Eldric speechlessly looked at her, "I was just kidding. We already thoroughly checked the elf for any weird magic. I don’t think there’s any chance of her being a spy or anything."
"That’s for the better," Selene nodded her head.
Just then, the gate flung open and Orion entered with a cheerful smile on his face, "Grandpa, Grandma, good evening."
Eldric and Selene turned their heads toward Orion.
"Finally got time for us?" Eldric smirked and asked.
Selene, on the other hand, gently waved toward him, "Come and sit here, dear. The food is about to go cold."
Orion smiled and sat down, grabbing a piece of roasted meat from the platter. "Haa... nothing beats home-cooked food after a long day."
Selene chuckled gently. "Of course. You need proper food now that you’ve started going to the academy. You’ll need all the energy you can."
"Of course, and who would refuse such delicious food," he said with a grin. "By the way, do you want to know about the academy test?"
Eldric raised an eyebrow. "How was it? You didn’t burn the place down, did you?"
"Nothing like that," Orion replied with a chuckle, then leaned back slightly as he began recounting the day. "So, you know they measure affinities and mana channels with that Orb, right?"
The two of them nodded their heads.
"So, I decided to show four of my affinities publicly—"
"Wait," Eldric cut him off mid-sentence and frowned his brows, "Why did you show four affinities? Didn’t we agree on two?"
Selene also looked at him worriedly.
Orion chuckled, "I’ll get to that in a bit. So where was I? Ah yes, four affinities. So after I showed them my affinities, I’m pretty sure over half the students looked at me as if I’m a monster. While the teachers were losing their minds."
Eldric and Selene decided to ask his reasons later and listened attentively.
"Well no shit, of course they’d lose their minds," Eldric’s lips twitched. "No one in the history of this country has been able to awaken four elements."
Selene gently shook her head, "You gave them too big of a surprise."
"Haha, I’m sure the Dean must’ve been quite shocked as well." Eldric, however, chuckled at something else.
He shrugged. "They gave me a title as well. ’Elemental Freak.’ Not official, of course. Just student gossip that I heard while walking around."
Eldric burst out laughing. "That’s one for the books!"
Selene covered her mouth, giggling softly.
"But," Orion added, narrowing his eyes a little, "you two could’ve given me a heads-up that Arya would be there."
Eldric smirked and shrugged. "And ruin the surprise? Nah. Your expressions are way more fun when you’re blindsided."
Selene nodded as she sipped her tea. "We thought it would be a good opportunity—letting you two meet again without preparation. Genuine reactions matter, especially at your age."
He rolled his eyes. "Tch. Royals and their surprises."
"You’re one to talk," Eldric snorted. "Didn’t you bring a half-dead elf home without telling anyone?"
"Fair enough," Orion mumbled, stuffing his mouth with rice.
"Now, lad, tell me why you decided to show them four of your affinities?" Eldric put down his teacup and seriously asked.
"Oh yeah, Grandpa. You said Dual Affinity geniuses are rare. But I found them all over the place. Like, you randomly throw a Mana Crystal and it’ll have a good chance of landing on a Dual Affinity awakener."
Eldric raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you aren’t exaggerating, lad? Even if it’s the most prestigious academy in the kingdom, Dual Affinity users are no joke. How can there be so many?"
He spread his hands, "Well, you can ask Uncle Edgar."
Eldric and Selene’s expressions turned serious. Eldric’s voice turned solemn, "...Is the Golden Era coming again?"
Orion raised an eyebrow, "Golden Era? Again? What do you mean, Grandpa?"
"This is bad... this is bad... Why now? Why now of all times?" He muttered as if he didn’t hear Orion’s words.
Selene took a deep breath and turned to Orion, "Listen to what I’m about to say clearly, dear. It’s important for your future. The Golden Era—or as some call it, the Age of Geniuses—is a bloody period that comes once every thousand or tens of thousands of years. We don’t know what triggers it or how long it will last, but during this time, there will be geniuses all over the place and the world will prosper."
Orion tilted his head, "Then isn’t this good news? Why is Grandpa... reacting like that?"
She took a deep breath, "Because the Golden Era is not only for us, but for... the Demons as well."
Orion’s eyes widened slightly at her words.
She continued, "They will become far too active in some time. And from that, endless wars will happen all over the place." Her eyes became filled with pity. "Countless people of all races will die while the geniuses rise."
Selene shook her head, "Individuals revere this period while kingdoms and empires dread it. So many giant powers have fallen throughout long history."
Orion leaned back slightly in his chair, brows furrowed. "So it’s like a double-edged sword...? Talent rises, but so does chaos?"
Eldric nodded, face unusually grim. "Exactly. The stronger the era’s talents, the more brutal the conflicts that follow. Empires rise and fall in the blink of an eye during a Golden Era. What you saw at the academy today? That’s just the beginning."
Orion thought of something and asked, "So are we facing the Demons under the 72 Demon Kings? Or will there be other races?"
Eldric shook his grim head, "If it were only the Demons under the 72 Demon Kings, then we might have somehow managed, as they are usually spread out all over the place. However, there are other factions. Collectively we call them Dark Creatures. The 72 Demons are but a single faction. There are a few more powerful ones and dozens of other smaller ones."
Orion’s expression turned serious, "Which are the strongest factions among them?"
Eldric took a deep breath and began recounting, "72 Demon Kings is a top-notch faction. Then comes the Succubi under the lead of Mother of Chaos—Lilith. The third faction is of Vampires under the leadership of Dracula. Then, the Progenitor of Undead—the First Lich—we don’t know their name. And more. I can’t be sure of all of them."
He frowned his brows, "This is... troublesome." He tapped his fingers on the table, processing their words. "Then what about me? What should I be doing?"
"You don’t need to change anything," Selene said gently, placing her hand over his. "Just remember—every move you make, every step forward, you will be watched by the masses. Some will admire you. Others will envy you. And many... will want you dead."
Orion chuckled dryly. "Hah. Sounds fun."
Eldric looked at him seriously, "You should head to bed now. I need to verify the information you gave me. I’ll be back later." With that, he stood up and left the dining hall.
Selene stood up and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, "You don’t need to worry too much. If something happens, we’ll be sure to protect you."
Orion gently smiled and nodded his head without saying anything.