“Hey, over here!”
“Master Ryu…”
Elaine called out to Ryu, who was approaching from afar, but she abruptly stopped in mid-sentence.
Because Cynthia was already waving her hand enthusiastically, shouting Ryu’s name much louder than Elaine could have.
“Is everyone gathered?”
“Yeah. Today’s an important… no, a joyous day!”
“…Right. A joyous day indeed.”
As Elaine listened to Cynthia and Ryu’s cheerful exchange, an inexplicable twinge of bitterness washed over her.
This bitterness wasn’t new—it had been building for some time now.
‘It’s certainly…’
Cynthia with that bubbly smile and voice, engaging Ryu in conversation. Ryu looked back at her patiently, like she was someone special.
Elaine wasn’t quite sure when it started, but it was undeniable that Cynthia and Ryu had grown closer.
It was as if they shared a secret that no one else was privy to.
And Elaine felt… envious of it.
“How’s your health today?”
“…Why do you suddenly ask?”
After finishing their greetings, Cynthia and Ryu naturally started walking side by side at the front.
It wasn’t strange to see them walking together, but lately, these kinds of moments had become more frequent.
Whenever they met up, Ryu and Cynthia always stuck together like glue.
“Emily, right?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you find these two suspicious at all?”
“Suspicious…?”
“Yes, they’ve been sticking together a lot lately, and their tone’s gotten a lot more familiar.”
“Is that so…”
Elaine glanced at Emily, who seemed completely disinterested, staring blankly ahead.
“I suppose…”
Elaine’s enthusiasm waned under Emily’s lackadaisical demeanor. Lately, not only had Cynthia and Ryu’s relationship seemed suspicious, but Emily had been acting weird as well.
She was always fidgety, restless. She even seemed weaker than usual.
“Isn’t it unusual? Cynthia looks so chipper.”
“Cynthia’s always been like that…”
“No, after the Cain Hover incident, she was always down in the dumps—until recently.”
“O-Oh?”
Elaine sighed inwardly. Talking to Emily was no longer productive.
As she looked around, she saw blonde hair swish as she turned her head to see Anes and Marie approaching.
Their eyes sparkled with anticipation, as if ready to agree to anything Elaine was about to say.
‘Groan.’
This time Elaine hesitated. It would almost feel too easy to speak to them.
She managed a faint smile at the pair and returned her focus to the front. As always, Ryu and Cynthia were deep in animated conversation.
‘Could it be that…’
In her mind, Elaine’s imagination began to run wild with fanciful notions.
“Phew, what an ordeal.”
Niguel was grumbling loudly, uncaring whether anyone heard.
Why did he have to take care of such trivial things personally?
While this was far from ideal, Niguel could admit it was partly his fault.
“Only two more points left.”
Niguel wandered the academy, personally overseeing the tasks at hand. The reason? He had no reliable underlings to handle it for him.
It wasn’t a job just anyone could do, and the Black Magician needed to handle it personally. But with no junior Black Magicians left under his wing, his options were limited.
And hiring the Undead Wyvern Knight? That simply wouldn’t work for something like this.
“Tomorrow, just finish the plan, and it’ll be over.”
As Niguel moved methodically through the academy grounds, he thought of how, if tomorrow’s plan went smoothly, everything from the previous incident would finally be forgiven.
“Ugh.”
Thinking about it, resentment bubbled within him.
That black-haired upstart who’d felled the Green Flame Knight. Even the Elder who’d personally encountered the person described them as unremarkable. But how could an unremarkable person best a Green Flame Knight?
Despite the contradiction, Niguel couldn’t question the Elder’s word.
Niguel swore to personally sever that upstart’s head tomorrow.
“Hmph, though killing him would ruin his value as an experiment.”
“Mwahahaha.”
An unsettling, eerie chuckle echoed as Niguel moved to the next location.
Though his demeanor was strange, no one paid him any attention as he strutted confidently down the halls.
After all, it was impossible for anyone to notice. Thanks to the Elder’s protective barrier around Niguel, he was able to freely wander the academy, an advantage the festival period provided with many outsiders visiting.
“Huh, I wonder how people will react when the Wyvern Rider shows.”
With a mischievous grin, Niguel imagined the chaos such an appearance would bring.
“Impossible. They’ll definitely panic.”
Niguel chuckled darkly, heading to the two remaining points—locations crucial to his plan.
“Whoa.”
Suddenly, he spotted two figures heading straight toward him. He hadn’t expected a confrontation like this out in the open.
Thump-thump.
Approaching him were Crescent Academy Chancellor Binuar Christina and Vice Chancellor Landgar following close behind.
“Hmm… they haven’t seen me yet.”
Too close now for a stealthy retreat, he maintained a calm demeanor while silently praying that the Elder’s barrier protected him well.
“Hmph.”
Niguel bowed politely, hoping that if things went awry, the Elder would intervene.
“Hmm, so much hard work from you.”
“Please…”
The weight of the Chancellor’s voice almost made Niguel faint right there.
Then two sets of footsteps approached, and finally, a light tap on his shoulder made him look up.
It was the Elder, standing behind the Chancellor.
The ever-expressionless Landgar Elder gazed directly at Niguel.
Relief washed over him. He hadn’t been detected.
Niguel let out an inaudible sigh, turning around. The two high-ranking officials were already walking away.
“Phew.”
Niguel made his way to the building they’d just left, the heavily secured vaults that housed the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor’s offices.
“All of you carry infinite potential. Never forget that and keep striving, and you will all surely find your own star.”
Clap-clap-clap.
Though not overly heartfelt, I joined in the applause.
Of course, Yuriya lived up to her reputation. She spoke effortlessly in front of what looked like hundreds of people.
Maybe it was her “Prisis” pedigree that drew such a crowd today.
Yuriya met the high expectations of the students, but honestly, it wasn’t much of a lecture—more of an informal chat session.
“Is the lecture clear? Feel free to ask any questions, even minor ones.”
Poof!
As soon as Yuriya invited questions, hands shot up everywhere. Everyone’s study fervor was alive and well.
“Ah… do we have any questions here?”
“Hmm.”
Unexpected.
Right next to me sat Emily, her hand raised high.
“Ahaha. Lots of questions. One at a time, please. First to the exemplary student right up here?”
“Yes, second year…”
While other students asked their questions, I leaned over and whispered to Emily.
“Emily, you planning to ask something?”
“Yeah, I’ll let you go ahead if you want.”
“Uh… right.”
I’d tried earlier to convince Emily to leave early, but her determined tone suggested that was no longer an option.
“Ah, you’re a natural teacher.”
Usually, Emily would shy away from asking questions during class, but here she looked incredibly serious.
“Alright, let’s wait and go together.”
I decided it was wise to stay until the session ended. With the festival period, we had to be extra cautious. Tomorrow was D-Day, but anything could happen at any time.
Emily gave a little nod.
And just like that, a question passed us by.
Minutes later, when it was our turn again, Emily suddenly spoke up.
“Me!”
The moment Emily declared her intention with resolve, all eyes turned to her.
“Alright, you?”
“First year, Emily Franz.”
“Franz. Go ahead.”
“Ms. Yuriya Prisis, why did you leave your family?”
The moment Emily finished, the room’s atmosphere shifted.
At first glance, it seemed an ordinary question, but Emily’s tone conveyed a myriad of emotions: curiosity, resentment, longing, anger.
“Hmm…”
I watched in silence as Yuriya and Emily locked eyes, the latter’s face stone-hard, though visibly trembling beneath her façade.
‘What’s going on?’
Before Yuriya could respond, the tension was palpable. Whatever answer would come, it was about to change things…
