Minerva sat there on her chair, staring at the table in front of her, the sight laid in front of her eyes not too long ago had burned through.
Her face was blank, her arms were crossed, her body slouching and her legs crossed.
I.. I have to do something about that underground town... Her blank face turned to one with bitterness. But just how many were the people there..?
A sigh escaped her mouth, one filled with curiosity and frustration. That town is big.. I definitely saw more than a hundred people..
A girl from across the room was laying down in her bed, reading a book. She looked at Minerva with curious eyes. "Ms. Grosvenor?" She called out to Minerva.
Minerva turned around with her eyebrows raised. "Yes?"
"I noticed you seem.. Upset.." The girl closed her book and sat up. "Would you mind telling me what's on your mind?"
Minerva smiled and shook her head. "Maybe next time."
She turned her body around and faced the girl. "You're.. Mazekeine.. Mazekeine Stonehart, right?"
Mazekeine's eyes widened as her mouth slowly etched a smile. "Y-You.. Remember my name..?" Her voice was just as surprised as her surprised eyes.
Minerva nodded. "You're from Noelle's section, right? 5-3?"
Mazekeine nodded back. "Wow.. You even remember my surname... I'm honored!"
"Of course, I make sure I know everyone.. I'm Noelle's sidekick after all. You know, First and Second Undefeated, and all those things." As soon as she stopped talking, Minerva stood up and walked to the door.
"I'll be getting some fresh air." Without waiting for any response, she left the room, and then the inn.
...
I wonder what Zephyr is up to right now.. Minerva had been thinking that since she left the inn, walking towards the 3rd years' inn.
Just as she walked to the door, she saw a young, short, silver-haired girl who had a book in hand. Zephyr? What's she doing outside at this time?
"Zephyr!" She called out to Zephyr as she walked towards her, she successfully caught Zephyr's attention when she turned around.
"Ms. Minerva? What are you doing here?" Zephyr's tone hinted at surprise, she wouldn't have expected her mentor to be here.
"What about you? What are you doing here?"
Zephyr looked back at her book. "I'm trying to find this spot in this scene..."
She raised an eyebrow. "What scene?"
"It's from this Magiaville romance novel, this volume takes place in Magiaville."
Minerva smiled as she walked up and took a peek, knowing what to do now. "Okay, how about I help you find the place?"
Zephyr beamed in delight when Minerva asked. "R-Really!?"
"I don't have anything to do tonight."
Minerva leaned forward until she could properly see the texts. "So, what's the description of this setting?"
Zephyr read with intensity in her eyes, she was dead set on finding this spot. "In the heart of Magiaville, beneath the celestial ballet of moon and stars, lay a fountain square draped in enchantment."
"The central fountain, a centerpiece of divine craftsmanship, stood as a testament to the city's artistic spirit..."
She flipped the paper to the next page. "Its waters, kissed by the moonlight, took on a soft, ethereal glow, casting a gentle radiance on the cobblestone expanse."
Minerva looked around, observing the areas with strong intent. Heart of Magiaville.. Her eyes then turned to the fountain.
The central fountain, a centerpiece of divine craftsmanship, stood as a testament to the city's artistic spirit.. Her eyes then turned to the river.
Its waters, kissed by the moonlight, took on a soft, ethereal glow, casting a gentle radiance on the cobblestone expanse..
She couldn't help but scratch the back of her head. "That's hard. The "heart" of Magiaville is the whole urban area itself."
"..And there are five fountains, each fitting the bill of the 'draped in enchantment' and the 'divine craftsmanship' parts." Zephyr had added much to her frustration.. It seems like the young girl has been searching for the place for a while now.
"There is no central fountain here either.. The locations of these 5 fountains make it a pentagon.."
Zephyr looked down the book with her eyes moving left and right, re-reading the lines again and again.. "Wait.."
Her eyes turned to Minerva. "What if it means the most popular fountain in Magiaville?"
"That.. Could be the case." Minerva thought of the most popular fountain in Magiaville, and looked to their right. "The most popular has to be the north fountain, let's go there."
Zephyr kept reading more of the page as she walked with Minerva to the north fountain.
The north fountain was nothing short of an architectural bliss, adorned by the endless carves of images, be it faces, symbols or texts, dedicated to portraying the timeless history of this magical place in the middle of a seemingly normal, unassuming region.
As they entered the north fountain's square, there came the irresistible scent of baked cakes, spanning from vanilla, chocolates, up to nice hints of caramel, it certainly was enough to make any passing heads turn to its direction.
"Gosh, there's so many pastries here and there! Do they not run out of supply? Won't they get fat or something?" Zephyr was rather confused about Magiaville's unnatural love for pastries and baking them.
"Nobody here complains about too much pastry.. It's as if their bodies evolved to hold in a lot of it and still be fine."
Zephyr shrugged it off and continued her search.. "It's as if the author intentionally didn't specify the location.. There's no way we can find it that way!" She gripped her hair in frustration, it's as if they just reached an impassable dead end.
"Give me the book." Minerva took the book from her and read the page Zephyr had her eyes glued at.
"They sealed their unyielding love for each other with a kiss, amidst the gathering of Magiavillians and the towering sculpture of Lysander Duvalier as their silent witnesses..."
Minerva gazed at Zephyr, a smile gracing her lips. "I know where this is now!" Her tone hinted at a sudden realization, and she was more than willing to finally get to the location.
They strolled to the opposite end of Magiaville, where yet another sculpture took center stage. Similar to the north fountain, this one, too, was an architectural marvel adorned with intricate carvings. However, the focus here was on the depictions of familiar Magiavillians of old.
"How did you find out the location?" Zephyr hinted at curiosity, something she's been doing for a while had easily been done by Minerva in a matter of minutes.
"It mentioned Lysander Duvalier, this is the only fountain where he could be found."
"Who is.. Lysander Duvalier?" Zephyr asked with even more curiosity, she did not know who this Lysander Duvalier guy was, but he seemed to be a big shot in Magiaville.
"You've heard of Demonte's War from 173 years ago, right?"
Zephyr nodded.
"Lysander Duvalier was a Messias-level magician who fiercely defended Magiaville from the Phrygian Republic, and won."
Zephyr's eyes widened to what she heard. "Messias-level!? That's the highest level!" She exclaimed in surprise, as if she's never actually heard someone on this so-called 'Messias-level'.
"The history books state he was a one-man army who went up against an army of twenty thousand Phrygian Ekleitas."
"Twenty thousand!?!" Zephyr exclaimed in complete surprise.
"So, that's basically Lysander Duvalier."
Zephyr let out a sigh as she calmed down. "I see.. What does Ekleitas mean though? Does that mean 'Elite'?"
Minerva nodded.
Zephyr took her book back, a smile crept up as she looked at Minerva. "I wish Brother was here.." The sudden change of topic briefly caught Minerva off-guard.
"Why? Do you not want to spend time with me?" Even so, Minerva went along with it and pouted playfully. "That hurts!" Her tone hinted at playfulness too as she had her hands on her waist.
"Well... The more I look at it, the more I think you two would be the perfect cast for this scene.." Zephyr giggled.
Minerva was taken aback by this, she could only just look away and blush with a smile. "Maybe it should be Sévircon and Sévir, she'd be very happy."
Zephyr sat down and closed her book, she looked up at the night sky with a small smile. "Anyways.. It's the tournament tomorrow..."
Minerva sat down beside her, she too, looked up at the night sky. "It sure is." Her eyes turned to Zephyr. "Are you ready?"
Zephyr nodded when she turned to Minerva. "I'm so ready.. And so excited to the point I'm so nervous!" Excitement filled the voice of the young girl, it was contagious.
Minerva smiled back at her, who seemed to have been contained by Zephyr's positivity. "Hey, just remember, the heart of it all is woven within the steps you take.. The challenges you face, and the moments you savor."
Zephyr couldn't help but rub her temples. "Oh man, off you go again with your riddles, Ms. Minerva.
But it's fine.. Please wait until tomorrow, okay?"
"For what?" What could Minerva possibly wait for until tomorrow? Zephyr's victory?
"I'll give you a good show.. You, Brother, Nex.. And all my friends." Her voice was overloaded with newfound confidence, she was determined not just to win, but to give it her all.
Minerva nodded. "I think seeing you trying your best would be enough for me.." She chuckled when she heard herself say that. "Of course, since I'm your mentor.. I want to see you win. I'll give you some advice while I still can."
Zephyr's eyes widened in delight, she hurriedly leaned in closer with her hand on her ear. "Please tell me!"
...
Minerva slowly pushed the door open, and as she closed the door, she saw Mazekeine, lying on her bed, reading a book with a candle nearby.
"You're still awake, Mazekeine?" Minerva asked as she took off her jacket.
"Yeah. I'm close to finishing this novel."
"What's the title?" Minerva's movements were fluid as she undressed, revealing her white, spotless skin beneath the layers of her uniform. The soft glow of the room accentuated the cleanliness of her body, creating an ethereal aura around her.
Even Mazekeine glanced with curiosity.
"You seem to have a smooth body.. Don't you do vigorous activities? How do you not show any muscle?"
Minerva looked down her belly. "I guess it's in the genes. Everyone in my family is like that. Strong and all but the body doesn't want to show it." She rubbed it as she tried to feel any muscle underneath.
Mazekeine put down her book, a sigh escaped her mouth in disbelief. "You really are impossible, Ms. Grosvenor.. Even more impossible than Ms. Trysta and her win-loss ratio."
Minerva unzipped her bag, searching for spare clothes. She was bathed by the glow of the moonlight, the only remnants covering her form were the azure undergarments that closely hugged her skin.
For a moment, Mazekeine's eyes seemed to gawk at Minerva as she changed her clothes. Almost everything was silent, if only it weren't for the soft rustle of fabric.
Woah.. The more I look at it, the more I see how smooth and curved out her figure is on all the right spots.. How is this even possible?
As Minerva wore a shirt, Mazekeine snapped back. W-What the...? Why did I keep gawking at her? She shook her flushed head and looked down at her book. I'm a girl though.. Is Ms. Grosvenor's charm that powerful!?
Minerva walked and sat on the bed the moment she finished dressing up. "Hopefully you didn't mind me changing here."
Mazekeine shook her head, her cheeks were still flushed. "It's fine.."
Minerva etched a smile as she noticed Mazekeine's flushed cheeks. "You were gawking, weren't you?"
Mazekeine's eyes widened. "You knew..? I thought I wasn't obvious"
Minerva lied down, a sigh escaped her mouth. "I get it all the time.. Men, women alike." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"You don't.. Like it?"
"It gets tiring.. I like it, but it gets tiring."
"Why not?"
"To put it simply.. They all think I'm sooo attractive, that they see me only for that." Minerva had a hint of sadness in her voice. It's hard to actually accept the fact they only see me for superficial reasons..
"But." Minerva sat up, the tone of her voice no longer hinted at sadness, she even smiled. "At least I found a group.. A group that won't ever see me just for things on the surface.."
Mazekeine smiled back. "That's great.. I just can't imagine putting myself in your shoes though.." She sighed. "I was never popular anyway."
Minerva lied back down in her bed, the soft smile still etched in her face. "That's alright.. You don't need to relate, you just need to listen."
That cold Sévir materialized in her mind—an image of him with his typical stoic expression, his golden eyes revealing no hint of warmth, hands buried deep in his pockets, and his face a puzzle that offered no invitation.
That eccentric Sanguinex emerged next—an image of her wearing an infectious, warm smile. Her arm was affectionately entwined with Sévir's.
That younger, affectionate Zephyr followed suit—an image of her standing beside Sanguinex, her hand gently resting on Sanguinex's shoulder. Zephyr's face too, radiated joy, a contagious smile tugged on her lips, adding a livelier charm to the scene.
Silence filled the room right away, Minerva covered herself in sheets as she faced Mazekeine's side.
"So, tell me about yourself." Minerva broke the brief silence.
"Well.. Uh..." Mazekeine sat straight as she nervously cleared her throat.
"I joined just this year.. I'm a commoner from Dema-Sivlyar."
"Dema-Sivlyar... It's not an easy feat going here from there, isn't it?"
Mazekeine nodded, hesitating before continuing. "Right. My parents always told me they couldn't afford the tuition. I mean, which commoner actually can?" She chuckled.
"Anyway.. I felt the need to do it by myself. And so eventually I got the super rare scholarship!" At the end, her voice hinted at joy and fulfilment. "I was so happy, it felt like I finally completed the whole purpose of my life..!"
"It was hard, you know? I was fine with it, but now.." Mazekeine let out a downcasted sigh. Her tone, once radiating with joy and fulfilment, faded into a more gloomy melody. "It's even harder to continue when there's not one, but three Undefeated Octets in your class."
She put her book aside, blew out the candle and covered herself in sheets. "Good night, Ms. Grosvenor." Her sudden farewell for the night hinted that she did not want to say anything more.
Minerva nodded. "Good night."
As Mazekeine delved into her sleep, Minerva couldn't shake off the feeling there was more to her story.. But that should be for some other day.
Oh well, I'll just let it go for now. And so Minerva fell asleep eventually.
...
The sun rose high, emitting the magnificent purple glow of light that charmed everyone visiting Magiaville regardless of who it was.
The smell of pastry still stuck around, and seemingly aimed to stick around forever.
The chatter of Magiavillians and Stepan students flowed through the streets as they walked forwards non-stop. A line of them had finally exited the magical zone known to everyone as "Magiaville". Everyone, even the air were struck with excitement and nervous anticipation as each one of them left Magiaville.
The long, last day before the tournament had finally ended hours prior. The long, and long awaited first day begins.