"AAAAAAAH!"
I frowned.
"Stop screaming!"
What was the point of screaming so loud when it was dark out?
People were already asleep.
"Y-You should slow down!" Kevin yelled. "I-I think I'm about to... ugh..."
This motherfucker better not...
"Bleghh..."
"..."
Unbelievable.
I wasn't even flying us this fast.
And he just poured a rainbow over the noble district.
I'll really have to refrain from flying over here for at least the next week or two.
Knowing that we were late, I insisted on taking us to the academy faster.
He even agreed, but now he was making a whole fuss about it.
Anyway...
"We're here," I announced, dropping him on the grass just in front of the academy.
"Bleghh..."
And he's supposed to be the main character.
Thankfully, he got his shit together pretty quickly, and so together, we went into the academy, and then after just a few minutes, we arrived in front of the headmaster's office.
Being late when that guy was involved really didn't help my case.
For all I knew, he might insist on pushing the project ahead.
I really had to be careful.
Kevin and I exchanged a quick glance, and then I anxiously opened the door.
The two of us stepped inside the room, which was completely silent.
The Top Priority cadets sat on both sides, and to my surprise, Melina was here now as well.
That made it seven of us.
Even so...
"Amon Everness, Kevin Lacrosse. I was sure I had sent a simple invitation, yet you two were late. If this happens again, I will make sure you understand the consequences of your actions."
When Ariston says something, he means it.
I just nodded, not feeling brave enough to retort.
Kevin was the same.
"Good. Sit down wherever you'd like. I have prepared the mission the seven of you will be going on."
Uhh...
The only seats available were the ones right in front of him, though.
It really wasn't my day.
I sat down where I could, and the moment I did, Ariston pulled out a document and began reading.
"Two years ago, the citizens of the Mudflats began disappearing. Some speculated they had fallen into the mud pits or even some quicksand. Maybe they had gotten lost at sea. However, no one could confirm any of that.
"But one day, a few passing mercenaries discovered a few peculiar red trees just outside the Mudflats.
"Once one of those trees was cut down, it revealed the corpse of a missing citizen. The mercenaries began chopping every red tree down, and each one had a corpse."
Ariston tossed the document on the table and then glanced at each of us.
"Those mercenaries went back to chop the rest of the trees down and went missing. A few other teams went missing after that. No one knows what's going on at the Mudflats, but the situation is clearly dire."
Hearing him speak about such a serious topic with a hollow voice really ticked me off for some reason.
But this situation really was dire.
"The seven of you will be taking carriages to the Mudflats and figuring out the root of the problem. Get rid of the problem. If you deem it too dangerous, you're allowed to retreat."
He sat back down and cupped his hands.
"If you have any questions, speak them now. If not, you may start making your way to the Mudflats now."
Like always, Isabelle had a question.
"Will we have any allies waiting for us in the Mudflats?"
Ariston shook his head.
"It will only be the seven of you. If you can convince the citizens to help you, then you may do that."
It seemed like Isabelle wanted to ask more, but after reading the room, she shut up.
"Very well. You are all dismissed."
Hearing that, I stood up, feeling all my anxiousness fade away.
But right as the seven of us approached the door and prepared to leave, Ariston's voice rang out again.
"Amon, I know you can arrive there faster than the others, but I advise against that. Being alone in an unknown situation is not smart. Be smart."
"..."
"Yes sir."
With that, I left.
I knew very well what he was talking about, and honestly, I had considered flying over there.
After all, the travel to the Mudflats with a carriage might take up to two weeks.
How annoying...
As I approached the stairs leading down, I stopped for a moment, feeling a gaze on me.
When I turned toward the gaze, I saw Melina staring at me.
She flashed me a smile and then turned around, walking toward the staircase on the other side.
I really didn't know her intentions.
But she was a wild card.
A powerful wild card, though.
Not worrying about her anymore, I made my way down and left the academy.
Melina and two others split away from the rest of the group.
Thankfully, Kevin didn't act like some obsessed stalker and also went his separate way.
Now, I only had Isabelle and some blue haired cadet following me.
That woman...
Her ears were slightly pointed.
She was an elf.
An elf from the slums.
I immediately recalled the encounter I had just the other day.
I helped a few young elf girls and gave them bread.
Natasha Virelorn...
She wasn't an official heroine.
But she was an elf who could create copies of herself.
However, the more copies she created, the younger they appeared.
I remember that she always used this tactic to get heaps of food from strangers, and if things went south at any moment, she would recall those copies.
To think I fell for her scheme...
Eventually, I stopped and glanced at the two women.
"We're definitely not heading in the same direction, so what do you two want?"
"I want you to help me study," Isabelle said bluntly.
I raised a brow. "And why should I help you exactly?"
"Well, we'd both be bored during the trip. I will be training my Gift along the way, but not always. I'm sure you're the same. Also, you already said you didn't want anything from me, so I don't have anything to offer you either."
"So you're just offering me something to pass the time?" I asked.
She nodded back at me.
Reading and studying, huh?
That would definitely be less boring than just training all day and all night.
But if I gave in to her demands all the time without a cost, she'll just start to think she can get anything from me.
I unconsciously furrowed my brows.
Isabelle noticed that, and before I could refuse, she suddenly pulled out two golden tickets.
"Here. This is something not even money can buy," Isabelle said with a smirk. "Two tickets to the best restaurant in the city. Not only that, those tickets are reserved for VIP's. If you accept helping me study, I'll not only give you one ticket, I'll also pay for every meal you eat there."
The best restaurant...
Speaking about food, I had only eaten homemade food since I got here.
Eating something like that for a change would be nice, wouldn't it?
Fine then.
I guess I'll let her tag along.
"Alright. I'll help you study."
Isabelle's expression softened.
She put away her tickets and then walked past me into the stables, likely to order two carriages for us.
But there was still one more person I hadn't talked to yet.
Natasha.
I turned to her.
"What about you? Why are you following me?"
"I..." Natasha glanced down. "I just wanted to thank you."
For the bread?
"No problem?"
Anything else...?
"I... I wouldn't ask this under normal circumstances, but could I please use your carriage? I don't have enough money to travel to the Mudflats and back. I'm afraid it would take me two months just to run to and from there. I would be expelled. And if I get expelled... I'll be forced to go back to..."
The slums.
But what was with this guilt tripping?
Unlike Isabelle, who wanted something from me, this woman just wanted a ride.
I wasn't heartless enough to not let someone like her hitch a ride.
Especially since I knew she didn't have the happiest of days growing up.
I knew she wasn't lying about not having money.
If anything, this nice looking silk dress was probably all she could afford with the money she saved up.
So I gave her a nod.
"Alright. You can come along."
Her eyes lit up.
She immediately bowed.
"Thank you! I'll be in your care!"
She was being too dramatic.
Still, after introducing ourselves to one another, we walked to the stables.
But for some reason, instead of the two carriages I had been expecting, I only saw one.
Just then, the door of that carriage opened up, revealing a porcelain-like hand.
It was obviously Isabelle's hand.
I sighed.
At least the carriage was big.
I got inside and then extended a hand, helping Natasha in.
I was expecting her to sit down beside Isabelle, but she sat down beside me instead.
Seeing the look of confusion on Isabelle's face, I quickly gave an explanation.
When I was done, Isabelle stared at Natasha with a look of pity.
"I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner. Had I been more observant, I would've gotten you a personal carriage."
Natasha's eyes widened.
She flailed her arms around, flustered.
"D-Don't be. I didn't want to pressure either of you. I was just desperate, and since A-Amon already helped me once, I asked him."
Isabelle tilted her head slightly.
"He helped you before?"
"Yes..."
Although she was a little reluctant, she extended her hand, and a tiny blob fell like a droplet, landing on the floor of the carriage.
That blob began to glow in all sorts of colors, and then it grew.
Bit by bit, the size of the blob increased until it resembled a slightly younger Natasha.
The younger Natasha waved at them, then sat down beside the stunned Isabelle and began rocking her legs back and forth playfully.
But not for long, as Natasha snapped her fingers.
The younger Natasha turned into a blob and then floated back into Natasha's fingertip.
Just like that, everything returned to normal, and the shy Natasha simply stared down at the floor, embarrassed.
"She can create copies of herself," I said after a brief pause. "I helped two of her copies the other day."
Natasha flinched, finding my remark a little embarrassing.
As for Isabelle, she just nodded in understanding.
"Let's get comfortable then. Also, Natasha, feel free to call me Isabelle. When I'm not in the palace, I like to not consider myself an imperial."
"O-Okay, Isabelle."
These two were adorable.
But also really, really awkward.
Though I guess this solved the issue of me having a boring two weeks, since with these two around, it definitely won't be boring.
Putting a hand over my mouth to hide my smile, I stared out of the window.
I hadn't realized it, but the city of Aldraazan was already in the distance.
The journey to the Mudflats had already begun.
But...
As much confidence as I had in completing this mission without trouble, I couldn't be complacent or overconfident.
I needed to play out every detail in my head.
Every single one.