It was a dilemma. Staring at the soup in front of me, I looked back at Aoife and Kiera, who seemed strangely stiff.
'Did they really do nothing to the soup....?'
I brought the spoon to my mouth and closed my eyes. My tonsils danced at the rich taste that invaded my tongue, and I found myself quietly nodding.
It tasted phenomenal.
To the point where I couldn't help but mumble to myself.
".....Since when was I such a good cook?"
While I didn't think I was bad, I had never made something so good.
Could it be because of the ingredients?
Was that what it was?
"Y-you think it's really good...?"
Kiera stuttered from the side, and I frowned. What's wrong with her? Perhaps noticing my expression, she forced a smile and turned back.
"Ah, anyway. Thanks for the salt."
She proceeded to head back to her station. That was when I felt another gaze.
"...."
I turned to look at Aoife, who was staring back at me. Her expression was hard to read, but for a brief moment, I thought I saw 'disbelief' in her gaze.
What sort of...
"...."
Picking up her trays, she left without saying another word. I stared at her back for a brief moment before shrugging my shoulders.
I really couldn't understand her.
Staring at her back for a brief moment, I turned my attention back to my pot and had another taste.
"Hmm."
I smacked my lips together and frowned.
"....It's good."
But...
"It's missing something."
What exactly? I thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion.
"It needs more salt."
The taste was a little too mild. Possibly sweet. It needed a little bit more salt.
I reached to my left, where the salt was, but I grasped nothing but air. I was confused at first, but then I remembered.
"Ah, right."
Kiera had taken the salt.
I turned to look at her, and our eyes met. She raised her brow.
"What?"
".....The salt."
I pointed at the one she had on her desk.
"...!"
"Can I have i—
Clank, Clank, Clank—!
I was interrupted by a loud noise. When I turned to look, I saw Aoife standing with all the trays on the floor. Her otherwise blank expression showed signs of breaking as her eyes widened.
What...?
She wasn't the only one who was behaving oddly.
Just as I turned my head, I heard Kiera's low mutter.
"...Lunatic."
She was also looking at me with wide eyes.
"Fucking lunatic."
***
When I woke up, it was Saturday morning. In a daze, I remained on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I finally had a day to myself...
It was hard to describe how I currently felt. The days had been so hectic that every single day felt like they lasted a year.
But today was different...
There was nothing on my schedule today.
Finally, I could take a much-needed break.
Let's take a shower.
Shaaa—
I needed something to wake my groggy mind. The cold water was especially useful, as I felt refreshed coming out of the shower.
There was nothing better than a cold shower in the morning to refresh my mind.
"...."
I looked at my wet body in the mirror.
It was chiselled to perfection, and there seemed to be no scars or imperfections. My shoulders and biceps were quite large, while my abdominal muscles were finely sculpted, and my thighs felt as solid as rock.
I had always wanted this type of body in my previous life. I would always tell myself to go to the gym on a daily basis, but I would stop with some sort of nonsensical excuse. The longest I had ever lasted at the gym was two months.
Seeing no progress in the mirror, I lost all motivation and just gave up.
But things were different now.
I touched my body.
With how hard I was training at the moment, I could easily maintain this body. Not only that, but it could probably get even better in the future.
"A pity it isn't my real body."
It was still hard for me to fully associate myself with this body. However, I was slowly getting there.
Even so...
"When I return, I'll get my old body back..."
I was merely rumbling at this point. The reality was that I wasn't sure if I could go back or not. No sign pointed out to that fact.
However...
I had to cling to this idea. It was the only thing that kept me going. If I were to learn that I couldn't go back, then...
"...."
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Opening them again, I leaned forward to stare at my reflection.
".....I will be going back."
After drying my body, I went on to sit on the couch. Basking the sun's glow, I mumbled,
"Status."
— ●[Julien D. Evenus]● —
Level :17 [Tier 1 Magician]
Exp : [0%——[34%]——————100%]
Profession : Magician
﹂ Type : Elemental [Curse]
﹂ Type : Mind [Emotive]
Spells :
﹂ Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Anger
﹂ Intermediate type spell [Emotive] : Sadness
﹂ Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Fear
﹂ Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Happiness
﹂ Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Disgust
﹂ Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Surprise
﹂ Beginner type spell [Curse] : Chains of Alakantria
﹂ Beginner type spell [Curse] : Hands of Malady
Skills :
[Innate] - Foresight
— ●[Julien D. Evenus]● —
There was some progress, but it was still too slow. In the days that had passed since the 'quest', I had only grown by about 6%. And this was taking into account that I was now using a Blue-ranked [Mana Synthesis].
"I need to find a way to get a better manual."
From what I had learned, there were multiple ways one could get stronger. The first one was through the scriptures and manuals. The second one was through resources gathered from the mirror dimension, and the last was through the implantation of 'bones'.
I was still unsure of how the last one worked, but from what I read, certain monsters in the Mirror Dimension had special bones that one could implant in their bodies to gain skills.
[Innate] skills.
They had different grades, which mostly depended on the rank of the monster, and there were apparently a few in our class who already had a bone implanted in them.
".....I'll get there when the chance comes."
It was still a little too early for me.
I was just planning to start training again when...
Wiiing—
Wiiing—
My communication device, a small white orb, flickered. Confused, I turned it on and loaded the message.
[Julien Evenus, Leon Ellert, Aoife Megrail... May the following cadets show up at the entrance of the Institute in an hour.]
It was a message from the Institute board.
"....."
[Congratulations. You have all been selected for the upcoming Draft Selection inauguration. An instructor will guide the following students to the ceremony that will take place in Lens. Kindly make yourself available.]
"....."
I continued to stare at the message with a blank look before turning off the device and sitting down.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
"....."
Eventually, I lowered my head and stayed silent.
In the silence that took over the room, I closed my eyes and pursed my lips.
∎| Lvl 2. [Sadness] EXP + 0.01%
*
When I came out of my room, I found Leon already waiting for me.
"Oh."
I didn't even bother greeting him and just continued forward. I was in no mood for anything. But that seemed to be the case for him as well.
In the silence, we walked towards the entrance of the Academy.
When we reached the place, ten people were already waiting for us at the entrance.
...With eleven names on the list, we were essentially the last to arrive.
"You two are finally here."
At the forefront stood someone I found somewhat familiar. With a thick, long red beard and a muscular physique, he was Professor Chambers, one of the examiners from my examination day and a High-Wizard.
"Hurry up, you two. The train to Lens will depart in ten minutes. You will be held responsible if we miss the train."
His rough voice echoed throughout as I picked up the pace, slightly...
Honestly, I wouldn't mind missing it.
The Professor continued,
"As many of you know, there will be a Draft at the end of the year. The six best cadets from each year will be chosen to represent the Institute at such an event. You all must take this seriously."
Squinting his eyes, I felt his gaze pause on me.
"The ten of you are the most promising cadets that we currently have in our first years. Some of the most promising we've had in decades, and it is therefore extremely important that you carry yourself in a manner fitting of your status."
I then finally realized why he was looking at me. Taking a step closer, we were only a few steps away from each other. Placing his hand on my shoulder, he looked at me seriously.
"As the Black Star, you will be the center of all attention and the group's leader. I need you to carry yourself as such. Is that understood?"
"....."
I stood in silence without saying a single word.
"Cadet?"
Only when he called me again did I raise my head. Closing my eyes, I silently cursed.
Fuck—
[ ◆ Side Quest Activated : Unmask the Fraud.]
: Character Progression + 5%
: Game Progression + 1%
Failure
: Calamity 3 + 5%
It was just as the Professor was talking to me that it happened.
'Uh....?'
The world froze, and my vision turned dark. All of a sudden I lost control of my body.
It was a sensation I was all too familiar with...
'Another vision?'
The scenery shifted, enveloping me in the opulent embrace of a grand hall. Its lavish decor was blinding with all sorts of individuals present.
Such grand hall was silent.
It was as if the sound had been sucked out of the room.
"....."
All eyes seemed to be focused on a certain spot. Or more specifically, towards two people.
".....We've found it."
A towering figure with slender facial contours, jet-black hair, a long nose, and bushy eyebrows peered down at his palm, where a small transparent orb, reminiscent in size of a glass pebble, rested.
'What's that...?'
There was something about the pebble that seemed intriguing. It had a strange allure to it. Almost as if it was beckoning me to take it.
But I had no time to dwell on it as the next set of events continued.
"Why did you steal it?"
The man's voice thundered down towards the other individual, a woman adorned with cascading violet locks and piercing blue eyes. She returned his gaze with a frozen look.
Her eyes trembled, and so did her body...
"I..."
He raised his hand to display a black purse.
"This is yours isn't it?"
Evelyn's expression remained locked in a state of disbelief, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly in a futile attempt to articulate her words.
"No, I..."
"There's no denying your crime."
He coldly cut her off.
"We've searched everyone and you were the only one that was found with this. Do you think you can talk your way out of this?"
He didn't seem interested in her ramblings. Coldly turning his gaze away from her, he looked toward the guard's station nearby.
"Take her in for questioning."
"No, wait...!"
The guards latched onto her arms from both sides.
"This is a mistake...!"
She tried to protest, but it was to no avail.
"That's not mine! I don't know where it came from! This is a...."
Under the scrutiny of all present, Evelyn was forcibly escorted by the guards out of the hall. Her eyes searched the entire hall, eventually falling on me.
Me...?
'Help me...'
Is what her gaze tried to imply.
I stood rooted to my spot, transfixed by her desperate expression, unable to tear my gaze away.
It sealed itself into my mind until the very end.
When her figure finally disappeared.
The vision ended there.
"....."
I stood in silence without saying a single word.
"Cadet?"
Only when I heard the sound of the Professor's voice did I finally raise my head. A screen appeared shortly after.
[ ◆ Side Quest Activated: Unmask the Fraud.]
: Character Progression + 5%
: Game Progression + 1%
Failure
: Calamity 3 + 5%
"Did you understand what I said?"
The Professor's voice started to sound irritated, and I quietly nodded my head. I couldn't focus on him at the moment.
The only thing that was in my mind was the vision.
'....So the quest is about exposing who the real thief is?'
Or was it to prevent Evelyn from finding herself in such a situation? Either way, I now knew who 'Calamity 3' was. It was Evelyn.
That only left me with Calamity 1 and Calamity 2.
Who they were... I was still unsure yet. However, given time, I knew I'd be able to piece it all together.
"Follow me in a single line. The train will be here shortly."
I once again looked up and saw that the other cadets were moving along. I picked up my pace and followed them from behind.
My gaze unconsciously trained toward a swaying set of purple hair not too far from me.
I thought back to the expression she made back in the vision. The one that was filled with shock, and desperation.
A thought ran down my mind at that moment.
'...Why did she look at me of all people for help in the vision?'
***
The Draft.
An Empire-wide event was broadcast and displayed all over. The Draft took place every end of the year, selecting the top 60 cadets from all the major Academies within the Empire.
There existed fifteen Guilds within the Empire. All associated with the Royal family, they were the only organizations besides the Academies that granted entrance to the Mirror Dimension.
If one became affiliated with a Guild, they could enter the Mirror Dimension whenever they wanted.
The competition among the Guilds was harsh, and each year, the cadets were intensively scrutinized to determine who would be the first pick of the draft.
The benefits of becoming the first-ranked pick were rather obvious for all. With sign-in bonuses that eclipsed those of the other picks, every cadet looked forward to becoming the number one pick.
"We have just passed Endson. We will be arriving at the station soon."
Professor Chambers informed all of us.
The City of 'Lens' was incredibly rich, with many different districts in place. Our current destination was 'Rudmon', the main commercial street of Lens.
It was the richest district and where the 'House of Picks' was located. An esteemed Auction House where the inauguration was going to take place.
Coming out of the train station, we strolled through the district, where magnificent streets lined with vendors on both sides greeted our eyes.
The House of Picks was located by the river that cut through the city. It therefore took us about ten minutes to get there from the train station.
A crowd had already formed at the entrance of the building. It was hard to see through the packed crowd, with reporters mingling among regular people. Thankfully, there was a separate area we could enter from.
"Welcome to the House of Picks."
It was a middle-aged man with refined clothing that greeted us.
"You must be the distinguished guests from Haven. We have already reserved a place for you."
He then proceeded to guide us toward a sizable room. I originally expected him to guide us toward the hall in the vision, but contrary to my expectations, we were guided toward a different place.
A private room of some sort.
'Wow.'
Coming into the room, I had to pause for a moment to admire the setting.
At the forefront of the room, a grand window greeted my sight, below which stretched a substantial stage adorned with hundreds of seats now filling with attendees. All of whom were wearing formal clothing, unlike the rest of us.
The scene below appeared chaotic unlike where we were.
"The announcement will be made shortly."
The butler proceeded to say from the entrance of the room.
"Please feel free to enjoy yourselves in this room for now. Once the announcement is over, we will invite you all to the main ceremony where you can interact with the other guests."
With a bow, he went on to talk with the Professor who had a few things to ask.
Only then did the other cadets finally start speaking again.
"Wow, this room looks awesome."
"Can we take this food?"
Despite most of the participants being sons of high nobles, they still seemed somewhat excited about the situation.
Well, all besides a select few. Aoife, Kiera, and Leon were the exception as they immediately found a seat and sat down.
I thought about finding a seat as well when...
".....Here."
Someone handed me a black book.
"This is?"
"It's the shop list."
Shop list?
I blinked my eyes and looked to my right where a person stood. I had grown a little familiar with him. I didn't remember at first, but I couldn't forget about him after meeting him during the forest incident.
Had it not been for him, I would've been unable to prevent the incident.
Anders Lewis Richmond.
Ever since that incident, his attitude toward me underwent a complete change.
He no longer seemed confrontational; in fact, he appeared to be making an effort to foster a friendlier relationship with me.
I was put off at first, but seeing how his intentions weren't malicious, I let him be.
"As you probably know, the House of Picks is actually a famous auction house. Although there is no auction today, the shop is still open. If you're interested in something, you can try buying it."
"Ah..."
I nodded slightly and opened the book.
'I wonder if there's anything I can buy...'
I was somewhat intrigued.
[Mana Association | Green] — 50,000 Rend.
[Essence Awakenening | Green] — 70, 000 Rend.
[Melton Mana Manual | Green] — 120, 000 Rend.
'Holy fuck.'
My heart almost jumped at the sight of the prices.
The currency within this world was called 'Rend'. If I had to make a conversion rate compared to my old world, then it'd probably be 1 Rend for one Dollar...? The purchasing power seemed to be about the same.
....And just looking at the prices of the Green Ranked book, I knew that I had no business here.
I may have been the son of a noble, but the amount of money that I had didn't even come close to letting me purchase a Green-ranked book.
What sort of corruption was this...?
I immediately skimmed past the first few pages, but...
'100,000 Rend.... 1,000,000 Rend.... 17,000,000 Rend...'
The deeper I went, the more absurd the prices became. It was to the point where I was just scrolling through the book for the sake of wasting time.
As if I could afford any of this stuff.
That was until I found myself pausing toward a certain section.
[Metryl Bone] — 4, 320, 000 Rend.
A certain image captured my attention and my eyes widened.
'This is...'
It was only a picture, but the overlapped with the image in my mind. The one from the vision.
Ah—
The more I looked at it, the more certain I felt...
'....It's the item that was found in the vision.'
The one that caused all of the commotion.
"....."
I blinked and took a seat.
"Huu.."
So it was a bone.
I swallowed my saliva and stared at the image once more.
'So the item that she was framed with was this bone...'
It looked nothing like a bone, but perhaps there was something that I was missing. Either way, I understood now.
The reason why the situation seemed so serious.
So then...
"Why?"
Why did my chest tingle at the sight of the item on the list?
It wasn't just that, my fingers... They were twitching.
Thoughts I wasn't supposed to have suddenly engulfed my mind. As I sat down on my seat seat, my foot started to tap against the ground.
As I continued to stare at the listing, I silently swallowed.
A thought crossed my mind.
One that I wasn't supposed to have.
"This orb..."
Can I take it for myself....?
***
There will be two more chapters later.
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