New Shoots and Old Roots

The carriage rolled over the last stretch of slightly bumpy cobblestone road and slowly came to a stop in front of a huge archway constructed of rustic logs and polished white stone.

Above the archway, the words "Continental United Academy" are engraved in bold, powerful characters, gleaming with a calm luster in the early spring sunlight.

Heiter followed Lowell and Frieren down from the carriage, and the sight that came into view made him slightly taken aback.

Unlike the heavily guarded or ornately decorated aristocratic academies he had imagined, this place was open and simple, yet it possessed a vibrant vitality.

Young men and women dressed in various styles, but clearly not made of expensive materials, moved among the crowd. Their faces showed focus, curiosity, or eagerness. They gathered in twos and threes to discuss something, or hurried to different buildings.

The air was filled with a faint lingering magic, the fresh scent of grass, and an indescribable, vibrant atmosphere.

Heiter's gaze was drawn to an open-air training ground not far away.

Several boys and girls who looked to be no more than ten years old were practicing basic magic manipulation with great skill. The magical light gathered at their fingertips might still seem immature, but their focused expressions and meticulous movements gave Heiter a strange sense of awe.

These children were dressed plainly and were by no means children of noble families.

But what they are practicing right now is clearly a simplified version of the "Ordinary Attack Magic" that is undoubtedly rooted in Qual's "Killing Magic"!

Heiter's heart skipped a beat, and a vague yet startling conjecture surfaced in his mind.

In his mind, "academy" had always been an ivory tower that only the aristocracy and a few extremely wealthy people could enter.

For someone like him, born into an orphanage, to become a monk through his faith in the Goddess and a bit of talent is already extremely fortunate.

There may be many warriors of commoner origin, but mages of commoner origin? They are extremely rare.

Flamme, the progenitor of continental magic, made it theoretically possible for "everyone to possess magic," and the legendary mage Serie founded the Continental Magic Association, further standardizing the profession of mage. But the path of magical cultivation is incredibly difficult!

Except for a very few exceptionally gifted individuals who can learn without a teacher, the vast majority of people need a good mentor. Hiring a qualified mage as a tutor would cost an astronomical sum for an average family.

Even though magicians are no longer rare and are often seen in the streets, most of them still come from privileged backgrounds.

Most ordinary people, throughout their lives, may only know a few Folk Magic passed down in the countryside for starting fires, lighting lights, and catching birds.

But these children before me... they're practicing the very foundations for becoming a true mage! Could this be...?

Just as Heiter was in turmoil, a guess vaguely emerging but he dared not confirm it, a clear, yet somewhat familiar and serious, childlike voice rang out from behind him:

"Heiter! You've come!"

Heiter looked in the direction of the sound and saw Lilisa standing in front of a building covered with lush green vines.

The little girl still had her hair neatly tied in pigtails, and her eyes were bright. However, she had changed into a set of cotton and linen clothes that were easy to move in and resembled a school uniform. Her little face showed a composure that was beyond her years, as well as a faint smile as if she had seen someone she knew.

"Yo! Lilisa!"

Heiter suppressed his inner turmoil for the moment, a cheerful smile spreading across his face. He instinctively reached out to ruffle her hair, but seeing Lilisa's adult-like look of disdain, his hand paused in mid-air. Instead, he scratched the back of his own head. "Haha... you look quite dashing in this outfit!"

Lilisa stepped forward, her small nose twitching slightly like an alert little animal, then nodded in satisfaction. "Hmm... indeed, Heiter has been very obedient lately; he doesn't smell of alcohol at all!"

"Haha... Of course, I promised you!" Heiter laughed a little embarrassedly, then looked around and asked the question that had been bothering him, "Where are you all...? Where are the children from the Hearth House? What exactly is this place...?"

Lilisa, with her hands behind her back, explained:

"This is the Continental United Academy! It was founded by Lowell and His Majesty Anthony!"

"The Hearth House exists here in a different way. Now, all children of the appropriate age, regardless of their background, can come here to study and live, as long as they pass the basic aptitude and character assessments! The food, lodging, and learning are all much better than in that little courtyard in the village before! Sister Millialdai and Sam are here too!"

These two long-lived species will always seem like super-younger generations to children.

She pointed to several buildings in the distance that were clearly dormitory buildings:

"We used to sleep together, which was cozy, but it was still a bit cramped... Now we all live over there! Four people to a room, it's so spacious! There's also a huge library and all sorts of training grounds! Even magic practice has a special protective barrier, so we don't have to worry about accidentally blowing up the plants and trees anymore!"

The little girl's tone was filled with obvious excitement and pride, but she still tried her best to maintain a calm expression.

"Regardless of background... it's all acceptable?" Heiter murmured, his shock growing. He looked up at the vast academy area, sunlight shining on the white stone steps and the young children, as if filled with hope.

"Oh! Heiter! You wine-and-meat monk, you've finally arrived! I thought you were passed out drunk in some tavern and couldn't find your way! Hmm? You seem to have gotten a lot younger?"

A vibrant voice rang out. Ruby and Eisen walked side by side from a short distance away. Ruby's fiery red curls shone like a leaping flame in the sunlight, while the usually composed Eisen walked beside her.

"Ruby? Eisen? What are you doing here?" Heiter was even more surprised.

Himmel appeared at the end of another path, her blue hair fluttering in the breeze, a gentle smile on her face, "Not only them, but I'm here too."

Ruby skipped over to Heiter, puffed out her little chest, and said proudly, "Hehe~ You didn't expect that, did you! Himmel is now the academy's 'honorary principal'! Although he's not always here, his title is very prestigious! Eisen and I are 'honorary teachers'! We occasionally come to instruct the mages and warriors! How about that? Impressive, right!"

Eisen nodded steadily in agreement:

"Yeah. I originally wanted to go back to my hometown for some peace and quiet, fish, and do some blacksmithing... but I got tricked into coming here by Lowell. He kept saying things like 'valuable experience' and 'sowing seeds for the future'... Anyway, I'm not here all the time, so it's not bad to come here occasionally to stretch my muscles."

Looking at these former comrades-in-arms, who had gathered here in such an unexpected way, Heiter was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

He turned to Lowell, who had remained silent with a smile, and asked a crucial question:

"Lowell, such a large academy... Putting aside where the huge amount of funding needed to maintain its operation comes from, just finding qualified instructors must be quite a lot, right? Where did you find so many people?"

Lowell gently patted Heiter on the shoulder, his gaze sweeping over the older, uniformed, and capable-looking young men and women moving about deep within the academy. His tone carried a profound calm:

"Heiter, do you think it took me years to establish 'Hearth House' and adopt and raise those war orphans and displaced children? Hearth House doesn't support idlers, and Millialdai didn't have the energy to take care of them all the time, so after they grew up, they had to go out and make their own way in the world. In order for them to survive better, I naturally taught them some 'little tricks'..."

"And where are those 'former kids' who have long since grown up and made a name for themselves in their respective fields?"

Heiter was stunned.

Of the children who left the Hearth House, some became merchants, some became craftsmen, some became adventurers, and some... may have even become quite good warriors or mages!

Not to mention the influence of these "honorary" mentors and their occasional personal guidance! This is the entire Hero Party that defeated the Demon King, including the only daughter of a Grand Duke...

This is not a disbandment; it is clearly a breaking up of the whole into smaller parts, spreading the sparks of the Hearth House across a wider land.

Just then, Heiter's gaze inadvertently swept over the largest training ground for soldiers in the distance.

A blond warrior, dressed in clean and crisp armor, was instructing several teenagers on the most basic sword-holding posture. His movements were meticulous, and he would occasionally personally correct the children's movements without showing any impatience.

The gloom and struggle that once filled his face were gone. Although his expression remained serious, there was a calmness between his brows, and even a sense of focused dedication to imparting his skills.

The sunlight shone down on him without reservation, giving his bronze skin a warm glow.

He stood in the sunlight, not in the shadows.