Chapter 102

Eating my lunch with everyone and chatting, my eyes repeatedly kept drifting to the clock tower to track the time. I wanted to leave before the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, since I needed to get back to the lockers before anyone else did to grab my backpack.

Excusing myself, saying I needed to do something, I then said, “See you tomorrow,” and left.

I made my way to the locker room and to the locker where I had stored my backpack. After opening the lock with my key, I grabbed my backpack to—what? Why does it feel noticeably—no, completely—lighter than it usually was, like it was completely empty?

Quickly putting it down, I use my right hand to touch its side and find that nothing is in it, as far as I can feel. To make sure, I open my backpack to see that nothing is there.

Who the hell stole my work?

Snapping my head to look at my surroundings, I tried to check if the person who stole my stuff was here somewhere, but I didn’t pick up any presence or gaze around me.

Dammit.

I already guessed who did it, but I didn’t expect this. I thought I was careful, but I guess not, and I had underestimated them.

All of my work, my classwork, homework, review sheets, notes, and essays, was gone.

Quickly, I got out of the locker room and made my way to the front of the building because Alice should be coming back from her manor right about now. Since we have a really long lunch break, Alice usually uses that time to go back to her office to continue her work.

I stood to the side of the entrance, looking for her carriage among the many carriages dropping off the students who left the campus to eat lunch outside.

There I saw her carriage, and I then saw Alice a bit away, walking back to the entrance, where I was.

Not wanting to attract attention to myself, I didn’t call out for her and just stood there till she noticed me.

After waiting a bit and hearing the bell ring to signal that lunchtime had ended, she noticed me standing to the side. We locked eyes but didn’t say a word, then I proceeded to walk inside.

Alice and I don’t really interact with each other very much at school to put up the act that I was subservient to her, but now, what I did was a signal for us to talk.

Walking inside, just slow enough for Alice to quickly follow along, I led to a reasonably secluded private bathroom that people don’t normally go to.

Thereafter, Alice came in and locked the door behind her; she asked what was wrong, worried that something bad had happened.

To alleviate her concern, I quickly responded, “Nothing really bad involving the whole thing, but it's a separate issue.”

Relieved to hear that, she asked, “That is good to hear, so what is it that you need me for?”

“Can I borrow a pen and some blank sheets of paper?”

Saying that, Alice looked at me questioningly, wondering why, but she did what I asked as I went on to tell her about the lockers and how somebody had somehow broken into the one I was using and taken everything from my backpack.

“Is it those three again? I didn’t think that they would be so bold.”

Sighing at Alice's mention of those three, I said. “Probably, most likely, but I don’t know.”

“I see, then here, Rita.”

Taking out the thing I asked her for from her own backpack, she was holding it and putting it into mine. Given I only have one usable arm, I couldn't help but let out a complaint.

“Man… today is really going to be a pain.”

Alice looked at me with a wry smile as I said that and didn’t say much after.

Well… at least on the bright side, one bothersome thing has been resolved, given that if I hadn't gotten some school supplies from Alice, it would be really noticeable that I was the only one who didn’t have anything on my desk, which likely all of my teachers are going to notice, and they are going to ask about, probably with a short and meaningless scolding that is a cover to berate me.

Saying thanks to Alice for giving some of her stuff, I left for my classroom first, followed by Alice shortly after, and nobody seemed to notice that Alice and I were in the same bathroom together, fortunately.

Sitting back at my desk in my classroom, I saw a certain group of three, Elara, Mirelle, and Verena, had smirks across their faces as I came in.

Reading them, they were definitely the ones who did it; no, they got somebody else to do it for them, but they were definitely the ones who threw everything in my backpack out somewhere while I was away eating lunch.

When I wished they’d do something more interesting than verbal harassment, this wasn’t what I had in mind.

Now, I am putting a stop to it before any more of their antics continue, permanently, because before it was just annoying, maybe mildly amusing, but now, they have actually done something that made me mad.

I continued to look out the window till the teacher came, seething with indignation. All the work that I have been doing was all gone just like that. I am going to have to redo everything, but the more immediate concern is dealing with my teacher, which is a whole other pain entirely.

Once all my classes were over, which was only three classes, before heading back home, I had to go around the building to each of my teachers’ offices to ask for copies of the homework and extensions on ones that were supposed to be due today. Along the way, I received a lecture from every single one of them that reprimanded me for being careless, with snide remarks mixed in on how incompetent I was because I didn’t have any magical powers.

God, by the end of it, I was so freaking done with their incessant nagging that I just tuned everything out till I got what I needed.

Leaving the last teacher I needed to see for today, I quickly made my way to Alice, who was waiting to close for an hour and a half for me.

“Sorry for the wait.”

“It’s no problem at all. Do you have everything you need?”

“Yeah.”

“That is good to hear. If you need any help, let me know, and I'll try my best to help when I can.”

“Well, if you don’t mind, can I borrow your notes?”

Even though we were in separate classes within the same year level, we still shared most of the same teachers, which was kind of a load off my back from the work I had to do for today, granted, given that it was the beginning of the school year, we were covering basic stuff, things I am more than ready to learn with all the private tutors I’d have before I ran away.

“Sure.”

Riding back to Alice’s manor, Clare was a bit distressed that we came back so late, but I explained everything to her, and let's just say, she wasn’t too pleased upon hearing everything that had happened.

I also told her that I already have a plan to deal with them because I wasn’t too sure what she was going to do to them if I didn’t stop her, probably involving fire… yeah… definitely involves a lot of fire.

Anyways, going to my room, I asked Clare to get me some stamina potions, then immediately started redoing all of my homework, rewriting my essay, remaking my notes, etc., because this is going to be a long day, one that I don’t think is enough, where I think I need to pull an all-nighter to complete it all.

The sun set, and I carried on with my work, skipping even my daily bath that usually melted away the fatigue I accumulated throughout the day.

Clare helped by fetching supplies and bringing me snacks to make up for skipping dinner, keeping my spirits up, and stopping me from tearing my hair out with all the work I had to do.

Eventually, when I finally let out a yawn, feeling tired and sleepy, it was already close to midnight. I reached for a stamina potion, uncorked it, and chugged down the familiar and nostalgic-tasting liquid.

It helped me power through the night, and by the time the sun rose with an additional two more stamina potions set aside on the table, I was nearly done with everything that needed my immediate attention.

Clare, who had also stayed up all night to help me, looked just as tired as I was, which I pointed out as I put my pen down, finishing the last sentence of my essay.

“Clare, please go to bed after I leave for school.”

“I will, my lady; however, I ask you not to go to school today and have someone else submit your schoolwork instead.”

Shaking my head tiredly, I said. “I can’t really do that; I already have too many absences, and frankly, I find it much too troublesome to be lectured by my teachers for missing a single day than just going today, even though I haven’t slept all night.”

After saying that, Clare nodded at my answer, accepting it as I got up from my chair and stretched, then took a quick bath, though I did not have enough time to enjoy any of it, just to clean myself and help me wake up.

Helping me dry my hair and put on my school uniform, Clare brought me breakfast and more stamina potions that I had specifically requested.

Taking half a dozen potions and putting them into my backpack, I then said, “See you later,” at the entrance, inside the carriage with Alice.

Alice, seeing the bags under my eyes, asked if I was sure about going to school today, to which I answered back, similar to what I answered Clare, that sleep deprivation was much less troublesome than having to explain myself and deal with my teachers. Plus, I told her I just drank a stamina potion earlier and had more in my backpack just in case I felt tired, which caused Alice to make a concerned expression, like someone familiar from my past life.

Reaching toward the Royal Academy and then walking to my classroom, I get the usual looks as I enter and take my seat at my desk.

The day went as usual, and when it was lunch, after I got what I usually get, I went up to the roof. This time I took my backpack with me, so none of my things would get stolen this time.

I ate with Aria, Edwen, Serell, and Isaac, hanging out with them, though I didn’t see my brother with them.

Right now, we are talking about Serell’s current projects, which involve testing out the use of magical catalysis, like ground-up monster parts, to make magic circles to give casters a much faster casting time.

“Hmm… won’t that make the runes in the magic circles only last for several uses before they break?”

Asking that, I'm a bit curious because, knowing a bit about magical circles myself, from my time making my own magic circles with Mila, most people would prefer to just engrave the magic circle into a highly mana-conductive material than make the magic circle out of said material, for that reason and a bunch of others as well.

A bit surprised by my question, like he wasn’t expecting me to say it, he adjusted his glasses and answered.

“Well, yes, that is the whole point of it, to make it disposable.”

“Disposable… huh, that is certainly interesting. So, did you figure out a way to evenly distribute the mana flow?”

Another reason people typically avoid this is that, since it’s ground into powder, the mana conductivity is inconsistent. This is because the powder is made from unused monster parts that are usually discarded, which also makes the conductivity less efficient.

“Yes, actually,”

“This is a guess, but did you mix the powder into a liquid that is highly concentrated with mana?”

Seemingly very amused by my knowledge of the subject, I sense I might have piqued his intellectual curiosity.

“No, actually, we are using a different method, which is to use different kinds of ground-up monster powders depending on each of the components of the magical circle, depending on importance.”

Then, placing his finger on his chin in a thinking pose, “However, that does sound like an interesting proposal and is worth looking into. How about this? Why don’t you come over to my lab after school? I want to discuss it further.”

Hearing Serell’s request, which was kind of surprising for me to hear, Aria made a comment.

“My, it seems like you're getting along with Blake quite well, Serell.”

Hearing that, a faint blush spread across Serell’s face, completely flustered by her words. He turned away to collect himself, then resumed speaking to me as he normally would.

“It’s not like that; he just made a suggestion that I haven't thought of yet. It’s only natural for me to do so as a researcher.”

“Oh, I see, but unfortunately, I can’t because I’m swamped with schoolwork that Rita had missed for the foreseeable future, plus the exams after it.”

I’ve got roughly one and a half weeks of unending work left to make up, followed by exams the week after that, and once all that is done, I can finally relax.

We continued to talk till the bell rang. I said goodbye and told them I’d see them tomorrow as I left, going down the stairs, back to my classroom.

However, halfway to getting back, I was stopped by the usual group of three.

"My, my, from what we heard, it seems like you are continuing to be a bother to everyone."

“Carelessly losing all the work they have graciously given you to make up for the fact that you choose to miss all their lectures.”

“Truly, I wonder if you have no shame, though I would say you have none at all after you’ve chosen not to fall with any dignity and grace.”

Speaking in order, Elara spoke first, then Mirelle, and finally Verena, all but confirming that it was they who threw out all of my stuff in my backpack.

Oh, great, what do they want now?

Choosing not to respond, which causes them to smirk, thinking that I was trying not to be goaded by their word, causing Elara to step forward, all confident-like.

“For that reason, to ensure you don’t trouble them, hand over your bag.”

Really, now, how bold of them. They really have gotten confident after yesterday, but I wonder how I should handle it?

Given that they goddamn threw all of my stuff out in the trash, forcing me to pull an all-nighter to redo everything, maybe scaring them by letting out my bloodlust would do.

No, that would cause unnecessary complications in my plans to be rid of them for good, since I don’t want them to be scared of me; I need the opposite to happen.

So, taking a step back, I made a break for it, choosing to take a different route to my classroom. However, I need to lose them first.

“Huh?... Hey, wait! Get back here!”

Looking back, as Elara said that, she was the first to run after me after being stunned by my unexpected action, followed by Mirelle and Verena, who trailed after her.

Making a sharp turn toward a stairwell, I checked that no one was below, since I was wearing a skirt, and jumped down the railing, landing on the next set of railings for the next couple of flights before dashing out of the stairwell on the first floor.

Hearing them shout, wondering where I went, and then deciding not to follow me since class was nearly starting, after they realized that they had lost me, I let out a relieved breath.

Putting my backpack down, I reach inside, take out a stamina potion, uncork it, and drink all of it in one gulp.

Taking another breath, man, that was troublesome. I already feel tired of dealing with them. I—

“Ahem.”

Hearing the cough, I jerked my head toward the person who did that and saw a guy with grey hair and green eyes, dressed in a male student uniform.

“Ms. Rita, I believe?”

Cautiously, I responded, “Yes, I am Rita; there’s no need for formality…” Trying to remember his face, from the list of noblemen I remember, I believe his name was Patrick.

“Patrick Aftrell, is that right?”

I waited for what he was going to say next while reading his thoughts to get a reason why he would want to talk to me of all people, since I definitely doubt he saw me jump down the stairs.

However, I instantly grew weary of him. Who the hell is this guy? I couldn’t sense what he was thinking at all, making me even more suspicious of the reason why he would approach me like this.

“Yes, that is correct. Excuse me for intruding—I don’t mean to pry—but I can’t help asking that you get some proper sleep instead of resorting to such things.”

Pointing at the empty stamina potion in my hand, he scratched his cheek awkwardly, saying that.

“Oh, this… I had to do quite a lot of work yesterday. It left me no time to sleep. If that troubles you, then I apologize.”

Still cautious of him, so this was what it was about… strange.

“There's no need; it should be I who apologizes, given your circumstances.”

“I see.”

“Umm… Alright, if you would excuse me, I don’t want to be late for class now, and you shouldn’t either.”

Nodding to his words, I watch him walk up the stairs as I hold the empty stamina potion in my right hand.

Eric’s perspective

Eric walked home, passing by many shops and stores he used to frequent.

Given his family's situation, he was unable to afford a personal carriage for himself because his father deemed it unnecessary; that was why Eric had to walk home alone.

Fortunately for Eric, it wasn’t too long a walk, about an hour, if he chose to take it slowly, which he often did because of the thoughts troubling his mind.

The thought that occupied his mind the most was his younger sister, Rita, toward whom resentment always surfaced, to the point that he couldn’t think clearly.

Every time he would think about how to help his father, or at least find a way to solve the situation his family was in, it would all lead back to Rita, his sister.

If it weren’t for her, none of it would be happening. It started off with those thoughts, which eventually turned much darker as he continued.

Why couldn’t she have died when she had run away? At least then, Father might have used it to keep everything from falling apart.

No, if she hadn’t been born, Father would not be suffering right now, and Mother wouldn’t have left us.

These were thoughts Eric had been unable to stop thinking of, no matter how much he tried to push them aside each time he was alone with his thoughts.

Stopping once he reached the gate, which had only one guard with a mask that covered his face, he greeted Eric with the respect he used to be treated with.

He walked through the gate and into the somewhat unkempt, overgrown garden, which had been barely maintained over the past week since the caretaker left.

Now, his head had cooled off, and he was thinking about his sister too much; a pair of maids waited for him.

Both of them looked alike since they were twins and around the same age as Eric. They were children whom Eric had taken off the streets of the slums, who didn’t really have any names when he had found them, so he named them Ava and Mia.

“Good evening, young master.”

The first to greet Eric was Mia, whose only distinction from her sister was a blue pendant she wore on her neck, gifted to her by Eric.

“Have you had a good day?”

Following Mia was Ava, who wore a red pendant necklace, also gifted to her by Eric.

Putting up a smile, since other than Aria, the girl that he loves with all his heart, Prince Edwen, Isaac, and Serell, who are his friends, are the only handful of people he had left to greet him kindly.

Eric’s father, Lucius, was too stressed and busy to show any sort of affection toward him, which he couldn’t blame him for, while his so-called friends, before everyone discovered the disgrace that was his sister, didn’t have any magic and were just that—so-called friends.

Besides Ava and Mia, the only remaining servants were Elara, Maris, and Liora. Over the past few weeks, most of the other servants, except for the ones the family had personally taken off the streets, had left one by one.

Walking inside after giving his backpack to Ava and his blazer to Mia, Eric asked.

“Has anything happened while I was gone?”

“Yes, young master, your father has informed us that he wishes to speak with you.”

Hearing that, Eric stopped walking, causing Ava and Mia to stop as well.

His mind went blank; he hadn’t spoken much with his father since returning in shame, empty-handed, despite wholeheartedly promising to bring his sister back.

“What could Father wish to speak with me about?”

“I’m afraid we don’t know, young master.”

Mia answers, and Eric wonders what it could all mean.

“Right, I will go to my father immediately.”

Eric walked towards his father’s office alone, filled with apprehension but also hope for a way to redeem himself in his father's eyes for his failures.

When he arrived, he hesitated for a moment to calm his nerves, then took a deep breath and knocked on the door twice.

Hearing the knocks, Lucius clenched his teeth at the report he was reading before looking up and telling Eric to come in.

Entering the room, Eric did his best to hide his nervousness as his father’s cold tone carried a hint of frigid fury.

“Good evening, Father. You wished to speak with me?”

Folding his hands together on the desk, he asked, setting aside the expression to conceal his fury inside, “You probably already know it, but before we start, might I ask how school was today?”

Eric was initially surprised by the question, and once he processed it, joy overtook him because it had been a long time since Lucius had asked how he was.

“Well, Father.”

Feigning a smile, he said, “Good,” then, adopting a much more serious expression, added, “I’ve been receiving troubling news lately regarding your sister, Rita.”

“Trouble? What is it?”

“It appears I am currently under investigation by the Fourth Knight Order, suspected of direct involvement in the recent tragic incident in the City of Acton.”

Acton… Eric repeated the name in his mind, recalling Blake’s words about Rita’s involvement.

“For this reason, I need you to do something. Do whatever it takes to reach her and talk to her, please.”

Eric looked at his father, surprised that his father was actually telling him this.

“It seems that Rita has falsely accused me of taking part in the incident, where I had sent our own men to take part in such destruction.”

“What! How could she!”

Putting one hand up to stop Eric from shouting in outrage at her sister's false accusation, he then explained. “It was my own fault for it being like this. I had sent Boras and some of our knights there to search for her in Acton, and they…”

Pausing in his explanation to build a sense of disbelief and show some solemnity to what he was saying, “They all unfortunately died trying to stop the tragedy that was unfolding.”

With that, Eric's anger flared up, mixed with disgust at what Rita had done. Hearing that Boras had died and the loyal knights of their family as well, in the line of duty, and that Rita had desecrated their deaths, he wonders how low Rita would stoop and for what?

Boras was an honorable man, the captain of their family’s knights, for heaven’s sake. How could she do something like that?

Eric thought that, and he boldly asked, emotions fueling his actions, with the injustices of what Rita had done.

“Then, yes, Father, I would do whatever it takes to find her and talk some sense into her.”

“I know that it will be tough, but I suggest you talk to that Blake friend of yours, who is graciously playing the role of Rita for us, to set a meeting with Rita, since he is our only lead to finding her.”

Nodding, “Yes, I will, Father.”

Saying that, he all but ignored and forgot the warning Blake had given him about his father.

Smiling at Eric's response, which seemed like he was proud of Eric, though in reality, it was a fake smile that hid his actual malicious smile, he then said.

“For this reason, I would be giving you this to help you in convincing her.”

Taking out a medium-sized box from under and presenting it to Eric, Lucious was about to explain what it was until—Kitsckshkintik!— Glass shattered across the office as a brick suddenly flew through the window.