It was finally over.
The incident resolved itself quickly.
After Kayden almost waterboarded him to death, Lysander was detained.
The Knights of Everblade arrived quickly afterward. With Lysander's final decision entrusted to the hands of the royal court
His court date isn't for another week. But what he did was a capital offense, and an undeniable fate awaited him.
Most likely, death for the attempted murder of Princess Aurelia and Prince Mackenzie.
This type of news will blow up in the newspapers. It may lead to more attention on me than I wanted.
However, when all is said and done, I'll be prepared for when it comes.
August, on the other hand, separated himself from me.
It took only a day for our meetups and planning to cease. At this point, nothing would remain between the two of us.
Well, maybe not nothing, but we never became more than allies. So our relationship was set to stagnate as time went on.
After all, my side of the oath was fulfilled.
Although, August's side would persist until he would inevitably remove it. I don't intend to use it nonetheless.
My selfish decision had put us at risk. If Kayden and the headmaster had arrived any later, we'd be back where we started.
I couldn't burden that idiot any longer than I already did. August had achieved what he had needed and moved forward.
So I did as well. With Dusk at my side, my isolation became a lot less quiet.
'...Hung...ry..'
Their appetite was something unpredicted.
'Hmm? I didn't know spirits could eat?'
Dusk took physical form, swiping the dried cranberry from my hand.
'Hey! That was mine!'
Somehow, although they often were bitter, dried cranberries was becoming Dusk's favorite snack.
"Is it okay for me to sit here?"
The familiar voice was a breath of fresh air compared to the dried and boring voice of a spirit.
"Go ahead."
Kayden smiled, taking a seat across from me.
Maybe he was tired of the isolation he once created for himself. Or maybe it was his interest in my magic.
"So, Mackenzie, I was thinking if you took a spell of Nocturne and combined it with the power of your spirit..."
Never mind, I'm sure it's the latter.
'We should introduce intermediate magic to Mackenzie, I think he'll enjoy the prospects of developing new spells!'
'Nocturne is already a limited magic as it is. There isn't much intermediate magic to work from, you idiot.'
'If I'm an idiot, then you're one too!'
Ugh.
I forgot. Kayden's voice was less a breath of fresh air, and more an ocean trying to drown me.
"Aw, look at the talk of the school!"
"Trying to spend some time with a big shot, huh?"
Two senseless voices appeared behind me. It drew a bit more attention to me than I would've liked, but Kayden already did enough of that on his own.
When I turned, their two faces were the same as I remembered.
Kyle Draper and Travis Wellington.
They're two first years in the noble class of 1-B. They're also my bullies.
Mistral paid them a decent sum to demoralize, defame, and actively be an annoyance in my school life.
If anything, aside from the occasional interference from Mistral, these two were the main reasons I intended to leave the academy.
I'd gotten complacent with trying to avoid them.
But at this point, it didn't matter.
Mistral wasn't with them now.
I've faced death and lived to tell the tale. The petty threat these two presented was nothing compared to that.
I glanced over at Kayden, still lost in an argument with himself.
Thankfully, I wouldn't be needing his help against these two.
"How can I help you?" I said in a polite tone.
My uncaring smile put them off. But they continued.
"We're real hungry you see. So we were wondering if you could be so kind as to help us with that?"
Seriously? That's the best he could come up with?
The food provided for the noble class of 1-B isn't anything to scoff at.
Kyle's request was stupid.
I already knew where this was going.
"Sure, but it comes with a price, you see."
"Is the little street rat in need of some money?" Kyle inquired
"I guess we shouldn't be surprised, considering where his filthy blood comes from after all," Travis added.
Raising my hands, I replied, "Ah, no, what I'm looking for isn't money. It's a good laugh."
The two of them looked at one another. Confused about what I meant, Kyle grabbed me by the collar.
"A good laugh? Do you take us as a joke, street rat?!"
Ah, now the atmosphere wasn't good. Too many eyes were landing on us.
Kyle's action even caught the attention of Kayden. Whose gaze, let's just say was frightening enough to scare me even though I couldn't see it.
Actually, maybe this atmosphere was good. It'd keep these two away for a little while.
"Oh no, please don't hit me! I'm too fragile to tank such a mighty blow!"
I had to hold in my laughter.
My shouts grabbed the attention of the entire lunchroom.
Kyle had no idea what was going on. Focusing solely on me, he questioned my words, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
My acting is horrible, I know.
But with the power of a spirit at my disposal, my abilities far outclassed these two. My hubris was getting the better of me.
"I may be a fragile soul, though... I could say the same for your clothing..."
My words, followed by a devilish grin, pissed the confused Kyle off even more.
"I said, what nonsense are yo-?!"
"Fragility."
My hand, placed against Kyle's chest, sent a violet hue through his entire uniform.
It took a moment for Kyle to notice the outcome. Travis fearfully called out to him from behind.
"K-Kyle... your clothes are..."
The seams and threads holding his clothes together became weaker than wet paper. Falling apart and scattering across the floor, Kyle's clothes that once hid his heavyset physique were gone.
At the very least, I left him with his briefs. That sight was not something I wanted in my memory.
Kyle's eyes widened in fear and his face brightened like a tomato.
"Hahaha!"
I couldn't help but laugh at his utterly baffled expression. And I wasn't alone. The whole lunch room that watched this scene burst into laughter as well.
"Here, you go." I grabbed my plate of food, offering it to Kyle, "You seem like you desperately need it after all."
"Y-you bastard! You'll regret this!"
And just like that, he ran off, Travis following shortly behind him.
When I turned back, Kayden was staring at me strangely.
"Who were those guys?" He asked.
"Just some idiots my older brother sent to annoy me."
"I see..." His voice sounded uninterested, but his thoughts were anything but.
To spare you the unnecessary details, let's just say Kayden's inner voices were all in agreement on something. And that something in particular was not a kind gesture.
*AHEM*
"Are you excited about class advancement today?"
To tug his mind in a different direction, I brought up a new topic for conversation.
"Not exactly..."
Ah, right. I forgot Kayden's position for a moment there.
Today was the day students transitioned to the second semester.
Apprenticeship classes would finally be given out by the teachers, enabling first-year students to learn aura and magic.
Without sufficient training and a right from the gods, that right being a class, no human could wield mana or aura.
Well... there are always exceptions.
Runes were one such exception.
Since they're prepared by and charged by mages for a one-time use. An assassin like Lysander could wield Nocturne spells without the classification of mage.
Most of the students today are incredibly excited to receive their first class and learn of their elemental attribute.
However, for people like me and Kayden, today was just another day.
We've already received recognition from the gods.
Although I don't know what class he has, Kayden's ability to wield magic is more than enough.
After we finished our lunch, the two of us went to the academy's central arena. This location was chosen for its large scale.
Being the only location in the whole academy that could hold the entirety of the first-year student body. That includes both the commoner and noble class groups.
I wasn't sure what was planned out for me today. However, after that incident earlier, I only wished to be left alone.
Unfortunately for me, all that awaits me going forward is hell.