

"Already straight to the question."

Her voice remained flat, then she crossed one leg over the other.

"Is there anything you want first?"

She glanced around the library.

"A drink? A snack? Maybe a proper greeting before discussing murder?"

Ezra looked at her without changing expression.

"Funny."

His voice carried a trace of sarcasm.

Vera immediately began clapping.

"Yes, funny... very funny, that I deserve an award."

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

"Since I’m such a jokester."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

It was small.

Barely noticeable.

Yet somehow more irritating than an open laugh.

Ezra narrowed his eyes on her.

The look only made Vera more amused.

Eventually she stopped clapping and returned to her usual expressionless face.

The faint smile disappeared as if it had never existed.

"Okay then."

She rested her elbow on the table.

"To start the plan, you will have to fight Felix."

Her eyes met Ezra’s.

"And beat him badly."

"Fight Felix?"

Ezra looked at Vera with a confused expression which wasn’t much, but just enough to be noticed.

"Will the final trial involve rankers fighting each other?"

"It’s close to that."

Vera rested her cheek on her palm.

"Close enough."

Ezra stared at her for a moment, then another question surfaced.

"How do you come up with that thought?"

Unlike most people who would straightly believe in everything Vera says, Ezra wasn’t interested in things that seemed like blind guesses.

He preferred reasons, logic and even evidence.

Vera seemed to expect the question.

"I’m sure you’ve already noticed the themes behind every trial we’ve gone through."

She raised a finger.

"The first trial was meant to identify children with a strong attachment to life."

Her finger remained raised.

"Children willing to move, think, and act when survival becomes necessary."

A second finger joined the first.

"The second trial stimulated our minds through life-and-death situations."

She remembered the Silverback Dire Wolves.

How many of her people fell into fear and pressure, because of the monsters that hunted them during the trial.

"It also prepared everyone for the third trial. The Awakening Ceremony."

Ezra added nodding slightly.

"And it brought out the main characters of the Trial, which are you leaders."

He understood immediately.

Vera pointed at him.

"Exactly."

Then she raised a third finger.

"The third trial introduced the ranking system. A way to create competition, a way to create pressure and a way to separate people."

The fourth finger followed.

"The fourth trial identified the bloomers. The people who weren’t leaders but still possessed talent."

She paused briefly.

"The ones with strength, teamwork, and potential."

Then came the fifth finger.

"The fifth trial focused on forcing everyone to contribute."

Her voice remained calm.

"No relying on a single genius to carry the team, or relying on your single leader to save you every time. In this one, everyone had responsibilities, everyone had to defend the tower together as one."

She lowered her hand briefly before raising it again.

"The sixth trial measured our growth against the Top Talents of the family."

"The seventh?"

Ezra asked.

Vera shrugged.

"The seventh was mostly for the orphans."

She leaned back in her chair and adjusted her sitting position.

"Not really for us."

Then she looked toward the large window nearby, the sunlight illuminated half of her face.

"The eighth and ninth trials."

She glanced at Ezra.

"I’m sure you already understand those."

Ezra nodded lazily.

"It was a chance to strengthen our foundations, also a chance to rank up, and to face our deepest anguish."

His voice became quieter.

"To grow from it."

"Exactly."

Vera gave a small nod.

"So, if the eighth and ninth trials were conclusions..."

Ezra rested his hand beneath his chin.

"Then the tenth trial should be more like a graduation."

The pieces connected quickly inside his head.

Vera’s eyes showed approval.

"Because it is a graduation."

The answer came immediately, with no hesitation, and no uncertainty.

Only confidence.

"Now, during this graduation, I’m expecting the council and the higher-ups of the Main Family to attend."

Vera spoke calmly while resting against her chair.

Although her expression remained as blank as ever, there continued to be a clear confidence behind every word she said.

"They’ll want to see how well we have grown and judge whether the Trial of Steel was a success or not."

The library remained quiet around them.

Only the occasional turning of pages and distant footsteps could be heard from other candidates scattered throughout the room.

Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the bookshelves.

Ezra listened silently.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if the families of some candidates attend the graduation as well."

His voice remained flat.

The possibility seemed obvious when he thought about it.

After all, the Trial of Steel wasn’t some ordinary program.

It was the future of the Ashenlocke Family being displayed before the people who controlled it.

Vera nodded slightly.

"And I believe we candidates will be allowed to challenge one another and steal each other’s ranks."

She folded her arms across her chest.

The movement was small, yet it showed how certain she was about her conclusion.

Ezra leaned forward slightly.

His elbow rested on the table while his fingers supported his chin.

"So, when I challenge Felix..."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"It will attract Lord Astraea’s attention."

The pieces slowly connected together in his mind.

"And that attention will eventually reach my family."

Vera remained silent.

While Ezra continued.

"Then Astraea’s actions will become the first stone that starts everything."

He tapped the table once.

"But...I’m not a fan of making other people do my work, you know."

His voice remained calm.

If revenge was necessary, he preferred carrying it out himself.

Depending on someone else could leave room for disappointment.

"Don’t worry about that, killer."

Vera replied in an intentionally dramatic tone that somehow still sounded flat.

The title made Ezra’s eyelid twitch slightly.

Vera ignored it completely.

"Lord Astraea won’t be able to directly interfere with your family."

She waved her hand dismissively.

"That would create too many problems for her."

Her blank eyes shifted toward Ezra.

"But she will definitely be the first person to realize something is wrong with your family situation. and once she figures it out..."

A faint pause followed.

"She’ll tell Felix."

Ezra’s eyes sharpened slightly.

The answer immediately became clear.

"And Felix..."

He continued the thought himself.

"...who already wants revenge because I humiliated him."

His voice remained emotionless.

"Will try to use my family against me."

Vera pointed her index finger directly at him.

"Exactly."

Her tone carried a trace of satisfaction.

"Imagine it. The son who was supposed to be dead suddenly returns alive. The trash they threw away suddenly becomes valuable. The mistake they buried suddenly comes back demanding attention."

She tilted her head slightly.

"People become greedy when they’re afraid and your family is exactly that kind of people."

Ezra remained silent.

Vera continued.

"They’ll easily get convinced by Felix that stealing your achievements will be the easiest solution to hide their deceit."

Her finger remained pointed at him.

"They’ll try to hide their mistake, they’ll try to protect themselves, and they’ll most likely plan to assassinate you while Zara claims the identity that was supposed to belong to the Trial participant."

The library became quiet again.

Ezra lowered his gaze toward the wooden table.

His fingers lightly tapped the polished surface.

The plan was dangerous.

Actually...

It was extremely dangerous.

Yet the more he thought about it, the more he realized how likely it was to happen.

His family truly was capable of doing something like that.

"Wouldn’t telling the Board about my situation be easier?"

He finally asked.

His eyes remained on the table.

"Is what I’ve considered."

He exhaled softly.

"But the more I think about it, the more I feel my chances of getting revenge with my own hands would decrease."

Since, the Board would solve the problem and the Main Family would be the one to punish those involved.

Justice would be served.

Ezra thought to himself, knowing all of this.

Yet...

That wasn’t what he wanted.

Since all he wanted was to personally end it himself.

Vera immediately nodded.

"Which is why this method is the best one for you."

She pushed herself out of her chair.

The legs scraped lightly against the wooden floor, then she stepped forward.

One step.

Then another.

Until she was leaning across the table.

The distance between them shortened considerably.

Her blank eyes stared directly into Ezra’s.

For most people, such close eye contact would feel uncomfortable, but Vera didn’t care.

"You’ll get exactly what you want."

Her voice remained flat, fast and confident.

Without even a trace of hesitation.

"Not only will you publicly reveal your identity..."

She spoke while maintaining eye contact.

"You’ll also receive a Judgment Order from the Head himself."

The words landed heavily.

Even Ezra’s fingers stopped tapping.

A Judgment Order.

The highest form of personal judgment granted under Britannia’s laws.

"Britannia’s Law 1230..."

Ezra muttered quietly.

His eyes met hers.

"Huh."

The law carried immense authority, and if he received it...

Everything would become settled for him.

Vera straightened herself.

"Trust me on that."

Her answer came instantly.

No explanation, no detailed reasoning.

Just confidence again.

Then she turned around.

Her long hair swayed lightly behind her.

She raised her hand without looking back.

A casual wave.

The next moment she began walking away, out of Ezra’s sight.

Leaving Ezra alone with his thoughts.

The large doors slowly closed behind her.

And from that moment onward...

The plan between the two of them began moving forward.

Surprisingly smoothly, Although not perfect, but still progressed smoothly.

The Wallace Gang became the first obstacle.

A Binder Rank Alchemist.

And a Novice Rank Alchemist, with several Half-star Alchemists.

An ambush that could have easily ended in disaster.

Yet Ezra and Lucy managed to survive and eliminate the threat.

Then came Elder Fredricks.

And several other Elders who, for some reasons, clearly disliked him, and they attempted to create problems.

They tried to make things more difficult.

Fortunately...

Only slightly.

None of it was enough to stop what had already been set into motion.

And by the time everything finally reached its conclusion...

Felix still had no idea he had been played.

It wasn’t until Fredricks informed him about the Judgment Order.

It wasn’t until news of the fall of Baron Sterling’s House exploded across Linsta and spread throughout Britannia.

Only then did Felix finally realize the truth.

He and his mother had unknowingly become pieces on someone else’s board when he believed he was the one moving the board.

And the person moving those pieces had been Vera and Ezra from the very beginning.

***

A few days later...

Still within the Ashenlocke Estate, inside the massive central castle that served as the private residence of the Head of the Family.

The Duke’s personal home.

The atmosphere there was far quieter than the other castles scattered throughout the estate.

Servants moved with disciplined steps.

Guards stood at their assigned positions without speaking.

Even the air seemed calmer.

Inside one of the training halls reserved for private use, Veda sat on a large throw pillow with his legs crossed beneath him.

His eyes remained closed.

His breathing was slow and steady.

Cognis circulated through his body in a continuous cycle.

The energy flowed from his brain into his stars, then spread through every vein and muscle before returning once more to the stars inside his Mind Realm.

Tiny beads of sweat formed on Veda’s forehead.

Several drops rolled down his neck.

Yet his expression remained calm and focused.

He didn’t allow the discomfort to interrupt his meditation.

Not far away, Valentine sat silently watching.

The Duke’s black eyes observed both the outside and inside of Veda’s body.

To ordinary people, Veda simply appeared to be meditating.

To someone like Valentine, however, the process was much more visible.

He watched the movement of Cognis, the stability of the flow and all the constructed stars within Veda’s Mind Realm.

Several moments passed.

Then...

"Enough."

Valentine’s deep voice echoed through the hall, the single word carried a natural sense of authority.

Veda immediately stopped circulating his Cognis.

The flow returned to a resting state.

He opened his eyes and stood up.

"Your Cognis control is good."

Valentine’s gaze remained fixed on Veda.

"You were able to retain being a Full Alchemist despite reaching the Meister Rank with your average talent."

His voice remained calm.

There was no exaggeration.

No praise for the sake of praise.

Only an honest evaluation.

Inside Veda’s Mind Realm, the three stars floated quietly.

The first star had been perfectly constructed.

Every line.

Every connection.

Every foundation.

Flawless.

A thread-like path of Cognis extended cleanly from it into the second star.

The second star was equally stable.

No irregularities.

No defects.

Then another thread stretched toward the third star.

Unlike the first two, the third star was still under construction.

Only a tiny portion existed.

Yet even that incomplete section had been formed carefully.

The structure was clean, stable and orderly.

Although it hadn’t even reached a quarter of a completed star, the quality of the foundation was undeniable.

It was the foundation of a true Full Alchemist.

Valentine continued observing it silently.

"I honestly didn’t think you of all people would reach this stage."

His eyes shifted toward Veda.

"Especially with such a perfect foundation."

The acknowledgement wasn’t loud.

Yet it carried significant weight coming from someone like Valentine.

Veda scratched the side of his cheek awkwardly.

"I have my Master to thank for all of this."

His answer came honestly.

Valentine stared at him silently.

The hall became quiet.

The silence lasted only a few seconds.

Yet for some reason, those few seconds felt much longer to Veda.

His shoulders stiffened slightly.

No matter how much stronger he became...

No matter how many accomplishments he achieved...

Being around Valentine still made him nervous.

The man had left too many unforgettable memories in his life.

Many terrifying memories.

Valentine’s expression remained unreadable.

Then suddenly...

"Take your fighting position."

His voice interrupted the silence.

"Let’s spar."

Veda blinked.

"Huh?"

His eyes widened immediately.

For a moment, he thought he had heard wrong.

A spar?

With Father?

This was the first time.

The very first time Valentine had personally asked him to fight.

Excitement immediately surged through Veda’s chest.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"But I would lose badly."

He rubbed the back of his head.

"Our ranks are miles apart."

Although he said those words, the excitement in his eyes only grew stronger.

Valentine stood up from his seat.

"Don’t worry."

He calmly removed the coat he was wearing.

The black coat slipped from his shoulders.

Before it could touch the floor completely, a nearby maid stepped forward with practiced movements.

She caught it effortlessly.

Her posture remained perfect.

She folded the coat neatly across her arms before retreating several steps away.

The entire process happened smoothly, as if she had performed it hundreds of times before.

Valentine rolled his shoulders once.

"I won’t use Cognis." His voice remained calm. "And I will only use martial arts."

Veda’s eyes lit up.

"Okay."

He slowly exhaled.

The anticipation in his chest became even stronger.

This wasn’t simply a spar.

This was an opportunity.

A rare one.

The chance to witness the strength of the only person acknowledged as stronger than his Master in the family.

The man he once admired when he was still a child.

The man who stood at the peak of the Ashenlocke Family.

An Alchemist General.

And now...

For the first time.

Veda would get to experience that strength personally.

Not through stories.

Not through reputation.

But with his own body.

His own eyes.

And his own fists.

A grin slowly appeared on his face as he stepped back and lowered his center of gravity.

This was also the perfect chance to see how far he had truly grown.