"Huh, so you decided to arrange our picnic here?"
"Yeah, I promise I'll do my best not to crush any flowers."
We stood at the heart of the main building, in the secret garden where I had first spoken to Katrina.
"Before, I used to come here all alone; this place was my last sanctuary."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. Since then, you've achieved so much; now you have friends, a guild, and other students no longer fear you as much."
"Don't speak as if I could have achieved all this without you," Katrina raised her head thoughtfully and gazed at a couple of broken twigs at the base of the crown. "You looked so foolish when you first appeared here."
"Ha! Who would have thought? You didn't behave any better yourself."
Alas, this place evoked unpleasant memories for me. Here, I confessed to Katrina; admittedly, I hardly knew her, but from our first encounter, I considered her the finest girl in the Academy. Here, she rejected me, rudely and arrogantly, as was characteristic of nobles from her class, and for that, I grew to resent her... Over time, the anger subsided, but the bitterness remained; no matter what happened, I would use her position to achieve my goals.
"This celebration was also your idea; not only you signed my cards, I noticed several different handwriting styles."
"Ha-ha, well, sorry, the girls were concerned about you, so I decided to bring them along and help you with a gift."
"Thank you..." Katrina blushed and lowered her gaze, preparing to say something important. "Krito, I've wanted to tell you for a long time..."
No, don't say it with that expression!
"I'm very grateful to you for everything. Without you, I couldn't have formed the guild, and I wouldn't have so many wonderful friends."
Please, don't continue; just stay silent...
"All those accomplishments were yours—the victory over Ragni, the Hydra, and it was you who brought Kurone, Rizel, and Seleria into the guild. All of it is your doing, and even if no one else realizes it, I know, and I will always respect you for it."
Please, don't continue, I won't be able to keep myself together if you do.
"And back then, during our first meeting, I had so much on my mind, and love was the last thing on my agenda. If everything were to repeat... then I..."
But the princess wasn't allowed to finish her sentence; a dreadful crash shook the Academy.
"What the hell!?" I rushed out from under the tree and looked through the glass ceiling, only to see an enormous iron vessel hovering in the air above the Academy, emitting a deep rumbling sound. "I fear this isn't a celebratory salute. Katrina, let's run with the others."
When we returned to the hallway, we encountered Ragni, who seemed to have rushed out of the door leading to the kitchen.
"Did you hear that?"
"Not only heard it, we saw it! Where is everyone?"
"Seleria took them to show Leran. I think through those doors."
We moved forward and opened the door, only to find everyone right behind it, in a dusty cave against the backdrop of the desert city.
"Is everything ready?" Seleria answered us with a clear voice.
"No, we have a problem; someone attacked the Academy. Let's go to the clock tower."
We passed through the door in Katrina's room and found ourselves at the highest point of the academy. As before, the walls were partly transparent, providing a view of the entire academy.
"Wow, you can see everything from here!" Algo leaned against the window.
"It's the reverse effect of a spell that allows you to see the clock from any point in the academy," Katrina explained the spectacle. "If you look closely at the objects outside the window, the glass will magnify the image."
An unpleasant sight awaited us outside the window. Five large metal-clad ships had docked near the shore, and in front of the main building stood another one, much larger than the rest.
"What are those contraptions?!" Seleria couldn't believe her eyes.
"If my vision isn't playing tricks on me, that thing on the square arrived here through the air," I said.
"That's impossible; it would take at least five dragons to bring something like that here. But after such a long flight, I doubt they could transform," Ragni scrutinized the soldiers surrounding the ships. "And what kind of armor is that? Black with golden accents on the officers; I don't remember anyone like them."
"I'm afraid it's the Dragon Empire; their level of technology is far beyond ours. They might be able to lift that machine without magic or dragons. But why did they attack now, without declaring war?"
"Are you kidding?! The Empire may not have had contact with Verania for a long time, but my mother said we were at peace with them. Why would they do this?"
"Who knows, perhaps they were planning this attack for a long time, or maybe something provoked them."
"Krito!" Katrina looked at me with fear. "Remember when I spoke about the magical burst that signified the birth of a new summoner? Could they have sensed it too and decided to strike first?"
"It's very possible. I heard that during the war with demons a thousand years ago, the Empire suffered as well. They might blame us and the summoner for bringing this calamity upon them. But would they start a full-scale war just for that?"
I peered down at what was happening below. Many students were caught off guard, and the soldiers surrounded and restrained them. Despite the resistance, they didn't kill anyone. It was indeed very strange; why spare our lives if their aim was to undermine the morale of the future army? It would have been better to eliminate everyone to instill fear before the battle even started.
"We have to leave," Algo focused on the path leading to the tower. "They captured everyone on the streets, and now they are going around the buildings. They'll be here soon."
"Let's return to the guild; we need to devise a plan of action."
"Won't we seek reinforcements in the capital? We won't stand a chance against them alone," Levris worried for us.
"They are unlikely to stay here for long. They are loading the captured students onto the ships. Don't worry; I'll come up with something. We don't need to fight the entire army."
We left the room and I wrote a couple of simple ink symbols on the door behind us.
"You're writing 'closed' in ink? Do you think that will stop them?" Ragni deciphered the symbols.
"It locks the door, but only for a couple of hours. It will give us enough time to return when they leave."
"And what's your plan?"
"First, we capture one of the soldiers and interrogate him."
We approached the door to our basement, and I signaled everyone to stop as I slowly opened it. There was no one inside, but as I took a step in, I heard the sound of metal boots from above.
"Don't come out yet. Kurone, stay in touch with me," the girl nodded, and I approached the hatch.
The uninvited guest was pacing around the room, seemingly stopping by the wall where we left our weapons, and it seemed like a mistake. After standing there for a moment, the soldier headed for the door. I heard the door close, and he slowly opened the basement. When I peeked my head out of the hatch, I saw a warrior in black armor pointing his hand at me, oddly, it seemed that his hand was empty.
"Come out," the soldier menacingly aimed his hand at my head.
"Is this a threat?"
The knight clenched his fist, and a small iron spike shot out from his wrist, piercing the hatch cover right next to my face. Only then did I notice a small device on the outer side of his glove; it appeared to be a miniature crossbow, but to throw such heavy darts, it must have been expertly crafted.
"Alright, I'm coming out."
I climbed out of the hatch with my hands raised; unfortunately, my blades were also leaning against the wall.
"Krito, do you need help?" Kurone's voice echoed in my head. "Wait, hide in the corridor, and close the door. I'll let you know when to come out."
I stood in front of the hatch.
"As soon as you turn off the light, the cockroaches come out of their hideout. How many of you are still in there?"
"I was alone."
"Oh, really? Step aside," the soldier gestured for me to move away and approached the hatch. "Are you sure you were alone?"
"Yes," Kurone mentally confirmed that they were all hidden in the corridor, and he wouldn't find them there.
"Alright, just in case," the soldier took a small paper ball from his belt pouch, squeezed it in his fist, and threw it into the basement. A blinding flash erupted from the basement.
"Hey, you're going to destroy everything!"
"Quiet, it's just a flash bomb. If someone was in there, they're blind now. But since there are no screams, I guess you were truly alone. Now, get out!"
"Why are you taking me somewhere? Why not finish me off right here?" I couldn't see the knight's face; his helmet completely covered it. But I was sure he didn't expect this turn of events.
The soldier got angry and stepped closer to me, aiming his crossbow directly at my heart.
"Move! QUICKLY!"
It seemed like he was about to shoot.
"Ragni, discreetly attack him and knock him out."
A black shadow flew out of the hatch and pounced on the soldier. At the last moment, he turned around, only to receive a direct blow from the scaly paw to his helmet.
Among the knight's belongings, we found a rope. After sitting him on a chair, we tied him securely and took whatever weapons we could find – crossbows on the gloves and a pair of daggers.
Now I noticed that the soldier's armor had silver stripes, likely indicating that she was a junior officer. Why she decided to check this place alone still remained a mystery to me.
"What should we do?" Katrina was nervous. "Ragni, was your strike not strong enough?"
"Another one wouldn't have had the desired effect against her armor. There was nothing more I could do."
"Just wait a moment; let's try to revive her," I finally found the fastenings that held the helmet in place. They were quite sturdy, having withstood Ragni's blow without even shifting. "Let's see."
I removed the fastenings and lifted the helmet.
"It's... a girl?" Seleria examined the soldier's face. The armor completely concealed her figure, but indeed, it was a girl, with slightly sharp facial features, short chestnut hair, and brown eyes.
"Hey, Miss Soldier, wake up," I tapped the girl's cheeks in an attempt to rouse her.
"Mmm, Mister, why so early in the morning?" It was curious whom she addressed with those words before realizing where she was.
"Ahem, actually, it's not morning now," I coughed and turned my gaze away for a moment. The girls were also embarrassed, pretending not to hear anything.
"Oh, you! I knew you had accomplices. I should have checked everything thoroughly."
"It wouldn't have helped. Now you're our prisoner, and you'll tell us what we need to know."
"Don't hold your breath, kill me now, or I'll reveal your whereabouts at the first opportunity."
The girl snorted proudly and averted her gaze.
"Why so categorical? Let me present my assumptions, and you can confirm or refute them." I looked into the warrior's eyes with a fake smile, and she only frowned in annoyance.
"Go ahead, try."
"YOU'VE DECIDED TO START A WAR?! WHAT IS YOUR EMPEROR THINKING?! I THOUGHT HE WAS A SENSIBLE PERSON!" Katrina was clearly angered by the prisoner's behavior.
"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY MASTER!! YOU'RE JUST A WORTHLESS FOLLOWER OF DEAD MAGES!!" The girl tried to get up from the chair, but the ropes held her in place.