episode_0056

‘A mass coma incident… Now that I think about it, I think I’ve heard about it in passing in my previous life, but it has nothing to do with me.’

The day after the meeting, Katlena was so interested in the matter that she even called the branch managers together to demand an investigation.

Although it happened when she was a freshman, it wasn’t something that had anything to do with her, and it was literally just a rumor that was heard for a short time before disappearing.

Even that rumor is less detailed than what we were briefed on just now.

‘I heard that some students suddenly collapsed..’

Since she had only known the extent of it and let it pass, it was a situation where there was no room for Katlena to think of anything special.

‘Well… I guess it’ll be the same this time since Sister Elios said she’ll solve it around next semester.’

Although she became a member of the Sentinel, Katlena doesn’t have any particular sense of calling, so she doesn’t pay much attention to current events.

‘What’s important to me right now is… the reason I joined Sentinel is because of this.’

With that thought, Katlena shook off the distracting thoughts in her head and looked back at the wooden sword in front of her.

A piece of wood with Katlena’s magic flowing through it.

The appearance itself was nothing more than a plain wooden sword with a faint gray aura surrounding it.

However, despite its simple appearance, the power contained within it had already surpassed that of a simple wooden sword.

“Haaah!”

The next moment, the iron block before her eyes splits cleanly as she swings her sword.

Being able to cut metal with a simple wooden sword meant that one had pretty much mastered the basics of condensation.

And.. next to Katlena, who had proven her growth in her own way, applause began to flow out.

“Okay, I guess I can say I passed. Good job, little brother.”

“Ugh!.. gasp… gasp… gasp..”

Senel, who speaks with great pride, and Cattlena, who releases condensation in deep fatigue.

At the same time, as the tension eased slightly, Katlena began to feel an overwhelming fatigue wash over her body.

But at this moment, what was really bothering Katlena was not the fatigue from training.

At just 10 years old, Katlena was handling condensation almost perfectly.

But… despite that, her heart still felt a strong thirst for power.

Now, it could be said that she clearly possessed considerable talent compared to her peers.

But, at this very moment, the person next to Katlena was someone who could make even her, who was displaying such talent, look shabby.

‘As expected… I can’t keep up at all…’

While thinking about that, Katlena glanced at Senel next to her.

Although Katlena’s current skill in handling magic power was by no means lacking, it was actually at an incredible level.

However, even so, Katlena’s current talent is… compared to Elios at this age.

And, compared to Senel standing next to her, she was utterly shabby.

To compare, it’s like a baby lion standing in front of a dragon.

Seeing her sister’s appearance, which was nothing short of overwhelming, Katlena once again began to coldly compare her and her sisters’ abilities.

’10 years old… At this age, not only did my older sisters Elios and Senel master all three basic magics, they were also able to use intermediate and higher level magic. Compared to them, I’ve only just barely mastered condensation.’

A gap that seems to indicate that there is someone flying above the person running.

In particular, Elios was great, but Senel, who was next to Katlena, was literally a monster when it came to talent.

This is, simply put, the detection magic she has been using all along.

This was a fact that could be known just by looking at the range of the so-called ‘circle of magic’.

‘A circle of magical power that ordinary witches and wizards would struggle to extend even 5 meters… Senel can stretch it up to 3 kilometers at this age… On the other hand, at my current level, I can’t even master the basics, let alone the circle of magical power.’

Of course, in terms of knowledge, the 20-year-old Katlena wasn’t that far behind, but the problem was her innate proficiency in handling magical power and the overwhelming amount of total magical power.

If Katlena had 50 magical powers when she was 20, she would only have 4 or 5 now that she is 10 years old.

On the other hand, the magical power of the 16-year-old Senel in front of her right now is at least 500.

The fact that there was such a huge difference between the two sisters was enough to make Katlena feel a deep sense of inferiority.

Yet in her previous life, she had not been so concerned about these things.

Savage force pales in comparison to lineage and authority.

As the granddaughter of the Imperial Chancellor, Katlena believed that with her power, she could easily suppress simple, ignorant powers like magic.

However, she lost everything overnight because of the ‘power’ she had taken lightly, and eventually died.

Although there were complex factors involved, the tremendous power that Elios wielded in that situation was clearly a decisive factor in resolving the situation in an instant.

On the other hand, Katlena, who had looked down on such power, was crushed by its power and collapsed in vain without even being able to put up a fight.

Without being able to protect either their own life or their loved ones.

And these experiences continued to continue in this life as well.

What happened at the orphanage a while ago, and what happened when I met the princess a while ago.

Both of them were cases where the authority and power of a princess did not work.

In the end, all she could do was helplessly hide behind the shield called Zeros.

And the pitiful sight at that time made Katlena feel frustrated and inferior, and eventually led her to choose her current path.

‘If I could become strong too. If I could wield overwhelming power like my sisters, I could protect Zeros with my own hands. Even if such an unexpected situation arises, I wouldn’t have to put the man I love in danger anymore.’

With such thoughts in mind, Katlena joined the Sentinel and began receiving full-scale combat training.

But honestly, the current situation wasn’t going as smoothly as she thought.

Katlena was a woman who possessed talents that were clearly outstanding at an ordinary level.

However, what she wanted was not a strength that could not go beyond such an ordinary level.

Overwhelming power.

Like her sisters, she was pursuing a power of a different dimension that no one could approach. However, the more she trained with all her might, the more she came to feel the cold reality more clearly.

I am definitely not a monster…

It just means that you can only grow to the level of a slightly stronger human.

‘Why… my father, my sisters, and my mother are all so strong… why… why only me…’

If I had been a reckless girl, I would have been able to move forward step by step, just watching the growth right before my eyes.

You could be happy with small successes and just keep moving forward, aiming only for the next level of success.

Even so, she would eventually realize belatedly that there was a wall she could not overcome, but at least she would have been able to delay the time of despair a little.

However, for Katlena, who has the knowledge and experience of an adult and clearly knows how great her other family members are,

After only a few months of training, the limits of her growth were already becoming increasingly apparent.

‘As expected. Is it because our fundamental bloodlines are different? If I had been born with my mother’s blood instead of that kind of woman. If I had been born as her biological daughter, I too… I could have become strong like my sisters.’

In this regard, I feel a bittersweet feeling about my own birth again.

With such a deep sense of despair, Katlena left the training grounds, and as Senel watched his younger brother, the bright expression that had been on his face just a moment ago slowly began to fade away.