No sooner had Nathan returned to his dwelling than he received a magical message.
Touching a mailbox-like magical device at the entrance of his residence with one hand, the voice of the Third Prince emanated from the sound device: "Brother Nathan, I await you on middle-56 floating island. Come quickly."
Puzzled by this abrupt invitation, Nathan furrowed his brows for a half-minute before stepping out of his home and heading straight for the teleportation array.
Middle-56 floating island was a hub of high-end consumption.
The island boasted a variety of entertainment and dining facilities, frequented by academy professors and nobles adorned in magical equipment.
In a private room at the top floor of the tallest five-story restaurant on the floating island, Nathan's gaze immediately fell on a familiar, beautiful face clad in a green robe—an elementalist.
He vividly remembered her technique of compressing wind blades from their last encounter at the initial trials conducted by the Inspectorate Department.
His own method of compressing fireballs was inspired by her.
Moreover, for some reason, Nathan always felt a strange sensation upon seeing her—simultaneously familiar and foreign.
"Brother Nathan, my name is Emily," the green-robed elementalist said with a smile, introducing herself first.
Across from her sat Prince Baron and another young warrior.
This warrior, tall and with a rugged face, sat upright with a straight back but hurriedly bowed his head in greeting upon seeing Nathan.
"Sir, how have you been lately?" The man was Aaron, the captain of a City Guard squad.
Seeing Aaron dressed in the attire of a martial arts class, confusion flashed in Nathan's eyes.
Baron lifted his glass, and the four of them shared a toast.
"Due to his meritorious service in quelling the rebellion, Aaron has been promoted to the rank of captain within the city guard and has also earned the opportunity to further his studies at Nebula Academy for a year," Baron explained.
"I owe it all to the guidance of you and others!" Aaron expressed his gratitude once more.
He had already advanced to a high-level warrior of level 4.
The battle at the Clark family estate had led him to a breakthrough in advanced martial techniques.
Given time, he was bound to become an elite warrior.
Reflecting on the clash with the Clark family, Nathan acknowledged that without Aaron, he might have been in grave danger.
Although their original relationship was hierarchical, Nathan held a favorable impression of Aaron, showing no air of superiority as a superior officer.
Having Aaron's support at Nebula Academy would undoubtedly strengthen his own position.
"Sir, if you have any orders, I will devote myself fully to them!" Aaron remained as respectful as ever.
Nathan drained his glass in one gulp.
The conversation then shifted towards Emily.
The Third Prince introduced her merely as the legitimate daughter of Dracoria's Platinum House and a freshman in the magic class, without delving into further details.
Emily herself responded only lightly, not initiating much conversation.
Throughout the meal, Baron dominated the conversation, covering topics from the academy's culture to adventures on the floating islands and the structure of various academy departments, as if there was nothing he wasn't knowledgeable about.
Nathan felt somewhat bewildered, unable to understand why the Third Prince had invited him here if there were no matters of substance to discuss, making it difficult for him to interject.
Although Baron's discourse showcased his extensive knowledge, this was not the Baron Nathan had envisioned in his mind.
In the booklet of academy scandals given to him by Sophia, it was clearly recorded who Prince Baron truly was.
On the surface, he appeared generous and righteous, but in reality, he was nothing more than a libertine known for his numerous escapades with women, always managing to escape any consequences unscathed.
This was the real Baron.
Yet, today's Baron was beyond Nathan's comprehension.
Eventually, Baron even began to discuss the knowledge of fire-based magic with Nathan, leaving him utterly baffled.
As Prince Baron was in full flow, the door to the private room was suddenly kicked open with a bang.
A man with a fierce expression, followed by four or five others, barged into the room.
Aaron drew his long sword in an instant, positioning himself protectively in front of the table.
Upon taking a clear look at the four individuals inside, especially giving Baron a scrutinizing glance and surveying the room, the intruder's expression drastically changed.
"I'm sorry! Wrong room!" the tall, thin, black-robed magus apologized, bowing.
"I'll cover your meal. Please, enjoy."
With that, he bowed his head and exited the room.
"Anthony?" Nathan was confused.
Baron's eyes, meanwhile, were darting around.
The intruder was Anthony, a freshman in Nathan's class.
Moments after Anthony left the room, the corridor was filled with the shrill screams of girls and angry roars, along with the sound of magic reverberating through the air.
Since Anthony had not fully closed the door upon leaving, the four inside heard everything distinctly.
"It's all for Luna again!" Nathan surmised.
Sure enough, shortly after, personnel from the Inspectorate Department arrived to take people away and began questioning in each room for evidence.
Only then did Nathan learn that Luna had been dining in the room next door.
Anthony had assaulted a male student from the magic class who was dining with Luna.
Nathan had a suspicion, glancing at Prince Baron, hoping it was just a coincidence.
Nathan and Aaron exchanged addresses, as well as the addresses for magical voice transmission, before parting ways.
Aaron took his leave shortly after.
In the private room, Baron and Emily remained.
Baron stood up and bowed deeply to Emily.
"Aunt, if there's nothing else, I shall take my leave now!"
"Come back here!" Emily's expression shifted from its usual calm to a stern demeanor.
"You are forbidden from going to the Inspectorate Department!"
"Yes!" Baron responded meekly.
Emily pondered for a moment.
"Who is Luna?"
"Nephew..."
"Stay away from Luna!"
"Yes!"
...
In the largest room on the fifth floor of the building housing the Resource Department on its respective floating island, a slightly overweight middle-aged man stood in front of a desk.
His head bore only a few sparse hairs, and his belly protruded slightly.
Yet, his brow was furrowed in worry.
"Is everything you've said the truth?" the middle-aged man asked coldly.
"May I suffer a gut-wrenching death if I lie!"
Kneeling before the middle-aged man was a figure, thin and bald, with a face marred by burn scars.
This man was Alex.
And the man opposite him was Frank, the head of the Resource Department.
Frank paced back and forth upon hearing of Alex's misfortune, feeling a mix of frustration and anger towards his nephew's plight.
"How could Master Reno take on such a useless disciple!" Frank clenched his fists, a mixture of disappointment and anger evident in his tone.
Alex's expression was one of misery.
"Nathan seems to have support wherever he goes. I'm alone..."
"Waste!" Frank's face darkened with disdain.
"Now go back and keep a close eye on Nathan. Don't engage in such foolish acts again; otherwise, I won't be able to help you. Understand?"
Alex nodded in agreement.
Frank tossed a storage space ring to Alex.
"Go on then!"
...
At noon, a shadow emerged from the second-floor window of the library.
With the aid of the Featherfall Technique, it landed steadily on the library's back wall.
Then, as if nothing had happened, it jumped down from the wall and made its way to the front entrance.
"Heisen, a magic book collector. Takes advantage of the half-hour gap during the weekly change of library administrators to sneak into the library and steal books."
A magic eye in a small room on the first floor of the Inspectorate Department emitted a faint blue glow.
Nathan's attention withdrew from the magic eye.
He picked up a pen, found Heisen's name on a list, and marked it with a check.
Half a month had passed since the unsurprising retest.
Nathan had successfully become a member of the Inspectorate Team, donning the eye-shaped badge.
Alongside him, Emily and Luna had also passed the assessment, in addition to two warriors from the martial arts class.
This was the first assignment Nathan was tasked with.
Using the magic eye to observe every corner of the academy and verify the information against the records.
Since Emily had taken leave the next day, Nathan had effectively been doing the work of two people, yet he remained undaunted by fatigue.
The magic eye lit up with blue light once again.
Nathan leaned in closer, adjusting the display.
In the park, a young couple kissed on a bench.
The scene shifted to a dimly lit room.
A disheveled old professor squatted on the floor, before him a magic array pulsating with crimson hues.
A severed hand in the center of the array trembled, revealing a mouth bristling with sharp teeth.
The old professor danced erratically, feeding scraps of meat into the mouth.
After a minute, the monstrous hand let out a frustrated roar, transforming into a blood-red phantom before vanishing entirely.
"Professor Palin, summoning a dark creature."
Nathan made another note, yawning in the process.
The door to the room opened, and Daniel walked in.
An hour earlier, Frank had come to take Anthony away.
As he left, Frank mentioned he would request additional resources for the Inspectorate Department.
Without a word, Daniel immediately turned off the magic eye.
"Get ready, you're coming with me this afternoon."
With that single sentence, Daniel left the room.
Nathan blinked, surprised.
Were they moving into action so soon?