I returned to the dormitory.
Originally, I Thought about going to see Everlast's guild because they had been in touch with Amy's affairs, but now was not the time.
'Unexpected things seem to be happening frequently these days. Is it the butterfly effect?'
The magic contained in the note was easily exposed.
Although it was a reasonably complex spell and magic circle, my current abilities, especially when it came to magic circles, meant that it was a piece of cake.
'To be honest, I just recklessly destroyed it with an overflow of mana.'
Thanks to that, I could return to the dormitory with the note still intact.
The symbol of the assembly was drawn on the note.
In other words, this note was an invitation to the assembly.
Seeing the person who handed me the note calling my name outright, it wasn't necessarily a mistake.
'Quite bold of them, handing out invitations in the middle of the Empire.'
But I didn't understand why the invitation had come to me.
I had definitely rejected joining the assembly in the past.
For now, I decided to read the note.
-To the person who brought Sloth, the sanctity of the Dark Magic Society, invites you to this assembly.
The fact that it mentioned Sloth confirmed that I was the one invited.
And when I checked the sender's name, my head started to spin.
'Hegel.'
A dark mage of the Warlock rank who had been involved since Lanox, the Bug Sorcerer of the Krates Mountains.
The name wasn't particularly familiar, but it might actually turn out to be an opportunity.
'If they're holding an assembly at this time, there must be something significant for the Dark Magic Society.'
If they were organizing an assembly at this time, there was only one thing I could deduce, even without knowing exactly when they would need Sloth.
'Are they looking for Wrath?'
They must have found Wrath by now.
Soon, Wrath would be kidnapped, and a war with the Barbarians would break out next year.
'I didn't know exactly when they were going to kidnap him, but attending the assembly could help me gather information.'
Even if it wasn't just for Wrath, there was enough reason to attend.
As the saying goes, "Forewarned is forearmed." Simply attending the assembly and acquiring information I didn't know could be a decent reward. Especially since I had no inside information on the assembly, as I had only encountered them as enemies in the game.
The only issue was my safety.
Could I participate in the assembly and safely get out?
'First of all, I'll definitely attend. Whatever happens, I should be able to escape as long as I have Krivmaher.'
The only people who know about the dragon other than me are Luna and Evan.
Luna is also a member of the assembly, but she probably wouldn't have revealed information about me.
So, the hidden trump card which is my True Dragon could be useful.
Fwoosh!
After memorizing the contents of the note, I burned it.
The assembly was scheduled for next Wednesday.
I would leave on Tuesday afternoon, and although I would be absent from the lecture on Wednesday, there was no way around it.
'But before that...'
I had to deal with things one at a time.
.
.
.
.
Serena Erestial, as usual, was lifting heavy dumbbells, one in each hand, immersed in her training.
"Serena, I'll go in first."
Watching her, who had recently changed her swordsmanship style and fallen into a slump instead, Louis, hiding his inner thoughts, spoke.
She had been unable to find her pace recently, and she had been immersed in strength training.
Watching her from the side, Louis couldn't bring himself to stop her, even for the sake of her pride.
"Yeah, go ahead."
"More to go?"
"Yeah, just a little more."
"Alright. Finish up carefully."
Louis smiled and shook hands with Serena as he made an effort to encourage her. Serena returned the smile and shook his hand as well.
As soon as Louis disappeared, Serena took a short break.
"What should I do?"
A question that had been tormenting her for the past few months.
It was a question of whether Adrias' advice was really right.
Clearly, her progress had stagnated.
But after following Adrias' advice and changing her style, she felt like her skills had regressed, and stress had been building up.
'What should I do...'
Adrias had told her to find the answer the next time he came to see her, so she couldn't seek help even if it was a matter of pride.
After all, Adrias was a student of the Department of Magic, and it was absurd to seek advice about swords from a magician.
'What am I supposed to do...'
She bit her lip and chewed on it, feeling frustrated.
It was a loneliness like being abandoned in the vast ocean, a loneliness that was suffocating.
"Sigh."
As she felt the taste of blood on her lips and was about to lift the dumbbell again, she sensed someone approaching and turned her head.
"Oh! Hello, senior Vivianne."
Vivianne Velocan.
A woman known as the strongest among the current students of the Knight Department.
Even senior students in the graduation class acknowledged her strength, despite being a woman like Serena herself.
Since she secretly admired Vivianne, Serena quickly bowed her head.
"Serena Erestial."
"Yes, yes!"
"Do you have some time?"
"Huh? Yes! I have time!"
Seeing Serena, who suddenly straightened up and talked excitedly, Vivianne gestured with a puzzled expression on her face.
"Follow me."
"Okay!"
She didn't know why she was being asked to follow, but she obediently followed along.
They arrived at the training grounds where Vivianne often practiced her swordsmanship.
"Oh! Hello there!"
In that place, Serena noticed another person.
It was Ivy Claire, an assistant professor in the Knight Department.
"But why is the assistant professor here...?"
"I called her."
Vivianne said.
Upon hearing that, Ivy let out a sigh and nodded.
"I've been watching you too lately, Serena Erestial."
"Huh? I don't understand what you two are talking about."
"You've been in a slump lately. It's quite noticeable."
At Ivy's words, Serena hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and slowly nodded. She didn't want to admit it, but she also didn't want to lie to them.
"Vivianne asked for my help, saying she wants to help you. I've been watching your condition lately, and I also owe a debt to Vivianne, so I came out like this to help."
Ivy spoke as she twirled the practice sword she had been holding. She seemed to have already finished her warm-up exercises, and there was a sense of enthusiasm emanating from her.
"I was present when you sparred with Adrias, so I have a rough idea of what you're going through right now. But I can't give advice like Adrias does with confidence. Each person has different talents and aptitudes, and their upbringing and experiences vary. How can I casually tell you to change your swordsmanship?"
As Ivy spoke, she pointed her sword towards Serena.
"So, I'll show you for now. Both Vivianne and I are women, right? I'm like you, but Vivianne's swordsmanship is not as power-oriented as yours. Watch us spar."
Suddenly, Vivianne, who had brought a practice sword, stood facing Ivy.
Taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, Serena looked at them with a bewildered expression.
"Wait a moment. Are you saying that you two are going to spar because of me?"
"Yeah, you heard correctly."
When Ivy answered while stretching her body, Serena was left speechless with a bewildered expression.
Vivianne, who had quietly extended her practice sword, also watched Ivy with an uncertain expression.
"The sword...?"
The sword, which had slowly risen, began to shake.
"It's not just about strength."
Immediately, Vivianne's sword, which rushed forward, drew graceful lines.
Intricate movements.
The fake and real were distinguished through the wrist movements, creating dozens of variations in an instant.
Even in the attacks that occurred in the blink of an eye, Ivy calmly discerned between feints and real strikes.
Swish!
Unlike Vivianne's graceful swordplay, Ivy's sword technique had a more aggressive nature.
A fierce force that could make the skin tingle just from the air pressure created by the training sword.
Despite the rapid attacks, Vivianne managed to distinguish between feints and real strikes with ease.
'Is Assistant Professor Ivy really this strong?'
Vivianne's level of skill was already widely known and well-regarded.
She was considered stronger than most knights within the Knight Department.
In contrast, many believed that the Knight Department assistant professors, who had not yet been selected by the knight order, lagged behind in terms of skill.
'But this is...'
No matter how you looked at it, Vivianne was falling behind. It didn't seem like Vivianne was holding back at all.
Kwaaang!
The sparring between them was so intense that even the training ground floor was marked with huge scars from the air pressure alone.
It was truly a high-level sparring match.
"Amazing..."
Serena forgot about her doubts regarding Ivy's skills and became engrossed in their sparring. As she watched their sparring, she began to understand what Adrias had said.
'Assistant Professor Ivy's swordsmanship may seem power-oriented at first glance, but...'
No, it wasn't.
It was not a feeling of sheer strength, separate from the fierce aura.
It had a rough and sharp sensation.
The term "sharp" was more fitting.
Kwajik!
Vivianne, who had been constantly pushed back, suddenly changed her movements.
The ground she was standing on crumbled, creating a haze.
It was madness.
"Ugh."
Serena felt a difficulty in breathing and desperately took a deep breath.
Then came Vivianne's subsequent attack.
Chaejaejaejaeng!
Ivy's posture was crumbling under the rapid barrage of attacks.
"Should we stop here?"
However, Ivy effortlessly swung her sword forcefully and pushed Vivianne away.
Vivianne, who had been launching the fierce attacks, was pushed back as is.
"Whew."
Breathing heavily, Vivianne put away the battered practice sword with a rather unsightly expression.
"How was it? Did you learn anything from watching?"
"Huh? Y-yes..."
Serena had been surrounded by men and had honed her swordsmanship. She had competed among her brothers in her family, and it had continued even after she enrolled at Monas Academy.
But watching the sparring between these two today made her feel like she could see the direction she needed to take.
"I don't need to discard my strength completely."
She had been ignorant.
She had accepted Adrias' advice too thoughtlessly.
She didn't need to completely abandon what she had learned all this time. Instead, she could highlight her own strengths...
"It's not over yet."
"What?"
"Now it's your turn."
Ivy said as she handed Serena a new practice sword.
"You're just going to watch?"
"No! Thank you."
Serena hastily grabbed a practice sword and asked a question that had been on her mind.
"But, I don't understand why both of you are doing this for me."
"Huh? I told you. Vivianne asked me."
When Serena looked at Vivianne, who had been catching her breath, Vivianne avoided her gaze and spoke.
"Adrias asked me."
"Oh, Senior Adrias?"
"Adrias? What? So it wasn't you who asked? It happened to me again because of that guy?"
Surprised by Serena's astonished tone and Ivy's mention of being a victim, Vivianne smiled playfully.
Her smile was unexpected and given Vivian's typically stoic expression, it left Serena and Ivy staring at her in confusion.
"Adrias said that when it comes to swordsmanship, I'm better than him or Ivy. So he asked."
"Senior Adrias..."
Serena thought he wouldn't be interested in her after their sparring session.
And she understood enough that he must have been busy with all that had happened since then.
Moreover, it didn't make sense for a student from the Magic Department to take care of students from the Knight Department.
Even among the same department, it was rare for someone to take care of their juniors to this extent.
"Adrias probably went to Chris by now."
"Oh!"
Following Vivianne's words, Serena felt grateful and full of admiration.
He hadn't forgotten about them.
"How can I repay Senior Adrias?"
"Get stronger."
Vivianne replied.
"I'm going to get stronger too. I want to be useful to Adrias."
It was a short sentence, but it was filled with a strong desire.
It was the right thing to do. She was too weak right now.
Before thinking about repaying, she had to show results.
'Even someone as strong as Senior Vivianne is working hard to get stronger.'
Before thinking about repaying, she had to show results.
Serena's spark, which had been fading, began to flicker once again.