-Oriana Mengral's Point of View
"What does it say...? This... This is unexpected."
"I give you the position of director. You are the one I trust the most, more than anyone else, Oriana."
"Yes, but..."
"I only accept one yes. Tomorrow I leave the academy and you will assume the position of principal starting tomorrow, until I return."
"I understand."
"You may go. You must rest; the plans they have for the next semester will leave no rest for you or the other teachers."
"Thank you for the words."
After that, Oriana walked down the halls until she reached her office.
Her chest was rising and falling, not only because of excitement, but also because she felt nervous.
Principal Wilbek granted Oriana the position of principal.
A position that many wish for, but she was chosen.
Because she is the closest and most trusted person to Principal Wilbek.
Because of this, he offered her the position of temporary principal until he returns to the academy.
Clank.
He arrived at his office and sat down on the sofa as the darkness of the night reflected in the room. The silence was overwhelming and her heart was beating so fast it was uncontrollable.
She was excited.
Because now she was the headmistress of the academy.
"Hooo..."
She took a deep breath and let the air out, squinting her eyes.
"Oh, that's right, I was going to ask Asher something, but I guess he's asleep right now... or training? Or maybe not."
Asher would probably be doing something that Oriana really couldn't imagine.
As various thoughts crossed her mind, Oriana remembered what was planned for the last semester, which would start in three months.
It was the last semester of the year.
In the year there are four semesters divided into three months, but the last semester came early.
Because of everything that happened today, the plans are being brought forward now.
Because the last semester will be quite long, as the first year cadets will be inside a single dungeon, accompanied by several senior professors who will supervise everything.
The semester, or what is planned, is short, but will take a long time to complete.
Cause.
Because it will be about survival, training, abilities, battles, and continuous fighting inside a dungeon.
The dungeon is grade 6, although the higher ranked monsters were eliminated. Even so, the teachers will be on the lookout for anything.
So security will be tight at all times.
Oriana and several teachers will also be in the dungeon.
"Oh, Professor Bridget and Briana will also be there."
Not only them, but Lucas and other teachers will also be there to cover the rest of the dungeon.
The dungeon will be open field.
The size is so immense that you could say it is an entire continent.
The time given is six months inside the dungeon, where the cadets will face all kinds of challenges during those six months.
That's right.
At first, none of this was planned, but things changed.
Even though the teleport doors no longer work, it doesn't mean you can't enter the dungeons without them.
Because dungeons are accessible through portals and other means.
"Haaa..."
Sighing, Oriana leaned back.
She was too exhausted.
Tomorrow was the announcement that Headmaster Wilbek was leaving the academy due to urgent matters and the new headmaster, who would be Oriana, would also be announced.
She soon closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
***
-Scene change
-Freddy Siegfried's point of view
"Haaa.... Haaa.... Haaa..."
He was breathing rapidly as his chest rose and fell from all he had absorbed.
Finally.
"I am now... a second circle..."
Not only that, he was at the top of the second circle.
That meant he was close to the third circle.
Thanks to the elemental stone, this was incredible, something more unexpected than Freddy had anticipated.
Because now he is close to the third circle and even has complete mastery of his affinities.
It was four o'clock in the morning.
He had been absorbing the elemental stone for a long time.
The hours felt like days, and the hunger in Freddy was such that he quickly left his room and headed for the cafeteria.
However.
He saw Asher, who was sitting there drinking coffee.
"I thought no one was there."
"Oh, hi Freddy, why are you here?"
"Well, as you'll see, I'm a second circle now, and I was hungry because my training was longer than I thought."
"..."
"You're close to the third circle.... What was it that you trained?"
Asher looked curiously at Freddy.
Because it was unexpected to see him in the second circle, and even at the peak of a second circle's capacity, being so close to the third circle.
Because of this, a question arose.
How did Freddy get to that level so quickly, if more than twelve hours ago he was a first circle at the top?
It was then that Freddy answered without hiding it.
"I got an elemental stone in the dungeon yesterday."
"Oh."
As if his words were surprising, Asher's eyes widened slightly, though he didn't show too much surprise.
Because he knew what the elemental stone was and what it did.
"That's why."
"Yes."
"You're lucky, the elemental stone doesn't work on me."
"Why doesn't it work?"
"Because my affinity is not elemental."
It's true.
Affinities that are not elemental don't work with the elemental stone.
Because, first of all, its name 'elemental' has a meaning.
Asher, who is a dark wizard, is not an elemental wizard.
Freddy, in this case, has elements such as ice, among others.
It is the same with other mages who have elemental affinities.
Freddy took a seat and sat across from Asher as they both continued talking.
"By the way, what's with that box?"
He looked at a black box on the right side of the table Asher was holding.
"A gift."
"..."
A gift.
"May I ask from whom?"
"I don't know."
Quick answer.
Asher didn't know who it was from either.
Because the mystery woman is completely unknown to him and, therefore, he didn't know exactly.
True, he had not yet seen what the box contained, because the mana inside it was immense, as if there was something of great value inside, but Asher refrained from opening it for the moment and would wait until tomorrow.
Because tomorrow was Sunday, it was not yet the end of this week.
"Well, then... You don't know who gave it to you?"
"No."
Freddy put his hand to his forehead.
Because it was something... stupid.
In a sense, it was kind of absurd, because if you get something as a gift, it means you should know who it was.
"Forget it."
***
-Scene change
-Asher Frostblade's point of view.
Asher was immersed in his thoughts.
Trying to assimilate what happened a few hours ago.
Because now he had a clue about the mystery woman.
It was true that the mystery woman's voice always sounded like she changed it just to talk to him.
That's why there were no clues.
Because he could recognize the woman's voice and know who she was. However...
"She definitely changes her voice when she's looking for me."
Because it was obvious when someone changes their voice.
It's not always perfect.
Earlier, Asher had noticed something.
"Her voice sounded a little different than before."
Because of this detail, he knew his voice wasn't the original, but that didn't matter now.
Because he got a picture in his head of the mystery woman's hand: every detail, fingernails and marks on her hand were etched in his mind.
It was a clue.
A big clue, because he could check the hands of all the female teachers and thus discover the identity of the mystery woman.
Once he knew who she was, he would try to look for information about her.
Because that woman wanted something from Asher, and so he also needed to know everything about her.
However.
"At the moment there is nothing."
Still, it was the first step to discovering her identity.
Looking at Freddy, Asher had sensed a rather high mana in him.
Not only that.
For he also sensed a new mana coming from Freddy, though it was quite faint, he felt it.
To be precise, Freddy... now had a new affinity.
"So... it's possible to awaken one more affinity."
Before it was just guesswork.
Now it was confirmed.
But looking at Freddy, it seemed like he didn't realize it.
After all, that other mana was very weak, but Asher sensed it.
He knew it was a new affinity that Freddy had just awakened a few minutes ago, because he didn't feel it before, but now he did.
Because of this, the new question was.
"What affinity have you awakened?"
The others will also awaken a new affinity.
Asher, however, wondered this.
He might also awaken a second affinity.
If that's the case...
"It would be good if he awakened a unique affinity."
For, indeed, the affinity for darkness was inherited from Encrid.
In his words.
The darkness affinity cannot be awakened by anyone else, because it is an affinity that is only inherited from the original possessor, which is Encrid.
Bottom line.
Encrid and Asher are the only ones who have had the darkness affinity.
While Encrid studied it and created special spells for this affinity, Asher is slowly inheriting it from him.
"I guess I should wait."
He wasn't sure if he would actually awaken an affinity, only time would tell.
"Hey, aren't you going to see what's in the box?"
Freddy's question snapped Asher out of his thoughts, and he quickly looked at the box.
Because it was true.
It was time to see what was in the box, but....
"Later."
Freddy was here, and whatever was inside the box could be something personal.
He wasn't sure, but he thought it would be something like that.....