'Senior, why did you not warn me,' Oliver cursed in his heart.
Ethan only chuckled.
'Give up. This woman is not normal, and I do not mean just in the head.
Her strength is strange, and her backing is not simple. Making her your friend will be worth it.'
Oliver smiled wryly.
He never thought about profit and loss when making friends.
If anything, his parents always told him to treasure his friends, not count how useful they were.
He ignored Ethan's advice and looked at Celia instead.
"So… why are you looking for me?"
Celia removed her hand from his mouth and smoothed her skirt as if they were sitting in a quiet tea room.
"I told you earlier," she said with a gentle smile.
"I still have questions. I was too impatient just now and cut your finger before asking permission.
I apologize for that."
Oliver's mouth twitched.
That is what you apologize for?
Before he could answer, a shadow fell over the bush.
"What are you two doing here?"
Cedric stood there, looking down from the small stone path.
He had turned to leave after rejecting Prince Andrew's invitation, but he heard faint whispers from the side and decided to check.
From his angle, he saw two people crouched together in the bushes, faces close, talking in low voices.
Celia looked up first, polite smile still in place.
Oliver looked up second, expression stiff like someone caught stealing radishes.
Before Cedric could say more, another set of footsteps approached quickly.
A figure cut between them like a blade.
Fiona stepped forward, placing herself right in front of Oliver and Celia, facing Cedric.
Her gaze was cold.
"What are you doing to Oliver?"
Her tone was flat, but anyone with eyes could hear the chill under it.
Cedric frowned slightly.
Fiona had left her combat class and decided to walk through the garden to clear her head.
What happened during the hijacked exam still bother her.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw blue flame, her mother's face, and the twisted horn-and-eye mark.
She wanted to throw away everything and hunt down every last cultist.
Instead, she was stuck in the academy, attending classes.
Walking through the garden, she had seen Oliver half-kneeling by a bush with a girl next to him, while Cedric stood above them.
From a distance, it looked like Cedric was cornering them.
So her feet moved on their own.
Cedric took a breath.
"I am not doing anything to him. I only asked what you two are doing here."
Fiona retort.
"What happened at the exam is all the cultist fault. Stop blaming him."
This had become the official conclusion.
The academy publicly announced that the assessment crystal had been hijacked through a hidden ritual carved into the forest.
They said the strange behavior of the crystal and the beast outbreak were part of the cult's plan.
Inside the sandal, Ethan and Oliver had both laughed when they first heard it.
They even secretly thanked the cult for acting as such a convenient scapegoat.
'They took all the blame for you breaking the crystal,' Ethan had said. 'Very considerate villains.'
Now Fiona was using that same conclusion as a shield.
Cedric's expression twisted for a moment, then he forced it back to calm.
"I know it was the cultists. I never blamed him for the attack. I only…"
He stopped, realizing how this sounded with Oliver still crouched and Celia still smiling beside him.
Oliver finally pushed himself up from the ground and stepped out of the bush.
Leaves were stuck in his hair.
He tried to brush them away while giving an awkward smile.
"Fiona, it's fine, it's fine. Cedric didn't do anything. We were just… worried. We saw him surrounded by a dozen students."
Cedric's gaze sharpened.
"Did you hear that?"
Oliver regretted his word choice at once.
"We did not hear much.
Just some talk about noble factions, nothing important. We did not see anything, we did not hear anything, we do not know anything."
Inside the sandal, Ethan sighed.
'Smooth. Very smooth.'
Celia covered her mouth with her hand and laughed softly.
"We were simply resting in the shade.
We had no intention of eavesdropping on the prince."
Cedric's jaw tightened at the word "prince."
He glanced toward the path where Prince Andrew's group had gone, then back at the three of them.
"Whatever you heard, pretend you heard nothing. It's for your own good."
"That is what I just told him," Celia replied pleasantly. "Oliver knows how to stay quiet. Right?"
Oliver nodded quickly.
"As I said I don't hear anything.."
Fiona's eyes moved between Cedric and Celia once, then settled on Oliver.
Her gaze softened slightly.
"If anyone dare to find problem with you about the exam.. tell me. I will deal with it."
Oliver scratched his cheek.
He wanted to say that most people were not blaming him anymore..
Now, under Fiona's stare, he just nodded.
"Anyway since we all here, how about having lunch together?
We all area new student and have pass life and death together."
Cedric's first instinct was to refuse.
"I…"
"That is a good idea.
We can also continue our discussion about runes, Oliver." Celia replied.
Cedric looked at Fiona, then at Oliver, then at Celia.
If it's talking about rune he feel interested.
"…Very well. Lunch together is fine."
The four of them walked toward the cafeteria.
The academy canteen was built like a small hall, wide and bright, with tall windows letting in sunlight.
Long tables filled most of the space.
A few round tables stood near the windows for those who liked to pretend they were more refined.
The smell of food drifted through the air.
Soup. Baked bread. Roasted meat.
Students in uniforms lined up with trays in hand.
Some chatted noisily.
Others sat in small groups, already forming tiny factions and circles.
When Oliver's group stepped in, a few heads turned.
Eyes lingered on Fiona's beauty and cold face.
Some recognized Cedric from his earlier scene with the prince.
Some had already heard rumors about the "crystal breaker" and the "sandal incident."
"Do not mind them.
The more you give your attention the more they will talk about it.
In this situation the best is just ignore.'
Ethan has learned this form his old life.
People just love talking about other for entertainment, and they find their reaction fun.
So when they feel it's boring finding no reaction they will just find another poor victim.