Julian pondered on Alastor's words as he rushed over to his next class, realizing he was late.
After some scolding, he quickly got back in his seat, 'Ah, how are the Royals allowed to skip classes however they want?'
'Do they even have classes?'
Rietta asked, "Where did you disappear off to?"
"I was talking to Senior Alastor," Julian replied.
Rietta nodded, "I see, so it was Senior Alastor.....Wait a minute."
She realized the meaning behind his words later, "You met Senior Alastor again?! Why didn't you bring me too!?"
After some banter, as well as another scolding from the Professor, Julian's mind kept returning to Barry's disappearance.
'I keep getting this feeling, like something's off about it.... No, it's just me chasing my own shadows. I need to calm down and let the Academy handle this situation.'
As classes ended for the day, Julian banged his desk with his fist, "Alright then, it's decided. We're going to investigate Barry's disappearance ourselves!"
Nexus was reluctant at first, "Isn't that best left to those who specialize in it? Just sit back and relax."
"But what if it's too late for Barry by then?" Rietta argued in Julian's favour.
Nexus frowned, "Stop being so extra. For all we know, he ran off to his home 'cause he couldn't handle it here."
Listening to them bickering, Julian spoke up as well, "Barry wouldn't do that. He was the one who wanted to become a pillar of humanity for his mother's sake."
"Besides, I have a suspect in mind as well, but I think we should take this somewhere else."
Nexus frowned as he asked, irritated, "What? Who's your suspect that you brought us all the way out here? Illia?"
Julian shook his head as he replied, "Roland."
.
.
.
.
.
"Are you sure about that, Julian?" Rietta asked as she fidgeted with her star shaped pendant, evidently a bit incensed about Julain's suspicion of Roland.
Nexus said, "Well, I don't like the guy, but he seems to be too much of a chump to do something like this."
Rietta interrupted, "Don't insult Roland like that!"
Nexus was a bit taken aback, "What are you getting so defensive about? Is he your boyfriend or something? Got a crush on the golden chump, do you?"
Then something happened that both the men present at the scene did not expect.
Rietta blushed.
Julian thought to himself for a while before speaking, "Rietta. I think Roland was talking about you just a while back, around the other building there."
"Really?! What did he say? Tell me! Nevermind, I'm going there and finding out myself!" Rietta took off like a rocket, literally, as sparks flew from the soles of her feet.
Nexus spoke up after she disappeared, "So....we going to talk about how weird that was?"
Julian nodded, "Yeah. Up until yesterday, she didn't think much about Roland. And no suddenly, she's head over heels for him?"
'My suspicion of Roland keeps growing. But I'm still missing something...Barry went missing after training, so 8. He was seen entering the dormitory around 10:30 PM, and then reported missing the next morning. Why would he leave the dormitory so late at night?'
"For Dana."
"What?" Nexus asked, curious if Julian had turned into a lovestruck fool as well.
"Maybe, Barry didn't get kidnapped from his room. He left the dormintory at night. It explains why his room was completely free of any evidence. Why would he do that? There could be other reasons, but what if it's because Senior Dana called him?" Julian explained his hunch.
"Excrement of a bovine," Nexus said calmly.
Julian tilted his head, confused.
"Bullshit. I don't think she even knows he exists," Nexus said.
"It does seem unlikely...But it didn't have to be Senior Dana herself. Barry just needed to believe that it was Senior Dana."
Julian and Nexus continued their discussion, oblivious to the one watching them.
...............................................................................
"It does sound like a demon of Lust, perhaps around the Viscount rank if it can Charm and alter perceptions already," Alastor said as he drew a Rune of Control within a metal square, tossing it to Karna, who burnt it in.
Karna said, "I see a barrier around that Roland's room too. Specifically made to keep out prying eyes. Anyway, he's too weak to personally attack us."
Karna looked at the demon sitting on a railing, absently drawing the Rune of Control into more metal squares.
"For someone who has the most to lose in this scenario, you're oddly calm. A Third or Fourth Heaven God of Seeking will not be easy to hide from."
Alastor smiled, "Is that so? Well, I suppose it's because....."
He turned to look at where Julian and Nexus had run off to, Roland's room.
"....I discovered that I quite enjoy gardening?"
...............................................................................
Julian looked at his palm as he recoiled from Roland's door, "This confirms it. There's demonic essence in there, I can feel it. And this barrier is only confirming my decision."
Nexus shoved him aside, "Lemme see."
He began trying to undo the barrier's structure, much to Julian's surprise, "What are you doing?"
"Undoing the barrier, you downgraded donkey."
Ignoring his regularly foul language, Julian asked, "You can do that?"
Nexus replied smugly, "Considering that's what I'm doing right now, yes, I can indeed do that."
Then, a familiar voice rang out in the hallway, "Ah. I see you two couldn't wait to meet me."
Roland looked at the two calmly.
Julian felt something wash over him, before thinking, 'Why would we ever doubt Roland? He's the nicest person in the entire class. I must have been on the wrong path- NO!'
'What was that?'
Roland banged the wall, and the barrier covering his door expanded, engulfing the hallway, wrapping around Nexus and Julian as it trapped them inside.
"You know, if you two weren't so nosy, we could have been friends." Roland's smile seemed set in stone, his mouth not moving as he talked.
"What do you mean, Roland?" Julian asked cautiously, thinking of ways to keep him occupied as Nexus worked furiously to open the barrier.
Demonic essence filled the inside of the barrier.
Julian felt his body lock up once more, as he looked at the Viscount ranked demon before him.
'We're screwed.'
'Damn it, I have to keep him occupied until Nexus can open the barrier just a bit. Just enough demonic essence to trigger the Academy's alarm needs to escape!'
"The fight isn't over yet, so why are you getting distracted, Rank 1?"
Julian barely registered the words as he was sent through the wall by the demon.
Roland immediately moved to attack Nexus, when he felt something wrong. He dodged backwards, his spine non-existent, as a beam of light passed in front of him.
"Ho? What is this?"
Julian's voice could be heard, coughing and wheezing, but determined.
"This fight isn't over yet...."
He dragged himself out of the hole in the wall, bleeding from various wounds. His eyes seemed to glow in the light, as pure white sword formed beside him.
"...so why are you getting distracted, Rank 4?"