"That's it. Pencils down!"

The exam ran for exactly an hour. Hearing Professor Bridgette's voice, I put my pencil down and rubbed my eyes.

"Huaam."

I unknowingly let out a yawn.

I was quite frankly tired. But it was a different kind of tiredness from the usual tiredness. For the entire week, I hadn't trained at all.

Not because I didn't want to but because I physically couldn't.

My body was still suffering from the consequences of having used the drug. I was still unsure of how long I was going to be like this.

While it sucked, it was also a good thing in its own way.

I had beaten up my body far too much over the past few months. It needed a well-deserved break.

That being said...

"Hmm."

I pinched the middle of my brows.

My head was hurting.

I was mentally exhausted. To compensate for the lack of training, I dedicated the entire week to studying. Not only that, but I also spent a major part of the time creating questions for Kiera.

In a way, it also helped me out a lot.

Staring at the question paper in front of me, I felt rather confident.

'I might even be able to get full marks.'

It wasn't exactly out of the question.

'.....I might not have slept much over the past week, but it ended up benefitting me a lot.'

The questions that I created for Kiera weren't some random questions that I copied from some exercise book. I had created each question myself. Before each question, I'd spend a decent amount of time studying the related subject before writing it down.

I only felt comfortable writing it down once I was confident I could answer it without any difficulty.

It was extremely tough on the mind but it ended up helping me big time.

....And it paid as well. It was a win-win situation for me.

'Talking about the exam, how did she do?'

I was a little curious.

She did after all pay me to learn.

I had just turned my head to stare in her direction when my eyes locked on her figure. Leaning back on her chair, she looked at her nails with a casual look. Almost as if she was expecting something.

The hell...

"Kiera, how did you do?"

That question was what she expected as she casually looked away from her nails to look at Josephine.

She lightly shrugged her shoulders while opening her palm to get a better look at her nails.

"Well, just the usual."

"So like shit?"

"Uh? No...?"

Kiera blinked and her facade broke in an instant.

"No?"

Josephine tilted her head with a frown.

"But isn't your usual shit? Like, lowest of the class type st-"

"Ugh, fuck. Alright, stop."

Kiera clicked her tongue and looked away. Drumming her hand over the table, her expression twisted. She looked rather grumpy.

I could tell at a glance what she was thinking.

I shook my head and almost laughed. What a weird girl. I was just about to turn my head away when her head turned and I locked sight with her ruby-red eyes.

Her expression changed slightly.

Staring at her for a moment, I eventually mouthed.

'Good job.'

Her brows jumped up slightly and her head turned. I shook my head yet again and covered my mouth.

"Huam."

Yeah, I really need to sleep.

***

".....I guess we have come to an agreement."

A man stood up and extended his hand towards Delilah.

"It's also perfect that I came at this time. I heard that the cadets are going on a trip. I hope you won't mind if I join."

"I don't."

Delilah shook the man's hand.

"Great."

With a happy smile, he lowered his head before putting his hat back on. Then, lowering his hat slightly, he excused himself and left the room.

"Well then, I'll be seeing you again."

Clank

The door closed leaving Delilah standing by herself. Staring in the direction of where the man had left, Delilah closed her eyes and sighed.

"Inquisitor Hallowe."

Muttering to herself, she leaned to sit over her desk.

Her current feelings were mixed. Inquisitor Hallowe was a man of reputation. He was amongst the best Inquisitors within the Empire. In a sense, he was an 'ally'.

His nickname was 'The Hound'.

So long as he had a target, he'd find it no matter what. It wasn't just that, he was also extremely well-versed in finding clues and leads.

He was that type of person.

But there was one problem.

".....He works for Central."

That meant that he was directly under her father's orders. Delilah didn't feel comfortable knowing that.

Especially since she wasn't sure about his motives.

Was he here to monitor her, or was he here to carry on with his investigation?

"....."

Delilah pinched her brows. Her head was starting to ache. However, she soon calmed down.

"Right, he's going on the trip."

....The one that the first-year cadets were meant to go to. In that case, at least for now, she didn't need to worry about him monitoring her actions.

Rather, perhaps she was overthinking and he had indeed come on his own terms.

"It might be that."

She couldn't guarantee it, but at the very least, for now, she didn't have to worry about him.

Turning around, she reached for her drawer.

She needed something sweet at the moment. Something to take her mind off of the matter.

But...

"...."

Opening her drawer, all she saw were wrappers.

"....Ah."

Blinking, she slumped over her chair and blankly stared at the ceiling.

"What is life."

***

The next day, 11:30 A.M. on a Tuesday.

I arrived at the entrance of the Academy. I was among the last to come as most of the cadets were already present. They all appeared excited about the upcoming trip.

Me? Not so much.

'.....Just get it over with.'

The damn quest.

I had been waiting for it for an entire week, and yet, it had still yet to come.

"Haa..."

It was tiring.

"Everyone give me a second of your attention. I'd like to introduce you to someone."

Professor Bridgette was the one in charge of escorting us towards the location. Standing next to her was a man with black hair and hazel eyes. He appeared somewhat haggard with stubbles around his chin.

His hair also appeared to be in a mess, but other than that his appearance was clean.

"You may address him as Professor Hollowe. He will accompany us on the trip."

It was a rather short introduction. One that the cadets forgot shortly after as Professor Bridgette went on to say.

"Once we arrive at the city you can take some time off for yourselves. But before that, you will be paired up in groups of two. The groups will be random."

Professor Bridgette flashed a small box.

".....Please line up in a single line."

*

Ellnor.

Coming out of the portal, the first thing that hit me was the fresh air. The first breath felt almost overwhelming.

Then, it was the scenery that took my breath away.

'Wow.'

Large, towering mountains framed the horizon as a town appeared in my sight, enclosed by thick walls. With just one glance I was impressed by the sight before me. It looked like a scene straight from a fantasy book.

I wanted to get a better look at it from up close.

"Brrr~ It's cold."

Stepping out beside me, Josephine held onto her shoulders.

"T-this... Why did no one tell me it was going to be this cold?"

"F-fucking idiot. It literally said in t-the announcement."

"O-oh, yeah? T-then why are you in s-short sleeves?"

"I- I c-can take it."

Kiera tried to maintain a poker face but she was miserably failing as her lips started to tremble. Coming out from behind them was Aoife who paused to look at the scene before turning away.

Something told me she wasn't even surprised by what she was seeing.

'Why is she carrying so many books with her?'

In her hand were several books. Was she planning on studying?

But exams were over...

'Whatever. None of my business.'

Taking my eyes away from them, I looked to my right where a figure stood. Wearing a large coat that seemed to be way too big for him, Leon stared at me.

"....."

His coat was so large that the only thing I could see was his gray eyes.

Noticing my gaze, he asked,

"....What?"

"You look stupid."

"....?"

Leon cocked his head.

"It said it was going to be cold."

"And?"

"So I came prepared."

"Too prepared..."

It wasn't as though we couldn't use the mana inside of our body to heat ourselves up. At the same time, our bodies were also a lot more resistant to the cold.

He was simply being extra.

"Everyone please look over here."

Professor Bridgette waved at us with her hand.

"Like we discussed beforehand. You can take your time to explore the city. However, you must make sure that you stay with your partner. Don't separate."

My partner was Leon. I was fine with such a pairing. He was the one person I was the most comfortable being with. Not only because he knew my secret, but also because I didn't necessarily have to pretend to be someone else with him.

"It's still early in the morning. Let's meet up for dinner which will be at around 8 P.M. I wish you all the best of fun enjoying your short break."

Then, Professor Bridgette left alongside Professor Hollowe who smiled and nodded at all of us. For some reason, I felt his gaze pause on me for a bit longer.

I thought I was imagining things, but thinking about it...

'Yeah, no way I am.'

He was definitely looking at me.

I sighed internally. Hopefully, it was because of a stupid reason such as because he was a fan of mine or something like that.

Either way, I looked at Leon.

"...."

He stared back at me with a blank look.

I spoke first.

"So... What do you want to do?"

I looked around me. The other groups were still around, most probably talking about their plans.

"We have about eight to nine hours to kill. What do you want to do?"

"...Up to you."

"That..."

I sighed and nodded my head.

"Alright, let's just get into the city first. We'll decide what do to later."

"....Okay."

I looked ahead and a long road appeared. Briefly, I glanced at the mountains in the distance. I could see snow at the top.

The rocky landscape lacked greenery, with smoke billowing from within the city walls, starkly contrasting against the barren backdrop, faintly illuminated by the glow coming from the houses within the city.

I had just taken a step when I felt a tug from behind me.

"Hey."

It was Leon.

He appeared to be frowning behind his large coat.

"What?"

".....I don't look stupid."