—Tap..tap..tap…
Throughout the empty corridor, steps rhythmically echoed, unhurried, as the half-lidded eyes of a youth wearing indifference on his face, with a tray of sweets in his hands, and using a Void Box would ruin the sweets.
Regardless, he stopped by the cafeteria, got a cart, and filled it with other treats—even though he was ordered to deliver high-end treats to Luna, he might as well treat the others, too.
After the kitchen staff helped him load the cart, he pushed it with a blank expression throughout the halls. Many curious glances were cast his way, moving to the side to make room, finding it a bit odd. Usually, kitchen staff used these carts to deliver food or treats to meeting rooms, but… seeing a wanderer with a tailor-made cloak and a high-grade sigil acting like a pin with three different-sized gears frozen inside a clear crystal push the cart was quite the sight, to say the least.
By this time, Alum's personal mark was recognized by many at the base—after all, he did personally enter their meetings to deliver important documents and whatnot. Thus, their reaction was understandable—the sweets must be important…
Although one could argue his status at the base was unjust, because it was. He didn't work hard for his position, yet he managed to keep it. He's a wanderer who hasn't even been a complete lunar cycle in this world. Thus, many speculated he could manipulate mana like a gifted native. Or that he might've been a part of the military from his world, considering it didn't take him long to get used to how they operated compared to the other wanderers who were still learning.
Even so, it was unfair, but it was almost sure he would've reached his current position as Rigeld's aide or aide of one of the commanders eventually, perhaps becoming one himself.
Alum was well aware—Rigeld might be carefree, but if he didn't find Alum the least bit useful, he'd be where the others are right now—under Luna's training.
I might as well stay a while. See how the others perform, he thought—practically blind to the widened eyes around him.
Finally, W1 was in sight. He scanned the door with an access ring and—KABOOOM! Monstrous winds sent dust, and sharp frosty pieces of debris flew everywhere. The treats would have been ruined had he not reflexively used his telekinesis—winds were redirected, and the tiniest pieces of dust and debris froze mid-air.
"…"
Alum heaved a quiet sigh as he removed the mana suppressant amulet around his neck. Instantly, mana surged from within his body, forming a transparent crystallized water barrier as his residual psychic energy eased. Thus, he walked out to the training field, but the dust clouds didn't take long to clear up. Then, all eyes were on him. His eyes widened; he blinked again just to make sure—
Ame…?
Because in the short moment of the dust clearing, he locked eyes with her—Amethely. Someone he hadn't expected to see this early after their departure three days ago.
Amethely's eyes widened as they shook ever so slightly and lit up—she clenched her chest, pressing her palm close to her heart. Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but then, she just tilted her head a tiny bit to the side—her expression loosened gently into affection. Then, she smiled warmly, blushing as she greeted him with a small wave.
"…" Stunned for a moment, his expression didn't change, but…
Tch… that damned old man! No wonder he was so smug! For a split second, a very punchable face of Rigeld flashed in his mind—Siiiiigh…Alum couldn't help but sigh in exasperation, even if it were internal.
He heaved another inward sigh, then acknowledged her with a nod and averted his eyes, not ready to meet her gaze—but how is she this cute? He wondered; his cheeks and ears were burning, probably glowing as well. But then…
"Oooh!? Al, did you witness my awesomeness?!" Noel exclaimed, grinning as he puffed his chest proudly.
"…"
Alum didn't respond. Even though his expression was usually deadpan, the highlights in his eyes were gone from his half-lidded golden eyes—he noticed some of the sweets had dust on them, at least the ones in the very front—and it was apparently all Noel's fault—YOU'RE THE ONE…
Without hesitation, mana in the air got heavy and anyone not used to a massive surge in mana felt a shiver down their spines—Luna chuckled lightly, Miu tried not to laugh, Emely shook her head sideways but wore an affectionate smile, Chely sighed, resting a palm on her forehead while David expressed mild amusement tugging his lips. And as for Amethely, she seemed troubled, not really knowing how to react. Because…
"Huh—"
—Splash…
Alum had created a water ball right in front of Noel's face, flickering the air like he'd flicker someone's forehead, causing the water ball to clash into Noel's face point blank, bypassing the facility barrier due to a lethality score of zero.
"Far too reckless," Alum complained, his voice smooth yet demanding. "You also damaged the goods," he added, frowning as his eyes moved down toward the treats.
"Sorry…?" Noel apologized, confused and drenched in, unironically, refreshing cool water—he didn't know what to feel about it. What did I even do wrong? He wondered.
..
A few minutes earlier, it was finally Noel's turn. The people before him had done quite well manipulating the element they had an affinity for. It was pretty impressive considering they'd just begun training. But, they'd have to learn a few non-elemental spells and instruction spells.
The one before was also quite impressive, and that was David. He'd frozen the ground all the way toward the practice dummy, protruding ice spears, and while moving giant blocks of ice to smash the target.
Before him was her new friend Miu Nanase, who surprisingly did well in all three elements she aligned with—creating stable beams of light, shooting jets of water, and casting wind blades. Usually, an individual would be very good at manipulating one of the elements, but to proficiently balance them out? Even Luna, who had an affinity for most of the elements, was mainly proficient when it came to lightning.
"Noel Karlsson, step forth," Luna said calmly.
Hmph, let's see how this jester performs, Luna mused.
Noel smirked, but pondered on what to do. He remembered Chely demonstrating by casually throwing an airball that shredded the practice target to dust, leaving only a clean crater.
I… uh… better not get on her bad side, he chuckled inwardly.
But that was beside the point. He wanted to impress her, but how? It's not like he could do what she did. He had practiced a lot since they arrived at the base, even training with the other staff and learning from them during his free time.
Show time!
He clenched his fists confidently, feeling the adrenaline coursing through him as he glanced toward Chely, who averted her eyes and crossed her arms. But it wasn't dismissive, her cheeks were slightly rosy as if to say—why are you looking at me for? Idiot, just focus already!
Pffts…She's totally thinking that, Noel chuckled.
"Ready?" Luna inquired somewhat smugly despite her deadpan face.
"Yes!" he replied.
His blueish-silver eyes focused, mana coursed through his body towards his hands, swirling winds forming a ball. Instead of controlled, it was incredibly violent, which wasn't an issue since the facility barriers protected him.
But what caught Luna's attention wasn't the hot air and cold air used; it was the fact that he'd contained the violent winds in an elemental barrier, which hadn't been taught yet.
My. He's not so bad after all, Luna thought, and an almost unnoticeable faint smile surfaced on her still face. Ngh… don't smile, he'll get cheeky. She lightly shook her head, but that small slip of affection was not unnoticed.
Chely had seen them banter and knew they were friends, but… when she saw them that night at the banquet, she couldn't help but get conscious, especially since she thought they got along so well.
"—Hej o hå!" Noel exclaimed, throwing the ball of storm, which collapsed and caused a massive explosion and a tornado where the practice dummy had been, swirling debris, ice, and whatnot around, even sparks of lightning appeared because of the violence.
Despite the protective barriers on their bodies, unsuspecting wanderers would've been sent flying from his reckless attack, but Chely was already quick to act, casting a barrier surrounding everyone.
She heaved a small sigh, but ended up smiling a little. Noel grinned, making a sign that she had learned stood for victory.
Pff… what an idiot, Chely giggled lightly.
"…"
Amethely blinked, her eyes wandered between them—so Big Sis and Mister Noel are…? Her thoughts trailed off as she covered her mouth, her expression melting into that of a sweet younger sister. I'm happy for you, Sis, she thought.
..
Noel's antics aside. Alum approached them like he'd not just drenched his best friend with water, as if telling him to 'cool down.' And Noel still wondered why he wasn't praised by his best friend.
Alum briefly glanced at Amethely and didn't say much as his task was to deliver sweets to Luna. But after? He was planning on staying either way, but… perhaps longer now. It wasn't like there was much to do in Rigeld's office anyways, since they'd completed most of the task yesterday and all of today's in the morning.
He left the cart and took the tray and walked toward Luna. While her expression didn't change much, the air around her was noticeably warmer, perhaps even sweet?
"Greetings, Lady Saint, Lady Hero," Alum spoke politely.
"Greetings, Mister Alum…" Amethely replied, she wanted to protest, but since Alum was polite, how could she act selfish and request him to call her Ame like he usually does?
"Hello to you, too, Al," Chely replied casually, giving him a small wave.
Amethely was stunned, but…
"Thanks," Luna said suddenly, looking up from her notes, waiting for the live data from the practice dummy to load.
"Positive?"
"Mm," she nodded.
"I see."
"…"
"…"
The others just watched—the interaction between Alum and Luna had always been sort of minimal, but they got along—after all, he was one of the few people inside her personal space.
"…"
She stepped closer, leaning on him as she looked down at her notes again. Alum naturally fed her, and she was content, nibbling the treats. Alum began to read as she showed him the data.
Other staff almost finished clearing the area and made sure the practice target still had accurate readings since Noel caused more destruction than anticipated. This time, they anticipated his antics.
"Mm, not bad," Alum remarked after seeing the results.
"Mm," Luna nodded, taking another bite. "Well then. Mr. Noel, the fire attribute test," she told Noel with a sweet-stuffed face.
"Yeees~" Noel replied, not taking her too seriously with how adorable she appeared.
He even chuckled a little when Alum brushed his thumb over Luna's lips to remove the crumbs. She looked up for a moment, smiled warmly with a faint blush on her face, only to be fed by him again.
"...….."
Amethely was still frozen in place—w-w-wh—why—why—why are they so close??!?! She internally panicked, while the wanderers seemed to relax due to Luna's softened mood.
Meanwhile, Noel kept his cheerful smile, but snuck a glance towards Miu, who didn't seem to mind it all that much, as if accepting that was just the way things were. Still…
Mou… I can't say I'm not jelly… she pouted slightly.
Chely was used to the sight of Alum and Luna's friendship, but… Ame's oddly calm about this, she thought, not realizing her sister had short-circuited.
Then, Alum declared, "Feel free to treat yourselves," as he glanced towards the cart. "But leave the bad ones to Noel," he added.
"What?!" Noel was about to cast fire magic, but instantly turned around, trying to protest, but couldn't. "I mean… I deserve it, I guess," he sighed.
"It was a joke," Alum said dryly.
"That did not sound like a joke!" Noel playfully rebuked.
Alum smiled, not faintly, but genuinely. He shrugged. Then his eyes met Amethely's. He noticed her small fidgets with her notes and the frequent glances she cast toward and away from him.
And… he couldn't help but feel the warm fuzzy in his chest. He grabbed a small pouch from his pocket.
'…Thank you, I love them very much,' he whispered.
Her eyes widened instantly; she recognized the small flower on the pouch—her family insignia. Her cheeks began to heat up as a happy rather than refined smile surfaced on her face. She could tell the caramel pouch was empty, but…
He… he kept it… eh-ehehe~ Perhaps I worried for nothing~ she thought.
Then, Alum turned toward Chely and Amethely.
"I apologize for the sudden intrusion. Sir Rigeld only handed me this tray of high-quality goods for Princess Luna. I shall return for more very soon."
"It's fine, I'm used to Sir Rigeld's antics," Chely chuckled.
Meanwhile…
D-does that mean… Al's gonna feed me too? B-but… he doesn't seem shy around Princess Luna at all… ARE THEY THAT CLOSE!? Amethely's thoughts spiraled in an odd direction, but she didn't want to trouble him, thus declining the offer.
"I am honored you are willing to go that far, but…" She glanced towards the cart. "Perhaps something amongst those treats?" Amethely inquired.
"If that's what you want, Ame," Alum replied casually.
"…"
Amethely froze while Alum seemed oddly smug.
"…Jeez—Al, you meanie… Were you teasing me? You were all uptight and all…" she pouted subtly.
Alum smiled. "Perhaps," he replied, chuckling softly.
As he was about to go get Amethely some treats, Luna almost tripped but caught herself, pouting because he moved suddenly. She pouted, giving him a half-lidded glare as if to ask that he forget about her when speaking to Amethely.
Sorry, Alum apologized without saying it, patting her head.
"…" Amethely smiled, keeping it together.
Accepted, Luna closed her eyes, letting him stroke her hair. Then, the staff signaled to her that everything was cleared and there was no abnormality.
"…" Amethely began to shake a little, but mostly inwardly, while being elegant and warm outwardly.
Then, "Ready?" Luna asked calmly.
"Sure am," he grinned.
"Fire."
"…Huh? I didn't know you made puns… when did you have humor…?" Noel raised a brow, questioning her teasingly.
"Shut up, Noel Karlsson. And call me Instructor," Luna scolded him.
"Gotcha, Instructor~"
Luna's eyebrow twitched; she regretted her decision already. Alum, who was on his way to grab a few treats for Amethely, chuckled.
Noel turned serious for a moment, even though he was slightly light-headed, he clenched his fists, his body engulfed in flames, drying his clothes. The other wanderers seemed surprised, but cheered. Alum, meanwhile, was left speechless.
Even Luna seemed surprised—the facility barrier wasn't pulsating, which meant the flames Noel engulfed himself in didn't pose him a threat. And Noel, being the show off, stretched out his hand—SNAP.
The moment he snapped his fingers, a greenish-yellow light flashed before a loud—BOOM! Flames erupted from the ground beneath the practice dummy; the barrier pulsated rapidly as waves of heated winds crashed into it. As the haze of vapor cleared, the dummy was slightly scorched all over, but still standing.
With a confident smile, Noel grinned. "Damn, I really am a show off huh?" he said, causing the other to burst out a laughter.
"That's Noel alright," Oliver sighed, shaking his head slightly with a smile on his face.
"Good job, Noel!" Emely praised him, giving him a high five.
"Ahahaha, well, well! I'll get shy from all the praise!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, right," Miu giggled, punching him lightly on the arm.
Amongst the cheers. Luna noticed Alum didn't seem to be happy, even though his face stayed the same with indifference. But… more cold than usual, he lightly sighed as if being defeated.
"Hmph, he's talented with fire too," Chely commented.
Amethely nodded, her eyes wandered towards Alum as she inched closer to him. "I heard from Big Sis you two were best friends—he's really bright, cheerful, and talented too, isn't he? Hehehe~" she softly giggled.
Alum didn't take his eyes off his best friend—then, as if resigning, he heaved a sigh, and a smile crept up on his face.
Is he telling me not to worry…? He wondered.
His eyes locked with Noel's for a moment, and those blueish-silver eyes were filled with confident and determination.
"Yeah, he is," he replied calmly, perhaps melancholy.
"—Hey Al!" suddenly, Noel called out to him, catching the attention of everyone. "Your turn!" he exclaimed.
Luna closed her eyes and sighed. "Well, Uncle did want to show you off, Al." The staff, more prepared this time, gave the 'all clear' sign. "Might as well, right?" Luna added.
Alum, in response, lost light in his eyes. "Positive," he affirmed and stepped forth.
..
In Alum's private room, it was only he and Noel, who chatted about whatever while reading. Noel tapped on the book, fidgeting—hope, caution, sorry.
"Mm, it's a good book, right?" —Don't worry about it. I'm used to it.
With a guilty expression, Noel forced a smile.
..
"Hey, Brother Al… can I come with you?" a young voice asked. Anxiously. He waited.
Then, an older man glanced at the two boys. "No, you're not competent enough, ACE," the gray-haired man said.
"Piss off old man. That's not for you to decide," ACE coldly scowled.
"Tch… YB, you're not taking this kid with you, are you?"
Alum, whose golden eyes were devoid of light, looked at the map and said nothing to the two of them.
"—URGH! WHY DON'T YOU EVER TAKE ME WITH YOU?!"
ACE snapped at his indifference, storming out of the room as he blew up the door with a burst of telekinetic energy.
But… in a dark void of his memories, echoes surfaced—
"Help me…" "I don't want to die… it hurts—it hurts!" "It's cold… so… so cold…" "YB, why did you let me die?" "You… monster… no—DEMON."
The sight of dismemberment of facilities, caused by out-of-control psychic energy, buried bodies in ruins, blood-draped debris, and walls. Corpses crawled—
"Brother… we're sorry to drag you down… Even though sad orphans like us don't deserve anything, you gave us hope… please… will you end our… MISERY?"
—CRUNCH… KA—BOOOM!
Suddenly, Alum crunched the map in his hand; the steel table bent and collapsed into a flat metal sheet on the floor.
"Y-YB?" the old man questioned the sudden outburst.
Alum coldly glared at the old man in a white lab coat—his gaze was enough to kill.
"—You better find a cure for this curse."
..
I thought I'd changed. But… It's difficult, isn't it?
Alum stepped forth, his mana suffocating the staff and wanderers—one would assume it'd be out of control, however…
—I'm sorry, Alum. Even though we've met trustworthy people, I still can't fully trust those in power. Perhaps even Chely.
It's fine, Noel. I'll be our weapon.
—That's… sad. Sigh… I really hope it doesn't come to that—I trust my people skills, you know? Luna, Chely, at least those two seem trustworthy—even the saint you've fallen for.
If the worst comes. I'll—
—No. We'll go down together. We're best of friends. Aren't we?
When Alum recalled the first night in the capital, he smiled—his and Noel's distrust wasn't unfounded. But even so. Noel has fallen in love with Chely; perhaps there wasn't a need for all this caution. But just in case…
—I'll be the only tool they need. Not my friends. Not my family. Nor her. Rigeld, you sly old man, you got what you wanted.
Just like that, blue discharges of lightning crackled. Water poured into a single compressed superheated core in just under three seconds. Amethely's eyes widened; she'd never seen Alum this cold before. She was scared… his mana and magic—this spell… It wasn't made to show off. But…
—To kill…
[Droplet Bomb]
As the spell was released, a white light enveloped the entire outdoor facility. The trees were ripped out of the ground, the roof tore open—the raw pressure bypassed the facility barrier, and the whole training area was covered in an emergency barrier, shattering Luna's barrier but not even scratching Chely's storm dome.
They couldn't even see outside the storm, but flashes of residual lightning still lingered. Chely glared at Alum, who calmly looked in the direction he'd fired his spell, unbetrothed. Seeing him act like a tool, Amethely clenched her chest—it stung, clenched, and the pain was sharp, their eyes locked—and blade twisted her heart.
"AL!" Amethely cried instinctively. "I want a hug!" she exclaimed, spreading her arms wide, shaking, almost teary-eyed.
But because of her sudden cry, Alum snapped out of it; his eyes, devoid of light, widened in surprise as their shine returned. The ice freezing his face melted, and a submerged warm smile surfaced from the frosty crystal.
"Ame, wasn't it supposed to be my turn?" he lightly inquired.
He didn't care about the surroundings or how it looked—none of it mattered right now. She made a request, and he had to comply—no. He wanted to comply—perhaps, he needed her closeness more than she needed his. He calmly walked toward her, but before he realized it, he was enveloped in her embrace, and she didn't wait. Even he knew. This was more for him than it was for her.
"—Silly… you asked for one," Amethely softly whispered as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
"…"
I did…?