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Chapter 26 Classification

'I might need to extend my stay here,' Sylv contemplated. Her original visit to her friend was meant for delivering news, and she hadn't planned on staying long. However, her plans could now change due to her patient's condition. Leaving the patient alone was not an option, as she hadn't truly completed the healing process, and soul trauma could be triggered at any time or place. Sylv was confident that no one on this planet could handle a soul trauma as she had just done.

'After all, humans can't interact with souls, let alone heal them,' she mused, briefly entertaining the thought before amending it with a sly glance at Julia. 'Well, only a select few humans can.'

'Let's focus on recuperation first,' Sylv thought, her fatigue weighing on her like a heavy shroud. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this exhausted. As a dedicated healer rather than a combatant, she wasn't accustomed to such a draining level of mana consumption. Healing techniques at her level typically consumed significantly less mana than combat techniques.

'Julia-'Sylv began to telepathically address Julia, intending to speak with her, but she abruptly halted her communication. A sensation overcame her, one she recognized instantly. She was being targeted. While not a combatant by nature, her long life had exposed her to various survival instincts and knowledge. She understood the gravity of this feeling.

With a swift, vigilant scan of her surroundings, she pinpointed the source of her unease: Julia's son, El. He gazed intently in her direction, his eyes fixed on her with a piercing intensity. His stare was so penetrating that it felt as if he could see through her, right into the depths of her being. The sensation was nothing short of unnerving.

'How?' Sylv pondered silently. After all, a human of such feeble constitution shouldn't have possessed the capability to perceive her. In fact, no one on this planet should have possessed the sight [with the exception of Julia once more]. The most robust individuals might, at best, sense her presence. Occasionally, even individuals with limited strengths and keen instincts could detect her presence, but nothing more. However, this young man was undeniably doing more than just sensing her; he was unabashedly gazing at her. In fact, it was more than a casual gaze; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so taken aback.

It was as if he were studying her, truly examining her. She didn't know how, but she could sense that his focus extended beyond her physical appearance and delved into something more profound. Only then did she notice something that would have been evident earlier if not for her initial surprise.

'His eyes... they've changed.' His eyes were no longer as dark as they typically were. She observed a complete absence of pupils in those eyes. Instead, they were almost entirely white, with a faint lavender hue. This gave his eyes a stark, almost otherworldly appearance.

But that wasn't all. Prominent veins and blood vessels had materialized around his eyes, branching out from the eye's center and extending toward the temples, creating a network of veins that appeared to throb with inherent power.

'Incredible!' Sylv's disconcerting feeling gave way to awe. As a grandmaster healer, she possessed an intimate knowledge of the human body down to the cellular level. While she couldn't immediately fathom the purpose of these unique eyes, the presence of those veins surrounding them provided a significant clue.

These veins unmistakably carried blood and an extensive network of nerves. Sylv could tell that these nerves hadn't existed before the transformation, having treated Elian the day before and knowing his eye structure. It could only mean that these nerves had been created specifically for the purpose of this eye technique. If she had to speculate, Sylv would surmise that these nerves were designed to transmit supplementary information to the brain, information that his ordinary eyes couldn't convey. What if this information allowed him to perceive things beyond the usual human range?

This might explain how he was able to see her, but the implications were nothing short of astonishing. Not to mention, could spirits be the only entities he could see? That seemed highly improbable.

Sylv wasn't the sole observer of El's remarkable eye transformation. Julia had perceived the change the moment it occurred but was too taken aback to utter a word. Had she not been a mature woman, a startled shout might have escaped her lips; such was the profound shock she experienced. After all, who could have foreseen that her son would inherit those eyes? Julia couldn't contain her elation, and her grin broadened at the profound implications. It took her a few seconds to regain her composure.

As her senses returned, Julia noticed El's unwavering gaze fixed on the invisible Sylv. This sight didn't catch her off guard, given her understanding of the extraordinary abilities associated with those eyes. Instead, she harbored a different set of questions.

"El," Julia called out, her voice infused with delight.

"Hm?" El responded, his attention still riveted on Sylv. He didn't spare a glance for Julia. How could he? A complete stranger had mysteriously materialized in the room. How could he overlook someone about whom he knew nothing? Even though she might be Julia's friend, that didn't automatically make her his friend.

'How could I forget that?' Julia berated herself inwardly. She was well aware that El had noticed Sylv's presence during the latter part of Lys's operation. Her intention had been to inform him afterward, but amidst the complexities of dealing with Lys's condition post-Sylv's departure and the astonishment brought about by those extraordinary eyes, she had simply forgotten.

Julia possessed a clear understanding of how El classified people, a system rooted deep in his mindset. In his view, individuals fell into four distinct categories: the "Too Weak" who were not even worth considering, a group encompassing individuals like Lys and all the household staff; the "On Guard" who were individuals El could handle or evade, with Marcus recently gaining entry into this category thanks to El's escape technique; the "Dangerous" group, which had been rendered empty once Marcus departed but was refilled when El realized that Julia herself fell into this category.

The fourth and final category, "Close Family," was a bit of a misfit for El. It wasn't a group he had willingly constructed; rather, it had been imposed upon him by Elian, incorporating his parents and Lys. Elian's intention was for El not to view their family as dangerous people, pushing El to establish this group. In fact, Elian had wished to include the entire Thorne family in this group, but El had remained resolute, insisting that all those outside the Thorne residence were all strangers.

Julia's guess was spot on. Throughout that time, El had been meticulously assessing Sylv, striving to gauge her strength in order to assign her a classification. He recognized that, considering the significant mana she had summoned, she could fit into either the "On Guard" or "Dangerous" category. After an intense minute of observation, El reached his conclusion: she belonged to the first group.

Why? Because it was evident that she was a mage rather than a warrior. This knowledge allowed El to feel assured that he could easily escape if the need arose. With this revelation, El's anxiety eased, and he turned his attention to Julia.

"So, could you introduce us?" he inquired.