[Bulletin Board]
Hunting competition | Feb 14
*Students, please prepare.*
2 weeks have passed since Ainaira enrolled.
Students were excited recently, as an official announcement about the hunting competition was posted in the early morning.
Feb 14 would be by this Saturday, which means Anaira only has 4 more days to complete her project.
She won't be joining the competition, as it was a male participation event in the first place. Yet, all the females giggled and started to buy satin and materials to create a handkerchief and a talisman. The hunting competition symbolizes blooming love in the Ethereal Empire, hence why it was held on the day of love.
The males will fight gallantly and bring the rewards they've earned to their person of interest, while the females give the hunter they're interested in a handkerchief and talisman, symbolizing good luck. Gifting is used as a way for the girls to confess without saying it outright.
"Woah, you're seriously still working on that, even at this time?" A rough looking boy with red hair appeared in front of Ainaira.
Ainaira nodded, her focus was still on the mechanism
"Oof- Good luck. I'll see you around, Ainaira." The red haired waved goodbye, but before he left Ainaira stopped him and said:
"Deric, Amelia likes sweet and light colors"
Deric stopped and a nervous sweat dripped down on his face "I-Is that so?" There was a slight reddish hue on his cheeks.
Ainaira glances at Deric and lets out a soft sigh, when the guy who proclaimed to be her friend walked out.
Amidst all the love in the air, there are those who lament this day. In a tavern, so early in the morning, an underage blonde boy rented the whole place and started gulping down alcohol with his friends.
"God, you're a mess…" Jamil said while rubbing his back as Noah vomits.
"Aeron help me out with your sister..." he whimpers, staggering back to his seat.
Aeron stole the bottle before Noah could pour another cup. "None of my business."
Along them, Ray was also there. Jamil was so impressed by his strength that he slowly tried to make him part of their group.
"Hey Ray, what do you think the Crown Prince should do?" Jamil asked him.
Ray, who was quietly observing, now deep in thoughts "If she doesn't like you, then just give up. If you still like her, protect and respect her from afar."
with the unexpected mature response, Jamil nervously laughed "I didn't think you would say that..."
"My sister told me that." Ray replied
"IMPOSSIBLE-! It's impossible that all of that was an act! She even almost killed someone for me! She even locked me up for 3 days when someone told me about changing a fiancé!. How can that be fake?!" For some odd reason, Noah was preaching her crimes like they were some kind of heroic deed.
"She almost killed someone?" Ray looked at Aeron for a moment and then: "I pity whoever she loves…" Inside Ray's mind, the image of a dignified and well respected Crown Prince turned into a hopeless romantic masochist.
Noah continued to go on venting, then the door cracked open.
"YOUR HIGHNESS! A FIGHT IS ABOUT TO START BETWEEN THE SORCERER TOWER AND THE WITCH TOWER!" A panicked knight screamed.
Rather than concern, Noah displayed irritation when someone disturbed him. He angrily stood up from his seat "School, politics, war, all these damn responsibilities are killing me!"
"We'll see you in Strat. and Nav. class!" Jamil shouted goodbye to the crown prince.
—
Noah came to the scene to find the Supreme Sorcerer with a rare angry face and the usual emotional so-called President of the Witches.
"Seriously, Miss Wendy...trying to steal from my office?"
"If you won't share, I'll force it!" Her face did not show regret for a single thing she did.
"This is why I cannot trust you." He frowned, looking at her in disgust. "I already told you why the culprit is a witch, isn't that enough, Miss Wendy?"
"You mean that weak evidence? How can you be so sure that just because the type of Restriction spell isn't in the spell book means the killer is a witch?"
"Weak? You know us Sorcerers cannot use magic without some form of chant, only witches are blessed with that ability."
"Then a Sorcerer created a new spell!"
"That's unlikely. All of the spells originated and can only be made from you Witches, unless the other races are behind this, the killer is a Witch." He retorted her flawed logic.
Witches may be weak, but they set the foundation of magic history. They're the one who created spells, runes, curses, blessings and contract familiars.
Although those things are useless to them, they still developed these so that they can create a new type of magic user, which are presently called sorcerers.
"I'm disappointed. You're a witch but you have zero knowledge of your predecessors." Alistair Snickers.
Noah clapped his hands "Ok, I've heard enough. I got the gist on why you two are fighting." his voice caught everyone's attention, when the two of them saw the crown prince they politely bowed.
"Your highness." The two of them said in unison.
"Witch Wendy, The Supreme Sorcerer gave you a valid reason. I'll pardon your trespassing and theft if you cooperate with the investigation."
"Your highness-! I can't! Why only us!?" No matter how many ways it was explained, Wendy was not listening and only letting her emotions get to her.
Noah understands why there had been rumors that a massacre of witches was about to break out. Even he, who was 10 years younger than Wendy, thinks she's incompetent and too emotional to lead the Witches.
At this point, the threat of extinction to Witches in the Ethereal Empire was possible.
Noah tries to appease the hot headed Witch.
"How about this...the Sorcerer's Tower will have a month to investigate this matter. You and the rest of witches, which also includes the Foreign Witches Center, have full cooperation."
"Your highness, I don't mean to be rude, but that's unfair-!"
"Let me finish." He said while rubbing his forehead. " If they don't find new evidence or the culprit, the Witches Tower will have every right to join in to the case, in which case, Witch Wendy will have a momentary authority to become the acting Supreme Witch."
Both sides fell into silence, tension was still in the air for both sorcerers and witches but the Crown Prince's suggestion is better than having a war.
"I accept these conditions." Alastair was the first to break the silence.
"How about you, Witch Wendy?" Noah's eyes pierced through her, causing her to nervously sweat and stumble a few paces back.
"I-...I ACCEPT!" She said, regaining her voice.
Noah gave a friendly smile and clapped his hands "Good, the matter is solved! Now that damn Emperor won't have to nag me!"
"Umm.. Your Highness, please be mindful of what you say toward-"
"Shut up." Noah nudged the knight, who was whispering to him, with a smile still on his face.
with that the conflict between two towers are temporary resolved.
—
"A War...?" Ainaira was surprised, shocked and was speechless.
(This isn't right…isn't it too early?)
It was Industrial Operation class and as usual, She was with Deric and the others.
"You didn't know?" The light brown hair girl, Anna, asked in surprise.
"How could Ainaira know when she spends her time with her invention?" Deric remarked while shrugging his shoulders.
"Basically, there's been rumors that the Sorcerer and Witch tower are going to war due to the Count Bert case. The Witches aren't happy that the Sorcerers are interrogating them exclusively..." Amelia explained the current situation of both towers to Ainaira.
(Ah, this is my fault...this is bad, i need the Witches Tower in the future.) Ainaira felt a headache as she heard more from Amelia.
(Urgh... fuck!)
Ainaira knew that the Supreme Sorcerer would know the culprit is a Witch, however she is confident that she wouldn't be found out.
First, she didn't leave any mana traces behind.
Second, her mana doesn't have a scent, so even if the Supreme Sorcerer had a sensitive nose, he wouldn't be able to deduce who she is.
Third, She put a Restriction spell on the basement, albeit it was the reason why he figured she's a Witch... but the Restriction spell hindered him from seeing the full picture.
Fourth, she is not a known Witch, and except for a select few, no one knows she is one.
But there's one thing that boggles her mind.
(Who is this Witch President Wendy? I've never heard of her…) An unexpected person had come out of the surface. If it's a witch that has a prideful attitude but is weak... (She probably died in the Demon Outbreak...)
(Great, an insignificant speck of dust is about to ruin everything.) Ainaira left an exasperated sigh while formulating a new plan.
"Do you think the Witches will be gone?"
"No." Ainaira firmly said, which caught the group off guard
"but they're weak compared to the Sorcerers...." Amelia said worriedly
"They will not, they can't." desperation and determination lingers in her own voice (I won't let that damn Tower fall...I need to finish this weapon fast.)
the night fell and Ainaira couldn't be more stressed, she spent a sleepless And restless day focusing on her project.
-click-
Ainaira examined the item in her hand. While holding the handle, her lips curt into a smile. "finally!"
Ainaira pointed outside her open window, as she saw a flying bird passing by, when not a single hesitation she aimed and clicked:
BANG—
The sound was loud, like a popping balloon but much sharper and louder. The bird fell down from the sky onto the ground. Ainaira knew of this sound, so she casted Sound Cancelation magic, so although she can still hear it, others won't.
She created a gun, a revolver to be exact. Ainaira was proud of herself. Even if she saw and read about guns and kept up to date with Z's inventions, she had to rely on her memory and with zero experience to create it.
She admittedly wouldn't be able to create a gun in such a short amount of time if Deric and the others hadn't taught her a few things, but it was mostly because she's an easy learner that she was able to do it in 2 weeks. That being said, there were some things that she wished to improve, but the hunting competition was near and she had to experiment with the guns before then.
(Hm? This was easier to use than I expected.)
With a quick flick of her finger, the dead bird lying on the ground teleported into her room. She can't have the patrol finding the bullet, after all.
Satisfied with the stolen- new invention she made. she put it in her drawer and started to revise her future underneath the moonlight.