It was a quiet journey back to the Academy.

I allowed myself to sink into my thoughts, gazing blankly at the shifting scenery outside the window of the moving train.

Before I knew it, the sun had started to set and I was finally back at the Academy.

I took in my surroundings before finally heading for the dorms.

The walk wasn't very long. About a five-minute walk. The surroundings were quiet, and I basked in the silence that surrounded me.

It felt oddly peaceful.

That was until...

"....."

I passed a certain figure and I found my steps pausing.

I turned around and our eyes met. Long platinum hair, red eyes, and a face that one wouldn't forget even if they tried.

"What?"

Kiera Mylne.

She looked at me with her usual scowl.

"Tsk."

Then, with a click of her tongue, she tapped the cigarette in her hand against the ground.

Tzzzz

"Happy now?"

".....I didn't say anything."

I was starting to learn to not let such things bother me. While the smell that lingered in the air still made me feel nauseous, I was starting to learn to take it.

I had no right to force someone to do something against their will.

"Pftt."

But Kiera didn't seem to think the same way as me.

"Your fucking expression says it all."

"Does it...?"

And here I thought I had kept my expression firm.

"...Tsk."

She clicked her tongue again and flicked the cigarette away.

"Whatever, I don't feel like smoking anymore. You've ruined the mood for that."

"....."

I didn't say anything to that.

All I did was pause for a second and suddenly she lost all interest in smoking.

That was on her not me.

"Oh, right."

Kiera paused all of a sudden as she recalled something. Rummaging through the pocket of her skirt, she took out something and tossed it to me.

"Here. I think this is yours."

I caught it with one hand and looked at it.

"What is this?"

It appeared to be a torn shoulder pad.

Was this...

"It's yours."

It sounded like she was quite certain of it.

"I saw you when you were coming back from the expedition. You were missing a shoulder pad. I found it in an area where a lot of monsters were killed. Gruesome shit."

"....."

I remained quiet and took my gaze away from the shoulder pad and back to her.

"You know what's crazy?"

"....."

"The injuries of the monsters I found coincide with that guy's death. You know, that Weasel guy?"

Weasel guy?

"Wesley."

"Ah, right. Yeah, that guy."

She traced her thumb across her neck.

"Clean as shit. Never seen anything quite like it. Well, I did. The wound looked eerily similar to the ones from the monsters I found the shoulder pad in"

I knew then what she was trying to imply and I felt my muscles grow tense. Though I didn't show it outwardly, Kiera still smiled. It was as if she could read my inner thoughts.

I thought she was going to push things further from there, but surprisingly, she didn't.

"Whatever though. None of my business."

Yawning, she stretched her body.

"None of my fucking business. Was just saying."

Then, as if the conversation had never happened, she left.

"...."

I stood in silence for a brief moment before staring at the shoulder pad in my hand. I thought this before, but she really was a...

"Crazy bitch."

***

Clank

Darkness engulfed the room as the door closed. Kiera blinked twice before reaching for the switch and turning the light on.

The dark.

She didn't like the dark.

The moment the light came on she felt her chest lighten.

".....Ah."

She looked at her room. It was extremely clean. Contrary to her messy appearance, Kiera liked to keep things organized. If even the slightest thing was disorganized, she'd lose focus over everything and would think about it all day.

It was something she was born with.

"Uh..."

She had just taken a step into her room when she noticed something.

Fiddling with her pockets, she smacked her head.

"Fuck."

Without hesitation, she rushed towards one of the drawers in the room and opened it.

Clank

But there was nothing inside.

Clank

The same was true for the drawers beneath.

Clank

They were completely empty.

"Fuuuuck."

She...

Had run out of cigarettes.

And it was too late for her to get any because it wasn't the weekend yet.

"...."

Kiera slumped down on her bed and blankly stared at the ceiling. She was fucked. Royally fucked. Cigarettes were like medicine to her... They were what kept her panic attacks from occurring.

Without them, she was...

"Fuck, it's all that bastard's fault."

No, it wasn't.

But she wanted to blame someone. At the very least, it would make her feel better.

"Haaa..."

Julien Dacre Evenus. He was like a piece of wood. His expression was hard to read. She had been sure about her accusations. That it was not an accident. He was the one who had killed Weasel.

On the outside, he appeared to be a victim just like him, but Kiera was confident of her conjecture.

"But who am I to care...?"

It was none of her business to begin with.

All nobles were like that. Rotten on the inside.

She wasn't one to rat out people like that. Especially since the evidence she gathered wasn't going to hold up well.

It was just...

Interesting.

"....He's stronger than he lets out."

Right, he was the Black Star. The number was on within the first years, but it was a general consensus within the first years that he was the weakest.

His results proved that to be the case and a reason why there was doubt about his involvement in Weasel's death.

Kiera thought so too.

But...

As she recalled the images she'd witnessed back in the mirror dimension, she found herself smirking.

"What a load of bullshit."

The guy was a snake.

There was more to what he let on than people thought. For what reason was he hiding his strength, she wasn't sure.

Nor did she particularly care.

So long as he didn't involve her in his bullshit she was going to not care.

Still, it was an interesting thought.

"Julien."

Mumbling his name, Kiera closed her eyes.

"....You owe me one."

***

The next day.

While Leon was waiting for the Professor to come.

"How many funghi did we manage to collect?"

"About seven."

Evelyn and Aoife were busy discussing the splits of their finds.

"Seven...? That would mean that there's one in excess."

"Hmmm. We would've been even if he..."

Evelyn paused there, but the meaning behind her words was clear. Had Wesley still been alive, then all shares would've been equal.

The only problem was that he wasn't.

Aoife, while staring at the mushrooms displayed on the table, suddenly turned her head and asked,

"What do you think?"

"I don't know. I'll think about it later."

Class was about to start soon.

"Right."

Aoife frowned before nodding her head. Then, recalling something, she quietly asked,

"There's work experience next week. Have you selected which place you want to go to?"

"....I'm a knight."

Leon answered flatly.

Of all the people present, he was the only one who didn't need to attend the mandatory work experience that everyone had to attend.

Why?

Because he was already working.

"Ah, right."

Aoife turned her head to briefly stare at the front where a lonesome figure sat.

As always, he was by himself. He was staring at the front with no particular expression.

"Is it tough to be his knight?"

The question attracted the attention of those around.

They all seemed somewhat curious.

Leon thought about the answer. Had it been before, he would've answered yes without a doubt, but the current Julien...

"Yes."

Right, the current Julien was different.

However, the two of them still needed to keep their act.

"Doesn't surprise me."

Aoife deliberately sighed.

"Oh, looks like the class is full~"

A middle-aged lady entered the classroom all of a sudden. She was tall, and despite her aging features, she still was quite beautiful.

Professor Bridgette. In charge of today's class, [Understanding of Spells], the students favored her due to her bubbly personality.

Arriving by the podium at the front, she set her files down and cleared her throat.

"Before we start the lecture, I have an announcement that I want to make. Please pay attention."

Her words seemed to have had an effect as the class quieted down. She smiled as a result and continued.

"As you may know, in a month the Guild Lantern Festival will begin."

Leon's eyes narrowed upon hearing the name of the event.

His body slightly tensed as his gaze wandered to Aoife who was staring at the front with a straight face.

'Looks like there isn't much time left.'

Something big was going to happen on that day.

And it was something that directly involved Aoife. He was sure of it.

"A lot of important figures will be coming, and we must set a good impression on them."

The Guild Lantern Festival was an academy-wide event that was hosted by the academy each year and invited all the top officials from the fifteen major guilds.

They weren't the only people that were set to come as celebrities and important figures were also set to attend.

It was a 'must attend' event that couldn't be missed.

"Outside of the combat analysis that will take place, I've discussed it with the other departments and we've got several events that you can take part in for extra credits."

The classroom immediately became rowdy at that. In order to pass the first year, one had to accumulate a total of 110 credits.

Each class held different weights. For example, this class held about 8 credits. And they could only be accumulated through passing the examinations.

It was tough to collect credits.

It was also for this reason that the eyes of the many people in the class lit up at the mention of possible credits.

Even Leon felt his back straighten.

"The events are as follows."

Unfurling a piece of paper, Professor Bridgette began to read.

"Food preparation. Your job will be to host a stand and sell food that you produced."

Leon shook his head.

Wasn't very interested.

Thump!

"Hm?"

He turned his head to see Aoife sweating. She seemed to be glaring in a particular direction. Following her line of sight, he was surprised to see her looking at Julien.

"Hm?"

Why...?

"Next up is play. The Language department is looking for suitable people to carry out a play in English."

He didn't pay further attention as the professor continued to list the events.

That too didn't sound very interesting.

Leon felt that his English was decent at best.

"Next up is Parade. You can help out the seniors who are planning on...."

"Cultural exchange. Create or bring some products of your hometown to share with..."

"Children's activities. There will be a lot of younger..."

The list went on and the more Leon listened the more he shook his head.

Parade? Didn't care.

Cultural Exchange? The Evenus Barony hardly had any cultural products.

Children Activities? He already had a hard time dealing with Julien.

There wasn't anything that was suitable for him.

He frowned.

'Should I just choose something easy...?'

At this rate, it would be his only option.

Or so he thought.

"Talent activity. Display your talent at the theater. From special talent, to even a stand-up routine...."

From the corner of his eyes, Leon caught a glimpse of Julien's figure.

He had been rather calm the entire time while listening to the events. However, the moment the 'stand-up routine' was mentioned, his body twitched.

It was as if he was planning something.

"....It can't be."

Leon unconsciously muttered those words out loud.

"Leon?"

Enough to warrant the attention of Evelyn who was close to him.

But he didn't care.

No, he couldn't care.

"It's an event that's hosted by the comedy club, but they didn't specify who can participate. So long as you want to participate, you can sign up and..."

Julien's head raised again.

"Oh, no..."

Leon felt his body grow cold and the hair at the back of his neck stood.

"If anybody is in"

Bang!

"Leon!?"

Leon found himself standing abruptly.

He could feel the gazes of everyone in the classroom directed his way. But he didn't care. He stared straight at the professor who tilted her head at him.

"The comedian part..."

Leon slowly started to say as his gaze lowered to meet Julien's.

Julien wore an expression that seemed to say, 'You? A comedian? What joke is this...?'

Leon felt even more reassured about his decision as he firmly gripped the side of the desk and muttered through his clenched teeth.

"...I'll do it."

For the sake of everyone present.

"The stand-up. I'll do it."