"Could you tell me more details?"
"The incident happened a week ago. The escaped prisoner is a man named Lucas, and he was the vice-captain of the Parrot Thieves before he was captured. The leader is currently being sought."
"Do you know the appearance of the person who attacked Inferno besides the escaped prisoner?"
"Um, well. I've only heard rumors. I've heard he's an older man with white hair. It seems there were 2 accomplices. They say he used dark magic to free the prisoners. I think it was something about darkness..."
"Dark magic?"
"Yes, that's right. After all, you're a professor at the magic academy."
Reina raised her voice, but Thad didn't hear. Dark magic. Inferno was also attacked by an older man who used the Power of Darkness, an advanced magic.
'Can't be.'
Thad shook his head.
"I'm sorry. I'll be going now."
"Yes, huh? Ah, yes."
Being polite to the end was close to instinct. In Thad's eyes, neither the party nor the beautiful woman were visible.
"Darn it! Of course, I'm on a business trip!"
They said the breakout was a week ago. It would have been enough time to get to Creas if he had moved from Baska non-stop.
"Carriage! Carriage!"
After leaving the mansion, Thad climbed into any carriage waiting in line. Then he opened the driver's seat window and shouted.
"To Creas. As fast as possible!"
"Both the guests and the carriages here are all reserved. If you're not on the list, you can't attend..."
Since it was a carriage for a high-ranking official, he couldn't change his mind with a decent amount of money.
Thad searched his pockets and pulled out all the money he had.
"Take it! Are you going or not?"
The coachman, counting the scattered gold coins on the seat, immediately corrected his expression and prepared to depart.
"We'll leave now. Are you staying overnight somewhere?"
"I don't need to sleep or rest! Please, depart quickly!"
The sound of horse hooves struck the night air.
"Darn it! I can't be late."
Thad leaned back against the seat and touched his forehead. He wanted to jump by moving in space, but he didn't have enough lives even if he had to cast it repeatedly in an unfamiliar place where he didn't know the coordinates or the environment.
The fact that he couldn't do anything made him regain his composure. As he understood the situation, this time he had a question.
What was his intention in returning to this world?
Thad had never known him or seen his face. However, the horrific story he had heard from Alpeas was vividly etched in his memory.
"Vilthor Arcane..."
Thad's eyes bore into the horizon, burning.
* * *
At 4:00 in the morning, Kanis and the others entered the training ground halfway up the mountain at the Alpheas Magic Academy.
He had never attended a magic academy, but he could see that it was a top-class facility as a disciple of an archmage.
A frivolous voice broke the silence.
"Well, they built it well. They must have invested quite a few gold coins. How much are you going to pay for the land?"
Kanis frowned and turned his head. Lucas, a Class B wanted man, had a pair of swords engraved with parrots hanging from his shoulders.
"Keep your voice down. Guards might be patrolling."
"What are you afraid of? Can't we just kill them?"
Kanis felt even worse. He was a human accompanying his Master according to his will, but he didn't have a single corner of sanity.
"Aren't you mistaken? We hired you. If there's a hitch in the operation, I won't let you off."
"Well, I'm scared. Kids these days are good. I meet a great master, and his disciple talks back to adults."
Lucas plopped down on the training ground. Kanis suppressed his anger since he didn't interfere any further with the operation.
'The most important thing is Master's revenge. Even if I don't like it, I have no choice but to endure it.'
Lucas asked, yawning, "Why are we waiting here anyway? You have to go into action anyway."
Arin expressed her displeasure and said, "The Master will cast a spell. Because it's area magic, we won't be safe if we enter its range. You can go first if you're confident."
Lucas shrugged. He was honest about wanting to avoid Arcane's magic.
"Hehe, don't get too angry, kid. Your pretty face looks ugly."
"Heh, it doesn't matter how I look."
"Shouldn't you be hanging out with your uncle? I can teach you something more fun than magic."
Kanis cut the conversation off just as Arin, who was getting angry, couldn't bear it any longer and was about to shout.
"Silence. This is the beginning."
Kanis and the others looked up at the sky. Arcane was floating in the center of the moon with flight magic cast.
Flight was a fusion magic that used two types of air, pressure and blowing, simultaneously. First, pressure-type magic created a solid air pressure around him, and then blowing-type magic generated wind to provide lift. Thanks to the merit of flying, it was classified as overpowered, but since the wind changed in real-time, it required a keen sense.
As darkness arrived and covered the moon, Arcane's focused eyes opened. Combining omniscience and omnipotence, he extended his arms and cast Abyss Nova, the masterpiece of his life.
There was no noise or terrible shockwaves, but the sight of darkness covering the academy was spectacular. As Abyss Nova's effect spread to the outskirts of the magic academy, the moon reappeared, and the night became brighter.
"Huff. Huff."
Arcane let out a deep sigh. It was a massive spell that required the consumption of 90% of his mental power even for an archmage.
'It must be challenging to cast it for the time being.'
Arcane turned and headed towards the mountain. He had difficulty even maintaining his flight magic, but his anger grew stronger.
While Abyss Nova spread, there would be no one to bother him. Besides, hadn't he raised disciples in preparation for such a situation?
"Huff, wait, Alpheas. I'll make you taste the humiliation from 40 years ago."
The darkness passed, and a faint light rose from the eastern foot of the mountain.
***
It was the last day of suspension. After studying until dawn at the inn, Shirone and his friends woke up well past morning. After teasing each other for a while, they took a bath.
As Shirone returned the books to the library and headed back to school, lunchtime had already passed. It was class time, so the campus was quiet, and the cleaners were sweeping the stone paths.
"This is the end of our break."
"What break? Isn't a suspension like a vacation?"
"Although you had fun. What are you going to do now?"
Shirone headed to the inn and said, "I'm going in to start tidying up the room. I have class starting tomorrow, so I have to get it sorted out today."
"Anyway, I need to know where to be strict. Alright. We'll be in the study group, so come if you get bored."
"Okay. See you later."
After parting ways with his friends, Shirone returned to his lodgings. While preparing for his classes, the room was a mess because he wasn't paying attention. He rolled up his sleeves and began cleaning, organizing his class materials on the bookshelf, and finally dusting his hands.
A one-week suspension that came out of the blue.
But he had gained something. No, it was a realization beyond what he had learned so far at school.
'Finally, a normal class. I hope tomorrow comes quickly.'
It was natural that his progress would be delayed, and he intended to focus on his classes even if he had to temporarily reduce his study group activities.
'Neid and Eruki must be feeling the same.'
The eyes of the friends he saw at the inn were burning with a passion for learning. Thanks to the clear goal of advancing to Class Four by the end of this semester.
At the end of each semester, the Aldeas Magic Academy determined who would be promoted based on their first-semester grades, and the cutoff was above 80 points in all subjects. It was a terrifying level of difficulty where you had to get 80 points or more in all subjects, not an average of 80 points.
Of course, it wasn't an impossible score if you used the knowledge framework. Furthermore, if you prepared well for the presentation and reinforced the knowledge you had gained while studying the God Particles, your score would increase considerably.
But even considering that, he thought the probability of being promoted was 30 percent.
'No, isn't it quite good instead? If it's a 30% chance to be promoted to Class Four in six months.'
Shirone thought positively. Wasn't that a good enough opportunity to try? If Neid and Eruki weren't promoted, and he was the only one left in Class Five... The idea alone was terrifying.
Furthermore, once you entered Class Four, you could apply for the senior class. In that case, he would also fulfill her promise to Amy.
"Oh my! Right! Amy!"
They never met after the presentation. At that time, he was so excited that he didn't even think to look for her.
"Oh, I should have greeted her. I was too careless."
Amy was a grateful friend who supported him whenever he faced a challenging ordeal. Since he left his lodging with those thoughts, in Shirone's eyes, his game was childish.
"Wow! Will he be surprised?"
* * *
Shirone headed to the senior classrooms with two cups of coffee in each hand. One belonged to Amy, and the other to Cerielle. A bitter smile appeared on his lips as he remembered the past of being the coffee errand person for Amy.
'At that time, I really thought the world was ending.'
Looking back, it was a bad relationship.
Who would have thought that the girl she met in an alley at twelve years old would now be her friend?
Shirone climbed the stairs to the senior class. A large steel door was at the entrance. He didn't know when looking at it from a distance, but it was a much larger structure than he had thought.
"This is the pinnacle of the magic academy."
Passing under the structure symbolizing the spirit of the mage, Shirone's heart somehow became solemn.
When the sixth-period class ended, the seniors came out. Shirone shouted when he spotted Amy and Cerielle talking at the main entrance.
"Amy! Cerielle!"
The seniors turned their heads, but Amy and Cerielle remained engrossed in their conversation as if they hadn't heard. Then, Shirone, who was calling out to them, came up from behind and held a coffee in front of Amy's eyes.
"Hello! Surprise!"
Amy's eyes widened in surprise. Shirone handed coffee to Cerielle with a big smile.
"Here, I have one for you too, senior. Take this and cheer up!"
Cerielle tilted her head. Amy blinked as well and frowned.
"What's this, you? Who are you to bring us coffee?"