The party was big and luxurious. Michelle, Tasha, and Ayaka already dressed up beautifully, wearing a dress that suited their characters. Kai complimented each of them and sat on the side since this was not really his thing.

A few tried to have a conversation with him but disappointed by the result. And they could not approach him as Michelle and Tasha stood on his side. He did not mind since the star of this party was Michelle.

No one would have a party this big except two people who were Michelle and Nathan. As the former family's head, Nathan deserved a party like this while Michelle was the current S rank magician in the family.

...

In the middle of the party,

Nathan observed Ayaka carefully. He was aware of Tasha and Sakura, thinking it would be no problem to pair them up with Kai. It was different for Ayaka, who only knew Kai for two months. He only recognized the Kudo Group in United Asia, not her. He wanted to see if Ayaka was a person that would lead the family to ruin or not.

When their eyes met, Nathan closed his eyes for a few seconds before calling her to him. "Come here."

Ayaka was a bit unsure about this, thinking of calling Kai. Surprisingly, she buried that thought as she walked toward him with a serious expression. "Greetings, Elder."

"Umu." He nodded while sending a fierce glare at her.

"May I know if there is anything I can do to help Elder?" Ayaka asked politely.

"There is certainly something I want to ask you." Nathan paused a little, creating tension between them. Luckily, no one realized this other than Kai, thinking it was just a small chat. Surprisingly, his next statement shocked Ayaka. "My request is simply for you to stay away from Kai."

"Wha-" She wanted to rebuke him, but Nathan only put his finger on his mouth, telling her to shut up for a bit.

"Tasha also has been with him for a few years. And I could say that both have overcome strive and carnage together with him… which I can understand. And that mysterious Sakura, I don't really care about her, but it is true that she managed to change him.

"As for my own granddaughter… Michelle has been with him longer than Tasha. In her heart, there is only him. Even the family is number two in her eyes. I won't say anything about their experiences, but I could say that Kai would always be the number one for her.

"She trained, trained, and trained… In the extreme weather or even when her body was tattered, her hands were bleeding, or it was too hard for her to stand anymore, she still stood tall and trained.

"At that time, I was wondering why, but do you know what she said? She said, 'Even facing a million beasts is easier than seeing him hurt.' She trained for him and he trained to protect her. Ultimately, I accepted their relationship.

"However… Now, we have you who suddenly intrude on their relationship. A pest who can't do anything without support.

"I have investigated you, Kudo Group's princess. You are just the same as the other youngsters. Ignorance. Spoiled by your family and won't be able to do anything without them." Nathan narrowed his eyes.

"No. I am not!" She was amazed by the story, but when he said something about her, she took offense.

"Ho? You can only achieve everything because of him. To be honest, you are his source of trouble. Because of you, his family is in danger, and without your family, I doubt he will take you to this base. Correct me if I am wrong." He released a kind of pressure.

"-!" She wanted to say something, but he did not say anything wrong.

"Each girl on his side has something special. However, I don't find that in you. If I am not wrong, you want to get stronger to help your family before you help him… Then, doesn't it mean if your family wants you to kill him, you will kill him?"

"It…" Ayaka paused a bit. She closed her eyes, seeking the answer. "You are half right… I do find my family is number one while he is the second. However, if my family wants to kill him, I won't kill him."

"Empty words. What? You are going to say, you will only watch from the sideline and not help any other side? Or do you want to help him and fight your own family? Can you even do that?" He snorted.

"No. My family and I were just a stranger to him a few months ago. Even with his sister's reputation, our path is not crossed. I admit I got close to him because I idolized his sister, but I realized what pulled me in was him, not her." Ayaka's expression turned serious. She continued, "If the friction between is happening because of me, then I will gladly lay my life down. With that, I will sever the relationship and the friction between us… because I know he deserves more."

"..." Nathan stared at her for a while before saying, "I will accept that answer for now�� Unfortunately, that still does not change the fact you are only his burden."

"I… I wish to get stronger… I am sick of being nothing but a burden to him. If I know how to get stronger, I will take that path no matter how dangerous it is!" Ayaka clenched her fists.

"Hoh… no matter how dangerous it is? This is certainly not light." Nathan paused for a few seconds. "There is one method that can get you stronger…"

"One method. What is it? Please tell me."

"It's simple. Go to the frontline without a person beside you. You will be able to think for yourself, utilize your magic efficiently and so on." He smirked. "The problem is… whether you dare to take it or not."

Ayaka was taken aback, not expecting such an answer. It was like he said, if she went alone to the front line and fought magical beasts alone, she would need to use her brain to make the strategy. Because she would die at any moment, she would try to make the best decision for survival. She would also try to use her magic efficiently, so she would not use up her magic.

She suddenly remembered the words her grandfather once said.

'There is nothing better for training than a real battle.'

Thinking of this, she realized what he meant by that. She clenched her fists, thinking of leaving Lion Group for a while and headed to the front line alone.

If she managed to survive, then she could proudly stand by his side. If she died, then Kai would certainly deserve a better girl than her.

Looking at her expression, Nathan knew this girl would certainly do it. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Alright. I should stop teasing you…"

"Tea… sing?" Ayaka opened her mouth, confused.

"Yep. Teasing. Do you believe that the front line is the best? If you want to suicide, then it is true that the place is the best. If you're going to get stronger, there are many more places than that place. You can get a powerful soldier just by creating them. Still, if you want an elite soldier, then you need to throw them to gather as much experience as they could.

"Strength, Brain, and Experience. Only if these three are fulfilled, you can be an elite. Kai, Tasha, and Michelle have been equipped with these three things. As for you, you clearly lack experience. And if I throw you out there, I am worried about my intelligence. Besides, there is no way the army would let you do so." Nathan shrugged his shoulder, looking at her dumbfounded face.

"Although this does not mean I approve of you, I will tell you one thing. This is related to your Fire Magic. You must have felt that the winter would restrict your fire magic, right?"

Ayaka nodded.

"It is because of the cold, or it can be said the power of nature. Your fire might not be as powerful as usual, or it would take more magic power to maintain it, or even be extinguished by the cold. Actually, there is another powerful strength that lies inside your body."

"Another strength?"

"Do you know what Michelle's element is?"

"Darkness or Shadow."

"Nah. In the past, her element was darkness. She can't even use a Shadow, which became her main power now." He shrugged. "He managed to awaken her power, thus the shadow power was born. It is a power inside all of us, but only certain people could awaken them. Even I can't awaken it."

"What is this power?"

"You do realize that we can imbue science thingy into our magic, right?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Just like a Sci-fi book, there is always fiction behind science. If you say that your current power is science, then this other strength is your fictional strength.

"A few people have managed to awaken them in the past, but there is not really research about it. We don't even know the condition to awaken it. However… I do believe if you can awaken that power, you will be able to contend with Tasha or Michelle. Anyway, don't say anything about this to anyone. Including you, sh*tty brat."

"I..." She never heard anything like this back in United Asia. Little did she know what he told her was a state secret. Kai rolled his eyes when he heard this from afar.

"Alright. This old man should shut up now and let the young do their own thing." Nathan sighed before recalling something. "Actually, there is one more thing… and close your ears sh*tty brat as you should not hear this."

Hearing that request, Kai sighed and used his Sound Insulation Magic on his ears, confusing the people around him.