Chapter 148

Friday morning.

Arsen Academy felt surprisingly quiet, unlike any other day.

Well, there was a simple reason for that. Today marked the fourth day since summer vacation started.

Sure, there were quite a few students who hadn’t gone back to their hometowns, but it seemed most of them were out and about, leaving the place almost empty.

The first year courtyard was no different.

From the playground to the library, even the departmental building felt like a ghost town.

Classrooms were also totally deserted.

But Class 1-3 was an exception.

“Hmm….”

A guy with a muscular upper body was clearly visible.

It was Ulan. He had only one reason to visit the classroom during vacation: to prepare for his re-exam in the subject where he had flunked the final exam.

And there was one more thing.

A presence made itself known.

Sitting across from Ulan was a black-haired girl. Noa had come over to teach him right before his re-exam.

“There are about 10 minutes left,” she said, glancing at the clock.

She had done all she could.

Now all that was left was to hope Ulan would pass the re-exam without a hitch. Closing her book, Noa leaned back and stretched.

“Ugh, it’d be great if he could pass on the first try.”

“I think so too.”

Ulan quietly nodded.

He closed his book too and stared ahead calmly, reviewing the material as he awaited the upcoming test.

Then, suddenly, a sound of humming filled the room.

It was Noa making the noise.

“You seem in a good mood.”

“Hehe, of course.”

She replied with a cheerful tone, wearing the happiest expression he had seen lately.

“That’s because the contract went through!”

Four days ago, Ulan and Noa had struck a deal with the suddenly appeared Seoric Al Gorphant. It was a contract to recruit Ulan into the Rubens Empire.

The contract would only take effect once all of Noa’s stipulated conditions were met.

However, her joy wasn’t solely due to the contract going through.

“Thanks to that, I got the deposit and even the seal. I won’t have to worry about money for a while!”

The deposit was a hundred large gold coins.

Plus, she had secured the seal from the Marquis Gorphant’s family with the condition of never accepting offers from other countries.

This meant her and Ulan’s status would be guaranteed by the Gorphant family. Additionally, if they presented the seal in areas under the Empire’s influence, they could get credit with the Marquis family.

Her blue eyes sparkled like stars.

Seeing her shoulders bounce with excitement made Ulan burst into laughter.

“Is money really that great?”

“Of course! The more money you have, the more you can do!”

For instance, they could buy potions similar to the Elixir through the trading company, or even acquire useful talismans or books.

So it was obvious why she’d be excited.

After her answer, Noa resumed humming. Then, someone entered the classroom.

“Huh?”

A girl of similar build to Noa walked in.

With ash-colored hair, her eyes widened as she took in the classroom’s scene.

“U-Ulan?!”

Surprised by the sudden mention of his name, he turned his head.

An image in his memory. He quickly spilled the girl’s name out.

“Silfi?”

Her name was Silfi Rudina.

A student majoring in the general department and a classmate of Ulan’s. She was someone who had once been trapped with Ulan and Ivella at the Source of Magic.

“Are you also here for a re-exam?”

“Aha, yeah. That’s right.”

Silfi scratched her cheek with an awkward smile.

Ulan tilted his head in confusion.

“Unexpected. I thought for sure you’d pass.”

As far as Ulan knew, Silfi was very smart.

When they were trapped during the Trial of the Hero, it was thanks to her that they managed to overcome the difficulties. On the other hand, Silfi continued to smile awkwardly as she answered.

“I wasn’t feeling well recently, so I couldn’t take the exam. That’s why I have to take the re-exam.”

“I see.”

Ulan nodded quietly, showing he understood.

Meanwhile, Silfi hastily started preparing for her re-exam. Internally, however, she let out a silent sigh.

‘Of course, that’s a lie.’

The real reason she hadn’t taken the final exam hadn’t been because of poor health. In fact, she was quite healthy.

So why had she ended up needing to take a re-exam?

The answer to that question was simple.

The collaborator of the Desert Order and her secret helper had been calling for her recently.

‘…Count Dermore.’

Silfi’s gaze turned cold for an instant.

She sensed something strange in the Count’s attitude lately. Just a few months ago, he had been obsessively trying to revive his deceased daughter.

‘But these days…’

His demeanor had become far more relaxed.

As if he had already successfully brought his daughter back to life.

That wasn’t the only question on her mind.

Unlike before, when he rarely asked questions unless absolutely necessary, he had been bombarding her with inquiries about the Desert Order lately.

‘Why the sudden interest?’

Silfi furrowed her brow.

She simply couldn’t understand. Sighing under her breath, she pondered,

‘If only I could contact the Order directly without going through the Count…’

But that wasn’t possible.

She’d deemed that trying to do so might risk getting discovered by either the Empire or the Holy Nation. That’s why the Order had focused their contacts through Count Dermore.

After finishing her reflections, Silfi let out another frustrated sigh. The current situation was simply too stifling.

At that moment, a sliding door swung open noisily.

Then someone entered the classroom.

“Is everyone gathered?”

A half-human, half-lizard being. It was Professor Miel Gulacas, the teacher for Class 3.

His reptilian eyes scanned the classroom and soon landed on one particular spot.

“Noa Darshen?”

His eyes narrowed with curiosity.

Miel cocked his head. “Why are you here?”

“I’m here to help Ulan study.”

“That’s commendable, but that doesn’t mean it’ll solve anything…”

Miel cleared his throat.

Since the parties were right in front of him, he felt it unnecessary to speak negatively.

“Anyway, we should get the test started, so why don’t you wait outside?”

“Okay, will do.”

Noa nodded obediently and headed for the hallway.

Once the door closed behind her, the exam papers were distributed, and soon the re-exam began.

The two young men and women quickly sank into the exam.

Noa, peering through the window, fixed her gaze on one particular individual—not Ulan, but the girl with ash-colored hair.

‘Silfi Rudrik.’

That was Silfi Rudina’s true name.

To Noa, she posed a variable.

Why? Because Silfi was a character Noa had never encountered in the original story.

Recently, she had been visiting the library frequently to look into Kazan Rudrik’s records.

Her sole purpose from the beginning was to find out why the Lords of the Abyss mentioned Kazan Rudrik and the Rudrik lineage.

‘But…’

She hadn’t gained any meaningful information.

Most of what she discovered was simply what she had learned while investigating the past White Wolf.

If she wanted more detailed information, it would probably be quicker to go directly to the desert. But still, there was no real need to go all the way to the desert.

‘Because Silfi is here.’

As a descendant of Kazan Rudrik and one of the successors of the Desert Order.

She would likely possess information on Kazan Rudrik. But that didn’t mean Noa could just barge in and ask her outright.

After all, Silfi had been using a pseudonym to hide her identity, and asking about Kazan Rudrik out of the blue would only raise her suspicions.

‘And even if we could talk, there’s no way to tell if she’s lying.’

If Silfi decided to conceal the truth, Noa wouldn’t be able to detect it. Frustrated, Noa bit her lip.

‘If only Laurea were here…’

If she had the power of the Reflective Eye, she could unravel the information. With a heavy sigh, Noa felt the absence of Laurea, who had returned to the Holy Nation.

A while later, the re-exam finally concluded.

Gathering the exam and answer sheets, Miel gestured to Noa. Indicating she could come in. Eagerly, Noa headed into the classroom and asked Ulan,

“How did it go? Did you do well?”

“I did my best.”

“Yeah, it looks like that.”

A glance at Ulan revealed chaos around him.

Piles of tissues stacked high.

Most were soaked with blood—his own, from the nosebleeds he had suffered while focusing on the exam.

‘That idiot sure knows how to rack up a penalty.’

Noa clucked her tongue.

He had been taking the test like everyone else, yet here he was, bleeding this much.

It was a good thing it was Ulan; otherwise, if it were Noa, she would have probably fainted from blood loss by now.

Meanwhile, Silfi’s eyes widened in shock.

It was only now that she noticed the blood-stained tissues piling up around Ulan.

“Goodness. A-Are you okay?!”

“Yeah.”

“But you really seem to be bleeding a lot! Maybe you should stop by the nurse’s office…”

“I’m fine; it’s just how I am.”

Noa replied nonchalantly.

The nosebleed had already stopped, and Ulan was in surprisingly good health. It was thanks to the Hero’s Enchantment branded on his back, courtesy of Kazan.

As their conversation seemed to reach a close, a sound of someone tapping on the podium rang out.

“I will now announce the results of the re-exam.”

Miel, having finished grading, adjusted his glasses and looked over the answer sheets. He then focused first on Silfi, continuing to speak.

“Silfi Rudina, 85 points. You have fulfilled the qualifications to pass the re-exam, so starting now until the end of vacation, you can freely come and go from the Academy.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Silfi bowed her head slightly.

However, her expression remained unchanged. Even with the restriction lifted, she had no particular place to go.

On the other hand, Ulan was different.

He needed to pass the re-exam to keep his promise to Ivella. That’s when Professor Miel’s eyes widened in surprise.

“How remarkable. I didn’t expect it to be this……”

“Huh? What was the score?”

Noa asked, curious, and Miel silently held out all ten fingers. Immediately, Silfi gasped in shock.

“Wow, you got a perfect score?!”

Of course, she would think that, considering he was the top student.

That’s what Miel intended to say. Before he could respond.

“No, it’s 10 points.”

“……”

Silence blanketed the room.

Silfi looked stunned, and Noa seemed at a loss for words. Even Miel shot Ulan a look of disbelief.

“Seriously, how on earth did you manage to score lower than last time?”

“The questions were tough.”

“They were the same questions as last time.”

This time, Ulan fell silent.

The room fell silent again. Professor Miel let out a sigh and continued.

“Anyway, you’ll be re-taking the exam again.”

Whether he could pass the re-exam again remained uncertain, but he had no choice but to take it if there was no hope for him.

After the confirmation of the re-exam, Noa muttered with a disappointed expression.

“That means I won’t be able to see Ivella.”

“Hmm, there’s nothing we can do.”

Ulan replied regretfully.

“The next re-exam is scheduled in a week, so make sure to study hard.”

“Got it. I’ll do my best.”

“…I’ll commend your determination to challenge it even when you know it’s impossible.”

After finishing his response, Miel turned around.

He headed back to the laboratory. But just then, a voice called out to him, stopping his footsteps.

It was Noa’s voice.

“Hey, Professor, wait a second!”

“…?”

“I have something I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

Miel asked back, puzzled, while Noa managed an awkward smile as she spoke.

“I have plans to go out soon, and I was wondering if I could take Ulan with me.”

“That’s not allowed. According to regulations, you can’t leave the Academy until you pass the re-exam.”

As soon as Noa’s question finished, Miel shot back an unfavorable response. Just as he was about to scold her for asking such an obvious question.

“Then what about using this?”

All of a sudden, Noa pulled something out.

It was the permission slip stamped with the Chancellor’s seal.

A reward for winning the friendly mock battle against Eloden. Miel’s eyes twitched at the sight.

“That…?”

“Is it possible?”

At Noa’s inquiry, Miel fell into a ponderous silence.

Normally, outing or overnight leave permissions were rewards given to top students. Never before had a re-exam candidate used such permission.

Flustered at the unprecedented situation, Miel finally answered.

“Fine, if it’s a permission slip, then it should be possible.”

Despite the fact that the re-exam permission was issued by the Academy’s academic affairs department, the permission slip was issued solely by Arsen’s Chancellor.

So prioritizing this was the right thing to do.

Miel concluded that.

“Alright, I’ll use the permission slip tomorrow.”

Noa beamed at the positive response. Meanwhile, after finishing his reply, Miel seemed curious.

“By the way, what’s the reason for going out?”

“Ah, that’s…”

This time she hesitated in her answer.

Miel was about to say it was fine not to disclose any troublesome details. However, Noa spoke up faster.

“Actually, it’s a secret for Ulan and me, but I’ll give you a little hint, Professor.”

“Sounds intriguing.”

Miel chuckled lightly.

Stepping closer to him, Noa whispered softly, almost as small as a mosquito’s buzz.

“…I’m going to find the Hidden Piece.”

“What? What’s that?”

“Hehe, it’s something special.”

Miel asked back, puzzled by the unfamiliar term, but Noa only continued to smile brightly.

Then, the next morning.

Noa and Ulan left the Academy using the overnight permission slip. They climbed into a carriage heading towards the capital of the Rubens Empire.

Chapter 36. Second Outing.

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