"Did you put medals around the victors' necks already? While the students here were dealing with a crisis…"
Maya couldn't get used to the playful priestess being serious, let alone her being openly scornful toward the Headmistress whose arrival was late.
"Being out in the fresh air must've made you forget your place for a moment, Lady Kiana. Please remember you are a mere canon I point at the academy's enemies. Without my command, you wouldn't even be here to form such unnecessary thoughts."
'Those two didn't seem to have a good relationship.'
Maya found it absurd someone with the title of a High Priestess was inferior to a mere Headmistress in this world. However, she had to keep in mind that, here, priestesses were simply a band of powerful mages who were not particularly divine. And Amanda wasn't just a Headmistress, but also a Rectoress.
The Headmistress took over the command of the evacuation as soon as she had arrived and was listening to the recounts of events from the guards who were present.
As they grouped students to make a head count, Maya heard whispers among the students.
"Weren't these creatures the responsibility of Hunters?"
There she found her knowledge of this world still lacking. It seems these creatures aren't something new and the Hunters were the ones who would take care of them. It wasn't a sign of the world breaking, but something that would usually be taken care of outside of everyone's sight. That's why she was now listening to complaints about Hunters being gone.
While a group of students were rudely condemning the dead for dying, Maya's gaze coincidentally shifted toward Elena where she found something unexpected. It was given since she just had a close brush with death earlier, but it was still strange seeing the usually-brimming-with-confidence and no-worries Elena turn withdrawn.
The evacuation went on without a hitch despite dark catching up to them. It was difficult to navigate the forest in those circumstances, especially since only guards and escorts had lights, but what surprised Maya the most was the uneventfulness of these supposedly dangerous woods at night.
Everyone was alert, but there weren't even signs of wild animals around. If anything it was strangely beautiful. The clear night sky peeking through the canopies was surreal. Maya had never seen so many stars plastered across the sky canvas that it made her wonder if Mellgrah had more stars than the world she used to know.
It wasn't all good news. After they returned to the academy and met up with the groups from the other stands that avoided this terrible incident, they learned that there were some students not accounted for. Some of the students who fled from the Water stand never made it to the other ones. It was terrible news, but right now there couldn't be a search organized.
"Ah! Elena, I heard you almost died," Adam met up with them, going straight toward Elena.
It was appreciated he worried about the one who was in the most danger, but he still received some strange looks from the rest of the squad. Even impassive Elena was caught off guard and raised an eyebrow.
Isaac who kept his distance, scoffed and left.
Before anyone could comment, Keith who also just made his way toward them and witnessed this, put his arm around Elena, leading her away while shooting a glare at Adam. They were gone without a word.
Adam was stunned. "Is no one worried about her?" he questioned under their strange looks.
"Um… I think I'm going to get washed right now," Andrea grabbed Linda's arm and dragged her away, letting Maya and Adam have some time alone.
Maya was still a little stunned. Was she wrong to assume he would check on her first since she was the one he asked on a date?
"You heard what happened?"
"Bits here and there. Would you share the whole story with me?"
"I… Um…" Maya was so overtaken by her insecurities that she had trouble forming sentences.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Adam grabbed Maya's hand.
It surprised her again. When she looked back into his eyes, she saw all he was concerned about right now was her.
"Since we'll have to postpone our date tomorrow because of the celebration, would you like to go for a drink right now?"
Maya hesitated. It was nice he was so occupied with her, but it was late and she was tired. Besides, all she wanted was to take a long warm bath and wash away the sweat and soreness from the day. She even retracted from him in fear she smelled.
"Let's talk tomorrow."
🜺🜺🜺🜺
Instead of revelling in the tragedy, the authorities decided to organize a celebration in honour of the ones who exhibited bravery in the face of the adversary. And there were the winners of the relay race too. Since the students were quite shaken by the chain of unpleasant events ever since the school started, it was a good thing to focus on the positive.
This time, it paid out to act. In the light of a crisis, for the great display of courage, the students who contributed were all rewarded with merit points. That included Maya and her squad among the freshman students. All five of them, including Isaac, were called up to the stage to be congratulated by the High Priestess Kiana who personally shook their hands.
Muna, the senior who led the contestants of the race in the fight against the harrowing creature was especially praised. Even receiving an artefact as a reward. However, she arrived wrapped in bandages and her arm tied up in a brace — the result of her being severely injured during the feat.
Additionally, despite being celebrated, she was quite angry too. As it turns out, Muna was Tachte-tu team captain and was quite passionate about it. It explained how she was able to quickly organise a group of random students at her disposal. But her injuries made her worried because she may not be able to recover in time for the national competition.
The artefact was even better than what race winners were rewarded. Keith's team won an infinite pen, that works on fire magic, each. It was a neat item, but it was nothing compared to the Airstone, a ring with a special stone that increases your magical output in the air element that Muna received for her contributions. Unfortunately, its use was forbidden in magical competitions.
The celebration wasn't too extravagant, but it provided a welcome break from the recent series of unfortunate events. Being displayed with such honour, Maya and her friends were the focal point of attention. Maya found herself surrounded by curious glances and enthusiastic whispers. Among the fact she was a rare quadripartite, the positive acknowledgement from the High Priestess had its consequences — she was now a subject of interest among her peers.
As she rejoined her friends at their table, she couldn't help but notice Hailey, one of her past bullies, stealing glances at her. A wry smile played on Maya's lips.
'If she knew I would rise like this I wonder if she would still have been mean to me in the past.'
For a moment, Maya allowed herself to indulge in the satisfaction of having overcome that problem before sitting down at the guests of honour table alongside the winners of the competition. This was where she felt a different tension of unaddressed events lingering. However, it seemed she was alone in that feeling.
Isaac, seated nearby, seemed preoccupied. Despite the festive atmosphere, Maya felt a hint of frustration at Elena's apparent lack of concern about the recent happenings. It seemed Elena's way of dealing with the unwanted attention was to occupy herself with food.
Elena, with her characteristic nonchalance, continued to devour her meal, seemingly oblivious to the stares she attracted. Maya decided to sit beside Isaac, attempting to bridge the unspoken gap.
"So, um, about what happened earlier…" Maya started tentatively, searching for words to break the awkward silence.
Isaac looked at her, his expression a mix of uncertainty and guarded emotions. "Maya… Let's just move on."
"Isaac, it's not that simple. We need to talk about it."
"She doesn't seem to care," Isaac pointed at Elena relishing in a juicy stake, "So why do you?"
"Elena! Please say something."
Elena rolled her eyes. "What's there to say? We survived. End of story."
Maya sighed, realizing that getting through to Elena might be more challenging than facing the recent crisis. Despite Elena's resilience, Maya sensed a layer of vulnerability beneath the surface.
One of Keith's friends, a senior with a mischievous grin, remarked, "Your girlfriend sure has a good appetite."
Keith chuckled, adding an ambiguous tone, "Yeah, she can eat, but it never shows."
There were envious exhales from some onlookers. Many people have noticed that she consumes an ungodly amount of food but never gains any weight. But Elena shot Keith a look that made it clear she didn't consider it a compliment — apparently, he meant something else entirely.
"Hehe, you wish it went to certain places, right?" the senior patted him on the shoulder.
Keith's comment sparked a playful banter. Andrea giggled at the joke.
Linda's eyes narrowed at Keith. "I don't see where she's lacking. " The quiet girl's comment surprised everyone.
"Ah, of course, since you empathize."
For the first time ever, Maya saw kind Linda make a displeasing face.
'What was the subject? Wait… Was he perhaps talking about…'
"Keith, don't extend your bad standards to my friends," Elena said with a stern tone, her eyes piercing him with reproach. The atmosphere was permeated with a strange chill.
Andrea's expression seemed a little concerned. "Um, Elena. It's not like he means it. He was just making jokes," she interjected, trying to diffuse the tension.
Keith, aware of Elena's social challenges, sighed. "That's right, babe. It was only a joke." He tenderly pulled her closer and kissed her on the scalp. "I'm sorry Linda if we have offended you. These are just friendly banters."