C-030: Confrontation and Partnership (Part 1)

Several minutes had passed since Ace's and Hugo's conversation, and Hugo was still shaken up from the contents of their discussion which also traced back to the favor he had previously asked Ace before the end of the second term.

"Mind if we chat for a bit?" Hugo had asked, the same scene from before the end of the second term replaying in his mind.

"No need to be so on guard. There's something I simply wish to discuss with you. Mind hearing me out?"

"You've got five minutes," answered Ace.

"Aren't you being quite harsh on me?"

"No."

"I see. I better cut to the chase then. During the next holidays after the end of the term, please keep an eye on Emilia Windsor."

"Why should I? Doesn't seem like I'll have much to gain from it. Not only that, but I find it rather strange that your request has something to do with my dormmate. Isn't that quite the coincidence?" questioned Ace with an inquisitive, almost mocking tone.

"I knew that this wouldn't be easy, so I also came prepared. How about a deal then?" suggested Hugo. "You can also decide the terms if you want."

"Why is he so insistent on it?" Ace questioned Hugo's actions with care. "But if there's something to gain from it, then…"

"Fine. But I'll do things my way. And when I'm finished, I want you to grant my wishes."

"He agreed more easily than I thought. But as this is all for the greater good…" mused Hugo internally, who was expecting that more persuasion would be necessary.

"As you wish."

"Good. We have a deal then. Now leave me alone," said Ace as he went back to his books, ignoring the chuckling Hugo who walked away into the distance.

Back to the present, "To think that what he wanted was information on Windsor and my backing," Hugo's surprise was evident from the way he held his temple stressfully. "I didn't think he had planned everything out so perfectly. Well, considering the fate that awaits him, I guess this is just a small price to pay."

"With my protection, or to be more precise, my authority, he understood that they could be helpful to him in more ways than one. My words carry a lot of influence within our current society, so there's many advantages to using my name depending on the situation. Well, we'll just have to see how things evolve from now on. I've done what I could to put the gear in motion and prepare for the future. The rest is up to him now," his thoughts raced as he stared at the ceiling with his glasses off.

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A few days later, the day when students came back to the academy for the start of the third term arrived, and anxiously, Emilia was standing in front of the door to the dorm room she shared with Ace.

"I-I'm coming in," she announced, opening the door with her keys only to find no one inside.

Without a doubt, there were signs that Ace came back to the academy earlier than her, but at the same time, she felt relieved that she didn't have to face him just yet.

She unpacked her things, carefully arranging them as a contradictory sense of peace and growing unease gripped her heart. The hours passed and there was still no sign of Ace coming back to the dorms even as the weather started getting darker.

"Why do I feel so uneasy? I should be relieved that he's still not here yet but… I can't help but be uneasy. Maybe I'm just being too paranoid? I should go out and get some fresh air," she thought, her heart racing with an unsettling feeling for no obvious reason.

Walking out the door, she was greeted by the rain that was starting to pour down harder.

"Oh yeah. I completely forgot that it was raining," she said, noticing someone approaching the dorms under an umbrella. "Who-?"

She gasped momentarily as the person under the umbrella looked upwards, their timing matching the striking thunder and lightning.

It was Ace gazing at her with his usual look as the flashing light of lightning and roaring sound of thunder made Emilia panic and remember the events she went through.

Without looking back at the door she left partially opened, she ran away. Further and further under the rain with all her might. She didn't look in what direction she was going, nor did she know where she was going. She was simply and instinctually running away from Ace without any purpose, her mind buzzing with questions.

"Why? Why am I running away? This… this is exactly like last time with big sis. Why am I doing this again? What do I hope to achieve by doing this? Someone… please... just tell me what I should."

Her mind unstable and her eyes closed, she stumbled on the ground, the rain blending in with her tears.

"I didn't expect you to run away like that," someone's feet appeared before her as an umbrella covered her head.

Looking up, the person in question was Ace. She didn't flinch. She didn't try to run away. She simply stayed there on her knees completely drenched.

"I'm guessing that you have many questions, right?" Ace bent a knee, a serious and cold expression on his face as he locked eyes with her. "But if I were to give you some advice, it'd be better to forget all of it. But of course, you're unable to."

"You're scared, aren't you? You would like that all of it was just a bad dream, but it's not. Living life as if nothing happened is impossible," he continued, his words piercing her heart like a knife.

Ace sighed, his gaze intense yet distant as Emilia's grew dark and empty from the words that came out of his mouth.

"Isabella Windsor. 12 years old and a water-attribute aspiring mage enrolled at Therion Academy. Was taken in by an underground organization that conducted live human experiments on orphans for unknown purposes. Possibility: Forced awakening of mana. The lab exploded after an explosive mana surge destroyed the entire facility, leaving her as the only survivor. Was taken in by Victoria Windsor as a result and she's been living a carefree, happy life ever since she lost her memories of the traumatic experience."

"W-why? How do you know all that?" she asked, a tone of disbelief in her voice as tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"How? I simply did some digging around that's all," he replied, his tone cold and indifferent to the person suffering before him. "Quite a nice summary I have, right?"

"But more importantly, how long do you plan to delude yourself?"