"This ’kid’ ranked first in analysis for a reason," I shot back, my voice steady despite the irritation bubbling beneath the surface. "If you think I can’t handle a few equations, you’re underestimating , mister."
"Oh, is that so?" Kian replied, his eyebrows raising as he leaned back, intrigued. The challenge in his tone was undeniable.
"May I have a paper?" I asked, feeling a surge of determination.
"...Pfft, what do you need it for?" Kian sneered, not bothering to offer any paper.
"Just ignore him, Miss Remillia. That docunt your holding is not just any academic exam problem," Ivan said but he still placed a piece of paper in my hands while offering a reassuring smile.
Because of Kian’s arrogant attitude, I was even more driven to prove him wrong.
Clenching my teeth lightly, I began writing down the calculation procedures and results, focusing completely on the equations before .
Just as I was nearing the conclusion, ready to docunt the final step, Whitney’s voice broke through my concentration.
"Um, the other cadet just arrived on the first floor."
"Oh, really? Then let’s go et him," Ivan replied, his voice brimming with enthusiasm.
Whitney and Ivan left the analysis room, but I remained, determination coursing through as I continued my calculations. Everything I had worked on was molding into clarity, and the final step felt just within reach.
However, just as I had put the finishing touches on my work, I felt a sudden jerk as soone snatched the paper I was writing on and flipped it over—obviously Kian.
"Listen, kid, stop wasting my ti. Can’t you see? The other two already left so drop the act of being a smarty pants and get lost."
"...."
Instead of allowing his words to provoke , I took a deep breath to steady myself. It was useless to engage with him further, and I wasn’t about to let him disrupt my progress. I stood up, feeling the remnants of frustration simring beneath the surface, and faced him.
"I was almost done, but you just had to ruin it," I said, my voice firm but calm. "So I’ll leave that paper to you. It’s up to you to read it or throw it away."
"Don’t even try to waste my ti, tsk." Kian shooed away dismissively.
Just like that, I was practically kicked out of the lab.
"Arrogant asshole..." I muttered under my breath, my frustration boiling just beneath the surface. I hadn’t finished the last step, but I was sure he wouldn’t ask about it—after all, with his genius-level ego, he probably would assu he could figure it out on his own. Sarcasm dripped off my thoughts.
I made my way back to the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor. The doors closed, and I leaned against the cool tal wall, letting out a deep sigh. The irritation nagging at felt more like a storm cloud overhead, and I was eager to shake it off.
However my irritation subsided when I saw who the third person was to join the guild orientation program. It was Cypher.
A rush of warmth surged to my cheeks at the sight of him ’W-What!? Why is he here?’ I thought, my heart racing. I quickly ducked behind a nearby column when he suddenly looked at my direction.
I was about to leave hoping that they won’t see but I suddenly heard a voice behind .
"Remillia~"
"Aack!" I spun around to find Whitney grinning at , her eyes sparkling with mischief. "What are you hiding for?"
"Nothing! I’m just... observing!" I stamred, attempting to maintain calm my nerves. My heart raced even faster as I gestured vaguely at Cypher. "What’s he doing here?"
Whitney, still smiling playfully, leaned closer. "I just wanted to let you know that Cypher is the last one who’ll be joining the program."
She wanted to tease more but at that mont, her phone buzzed, pulling her attention away from . Her expression suddenly stiffened, making wonder who it was. She turned to look at Cypher who soon approached us.
"I need to use the restroom so Remillia can guide you where we’ll be having the program," she said, her voice slightly strained as she stealthily escaped from us.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Matthew Owen was sitting in one of the rickety chairs of a rundown cafe, the faint sll of coffee and baked goods mingling with the musty air. He absently stirred his cold cup of coffee, but his attention was entirely consud by the file laid out on the table before him.
Remillia Lockhart was written on the file.
Inside the file contained the incident that happened sixteen years ago. He worked hard to gather information for almost three months. However, he couldn’t find out much about Remillia’s past as there were many complicated reasons for it, but the biggest reason was that there were way too many influential people tangled up in his past, covering the truth behind it.
He pulled up one of the papers inside the file and read it again.
————————————
St. Barnesster Incident
Date: February 20, 20**
Report Number: 2056--158--0215
Departnt of Ergency Response and Crisis Managent
Subject: St. Barnesster Evacuation Shelter Massacre
Location: St. Barnesster Region
Incident Date: February 15, 20**
Casualties: 103 Total (97 Civilians, 6 Heroes)
Summary:
On 02-15-20**, the St. Barnesster region fell under attack by a surge of unidentified monstrous entities, leading to a catastrophic breach of an evacuation shelter intended to secure civilians from the impending threat. The incident has resulted in the tragic loss of life, with 97 ordinary civilians and 6 local Heroes who valiantly defended the shelter confird dead. Among the deceased was a woman in her last month of pregnancy, highlighting the profound tragedy of this event.
————————————
He absently traced the edges of the pages, his mind racing with thoughts about the past. Although the governnt and the Heroes Union had concluded that the Rogues were to bla for the tragedy, he knew the hidden truth.
The very reason he had been expelled from the Owen family was because he dared to uncover what really happened that day. To put it plainly, the tragedy that occurred sixteen years ago wasn’t the work of the Rogues at all.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he let the nas swirl in his mind. Douglas Earle—forr President of Aeonia, Jozef Forbes—president of Forbes Corporation and Angela’s grandfather, Leonard Owen—Whitney’s grandfather and his father. The ties between them ran deep, and for most people, those nas ca with a sharp sense of fear.
From their perspective, they had simply eliminated a few harmful pests, clearing the path for their plans without a second thought. To ensure no one poked their noses into it, they had hired one of those covert organizations, the kind that operated solely in darkness, leaving little trace behind. The three of them probably didn’t even rember the incident anymore, as if it were just a footnote in their grand designs.
"Hahh..." Matthew’s heart raced as he thought about the details he’d pieced together. ’If there was a survivor of that incident...’ his thoughts trailed off. If Remillia’s parents were victims of the massacre, and if she was the child whose mother was listed in the report as pregnant...
Bzzt! Bzzt!
He snapped out of his thoughts as his phone buzzed insistently on the table. Glancing at the screen, he saw his niece’s na lighting up—Whitney.
’What does she want to know about this girl anyway?’ he wondered, answer tinged with curiosity and concern.
He picked up the phone, forcing a light-hearted tone into his voice. "How’s my lovely niece doing?"
"Have you forgotten sothing, dear uncle?" Whitney’s voice crackled with an edge that made him wince.
He feigned ignorance. "Oh, I was just about to send you that souvenir from my latest venture—"
"Not that, uncle!" Her voice was sharp, cutting through the air like a knife.
"Ohhh, that?" He waved away the urgency in his mind, glossing over the reminder. "I haven’t been working on it. I’ve been too busy—"
"T-tell you’re joking right now, uncle." The anger in her voice stung, sounding like the rant of a spoiled child, and he could almost visualize her pouty face on the other end.
"Relax, Whitney. I’ll send you the details soon, once I’ve gathered enough." He was dismissive, wanting to avoid the chiding that was sure to follow if he let her go on.
"Wai—"
He’d already hung up, too impatient to endure any more of her demands.
He decided to stop gathering more information about this case. It will be too dangerous for him. Digging too deep could draw the attention of powerful adversaries—particularly that old snake, Jozef Forbes. He could already imagine himself ending up six feet under ground.
He knew the Owen empire had grown over the decades, yet they were still considered as the hunting dogs of the Forbes family head—Jozef Forbes. He was a cunning man, a predator who wouldn’t hesitate to cast aside even his closest allies. To him, they were just another dog of his, and he had no qualms about letting a few of those dogs et an untily end.
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