Luna and I looked around and eventually returned to our accommodations.
Walking so much after such a long time had taken its toll on my legs, and my mind was filled with thoughts.
Rebels and soldiers.
If one soldier could be bought out, it raised the possibility that other soldiers might have been as well.
The question was, how?
From the stories I had heard while eating skewers at a stall, one could infer the level of loyalty the local citizens had for their lord.
Something seemed odd here.
It made no sense for the soldiers to revolt against their lord when the local citizens had such a favorable opinion of him.
A few possibilities came to mind.
An enemy from within.
Someone related to the soldiers or local citizens had betrayed their lord.
Otherwise, it was unlikely that each soldier would individually betray their lord.
Perhaps someone of significant influence was behind turning the soldiers against him...
Lost in these thoughts, I started to get a headache.
"I'm so tired…"
"Same here... Let's go in and rest."
It seemed Luna's legs were aching too.
She rubbed them as we walked.
Shortly after, we arrived at our lodgings.
It was a magnificent place, clearly meant to host esteemed guests.
The moment we stepped in, we saw a luxurious lounge furnished with high-end sofas and tables.
Two individuals were seated on one of the sofas.
"...Isn't that Professor Gracie?"
Professor Gracie was talking with someone.
The person sitting opposite her had their back to the entrance, making it impossible to see their face.
However, a hint of fiery red hair was visible.
That hair instantly reminded me of Astina.
During the winter break, I received letters from Astina a few times.
But at some point, I lost contact with her.
She probably got too busy.
Being in line to inherit would undoubtedly keep her occupied.
I had wanted to share the news about becoming the student council president with her.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Still, not wanting to bother her, I eventually dropped the idea.
"Ah! Rudy, Luna, you're here?"
Suddenly, Professor Gracie, with a beaming face, waved at Luna and me.
Feeling it would be appropriate to greet her companion, I walked towards them.
The person opposite Professor Gracie turned to face us.
"…Huh?"
I stared at the individual.
Then blinked.
And stared again.
I shot Luna a puzzled glance.
Luna seemed just as taken aback as I was.
"It's been a while."
The woman with fiery red hair.
It was none other than Astina.
"Astina?"
Astina, with a smile, rose from her seat.
"It's been a long time, Rudy, Luna."
Seeing her greet us, my eyes widened in astonishment.
"…What?"
With a smile, Astina responded,
"I came to see you."
"…What?"
I was left dumbfounded by her unexpected statement.
Astina flashed a playful smile.
"Just kidding. I didn't even know you were coming. I only heard from Professor Gracie, so I came to see you."
"Ah..."
I didn't know who was being sent from the central region.
As the student council president, I naturally knew more than other people, but it was hard to get accurate news about the northern region.
Sending support from the central region to the north involved mobilizing troops.
It was confidential.
Of course, it wasn't a massive secret, but still, confidential information wasn't easily accessible.
Perhaps Astina found my surprised face amusing because she giggled.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})I narrowed my eyes and stared back.
"Astina, you seem to have become even more cunning."
"Have I?"
Astina smiled.
There was something different about her since her time at the academy.
She seemed more poised and mature.
The outfit she wore might have contributed to this.
Most times I'd seen Astina, she was in casual clothes or the academy uniform.
But now, she wore formal attire, exuding an aristocratic aura.
"I heard you became the student council president."
Astina approached me slowly, placing her hand on my head.
"Seems like you're quite determined."
"I did say, didn't I? That I'd take responsibility."
"Good, keep that attitude."
Astina teased, tapping my head.
"Do you see me as a child, patting my head like that?"
Technically, it felt more like she was just touching my hair rather than patting it.
It didn't feel bad.
Regardless of what others thought, at the academy, Astina was at the top.
It was an honor to be acknowledged by someone like her.
"So, Astina, are you here representing the central support troops?"
"Exactly. I'm here as the representative."
I nodded in understanding.
Typically, when a region offers support, it's rare for the Lord to come personally.
Usually, they'd just send a knight from their family if they wanted to establish a good relationship with the North.
Being here meant she had some leeway in her training as a successor.
If she's recognized as the representative of the central region, it indirectly means that they acknowledge her as the future head of the family.
It's virtually the same as inheriting the family title.
It was just a matter of timing.
This might be the perfect opportunity.
Successfully defending against the monsters this time could earn her full recognition from the central nobles.
Up till now, most of Astina's achievements were from her time at the academy.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})But there's a distinct difference between the academy and the outside world.
She couldn't just rest on her laurels from the academy once she was out in society.
Achievements in the academy were undeniably important.
However, if someone who shone at the academy couldn't produce any notable results once outside, then those achievements became meaningless.
It's a fairly straightforward concept when you think about it.
Even if someone had stellar grades at the academy, if they couldn’t apply it in real situations, they were pointless.
Considering this, there wasn’t much to worry about Astina, as she seemed capable in real-life situations as well.
She'll surely prove her worth in the upcoming beast attack.
“Since you’re here as a representative, where will you be staying?”
“Ah, we were just discussing that.”
“...Pardon?”
Gracie then interrupted our conversation.
“Astina has decided to stay here!”
“Is that so?”
“...Here?”
While I reacted nonchalantly, Luna's response seemed slightly strained.
Astina, noticing Luna’s reaction, smiled faintly, leaning in to whisper something into Luna’s ear.
Luna’s eyes widened in surprise at whatever Astina whispered.
After sharing her secret, Astina took a step back.
Luna glared at Astina, clenching her fists.
"You... never!"
I tilted my head in confusion, puzzled by Luna's behavior.
Although Luna and Astina weren't particularly close, they weren't on bad terms either.
It was puzzling to see Luna react this way.
I looked at Astina,
"What did you tell her?"
"It's a secret between us girls,"
Astina playfully placed her index finger on her lips.
I wondered what it was that needed to be kept a secret.
"If you’re staying here, we’ll have plenty of time to chat."
"That's true. There are things I’d like to hear as well."
"Sounds good."
Then Luna grabbed my sleeve.
"Rudy! Aren’t you tired? Yawn~ We walked around so much today; I’m exhausted."
Luna exaggerated a yawn while addressing me.
"Am I tired? ...Maybe a little?"
"See? Why don't we go in and sleep? We can chat tomorrow; it's not too late."
After a moment of thought, I replied,
“But, it’s been a while since we've seen Astina. I’d like to catch up for a bit.”
“Hehe…”
Astina responded with a pleased smile.
“Why don’t you head to bed, Luna? I'd like some private time to chat with Rudy. Just the two of us.”
Luna looked shocked at that.
“Alright, Luna. If you’re tired, you should get some rest.”
I thought it was a reasonable suggestion.
However, Luna's reaction was completely unexpected.
“No! Actually, I’m not tired at all! I just said that because I was worried about you, Rudy~.”
Luna confidently raised her arm to show off her biceps.
It was a pose to showcase her muscles, but Luna's biceps looked soft, lacking any muscle definition.
She had the muscle strength typical of a wizard.
We settled into the lobby and began to chat.
From the incident where I was kidnapped in Astina's absence to the story of how I defeated Yuni and became the student council president, I shared everything.
I detailed it slowly and thoroughly.
Once I'd shared everything, a question nagged at me.
"Speaking of which, do you know anything about Yeniel?"
"Yeniel?"
Astina tilted her head in thought.
"Yeniel hasn't returned from the Rebels."
"I don't know her exact whereabouts."
I pondered, stroking my chin.
"Speaking of which, even in the northern region..."
"Hmm..."
Just as I was about to delve into the topic of the Rebels in the northern region, I heard a rustling sound nearby.
Looking over, I saw Luna, leaning and seemingly dozing off by the sofa.
Seeing her in such a state, I couldn’t help but smile.
"If you're tired, you should go to bed instead of sleeping here."
As I mumbled that to myself, Astina giggled softly.
"Please, take good care of Luna."
Astina's voice was warm.
I replied confidently.
"Isn't that a given?"
Luna had always been a great help to me.
It was only right I repay her kindness.
"Also, observe closely."
"...Pardon?"
"Pay close attention to your surroundings."
Astina smiled faintly.
"You'll see so much more if you do."
A man donned a hood.
His muscular physique was evident, even beneath the cloak, and his gait radiated confidence.
His appearance clearly hinted at him being a knight.
Despite his attempt to hide it, the aura he exuded was undeniable.
The knight knocked on the door of a humble shack.
“Is anyone home?”
The door opened to reveal a man with a prominent scar over one eye.
The knight greeted the man with a nod.
“Cedric, it's been a while.”
“It hasn’t been that long since we last met.”
“The last time we spoke, it was still chilly. Now the weather’s turning warmer, hasn’t it been a while?”
Their last meeting had been during a gathering hosted by the Lord of Lucarion, Darren, concerning The Rebels.
The hooded knight entered the shack, and then asked a question.
“Is everything progressing as planned?”
“It's going so well that it's unsettling.”
Cedric said with a chuckle.
"If there's any bad news, it's just that our leader had a bit of trouble."
“The Leader?”
“Yes. He fought with the Principal of Liberion Academy.”
“Was he badly injured?”
“He lost a leg.”
The knight furrowed his brows.
"That's very unfortunate."
“For now, the Leader has decided not to come here.”
“Hmm… Is that a good idea? The new recruit from central seems competent."
Cedric laughed dismissively.
“She's just a kid."
“Also, there’s talk about Professor Gracie from the Academy...”
“Enough.”
Cedric cut him off.
“Don’t worry. I’ve heard that the rebels are sending a skilled wizard our way. You just focus on your duties.”
“...Understood.”
The knight nodded, heading back towards the door.
“Just so you know, I'll be quite busy soon, so I might not be able to visit.”
“Alright, let's meet on ‘that day’ then.”
‘That day.’
It referred to the day of the beast's invasion.
And also, the day they would commence their grand plan.
The day that would mark the true beginning of the rebellion.
The knight gave a slight bow before leaving the shack, swiftly disappearing from sight.
He swiftly left the area, trying not to draw attention, but someone was already watching.
“Hmm…”
Locke, with his hood pulled low, observed the shack.
Locke clearly saw everything.
The knight, hooded, sneaking around to avoid being noticed, and inside that shack, there was no mistaking Cedric's face.
The prominent scar across his eye.
Locke clearly recognized that scar as Cedric's.
Heaving a sigh, Locke muttered to himself.
“Things are getting complicated…”
He then gazed up at the sky.
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I can't remember if I explained this already but in case it wasn't clear, central just refers to the central region, like the North and the South. The capital resides in the central region
