Chapter 109

“The sky was painted with a red sunset.”

After Professor Stella’s monster dissection, the lecture on Practical Hunting came to an end. Soon after, Ulan left the forest with Delia and Laurea.

As they were nearing the Academy, a familiar face appeared.

“Ah, Ulan!”

“Is class over?”

It was Ivella and Noa.

But they weren’t alone. A young man with navy blue hair was also with them.

“Good work, senpai.”

Ian approached with a smile.

The group naturally split into two. Ulan, Noa, Ivella, and Delia took the lead towards the dining hall, while Ian and Laurea trailed behind.

They kept a distance of about ten steps apart.

Laurea started to move her lips.

“That’s something. You three are together.”

“It was a coincidence. We met and started chatting, then I casually suggested a meal.”

If it was Ian, it was probably smooth sailing.

He was sociable and didn’t shy away from strangers.

Thanks to that, Laurea blended in naturally and headed to the dining hall with the group.

“By the way, who won?”

It was a short question, but it was clear what was being asked. It must be about the outcome of the duel with Ethan Arnoff.

“I lost.”

“Really? That’s surprising.”

“I was prohibited from using Divine Power.”

That made the defeat understandable.

Ian, who didn’t use Divine Power, was merely a knight at the beginning stages of becoming an Expert.

Besides, Ethan Arnoff was a soldier.

A veteran who had spent years rolling around on the Empire’s front lines. He was on a whole different level from Ian, who had almost no practical experience.

“Of course, if I had used Divine Power, I would have won, but this result isn’t bad either. It feels like I’ve broadened my horizons somehow.”

Ian smiled.

He looked satisfied with the duel itself.

As Laurea silently nodded, a question came from Ian.

“By the way, senpai.”

“What?”

“Did you manage to dig up any useful information?”

Laurea’s reason for auditing Practical Hunting.

Yes, she wanted to see the monsters, but her hidden purpose was different. It was to gather information about the Abyss through conversations with Ulan.

And indeed, she got information.

The info that Ulan came from the future.

‘But…’

She couldn’t say it.

Partly because of the promise made with Ulan, but more importantly, she needed to verify that Noa Darshen was truly an ally before revealing it.

So Laurea shook her head.

“There wasn’t anything special.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d get some important info about the Abyss.”

“True. Oh, but I think I can interpret what the oracle is.”

“…! Really?”

“I heard some clues that could be helpful.”

What was mentioned in the oracle, the gap and the fragments, meant Abyssal Rift and Lord respectively.

And mentioning that the scattered stars referred to the Hero should be fine. With that thought, Laurea was about to share this fact.

But then.

Suddenly!

The group led by Ulan abruptly stopped moving. Ulan felt perplexed about why they halted, but the confusion quickly cleared.

“What is that….”

Students gathered in the plaza.

Centered around where the announcement board was set up, the students who huddled together easily exceeded a hundred.

“What’s going on?”

“Right?”

“Did some incident happen?”

Noa and Ivella chimed in to Ulan’s murmuring. Then Delia, who was nearby, pointed to the crowd and asked.

“If you’re curious, want to check it out briefly?”

Ulan thought for a moment and nodded.

For some reason, it caught his attention.

As they approached the announcement board, the students’ gazes suddenly locked onto Ulan.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes.

Noa wrapped her arm around her shoulder, whispering softly.

“Hey, doesn’t it feel like they’re looking at us?”

“Because of Laurea, maybe?”

“I don’t think that’s it.”

Ulan quietly replied.

If Laurea had been the cause, they would have been looking there since the beginning. But the students’ gazes were clearly directed at Ulan and his group.

“First, let’s find out what that is.”

Ulan’s gaze shifted toward the announcement board.

Before the group arrived, the students had been staring at the notice pinned to the board.

A little while later, upon reaching the board, Ivella quickly skimmed through the announcement and soon muttered a summary.

“Looks like the number of participants for the Mock Battle has been decided.”

“Huh? No selection match?”

“It seems like that.”

In response to Noa’s surprised question, Delia nodded along. While the three chatted, Ulan also gazed intently at the notice.

[Announcement]

*The friendly Mock Battle between Arsen and Eloden will be conducted according to the methods of Eloden Academy, in line with the purpose of the exchange event.

*Therefore, this time there will be no selection match, and the representatives from each school have chosen four students from each grade.