"Vixen!?" Auri exclaimed in shock. She was prepared for various responses but this one hadn't crossed her mind.
"Why do you think I'm a vixen?" Auri asked while trying to hide her shock. From what she had heard, Drai didn't seem to be someone arrogant who liked to insult others. She had even observed Drai for quite a while before approaching him, and he only looked like a lost kid to her.
"Uhm… Your request felt weird to me," Drai replied as he smiled wryly. "My mom said that there's a lot of shady people in the capital, so if someone asks me to do something strange, they might be a scammer. And if she's a lady, she might be a vixen."
"Is wanting to be friends weird?" Auri questioned with a strange look. She was perplexed that her sincere request was considered a potential scheme from a vixen.
"Yeah. Wanting to be friends with me in such circumstances is quite strange," Drai truthfully said.
"I'm a nobody coming from a relatively rural area. In this whole auditorium with hundreds of first-years, why did you approach me? And how did you even know me beforehand, including my background?" Drai asked as he looked at Auri, eager to know the answer if she truly wasn't a scammer.
'Don't tell me it's because of my looks… Before, it was that brief stare from Professor Lua. Now, this girl wants to be friends out of nowhere. Did I become too handsome?' Drai shamelessly thought.
Hearing Drai's questions, Auri finally understood why she looked suspicious to someone like Drai. But she still felt that Drai's response was too "unique".
'Others would just go with the flow first even if they're suspicious, especially in a safe place like this with a cute young lady making the request. Being able to speak bluntly like that to my face, this Drai is really something else,' Auri thought to herself.
"I understand now," Auri said. "It's just a misunderstanding from your part, since you don't seem to realize that you're quite special despite coming from a small city. Trying to be friends with a 'nobody' like you is actually pretty normal."
"Special how?" Drai asked in confusion.
"Recommendation student Drai Varz, you're quite famous among the professors, you know?" Auri revealed.
"Huh?? I'm famous??" Drai asked with his mouth agape.
"It's true. Professor Ravi has never recommended anyone during his years of tenure. Imagine the professors' shock when they heard that he was recommending someone this year. Most professors became curious and investigated you. They became even more amazed when they found out you were someone he had been looking for all these years," Auri explained.
Hearing this, Drai became speechless. How did a humble guy like him ended up as the topic of interest of the professors of such a prestigious academy? Drai worried that this would bring trouble to him, especially when he remembered Christo's warning regarding the sensitive matter of his class.
"Ah… I didn't know about it. If what you're saying is true, then I guess I'm a bit special," Drai said as he scratched his head helplessly.
"Well, I can't blame you for not knowing, since not many students know about it, maybe not even ten. Even if regular students find out about you, they'll probably see you as a mere recommendation student—not that a normal recommendation student is anything ordinary, but it's definitely not as extraordinary as Professor Ravi's recommendation student.
"Remember when the rector said something about some special students entering this year? I'm pretty sure that he was referring to you—maybe not specifically, but at least you're included among other special students. I don't know if there are other special ones, since so far I've only heard of you."
Drai suddenly realized something and asked Auri warily, "Are you not a student? How come you know all of this?"
Upon hearing this question, Auri sighed before confessing, "Actually, if you hadn't asked about it and weren't so suspicious of me, I wouldn't have revealed this. I don't like bringing up my personal connections with the professors, although one doesn't have to be a genius to realize it."
"Is it a secret?" Drai carefully asked. He didn't want to force this girl to reveal something she didn't want to, especially since he had already been told of the gist of his "fame". Having heard Auri's reason for approaching him, Drai also realized that he must have sounded quite rude earlier when he asked if she was a vixen.
Auri laughed as she said, "It's not a secret at all, since I'm willing to use my family name openly."
"Family name? Uhm… What's your family name again?" Drai bluntly asked. He wasn't good at remembering full names after only hearing them for the first time.
"It's Velles," Auri replied as she paid attention to Drai's expression, wondering if he would realize her connection.
"Velles… Uhm… Does it mean something?" Drai asked as he had tried to find a connection but was lost.
Instead of answering, Auri replied with a counterquestion, "Who's the dean of the Faculty of Magic?"
Drai tried hard to remember, but he couldn't. His only recollection was that the first woman among the deans was graceful and rather young compared to the others. He actually remembered Lua's name instead due to its uniqueness and also Lua's strong presence and her brief stare. The other lady, whose thigh's width were at most half of Drai's arm's width before he evolved, was already destined to be forgotten by this musclehead.
"I don't remember," Drai said as he gave up.
Auri seemed amused by this as she answered, "Her name is Irina Velles."
Hearing this, Drai finally realized the connection. "Auri Velles, Irina Velles… You're her family?"
"She's my aunt," Auri confirmed. "And that's why I hate bringing it up, since some people may suspect that I got admitted due to familial connections. I've noticed several weird looks whenever I introduced myself, especially from the upperclassmen," she added.
"That sucks," Drai remarked. He thought that he too would avoid such situations if he were in Auri's shoes.
"I don't care though. If you're not a vixen, let's be friends," Drai said smilingly.
Drai's straightforwardness stunned Auri briefly. Then she felt relieved and giggled. Auri was slightly impressed that Drai could remain nonchalant toward this fact. Most people's reactions upon hearing this were usually either amazement, adoration, intrigue, or suspicion of her admission. Meanwhile, Drai was looking at her with pure eyes, void of hidden intentions.
"Yay! Now we're friends!" Auri grinned. "Since it's settled, let's head to the expo venue, Drai. I don't want to be stuck with a large crowd if we head there later."
Hearing this, Drai proceeded to look around but still couldn't see his roommates. He finally gave up and decided to stick with Auri.
"Okay. I also don't want to be in a crowd if I can help it."
"Then let's go now. The venue is a bit far from here, so we can leisurely walk while sightseeing. I'm sure you haven't explored the whole campus grounds yet."
"Yeah, I've only arrived yesterday and was in the dorm the whole time," Drai agreed.
Both of them proceeded to exit the auditorium and headed toward the expo venue.
***
In a room somewhere in the academy, a figure covered in a hooded robe was sitting on a chair. On the table in front of this figure were two cups filled with some kind of beverage and a couple of untouched plates of snacks.
The atmosphere of the room was solemn as the figure looked straight toward his host who was sitting across the table.
"Are you really sure you want to stay here? You know that the day of reckoning is approaching. Your skills would help us reach our goals faster and more efficiently," the hooded figure said.
"Yes, I'm sure," the host replied. "I know you lot have plenty of work to do, and perhaps you're pressed for time. But forgive me, for I truly can't leave my post here."
"'Can't' or 'won't'?" the figure asked sternly.
"Don't question me," the host refuted as his face hardened. "You and the others always flaunt your loyalty to the cause, proving it through mentioning your frolicking across the continent throughout all these years. The nation leaders might be fools, but I know all about your shenanigans.
"I appreciate your diligence and I'll let you off just this once, since you're also relatively new. But if you dare question my motives anymore, that loyalty you hold up high won't save you. Since the day I joined, everyone who kept questioning my reasons despite my warnings hadn't lived long enough to regret it," the host said threateningly as the surrounding mana thickened and churned.
The figure palpitated as he felt the space around them tightened, threatening to crush their body.
"Forgive me. I was just asking for the sake of the cause. I didn't know better," the figure hurriedly said.
Having proven their point, the host eased his control and the churning mana returned to calmness.
Breathing a sigh of relief, the hooded figure carefully asked, "If that's your decision, so be it. However, how should I explain this to the others?"
"Beside taking care of my usual matters, just tell them that I've found a potential seedling. With some effort, he could serve greatly to the cause. It would be for the best if he could be of use for the day of reckoning. If not, he's still someone who I need to take care of regardless, either for the cause or for personal reasons."
After thinking briefly about the host's words, the figure responded, "I understand. I assume you'll be back with us before the day of reckoning?"
"Yes. I'll join you when I feel that the time is appropriate or if something urgent requires my personal involvement to take care of it."
"Very well. Then I shall return now. Thank you for your time and good luck with your endeavors," the hooded figure said as he stood up and left the room.
After the figure left, the host kept sitting there quietly as if in contemplation. Suddenly, with a sigh, he shook his head. Then his fists clenched as his eyes shined with determination.
'There's no time. No matter the difficulty, I must succeed at any cost. If the preparations don't suffice, then I fear that we'll all be heading to certain doom.'
With such thoughts in their mind, the host finally stood up and left the room.
***