Theo returned to the arena, the waiting area for the students.
The arena was filled with injured students.
The severity of the injuries was grave.
There wasn't a single person with just a minor bruise; at the least, they had broken something.
The healers dispatched from [The Hilté] were treating the students in shifts.
'If I had made even one mistake, I would have been lying there too.'
With that thought, Theo gave a glance at the arena.
Then, he caught the eye of Taylor, who was resting.
Taylor approached Theo.
"Ah, it's been a while, Theo."
"Branch Chief Taylor. You seem to be working hard."
Theo glanced at the injured students filling the arena and said.
"Haha, this is nothing. Healing the sick is a healer's joy in life. Speaking of which, I see today's hero right here."
"That's an overstatement."
"Haha, no need to be so modest. Everyone here is talking about you, Theo. Just between us, though. By the way, we received a student from [Order of Light] as an aide."
Taylor pointed to a healer resting nearby and continued.
"You know each other, right? It's our new ace, Elise. She also used to be with the [Order of Light]. She was even a candidate for guardian knight."
Elise, who had stood up, spoke to Taylor.
"That's in the past, Branch Chief... Hello, Theo. We met the week before last, right?"
"I don't recall."
"Ah, you were unconscious. After the Martial Arts Competition, you were brought to the emergency room, and the Branch Chief and I attended to you."
"Oh, is that so? Thank you."
Theo bowed slightly to Elise.
Taylor then leaned in closer to Theo and whispered.
"Theo, it seems you have a fan... and quite a strong one at that."
Theo listened carefully to Taylor's voice.
Taylor was not one to speak idly.
"Could you elaborate, please?"
"Somebody has been following you since you were transported to [The Hilté] right after the Martial Arts Competition. They were certainly following you, but we haven't been able to identify them until today."
"Do you know who it is?"
"It's very likely a guardian knight from the [Order of Light]. Elise, who was a candidate, believes so. We also spotted them today when they were dispatched here."
"······Thank you."
Theo bowed low to Taylor.
'So Claire has been following me.'
He had suspected this since she came to find him last night.
And now, he was certain.
Theo's lips curled slightly.
'······This is good.'
Thanks to Siena, he had developed some resistance to it, but there would hardly be anyone willing to be followed.
Theo now had an excuse to have a private conversation with Saintess Isabella.
Given Claire's inability to lie, she would surely confess if he confronted her about the tailing.
With these thoughts, Taylor spoke to Theo.
"Hahaha. It seems you are truly grateful, and that makes me happy too. Visit [The Hilté] when you have time. We've restocked the [Special stamina recovery potion]."
There was no reason for Theo to refuse.
The [Special stamina recovery potion] was more effective for him than any other potion.
"I am always grateful, Branch Chief."
"Haha, right. See you next time, Theo. Sadly, I must go now; it's time for my shift."
Taylor went back to treating the injured.
As Rok said, there were no afternoon classes.
─You all did great work today. There were supposed to be afternoon classes, but considering the number of injured, they're canceled. Don't just go to bed tired, make sure to eat properly.
─Yes...
The students replied weakly and despondently.
They had firsthand experienced the might of one of the continent's top hundred warriors.
It was a brutal experience.
Fifty students, armed with artifacts, were decimated by Oliver, who was practically unarmed.
'Did he even exert 10% of his ability?'
Probably not.
Oliver faced the groups alone, receiving only passive support from his teammates.
He didn't even use his ultimate weapon, [Hell Fist].
Only Theo's united team was an exception.
They were likely to receive high scores for being the only team to land an effective hit on Oliver.
After all, they had obediently followed Theo's bizarre orders.
The others in the arena couldn't help but laugh.
Travis, from the same group, approached Theo with a beaming smile.
"Theo, how about we all go for lunch together? My treat. And not the school cafeteria, but whatever you want!"
"I appreciate the offer, but I have things to do."
Theo answered.
It wasn't an excuse; he actually had something to do.
There was a high chance that Claire was still around.
To successfully catch her, he needed to act covertly, so he also dismissed his aides.
As Theo was about to leave the arena,
"Theo~!"
A tall blonde girl ran towards him and hugged him from behind.
The squishy feeling against his back struck him immediately.
But his sentiment bowed before his traits.
Zap─
The pain of [Twisted Noble's Dignity] surged.
Maybe it was because he hadn't showered after training and was making physical contact with someone else.
"Let go, Siena."
Theo grimaced, detaching Siena, who was dangling behind him.
He looked at Siena.
Her state was not normal.
Her academy uniform was scratched and torn in places.
It was a sight Theo had never seen before.
"······What happened?"
"Hehe, are you worried about me? Ah~ I should've let myself get torn up a bit more. Such a waste."
"Just answer the question."
"That little guy Theo knocked out? I had a bit of a scuffle with him. Couldn't help myself when Swish-swish came back."
"······."
Instead of responding, Theo calmly scanned Siena's body.
Upon closer inspection, she seemed fine.
Having a scuffle with Oliver and only getting her clothes torn was nothing serious.
'Now that I think about it······'
······Having the spirit mage Siena around would make things easier.
Then, Theo spoke.
"Siena, do you have time right now?"
"Oh my. Are you asking me out on a date, Theo?"
"······Do you have time?"
"Hmm~ I want to go back to the dorm and change, but then our sly Theo will just find another cutie, won't he? I have time~"
"······I have a favor to ask."
"Oooo? What is it, what is it, what is it? Tell me quickly."
"Shh."
Theo put his index finger to his lips.
Then, he led Siena to the back of the arena.
'Where's a quiet place······'
He found one quickly.
The arena, capable of accommodating 30,000 people, had plenty of secluded spots.
"The favor I need to ask is──"
Theo explained the situation in detail to Siena, leaving out anything about Isabella.
After listening to Theo's story, Siena said,
"So you want me to tie up Claire with Swish-swish? And keep her restrained until Theo tells me to release her?"
"You understood correctly."
"I'll ask Swish-swish first. I like the idea of a stealth mission with Theo······ But he's been a bit moody since he met a new friend recently."
"Understood."
······A short while later.
Siena formed an 'O' with her thumb and index finger.
Inside the VIP room of the Polaris Immigration Office.
Sonya sat nervously on the sofa, glancing at Luna, who sat across from her with her arms crossed.
Luna spoke.
"So you're saying you're not Odius, right?"
"Yes, yes······! I've told you several times, Principal! I'm just someone who enjoys creating things."
Drip, drip, drip.
Sonya protested, tears streaming down her face like tiny droplets.
It was understandable, given that this fairy had forcibly abducted her from her quiet research and had been repeatedly asking her the same question – 'Are you really not Odius?' – for three hours straight.
She had thought about escaping but only in her mind.
With her abilities, escaping from Luna, the continent's top spirit mage and a near 8th-circle mage, was next to impossible.
Moreover, all her research materials were currently confiscated by Luna.
"Uh, well······."
Eve, the director of the immigration office, who had been standing nervously next to Luna, continued the conversation.
"Um······ Lunaplora. If she's crying and protesting like this, maybe she's not guilty······? Actually, Sonya entered Polaris through normal procedures······. We even have her immigration certificate right here."
Eve pointed with her palm to the immigration certificate on the desk between the sofas.
"Ah, I don't know! Do you understand what it's like to wait for someone for over 200 years?! Have you ever waited that long?"
But her plea fell on deaf ears.
200 years.
Overwhelmed by the immensity of such an incomprehensible span of time, Sonya and Eve fell silent again.
After a moment of thought, Luna looked at Sonya and asked,
"But you did create the [Mass Teleport] scroll, right?"
"Ah? Yes. That's right······."
"And you saw our Pipi for the first time, right?"
"Ah, yes······. I had never seen it even during my time at the academy."
"It took over 50 years for Pipi to snuggle into my arms······."
At those words, Sonya looked down at the fluffy cat snuggled in her arms.
No matter how she tried to detach it, the cat refused to leave her side······
Some time later.
Luna, eating pudding brought by Eve, spoke up.
"Okay, I've made a decision."
"What kind of······?"
Though Sonya had no particular faith, she prayed fervently at that moment.
Please let her go.
She wouldn't cause trouble anywhere, just please let her continue her research alone.
Luna said,
"Come with me to Elinia Academy!"
Sonya's world went dark.
