The hall fell completely silent as Raine stopped before the ducal platform.

  Duke Aquilon looked at his daughter for a moment, his expression calm but proud.

  “In House Aquilon,” he began, his voice carrying clearly through the hall, “adulthood is not measured by years alone.”

  His gaze shifted briefly toward the massive Icefang Direwolf displayed at the center of the hall.

  “It is proven.”

  A few servants stepped forward then, carrying a finely crafted chair and placing it beside the ducal table.

  It had clearly been prepared beforehand.

  Duke Aquilon gestured toward it.

  “From this day onward, you no longer stand behind this house,” he said.

  “You stand with it.”

  Raine stepped forward and took the seat.

  For a brief moment, the hall remained silent.

  Then someone began to applaud.

  The sound came from the royal table.

  Princess Iris.

  The applause spread through the hall almost immediately after. Nobles, heirs, and guests all joined in, the sound echoing through the chamber.

  It wasn’t difficult to understand why.

  When the princess applauded… everyone else followed.

  As the applause gradually settled, Raine rose from the seat once more.

  Her gaze moved across the gathered nobles before she spoke.

  “Thank you all for coming.”

  Her voice was calm and steady.

  “The northern frontier remains dangerous. Monsters will continue to cross the border.”

  “As a member of House Aquilon, I will continue to hunt them… and protect the frontier.”

  She inclined her head slightly before sitting again.

  My gaze shifted briefly to the side of the ducal table.

  Another figure sat there—Raine’s older brother.

  Unlike the formal atmosphere of the ceremony, he appeared relaxed, watching the scene with quiet amusement as the applause resumed.

  The ceremony gradually gave way to the banquet.

  Servants moved through the hall placing dishes across the long tables while nobles resumed their conversations.

  It didn’t take long before the three of us approached Raine to offer our congratulations.

  Kyle arrived first, raising his glass slightly with a grin.

  “So,” he said, tilting his head a little, “should we start calling you Miss Raine from now on?”

  Raine gave him a flat look.

  “If you want to get frozen solid, you can try.”

  Kyle laughed.

  “See? This is exactly why I asked.”

  Aria shook her head lightly beside us.

  “Ignore him,” she said calmly. “Congratulations, Raine. Hunting a mature Icefang Direwolf alone is no small achievement.”

  Raine inclined her head slightly.

  “Thank you.”

  I raised my glass as well.

  “Congratulations,” I said.

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  Her blue eyes briefly met mine before she nodded once more.

  “Thanks.”

  My gaze drifted toward the Direwolf displayed in the center of the hall.

  “What will you do with the mana core?” I asked.

  Raine followed my gaze briefly before answering.

  “Keep it.”

  Kyle nodded approvingly.

  “Oh, turning it into an artifact then? That’s a good choice.”

  He lifted his glass slightly with a grin.

  “My family’s territory has plenty of artisans. I’ve seen cores like that turned into some impressive artifacts.”

  He paused for a moment, then frowned slightly as if something had just occurred to him.

  “Speaking of which… what exactly are mana cores?”

  Aria looked at him with mild disbelief.

  “Your territory is famous for its artisans,” she said. “And you’re asking that now?”

  Kyle shrugged.

  “Hey, I’ve seen them used. No one ever bothered explaining the theory.”

  I set my glass down before answering.

  “Mana cores are often described as pseudo-souls.”

  Kyle blinked.

  “Pseudo-souls?”

  “Mana is stored inside the soul,” I said. “When a mage casts magic, that mana is projected outward from the soul’s vessel.”

  Kyle nodded slowly. That much was common knowledge.

  “Monsters are a little different,” I continued.

  “Some of them condense a portion of their essence into a separate structure while they grow stronger. Over time, that condensed essence solidifies.”

  I gestured toward the Direwolf.

  “That structure becomes the mana core.”

  Aria spoke next, her tone calm.

  “In other words, it’s a fragment of the monster’s soul that has taken physical form.”

  Kyle leaned forward slightly.

  “So that’s why artisans use them?”

  “Exactly,” I replied.

  “Because the core originates from a soul, it retains traces of the monster’s attribute and its internal mana structure. Artisans can shape those properties during crafting.”

  Raine nodded faintly.

  “Which is how artifacts are made.”

  “Right,” I said.

  “But not every mana core can become an artifact.”

  Kyle tilted his head again.

  “Why not?”

  “It depends on how much of the monster’s original soul the pseudo-soul inherits,” I explained.

  “If the inheritance is strong, the core retains clear attributes and structure. Those are the ones artisans can craft into powerful artifacts.”

  Aria added quietly,

  “If the inheritance is weak, most of that structure is lost.”

  Kyle finished the thought with a small grin.

  “Then it’s basically just a battery.”

  I nodded once.

  “More or less. A container of mana.”

  Kyle swirled the drink in his glass, thinking about it for a moment.

  “Wait,” he said suddenly. “If mana cores are basically solidified pseudo-souls…”

  He looked between us.

  “Then could a human soul turn into something like an artifact?”

  Aria’s expression stiffened slightly.

  Raine frowned.

  I considered the question for a moment before answering.

  “In theory, a soul can’t simply solidify the way a monster’s pseudo-soul does,” I said.

  “Human souls are structured differently. Our mana remains contained within the vessel.”

  Kyle leaned forward a little more.

  “So it’s impossible?”

  I shook my head slightly.

  “Not exactly.”

  The table fell quiet for a moment.

  “If someone were capable of extracting or preserving the structure of a human soul…” I continued slowly, “then technically something similar could be created.”

  Aria spoke immediately after that.

  “That kind of research is forbidden.”

  Her tone was calm, but firm.

  “For obvious reasons.”

  Kyle raised both hands slightly.

  “Hey, I was just asking.”

  Raine glanced toward the Direwolf again.

  “Monsters are different,” she said. “Their pseudo-souls form naturally.”

  I nodded.

  “Exactly. Mana cores are simply a byproduct of how monsters evolve. Human souls weren’t meant to function that way.”

  Kyle leaned back in his chair again.

  “Still…” he muttered.

  “Artifacts made from souls.”

  He gave a small whistle.

  “That would be terrifying.”

  "Indeed it would.”

  The calm voice came from behind us.

  We turned almost immediately.

  Princess Iris stood a short distance away, a faint smile on her face as if she had heard more of the conversation than we would have preferred.

  The soft murmur of the banquet continued around us, but the small space near our table suddenly felt much more formal.

  Kyle straightened in his seat at once.

  “Your Highness.”

  Aria and Raine greeted her as well, their expressions composed.

  I inclined my head slightly in greeting.

  Iris looked between us before her gaze briefly settled on the Direwolf displayed in the hall.

  “Mana cores, pseudo-souls… artifacts made from souls,” she said lightly.

  “That’s quite an interesting discussion for a banquet.”

  Kyle gave a small, awkward laugh.

  “Just curiosity.”

  Iris’s eyes moved briefly toward me.

  “Curiosity often leads to the most interesting discoveries,” she said.

  Her gaze lingered for a moment before a faint smile appeared.

  “You are certainly knowledgeable.”

  She tilted her head slightly.

  “As expected of someone from a house of researchers.”

  Iris stepped closer to the table, her expression calm.

  At the same time, Aria subtly lifted a finger. A faint ripple of mana spread around us before settling into place.

  A soundproof barrier.

  Only then did Iris lower her voice slightly.

  “Just between us…”

  Her gaze moved between us before she finished quietly.

  “Some of the most vile criminals are turned into artifacts.”

  Kyle nearly choked on his drink.

  “Wait… seriously?”

  Kyle blinked once, clearly processing what he had just heard.

  Then he coughed lightly and straightened in his seat.

  “Right,” he said quickly, waving a hand as if brushing the topic away.

  “Anyway…”

  He glanced around the hall before leaning back in his chair.

  “Since we’re already in the north, we should go sightseeing tomorrow.”

  Aria raised an eyebrow.

  “Sightseeing?”

  Kyle nodded enthusiastically.

  “Why not? We rarely come this far north.”

  He gestured vaguely toward the windows, beyond which the frozen northern landscape stretched into darkness.

  “Snow fields, frozen rivers… maybe even the northern border.”

  Raine looked at him for a moment.

  “The border?”

  “Of course,” Kyle said casually.

  “When else are we going to see the frontier properly?”

  Aria sighed softly.

  “You just want to see monsters.”

  Kyle grinned.

  “That too.”

  I raised my glass and took a quiet sip, keeping my expression calm.

  Inwardly, however, I silently applauded Kyle.

  I had been considering slipping away from the estate when no one noticed and heading toward the border on my own.

  But if we were going there openly tomorrow…

  That would make things much easier.