Chapter 110: Shadows, Secrets, and a Sudden Request

You are Carol Ravenster, aren’t you?

The voice sounded alluring and devoid of any threat, easily prompting a first-time acquaintance to lower their guard.

Yet, the tall figure still appeared somewhat out of place in the deserted alley.

Carol blinked her large, sparkling eyes, clutching the basket in her arms a little nervously.

“You, who are you?”

“You might not know me, but I know you. I’m an acquaintance of Yalin’s; he’s mentioned you before.”

Though the figure’s expression was obscured by shadow, a distinct benevolence emanated from their tone.

“Oh, so you know my brother?”

Hearing this, Carol’s demeanor immediately softened, a sweet smile gracing her lips.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My brother has always been under your kind care.”

“A pleasure to meet you too. You truly are a polite and well-behaved child,” the shadowy figure said, inclining their head.

“However, it’s quite late to be out alone. Wouldn’t it be safer to head home soon?”

“Thank you for your concern. I’m on my way home right now.”

“Is that so? Then be careful on your way.”

The shadowy figure paused, seemingly recalling something, then spoke again. “Oh, speaking of which, would you be interested in attending this year’s Academy Festival?”

“The Academy Festival? Of course I want to! It’s the grandest celebration every year; I’ve always wanted to see it!” Carol exclaimed excitedly.

However, her voice quickly dropped.

“But I’m not a student of the Magic Academy, and I don’t have an entry pass. At most, I’ll just watch the fireworks from home.”

“Is that so?”

The shadowy figure offered a faint smile. “In that case, on the day of the Academy Festival, how about I take you with me?”

“Really?”

Carol’s eyes widened, and she asked with a look of utter surprise.

“Of course it’s real.”

The shadowy figure produced a gilded ticket from their robes, gently waving it in the dim air.

“But aren’t those tickets incredibly hard to get? I heard even the most basic ones cost several thousand Riel, and they’re almost impossible to find…”

“It’s fine. I happen to have a few extra, and it would be a waste not to use them. Besides, your brother and I are quite close.”

The shadowy figure gently patted Carol’s head, then brought a raised index finger to their lips.

“However, remember to keep this a secret from your brother, alright? We can give him a wonderful surprise.”

“Yay! Brother will definitely be super surprised then!”

“Indeed, I’m truly looking forward to it.”

The shadowy figure offered Carol a slight bow.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll come to pick you up on the day of the Academy Festival.”

“Mhm! I’ll wait for you at home!”

“Excellent. It’s getting late, so you should hurry home now.”

The shadowy figure turned and departed, while Carol maintained her cheerful smile.

It wasn’t until the figure had completely vanished into the darkness that Carol opened her narrowed eyes, the bright sparkle within them quickly fading.

She subtly sniffed the air, her nose twitching slightly, before a rosy tongue peeked out to trace her lips.

‘What an unpleasant scent… Let me think, what should I do next?’

Returning to Ailanmia by airship had been three days ago.

The weather was clear, and having just finished a full day of classes, Yalin was sprawled languidly on a bench outside the academy, basking in the sun.

“So tired…”

Rubbing his stiff shoulders, Yalin couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

He had never anticipated that a mere trip home would entangle him in such a multitude of troublesome affairs.

The most exasperating of these was the fact that his carefully guarded secret had been laid bare to Liyang without reservation.

Although, under Yalin’s ‘persuasion,’ Liyang had expressed her willingness to keep the secret, and given her character, she wasn’t one to easily break a promise.

Still, who could truly know?

Perhaps one day, this hidden landmine would unexpectedly detonate.

“I’m willing to trust you.”

Yalin’s memory suddenly flashed back to the previous day’s scene.

On the airship’s deck, bathed in the lingering glow of the sunset, Liyang had spoken those words to him.

‘Forget it…’

Yalin shook his head. Having made this decision, there was no point dwelling on alternatives.

With only three weeks left until the Academy Festival, he decided to make a high-stakes gamble in this crucial final period.

However, that trip home had consumed a significant amount of his mediums, plunging Yalin into a severe financial crisis.

Furthermore, a new experimental report also seemed to be due.

The estate had now been handed back to the Saki family to manage, and it would likely be back on track soon.

However, his cheap uncle had squandered most of the already meager family fortune, so there was no way for him to recover financially in the short term.

Confound it, the man had grown so portly and robust that Yalin had genuinely believed he’d made a fortune outside, only to find there was not a single drop of profit to squeeze from him.

In any case, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, he needed to produce a sufficient quantity of catalysts before the Academy Festival.

‘Ugh, I should head back to the research lab first…’

Yalin stretched, preparing to stand. If he idled any longer, he feared the old man would dock his pay.

However, the moment he turned, Yalin froze.

“Hm?”

At some unknown point, a petite girl had appeared beside him, now gazing at him with her rather listless eyes.

Luminas, the Sword Magic Academy’s top genius.

The glittering silver rapier she carried was one Yalin had personally enchanted for her.

Though it had been days since they last met, her expression remained as impassive as ever.

“You’re awake?”

“I wasn’t asleep… By the way, when did you get here?”

Luminas lifted her head, staring at the white clouds in the sky for a moment before returning her gaze.

“About fifteen minutes ago.”

“Well, you could have told me sooner…”

Yalin rubbed his forehead with a sigh of exasperation.

This girl, without uttering a word, sat beside him like a ghost, and the crucial part was that he hadn’t noticed her at all.

In that regard, she certainly possessed some potential as an assassin.

“You seemed to be deep in thought, so I didn’t disturb you,” Luminas stated flatly.

“Is that so? My apologies for the trouble,” Yalin offered an apologetic smile.

“It’s fine.” Luminas shook her head, then inquired, “Why weren’t you at school these past few days?”

“I went back to my hometown to take care of some matters.”

“Hometown? Where is that?”

“A small town in the eastern region. You probably haven’t heard of it.”

“Oh.”

Luminas nodded thoughtfully.

She didn’t speak again, yet remained seated, showing no intention of leaving.

This situation was rather telling.

It indicated she was hesitating whether to voice what she wanted to say next. Though what was on Luminas’s mind wasn’t entirely clear, having spent so much time together, Yalin had already figured out her way of thinking. If he waited any longer, it would likely never end, so Yalin could only follow her lead and prompt her.

“Um, Miss Luminas, did you specifically come to see me for something?”

Luminas remained still, like a robot, processing for a moment before she spoke. “I won.”

“Won?”

Yalin blinked, only then realizing she was referring to the Viktor Cup qualifiers.

“That’s quite an effort, congratulations!” Yalin clapped, his tone somewhat flat.

In truth, it was easy to guess that Luminas would be the first place in the Sword Magic Division.

After all, her strength was in a league of its own, far surpassing what any ordinary student could hope to challenge.

However, while she was indeed first, it was only the first place within the Sword Magic Division.

To become an official representative of Acadia Academy and participate in the Viktor Cup held during the Academy Festival, she would need to compete against the top student of the Magic Division.

So, who was the top student of the Magic Division?

‘Hahaha, that’s such a tough one to guess…’

In short, the finals of the Viktor Cup would be the much-anticipated ‘beautiful girl fight’ segment.

However, this had absolutely nothing to do with Yalin; he had no interest in participating in such a tedious event.

“I hope you can accompany me to the finals against Celeste next week.”

“Damn…”

A twitch appeared at the corner of Yalin’s eye.

‘Does this girl not know about my relationship with Celeste?’

What a joke. While Luminas had helped him a great deal, and he might need her assistance even more in the future, Yalin was barely holding his own right now and truly did not want to face that terrifying demoness.

“Ahaha, I’m really happy you’d invite me, but aren’t the finals held at the Magic Division? It’s quite far from here, and I’m not sure if I’ll have time that day…”

“I’ll pay you.”

Yalin fell silent for a few seconds.

“Do you need me to bring a banner for you?”