The walk to the dining hall was surprisingly…comfortable.
Caleb and Oliver had somehow found an endless list of things to talk about.
"So then my crystal exploded."
"It exploded?" Caleb repeated, laughing.
"Not exploded exploded."
Oliver waved his hands dramatically.
"It just…disassembled itself."
"You broke it."
"I prefer the term 'overachieved.'"
Rowan sighed.
"I was there. You definitely broke it."
Ethan laughed.
Ahead of them, Adrian quietly shook his head.
The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
By the time they reached the dining hall, the evening rush had already begun.
Students filled nearly every table.
The noise of conversations echoed beneath the high ceiling.
Caleb looked around.
"There's an empty table."
He pointed toward one near the center of the hall.
The five of them sat down together.
For the first time… Ethan was sharing a meal with Adrian.
For a while, everyone focused on eating.
After a full day of classes, no one had much energy left.
Eventually, Caleb broke the silence.
"So…"
He looked toward Ethan.
"You're in the Magic Department."
"Yeah."
"What attribute?"
"Fire."
Caleb nodded.
"Nice."
He glanced toward Rowan.
"You?"
"Wind."
"And Oliver?"
Oliver proudly puffed out his chest.
"Lightning."
"…Which explains why he almost blew up the classroom," Rowan added.
"I said I was improving."
"You are."
"Thank you."
"…At making explosions."
Oliver sighed dramatically.
"I walked into that one."
Oliver turned toward Adrian.
"What about you?"
Adrian swallowed his food before answering.
"My affinity is Light."
Oliver blinked.
"You have a magic affinity?"
Caleb nodded. "Most swordsmen do. We just don't specialize in it. I have a water affinity"
Ethan wasn't surprised.
According to the novel, Adrian possessed an exceptionally rare Light affinity.
Later in the story, it would become one of the reasons he was feared by the Demon King.
Their conversation drifted from magic to classes.
"What do you think of Professor Marianne?" Caleb asked.
Oliver immediately answered. "I think she's terrifying."
"She smiled at you."
"Exactly."
Rowan chuckled. "I actually like her teaching style."
"So do I," Ethan agreed.
"She explains everything clearly."
Adrian quietly nodded. "Our Swordsmanship instructor is similar. He doesn't yell unless someone ignores safety rules."
Caleb rubbed the back of his neck. "…I found that out today."
"What happened?" Oliver asked eagerly.
"I accidentally threw my practice sword."
"…"
Oliver burst out laughing.
"You threw your sword?"
"It slipped!"
Adrian calmly corrected him. "It flew."
Caleb covered his face.
"I liked it better when you weren't talking and acting mysterious"
Dinner passed faster than Ethan expected. Students gradually returned their trays and began leaving.
Caleb stood. "We've still got homework."
Oliver groaned. "I was pretending that didn't exist."
"You have the mana crystal assignment right?" Caleb asked.
"Unfortunately."
The group stepped outside together.
The sky had already turned shades of orange and violet.
Small mana lamps flickered to life along the academy paths.
Their soft glow illuminated the campus.
It was…beautiful.
Ethan slowed for just a moment to admire it. "This place really is amazing."
"It is," Rowan agreed.
At the crossroads between the dormitories, the group stopped. The Swordsmanship dorms were in one direction. The Magic dorms in another.
Caleb stretched. "Guess this is where we split up."
Oliver waved. "See you tomorrow."
"You too." Caleb started walking before noticing Adrian hadn't moved.
"You coming?"
"In a minute."
Caleb raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "I'll go ahead. Don't be late."
"I won't."
Soon, Caleb disappeared down the western path. An awkward silence settled over the remaining four.
Then Adrian looked toward Ethan.
"…About earlier."
Ethan tilted his head.
"The training dummy. You reacted without thinking."
Ethan smiled sheepishly. "I didn't really think. I just moved."
Adrian nodded.
"Still.…Thank you."
This time…
The gratitude felt more personal.
Not simply polite.
Ethan scratched the back of his neck. "I'm just glad nobody got hurt."
For the first time since they'd met…
Adrian looked directly into Ethan's eyes for more than a second.
A gentle chime echoed inside Ethan's mind.
[Relationship Updated
Adrian Ashbourne
Trust: 8%
Current Impression:
Reliable.]
The notification disappeared almost instantly.
Rowan cleared his throat politely.
"We should probably head back."
Oliver nodded. "If I don't practice with that crystal tonight, Professor Marianne might actually be disappointed."
"And we can't have that," Ethan joked.
Oliver gasped. "Exactly."
Adrian gave a small nod. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Ethan replied.
Rowan and Oliver echoed the farewell.
As Adrian turned and walked toward the Swordsmanship dormitories, Ethan watched him disappear into the evening crowd.
He looked…lighter.
Not dramatically.
Just enough that Ethan noticed.
Maybe spending time with people like Caleb was helping.
Maybe today's conversations had eased the loneliness that would one day consume him.
Either way… Ethan intended to keep it that way.
Back in Room 214, Rowan immediately took out his mana crystal.
"Want to practice together?"
"Sure."
The two sat across from one another at their desks.
Oliver had already announced he was going to "master lightning" in his own room.
Ethan wished him luck. He'd probably need it.
The crystal rested in Ethan's palm.
He closed his eyes. Mana gathered slowly within him.
Unlike this morning…The warmth responded more naturally.
More smoothly. The crystal glowed.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Twenty.
Thirty.
It never flickered.
When the glow finally faded after one full minute, Ethan opened his eyes.
"…I did it."
Rowan lowered his own crystal and smiled.
"So did I."
A blue window appeared.
[Training Quest Complete
Maintain stable mana flow for one minute.
Rewards Received:
50 System PointsMana Control increased.
Current System Points: 120]
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
One full day of classes.
Two completed quests.
And…
Two new acquaintance.
Outside, the academy bell rang to signal curfew.
Tomorrow would bring another day of lessons.
Another day of opportunities.