Chapter 85

Wizards (1)

"Alright, Riognan, stand up."

Fran's tone was softer. While the two made their compromises, Kleio stretched out his neck.

'That's what Dione said.'

Dione, who was familiar with artisans, also had news from the working commoners. It was said that the People's Flag, having failed to assassinate Melchior, was almost destroyed but was now transforming into an organization with the intent of expanding the union organization, as was Robert's original will.

'Then, it's unlikely Fran has more enemies in the organization.'

Kleio was in favor of any action that puts distance between Fran and Melchior.

"Fran, I'll make you an offer. Would it be okay to supply useful supplies during your long trip?"

What were useful materials in an underground life? Obviously, they were money and weapons. At Kleio's sudden offer, Fran seemed suspicious.

"Are you trying to make a lousy investment?"

"It's an investment because I'm sure there will be a return."

"I'm not sure whether you're bold or plain stupid."

"It's a long-term investment."

Kleio handed out what he had prepared; it was a key to a post office mailbox.

'Now's the best time. Should this be enough protection?'

Fran looked silently at the key before accepting it. Kleio had called the secluded postal office in the Xeon district just once. He had talked to an employee who was old and nearly blind. Giving the number of the box to Fran, he nodded. He memorized it in one go.

"How long will you stay in school?"

"For this semester."

"Sorry."

"I can't do that."

"Hey, Fran and Lei, I can't follow your conversation at all..."

"If you don't know, stay quiet. It's nothing bad about you, Arthur."

"Hey, Lei..."

"I'll send any information about Four to you."

"Send it to the same mailbox."

"I know. If you have something for me, send it to Bartleby's shop."

Turning off the magic formula, the cloud sunlight began to filter in through the window. Though not everything was in the last manuscript, the important elements had gone to their original places.

'It's clear Fran has re-evaluated Arthur, though his mind hadn't completely changed.'

Kleio felt a shallow sense of relief.

'The vampiric singer and the red-eyed assassins weren't there before, and Fran's now a revolutionary... I was nervous about what happened, but now it seems like it was fixed.'

However, it wasn't completely reassuring. Hydra's Poison and the human experimentations were factors far beyond Kleio's expectations.

'I don't know if it's Aslan or Juleika, but what the hell is this about a Super Soldier Serum?'

Even were the Hydra's Poison complete, there would be a limit to how much could be made. Moreover, it was unclear if the aftereffects could be eliminated entirely.

'Is Aslan obsessed with the dungeons to acquire more demon blood? In a little while, the beasts will wake up here and there...I can't stand it.'

In the last manuscript, Aslan showed a pure pursuit of power, training to raise his ether level forcibly. However, the process was completely different now.

'Melchior must know about Aslan, but why is he neglecting it?'

The answer came quickly. He would tolerate anything that would ruin this manuscript, like letting Kleio in the library. It was then...

Bang!

Somebody opened Fran's door violently. It was Leticia.

"You guys, why are you holed up like this? I had to come up here."

"Fran said he had a hard time finding a tie that wasn't wrinkled."

Arthur responded quickly to Leticia.

"What? Tie?"

"He just tied it up."

"It's the same as usual?"

"Look, it's stiff."

"True! Anyway, hurry up! The coachman is waiting."

"Ah, must I go..."

"Arthur, then you don't go!"

Knowing the twins, Arthur quickly changed his attitude before Leticia grew angry.

"No, I'll hurry up.

"Good!"

***

Dione arrived at the school sometime after. After putting up the magic shield around the reception room, he briefly explained the murder case and their suspicions of Prince Aslan to her. After hearing it all, Dione folded her fan with a laugh.

"Anyway, that's why the young master had two medals! Congratulations!"

"Well, I'm not obligated to wear it."

After that, Arthur and his friends had been awarded some sort of brave citizen award. Isiel, Cel, and the twins had worked to clean up the chaos and bring the injured to the hospital, and Nebo had helped save the soprano. On the other hand, the Defense Forces suffered damage to their reputation. Once the first report was made to the police, the Defense Force knew that Geheim had ether sensitivity only the next day. Public opinion of the Defense Force has suffered due to their slow response.

The result was a group photo of Arthur and his friends standing side by side on a podium as they received a medal from the mayor of Lundane. Behind them were Pierce Klagen, head of the knights, and Ronald Funnibal, chief of police. As if he knew the shame, the head of the magic department of the Defense Force was absent. It was the same pattern as the last demon case. Dione pointed to Arthur at the front of the picture.

"With this incident, the bravery of the third prince has been imprinted on the people."

It certainly had. Should he say they had crossed some critical point? There had been many more articles about Arthur than when he cleared the dungeon last time. That had been an adventure beyond a strict barrier. The aftermath had been weak as a result, but this time, he had saved the soprano in front of hundreds of people. Arthur was no longer an unknown prince.

"What... It can't even hide anymore. His fame will soon surpass mine. As it should be."

He wasn't sure what the future held, but that would be helpful to Arthur.

"But, did Dean Zebedee not discipline him? The rules are strict about students not traveling at night."

"When they set the rules of the police activities, they asked us to go out. It's been a thousand years, so I guess they didn't think about the rules."

"Ahahaha! I wish I could've seen the dean's face! Lei, you too, you've improved!"

"Thanks to a good teacher."

"Hmm, it's flattery, but it's not bad to hear. I'll give you about eighty points."

As Kleio predicted, everyone had avoided the punishment of going out at night by using that loophole regulation. They had heard amendments to school regulations were announced at the very next faculty meeting. It went without saying that Cel and Arthur had laughed heartily at that.

"Everyone found it funny."

Dione laughed softly as she poured tea for Kleio.

"I'm very happy you've made a lot of friends."

Crackle-

The firewood burning in the fireplace made noise as it burned. The scarlet glow shone on Dione's cheeks, making her smile even warmer. Kleio felt a strange atmosphere as they sat face-to-face, in the very same place he had first met Dione.

'There has been so much that happened since then.'

The trees outside still had leaves on them, resilient to the cold. Suddenly, snowballs were flying through the air.

"Is the final exam next Friday? What time is your turn?"

The final exam at the end of the school year, held on the last day after completing the written exam subjects, was traditionally in the form of an open demonstration. Albion was a school that produced the best knights and wizards, so people from all walks of life came to visit in order to see the talent in advance. The children of the magic class showed off the best of the magic they had learned, while the swordsmen competed according to their draw. The remaining four swordsmen, one for each grade level, represented their grade in the final. Normally, a fourth-year won the championship, but since unusual events often occurred, it was the match that all visitors anticipated the most.

"There are fewer than ten first-years aspirings to be a wizard this year, so I think you can come in first."

Originally, there were ten wizards in the class, but three of them had applied for a transfer. It was actually Kleio's fault, to an extent, though he didn't know it.

"You should wear warm clothes since the test is outside. It would be fine with the summer garden cape. Would you like to buy a magically engraved mana stone ruby?"

"No, it's okay."

When he considered the mana stone gold cuffs he had used, thinking of buying more mana stones caused his stomach to churn.

'I have to raise my ether level to 5 so that doesn't happen again.'

"One with fortune is the best. This is the earnings summary for the fourth quarter. The first part is the value of the hotel site, calculated based on the selling price of land these days, and the next page summarizes the cost of rentals, deposits for patent fees, and the cost of restoration. The tax will be paid in February of next year, but the amount is below the estimate."

Dione presented him with a neatly organized ledger. After reading the numbers, Kleio looked up at the white wall for a long moment before glancing down again.

'Wow... The land price has risen tremendously.'

When he last checked, the valuation was at 55 million dinars, which was higher than before.

"Well, the pocket money that father is sending has accumulated quite a bit. There's a 500,000 dinar deposit there."

"Oh, that's it."

"I didn't touch it. Is there anything I can use?"

Kleio, scratching his neck with a shrewd heart, decided to speak the truth.

"Well, I thought it would be perfect if I pay the gift tax for the capital house later with this. I don't think father would pay it."

It was Kleio's own big plan to rid himself of the mansion's costs with his father's money.

"Would you receive that title? Your dreams are awesome!"

Dione laughed and struck Kleio on the back. It was then....

Kuaaaaahhhhh.

The flames in the fireplace rose up, and the table shook. It was a massive etheric explosion! Kleio hurriedly turned on Perception, determining the explosion was located close to the school's main entrance.

'Is it a raid? On a day when Zebedee's away!'

Zebedee had to attend the opening and closing of congress, and today was the closing day. Anyone who knew about it could guess he would be absent. Maybe that was calculated.

'Damn, this school can't be broken until the end!'

Considering the developments happening behind the scenes, the school building and barriers should remain intact, at least, until Part 1 was completed. Kleio hesitated, not wanting to be involved, but felt more anxious about staying inside. Eventually, without even tossing a coat on, he started running towards the front door with [Leap].