“Isn’t this a little too much?” Yeriel murmured.0

At Yukline Castle in Hadecaine, Yeriel felt somewhat overwhelmed as she welcomed Deculein back to the mansion. The lineup of mentors he had assembled for the Yukline Magic Training Program seemed almost excessive.0

“… This is going to cost more than it’s worth, you know? Did you even consider the expenses? You used the family’s checkbook to pay for it all, didn’t you?”0

The training program wasn’t a major event; it was just one part of Yukline’s broader sponsorship efforts, which extended beyond mages to include knights, artists, and musicians. But bringing in an elder from Berhert for something like this…0

“This befits the name of Yukline,” Deculein declared, seated in the lord's chair.0

Yeriel pressed her lips together, but any objection died on her tongue as his next words came.0

“It would do you well to take greater pride in your family.”0

His words hit her like a knife to the heart.1

“… But isn’t that old geezer Gindalf still on bad terms with us?” Yeriel asked, quickly shifting the topic. She wasn’t the type to show her pain.0

“That is a matter of the past,” Deculein replied.0

“… Weren’t you the one who swore you’d never forget?”1

Deculein quietly sipped his tea, letting the silence linger.0

Watching him closely, Yeriel continued, “Anyway, thanks to all this, we’ve had a huge number of applicants for the training program. We’re even planning to accept not only university-level mages.”0

“Are you referring to adventurers?”0

"Yeah. The world is changing fast, and with the Marik underground tunnels in mind, we need to strengthen our ties with the Adventurer’s Guild. Offering training program spots would make them eager to cooperate."1

Ever since the training program's costs had skyrocketed, Yeriel had been determined to recover every expense. Sponsorship or not, it was, in essence, an investment...0