Student Council Room.
I was going over some documents when I heard Rie's words and looked up.
"The Saint is coming?"
Rie casually shrugged her shoulders.
It was roughly four days before Homecoming Day.
We still had some time.
"Why is she coming so early?"
"Who knows? But remember, she came early last time too."
"That's true, but…"
While Rie might have a point, I couldn’t help but be concerned.
I recalled the letter that Astina sent not long ago.
She mentioned researching dimensions and was asking about the Saint.
However, she hadn't found anything significant yet.
I found it curious.
I'd never heard of a relation between the Saint and other dimensions, not during my studies at the academy, at least.
For now, I knew Rie was also looking into the Saint, but progress seemed slow.
Speaking of which, Astina did mention something for Rie.
"Astina won't be attending Homecoming Day, will she?"
"Really? Hmm..."
Rie appeared lost in thought, probably pondering over the Saint again.
I knew it wouldn’t yield an answer, so I subtly changed the topic.
"Anyway, have all the supplies come in as expected?"
Taken aback by the sudden question, Rie hesitated.
"Uh, well, I believe Kuhn and Locke are handling that."
"That's good to hear."
I smiled, feeling that our Homecoming Day preparations were on track.
Through this process, my admiration for Astina grew immensely.
How did she manage to shoulder so many responsibilities on her own?
Even with my best efforts, I felt short on time.
Fortunately, with Rie helping with the council duties, we seemed to be keeping up.
Rie smiled briefly, then looked around and spoke,
"Speaking of which, why haven't we seen Luna lately?"
"Huh?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})I was taken aback by the mention of Luna's name.
At my reaction, Rie narrowed her eyes, staring intently at me.
"...What did you do?"
"What do you mean 'what did I do'?"
Well, I did do something...
I hadn't spoken privately with Luna for a while now.
We did meet occasionally as a group for council-related matters but hadn't spoken privately.
After the incident, I'm unsure how to face Luna.
Even though I promised her an answer, I still hadn't settled on one.
With so many pressing matters, including the rebel issue and Homecoming Day preparations, I decided to address our personal matters later.
As I sank into my thoughts, Rie finally said,
"If you have worries, I can lend an ear, you know..."
"Huh?"
Rie blushed slightly, turning her head away in apparent shyness.
"I... I might be able to help, you know."
I looked at Rie strangely, then chuckled awkwardly.
"Haha... No, it's just something I need to think about on my own."
At that, Rie shot me a sharp glance.
"Don't mope around then. You look like a puppy that's been scolded by its owner, especially when we're so busy."
Why is she acting like this?
I stared intently at Rie, trying to understand her sudden change in mood.
Is she on edge because of all the work lately?
But considering that, Rie seemed to be in great spirits.
“Anyway, everything is being handled well, right?”
I said casually to Rie.
Rie relaxed her furrowed brows and sighed.
“Yes, things are under control now.”
"I'm going to pop by the lab for a bit,"
I said.
I heard that recently, Luna was learning about staff synthesis from Professor Robert.
It was a technique for fusing the staff's shaft with a mana stone – a complex skill known to be quite challenging.
But during our last practice session, it seemed Professor Robert took a liking to Luna and decided to pass on this knowledge to her.
"Alright, take care,"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Rie replied with a faint smile.
I left the student council room, and as I did, a familiar face came into view.
A girl was hesitating outside the student council room.
It was Yuni.
"Why are you here?"
I asked, slightly surprised.
"Oh, senior,"
Yuni, whom I expected to be in the lab, said, clearly caught off guard by my presence.
"I... um..."
She seemed embarrassed, avoiding my gaze and acting quite awkwardly.
Did she eat something odd today?
This doesn't seem like the Yuni I know.
I looked at her, puzzled.
“Is it me you're here to see?”
Yuni shook her head.
“I could've easily met you at the lab.”
Right.
"Is it Luna, then? She's not here right now."
Considering Luna has been involved in manastone-related tasks recently, maybe she came looking for her.
It would make sense; Yuni might still feel awkward around Luna.
But the name she mentioned was unexpected.
"Ah... I came to see my sister,"
She said, referring to Rie.
This puzzled me further.
Why would she act so shy about meeting Rie?
Their last conversation didn’t seem awkward.
Filled with questions but deciding not to press further, I moved to open the student council room's door for her.
"Then, I'll let you in..."
"W-wait!"
Yuni quickly intercepted, stopping me from opening the door.
Holding onto my wrist, she looked up at me with an earnest expression.
"Wait a moment..."
Every time I met with Rie, they usually just chatted casually with a bit of teasing.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})I was curious as to why she was acting this way.
"Um, senior... can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
Yuni fiddled with her nails before speaking.
"I heard... there's a bakery... my sister likes..."
"Oh, that place? It's the bakery right next to the academy when you go out."
"Wow!"
Yuni's face lit up at my answer.
"Thank you. I'll buy you something nice later!"
She smiled warmly at me.
Did I say something that impressive?
Still, seeing her cheerful made me feel good too.
"So, you're heading to the lab after finishing up here?"
"Yes, I'll be there shortly."
With that, Yuni and I said our goodbyes, and I moved on.
However, I shouldn’t have headed to the lab.
I should have just gone to the student council room with Yuni.
And... I should've just stayed put.
I began walking towards the lab.
"I need to handle... some staff-related stuff... and then..."
"Ah... Ah..."
Suddenly, I heard strange noises coming from inside the lab.
"Hm?"
Who could it be?
I looked at the lab door, puzzled.
I had just met Yuni, and I knew that Kuhn and Locke were organizing things.
Emily should definitely be there too.
Then, why were there voices from the lab?
I leaned in closer to the lab door, listening intently.
"What on earth... is this..."
A woman's voice.
It sounded familiar, but...
Someone I know?
It would be incredibly rude for someone I know to enter the lab without permission.
The lab had valuable research, and there were many things someone might want to steal.
Of course, leaving the lab unlocked was a mistake Yuni and I often made.
But still, it's not polite.
But why does the voice sound familiar?
Regardless, I decided to open the lab door and enter.
"Who is..."
Upon entering, I immediately recognized the person.
Gracie Lifegold.
Professor Gracie had returned from her vacation.
"Ah..."
Seeing Professor Gracie's face, my expression stiffened.
I was sure Professor Gracie was scheduled to return on homecoming day.
Why so soon...
However, before I could think further, my body reacted on its own.
I have to run.
I've started too many experiments.
My plan was to get some results before Gracie returned and greet her with some good news.
But, the results weren't out yet.
The research was still ongoing.
"Sigh."
I need to escape.
Clearly, she had just returned to the academy.
Yuni was in the student council room earlier, and she hadn’t mentioned Professor Gracie’s return.
That was clear enough.
Human anger, at first, flares up like a flame.
However, given a bit of time, that anger fades.
There's a saying that if one can endure thrice, even murder can be forgiven.
Perhaps this is similar.
I believed it was right to give Professor Gracie some time to think.
Quickly, I tried to move and escape from the room.
But this escape wasn't for my sake.
It was for Professor Gracie to have time to think...
"Arrange Room."
Without even glancing at me, Gracie cast a spell.
BANG!
Immediately, the door shut, the scattered documents around the room neatly arranged themselves, the windows closed, and the curtains were drawn.
The room became dark in an instant.
"..."
I was trapped in the room before I could even attempt to leave.
"Rudy?"
Gracie looked at me with a smiling face.
However, it wasn't a kind smile.
It was filled with intensity and hostility.
"What might this be?"
Picking up one of the neatly arranged documents with her magic, Gracie waved it at me.
I tried to respond swiftly.
"It seems like Yuni has been studying something like this lately,"
I said, forcing an awkward smile.
It was a feeble excuse.
"Really?"
Gracie then picked up another document from the side.
It was an official document granting permission for our research at the academy.
"...What is this?"
I stared intently at the document, scratching my head.
"I'm not sure? What document is that?"
"..."
Gracie gazed at me sharply.
The surroundings began to tremble slightly.
It was due to Gracie's mana moving intensely, affecting everything around.
Gracie lowered her head slightly, her shoulders shaking.
After a brief moment, she suddenly raised her head, exclaiming,
"You damn fool!!!!!!!!!!!!"
“What do you think?”
There was a sudden noise, reminiscent of the movement of armor joints.
"Not bad."
Aryandor, the leader of The Rebels, said with a smile.
He was adjusting the prosthetic attached to his leg.
"While it may not move like before, you should be satisfied. It's the best prosthetic made with the current magical technology we have."
Remarked the black-haired man in front of him, adjusting his glasses.
"Thank you, Raven."
Aryandor expressed his gratitude, then rose from his seat to test the mobility of his new leg.
After a few steps around the room, a grin appeared on his face.
"Seems decent enough."
“However, are you sure you should be moving around so soon? Perhaps it’s best to wait until you’ve fully adjusted,"
Raven advised.
“Why worry? Despite his injuries, he’s still our leader,”
Jefrin interjected, sucking on a candy.
Raven cast a disdainful glance at her.
“You might look younger, but your behavior sure hasn't matured.”
"What can I do? The mind naturally follows the body. Don’t you know that? This is why I can't stand magic technicians. Tsk."
Jefrin responded with an annoyed tone, and Raven, not wanting to prolong their argument, busied himself tidying up.
Aryandor picked up his sword from its resting place.
“Jefrin, are the others ready?”
“Yep, yep. They’re all waiting,”
Jefrin responded, removing the candy from her mouth with an exaggerated nod.
Aryandor sheathed his sword and declared,
"Then, let’s get going."
As Aryandor stepped out of the building, he was greeted by a massive bone dragon and a group of individuals.
A woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and holding a broomstick.
A muscular man with numerous scars on his face and body, a greatsword strapped to his back.
Another man with pronounced dark circles under his eyes and disheveled hair.
Each of them had a unique presence.
“Everything's prepared as instructed,” said the man with the dark circles, standing next to the bone dragon.
Aryandor nodded in response.
“Then, let’s set off.”
The bone dragon lowered its head, allowing Aryandor easy access to mount it.
He climbed up, and the others quickly followed suit.
Raven, watching them depart, voiced his concern,
“Travel safely.”
Aryandor glanced back momentarily before stating,
“We’re heading to Liberion Academy.”
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