Oliver scanned the scene once more from his elevated vantage point, his sharp eyes gliding over the faces of the contestants gathered below. He wasn't particularly familiar with many of them, but there were a few he had come across in the past. His thoughts raced as he mentally ticked off names, making sure he didn't overlook anyone he had encountered before.
"Alice, Rosa, Sandra, Lesley… I've fought them all before. Then there's Chris and Enola, whom I've yet to meet in battle," he mused to himself, nodding slightly.
The rest of the faces were unknown to him. "Most of them aren't people I'll be crossing paths with today anyway," he concluded, pushing the thought aside.
As if on cue, Enola approached him with a warm smile, extending a greeting. Oliver returned the gesture with a polite nod and a brief smile, the corners of his lips lifting just enough to acknowledge her. He was always courteous, even if his mind was often elsewhere.
Her powers, granted by the Sun Goddess, made him especially formidable during the day, a fact that seemed almost ironic given his nocturnal nature. He preferred to move and operate in the shadows of the night, a contrast that had become the subject of many jokes among his peers.
"If only Enola and Chris could switch blessings," they'd tease. "She thrives at night but is only blessed during the day, and you thrive during the day but prefer the night." The irony wasn't lost on him, and he would often chuckle along, though it was a bitter kind of humor.
As the sun began to dip lower in the sky, signaling the approach of dusk, Oliver noticed a figure sidling up to him cautiously. It was one of his companions, clearly nervous. "What's going on?" Oliver asked, his tone steady but laced with curiosity.
The Chris in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I need to tell you something," he began, glancing around as if the words might carry further than intended. What followed was a retelling of something the vice-Principal had shared earlier, details of the journey ahead. However, there was no mention of the dean's involvement or the shadowy figure of the Black Crow lurking behind the scenes.
Oliver rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Seriously? It took you a whole month to figure that out?" He was unimpressed by the information. "What a headache," he muttered under his breath.
Chris sighed, nodding in agreement. "It's frustrating, I know. Especially with the holidays coming up in just two weeks. I haven't been back home in half a year, I wonder how things are now." There was a trace of longing in his voice, a reminder of the normal life they all had left behind.
Oliver could relate. He hadn't planned on visiting his hometown either, but as time passed, the faces of his old friends seemed to grow more distant and unfamiliar in his memory. "I hope I'm just imagining things," he thought to himself, shaking off the uneasy feeling.
"Are you worried?" he asked, catching the flicker of concern in Oliver's expression.
"A little," Oliver admitted. "I'm just wondering if the three-day travel time includes any rest. It doesn't seem practical otherwise."
Chris eyes widened. "Don't scare me like that! I only packed enough medicine for six days, there and back!" He looked genuinely distressed at the thought. Daytime travel always made him groggy, and the idea of an extended journey without adequate provisions sent a shiver down his spine.
Oliver chuckled and patted the small pouch slung over his shoulder. "Relax, I've got plenty," he reassured him. "It's not just medicine in here, either. Everyone's carrying some extra supplies, just in case."
The small bags were a discreet necessity among the students. While the wealthier ones could afford storage tools to carry their essentials, most of the others, like Oliver, opted for simple pouches. The teachers knew they were bringing more than they were supposed to, but chose to turn a blind eye. After all, this was the first batch of students to embark on such a journey, and everyone was learning as they went.
Oliver chuckled to himself, remembering the sight of one particularly ambitious student who had brought a bag so enormous that the teachers' faces twitched with barely suppressed irritation. But they said nothing, these were, after all, the students they had worked so hard to train, and they couldn't blame them for being overly prepared.
As the preparations continued, the vice-Principal appeared, signaling the group to get ready. "Is everyone here?" he asked, glancing at the teacher responsible for roll call.
"Yes, sir. We're all accounted for," the teacher confirmed.
"Good. You may depart," the vice-Principal said, nodding in approval. With that, the group began boarding the carriages that had been prepared for them.
Though they were called carriages, they were really just small wooden carts, open to the sky and pulled by two sturdy horses. Students quickly grouped up, sitting with familiar faces. There were only two exceptions: one student who had been carrying an oversized package from the start, and Rosa, who had chosen to ride with the teachers. She sat there with a beaming smile, her demeanor as light and carefree as if she were heading out on a holiday rather than an uncertain expedition.
Oliver's brow furrowed. Rosa's behavior was odd. He glanced around the ground, then looked up again, scanning the horizon. His sharp eyes caught sight of a figure lurking a few hundred meters away, crouched by a tree. The man's eyes were fixed on Rosa, watching her intently.
Oliver's frown deepened. Something didn't feel right.
Oliver closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, placing a medicine on his tongue. The coolness of it spread across his mouth, soothing him. His body relaxed as he leaned back in the cart, letting the gentle movement of the ride lull him. Around him, the atmosphere was a mix of tension and ease, with some looking more comfortable than others.
Enola sat to his right, her face drained of color, perhaps from nerves or fear of what lay ahead. She seemed lost in her thoughts, eyes unfocused as the sunlight fell on her pale skin. On the other side was Chris, full of energy as usual, fidgeting slightly in his seat, clearly restless from the lack of activity. In front of them sat Lesley and Sandra, huddled close together, exchanging quiet smiles that spoke of a bond deeper than friendship. Their closeness was evident to anyone who glanced their way, and their hands occasionally brushed together, a silent confirmation of the connection between them.
Alice, whom they'd seen earlier, wasn't with them. She was in another cart, riding with her own class, leaving their small group to their own devices.
The afternoon sun was warm against Oliver's face, and a gentle breeze from the moving cart added to the pleasant sensation. It was an almost perfect moment, one he could savor. He knew, though, that once they left the city gates, the journey would become much less comfortable for most of the others.
As for him, Oliver had been through worse. Unless the ride became severely bumpy or his magic power drained him to the point of dizziness, he could handle the jolts and rattles of the cart with ease. He had endured more difficult rides in the past, this was nothing in comparison.
Suddenly, Chris broke the silence, unable to contain his restlessness any longer. "Why don't we chat?" he suggested, looking around at the others with a grin.
Lesley and Sandra exchanged amused glances and nodded. "Sure," they agreed in unison, their voices light.
Oliver shrugged. "Alright, why not?" He wasn't one to initiate conversation often, but the idea of talking seemed better than sitting in silence for hours.
And so, the four of them began to chat. The conversation drifted from topic to topic, mostly light-hearted and mundane. Chris regaled them with stories from recent training sessions, and Lesley chimed in with a tale of how someone in the dorms had once cried out in the middle of the night, complaining about their hair falling out. Another story followed about a student who, exhausted after a long day, had walked into the wrong room and collapsed on someone else's bed, much to everyone's amusement.
The stories were small, insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but laughter bubbled up nonetheless. Even Oliver found himself smiling, though he cast a glance at Enola, who remained silent and distant, her mind elsewhere.
After a moment of thought, Oliver reached into his pouch and pulled out a specially made cooling medicine. "Here," he said, holding it out to Enola. She blinked, surprised, and took it hesitantly, placing it in her mouth.
Immediately, her eyes flew open wide, her body jolting as the sudden rush of cold hit her senses. She leaned back against the wooden cart, dazed and blinking rapidly, clearly stunned by the intensity of the medicine's effect. Oliver chuckled softly at her reaction but said nothing, letting her recover at her own pace.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group continued to chat, their laughter drawing attention from nearby carts. Oliver could feel the curious gazes of others starting to focus on them, and he quickly raised a hand to halt the conversation. "Alright, alright. Let's stop before we turn into a spectacle," he said, his tone light but firm.
"Fair enough," Chris agreed, noticing the stares as well. Lesley and Sandra nodded, their laughter tapering off.
"So… what should we talk about next?" Sandra asked after a brief pause, looking between the group.
Everyone fell silent, lost in thought for a moment. Then, Chris's face lit up. "Hey, how about we talk about our destination? The city we're heading to."
"The city?" Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, you know… where we're supposed to be going."
Lesley tilted her head thoughtfully. "What's its name again?"
Sandra frowned, scratching his chin. "Funny thing, I don't think it has one."
"Wait, what?" Chris looked baffled. "How can a city not have a name?"
"It's rare, but it happens," Lesley explained. "Apparently, if a place loses something it was once known for, like a specialty or a unique resource, the royal family can strip it of its name as a form of punishment. Kind of like a warning."
"That's… strange," Chris muttered, shaking his head. "I've never heard of that before."
"Neither had I, until recently," Lesley admitted. "But that's the case with where we're headed."
The conversation took a more thoughtful turn then, each of them pondering the strangeness of their destination. It seemed fitting, in a way, for a group of students embarking on their first real journey outside the city walls. A nameless city awaited them, shrouded in mystery and uncertainty.
"So, what do you guys plan to do after this?" Lesley asked, changing the subject again, her eyes curious.
Chris sighed and leaned back. "Honestly, I have no clue. My father never really placed any expectations on me, which sounds nice, but it leaves me feeling pretty lost. I could do anything… or nothing."
Oliver nodded in agreement. "I haven't really given it much thought either. I'm just taking things as they come."
Sandra smiled softly, glancing at Lesley beside him. "As for me, I think I'd like to open a flower shop with her. Sell flowers, maybe arrange them for festivals. It's simple, but my family wouldn't mind as long as I'm around and accounted for."
Lesley blushed lightly but smiled warmly in return. "Yeah, a flower shop sounds nice."
As the group continued to talk, their laughter and camaraderie filled the cart, with only Enola still sitting quietly, the cold medicine slowly wearing off. For a moment, despite the unknown challenges ahead, it almost felt like they were just a group of friends on a simple outing, savoring the last bit of peace before the real journey began.