“This type of behavior cannot continue, Zeke. You have been issued a warning.”
“Sorry sir.”
Zeke seemed apologetic, but the strict Christopher was uncaring, reproaching him with the usual stern voice.
It was all due to Zeke’s unwarranted absence the day before. He didn’t attend any of the lessons and searched for Amelia all day.
Unless it was for Health reasons, Erys spared no effort to punish those who skip classes. Then again, it depended on whose lessons someone skipped. For instance, Professor Nayro never complained about absentees and whatnot, preferring to focus on those eager to learn and train.
In contrast, Christopher was someone who followed the rules to the letter, and even misconduct wouldn’t escape his notice or punishment.
“Let’s begin the lesson. Page 150 ‘Proto Demons’.”
Zeke was particularly fond of History and Theoretical Aether Manipulation, not only because Christopher was good at his job, but because those were amongst the handful of subjects that did not require any talent, only hard work.
Unfortunately, after the restaurant incident and Amelia’s disappearance, Zeke wasn’t in his right state of mind. He was stubbornly trying to get stronger, so much so that he decided to sleep less and train more.
The exams were around the corner and the majority of the First Years were spending less and less time outside, instead of holing up in the dormitory or library to educate themselves and revise.
As for Zeke, he was saving up PE to unlock the ‘Inexhaustible path’ as well as trying to master ‘Rune of Life’, ‘Life Motus’, and ‘Voltage Arrow’.
“Zeke… Zeke!”
Upon hearing his name twice, the youth instinctively stood up and looked at the teacher.
Christopher had a deep frown as he eyed his student, displeased with his strange behavior.
“Answer the question.”
“Ee-ehm… could you repeat it?”
“When was the first Proto Demon Invasion?”
“Year 2099, right after the Stellar War.”
“Good. 5 Evaluation Points. Sit down and focus.”
“Yes, sir.”
----------------------------------------
“Guess what!”
Samuel slammed his plate on the table and sat across Zeke. He was in a very good mood as he chuckled in triumph.
“You won?”
“Of course I did! I went a step further and stepped the 45th and won!”
“Good for you.”
“Hm? You’re in a worse mood than normal. I heard from dad that Amelia went missing.”
“...”
Even after hearing no response, Samuel didn’t stop talking, “What happened to her was tragic indeed. It goes to show how the students of Erys are growing bolder and think themselves above the Law.”
“It has ever been like that… it’s just that some seemed to forego subtlety.”
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“Yeah…”
Samuel and Zeke sighed at the same time, the former playing around with the plate and the latter robotically eating the food, looking absent-minded.
“By the way, Erys just issued a warning to all the students. They claim that no one is allowed to enter Kethra’s Arms until the notice is lifted. Any students sighted there will receive two Black Stars. Kind of excessive, don’t you think?”
“Not really.”
The killer was running rampant and the authorities were unable to either locate him or properly protect both the students and the civilians.
“Ah! They also said that all students must stay in the dormitory instead of going home. There will be no exceptions.”
“What?”
Zeke, visibly surprised, raised his head and frowned. As a relatively unsocial person, he only felt comfortable when he was in the apartment. Moreover, living in the dormitory meant sharing a room with at least two other students, which made things worse.
“The notice will take effect starting tomorrow so that students have time to bring some of their important belongings from home.
“Did they say how long it will last?”
“No. But I assume it will last until the killer is caught. Anyway, have you decided on who to challenge next?”
Zeke pondered for a few breaths then shook his head. He had been preoccupied with other matters and wasn’t that interested in climbing the Rankings. Only four months were left before the final exams and it would help him greatly if, by the end of the year, his ranking was high, preferably in the top 20.
However, the top 20 weren’t so easily defeated. Even Azmer, who was Zeke’s next target, was strong despite being 24th.
‘Then again, I know that Azmer is hiding his strength. He wants to shock everyone by stealing one of the top spots instead of relying on a slow and steady climb.’
“Then, may I suggest Sara Ferdine from class A? Her ability is ‘Rock Armor’, but I reckon your lightning can pierce through it.”
“...”
“Is that no? I see Sara as one of the ‘good guys’, per se. She wouldn’t hold a grudge or anything.”
“Can you tell me about the so-called ‘circles’ segmenting the First Years?”
Hearing the unexpected questions, Samuel did not mind changing the subject. He grinned and leaned his head closer,
“Those are unofficial groups made by the top students. They want competition, therefore, they gather friends and ‘subordinates’ to - and I quote- reign supreme. Personally, I think it’s just to boost their inflated ego and showcase their leadership skills to Erys, which, in return, might get them recruited into the Student Council. I never thought you’d be interested in them.”
“I’m not. Fylard from class A approached me… wanted me to join his ‘circle’.”
“Oh! That douchebag? I know him. Best stay away from him. In comparison, Azmer, who bullied you, is infinitely tamer. Fylard likes attention and is notorious for causing trouble, but since he’s the nephew of one of the teachers, he rarely gets punished.”
“Nephew? Of who exactly.”
“You know that fat mustached teacher? He’s called Bernard Yak.”
“...”
Zeke’s knowledge regarding the teachers of the second and third years was pitifully limited. He only knew that Christopher taught Advanced Theoretical Aether Manipulation to third years and the few fourth-years.
“Anywho, there are 5 dominating groups split between the 5 First Year classes. Each class has its respective ‘group’, though Class E, your class, is a bit of an exception.”
“How so?”
“Julia Lopmore has declared her own group, but it’s just to avoid other students coming to her class and causing trouble. With how freakishly strong she is, and adding her family background to that, basically no one is brave enough to mess with class E.”
“What about the others?” Asked Zeke as he snuck a glance at Julia, who sat a distance away and was cheerfully chatting with Rebecca.
“My class has Francois Chivaux, someone who only attends the mandatory lessons and skips everything else. He mostly keeps to himself and is surrounded by like-minded people, all gloomy and care only about climbing the Rankings. If I remember correctly, they only have 5 people in that ‘circle’, 4 of which are in the top 20.
Class A has Fylard, as you already know. Class D’s group only accepts girls, for some reason, but that could be because the class itself only has 4 male students in total. Last but not least, class C, which has the current 1st spot, Harold Volcun, an arrogant person similar in nature to Fylard.”
“Alright, thank you.”
“Hahaha come on, there’s no need to sound so sincere. I’m having goosebumps!”
Samuel rubbed his arms and leaned back, finally starting to eat his food.
“What about the other Defects? Do you know them?”
“Not personally, but I’ve heard enough things about them. Two are in class D, treated as some sort of servants to the girls, but they aren’t treated poorly. No physical abuse, I mean. The last one is a girl who has been absent for months but, strangely enough, hasn’t been expelled nor received any Black Stars.”
Seeing the expression of deep thinking on his friend’s face, Samuel sighed and added,
“I know you feel sorry for them, but don’t involve yourself. From what I know, Amelia was the worst case, but that stems from the fact that Amy is a bit twisted due to her toxic upbringing.”
“I wasn’t going to do anything. I’ve provoked enough people already.”