Well, this is awkward.
It's been an hour since Yaw-yan bid farewell to his friends, and he already misses their company. Being with Amika, Suina, and Ayato during their time in Silao Valley had been the happiest Yaw-yan had ever felt since he woke up in this world a year ago.
All that chaotic energy his friends carried with them during their time together is something Yaw-yan is starting to miss.
He never really had friends like them in his previous world due to his health condition, and being part of a group had simply been impossible for him back then.
So when he finally became part of one—despite the chaos it brought into his life—Yaw-yan never minded it. In fact, he learned to embrace it. He became part of it until he became one of them.
And now, being in the company of a completely different person—whose personality is a total 180 from Amika, Suina, and Ayato.
Yaw-yan found himself in a very awkward situation.
The girl in front of him hadn't looked in his direction even once. She hadn't spoken, nor had she asked him anything. She simply told him to follow her—and that was it.
He wanted to strike up a conversation, at least to dispel some of the awkward atmosphere between them. But with how cold her attitude seemed, Yaw-yan was getting cold feet and couldn't muster the courage to try.
So the two teenagers continued their journey through the forest in complete silence, not even acknowledging each other's existence—and the whole situation was just weird and awkward.
Truth be told, he never imagined he'd ever see this girl again after their first encounter that night.
Yaw-yan glanced at the girl in front of him. Her waist-length blue hair swayed gently with every step she took. She moved with a unique, ethereal grace that made it hard not to stare at her. And despite the distance between them, Yaw-yan could catch a whiff of something sweet—floral and delicate—emanating from her.
Which would've been nice… if he hadn't just realized how creepy he was being toward someone he barely even knew.
Yaw-yan shook his head, trying to shake off the impure thoughts in his mind. The last thing he wanted was to turn an already awkward situation into a full-blown disaster just because his hormones were acting up.
Their walk continued, the silence between them unbroken—until, suddenly, Minona came to a halt.
Caught off guard, the boy trailing behind her bumped into her back.
"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to—"
Before he could finish, Minona quickly raised a finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture that shut Yaw-yan up instantly.
He looked around, trying to see what had caught her attention…
But no matter how hard he scanned their surroundings, he saw nothing unusual.
"Follow me. Be inconspicuous while doing so," Minona said.
Yaw-yan nodded, sensing the sudden alertness of his companion.
The two walked slowly toward a canopy of trees. Carefully, Yaw-yan and Minona made their way into the thickest part of the forest and came to a stop upon hearing a group of people conversing nearby.
Minona grabbed Yaw-yan's hand and pulled him behind a large rock, hiding them from view.
Yaw-yan peeked out from behind the rock, trying to see what the group of people was doing at the bottom of the cliff with a suspiciously looking box on the ground Infront of the gathering group. Unable to get a clear picture, he turned to the girl beside him.
"Um—aren't those your schoolmates? What are they doing there!? And why are we hiding!?"
Minona stared at him, clearly debating whether or not to tell him what she was thinking. Eventually, she decided it was better to warn him—just in case her suspicions were right.
"Yes. They're fellow students of Lincad Academy. Based on the pattern of their uniforms, they're from the Alchemist Department. And yes, we're concealing ourselves because we don't know what they're doing here—especially in this dense part of the forest."
Yaw-yan nodded. Even with her flat tone, it was clear that Minona was suspicious of the group below.
"So, what's the plan?"
Minona shook her head. She didn't actually have a plan. She'd just been curious about what was happening and decided to take a peek. Now that her curiosity was satisfied, all she needed to do was guide the boy back to his home and report what she saw to the teachers.
"There's no plan. We need to continue wi—"
She never got to finish her sentence.
Yaw-yan suddenly lunged at her, catching her completely off guard. She lost her footing, and the two of them rolled a few feet away from the rock—exposing themselves to the people down the slope.
The group immediately summoned their core weapons upon spotting them.
"My, what a good survival instincts you have there, Local," said by a tall, skinny man holding a knife that oozed a purple, liquid-like substance. "You managed to dodge that attack even though I was under concealment mana tools."
Yaw-yan quickly pulled Minona up from the ground, placing her behind him. His eyes were fixed on the man with the knife.
He felt it instantly—an overwhelming pressure.
A predator was standing in front of him.
This person was dangerous.
Seeing the local boy lower his body into a fighting stance while brandishing his weapon, the tall, skinny man grinned menacingly. As he looked at the two unfortunate witnesses, he ran his long tongue across his lips. The thought of how he would kill them made him almost shiver in anticipation.
Minona looked at the tall skinny man in front of her. She recognized him—it was one of the senior students who had hitched a ride on the Lincad Ark. Some upperclassmen would use the Ark's scheduled stops as an excuse to visit thier home, and she assumed this upperclassman had done the same.
Minona furrowed her brow. The man standing before them wasn't even trying to hide his bloodlust. And the way the three freshmen had drawn their core weapons and were now pointing them at her and Yaw-yan—as if waiting for orders—made it clear. They were part of whatever this was.
"You three, lower your weapons. We're not enemies. I'm a fellow Lincad student, just like you, and the person Infront of me is a local who's been following me. There's no threat here for you to point your weapons at us," Minona said, trying to reason with the freshmen to confirm whether they were truly involved.
But all she got in return was snickering. Her guess was right—they were part of this.
"Don't bother, little miss," the tall man interrupted, stepping forward with a twisted grin. "We're here on very important business. Those three are my underlings. Oh, by the way—name's Regus. It's an honor to personally meet you, Ms. Minona Highergard. Daughter of the great expeditionary Reneca Highergard and the king's most trusted general, Obiros Highergard. Truly a humbling experience to be in your presence, my lady."
Minona's expression hardened as she drew her core weapon.
Her identity was supposed to be a secret at Lincad Academy—known only to the highest-ranking officials. The fact that this "Regus" knew so much about her was more than suspicious.
Combined with his knowledge and the bloodlust radiating off him, she could already tell…
These people weren't here as students.
Minona walked closer to Yaw-yan and whispered, "You should run. These people are dangerous—especially the tall one. I can feel the bloodlust coming off him. Your priority should be escaping."
"B-but—" Before he could finish, Minona cut him off.
"Yaw-yan, you don't have the means to fight them, especially the one in front of us. I can tell he's strong. You'll just get yourself killed if you try. So I suggest you run. I'll be fine. Even if I can't defeat them, I'll still be able to escape."
Yaw-yan clenched his teeth. She was right. There was nothing he could do against these people, and if he stayed, he'd only get in her way. But still… leaving her behind with these kinds of people felt so wrong. Yet what could he do? He had no power to change the situation.
His mind raced, trying to come up with a plan—something, anything—that could help. But nothing came. He was starting to feel lightheaded from the adrenaline surging through him when he suddenly felt a gentle squeeze on his arm.
He turned to see Minona's eyes, filled with concern. In that moment, he understood what he needed to do. Staying would only make things harder for her. If he left, she could focus all her strength on fighting without having to protect him.
He didn't want to run—but it was the only way he could help.
Without another word, without even looking back, Yaw-yan bolted from the area, running as fast as he could, away from the enemy… and away from her.
Regus chuckled upon seeing the local boy run with his tail between his legs. "Well, that's a smart man—leaving the beautiful girl to us to save himself. I'm actually impressed, hehe." He clapped in amusement. "Though as much as I'd like to believe letting him go won't be a problem, I'm afraid I'm way too paranoid for that."
He glanced at one of his lackeys and tilted his head in the direction Yaw-yan had fled. With a nod, the lackey took off after the boy. Minona tried to intercept him, but Regus blurred in front of her and swung his knife. She was forced to step back, dodging the blade and failing to stop the lackey from pursuing Yaw-yan.
"C'mon now, Ms. Highergard. You'll make me jealous if you just ignore me like that," Regus said with a manic smile.
Minona frowned at the sight of his expression. With a flick of both arms, her core weapon—the gauntlets—ignited with a brilliant blue blaze. Planting her feet firmly, she assumed her fighting stance.
Seeing Minona's fierce expression, Regus licked his lips and grinned menacingly. "Ah yes Dragon god Alignment"
He lowered himself into a fighting stance
"You're gonna be fun to break."
End of Chapter 12