POV: Asani Martin

“Shouldn’t we be hurrying?” I glanced at Solomon, who was walking backward while playing with his splinted arm.

“Why should I? It’s a nice day. I’m trying to enjoy it.”

“Stop fooling around, Solomon. Didn’t you say that you have someone to beat up? The sooner, the better?” Killian responded cooly while glancing at Solomon and then at me.

He had popped up at some point out of the shadows and was casually tagging along as if he had always been there. Seeing as he kept looking at me and glaring, I just minded my business and continued walking.

If he had something to say, he would eventually get it off his chest. Otherwise, it was none of my business.

“Well, I do want to kill him, but there’s no need to rush anymore since the other side is feeling more urgent than us. It looks like the barrier is weakening to me. I think somebody left early this morning, and right now, people are attacking it from the outside, see?”

Solomon pointed upward, and as I followed his finger, all I saw was a small cloud quickly dissipating in the wind.

Asani: “……”

Killian: “……”

Lina: “……”

What were we supposed to be looking at exactly?

Nature doing its thing?

At our blank expressions, Solomon sighed pitifully.

“Sigh, this is why I hate untalented people. Blind. The whole lot of you. I’m so disappointed, especially in you. Your eyes are for show.” As he pointed at me, I crafted a water gun and shot it at his face.

I’d seen that finger shoot lightning. I wanted it far away from me.

Crafting a small barrier with a shrug of his shoulders to block it, Solom turned around and continued walking.

“Anyway, under the recommendation of someone I will not name, I have decided to come up with a plan for what we’re going to do. It’s quite great if I do say so myself.” Hearing his proud tone, I couldn’t help but pop his bubble.

“You mean me?”

“What part of ‘will not name’ did you not understand? Take the hint.”

“I can see that you’re feeling quite grumpy, your lordship. Perhaps a scone with jam from your attendant when you get back to the academy? Some fish and chips perhaps? Mushy peas? Yorkshire pudding?” As Solomon glared at me, I laughed lightly, “What exactly is your great plan?”

“You know those fantasy video games we used to play when we were younger. I want to do that. Today, I am the lord and the three of you are my retainers who have to do exactly what I say and call me your lordship just like our black rank student over there. Let’s see, Kill is the assassin. Lina is the intelligence officer and useless geek, and the black rank student can be my personal assistant. I, of course, am the amazing lord, the non-glass canon mage, the genius of the century, etc.”

“Question.” Lina raised her hands as if she was in class again.

“Yes, intelligence officer and useless geek, Meraki? I allow you to speak freely.”

“Are you on drugs? Did your parents do drugs before they had you?” Lina asked with a completely serious expression.

I often wondered the same about him. Look at this supposed genius of a man role-playing all by himself in broad daylight while on his way to kill somebody.

If it wasn’t drugs, was he just mentally ill?

“They did not, although once I started talking, everyone in my family said they strongly considered it. I, myself, am not on drugs, but I’ve always wanted to try mana crystal dust. I heard it’s a fun experience. You should get me some intelligence Officer Meraki.” Solomon began laughing at her expression and Lina simply looked like she was regretting coming along.

“One, I’m not your retainer or intelligence officer or whatever delusion you’re having now. Properly call me by my name, or I’m leaving. Two, you want me to get you drugs? Are you dumb? Even if I could, Caerus will kill me. Then she’ll kill you before bringing both of us back to life and killing us one more time. You can just fuck off, Nova.” Lina loudly complained.

“Can you really come back to life? And what is mana crystal dust, and why is it a drug?” I turned to Lina and asked curiously.

“You poor innocent baby. So tender. So mild. Don’t believe everything adults say, okay? That’s how you get sold and help someone like me count the money.” At her pitying look, I smiled innocently while fingering my water gun. I had been wanting to try pouring an explosive potion inside to see if it could become a flame thrower, and I didn’t mind testing it on her first.

Naturally, I wouldn’t aim at her face, but she could afford to lose a leg or two, right?

For the advancement of science.

There was a nurse who could heal it up.

Somehow sensing the threat in my eyes, Lina cleared her throat before responding.

“Ehem, Think of mana crystal dust as a….stimulant for people who use mana. The stronger you get, the less traditional medicine works on you, so some…people have researched how to recreate the effects of recreational drugs. A kid like you doesn’t need to know any more than that.”

Since she refused to say anymore, I turned to Solomon, knowing he had no filter.

“Do you snort, inject, or light it up and inhale it?”

“One and three? It apparently makes you feel really good and even provides a temporary mana boost, so I’ve always wanted to test it out, but Caerus won’t let me due to the addictive nature and possible psychosis? Something about making people unhinged?” Solomon grinned at me before turning to Lina, “Get me some; I pay well, you little money-grubber. You know I’m filthy rich.”

“Hell no. And if you keep asking, I’m telling Caerus.”

As I thought it over, I came to the realization of what magic mana dust was.

Crack.

Solomon Nova wanted to try magic crack.

Considering the unhinged personality I had seen so far, I don’t really think he needed any drugs in his system.

“Snitch.”

“Asshole.”

“Short dwarf with useless skills.”

“Narcissistic bastard whose only redeeming quality is his talent.”

“Jealousy is a disease. Shall I burn you to pieces to stop it from spreading?”

“Only if you want to become a golem pancake? Don’t worry, I brought syrup just for you.”

The two quickly devolved into a battle of words. It seemed they really hated each other.

Either way, it was none of my business. I just focused on the tower that was getting closer as we walked, noting the red blob on top.

Could it be Robin?

“Can you all just shut up?” Killian finally snapped. “Lina, stop egging him on, and you, Solomon, stop being distracted and annoying. What’s your plan? Also, why is he here?”

As Killian pointed to me with a glare, I shrugged, “I’m just here to sightsee.”

“Doing a lot of that lately, aren’t you?” Killian snarled at me.

“Well, it’s a big island. There is a lot to see. Solomon even said it was a nice day, and I agree.”

“Then go see it somewhere else that’s not around me.”

At the cold anger in his tone, I raised my brow in confusion.

“Have I done something to offend you? Why are you so angry?”

As far as I knew, I hadn’t egged him on or stolen anything from him, or beat him up. Why was he so angry?

“Oh, me, me. I can answer that.” Solomon raised his free arm before shoving himself into my face, “He’s upset because you’ve been flirting with his girlfriend! I personally heard him say he would chop your head off and use it like a bowling ball. I would never let that slide, you know. You should shoot him.”

At Solomon’s mischievous glance as if looking for trouble, I rolled my eyes and prepared to ignore him. That was the only way to deal with a crazy person.

Unfortunately, it seemed Killian was truly angry. A cape of light and shadow flashed on his body before disappearing. The taller boy glared at Solomon before threatening him in a low voice.

“No, I didn’t. Shut up, Solomon, before I toss you in a shadow pool.”

“Hahahahahaha, it would be very fun for me, so do it. While you’re busy with me, a little kid will be stealing your girl.”

I glanced between the two boys, one of which was about to fall over from laughter and one that looked as if he was considering committing a murder, before rolling my eyes.

Having to deal with an island of heroes trying to kill us, monsters trying to kill us, and this crazy bastard in front of me, where would I find the time to flirt with anybody, much less somebody’s girlfriend?

I expected foolishness from Solomon, but Killian was surprising. In the novel, he always had a cool, calm persona when interacting with Lionel whenever they worked together.

The fact that he was worried about a girl while we were about to go attack a pretty strong hero, reduced my perception of him to the negative levels.

As expected, none of these 9 clan kids’ brains worked properly except for Julius.

Still, I didn’t like false accusations, so I would lightly clear my name.

“I haven’t flirted with anyone, much less somebody’s girlfriend. I don’t even know who your girlfriend is.”

“It’s Cassandra. Weren’t you guys making eyes at each other? ‘Don’t flirt with me.’ ‘You’ll know when I do.’” Solomon mockingly acted out a play all by himself, and I could only shoot him a look before snorting.

“Cassandra Mirage? Disgusting.”

“Kill, you’re dating Cass? She’s never mentioned that she has a boyfriend. Also, you were flirting with Cass? What the hell, Asani?”

At her words, Killian subtly flinched.

Hiding my laughter, I calmly responded, “I was not flirting with anybody. She was joking around and trying to get a rise out of me to knock me off my game.”

Killian looked between Lina and me before continuing to glare at me.

“I don’t care what you say. Don’t flirt with her, and stay the hell away from her!”

At his angry outburst, I could only snicker in bemusement.

Not to mention the fact that I considered all these nine clan students children; romance, especially with one of them, was the farthest thing on my mind.

At best, I could tie them to my side as companions I could partially trust. At worst, we would be enemies.

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And even if I was in a romantic mindset, Cassandra Mirage would be the last person on earth I would consider.

Why would I want to be entangled with an information dealer who likes to lie, spy on people, rob/kill, participate in shady deals, and sell people’s information?

It seemed there was trouble in paradise between Cassandra and Killian, and it had nothing to do with me.

Turning to him, I gave him sincere advice, man to man.

“If you watched that whole interaction, from beginning to end, and your conclusion is that I’m the one that was flirting with Cassandra, it seems that you need to be chatting with her about it instead of blaming me. A word to the wise kid: fix the problems in your own house before going around accusing others, and learn to cut your losses when you need to. I have no design on your girl now or in the future, so stop projecting. Anyway, your plan, Solomon?”

I turned to the little instigator, who snickered in amusement and was eating popcorn from god knows where.

“A little kid calling others kids. Ahhhh, it’s too funny. Plan plan plan, what was it again? Oh yeah, my plan. It’s really simple. I’ve decided to just blow up the tower after killing the red one glaring at us in the distance. That’s the plan. What do you think?”

Asani: “……”

Killian: “……”

Lina: “……”

That was it? That was the grand plan?

I thought he was finally using his head for once but wasn’t this just reframing what he told me? Or rather, it seemed like he just made it up.

“…Is that it?” I couldn’t help but ask as I restrained the urge to shoot him in the back at least once.

“Should there be more? I’ll kill this guy and then blow up the tower. The barrier is coming down anyway, so that means the professors are here, and even if they’re not, the device for the barrier is in the tower, so I’ll just blow it up. I guess if you guys want to search the tower first, Kil and Lina should head there now. I’ll be using Infinite Bombardment, and you know I can’t stop it once it gets going, so I suggest you hurry. If you get caught in the blast and die, it’s not my fault ahaha.”

We all just stared at him in silence before Killian shook his head.

“This is why nobody likes you, Nova.”

“Honestly. I can’t believe actually believed you would say something useful for once. Please do us all a favor and drop dead. Killian, let’s go.”

Clicking his tongue, Killian wrapped his arms around Lina before stepping into the shadow of a tree and disappearing.

“Convenient ability. I’m jealous every time I see it.”

“Me too.”

Being able to retreat into shadows and move around seemed like a very broken gift.

I would have to try to duplicate it if I had the chance.

“He really doesn’t like you, you know.” Solomon glanced at me before continuing his slow walk while clutching his side as sweat dripped down his forehead.

His usual bravado was gone now that it was just us two alone and I glanced at him in concern before looking away.

The weaker he got, the better for me because I still needed to figure out how to cuff him back up.

“I can see that, but I can say the same about you. Lina literally wished death upon you. And yet you keep instigating them.” I responded dryly.

“Because their reaction is funny. And…to be honest, I feel the same way as Killian. There’s a certain thing about you that makes me dislike you. You’re…just constantly grating on my nerves. I feel like I can’t let you out of my sight, or you’ll do something nasty to me. Not that you’re actually strong enough to do so, but it’s an annoying feeling I have to ignore constantly.”

At the surprisingly honest confession, I grinned before patting his back.

“It’s cause I’m more handsome than you, and you’re secretly jealous. No need to be ashamed. Tell the truth and shame the devil.”

“It’s definitely not that. Is it a spell or a curse? No wait! Take that back! There’s no way you’re more handsome than me. My eyes alone are enough to reign supreme over your piss-colored orbs.”

“Piss? These eyes are melted gold, baby. Not like those cheap glass shards in your eyes.”

“Cheap? You think these eyes of mine are cheap?”

As Solomon began grumbling in dissatisfaction about my looks as he got distracted, I sighed in relief. This bastard was way too sensitive.

What he was feeling was probably be the curse at work. If I was truly from the Nox clan, there was no way I could get along with someone from the Nova clan, much less the actual heir with acute magic senses.

“Anyway, even though I decided not to kill you, I still do not like you,” Solomon announced proudly.

“Unfortunate.”

Truly, it was, considering there was nothing I could do about it.

At least Julius and Lina didn’t seem to have such a feeling around me.

Maybe it was because they weren’t the heirs to the clans?

Something else to research.

“Well, that’s neither here nor there. After this is over, I plan on dragging you to Caerus and having her examine you from head to toe to figure out the reason, so look forward to it. It’s an honor many people don’t get.” Solomon shot me a wide grin filled with threat.

“And if I say no?”

“What part of drag didn’t you understand? There’s a reason Kil took Lina and not you to the tower. I need you right by me so I can keep my eyes on you. You always seem to be attracting trouble you know? It’s annoying, so stay close. Once we get back, I’ll have you scanned from head to toe. You and that little pet of yours.”

As I opened my mouth to respond, Solomon carelessly waved his hand, “I don’t care what you have to say. If you have complaints get stronger or figure out a way to restrain me. Anyway, it’s time for me to get started. I suggest you stay behind me and don’t move too much. If you die, it’s your fault.”

Cracking his neck, Solomon snapped his hand out of the splint, pumping it in a circle as he loosened it up.

His crystal eyes flashed as he began mumbling to himself while staring at the tower in the distance. It was now about two miles away and even from here, I could see a red figure perched on the top and circling around.

A large orb of mana appeared in front of Solomon, and the figure turned toward us immediately, and I swore our eyes met.

As the figure smiled, I smiled back before flipping him off and standing directly behind Solomon.

Shouldn’t the person who wanted to drag me somewhere against my will take the most damage first?

I was just being conscientious.

“Mana signature locked on. Scan result Wind gift, Wind Mana Mastary, Blades of the Contained Wind. Recommending Earth mana attribute to nullify and provide stability. Flame mana attribute to interfere and lightning mana attribute to inflict more damage.” Solomon continued muttering to himself in a slightly robotic voice as the mana orb grew bigger and began drawing the mana around us like a vacuum.

“Surrounding mana is wood-attributed and wind-attributed, so the conversion rate is low. Boost using the body’s mana. Boost. Boost. Boost. Slowing down the target with wind attribute mana. Boost. Boost. Stable multi-attribute mana orb has been created. Orienting toward the target. Ready to fire.”

As the mana orb continued building in front of him, swirling with red, green, and yellow mana, Solomon continued mumbling while the figure continued charging slowly through the air as if moving through molasses, I discreetly took his cuffs out of my pack and slid them into my pocket while Solomon was completely focused on the incoming human rocket dressed in red.

He wanted to drag me to Caerus Nova?

Over my dead body.

It was bad enough that I had notified her by taking off his cuffs. I was hoping that she would forget this little incident so why would I allow her to be reminded about it.

There was no telling what a higher-ranked scan would reveal, so it would be best to avoid her at all costs.

The first step to doing that?

Locking up Solomon and making him owe me.

I would chain this little punk up. I just needed an opportunity.

The rest could slowly be figured out.

Seeing as his figure was sweating as he poured mana into the orb, whatever he was doing was probably going to drain him significantly.

Then my chance could come.

And if it didn’t, I fully planned to run away from the battle if Solomon seemed like he was losing to Robin.

After all, I didn’t owe anybody anything, and Robin had no enmity with me I hoped.

And if Solomon happened to die. It would be unfortunate, but my only wish would be for Onyx to be able to eat his body.

In the midst of my musing, my gaze focused on Robin as he stopped a couple hundred feet away in the air. He waved his hand, and an overly large wind blade sliced through the air. It was immediately blocked by a barrier Solomon made before shattering it and creating a strong draft of wind.

As Solomon flinched before recreating the barrier, Robin charged through the air stream it made while Solomon grinned before yelling.

“Got you. Ready to die, you leather-wearing baldy!”

Baldy!

Baldy!

Baldy!

Solomon’s enhanced shout rang through the air, echoing all around as Robin dashed closer before stopping abruptly and bending his body backward as a spear of mana, launched by Solomon, flew straight into his face and grazed his cheek.

“Tch, I missed. Stupid baldy!” Solomon grumbled before holding both hands out and pouring more mana into the orb.

As the words baldy continued to echo, both Robin and I were flabbergasted.

Asani: “…..”

Robin: “…..”

I remembered he originally had a head full of wild gray hair. Wasn’t Solomon the one who made him bald?

Seeing the scarred man’s face twitch in anger, I couldn’t help but laugh.

He looked like he was going to explode from anger as his face turned cherry red, but soon, he calmed down.

“Nova clan brat. For what you did to Swallow, you’ll meet your end today, and if your family kills me, so be it. For Survival, as it was intended,” Robin’s tone was calm as a cyclone of wind began swirling around him, and he pulled out a red dagger from god knows where with his only arm.

“Yap, yap, yap. You’re boring. And I’ve already figured out your abilities. Blah blah blah, I can’t be bothered to say much, so just die, you damn Darwinist. Make better decisions in your next life.”

Cleaning his ears out with his pinky, Solomon flicked the wax toward Robin before muttering.

“Nova clan specialty, Infinite bombardment. Fire.”

A clear barrier suddenly surrounded the two of us, and the orb suddenly compressed and began rotating until it was the size of a soccer ball before little stone mana arrows began flying from it. First, they were no bigger than the size of a needle flying unerringly toward Robin. But as they approached him, they grew bigger until they were taller and thicker than me before slamming into the torrent of wind circling Robin, creating a flash of lightning, fire, and exploding rocks before dissipating.

As Robin flew off to the side, the orb continued spinning faster and faster, siphoning back the mana from the explosion and creating larger and larger mana arrows that flew at Robin, chasing him through the air before exploding once more each time it got near him.

It was like a game of tag, except the thing that was ’it’ was an automatic missile launcher made up of mana that continually replenished itself after exploding against the target.

What kind of broken ability was this?

And how could I get my hands on it?

Observing the orb through my eyes showed that it was a completely stand-alone object that was no longer attached to Solomon. Although there was a thin thread of mana tying it to Robin, everything from siphoning the mana around it to firing at Robin seemed automated, and when I tried to analyze it, I could see a stupid message.

[Unable to Analyze ???? due to low rank.]

Too bad.

I would have to rank the Eye of Odin up soon and try again later. It was already close, so using it a few more times on new objects should do it.

But for now, I had to focus on this battle.

Hearing Solomon panting while laughing as he slowly drooped to the ground, I glanced over at him before wrapping my arm around his shoulder and holding him up.

“I don’t need your help. You’re never nice for no reason,” Solomon grumbled at me even as he leaned his body on mine.

It seemed like he was really exhausted. Drained of mana and about to collapse if he strained himself just a little more.

Good.

I began wishing that Robin would fight back a little harder. How could he let himself get beaten by an 18-year-old? Hadn’t he already lost an arm? He should feel regret and at least make Solomon collapse from mana depletion or something. They should take each other out at a moderate level so I could kill one and restrain the other.

Unfortunately, seeing Robin avoid the barrage of arrows while unable to get closer, he was not winning anytime soon.

What a useless hero.

Hiding my disappointment, I calmly responded to Solomon.

“Whatever you say, your lordship. Call it self-interest on my part, but I don’t want you passing out before you take Robin out. Especially with this stupid barrier you put around us. You’re unnecessarily thorough.” I replied sarcastically as I held him closer before glancing up at Robin.

“Heh, I am, aren’t I? Can’t have you running away on me. Whew~. Look at him go. Come on, baldy! Fly faster. Fight back! I believe in you!”

Solomon jeered at Robin, and I turned back to focus on him.

The man was flying around at rapid speed, making sharp turns and pauses before accelerating again, causing him to look like a red blur, as he twisted and sped through the air, avoiding the exploding mana issues that continually chased after him without pause.

Every once in a while, when he temporarily slowed, I could only see his hand flashing as he sent wind blades slashing at the continuous barrage of missiles flying at him and the orb, which simply absorbed the mana before spitting it back out.

Every time he tried to approach, the intensity of the missiles increased, exploding continuously and filling the air with chunks of molten rock sparking with lightning, and he had no choice but to retreat further and further away.

Seeing the calm look on Robin’s face slowly crumble into one of frustration and anger while the wind around him increased, I upgraded Solomon Nova’s level in my mind.

What a uselessly strong bastard. Even now, his body was drenched with sweat while he leaned on me; he was laughing while maintaining a proper mana barrier around the two of us, his eyes not leaving Robins for a single moment.

Robin finally paused, creating a thick globe of air that deflected the mana missiles flying at him and created a 20m safe zone around him.

The vicious eyes focused solely on Solomon, and he looked like he wanted to rip him to pieces with his bare hand.

“Novaaaaaaaaaaaa! I’ll kill youuuuuuuu!” a sound of rage and frustration escaped from his mouth, but the boy before me only snorted before grumbling.

“Why are you complaining now? You should have done it properly the first time. Ah, look, a guest has appeared. Say hello, Baldy!.”

Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Crack!

Suddenly, a loud cracking sound rang out, and the sky crystalized like shattered glass before breaking into pieces.

“What the-”

As Robin turned around in the air, a long black spear flew through the air, piercing through the wall of air he had around him, and impaled him directly through the stomach.

“Ugwahhhhhhh!” a tortured scream sounded out, but the culprit of the injury, a woman dressed in all black with short black hair cut into a bob and bright blue eyes narrowed in anger, slowly floated downward.

Two large black wolves, one with a red gemstone on its forehead and the other with a blue gemstone, stood on either side of her, growling.

With a wave of her hand, the spear twisted inside of Robin before flying back into her hand. As she flipped the spear so it pointed downward, the blade ignited with flames that burned the blood off before encapsulating the spearhead in ice.

“I don’t appreciate people attacking my kids, especially if it’s a hero that’s supposed to be protecting them.” Professor Lee’s calm voice sounded out even though her eyes were turning a bright yellow color, and both red and blue mana visibly surged around her.

“Domare.” Robin gritted his teeth as he glared at Professor Lee, his only hand clutching the hole in his abdomen as his knife dropped to the ground.

“So you know, and yet still messed around with my kids? Very good. Take a nap for me. When you wake up, I’ll have you answer some questions.” Without waiting for a response, Professor Lee flicked her wrist while activating her mana, causing the spear to extend in length as it whipped toward Robin’s head in a blur.

“Never! For Survival!”

Coughing as he ducked down, Robin swiftly dodged the spear that seemed like it would behead him and the mana missiles that continued firing at him now that there was no shield in place. Gathering wind around his body, Robin began spinning like he was a torpedo and began charging toward Solomon and me. Despite the increased mana missiles from Solomon’s orb flying at him, he destroyed it and picked up speed.

As I was going to release Solomon and escape on my own, I tried to move my feet and saw that, at some point, mana chains had wrapped around my feet, pinning me to the ground while Solomon pulled away from my arms and stood behind me.

“You fucker.”

“I just want to verify something, don’t be mad. It’s not like you’ll die? Maybe?” he retracted the clear mana barrier around us, just leaving me to face the approaching Robin with nothing between us.

Hearing the laughter in his voice, I put another black mark against his name and vowed to make him pay with interest.

Regardless of his little tricks, I wasn’t worried and created a small barrer in the shape of glasses to keep the dirt from my eyes while giving Robin a mocking smile.

“Bye Bye.”

If I managed to get injured with Professor Lee here, then my luck was truly bad. And from what Solomon had told me about Darwinist, once they said For Survival, they tended to blow themselves up.

This was now above my pay grade, and I should let the expert take care of it.

As expected, even with Robin’s actions, Professor Lee’s spear pivoted in the air and began shooting toward his back while her irritated voice sounded out.

“Blue. Shield. Red. Swallow.”

Awooooooooooooooooo.

Both wolves howled, and a large dome of ice, over five feet thick, surrounded both Solomon and me, blocking my vision of everything around me.

Unfortunately, it didn’t block my ears, and I could hear the sound of snapping teeth, bones breaking, and an eerie shriek of pain before dead silence.

“Did you get to see what you wanted? Let me go.” I coldly ordered Solomon and the mana chains disappeared as if they never existed.

“Mmm, I guess? I was just checking my suspicions, and as expected, you survived. Yay.” As Solomon laughed before sitting on the ground, I spotted Blue, who walked through the ice as if it wasn’t there.

As soon as she spotted me, her tail began wagging happily, and the next thing I knew, she had knocked me to the ground, and I was getting licked all over my face.

Wrapping my hands around her neck and joying the coolness I could feel from her, I let her pull me up before glancing at Solomon who looked a little afraid.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

As Blue began growling angrily, Solomon gave the wolf a polite smile.

“Hello, Miss Blue. Nice weather we’re having here. Did I mention you look lovely today? Your fur coat looks thick and healthy.”

Blue continued growling at him angrily and I glanced between the two curiously. Peaceful Blue, who liked to eat and sleep, didn’t like Solomon. Naturally, he must have done something to her.

And I had just found my helper.

“Baby Blue. You want all-you-can-eat steak for a month?” as the ears of the large wolf perked up and her tail began wagging like an excited dog, I stroked her nose gently before pointing at Solomon.

“Chain that bastard for me. I only need one minute. I’ll even let you bite him and won’t tell the professor.”

Ice chains began forming as Blue began spreading a cooling mist around her. They easily wrapped around Solomon and tied him like a hog on the ground despite him struggling.

“Hey! You bastard! What the hell are you doing? NO! Stop away! It was a joke. A joke. You wouldn’t have died. Blue! You damn mutt! Stop it! Traitor!” Solomon began shouting as he tried to escape the chains while I approached him and spun the cuffs around my finger.

Squatting by his head, I directly ignored his nonsense and snapped on the two cuffs, one on each wrist. As the mana around him reduced to nothing, I gave him an innocent smile while he stared at me in anger and resignation.

“Didn’t you like chaining people up and checking something? Me too. Karma is a bitch ain’t it?”

“Vicious little kid. ”

“Not as vicious as you are chaining me in front of a mid-ranked hero on a suicide charge. What if the professor had been late and I had died? Hmmm?”

Laughing at his irate expression, I gently patted his cheek, “Let’s you and I chat later and match our stories well. If you agree, I’ll take the cuffs off. If not, it’s still no skin off my nose. After all, I doubt anyone else will willingly remove those cuffs for you, Mr. Rank 2, and I haven’t done anything to be ashamed of.”

Solomon glanced between the cuffs and me before bursting out laughing.

“Okay, you got me. I’ll agree to whatever you say so why don’t you take these off for now? I’m already low on mana, and this is going to mess up my recovery. Plus, I’ll even give you your watch back.”

“Pass. I doubt they would count this exam anyway, and your recovery is none of my business. Isn’t the professor here? She can handle things while you use the opportunity to relax until they send you to the medic. Later, you and I can have a proper discussion over tea and fresh scones and make a deal about your freedom. Look forward to it.”

I got up and dusted myself off before going to Blue and hopping on her back, enjoying the cooling mist coming from her body.

Glancing back at Solomon, who was still chained on the ground, I gave him a warning, “And don’t call my cutie Blue a mutt again, you little punk. Otherwise, I’ll ask her to make a Solomon Nova popsicle. And then have Red melt you with hellfire.”

Growl!

Blue growled in agreement before taking down the ice dome around us.

“Of course, a demon child like you would get along with those devilish dogs.”

Solomon grumbled before sighing, “Miss Blue, I humbly request to be freed. Your ice is quite cold. My lungs hurt, you know.”

At his polite tone, I laughed while Blue shook her head no.

“Good girl.” I scratched her chin while looking at Professor Lee and Red as they approached.

Professor Lee looked between me, who was lounging on Blue’s back, and Solomon, who was still tied with ice chains on the ground, and sighed while clutching her head as if she had a headache.

“Troublemaker Martin and Troublemaker Nova. I see the two of you have joined forces or have decided to become enemies. Tell me, what havoc have the two of you caused? If you say none, I won’t believe it.”

“Whatever you think I did, I didn’t do it.” I immediately claimed my innocence.

“You didn’t bribe Blue with all-you-can-eat steak for a month, tell her she could bite Solomon and you wouldn’t tell me, and order her to chain him down?”

As she dryly listed out my actions, I gave her a wide grin, “I’ve missed you, professor. I know you missed me too.”

“…Go and line up at the tower along with the rest of the students who are being collected. And please don’t cause any more trouble or order my familiar to attack other students.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” I saluted her loosely and lay on Blue’s wide back comfortably as she started walking.

As we went further away, I could hear Professor Lee scolding Solomon.

“Mr. Nova. Would you like to explain to me why you used a skill you couldn’t control? Caerus has explicitly forbidden you from using infinite bombardment. Were you planning on destroying the tower and half the island if I hadn’t taken care of it? Hmmm?”

“Ahaha, I modified it so it would stop after destroying the tower. I think?”

“…You think? Additionally, what is wrong with your airways?”

“A hole or two? Maybe?”

“….Maybe?”

At the dangerous tone in Professor Lee’s voice, I laughed and closed my eyes while preparing to take a nap.

Finally, this torturous island was over.