(Ken POV)
My eyes widened as I suddenly realized the unconsented action that I'm doing to Miabi.
I quickly pulled out from hugging her and felt my face fully reddened at the rather nice and soft feeling of her delicate petite body.
"Crap… sorry about that, Miabi!! I was just too happy that I embraced you out of reflex."
Miabi stared at me for a moment with a slightly surprised manner. After a few seconds, she promptly recovered and pouted with her arms crossed.
Her expression was kind of cute, actually.
"Hmph, such a shame. Just as I was about to be in the mood, you had the nerve to suddenly pull out and leave me hanging and dry. And you call yourself a man?"
Wait, was she disappointed that I ceased my hug?
Nah, that can't be right. Any girl would be freaked out if a guy suddenly hugged her out of nowhere, even if it was by mere gratitude alone. She must be messing with me again.
"Shame?"
Miabi eyed me like I was a great disappointment of all mankind as evident by her dull look. Shortly after, she merely giggled and was back to her usual playful self.
"Fufufu, oh Ken Bruce, you still have a lot to learn in understanding a maiden's delicate heart. But let's save that topic for another day, shall we? I'm curious at how exactly you are feeling this instant."
At the mention of my condition, joy rapidly skyrocketed in my every being and I told her of my cured condition with incredible enthusiasm.
"I feel great!! Better than ever before!! The words inside the spell book are now clear and I could read them at ease without any repercussions. Thank you so much!!"
Miabi nodded with a smile and answered-
"Your most welcome, Ken Bruce. As I said before, it's also a part of my job as an Ebonhand Warlock, so it's only natural that I remove whatever is tormenting you."
I grinned widely at her response and Phil shared my exhilaration and congratulated me.
"Good for you, Ken!! Now you can read at the library without any issues. The Dragonheart siblings were also quite concerned of you whenever they accompany us there, and I'm glad it will no longer be the case."
"Haha, yeah. Alex and Ana would finally stop pestering me. I suppose that it's time that we hit the sack, shall we? Miabi is feeling tired and needed some rest."
While the both of us men were standing up, Miabi was still on the ground on her knees, obviously exhausted from the ritual that she performed earlier.
As such, we offered our hands while smiling at her. Miabi returned with a smile of her own and gratefully accepted our kind gesture, with both of her hands reaching to ours.
"Fufu, and they say that chivalry only prevailed in Knights. I'm pleased that gentlemen like you still existed."
In a sense, I'm kind of considered to be a Knight thanks to my training with Grandpa Robert, but let's spare the small insignificant details and leave her statement at that.
While we're now making our way to the female dorms to accompany Miabi there, I could not help but ask the question, the one that Phil and I have been wondering ever since we first step foot outside here earlier.
"Hey Miabi, you did mention that you took care of things for both of us to be here tonight without any issues. May I ask how did you do that?"
Hopefully, it was nothing too nasty. I dread the feeling when Miabi would use illicit means just to make this all possible, even if it was for the noble purpose of curing me.
"Oh, it's quite easy. I simply ask the Headmaster."
"Say what now?"
What did she mean that she simply ask? What does the chibi have to do with this?
I blinked for a moment to process what Miabi just said, and Phil appeared to share my confusion as well as evident by the tilting of his head.
Miabi seemed to have realized our stunned looks and chuckled in response.
"Fufu, oh my, how you mock me the both of you. What do you think that I was going to do? Offer someone's soul to the Dark Gods or some kind of elaborate sinister plot? Of course, I took care of things… in a legal manner that is. What I did was I ask the Headmaster for a permit that would allow me to conduct this ritual of ours during hours beyond curfew."
To prove her point, Miabi took out a slip of paper from her pocket and show it to us. It was the permit that contained our authorization to be here outside, indicating three of our names, the nature of our business to be done, and the duration of time that we're allowed to remain; from 11 pm to four o clock in the morning to be more specific.
"And by the way, this permit is infused with the Headmaster's magic. Therefore, one can't simply forge it."
Wow, just wow. And here the both of us thought that Miabi was up to no good. By Arkadia, we really were assholes for doubting her, even when she did nothing to alleviate our suspicions and acted like some kind of crazy typical villain in some of the story books that I read.
Miabi then continued with her reasoning as she said-
"Besides, it's not worth the trouble to do things unlawfully hence I risk the wrath of both the academy and the Ebonhand Order. I really can't afford to be in a tight spot, with my oh-so-family dearest nagging me to come back as well."
Family? The Aventus? Hmm, she must have some trouble with them then as indicated by the clear annoyance and sarcasm of her tone when mentioning them.
"But how else are you going to explain the lack of guards around us?"
Phil questioned her with a bothered look on his feminine face.
"Silly, what do you mean that there are no guards? Fufufu, they are everywhere constantly from the very beginning and the reason why you can't see them directly is because these guards are also the Lunar Agents employed personally by Headmaster Grayford."
While I'm still in the dark even with Miabi's explanation, Phil, fortunately, understood her and stomp his fist in his other open palm as an indication of his comprehension.
"Oh, now I get it. We really are idiots for not knowing this vital information about our school, ahaha."
I look to Phil for some elaboration and he gladly obliged.
"The Lunar Agents are a group of Lunaria spies who are working for the Headmaster and by extension, our King. The reason why we can't see them is that they have the magic to conceal themselves in plain sight whenever the moon is up on the open night sky. Basically, they are invisible, making them very effective as guards who can patrol the whole area at night while the enemies remain unaware of their presence. In addition, they are also the kingdom's spies. With their invisibility accompanies the concealment of their aura, and even the most skilled of Mana sensors would even have some trouble in detecting them."
Huh, so that's why.
So that kind of explained the faint Mana signatures that I've been sensing this whole time thanks to the magic of my Mana Sense.
As I focused my sight even further, I was now able to discern the outline coming from the Agents. They numbered at around six in our proximity, and perhaps there were even more around on other parts of the campus.
Thank Vivian that she bestowed me with such a useful gift. This Mana Sense sure was pretty handy and I can sense even these Lunar Agents lurking around the corner, no matter how faint it was.
With enough training and getting used to this magic, it would be only a matter of time before I am capable of detecting them fully like they were not hiding at all.
"You got that right, brat. You better be grateful for my generosity, tehee."
Insufferable tehee setting aside, I simply acknowledge Master Vivian with a forced smile and promptly returned my senses to the physical world.
I supposed that all's well that ends well then. This time of the night certainly was fulfilling and my years of torment ultimately a thing of the past.
I definitely looked forward to what tomorrow shall bring after taking Miabi to her dorm and a good night's sleep.
Nothing can ruin this night here!!
Of course, as Lady Luck decreed, my statement instantly caused a jinx as I suddenly sensed something quite dangerous and questioningly hot going in our direction at a fast rate.
"Get down!!"
I immediately reacted by pulling both Phil and Miabi down with me doing so as well. Thank the fucking Gods and Vivian really for this Mana Sense for it can even detect anything as long as it has Mana.
As the three of us recovered by standing up, our eyes widened at seeing the aftermath of the magic that was fired at us.
It was a Fire Magic, its burning flames ongoing as it managed to set a good part of the ground on fire.
And it was not just any ordinary Fire Magic though. As a Dragon, that type of magic normally won't have any effect on me, but in this scenario, I could definitely feel the heat and slight pain that accompanied it.
It's no mistake, it's the flames that I similarly wielded… the magic of Dragonfire.
Or Dragonus as dubbed by the siblings.
And speaking of siblings, one of them now stood at in front of us, with hands burning with the flames of the almighty Dragon race as he stared menacingly at us.
"Alex!?"
And standing beside him was a lady. And no, it's not Ana, for I don't recall her having long black hair, being older, and wearing a black kimono.
"No… it can't be!! Why are you here!!!??"
We heard Miabi with a fearful voice as her whole body shuddered at the sight of the newcomer.
The lady smiled deviously and greeted her.
"Fufufu, why it's a pleasure seeing you again… little sis."