Chapter 51 – New Quest
The morning air carried a stillness rare in the Academy grounds.
It was Saturday, which ant no classes, no lectures, no students crowding the hallways. The usually bustling courtyards were eerily calm, save for the faint rustle of leaves in the early breeze.
Also today is Freshers Ball , so many students are either practicing Dance , or how to talk with there partner and even so thinking of proposing to their partner for date and as you can see.
l stepped across the stone pavent toward the Training Hall, his footsteps echoing faintly against the marble walls. He had half-expected to be the only one here who in their right mind would spend the morning of the Freshers Ball in a training arena, instead of preparing elaborate hairstyles and suits?
Yet as he pushed open the heavy wooden doors, a familiar voice greeted him.
"Good morning, boy."
Michael blinked. Standing in the middle of the empty arena was a tall, broad-shouldered man, arms folded, long black coat swaying faintly as if even the air dared not co too close. His sharp gray eyes glinted under the streams of sunlight filtering through the stained glass windows.
"Teacher Alastor?" Michael stepped forward, bowing slightly. "I didn’t expect to see you here so early."
The man’s lips curved into a rare smile. "Hah. And yet here you are. Even ranked first among all your peers, you still sneak off here at dawn to sweat instead of polish your boots." He chuckled deeply, voice booming across the hall. "Good boy. Very good."
Michael rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I... want to beco stronger."
For a mont, silence. Then, Alastor threw back his head and laughed. "Hah—ha-ha-ha! Stronger, he says! Boy, you’re already stronger than half the so-called geniuses the noble houses are so proud of. And still, you hunger for more?"
Michael’s eyes narrowed, his voice firm. "Yes. Because ’enough’ will never be enough."
The instructor’s laughter softened into sothing almost... proud. He strode closer, raising a heavy hand and landing it squarely on Michael’s back with a loud thud. Michael staggered forward half a step Alastor’s casual pat felt like being hit with a battering ram.
"You’ve already surpassed your peers, and yet your eyes burn as if you’re starving. Hah... I like that. I really do." Alastor’s grin widened. "Makes want to claim you as my disciple even more."
Michael’s face darkened slightly. He turned his gaze away. "...Teacher, I’ve already given you my answer."
Alastor arched an eyebrow.
"I want to grow on my own," Michael continued. His voice was quiet but steady. "If I lean on you too much... I won’t beco the kind of strong I need to be."
For a mont, silence lingered in the vast hall. Then Alastor burst into another hearty laugh, though this ti tinged with a note of respect. "Ha-ha-ha! So stubborn. But I like that too. Fine, fine. I’ll stop asking—at least out loud." He smirked. "But I’ll keep a little hope in the back of my heart."
Michael let out a faint sigh. "...Figures."
---
The morning stretched into steady rhythm.
Michael drew his sword, its steel catching the sunlight as he moved into stance. His feet slid across the polished floor, muscles tightening, mana flowing steadily through his veins. Aura wrapped faintly around the blade, shimring faintly, controlled.
Slash—stab—parry—flow.
The sound of his movents echoed like a heartbeat in the empty hall. Alastor stood nearby, arms crossed, occasionally barking corrections.
"Lower your elbow—yes, like that!"
"Don’t stiffen your shoulders, boy, let your weight guide the blade."
"Good! Again!"
Sweat ran down Michael’s forehead as he repeated the forms, faster each ti. Each strike left faint afterimages in the air, aura sharpening his blade until it humd audibly with power.
Ti slipped unnoticed. Two hours vanished in a haze of movent. Finally, Michael stepped back, chest rising and falling steadily, sweat dampening his shirt.
He sheathed his sword with a sharp clink.
Alastor approached, tossing him a flask. "Here. Drink."
Michael caught it, took a long swig of the cold, bitter water. Relief coursed down his throat. He exhaled slowly, lowering himself onto the stone bench.
The silence was companionable—until Alastor spoke again, tone suddenly casual.
"So, boy... are you not preparing for the Ball?"
"Pffft—!" Michael choked, nearly spitting his drink across the floor. He coughed violently, glaring at the instructor. "Wh-what kind of question is that, Teacher?!"
Alastor’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. "Hah! Did I hit a nerve?"
Michael rubbed his throat, scowling. "...I’ll attend. Of course."
"I see." Alastor leaned back against a pillar, eyes half-amused. "So you’ve found yourself a partner, then?"
"...That’s... not important." Michael’s ears burned faintly.
"Oh, it’s important, boy." Alastor’s voice dropped into a strange mixture of nostalgia and bitterness. "When I was your age, I didn’t attend. Not because I didn’t want to—but because no one wanted there. A farr’s son, surrounded by silk-robed nobles? Hah."
His gaze drifted sowhere far away.
"They kept their distance. Whispers followed in the corridors. I wasn’t... soone worth standing beside. So I stayed away." His jaw tightened, though his eyes softened when they returned to Michael. "That’s why it makes happy to see you here. A boy from humble soil, stepping into the lion’s den, and not just surviving—crushing their arrogance beneath your boots."
Michael blinked, caught off guard by the raw honesty in the man’s voice.
"...Thank you, Teacher."
Alastor waved it off with a gruff snort. "Bah. Don’t thank . Just keep walking that road. Stronger, sharper, higher. That’ll be thanks enough."
He pushed off the pillar, standing tall once again. But before leaving, his voice shifted, tone almost offhanded yet carrying heavy weight.
"Oh, by the way... the Principal and Vice Principal left last night. Council eting in the capital. They won’t return until tomorrow."
Michael froze. "...What?"
Alastor gave a casual shrug. "So don’t let the students run wild, eh? With no Crimson or Emberheart breathing down their necks, so brats might think it’s their chance. You keep them in line if sothing happens."
"..."
Alastor chuckled, already striding toward the doors. "Don’t look so grim, boy. It’s just one night. Now, enjoy your Ball. Try not to trip on your partner’s dress."
The heavy doors closed behind him with a deep boom.
---
Silence returned.
Michael sat frozen on the bench, flask still in hand, though his knuckles had gone white.
The words echoed in his skull.
The Principal and Vice Principal... gone. Until tomorrow.
A tremor ran down his spine. His mind flashed with fragnts from the ga.
The Ball?
The sudden appearance of demons?
He recalls the ga’s plot:
During the Ball → sudden demon appearance.
80% of students killed.
Maria Frostheart & Eric William abducted → Maria possessed by Demon Queen’s soul, Eric twisted into a worshiper.
Future storyline leads to Maria, as Demon Queen’s vessel, waging war on Elendoria.
His unease rises: The pieces fit. But who is the Demon Summoner here? Where is the ritual hidden? Why were staff absent?
His throat tightened. So this is it. The puzzle piece I was missing.
’ Still am missing the big pieces of who is the summoner , an insider or outside ’
I Let out heavy air
’ I can’t tell Alastor about demon attack on Academy, he think I m insane and even he sit believe it , next question will co was how I get this information ’
’ Damn I can’t tell lie about hearing it randomly they used the power to find and trace it , then I will be Suspected to work with demon and gain power ’
’ suspicious will be concluded as my recent rise of power , so I am basically Fuck up and down ’
’ Also The attack wasn’t random. It wasn’t sloppy narrative. It happened because the two strongest guardians of the Academy were absent.’
’ Now. the Question is Who is the Mastermind behind all of This ’
Then sothing happens that supprise my non helpable system as a notification, after one week.
I click open the notification when it show that I have received so Quest
[ MAIN QUEST: Survival of the first Arc Event
Ti : 7 hrs to start
Reward: 20 stats point, 1 Skill Update Card, 20000 SP ]
[ SIDE QUEST 1: Save Major Main Cast
1. Eric William , 2 Maria Frostheart
Task : (0/2)
Reward: 1x Traits Selection Card]
[SIDE QUEST 2 : Killed a 10 Demon Soilders
Task (0/10)
Reward: 10000 SP, 5 stats ]
[SIDE QUEST 3 : Killed the Demon Summoner
Reward : 1x Affinity Select Card ]
Finally sothing worth risking.
His hand clenched the flask harder.
Then tonight... it will happen. Just as the ga wrote it. No sooner, no later.
Michael exhaled slowly, gaze dropping to the polished floor where his reflection stared back at him. His face was calm, but his eyes burned faintly with resolve.
"...Not this ti."
He rose, sheathing his sword, expression hardening.
"I’ll make sure history changes."
The morning light stread through the glass above, casting long shadows across the silent hall.
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