"Master," the old male servant called out to Zareth.
"Give me the information you've gathered," Zareth replied, gazing at the view through the large mirror in his room.
The servant placed the documents containing the information Zareth wanted on the table nearby.
"Master, based on what we found… there's someone inside the government."
"Have you compiled the list of suspects?" Zareth asked.
"Yes, sir. Everything you requested is in the documents," the servant explained.
"I see. You may leave," Zareth ordered, and the servant quietly exited the room.
That organization clearly has a hidden agenda, and we've identified three individuals involved.
First, K'. Second, Zepr. Third, Gamma. Based on the reported female voice, there's a strong chance she's the leader.
They're waiting for something, though it's still unclear what it is. I just hope it doesn't affect the citizens in the other regions.
On top of that, merchants reported that a massive octopus carcass washed up on the shore—its skin looked like it had been torn apart. That really worries me about the future of trade routes.
Who's behind this? And who took down that sea monster?
====
Achoo!!
Ugh, I sneezed again. Someone must be talking about me. Right now, our class is training for the War of Class. Some of them are practicing magic, others sharpening their weapon skills.
I still don't get why they're trying so hard when it's just classmates fighting each other.
Maybe they really want the prize, but honestly, the one putting in the most effort is Theo. And it's kinda weird, considering he's the strongest in class already. What's he worried about?
Truth be told, the War of Class does help students improve their skills, but to me… it's boring.
"Nao, aren't you training?" Tetsu asked, panting from his own practice.
"You go ahead. I'm just sticking to swordsmanship," I replied while staring into space.
Tetsu grabbed my hand, trying to pull me up. "Nao, don't give up! I know you think there's no hope, but training is never a waste!"
I kept my straight face, a little annoyed at being looked down on.
"sparring with me," I said, grabbing a wooden sword nearby.
"Nao, we're friends."
"From now on, think of me as your opponent," I said, dead serious.
Tetsu smirked. "Don't take that back, Nao!" He took his stance, ready to fight.
Everyone turned to watch—guess they were curious to see the two weakest kids in class duke it out.
Tetsu struck first, launching sharp blasts of water at me. I dodged and closed the distance.
Just as I got close, he summoned a small wave from the ground using water magic. It slammed into me and knocked me backward.
Now my clothes were soaking wet. Great.
I raised my hand like I was about to cast magic, and everyone froze like I actually could—but then Sir Arsene's voice cut through the tension and ended the fight.
"Have you all been waiting long?" he asked, then noticed me dripping wet.
"Nao, why are you soaked?" he asked.
"I was just sparring with Tetsu to train," I answered proudly, trying to earn some respect.
"Selene, dry him off," Sir Arsene instructed.
Selene stepped up and used wind mixed with a bit of fire to blow warm air my way. It took a while, but it felt kinda nice.
"While Nao's drying off, I'll make a quick announcement—tomorrow is the match. Whoever wins gets five gold coins," Sir Arsene said.
War of Class has been a tradition since the academy was founded. Its goal is to push students to grow. The rewards and structure of the event are decided by the class instructors themselves.
Once I was dry, I nodded to Selene to stop, and she turned her attention back to Sir Arsene.
"Tomorrow, be prepared. If you don't show up, you'll be penalized," he warned.
Tomorrow's the day… but Theo and I still haven't talked about our strategy. Not that I care—he's gonna be the key to my victory anyway.
I grinned, thinking about how I'd win.
---
The next day, War of Class finally began. Let me explain.
Each match starts with two teams fightingover a flag placed in the center of the circle. The match lasts 15 minutes. Whoever's holding the flag when time's up wins that round. The winners move on and face other winners, while losers are eliminated.
It's a knockout game, so I've gotta survive and win two rounds.
I stretched a little and noticed Tetsu wasn't talking to me—he must be serious about this.
Theo walked up beside me. "You ready, Nao?"
I nodded, and he said, "I know you're strong. My eyes can see Mana —so it's up to you how you wanna play this."
I smirked. So the 'eyes' really is real.
The matches started. Some won, some lost. There were tears and cheers everywhere.
In our round, I quickly grabbed the flag while Theo handled the defense until time ran out.
Honestly, our whole team relied 100% on Theo.
He was amazing. He used all the basic elements like a pro—fast, accurate, and deadly. Plus, his martial arts skills made him look unstoppable.
Power everyone wants. The kind of strength fit for a king. He's the perfect 'queen' in a chessboard of war.
I just stood there, clutching the flag, watching him fight in awe.
Then came the final match: Theo and Nao vs. Tetsu and Selene.
I was honestly shocked at how strong Tetsu had become. He really pushed himself beyond his limits.
With Selene by his side, their teamwork was spot on—definitely a deadly duo.
I smiled, impressed by how far everyone had come, especially Tetsu.
Theo and I stepped into the arena, as did Tetsu and Selene.
"Congrats, Tetsu and Selene. You guys really gave it your all," I said.
Tetsu replied, "You should be saying that to yourself. This match is gonna make history."
I smiled at his energy. For the first time ever, I picked up a wooden sword as a sign of respect.
"Let's have some fun," I said with a grin.
1
2
3
Start!
I dashed toward the flag, but Selene used wind magic to lift it and grab it easily.
"Theo!" I called out. He immediately launched an attack at Selene, but Tetsu countered with a huge wave.
I smirked. He's reached that level, huh?
The wave was powerful enough to make Theo back off. As he dodged to the side, sharp water blades suddenly came at him from another angle.
He couldn't avoid them all—he got hit.
I ran to catch him as he fell.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, but this is a bit rough. I didn't expect him to get this good," Theo said, holding his wounded shoulder.
I smiled. This was the first time I'd seen Theo rattled since the games started.
I glanced at the time—only 2 minutes left.
We did our best to fight back, but time wasn't on our side. We lost the round.
Looks like it's time I got serious.