Chapter 18: Incident at Night

After calming down a bit,

"System, use 10 tickets in Techniques, and the rest at Materials. I don't need any tools for the moment"

[Piano Manual 1x] [Fencing 2x] [Sword Art Manual 2x] [Basic Forging Manual 1x] [Spear Art Manual 2x] [Basic Medicine Manual 1x] [Basic Acupuncture Manual 1x] [Water Bottle 15x] [Iron ore 2x] [Mithril 3x] [Iron nail 1x] [Chicken Feather 1x]

"Forging!" Alex surprised

"At last, I got a forging manual. I already have Alchemy Manual but I don't have any cauldron to use. I searched everywhere but never found alchemy cauldron. It seems like now I can make my own cauldron." He jumped around happily. Ignoring that many water bottles he just gots.

After a while, he started calming down. "System, dismantle the item like before"

[Process]

[Ticket 2x]

"2 tickets... Let's save them for now"

While Alex still grinning happily, he doesn't know the mood in the dining hall.

In the dining hall, the atmosphere was gloomy, the one who makes this was grand duke and Alicia.

The rest was confused, why grand duke and Alicia was like this. So the wife asked grand duke

"What happened husband?"

Just as he was about to explain, the maids get in.

"Master, Sir Alexander said he was in the middle practice and he doesn't need a meal"

"Aah....." grand duke's face darkened "Alright, you go out"

The maids looking at grand duke, they scared and immediately left.

"Husband, what happened to you? Alicia? And Alexander?" The wife confused.

"This..." he calming himself down and started explaining what happened at the restaurant. And about Alex started distancing himself from Alicia

After hearing the whole story, the atmosphere becomes more gloomy than before. After eating, they just went back to their own room.

At night, Alex got back to cultivate when he finished opening his gacha. After cultivating for 2 hours, he opened his eyes.

"Hmm... summing up from before, 6 hours I can get 5 points status with one point each status.

It's almost midnight, so he prepared to sleep.

'knock knock'

Hearing the sound knocking door, Alex immediately opened the door. He surprised as he found Alicia was the one who came.

"Princess.."

"Alex..."

The atmosphere around them was awkward.

"Princess, what business do you have? It's almost midnight now. It will damage your reputation if you were seen when coming to a man's room at midnight" Alex broke the silence.

"Alex.., please... don't call me Princess, just call me Alicia like you always do" Alicia bites her lips. Looking Alex become so polite when talking to her, tears start forming at the corner of her eyes

"Princess, if only this matter. Please go back to your room to rest for tomorrow."

"Alex..." she looked down, dejected.

When Alex wants to close his door and Alicia was about to left. They heard the windows shattered. Alex immediately readied his battle stance, since he recognized the sound coming from his back. It's mean the windows that just got shattered was his room.

"Assassin" Alicia shout.

The assassin without further ado closed his distances with Alex and swing his dagger to Alex's neck.

Alex immediately blocked the assassin's hand and kicked him. The assassin surprised by Alex's reaction. He immediately put his other hand to block Alex's kick. But Alex's kick still blows him away.

'Strong' both of them immediately thought.

Recognizing each other power was the same. The assassin immediately changed his target to Alicia that was behind Alex.

Noticing the assassin's intent, Alex immediately grabbed Alicia to his bosom and dodged. Alex doesn't dodge thoughtlessly. He dodged to the side of his bed, where he placed his sword. He grabbed his sword. Alicia froze when Alex pulled her to his bosom, she blushed.

"Alex... I will help" when looking Alex grabbed his sword, she started to calm down.

Looking at Alex having the same strength, The assassin wants to escape.

"You want to leave?" Alex immediately swung his sword to the assassin, making him can't escape. Suddenly the duke voice was heard.

"Where is the assassin!" The duke roared.

When the assassin heard the sound of the grand duke. He knows he can't escape right now.

Noticing this, Alex wanted to interrogate him.

"Who are you? Who sent you?"

"You won't have any information from me"

"We will see...stop"

The assassin snorted and commit suicide.

Confirming the assassin dead, he looked at Alicia

"Princess.. you okay?" Alicia nodded.

"Princess, you should inform the grand duke"

"Alex..." Even after this incident, Alex seems to become more distanced from her. She bites her lips and left.

She doesn't know why Alex become so distanced from her so suddenly. In reality, when the incident in the restaurant. His past trauma resurfaced. When he was a kid, his parents loving him, but soon after he was useless comparing with her sister, they hated him.

When he has a friend in the middle school who treated him indifferently when he has a girlfriend who treated him so nice. And when they betrayed him together, become his trauma. He thought, now Alicia, grand duke, and king treating him nicely because of his talent,

when he thought 'what if I don't have this talent anymore will they betray him?' This thought of him keep surfacing in his mind. That's why he started to distance himself from her.

Not long after Alicia left, she came back with the grand duke.

"Alex... Let me do the rest, you rest in the room next door." Grand duke said after checking Alex if there are any wounds.

Alex nodded and left. While grand duke only shakes his head and blame that bastard Nito.

In the new bedroom, Alex just decided to sleep.

In the morning, Alex opened his eyes, he immediately dresses up.

'knock knock'

Alex opened his door when the maids looked at Alex already dressed, they surprised.

"Sir, we come to.."

"I have prepared, lead the way please" Alex interrupted.

The maids then lead the way to the garden. In the garden there's a carriage waiting, that was the previous carriage used when Alicia traveled. Beside the carriage, there are the grand duke and head butler waiting. Alex approached them

"Grand Duke, Head butler" Alex greeted them, but the tone he used was more polite.

The grand duke's face darkened.

"Alex... How are you?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for the grand duke's concern"

Hearing Alex's response, he gritted his teeth "The assassin was a rank 3, he doesn't belong to any organization nor family. I heard from Alicia, you got attacked by the son of marquis. So, what happened yesterday may be linked to them. After you set off, I will immediately go to Pondria's house to demands an explanation."

Alex nodded "Thank you, grand duke"

Grand duke sighed. After a while, Alicia got out. She wears a white dress, matching it with Alex's white cloth.

"Father" She greeted grand duke when she turned to Alex "Alex...." she greeted Alex awkwardly.

"Good morning princess Alicia" Alex greeted her politely.

Noticing the awkwardness,

"Since the two of you here, let's go" the grand duke said

The four of them got in the carriage, the travel doesn't take too much time, only ten minutes.

"Then you two have a nice day" the grand duke said

Alicia and Alex nodded and walk to the academy, while the grand duke and his butler going to Pondria's house.

They walked to the crowd forming in line in front of the academy. Alex and Alicia joined the queue.

"Rank 0, warrior, no element, 18 years old. Failed!"

"Rank 1, Warrior, no element, 16 years old. Passed!"

"Rank 0, Mage, Fire element, 17 years old. Passed!"

The old man assessed the recruits, some failed and some passed.

"Alex, you have the recommendation letter from the king, you don't need to wait here" Alicia whispered to Alex

"I will wait for you first Princess"

"Rank 1, Mage, Fire element, 16 Years old. Passed!" the old man surprised.

"We have a genius this year" the other teacher who standby also joined.

"Yeah, A rank 1 fire element mage, and he is still 16 years old. He is a genius"

The recruitment for these years was for 16 years old to 19 years old. A rank 1 warrior usually was around 18 years old. While rank 1 mage was rarer than rank 1 warrior. So a 16 years old rank 1 mage was abnormal.

"What is your name?" The old man asked politely.

"My name is Rio Maroria, First son of earl Maroria." He said with a smug smile. He already expected this result since he already tested in his house. Many people already claimed he was a genius.

"So, it's sir Rio Maroria. I heard so much about you." The old man politely said

Rio and Alicia just silent watching this scene. After Rio's assessment, many wannabe students envy and jealous of his talents. Rio stood by the side, watching the other assessment while grinning.

After a while, it's time for Alicia's assessment.

"Rank 1, Mage, Ice Element, 16 years old. Passed!" the old man surprised once more. The truth is Alicia was almost rank 2. After traveling with Alex for four months. Alex likes going out alone to kill monsters, but Alicia often followed him. So Alicia who was a new rank 1 mage when they first met now almost a rank 2 mage.

"This... a genius appeared again!" the crowd shocked.

"it's.. not water element. But ice element!" ice element was more advanced element than water element, so ice element was even rarer than fire and water element.

Rio shocked. He not only shocked by Alicia's talent but also her beauty. He immediately decided he will get this woman. So he walked to Alicia.

"Oh my, This is Princess Alicia. A pleasure to meet you, princess. My name is Rio Maroria. The first sone of earl Maroria. Since the princess already passed the assessment, why don't we got in together"

"Greeting to you, sir Rio Maroria. I will wait for him first" she looked at Alex. When Alicia looked at Alex, Rio sent a cold gaze to Alex

"You can scram from here. You don't need to be assessed. You failed!" Rio commanded.

Alex ignored Rio and give his letter to the old man.

"Sir, this is my recommendation letter" Alex politely gave his letter to the old man. Each noble will have one recommendation letter for their house. They usually used it for their children who have no talent.

Looking at Alex's recommendation letter. Rio thought Alex must be a poor talent since he needed a recommendation letter. So he looked at Alex with contempt.

"Huh, recommendation letter. Your talent was so bad you need to use a recommendation letter. You don't have the right for Alicia to wait for you. Just scram from here."

"Sir Rio Maroria. We are not familiar with each other. So don't call me by my name. And also it's not your business who I waiting for" Alicia said.

"You..." seeing Alicia reprimanded him, he hated Alex more then he looked at the old man and other teachers "I don't want him in the academy, he has no talent and only relying upon recommendation letter."

"You... please leave, the academy doesn't welcome you" The old man said, giving Alex's letter back.

"You... Why did you act like this! You will regret this" Alicia glared at the old man and Rio. Rio only snorted, he jealous of seeing Alicia with Alex. He already considered Alicia to be his woman. So he wanted to chase Alex away. While the old man saw Alex relying on a recommendation letter, he already decided it's better to get on Rio's good side than Alex.

Alex surprised by this action. He shaking his head and sighed. When he just about to leave.

"Wait!"