Edris, Ace, and Magenta stood across from one another, the sphere barrier slowly disintegrating above their heads.
Brushing one of the speckles away from her view, Magenta steered toward the white-haired man between her and Edris. She sighed, cracking her knuckles with one hand.
"Professor 004, I would advice you against doing anything unnecessary," she said. "Do not forget that you are still on probation."
Naturally, the man did not hold a care for her words. Throwing her a side glance at most, Ace stepped to Edris.
"You can still use it?"
By it, he was referring to the Tempest.
Edris nodded slowly, and Ace took another step forward.
"And the other one?"
By that, he meant the Distributor, the other item Edris received from the Sacrificial Hourglass that allowed him to transfer his mana to another person.
Back in the real world, he'd used the item to sustain Ace's human form, but he didn't need to use it in the Labyrinth, as the mana channels were blocked off for all players, so no mana could exit or enter them.
Edris blinked twice.
He'd yet to attempt implementing the Distributor’s power in the Labyrinth. But assuming all powers he gained under the Sacrifical Hourglass were beyond the Labyrinth's jurisdiction, theoretically, the same would go with the Distributor as with the Tempest.
"You can't even draw out mana right now because of your restricted channel, so why are you asking…" At that thought, Edris was hit with an understanding. He raised an eyebrow toward the white-haired man.
"Do you want me to die?"
If his guess was correct, Ace wanted to use his Distributor to force open his mana channel. With the channel currently restricted, the lack of mana input and output actually established a sense of equilibrium.
But what would happen if there was an exception? Something capable of breaking the intricate balance?
Within this system of equilibrium, the Distributor was the exception.
Witnessing Ace's silence, Edris brushed his hair back with a slow exhale.
"Listen here, if by any chance we actually succeed, then your state would go back to how it was in the real world, which means the suffer would fall upon me once again," he said. "Do you know how much mana it takes to simply sustain your body shape?"
Ace stared at him with stoic eyes, not giving a fuck.
"Don't you enjoy your current freedom without the burden of mana?" Edris said, carefully taking in his every facial expression. "Although your powers are slightly restricted, you're still very strong. I don't think we need to resort to restoring your mana so quickly."
"No. It's needed." He narrowed his eyes. "Especially after what you pulled."
"Hey now." Edris dropped his hands to the side. "You're still mad at that?"
Ace ignored his question. "Do it. Now."
"But what if it fails?"
"If you did it properly, it will not."
"Since when did you have so much faith in me?"
“…”
Magenta bore a complicated expression on the sidelines as she witnessed the discourse between the two.
Before she could say anything, she stiffened as another voice echoed behind her.
"That is enough."
The sphere completely disintegrated, and the surroundings reverted to the original campus setting. The Principal emerged from the foot of the tower, with the grim-looking Moss trailing behind him. Contrasting with the latter, not a speckle of dirt was on him despite having come out of a deteriorating building.
“Master!’
“Mister Edris!”
At the same time, Celio and Ives ran up to him, the latter grabbing hold of his wrist. Edris gave the two a reassuring smile. Owein joined the group sequentially, but his gaze was on the old man in the distance.
With the conversation halted, Edris peered toward the Principal in curiosity.
Had he been in the office this entire time?
When Moss caught him and Ace in his view, he closed in on the Principal immediately, lowering to whisper in the latter's ear.
"Sir, this is the student I was talking about who s disrupting the entire academy's order," Moss said in a low voice, but still loud enough for everyone around him to hear. "He must receive sufficient punishment to set an example for the rest of the students here."
Following his words, the Principal's jet-black pupils steered toward Edris's direction. They were like two black holes, devoid of all light, piercing at the man as though attempting to strip him bare.
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Confronted with the Principal's gaze, Edris merely stared back, simultaneously embracing the looks of the rest around him.
He'd expect some action from the Principal, but after three seconds of staring, the old man only retracted his gaze.
"The curfew is soon," the Principal said, his voice monotone. "It is time for the students to return to the dormitories.
"An announcement will be made soon."
Edris creased his brows, and Moss swerved around in shock.
"But sir, letting them go just like that…"
The Principal looked at him, and Moss averted his gaze, forcing the rest of his sentence back down his throat. Magenta, on the other hand, obediently retreated to the Principal's side, head lowered and mouth closed.
However, her clenched fist did not escape Edris's eyes.
An indescribable pressure was between them, one which the dark-haired man noted in silence. Giving them one last intriguing glance, he turned around and headed to the reeds, only for a certain white-haired man to stand before him.
“…”
"We're not done talking yet."
"Professor 004," Magenta spoke from behind. "Do not forget your position. And Student 111…"
She paused.
"You have twenty-four hours to provide your answer."
Enduring two pairs of eyes, Edris released a sigh. He glimpsed past his shoulder and spoke, though it was unsure which of the two his response was directed towards.
"I will consider it."
With that, he turned back, signalling to the rest of the group with a flick of his hand.
"Let's go."
***
DORMITORY 604. LABYRINTH 53.
Sipping on a cup of sweet tea, Edris skimmed the new feature on his player interface:
The SAA Handbook.
The added section had appeared as a result of Magenta's proposal for him to join the association.
Even though he had set the entire [DETENTION] floor on fire, the aftermaths that awaited him were underwhelming. Edris received no punishments from the administration. His actions were—to use Moss's words—"not a violation of MW Academy's five core rules."
Although the man had squeezed the final verdict with the utmost bitterness, there was nothing he could do about it, as it was the decision reached by the Principal himself.
Moss wasn't the only one that was confused by the decision. In fact, Edris shared his puzzlement.
Embracing the sweetness spreading across his tongue, Edris reorganised his thoughts.
Although trapped in the Labyrinth, there were still places within this world that the academy's rules could not reach.
For example, the Hidden Locations.
Edris glanced down at his profile:
PLAYER [EDRIS] 'S HIDDEN QUEST:
Find out the [PRINCIPAL] 's secret!
TIME LIMIT: ?????
REWARD: ?????
Although the [HIDDEN QUEST] was still a mystery, it appeared to be operated through a system separate from the Labyrinth itself yet still benefitting from its features. Otherwise, Edris wouldn't have been able to receive "cards," a specific element of Labyrinths, as rewards for his discoveries.
Frankly speaking, even he thought the Principal's reaction was too lenient, considering everything he'd done to the music tower.
Even though his parents were considered significant donors of the academy, he didn't think they were influential enough for him to be exempted from punishment for practically demolishing one of the core aspects of the campus.
Edris lightly tapped the rim of his cup.
Then why?
The Principal's reaction aside, he was also bothered by the strange dynamic between the old man and Magenta. The latter was working under the Principal, at least on the surface level. Yet, Edris couldn't help but wonder if there was something deeper between their relationship after seeing Magenta's reaction.
An inconsistency, Edris thought.
Indeed, there seemed to be incongruities between the structural rules—aimed at preserving order in the Labyrinth—and the Principal's actions themselves. He'd assume that as the leader of the academy, the Principal was expected to be the one who upholds these rules the most.
However, his series of actions throughout the two months fell closer to the chaotic end of the spectrum than to maintaining peace, while the professors were the ones whose actions actually aligned with the Labyrinth's aim to preserve order.
Now, assuming they worked for two separate forces—with the professors on the side of the Labyrinth itself—what about the Principal?
Taking a final sip of his sweet tea, Edris set the empty cup on the bedside table and focused on the other countdowns in the corner of his vision.
PLAYER [EDRIS] 'S MAIN QUEST:
Confess to your unrequited love during the [FINAL EXAM]!
TIME LIMIT: 00:72:48:50
DECISION ON [Magenta] 'S PROPOSAL:
[ACCEPT] [DECLINE]
TIME LIMIT: 00:23:22:00
Edris rubbed his face with his hands.
This is quite a bothersome situation.
Managed by Magenta, invitations to join Student Administrative Association were sent to all who demonstrated potential to become future professors and carry out the Labyrinths tasks and keep order.
In other words, they were caretakers hired to clean after the Labyrinth's bullshit situations in exchange for a second chance at living.
Of course, Edris held no intention of accepting the offer.
For one, he'd already crafted a plan to accomplish his [MAIN QUEST]. And although joining SAA came with impressive perks, Edris had no incentives to join himself—since Owein was already a member.
At the thought of Owein, he turned his attention to the man across the room.
Head buried in his blanket, Owein was soundly asleep with his back facing Edris. The latter glanced at the clock above the door.
10:22 PM.
The latter found it somewhat ridiculous that the man could sustain such a healthy sleep schedule in such an environment. For almost two months straight, too.
Amidst his internal remarks, a pair of narrowed, golden eyes entered his view. Edris snapped out of his contemplations, coming face-to-face with a certain beast tamer.
Celio, mouth in a pout and face all scrunched up, leaned forward. Standing behind him with crossed arms was the seven-year-old Ives, who'd just sighed for the third time in the past two minutes. Even No. 39 was here as well.
Edris blinked twice. From the way they acted, he'd think they were amidst an interrogation.
His interrogation.
"..."
Looks like there's a more bothersome situation at hand.
"Now, Master." Celio was the first to speak. The beast tamer clasped his hands together and peered at him with a stern gaze.
"Aren't you planning to explain yourself?"