A chime rang out.

A tiny bell tinkled inside the luxurious carriage until a hand caught it and set it aside so it would stop.

"This sound is getting on my nerves," said a red-haired girl with ruby eyes.

"Eh… fine, what can you do. Just like your mother," her father muttered from behind his newspaper.

"Pff," Izzy sniped, stretching out along the entire seat and lacing her hands behind her head. "Yeah, yeah… captain obvious…"

Somewhere in the manor…

On the second floor, a boy with ashen hair stood staring at his reflection. With a flick of his white wand, he darkened it to a deep shade.

Nero, now black-haired, weighed what to wear. The dilemma wasn’t simple he wanted to look natural and sharp, but also keep a shirt or tunic high enough to cover the scar on his neck he hated so much.

Straightening his collar, he pulled a warm green tunic over his shirt. He smoothed a few stubborn wrinkles, his golden eyes meeting his own in the mirror.

There was a knock and then the door opened.

A stocky, clean-shaven man with a magnificent mustache and a shining bald head stepped in.

"Uncle Franky!" Nero blurted.

Franky was still in formal attire despite being at home. His red eyes lit with delight at the sight of his very well-dressed nephew.

"What can I say good taste runs in the blood," Franky thought. A moment later he said aloud, "…Loki, our guests have arrived. Let’s go greet them." "Loki" nodded, and the two headed for the main entrance.

For weeks now, maybe already a month Nero had been casting a masking charm on himself daily, sometimes even at night. The spell drained him; he was perpetually half-exhausted.

Magic itself wasn’t a problem except for water magic. Franky had already discussed it with Benjamin: to pass the time and, most of all, to soothe his grief, Nero kept trying to study. But ever since that cursed day, any water-element spell, even the simplest, shattered on casting and backlashed—dropping him to the floor in convulsions.

At least Nero knew he’d get answers to almost all his questions today.

All of this flickered through "Loki’s" head as he came down the stairs to meet the guests.

By the time he passed under the arch and stepped onto the porch, several people were already coming toward him faces he knew well and down by the drive stood a carriage bearing a red rose on its door…

At last, a red-haired girl in a light dress the color of her eyes peeked out from behind the man in front Benjamin Dan Rossi.

She ran to Nero and hugged him on impulse.

Stella couldn’t resist; he came over, ruffled the boy’s hair, and jokingly asked if he’d behaved himself. Then Benjamin turned to Franky and shook his hand. Franky didn’t linger making small talk outdoors; he ushered the honored Dan Rossi inside.

Inside the manor…

In a parlour prepared for the occasion, the culprits of the household staff’s collective stress took places and asked for cups of fresh green tea, then shut themselves in.

Viola was in a tearing hurry; she popped in just to say hello and immediately dashed off again.
Nero, Franky, Benjamin, and his daughter sat facing one another at the table.

When the maid serving tea closed the door from the other side, Franky went over and turned the handle, locking it. Purple sigils of ancient runes and other figures flared to life around them, weaving a sound-proofing barrier.

Benjamin finally spoke. "Nero, if the disguise bothers you, you can drop it… in here it’s safe." His tone was approving but firm: the boy had been forced to keep the spell on at all times, and while Benjamin knew Nero had accepted that without tantrums, he could only guess how much it weighed on him.

"It’s unpleasant, but manageable," Nero replied. He reached into his pants pocket, drew his white wand, aimed it at himself, and silently thought: "Cancel."

His hair shimmered with a soft blue light and returned to its natural ashen color; his eyes regained their true hue.

Izzy’s face, usually a practiced neutral mask, softened with the faintest hint of a smile. It wasn’t enough for everyone to notice but Nero caught it and smirked back as he stowed the wand.

"All right… let’s begin. Franky and I have thought a lot about your future, given this… less than simple situation," Benjamin said. "To be blunt, you’ve got a couple of options."

The words crashed over Nero. He understood; he’d gone over this in his head many times before, even talked about it with his father before the tragedy.

It wouldn’t be easy Franky had warned him. Decisions would be made for him, cold and logical, so he wouldn’t do anything reckless. And at heart, Nero had always been a rebel…

He glanced at his uncle. Franky gave him a small nod, and the boy looked back to Izzy’s father.

"You can sulk all you want, but there are only two paths: a knightly order or Glyrus Academy of Magic. Given your talents, I think the academy is the better call," Benjamin said.

It would have been the right call even earlier Teo, Nero’s father, had decided his son would go to the academy because of his abilities.

A perfect fit. Everything Nero needed, he could get there…

And Teo had been the sitting headmaster until quite recently, so the Von Dorr family whose name Nero bore now had real standing there. For the time being…

Nero mulled it over. Glyrus Academy was an excellent place. Magic had come easily to him since childhood; as for swordplay there was nothing to speak of.

"Yeah, swinging a wand goes better for me than swinging a sword," Nero said.

Benjamin smirked. "Franky and I figured you’d say that."

Nero arched a brow at his uncle. Only now did he realize why Franky had had all those talks with him beforehand.

"Yeah, yeah… we’ve already lined up everything for your enrollment. You’ll enter as a first-year in two years," Franky said, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Two years?" Nero asked, baffled.

Fine tea had been served earlier. On each little porcelain saucer lay a single candy. Having eaten hers and stealthily taken her father’s Izzy finally lifted her now-lukewarm cup.

Time sped by; the clock hands seemed to whirl. In that span, they explained to Nero what would happen, when, and how.

The minimum age for Glyrus is fifteen. Nero’s birthday is in December, so there’s no way he’ll make the next first-year intake. "But that won’t be a problem for them," Benjamin assured him.

Izzy, being a year older, would start a year ahead of him in the newly opened Faculty of Magical Fencing that was the plan, at least. Nero, meanwhile, was slated for the neighboring Faculty of Arcane Arts.

"And now the big one," Franky said. "Nero, I’ve lost count of how many times you asked me about this and I had no idea what to say. But now we can finally give you an answer…" He traded a look with Benjamin, his tone turning grave.

"To our great regret, this ‘circus’ with your disguise will continue until we catch all the ones who… who… well, you know who," Benjamin finished, coughing a bit.

Nero gave them a dull look then turned toward his cup…

A still life, Izzy was shamelessly trying to nab his candy.

Nero, in a small shock not from surprise, but from his childhood friend’s audacity met her gaze. Realizing she was caught, Izzy carefully put the candy back and pretended nothing had happened.

Franky had explained that Benjamin was personally leading the investigation, yet the boy still looked deflated. In truth, though, that wasn’t what troubled him most. "The academy. Entrance… that means exams, and I’m as dumb as a post—and now I can’t even cast. Heh…" he said, a little hysterically, voicing his thoughts.

He also had questions about the faculties they’d mentioned but his thoughts were cut off.

"Don’t stress it; you’ve got almost two years to prepare. As promised, we’ll hire you a tutor but more on that later," his uncle said, trying to encourage him.

"Mm-hmm," Nero mumbled, chewing the candy he’d reclaimed sweet with a pleasant chocolatey aftertaste.

"So: in two years you enroll in Glyrus’s magic program. Then, once you graduate and reach majority, we’ll go pay our respects to the Emperor and remind him of our old agreement," Stella Dan Rossi summed up.

"Phew… that should be everything," Benjamin thought, then winked at his daughter beside him. She lifted a brow, surprised until it clicked.

"Um… hey, would you mind taking a walk with me? I want to see the grounds while it’s still daylight," Izzy asked, a touch flustered.

"Oh, what a splendid idea, Izzy! Franky and I actually have a few things to discuss. Settled. Nero, be a dear and keep her company and get some air yourself after such a long talk," Benjamin said expansively.

Nero got the hint immediately. He stood, took Izzy by the hand, and hurried out he needed to breathe.

Right at the door, both Benjamin and Franky called after him, reminding him about his ashen hair and those lovely but not appropriate eyes. Nero sighed, whipped out his wand with his free hand, and recast the masking charm.

With a soft blue gleam, his hair and eyes shifted color, and Loki and Izzy slipped through the purple barrier and out of the room.

Where they went didn’t matter. In that room, Franky and Benjamin remained and there was one more very important topic on the agenda.

They continued discussing the boy. "Oliver Vin?" Franky asked, tense.

"Oliver Vin…» Benjamin replied.