Chapter 5 - Part 16 (Book 1 - Fantasy World)

Waving a hand to dismiss the young man's concern, Valessandria slightly shook her head. "There is no attack on the Tower."

The orange-haired man opened his mouth slightly.

Cutting off the man, Valessandria continued, "While I may not speak of exactly the cause of the tremble, you can believe in my words that it was not caused by an external force attempting to do us harm." She tried not to think about how likely it would be for the young master to do significant damage on his own if he desired, purely based on what she'd witnessed earlier.

"But, Lady Knight!" The youngest of the three managed to gather enough courage to speak up. His eyes were wide, and he trembled slightly.

Breathing out slowly, Valessandria reminded herself that calming others was one of the duties of someone part of the Council. While she may not be the best at reassuring others, her heart did feel for the anxiety the students may be experiencing after an event that generally should never occur.

She looked each of them in the eyes.

"I assure you that this Academy is safe for all of you. While the shaking was not caused by an external force that wished us harm, I was present to see the reason. After I guide this new applicant and their servants to becoming full-status students, I plan to report the situation to the President. He will be fully briefed and aware of the cause." Valessandria tried to soften her words as she softly smiled at the frightened students.

The blonde-haired woman and the other two nodded, their shoulders loosening and their mannerisms demonstrating their inner emotions.

"Now, I am sure you still have other duties to report to." Valessandria reminded them.

"Yes, Lady Knight." They bowed as they began to turn back toward where they had come from.

As Valessandria watched the students begin to make their way back, she had a thought.

"The three of you."

The students paused and faced her.

"Yes, Lady Knight?" The woman in the group asked.

"I want you to talk to those at the counter and those on the first floor to share with the students that the matter is under control as directed by the Student Council. There is no need to spread gossip." Valessandria looked carefully at each student, making sure they understood her words.

"Y-yes. Of course, Lady Knight. We will ensure that your will is followed through." The orange-haired man quickly bowed, his face red.

Valessandria could tell that those in the various departments within the Tower had already spread some kind of rumor about the origin of the violent shaking of the floor. She couldn't help but groan and made a note that her Disciplinary Committee would need to go and check to ensure that no one was attempting to cause unnecessary panic about the situation. Just like in any large organization, there would be individuals who would try to take advantage of chaotic circumstances in order to push their own agenda.

It was fortunate that members of her department were fully trained to spot those who were either attempting to sabotage the Academy's mission from the inside or individuals who had infiltrated the system to sow discord.

"I have to deal with the young master and need to stamp out any issues that could sprout from this event," Valessandria thought to herself while trying not to think of the pile of reports that still required her attention.

Turning her head, Valessandria smiled at the young master, "I apologize for the commotion. We will continue to the first floor."

As Valessandria glanced at the young master, she felt a moment of confusion. She noticed a look of pity deep in the eyes of the young noble. The emotion was quickly removed as the young master returned to the cool and apathetic expression that she had become accustomed to when dealing with the individual. It was flashed by brief enough that she couldn't help but wonder if she had imagined it due to feelings of exhaustion from how much work she needed to do in order to catch up after her escapade.

Waving the loose thread of thought away, Valessandria continued to lead the group down the hallway.

As they approached the main area where students would be gathered to either sign up for a training room or to watch the matches occurring inside the rooms, the sound of the students drastically increased. Just by the sound of the students talking inside the main area, Valessandria had a sense that the students were discussing what the young master had done.

"How are we under attack? I mean... who would be foolish enough to perform such an act of aggression?" A young man's voice echoed down the hallway, mixed with the voices of other groups discussing something similar.

"You heard the announcement just moments ago. They believe that the shuddering was caused by an experiment performed by an upperclassman that went out of control." A separate voice that sounded as though it belonged to a different group echoed down the hallway.

"Lady Knight."

Valessandria turned her head to look at the young master.

"I hope you understand my intentions were not to cause such a commotion. My childishness has caused this mess, so I hope you feel free to let me know if I can do anything." The young master's eyes were like those of a boy who had played a prank that had gone out of hand.

Bowing her head slightly forward as they continued down the hallway, Valessandria felt marginally better, knowing the young master understood when they had made a mistake and was open to rectifying things. It was materially better than what she would be dealing with after dropping off the young master and returning to her primary duties. Knowing that the young master was an individual who would at least not cause her problems was a relief and possibly useful if she was able to cultivate a professional relationship with the young noble.

While Valessandria couldn't help but feel apprehension whenever she interacted with the young master, the fact that he behaved far more appropriately compared to most nobles gave her a slightly better impression. A shiver ran throughout her body; her subconscious couldn't help but bring up what could happen if his mannerisms were similar to the other nobles and their gangs. Pushing down the thought, she glanced around as they entered the area with all the students who were still gossipping.

Valessandria clapped her hands, the sound crashing through the surrounding noise.

Several nearby students jumped.

One of the female students turned her head, a glare on her face before the expression was wiped away in addition to the blood slightly draining away. At the same time, she attempted to merge into her surroundings.

Seeing that she had gained their attention, Valessandria opened her mouth, "I know that the event earlier has surprised many of you, and there are rumors that the Academy is under attack."

Her eyes slowly scanned her surroundings, observing the reaction from the students.

The expressions on the students' faces ranged from annoyance to fear. A few students didn't bother giving her any attention as they continued to sit in chairs close to one another.

"I see that not everyone believed in the rumors..."

Valessandria knew that the upper nobility would be able to remain calm, understanding how ridiculous it would be for anyone to attack the Academy.

"I would like to reassure all students that the rumbling was not due to any external element. The incident is due to an experiment being performed, which had also inadvertently caused the disturbance." Valessandria placed a hand on her chest, "As a member of the Student Council, I reassure all students that the Academy is always vigilant of attacks and we are more than prepared to handle any issue that could arise, far before the Academy itself would be negatively impacted. You have my assurance as the Lady Knight and leader of the Disciplinary Committee." She turned her head to make sure to have eye contact with a few of the students who were still shaking. "I am doing everything in my power to ensure the Academy is a safe environment for all attending. Your safety is of utmost importance to me."

While she had no doubt that the young master would be able to easily defeat her, she also knew that he and his family were an outlier. There was no possible way that there could be others with similar capabilities to him. And while she couldn't defeat the young noble or anyone connected to him, she knew she was one of the strongest individuals. She had no worry about going head to head with others, even if they were stronger than her. The fact was that even if there was a conflict, the situation would be one where she would have the backing of the Academy. With that in mind, Valessandria felt comfortable giving the students such reassurances. Even she didn't fully know the capabilities of the Academy. The President was the only individual who would have access to the entire arsenal.

"Nathanial would also have complete control of the Academy Guards, even those that I do not have clearance to know about." She had always been suspicious that a part of the Academy Guards was in charge of clandestine missions inside and outside the Academy, who only answered to the sitting President. "I would not put it past Nathanial to create a faction, even within such a group, who would forever be loyal to him." Her thoughts drifted through her mind as she tried to maintain a presence of authority and assurance.

Several students let out a long breath, a few slightly cracking a nervous smile, while many appeared to have a weight lifted from their shoulders. The majority of the students nodded at Valessandria's words as they whispered to the person next to them. A few of the whispers were friends chastising the people next to them or even teasing that the others would believe the Academy was under threat. There was an air of embarrassment from those who had felt frightened, but now their faces were red.

Valessandria couldn't help but feel her heart warm as she watched a young girl crying as she was comforted by her friends.

Turning her head, Valessandria made sure to check the counter.

Behind the counter were several of the staff, who were already busy handling student requests to reserve a room. One of the student staff members raised her head and connected with Valessandria's gaze. Blinking a few times, the girl slightly bowed her head before she returned her attention to the student in front of her. In her hand was some kind of document she would occasionally point toward as she talked to the student.

Seeing that everything in the main area where they stood on the second floor appeared to be handled, Valessandria directed her attention to the young master.

"My Lord, I apologize for having you wait. I assure you that it was not my intention to not give you my full attention." Valessandria bowed her head and placed a hand over her heart.

"There is no need for you to apologize, Lady Knight. I understand you have your duties, which you must attend to." The young master raised one corner of his lips as his eyes twinkled mysteriously.

A shiver ran down Valessandria's back.

The woman with long black hair, Helania, nodded her head approvingly. "We can see that you take your role seriously. There is no reason to explain yourself about giving reassurances to the students who do not appear to be children who have experienced much danger in their short lives."

"Correct. The fact that you are a professional just shows that my Master is correct in coming to this place. I may still have doubts about whether the people he will meet will be of any value. Still, I do think that this institution will have better chances than other locations." The one called Queen said.

Having received praise from the servants of the young master, Valessandria didn't know what to think.

Bowing her head, she said, "Thank you. I appreciate your words and will take them to heart." As she raised her head, she looked at the young lord. Now that everything appears to be settled, let us make our way down to the main level. I will also need to report what had transpired to the staff and let them know about what I expect them to do."

The young master merely nodded, acknowledging her words.

Valessandria couldn't help but glance at the youngest of the three servants, who was still glued to the young master and oblivious to what was happening around her. Clearly, what they were talking about wasn't anything the red-headed girl cared about.

Not thinking it was any of her business to judge how others reacted, Valessandria turned around toward the stairs.

She noticed that some students entered the second level, their eyes slightly wide. Other students motioned them to enter and indicated that everything was safe.

Leading the group, Valessandria walked past the students and reached the start of the stairs that would take them down.

The five of them descended the stairs, with Valessandria leading the group.

Something that Valessandria enjoyed about the steps was how open everything felt. Compared to the second floor, the main area benefited greatly from the sun that poured into it, giving it the impression of being significantly larger than it actually was. Though the size was still enormous, it could fit several towns and small cities inside. While she didn't know all of the Tower's history, she did know that it was ancient and likely predated the Academy.

She never understood what allowed the Academy to exist. Since Illumin was built within the territory of the Kingdom, part of her never understood why the Academy would be allowed to exist and gain sovereign power. For the hundredth time, Valessandria couldn't help but think about heading into the main library and doing some research about the Academy. Even though she was part of the Council and understood many machinations occurring within the grounds, she often felt that the Academy was hiding secrets no one knew about. While it was never to the point of thinking the secrets were harmful, being the Lady Knight made it so that she didn't enjoy the thought of not being aware of all things. The ancient secrets may not be helpful, but it was always better to have more information than not have enough.