"You've been very absentminded since your… episode earlier," Edward spoke as he chewed on the food. "Adam, are you really okay?"
Adam snapped to his senses and assured Johnathan and Edward who were sitting at the table with him. "Yeah, don't worry about me. I was just thinking about our upcoming team mission."
In truth, Adam was still in disbelief after learning the shocking information from the expert's memories. Anyone would be if they learned that the universe was inhabited by countless Magi of myriad races.
Currently, the three friends were having dinner at a fine establishment in the North Ward. The restaurant they were currently in, Seraphina, was one of the best restaurants in Moon City.
The food served here was naturally very expensive. Moreover, it was also very difficult to find reservations at this fine dining place.
But that wasn't a problem for this group of friends. Not to mention Edward was the son of one of the wealthiest men in the kingdom, even Johnathan came from a very affluent family in Moon City.
At the mention of the team mission, Edward looked toward Johnathan and scoffed. "No wonder you didn't want to team up with me and Adam. It all makes sense now why you'd want to go with Shelly and Hillary."
Johnathan scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "Well, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?" He winked and threw a playful jab at Edward. "Thanks to me, Lisa was able to join you guys' team, hehe."
Edward's face turned red and he harrumphed, "Hmph! If you say so."
Seeing his friends banter with one another, Adam couldn't help but chuckle. For most of his life, he was alone and struggling to make ends meet.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Now when he looked at the fancy food and wine on the table, and the good company of friends, he couldn't help but feel grateful.
Adam smiled warmly and enjoyed this moment.
He looked at Edward and asked, "When do we leave for the mission?"
Edward took a large bite of meat and replied, "All first-year students are required to depart by the end of the week."
The curriculum of Clover Academy was divided into two sections. The first section took place in the first half of the academic year where the students would be taught theoretical knowledge by the professors. This would naturally take place within the safe walls of the academy.
The second section took place in the latter half of the year where the students would put to test all that they'd learned. This would come in the form of a team mission assigned by the academy.
This team mission would be a long-term mission ranging anywhere from four to six months. The students would be graded depending on how they performed in the mission. This form of theory and practice would continue for all five years that the students spent at the academy.
One reason was to make sure that the students of Clover Academy would be able to hold out on their own when they were exposed to the reality of the dangerous world. And the other reason was to foster teamwork among the students.
After all, a whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Edward continued, "Tomorrow we'll go with Lisa to the administrative building and choose our mission."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Adam nodded. He took a sip of red wine from the round ceramic cup and asked Johnathan, "Have you already decided on the mission?"
Johnathan nodded with a lecherous smile. "Of course! Me and the girls have already applied for it earlier today."
"Hmph! What mission? Isn't this just a sexual escapade?" Edward grumbled.
Johnathan laughed triumphantly and teased him. "Hehehe, my dear Ed, you're just jealous, aren't you?"
Seeing his friend act in such a manner, Adam couldn't help but shake his head and smile. He would have never expected the amiable Johnathan to be such a lustful fellow. But deep down Adam knew that he had a kind heart.
While the three friends were drinking and having fun, in another corner of the restaurant, inside a private cubicle, Kevin and Jeffrey were having dinner.
From time to time Jeffrey would secretly glance at Adam with hateful eyes. Over the past few months, he had tried on many occasions to make life difficult for Adam. But every time he was obstructed.
And the person who came in his way was none other than the one sitting across from him right now. Jeffrey looked at Kevin who was calmly having dinner and wondered, Just what the hell is this bastard plotting?
Although both of them had the same A-grade aptitude, Kevin was at the Bone Stage whereas Jeffrey was only at the Muscle Stage. That was why he didn't dare to voice out his grievances to Kevin. Not yet anyway.
Jeffrey was a standard example of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Just as Jeffrey was secretly cursing Kevin, the latter's calm voice drifted into his ears. "You must be wondering why I'd stopped you from messing with that peasant all these months."
Jeffrey was taken aback, but he hurriedly denied it with a forced laugh. "Not at all! Although it's a pity that I didn't get a chance to tussle with that farm boy. I'm sure you had your reasons."
Get a chance to tussle? You coward, you wouldn't have done it even if I offered you that peasant on a platter. Kevin scoffed internally. He knew exactly the type of person Jeffrey was.
However, he couldn't say that to his face. After all, regardless of how spineless Jeffrey was, he was still a Magus with an A-
grade aptitude. Therefore, Kevin had to cater to his ego if he wanted to use him.
"The reason why I did so is so that you do not become a suspect in the events that are about to unfold in the next few months," Kevin stated calmly.
Jeffrey's voice turned solemn. "What do you mean?"
Kevin took out a metallic orb, the size of his fist, from his cloak and kept it on the table. Then, he pressed a button on it, following which a barrier of indiscernible energy enveloped the two.
"What's this?" Jeffrey asked with narrowed eyes.
"The supernatural world contains infinite mysteries, my friend." Kevin coldly smiled. "In front of certain divination spells, nothing can be hidden. That is why I borrowed this artifact to prevent others from scrying."
"It's my family heirloom, a Rank 2 Artifact," he continued with a proud smile. "It hinders any divination attempts. Of course, if a Rank 3 Magus casts a divination spell, this artifact will be useless. But rest assured, Magi from the School of Divination are very rare even in the Acadian Empire, much less in the Southern Federation."
Jeffrey's interest was piqued. But at the same time, his cautious nature made him think that whatever Kevin had planned was very dangerous. So he asked, "What're you planning to do?"
Kevin spoke with intense killing intent, "Of course, I'm planning to kill Adam during his team mission."
