Capítulo 17: What's So Funny?
Both Lami and Lumia observed the woman with admiring eyes.
Her shoulder-grazing wavy bob with bangs framed her face. Her small, perfectly proportioned face and pale, unblemished skin were almost unnaturally flawless.
Though she was eerily beautiful, her presence exuded a weighty discomfort to those around her. Her abyss-like black eyes gave off an unsettling aura.
She embodied death itself.
She was the star of the continent.
A Monarch at the age of 22—an unprecedented achievement.
She was Reiko Minamoto.
***
The trio was standing in front of Lami's room. Lumia wanted to meet Jack and Lucian…
And right behind him was Lucian, as always. Well, he was Lami's neighbor—once again.
"I knew it. We are fated to be neighbors," Lucian exclaimed.
"...Cursed to be," Lami scoffed, rolling his eyes.
He had mixed feelings about Lucian, simply not understanding his reason for being too friendly with him. Although he was annoying from time to time, he couldn't deny he somehow enjoyed his company.
Lumia and Lucian were the only two people he talked with, yet he still couldn't fully recognize them as his friends.
Not for the time being. For Lami, a friend was someone he could trust, and give his secrets to. It had only been a day since the academic year began.
Trust couldn't be gained in mere days.
At least Lami thought it couldn't be.
'Am I lacking?'
Scanning his fingerprint, Lami opened the door, and what greeted him was the sight of a black cat with golden eyes.
However, Jack scanned the two newcomers, especially the white-haired girl…
and ran away.
Lumia's face crumbled instantly as she started to play mouse and cat with Jack, her being the cat.
The room was small; Jack was using everything to his advantage. Be it pieces of furniture and curtains.
"Come here, Jack! I swear I don't bite!"
Lumia's playful voice filled the room as the mischievous cat darted under furniture and behind curtains. The chase went on for a while, with no apparent winner none of them wanted to give up.
Until Lumia froze mid-chase, her gaze fixed on Jack, who had darted under the bed after sizing her up. She put her hands on her hips and puffed her cheeks.
"Your cat…"
Her eyes darted between Lami and Jack, her expression a mix of innocent confusion and frustration. Lami wondered what she was about to say.
"Lami, your cat... is it racist?"
"Pfft."
"Kuuk…"
Both Lami and Lucian turned to each other, desperately trying to hold back their laughter. It was building up, suppressed but ready to erupt—like a volcano on the verge of exploding.
Seeing their reaction Lumia cocked her head slightly in an innocent manner. Not making heads or tails of their reaction.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Lami and Lucian erupted into laughter simultaneously. Noticing the change on Lumia's face as she pursed her lips and pouted, they started convulsing with laughter.
"Ha- ha"
After a minute of nonstop laughter, they struggled to breathe. Waiting for their joyous time to die down was a veiled wait for Lumia.
"What?" Lumia asked, her tone laced with confusion. "What's so funny?"
"Pfft."
Holding his stomach, Lami shook his head at Lucian.
"Stop. You will get us killed."
"...Hah- haha- ok, ok," Lucian breathed heavily. "You don't hear something so ludicrous every day."
It wasn't that what Lumia said was extremely funny, it was the way she said it—full of innocence.
"Racist? He loves me though." Lami threw a wry smile.
"Skill issue, I guess," Lucian nodded.
Lumia didn't respond to their statements; a creepy smile slowly spread across her alluring face.
"Luckily, I brought bribes with me," she said, taking a bag of treats from her dimensional ring.
…
"How did we end up like this?" Lami asked.
"Always keep bribes handy, I guess. Take notes…" Lucian said simply.
Jack had folded as soon as he smelled the treats. He was now lying on Lumia's lap like a baby.
"...!"
"..."
Lami glared at Jack while frowning, but Jack paid him no mind as if saying 'Be better next time.'
'I will see you when she is gone, you traitor.'
He obviously knew he couldn't ignore Jack, yet planning his revenge felt comforting.
***
—At the same time, at Calista's office.
Two figures were discussing in a minimalist yet commanding office. A sleek black desk sat in the center, organized with precision.
The walls were lined with glass shelves, displaying a few medals and trophies
Behind Calista, who sat on a leather chair, a large window overlooked one of the campus parks, letting in cool light that accentuated the room.
"So, what's your take on them?" the black-haired woman asked, leaning back against the desk.
Calista, ever composed, slid a tablet across the table.
"There are a few interesting prospects this year."
"Oh?" Reiko said, her voice not quite interested.
"Mateo and Vinny are quite impressive. Especially Mateo. I am certain he can directly damage souls, he also most likely has a few more tricks under his sleeves. He held back."
"Oh?"
This time her voice was tinged with a small bit of interest. Soul attacks were extremely rare and hard to counter.
Scanning the profiles Reiko said,
"I saw two of the students at the pet shop today. One of them was her."
She cast the profile of Lumia on a holographic display.
"So that's why you were late," Calista said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Reiko and Calista had been close friends since their academy days so they knew each other quite well.
Reiko was airheaded since always, resulting in her being almost late almost every time. Despite that, she transformed into a completely different person when fighting.
It was even frightening to Calista.
"No answer." Reiko threw an amicable smile. "But, she is already an Apprentice as well. Three Apprentices in one class. What was he thinking?"
"You know how eccentric that geezer is. Probably had a stupid reason behind his decisions." Calista rolled her eyes.
"Right." Reiko nodded. "...Did Lumia not fight?"
"No, she couldn't since I had to seal my mana, but I can confirm she is really strong. I met her a few weeks ago. I had a special meeting with her parents, in the demon realm."
"Van Elysium… Her parents are Sir Malachai and Madam Seraphina?"
Reiko was surprised. She knew and respected both of the names.
Both Lumia's parents were well regarded and high in the hierarchy of the demon realm, Malachai van Elysium being the right-hand man of the Demon King.
Order Mordrek.
"...Any other interesting ones?" Reiko asked after a little pause.
"There are some. Seren Steinhart and Eleanor Silverblade…"
Reiko nodded her head, still scrolling through the student profiles.
"I've also heard an interesting name from one of the other classes… And it isn't anyone you are expecting."
Calista raised her brows, putting her arm on the armrest of her chair. She was intrigued.
"There is someone called Alicia Ash. She is inhumanly strong I've heard."
After taking a sip of cold water, Calista opened her mouth with a slight disappointment.
"Strong? That's it?"
"She's also a gravity user. Just like you. Not sure whether it's a specialization or not though."
"Interesting…"
Although gravity aspect wasn't uncommon, combined with various factors it could become a catastrophically strong determinant for her.
Of course, if her mana reserves were high then it was insanely strong even by itself. It had a rare aspect to it, after all, being both in the physical and environmental category.
"Alright. See you." Reiko readied to leave the room. Calista, though, stopped her.
"Then let me give you a name too... His skills aren't that exceptional apart from one thing which you will soon see. However, his observation and perception is something noteworthy for his age."
Calista added,
"He probably underestimates his talent, stating that I repeated the same move pattern."
Calista lingered, spinning her glass and observing the swirls within.
"That would be wrong. I went for a similar yet different pattern of movements to end things faster, yet he still reacted timely to them."
"Who is he?" Reiko asked, peeking at Calista over the tablet.
Calista wasn't the type of person to rate someone highly for anything other than their battle prowess.
"Lami Stern—didn't attend the practical test, and aced the theoretical one."
"All brain, no brawl type?" Reiko asked.
"No. He is good, just not the top-tier good. And he is also a one-trick pony for now. You'll see."
Calista's words left Reiko even more curious.
"Okay, I guess. If that's all I am leaving. I need to switch aquariums," Reiko said.
"See you."
Calista waved her off.
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