"About that... I can't."

"What!?"

Almost all of them exclaimed at the same time.

"B-But why?!" Anastasia asked in confusion.

"Did someone break your magic armament?" Ivan asked as Hoshi nodded.

"Ah, I forgot about that..." They all looked at Callista when she uttered those words.

"What do you mean by that?" Ivan asked.

"Well, I did summon Wendy earlier, and she may have been searching for his magic armament... and devoured it?" she said in a questioning tone, avoiding their glares.

"And you didn't even tell us anything?!"

"Are you stupid?!"

Ivan and Anastasia almost said at the same time, violently shaking Callista by her shoulders.

"And I apologize for that," she said, pushing them away. "But I have a solution," she huffed.

"What is it?" Denovan asked.

"You have to hurry. They're getting near," Hoshi warned.

"Did you get the thing I asked you to?" Callista asked, turning to Ivan.

"Yes, I got it personally from Professor Wilford," he said, rummaging through his bag before pulling out a jar filled with thick fog.

"Isn't that mystic fog? Why are you carrying something like that?" Anastasia asked, her eyes wide.

"I had a feeling that something might happen today, so I asked Ivan to get it just in case," Callista answered, turning to Hoshi.

"You," she called. "You can use any magic armament, right?" she asked. Hoshi nodded, confused by her question.

Callista suddenly reached out her hand. A yellow magic circle appeared in her palm, and a bladed fan materialized. She held it firmly before handing it to Hoshi.

"How are you able to make a magic armament? That shouldn't be possible," Hoshi said, bewildered as he stared at the weapon in his hands.

"I didn't make it. A friend gave it to me. I'm not a wizard, and I never knew how to use it, so I might as well give it to someone who can," she said, looking up at the valleys in alert.

"Can you teleport us out of here, Ivan?" she asked. Ivan shook his head.

"I can't. Something's blocking me from doing so," he replied.

"Then we don't have a choice," Callista said, her eyes narrowing as shadows began descending the steep rocks.

"Ana, summon Balzac," Ignis suddenly said.

"W-What? B-But you know that I can't summon her regularly..." Anastasia stammered.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Balzac? Who's that?" Callista asked, her brows furrowed.

"Lady Ana's familiar," Denovan explained.

"Are you sure it's okay to summon it here?" Ivan hesitated.

"Rather than getting stuck here," Ignis pointed out.

"We don't have time. Summon your familiar on the count of three," Callista demanded, catching Anastasia off guard.

"I—What..?" she stuttered, gulping nervously.

"Damn it! Fine," Anastasia relented.

"Great," Callista said as the shadows came closer. She opened the jar's lid, and the fog began covering their feet.

"One..."

Callista counted, her eyes locked on the enemies. Hoshi fanned the bladed weapon, unleashing strong gusts of wind that expanded the mystic fog.

"Two..."

Everyone's breathing hitched as they stood frozen in their spots.

"Callista! They're getting closer!" Ivan warned, but Callista didn’t respond. When the fog fully enveloped them, she took a deep breath.

"Now!"

Anastasia wasted no time, summoning her familiar. A blinding light engulfed them.

From within the thick fog, a white dragon emerged, soaring high into the sky. Its yellow eyes pierced through the gloom, locking onto anything it perceived as a threat. As the wind whipped around them, Callista looked down at the valley, sighing in relief when she saw no one following.

She glanced at Ivan, who avoided looking up, his body trembling.

"I'm sorry, Ivan. Just hang on a little longer," Anastasia said worriedly.

"I-It's okay," he stuttered.

"Why is he scared of heights in the first place?" Callista asked Denovan, who stood beside her.

"We all have something that tests our strength, Callista," Denovan explained. "Like how Ana carries the weight of the crown, how Ignis has faced numerous assassination attempts since childhood, and how I fear failing to protect the royal family. Ivan... lost someone here before, and the sky was the only witness." He smiled sadly.

"Oh, I forgot he told me that before," Callista murmured before suddenly realizing something. "Wait, but wasn’t he able to fly a few days ago?" she whispered to Denovan, who showed a complicated expression.

"Well..." They glanced at Ivan, trembling at a distance.

Denovan leaned in to whisper, "Don't tell him, but he’s not aware when he does it."

That revelation left Callista both confused and surprised. "What? How is that even possible?" she asked, utterly baffled.

Denovan laughed. "By the way, what we saw in that illusion doesn’t change what we see in you," he said.

Callista stared at him, unimpressed. "What? I would rather you didn’t. Besides, weren’t you always suspicious of me?"

"Well, that can’t be helped. I’m a knight," Denovan replied, making her roll her eyes.

"Callista?" Ignis called, snapping her attention. "What magic did you cast on me?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," she replied with feigned innocence.

Ignis squinted at her.

"I didn’t do anything, okay?" she huffed in defeat. "It’s not like I have complete control over it," she muttered.

Ignis sighed, deciding not to press further.

When their group reunited with the rest of the class, they were met with Professor Dan’s scolding.

"You! What is wrong with you?! Every time I schedule an activity, you go off my radar!" he shouted.

Callista’s brow twitched in irritation. "That’s rich, coming from the reason we got lost in the first place," she said, her sharp smile sending chills down Dan’s spine.

"Now that you mention it, why don't we pay them back?" Ivan said with a pissed-off grin as he conjured an arcane circle and aimed it directly at the Professor. Ignis and Denovan also drew their swords, while Anastasia showed no intention of stopping them. Dan took a step back.

"W-Wait..! How dare you threaten your Professor?!" Dan argued, cold sweat dripping from him. "How dare you put your students in danger?" Callista retorted, taking dangerous steps forward.

Dan, terrified that they were angry, noticed the man behind them. "Wait! Why is that man here?!" he exclaimed, pointing at Hoshi, who waved back at him. "Thank goodness you remember him. You're the reason his territory was taken away," Anastasia said.

"Wha—what? What happened?" Dan asked. "Undertakers attacked the area. They were too numerous for us to handle, so we escaped. All thanks to you," Ivan sarcastically replied. "W-Wait, they did it again?!" Dan asked in surprise. "By the way, why did you even take us there in the first place?" Callista asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm also curious about that, but I did find something interesting," Hoshi nodded in satisfaction. "Fine," Dan sighed, his earlier playfulness gone as he looked at them seriously.

"I've always wondered how you were able to survive the Hunting Grounds without any injuries. I didn’t intend for you to face danger like that, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to satisfy my curiosity," he shrugged.

Anastasia couldn't help but think that the rumors about the new Professor were true—he may look foolish, but he was the sharpest of them all. It was no wonder he graduated at the top of his class; he deserved his arrogance.

"Don't worry. I was watching earlier, before the Undertakers attacked, but I must say this is a matter worth investigating further..." he said, turning to Callista, his smile vanishing.

"Who are you, Callista Alberts?" they stared at each other in silence, neither of them willing to back down, when suddenly someone smacked Dan's head.

"Ow..! What the? Who dares—"

"Shut it, Dan."

They turned to the newcomer with widened eyes. "Lance? What brings you here?" Anastasia asked in surprise. "I greet the Empire's star and moon," he bowed, referring to Anastasia and Ignis.

"I also greet the Young Miss, Sir Denovan, and Sir Ivan," he greeted the rest before turning back to Anastasia.

"To answer your question, Your Highness, the Headquarters detected a trace of black magic in this area from the Tower of Lucis, so we came here to investigate," he said.

"Lance, you bastard!" Dan glared at him.

"You were always a bully, Dan, huh?" Lance said.

"What do you care? These are my students!" Dan argued back.

"Maybe you forgot that they're all in higher positions," Lance remarked.

"Callista is not," Dan immediately retorted. Lance covered his mouth as Dan struggled out of his grip.

"Shut up," Lance said.

"Do you know each other?" Callista asked, tilting her head.

"Oh, yes. We attended the same Academy at the same time, so we grew up together," he smiled before kicking Dan away.

Dan's curses could be heard as Lance acted as though it was normal.

"Anyways, the traces of Dark Magic must be from the Undertakers earlier..." Anastasia commented.

"They led an attack again?" Lance asked in shock.

"What is it with you people getting attacked by Undertakers?" Lance wondered.

"Lance, I think you should immediately report this to Headquarters," Professor Dan suggested, hoping to get rid of him.

"You're right. Then I'll take my leave now," Lance bowed as he slapped Professor Dan's head before turning his back, his Platoon following behind. All of them looked at each o

ther before laughing.

"What's that for!?" Dan didn't disappoint as he glared at Lance's retreating back while holding his head.

'Now you don't see that every day,' they thought.