-1466- Only an object of admiration

Perhaps, even Rozen himself was unaware of this.

Not about Yuri's feelings for Rozen, but the fact that Yuri had known about him much earlier than Rozen had imagined.

Everyone, including Rozen, Kanata, and Chloe, thought that Yuri only became interested in Rozen after arriving at Mistgun and learning about his achievements.

However, in reality, Yuri had already heard of Rozen long before, when she was just a child.

At that time, Yuri wasn't in Mistgun but in another floating city.

Due to her early discovery of magical abilities, Yuri had already decided to become a Sky Wizard.

However, the people around her were constantly talking about one thing.

"I heard there's an unimaginable genius in Rune."

"He apparently displayed magical power far beyond that of regular Sky Wizards while still in primary school and even mastered flight magic before enrollment."

"That's an incredible genius indeed."

"I heard the whole of Rune was astonished, and several floating academy cities even extended invitations, hoping to recruit this rare genius."

"No wonder the news reached even us."

The adults continued discussing this matter, piquing the curiosity of young Yuri.

It's important to note that during primary school, children with the potential to become wizards were only taught very basic things, such as how to use simple engraving techniques, how to harness magical power to perform spells (which weren't even called magecraft at that time), and learning about flight and air combat. They barely touched on combat skills, which were mainly introductory.

Only after this introductory phase, if the primary school deemed a student potentially capable of becoming a wizard after six years of study, would they be sent to various floating academy cities for further education.

It was extremely rare for an academy city to recruit students before they had even graduated from primary school.

After all, Armored Beetles could appear outside of floating cities at any time. Even those floating cities mainly used for civilian residence would stay in relatively safe areas, and only if absolutely necessary would anyone voluntarily travel between floating cities—let alone for the sake of a mere primary school student who hadn't even graduated.

But still, this child's performance created such a sensation.

The reason? He defeated several Arachnell-class Armored Beetles that had infiltrated Rune.

Upon hearing this, not just the adults but even young Yuri was shocked.

A mere primary school student being able to kill Armored Beetles was practically unimaginable.

Since then, the floating city where Yuri lived, along with other floating cities, continued to talk about this, and Yuri began paying attention to this person, eventually learning his name from others.

"Rorelai Arneet..."

This was the scene when seven-year-old Yuri first heard this name.

Later on, bits and pieces of information about him continued to circulate.

For instance, despite his incredibly young age, he was astonishingly smart, scoring full marks on everything taught at school.

Or, while others were still learning how to fly, he was already capable of engaging in air combat, even going outside of Rune alone to kill numerous Armored Beetles.

Moreover, it wasn't just that he himself grew stronger; he also helped his two childhood friends grow stronger, leading them to receive invitations from various floating academy cities as well.

Such stories kept coming from Rune, making Yuri increasingly curious and subtly fostering a sense of admiration.

After that, it was said that he and his two childhood friends entered Mistgun for their studies.

At that time, Yuri, who was already eleven and in her sixth year of primary school—about to graduate next year and start selecting an academy city—saw this boy on screen.

The reason was simple.

"Let's see how this rare genius fares in Mistgun."

"Even though he's just a first-year preparatory student, it seems he and his two childhood friends formed a squad and are preparing to participate in ranking battles."

"We've been hearing about his reputation for so long, and now we can finally see through the live broadcast if his abilities are as amazing as they say."

"Stop talking, the broadcast is about to start."

And so it happened.

Due to his small fame among the floating cities and being regarded as a rare genius, when the boy entered Mistgun and was about to participate in his first ranking battle, the adults specially organized a live viewing event to see if this boy was truly a genius.

Yuri couldn't resist joining them and witnessed that live broadcast.

And on that day, Yuri saw Rozen's full appearance for the first time and also saw what he looked like.

Wearing the Mistgun preparatory school uniform, Rozen appeared in the ranking battle arena along with his two childhood friends, who were dressed in protective suits, and they were seen by everyone through the broadcast.

Yuri would never forget what she saw that day.

In the arena, Rozen floated in the air, neither wearing a protective suit nor drawing a weapon. He appeared completely nonchalant, which infuriated the opposing squad, who launched an attack without hesitation.

Although the opposing team was an E-rank squad, they were preparatory second-year students who had undoubtedly learned more air combat techniques and squad combat skills than Rozen and his team, who had just enrolled. As a result, they initially displayed overwhelming superiority, forcing Kanata and Chloe, who had charged forward, to retreat continuously.

At that moment, Rozen still didn't move, but instead began giving instructions to Kanata and Chloe, allowing the two to cooperate with each other and display surprising air combat techniques. They spiraled through the air, attacking the opponents, and managed to turn the tide.

Sensing the danger, the opponents decided to directly target Rozen, the squad leader, aiming to seize the emblem on his neck and secure victory.

However, facing the oncoming enemies, Rozen merely clapped his hands, generating a shockwave that took down the enemies in one blow.

Thus, Rozen's first ranking battle in Mistgun ended with an overwhelming victory.

"Amazing…"

"Is that really a first-year preparatory student?"

"He's so strong!"

"He truly is a genius!"

The adults around Yuri were all marveling in amazement.

As for Yuri, she gazed at Rozen, who was high-fiving with Kanata and Chloe amidst the cheers of the entire arena, and unknowingly found herself staring in admiration.

From that day onward, Yuri decided that she wanted to attend Mistgun.

She wanted to meet Rozen.

Because by then, Rozen had already become her object of admiration.

At least, at that time, he was only an object of admiration.

Until later…