Finally, the day of the academic festival had arrived.

Barne, wondering whether he was getting less sleep due to his age or whether he was excited about presenting K01 at the academic festival, woke up early in the dawn.

As he quietly stared out the window, he saw the rising morning sun.

He hadn’t given it much thought when he was asked to be a judge at the academic festival, but ever since he had taken Tanashia as his disciple, he had been very excited.

“Will Tanashia fulfill my wish?”

Barne Ad Teinando.

In fact, the surname Teinando was taken from his mother, and his original name was Barne Ad Caldor.

The Caldor family was very famous in the Arwen Empire for its magic.

Just as the Brelof family inherited the power of water, and the Krisha family inherited the power of wind, the Caldor family also had a special ability.

It was the power of earth.

The Caldor family could manipulate the energy of the soil, making the empire prosperous depending on the situation, and played a huge role in wars against enemy nations.

There were many families that inherited the power of the earth, but the Caldor family was considered the best because of its powerful magic.

There were many recorded incidents where the Caldor family took the initiative to solve problems when the Arwen Empire was in trouble.

Barne’s father, Felian, was immensely proud of this fact.

Perhaps it was more so because the ability, which usually appears over several generations, was directly passed on to Felian, his grandfather, and father.

The sense of authority Felian had about his magic also applied to his mother, Luane.

“Does it make sense that Barne, who we barely gave birth to after years of not being able to get pregnant, didn’t inherit our family’s ability?”

“Honey, usually the ability appears over several generations….”

“Stop making excuses! The ability has shown up in my father and me. Then naturally, my son should have inherited it!”

All the moments Barne remembered, Felian and Luane were fighting. No, Luane was being onesidedly harassed.

“Get pregnant with a second child right away. Is your only worth that you are neglecting your duty?”

“Honey, wait a minute. Barne is still….”

“Stop talking nonsense and follow me.”

“Ah, ah!”

Unwanted screams and traces of abuse that did not disappear from Luane’s body.

Felian, who valued lineage, enjoyed a night with countless women aside from Luane and did not hesitate to commit violence against Luane even if he was slightly displeased.

As he cheated frequently, it would have been normal for a child to be born outside, but laughably, the only one who carried Felian’s bloodline was Barne.

It was a thought that came later, but it might have been a miracle in itself that Luane was pregnant with Barne.

Felian was the head of the Caldor family, recognized by many people externally, but unequivocally, he was the worst husband and father in the family.

Barne hated such Felian terribly since he was young.

“Barne, you have to understand your father.”

“How can you say such a thing, mother? Let’s get a divorce. I’ll take your surname.”

“You can’t say that! What will happen if you, the successor of the proud Caldor family, say such a thing. Your father would be shocked.”

“Let him be shocked if he wants to. I won’t live like my father even if I die. I want to drain all the blood in my body if I could.”

“Don’t say such terrible things!”

Luane was also a noble, but she was from a lesser family compared to the Caldor family.

She had quite a talent in the field of magic engineering before her marriage, but she was unable to shine because she had to give up her studies after getting married.

“Honey, I think Barne might have a knack for magic engineering. When I teach him one thing, he understands two…!”

Crash!

Felian, who had been drinking, threw his glass on the floor, shattering it.

“Are you calling that a talent? He should have inherited magical abilities, what use is excelling in such trivial studies that you researched!”

Each time Felian ignored and persecuted Luane like a habit, a sense of defiance rose from deep within Barne’s heart.

Can something one is born with be called a talent?

Magic, what’s so great about that?

Even people without abilities could handle the fourth element with magic engineering weapons, and it was an infinite field that could achieve even more with further development.

─Varnen. Unfortunately, you did not inherit this ability, but it will manifest in your child or grandchild later. They must shine our Kaldor family with that power.

The words were disgusting enough to make him sick. Every time he heard that phrase, which he had heard since he was a child, he felt like vomiting.

The reason Varnen gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to run out right away was because of Luane, who would be left alone in the Kaldor family if he left.

‘Endure a little more for my mother. As soon as I come of age, I will leave without looking back, taking my mother with me.’

He resolved countless times and made hundreds of plans.