With only around four days remaining until the commencement of our first semester exams, most of our class periods were free, except for the first one.
Once Liz concluded her class, we were left to spend the second and third periods as we pleased.
However, the air in class 1-A-1 was filled with the sound of pencils scratching on paper, as everyone diligently tried to study as hard as they could.
Some cadets headed to the library, while others with connections begged and cried in front of the upperclassmen to share their notes from their previous year.
Amidst the mass panic, I remained seated calmly.
In front of me, an open book about mana theory and its scientific applications was laying, though I wasn't actually reading it.
In truth, my attention was elsewhere.
Beneath the desk, I was tightly holding a sling bag in my grasp. One of my hands was inside the bag and I was channeling my mana into it.
Yez, anyone could easily guess what was in the bag, right? My Mythical mana beast egg.
I had kept my Mythical mana beast egg inside it and brought it with me to the academy.
And right now, I was infusing it with my mana. I understand the risks involved, but I had no other choice.
During my training sessions with Leo, the mana beast egg did not receive any mana from me.
As a result, its hatching process has already been significantly delayed.
Based on my earlier estimation, the egg would have hatched by now if I had been consistently supplying it with mana on a daily basis.
However, I couldn't do it, my guess is that it would take approximately a month and a half to hatch it if I push myself to exhaustion every day.
That means the egg will barely hatch around the time our semester exams are over.
That's fine. It will be right around the time the King's Tournament starts, and I can still manage that.
"Arghh! This is so boring! Why do we even need to remember all this stuff anyway?!"
As I was deep in my thoughts, from my right, a gorgeous brunette expressed her frustration with a groan. I stole a quick glance at her before looking away.
It was Ella Bright. If that name doesn't ring a bell, then let me remind you that she's Grace Goodwill's best friend.
Or at least she was until the Mock War.
I have no idea what transpired between them after that, but it appears their relationship is still rocky.
Which works just fine for me.
Sooner or later, being in isolation, being an outcast, and being without any comrades by her side would catch up to Grace.
She would inevitably reach a breaking point. And that's when I would step in, acting as the big man, extending a helping hand to her out of the sheer kindness in my heart.
"I mean, I understand why it's important, but it's just way too much. I get why we need to study mana theory and all, but why on earth do we have to deal with math in it? We're going to be soldiers, not mana engineers, for heaven's sake!"
The brown-haired girl right next to me continued to mutter to herself.
Interesting.
I never knew she had a habit of talking to herself. It wasn't mentioned in the novel. I should make a note of it.
"...Hey, why are you staring?"
"...Huh, me?"
"Yeah, you."
I glanced around to confirm if Ella was indeed talking to me, and indeed, she was.
While she was lost in her self-dialogue, I had absentmindedly started gazing at her.
Right now, Ella occupied the seat right beside mine. We were sitting in the last row, with only a few cadets present around us.
Most of the main characters, some unnamed extras, and even my blue-haired elven friend, Kent, were at the library to study.
Considering the situation and my reputation, I must have come out as creepy.
Quickly, I stood up, took a few steps to the side, and created some distance between us before settling back down.
"Sorry, it's just unusual to see someone talking to themselves so lively," I responded.
"...Pftt," Ella stifled a chuckle. "Well, it's become a habit of mine."
"Is that so," I replied, feeling perplexed as to why she was still talking to me.
"But why did you skip a seat and move over there?" Ella inquired.
"Uh... I..." Before I could conjure up an excuse, the brunette let out a brief laugh.
"Are you trying to avoid a situation here?" she remarked, seemingly amused by something.
I gazed at her, uncertain of what to say, until finally uttering, "...You're aware of my reputation, right?"
"Haha, of course," Ella nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "But I must admit, you're quite different in person than what those rumors make you out to be."
"...Is that so?" I raised an eyebrow. "I've been trying to improve myself lately."
"I can see that," Ella replied. "And you're doing a good job. You even risked your life to protect civilians during the vampire incident at the masquerade party. That's admirable.
"While it won't erase your past, the very fact that you're striving to improve and make amends is evidence enough that you deserve a second chance. So don't worry, Morningstar, I won't report you for staring, haha!"
Feeling a mix of embarrassment and confusion, I let out a chuckle, still a bit puzzled.
Once again, why was she talking so much?
Wait…
...Oh! Right! Now I remember.
Ella Bright was called the Goddess of Justice in the novel on many occasions.
She always sided with the cause of righteousness.
She had a strict moral code and followed it to her utmost best. She strongly believed that justice should be served to all, regardless of their status or circumstances.
In accordance with that, she also firmly stood by the notion that everyone deserves a second chance.
If someone had committed a forgivable offense and was now sincerely repenting and making amends, they should not be crucified for their past actions.
According to her, there was no greater justice than allowing someone the opportunity to change for the good.
Perhaps this is why she has recognized my efforts to improve. Maybe that's why she is talking to me and engaging in a normal conversation.
I see now.
"Oh, is that a mana theory book? Are you well-versed in that subject?" Ella peered at the textbook opened on my desk.
"Well, I guess," I shrugged.
"Ooh, great!" Ella clapped her hands together and inched closer to me, displaying her notebook.
"Could you help me solve this confined pressure chamber mana equilibrium equation using trigonometric terms?" she asked.
Scratching the back of my neck, I examined the problem scribbled on her rough notebook and turned towards her.
"You're familiar with the basics of mana equilibrium theory, right?" I inquired.
"Mana always returns to its natural form, whether it's used for spellcasting or energy creation?" she gave me a questioning look to confirm her answer.
In response, I stared at her blankly for a few seconds before shaking my head. "No, that's the Law of Mana Preservation."
"Eh? Aren't those the same thing?" Ella pondered, touching her chin with her index finger.
...Thank goodness she's good at fighting because she's downright dumb in academics.
"Okay, listen–"
"Hey!"
Just as I was about to explain the concept to Ella, a booming voice interrupted us from behind.
I turned to identify the source and came face-to-face with a boy of similar height, sporting slicked-back golden hair and matching eyes.
He glared at me with seething anger in his eyes.
"Is he bothering you?" he directed his question to Ella.
"...Uh, no–" before she could answer, he swiftly turned his attention to me and grabbed my collar.
"How dare you?!" he roared.
The few students present in the class diverted their attention to our commotion in the back row.
"What's your problem, dude?" I scowled.
"Hey, I said he's not bothering me!" Ella intervened, snatching the golden-haired boy's hand and forcibly removing it from my collar.
"...I thought–"
Before the boy could utter another word, Ella cut him off.
"I don't care what you thought," she snapped. "Besides, even if I had a problem, do you honestly believe I would need your help? You, who is weaker than me despite coming from the Wright family?"
Her words seemed to strike a nerve as the golden-haired boy gritted his teeth, eyeing the brunette beauty furiously.
"Tsk!" However, instead of further escalating the situation, the boy redirected his piercing gaze at me and then walked away, muttering something at me that I didn't bother to listen to.
"...What's his problem?" I voiced my confusion.
As Ella settled back into her seat, she responded, "Hmm? Don't you remember? That's the guy from the Wright family whom you piss off on our introduction day."
"...Oh! Right, Chris Wright!" I exclaimed, slapping my hand against my palm.
How could I have forgotten about the young master I had provoked?! It's strange, as I'm not one to easily forget faces.
Why did he slip from my memory? My memory was never so sloppy. I've been experiencing stuff like this a lot recently.
Could it be because I'm exhausted, trying to solve larger and more pressing problems than him like saving the fucking world?
"Wait, is he still holding a grudge?" I furrowed my brow.
"Apparently. Also, he's now part of Kai's group– Young Elites," Ella disclosed. "His confidence skyrocketed after joining them. He even had some heated arguments with Nero, Anastasia, Amelia, Elijah, and William."
Ah, yes. In the novel, he did cause trouble for the protagonist and his group after joining the Young Elites.
It looks like I missed out on some events during my absence. Well, it doesn't matter since those events weren't connected to me anyway.
"So, be careful. Now that he's part of that group, he might come after you," Ella warned.
I was about to break his arm. Thankfully, I didn't do it and restrained myself.
I'm sure that he's reporting everything that happens in our class to Kai. If I had made a move like breaking his arm, he would have reported it as well.
Even though Kai is now wary of me, I still want to keep him on edge until the very end of my plan.
Anyway, I brought my focus back to Ella. This conversation was taking quite an interesting turn.
Let's see if I can pull something here.
"Hey, sorry if I'm prying, but aren't you also part of the Young Elites?" I questioned.
"Hmm? Why do you ask?" Ella furrowed her brow.
"Well, you seemed close to Grace. And since she's still a member of that group, I assumed—" I trailed off as Ella shook her head.
"I did join initially. I thought it was just a regular friend group. And since most of us came from elite or noble backgrounds, it made sense to build connections. However, over time, I began to notice Kai's had some hidden agendas.
"I still stayed in it for a while because Grace didn't want to leave. But after the Mock War, I realized that Kai had formed the group to get people who would do his bidding.
"I urged Grace to leave. I told her something wasn't right and that I had a bad feeling about Kai. But she didn't listen. Our fights escalated, and eventually, we stopped talking to each other." Ella let out a sigh.
"I see," I murmured, leaning back in my seat. "So that's why Grace said that."
"Hmm? She said what?" Ella looked at me, perplexed.
"...Oh, it's nothing. Forget I mentioned it," I waved my hand dismissively.
"No, no, tell me. What did she say?" Ella pressed.
"...Well, I overheard Grace talking to Alberto once. She mentioned something about your sister," I confessed.
Ella's face displayed a mixture of emotions after listening to me—shock, confusion, alarm, and bewilderment.
After a brief pause lasting for a few seconds, Ella spoke in a quivering voice, her mouth agape and eyes widened, "Sh-She said what about my sister?"
I glanced around the classroom to see if anyone was near us, feeling uneasy.
"Do I have to say it?" I hesitated.
"Just tell me," she insisted, her voice filled with anxiety.
Taking a deep breath, I reluctantly started speaking, "She mentioned that your sister is currently in a coma-like state, suffering from Mana Whiplash. Grace said that if Kai can obtain a Petal of the Ambrose Flower and offer it to you, you would join the Young Elites since you'd feel indebted to him."
Ella's eyes widened further, and her lips trembled in disbelief.
The fact that I knew such private information and was sharing it with her meant that I must have heard it directly from Grace.
Why? Because Grace was the only person aide from her in this academy who knew about this.
"Sh-She really told him that?" Ella asked, her voice filled with shock.
"Why would I lie?" I responded. "If you don't believe me, you can ask her yourself. Although, I highly doubt she would admit to revealing such personal information."
Ella sat there, lost in a state of denial and shock, before abruptly standing up. "I'm sorry, I have to go somewhere. We'll talk later, Morningstar."
"Yeah, see you later," I waved my hand as Ella made her way out of the classroom.
As I watched her retreating figure, a faint smile crept onto my face. It was done.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for Grace, but I had no other choice. She forced me to completely isolate herself.
With that task completed, I shifted my attention back to the textbook in front of me, while channeling mana into the beast egg under the desk.
