Two to five thick-skinned men approached Nolan, wearing fake, friendly smiles. Their faces held sad expressions and insincere sympathy. They exchanged pleasantries that meant nothing to Nolan.
"Nolan, are you okay?" Justine asked in a forced tone of concern. The young man put his arm around Nolan's shoulder as if to convey familiarity.
"I was truly sad when you were in a coma in the hospital," added Azura, a beautiful girl with wavy hair, joining in the sympathy.
"Captain Thomas's Team 3 lost half its members in the Transcendence Trial when they encountered the Daemon," Justine added. "Nolan, I truly sympathize with what happened to you."
Her sympathy grew even more exaggerated when the two slightly overweight men behind her nodded in agreement. To Nolan, they were nothing more than errand boys.
"Nolan, you just recovered from your coma," Justine continued, her voice filled with excitement. "Even if you fail to advance, don't be discouraged. You can always try again next year."
On the other hand, Azura grabbed Nolan's wrist boldly. "Why don't you just join the Guild, Nolan? You're a prince. There's no need to go through the trouble of being an independent Sentinel."
The two black-haired siblings continued to dominate the idle conversation, which was too full of false sympathy. Azura and Justine Eisenhower had always exploited the genuine innocence and reserve of Nolan Caelthorn for their own gain.
They were the children of a prominent weapons technology entrepreneur in Athens. Though not from a noble family, their family's status as arms dealers had taught them to act superior.
"Azura...this girl is truly a sycophant," Nolan muttered to himself. "She uses her beauty to lure men, then discards them once they're no longer useful. That kind of behavior is too easy to read."
"Sorry," Nolan said firmly. "I have to go to the information center."
He calmly released Azura's grip.
Azura's expression changed immediately. She seemed surprised by Nolan's unusual behavior. He even let go of her hand somewhat roughly.
"Nolan, what's wrong with you?" Azura asked, her voice rising. "Are you okay? You're not usually this cold."
"That's right," Justine chimed in, sounding annoyed. He gentle tone had vanished, replaced by sarcasm. "You're acting strange, Nolan. You shouldn't be so rude to my sister."
Nolan stared at them with cold eyes.
"I only said sorry," he said flatly. "I didn't say anything rude. How was I rude to Azura?"
His words were simple but enough to silence them both.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from behind the crowd. A ball of water shot swiftly from the voice's direction and struck Azura's body. Instantly, the blonde girl was drenched.
"You—?" Azura shouted angrily, pointing at a girl with short, shoulder-length brown hair.
The short-haired girl was wearing a formal blue suit. She had an arrogant look on her face, and one of her hands was raised in a gun-like motion.
"You dare disturb Nolan?" she said coldly. "Then you're courting death in front of me."
She formed the same gesture with her hands again. Clumps of water formed and solidified from her fingertips, resembling bullets ready to fire.
"Selena," Azura growled, her voice trembling with anger. "You've ruined my expensive clothes!"
Instead of being deterred, Selena Fortner, the short-haired girl, launched another attack. Water bullets shot out, completely drenching Azura this time.
"Stupid girl," Justine snapped, he face furious. He drew he gleaming sword from its sheath and glared at Selena arrogantly. "How dare you humiliate my sister! You're only a Sentinel of the Mage Path. Your weakness in close-quarters combat is obvious."
Nolan remained silent, simply watching the clash before him as he delved into Caelthorn's memories. The short-haired girl facing Justine was Selena, her remaining companion from the Transcendence Trial. She was a Sentinel of the Mage Path who possessed water-elemental magic.
"Selena, you've provoked my wrath," Azura growled. "Don't blame me if you get cut off."
"Do I need to splash more water on your face?" Selena retorted sharply. "You annoying woman."
She even raised her finger, making a blatantly insulting gesture.
The two siblings had always been a source of trouble. Now, they were fighting openly in the main hall of the Aurora Association building, watched by countless pairs of eyes.
Azura seemed even more furious. She moved rapidly, leaping in various directions and appearing and disappearing like a shadow. Meanwhile, Selena quickly formed a protective barrier of water around herself.
However, Selena was clearly in a difficult position. Azura attacked from close range at high speed, repeatedly slamming her dagger into the water dome.
"Your attacks won't penetrate my protective dome," Selena declared arrogantly.
More arcs of blue light struck the dome in rapid succession. The surface shook violently, and ripples of water churned as if unable to withstand the pressure any longer.
Justine didn't waste the opportunity. With a sharp look in he eyes, he lunged forward and thrust her sword into the center of the dome.
Crack!
The water dome shattered instantly.
Selena's expression stiffened. She hadn't expected her barrier to crumble so quickly. She reached out to summon her water magic again, but it was too late.
The attack came from behind.
Azura charged at high speed, pinning Selena down from two sides. The sword struck in front and the dagger struck from behind almost simultaneously.
Nolan felt his chest tighten.
He couldn't just stand by and watch.
He was no longer the weak Nolan Caelthorn who was accustomed to being bullied and exploited. He was Nolan Steward, now living as Nolan Caelthorn.
His body moved before his thoughts could catch up.
With almost reflexive speed, he grabbed Azura's wrist and gripped it tightly. At the same time, he delivered a low, precise kick to Justine's foot.
Justine lost he balance and fell to the floor. He sword slipped from he grasp and hit the hall floor with a loud clink.
Azura's eyes widened in surprise. Justine stared at Nolan, shocked and embarrassed.
Nolan, who had always been quiet, easily bullied, and in the weakest position, was now standing before them, stopping both of their attacks at once.
Azura wrenched her hand from Nolan's grasp. Her face flushed with anger.
"Hmph!" she snorted in annoyance.
Without looking back, the girl with long black hair turned and stomped away, leaving her brother sitting on the floor.
"Azura! How dare you abandon your brother!" Justine shouted angrily.
But Azura paid her no attention.
Justine stood up with a sour expression. He glared at Nolan for a moment, as if she were about to say something. Then she chose to leave rather than prolong the commotion and suffer further embarrassment.
The sound of applause rang out.
Selena smiled faintly as she looked at Nolan with a relieved expression.
"Nolan, are you really Nolan?" she asked in disbelief. "I never thought you'd wake up from your coma and become such a rebel."
She chuckled lightly.
"Looks like I won't have to worry about those two troublemakers bothering you anymore."
Nolan didn't react immediately. This kind of concern, especially protectiveness, felt foreign to him.
In his previous life, he had never had any friends. Loneliness had hardened his heart long ago. But in this world, Caelthorn, who had always been bullied and taken advantage of, still had someone who cared about him.
The thought felt odd.
Suddenly, a young man with messy, curly hair ran toward Caelthorn with a hysterical scream, his arms wide open as if to embrace him.
Reflexively, Nolan tilted his body.
The young man lost his balance and fell to the floor, groaning in pain.
Nolan only glanced at him briefly, his expression remaining impassive.
However, the young man stood back up, ignoring Nolan's slight retreat.
"Nolan, I really wasn't sure it was you," the curly-haired boy said in a trembling voice. His eyes were red, and tears were still flowing. "I just saw you from afar and kept convincing myself that it was really you."
Nolan studied the face for a moment.
If he remembered correctly, the messy-haired, cheerful young man in front of him was named Julian Dante, one of the members of Team 3 who participated in the Transcendence Trial with him.
Julian was known for his goofy and humorous demeanor. Even in dire situations, he always managed to crack a joke and lighten the mood. He was also the first to approach and befriend Nolan Caelthorn, a prince known for being introverted and easily alienated, without hesitation or regard for status.
"Yes, I've recovered quite a bit," Nolan said casually.
Julian leaned in with a curious expression. "Nolan, this calm and cool demeanor of yours...it actually looks cool."
They were too close.
Nolan raised his palm and pushed Julian's face away slightly, showing no overt expression.
"Hey! Nolan just recovered!" Selena exclaimed, tugging hard at Julian's ear. "You shouldn't be such a barbarian!"
"Ah—it hurts! It hurts!" Julian screamed and moved away from Nolan instinctively. His expression turned to fear whenever his gaze met Selena's.
Selena then turned her attention back to Nolan. "Nolan, why did you come here?"
"I just wanted to check my Squeance," Nolan replied lightly.
This short answer caused Selena and Julian to look at each other, then back at Nolan, their faces showing shock.
"Nolan, seriously?" Selena said.
"Did you move up in Squeance?" Julian added almost simultaneously.
Nolan just shrugged. He didn't know what to say. The commotion from earlier was still drawing the attention of those around him, and he didn't want to be the center of attention anymore.
Without another word, he turned and headed toward the examination room.
"Nolan, how about I accompany you?" Julian said quickly.