I thought it would be just another ordinary day.
While I was having a pretty good time with my older sister Diana, I hoped that the static from the walkie-talkie I usually kept close to me wouldn’t come in.
“What’s that?”
My sister, who was eating ice cream, glanced at her chest. I quickly handed over the ice cream, pulled out the walkie-talkie from my pocket, and…
– What the hell is this?
I opened my mouth to ask what was going on, but upon hearing an unfamiliar male voice, I abruptly shut it and slowly brought the walkie-talkie to my ear. My sister, sensing something unusual, quietly crept closer to me.
I could hear the mechanical sounds of the walkie-talkie rattling, mixed with the sound of the wind.
– Is someone talking? Is it a recorder or something?
It was a brilliant deduction to guess it was a recorder while looking at the holes in the microphone. The guy leaned in closer and started talking about various things.
– Ah, this is Den. This is Den… Wait, what? Why the hell does that guy have this?
Hearing Sen’s name didn’t get me excited; I waited patiently. If we made any noise, we might blow our cover regarding the walkie-talkie’s purpose.
– Hey, what are you doing? Wrap it up and get over here!
Another male voice echoed from a distance.
– Boss, do you know what this is? Sen was holding onto it until the end. It looks expensive.
– Huh? What is it?
I heard some rustling sounds as Den handed over the walkie-talkie. Unfortunately, the guy on the other end was not clueless about what it was.
– What? This is a walkie-talkie used by the Royal Inspection Department! Why does Sen have it?
– Huh? A walkie-talkie?
– Wait, the light is on!
After that, with a crash and a loud sound, the walkie-talkie went silent.
The stifling air felt like it was hanging heavily on my shoulders. Something had happened, and given that it seemed like a foreign name, it was highly likely related to the Chokugen Faction.
“I think we need to head to Batian.”
As I suspected, my sister slowly turned her gaze towards the Academy.
“Let’s inform the Dean first. It seems like something is happening over there; we should ask for confirmation.”
“…Okay.”
As much as I wanted to set off right away, my sister’s suggestion was reasonable, so I suppressed my emotions and headed towards the Academy quickly.
“Eat this and cool down a bit.”
My sister handed me the melting ice cream. I felt so hot I was practically burning up, but I tried munching on the ice cream, yet it didn’t really help.
‘Why is the Chokugen Faction in Batian?’
Thinking about this wasn’t productive at all. They were a completely passive group that moved based on requests.
They were probably in Batian because they had received some assignment, and I had a feeling it was closely related to the Saint Election.
When we barged into the Dean’s office, her expression was almost one of resignation.
Seeing her having a fit because of me being a McLean was frustrating, but there was no time for those trivial comments now.
“What? Something seems to have happened in Batian?”
As I briefly explained what had just happened, the Dean’s expression turned serious. The pitying atmosphere dissipated, and her eyes sharpened as the head of Aios Academy. She reached for the crystal sphere.
Since Batian was a bit far away, I could feel that a lot of mana was being consumed, but the Dean showed no change in her expression.
She was a typical desk mage lacking in practical skills. But on the flip side, it showed that her abilities were exceptional on the desk to reach that level without any practical experience.
The Dean ordered the professors in Batian to gather the students for a headcount and to ensure their safety.
“It’ll be fine.”
My sister gently held my hand, calming me down. Even though I tried to hide it, my anxious feelings seemed to have been perceptible to her.
“Thanks.”
I also took a deep breath, holding her hand.
There was nothing we could do if we got worked up here.
‘Sen went to Batian because of me.’
Tanah, Eve, and Hayun suggested going to the Taemin Plateau, but because I couldn’t go on the field trip, Sen went to keep an eye on Rin.
I couldn’t shake the thought that her encountering the Chokugen Faction was my fault.
Meanwhile, after finishing her call, the Dean sighed and wiped a bead of sweat rolling down her wrinkled forehead with a handkerchief.
There was no change in her expression, but communicating with multiple parties from this distance undoubtedly consumed a lot of mana.
“I’ve already made the call. It’s dinner time, so it’s also time for the student check. Starting tomorrow, sightseeing will officially begin under the professors’ supervision, so there’s nothing to worry about…”
“The problem is with Sen, who has already been caught. There might be other students in trouble besides Sen.”
Entrapped by the Chokugen Faction, we couldn’t know what might have happened to the other students.
Even though I hadn’t said I would go right away, the Dean explained why we couldn’t head to Batian yet.
“The distance is too far. The carriage we used this time had magic cast on it, and we requested cooperation from Batian, so we could reach there in half a day. If we go with a normal carriage, it would take at least two days.”
“…”
While it would be nice if we could use Warp like when we went to Dragon’s Boundary, the number of mages capable of using Warp was extremely limited.
It was truly a land beyond the boundaries of effort, only describable as talent.
And unfortunately, the Dean didn’t seem to have that unique talent either.
‘Should I look for that eccentric?’
Though he wasn’t great at other magic, he was top-notch when it came to Warp. He had worked as a mercenary mage, so it would be hard to track him down.
Riding the carriage headed to Batian would probably be faster.
Sighing, just as I was about to say I’d set off right away, I heard a confident ahem from beside me.
“I have a way.”
“Huh?”
Not understanding what she meant, I asked back, but Diana smiled and took my hand again.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you to Batian.”
From her back, massive wings unfolded as if wrapping around me.
*
“…”
During the field trip, it seemed many students had to stay so we could only afford a cheap hotel room.
As a result, the sound of the wind howling outside slammed against my ears, and the creaking bed was so uncomfortable that it disturbed my sleep.
Yet, I didn’t complain about the discomfort too much since everyone was a bit excited in this special situation of a field trip.
When you travel, even the bad parts look good.
Inconveniences become memories over time.
Though maybe not at that moment, later on, they’d reminisce with a smile, making the hotel room not too bad.
But that only works if you have friends to share it with.
As bedtime approached, in her pajamas, Rin tied her long hair simply and stared anxiously at the opposite bed.
Sen’s bed.
Rin had gladly accepted Sen’s request to share a room and was nervously waiting for her to return.
She had already informed the supervising professors.
She had heard that not just Sen but others still hadn’t returned, and her worries were growing.
“It’s the second day, where could she be?”
Sighing, Rin swept her hand over Sen’s made bed; her touch radiated genuine concern.
knock knock.
At that moment, an urgent knock echoed from outside the room.
Thinking it might be Sen, Rin quickly opened the door, but unfortunately, it was her childhood friend Ares Helias with blonde hair.
“Ares?”
Wondering what was going on so suddenly, Ares had a grim expression. He glanced around nervously before speaking.
“Is it okay if I come in and talk?”
In the past, she might have rejected him for that, but since she had once turned down Ares’s confession and firmly cut off those feelings, she let him in.
Though she thought he might have given up on her, Ares’s expression looked too troubled.
Sweat was dripping from him, as if he had been caught in the rain, and his pale face suggested something had happened. He still wore his outdoor clothes, indicating that he too was among those students who had yet to return.
“Are you okay? You look really bad.”
Rin offered him her towel, but he simply took it and wiped himself off before taking a deep breath, trying hard to suppress his fears.
“Rin, first, you need to see this.”
Ares took off the brown leather gloves he was wearing, revealing the Helios symbol glowing faintly on the back of his hands like fireflies.
Rin knew Ares had a symbol like she did, but…
“Two of them?”
It was the first time she’d seen them on both hands.
Her expression revealed surprise, and Ares began explaining.
“After the mage of the Tudogs cut my hand, it became like this. I felt something was off, so I came to Batian on this field trip. I heard that the nun of Helios is one of the Saint candidates.”
“Oh.”
Chosen by the God of Death, Rin was too frightened to ask anyone, but unlike her, Ares was a believer of Helios.
It made her think he might be taken to the Cathedral.
“But I heard something shocking at the Cathedral. I overheard it, so you can’t tell anyone.”
Even alone in the room, Ares continued looking around nervously, filled with dread.
“A nun of Helios killed a nun of Demeter and is on the run.”
“…What?”
That was utterly unexpected, and it was shockingly serious information. Rin felt as if she had been struck in the head and found herself questioning Ares.
“Is this for real?”
“Yeah, I heard it clearly. From the atmosphere, it looks like they won’t hide it; they’ll announce it tomorrow.”
“…”
Given the gravity of the situation, Rin thought maybe they should end the field trip early and return to the Aios Academy.
But Ares wasn’t done talking yet.
“What’s important is what happens next. I happened to be seen by a woman there. She was in a black parasol and a dress. Just looking at her made me forget to breathe; she was terrifying.”
“…”
“The woman mouthed for me to be quiet while smiling, but I felt like I couldn’t just let it go, so I came.”
Ares concluded, looking downcast. Rin pondered over the information while being unable to suppress her doubts.
“Why me, though?”
Why would Ares come to tell her all this? It was a natural question, and Ares looked slightly taken aback.
Telling the professors would probably blow this up even more. No, she didn’t think the professors could stop that woman.
But…
“I was wondering if you had a way to contact Daniel.”
Ares had thought.
If it were Daniel McLean.
The long-time childhood friend who had defeated that powerful Tudog alone and calmly returned in silence.
Though their relationship was broken, he might still be someone to protect her.
There was an eerie feeling like meeting a ghost.
The ghost was looming over him, making Ares feel anxious like it was ready to pounce on him at any moment, propelled by just the smile of the mysterious woman.
“Unfortunately…”
Rin was about to say that if she had a way to contact Daniel, she would want it too.
knock knock.
A heavy, yet gentle knock echoed through the room, different from the one Ares made, instilling an odd unease in both students.
Originally, a knock is a basic and simple manner of expressing a request to come in.
But the current knock seemed to warn Rin and Ares not to open the door.
“The door is locked.”
Rin managed to voice out, and Ares nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.
Creeeak.
The doorknob turned cheerfully, and the door opened as if welcoming a guest, swaying gently in the breeze.
And there, stepping into the room with a folded black parasol, stood the lady.
