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”I’m guessing that the kneeling is part of their punishment?” Karna asked in confirmation as she watched thirty guys, including some familiar faces, on their knees with their hands behind their heads on the lawn just in front of the most popular cafeteria on the Academy campus. She was sitting at one of the outside tables with Tsumi and Miralen, as the Headmistress had invited them for a discussion.

“Naturally. While it’s kind of fun to see them like that, I wouldn’t humiliate the students without a proper reason.” Tsumi explained with a nod while taking a sip from her tea. “The kneeling is only a part of the punishment of course. The public part to be precise. Their merit points will also take a hit, though not a large one. No one was harmed, and it’s a challenge I silently allow to exist as a tradition after all. Thus the punishment can’t be too harsh either.”

“That ‘no one was harmed’ part could be argued somewhat." Miralen pointed out. "Most girls would consider being seen like that as being harmed.”

“That’s why you were all free to leave. Even if the boys hadn’t made noise, I would’ve told you of their approach. All of you were free to choose to leave or to stay, and Karna and Callista chose to stay for their own reasons.” Tsumi countered. “If you choose to stay, you can no longer claim harm.”

“There seems to be no difference in punishment for the ones who succeeded.” Miralen pointed out, realizing she had lost that argument. While she had not been there by the time the guys showed up, she had been told that four of the guys had actually made it. She also knew that their friends were part of that four.

“Of course not! They all took part in the same ‘crime’ so to speak. Why would I punish those that succeeded further? Competence should be rewarded, as it was in this case, not punished. Still, just because they got what they wanted, that doesn’t mean they didn’t participate, hence the punishment.” Tsumi argued.

Karna looked at the four kneeling at the front row. Three of them were very familiar. She wasn’t too surprised that Sieg, Rein, and Shaheera had succeeded, although she was a little surprised they had all participated. Rein’s presence was expected and accepted. He was rather straightforward as a guy, and like his father, he was true to his desires in many ways. Sieg was a bit more unexpected, but not really a surprise. She’d sensed his fascinations, and while he was a bit too straight-laced to take part in such activities usually, her opinion of him actually went up now that he had. Having a more adventurous side could be a good thing. The two boys were brothers after all, and they had both been raised by Wolfgang, so at least this much should be expected. Karna also didn’t dislike that sort of side in a man, as long as it didn’t get out of hand.

Shaheera was the biggest surprise. She would’ve given his participation relatively low odds, as she wasn’t even sure Leonid found females of other non-beastman races attractive. He had certainly hidden such thoughts really well before this. But she didn’t mind his presence. She had actually quite enjoyed showing off. She had been honest about her exhibitionist streak and had actually downplayed it. There was something extra naughty about the people seeing you being familiar with you as well. Allowing herself to indulge her lewd side just a bit removed some of the weight her own desires were placing on her. It was like there was a pressure building up inside her, and she had just let some of that pressure out.

The fourth guy that had succeeded was unknown to her. From a glance, it seemed his racial background was somewhat complicated. She could tell there was quite a bit of elf in there, with what was most likely High-Human. Something else as well, though it was hard to tell what with just a glance. Some beastman perhaps? The resulting effect was rather pleasant to the eyes, as the boy was powerfully built and looked to have a bit of a wild side, mixed with some of the sharp lines and dignity that the elven side gave him.

"Who's the fourth one?" She asked. She had been rather surprised that no rumors of the guy's success had been circulated. It wasn't like there weren't hundreds of rumors about her already, so she wouldn't have minded one more, but she appreciated their discretion nonetheless. She had expected it from the other three, but she knew nothing of the last person so it came as a pleasant surprise.

“He’s one of the eight years like Sieg that wasn’t promoted to the ninth year just yet. His name is Travan Drannor, and he comes from one of the more distant enclaves the elves have in the south. That enclave has pretty much already integrated into the local population, so he’s not a full elf either, despite the name of an old elven house.” Tsumi had to think for a moment before she recalled the details.

“Oh, I’ve heard of the Drannors! They used to be Desert Elves, a rather rare sub-species. The desert they used to call home was slowly being transformed into farmland, so they had to adjust to the changes. Good people, though also hard people.” Miralen recalled with a sudden exclamation.

“That describes him pretty well. He’s studious and stubborn, if not very gifted. But he has tenacity. Anyway, I didn’t call you out for that.” Tsumi swept the topic aside. “We may have a problem. The new Emissary arrived two days ago. He departed almost immediately to investigate matters in the old Holy Kingdom, otherwise I would’ve talked to you immediately, but I don’t know when he’ll be back. The thing is, he looks a lot like you Karna. So much so in fact, that I wouldn’t be shocked if someone eventually puts two and two together and thinks that you might be related.”

“Unexpected, if not a complete shock. Why is this such a sudden issue though? It’s not like the immortals haven’t left behind families on the other planes. I’ll remind you of the Progeny Accords. So having some family still around shouldn’t be too shocking, although very coincidental.” Karna and Tsumi didn’t mind Miralen’s presence, partly because they both knew the elven girl already had her guesses and partly because they were planning on letting her in on some of the secrets anyway. It was something they had discussed before.

“Because he’s from the royal house. A grandson of the Heavenly Emperor in fact. Both of you are also something else when it comes to appearance, so the fact that there just happens to be two similar looking people like that strains credulity a lot more than normally.” Tsumi said with a small grimace. The royal house naturally didn’t leave behind any progeny on other planes since they never Ascended from the other planes. Well, the possibility of illegitimate children sired during a short stay was always there, but very unlikely.

“Well, that would explain your worry. It’s not like we didn’t see this possibility coming though.” Karna shrugged. They had made plans over the years. “I doubt I will be able to escape his notice anyway, seeing as I haven’t exactly stayed hidden these last few years, as per our plan. That’s why we’ve built up another explanation for my skills. Though I must admit that if we are as similar looking as you say, that could present a wrinkle in how we approach this.” Karna frowned a bit. Her cover as a Blessed Child would be wasted if she could be recognized with a glance to be a member of the royal house.

“I’d still prefer it if we had some time to lay the groundwork for whatever plan we end up going with. The similarity isn’t so glaring that we have to worry about it immediately as people are simply dazzled by his presence, but I’d still like to take some measures to avoid you two being connected too soon. We have been given offers to have you visit some of the other large powers both in this world and on this plane. Maybe it’s time you take on some sort of diplomatic mission with your friends. You all need experience in the real world anyway, and such practical studies are part of the eighth year curriculum.” Tsumi laid out her idea. Such extended missions were just one of the reasons why eighth years almost never got promoted to ninth years within a year’s time.

“Judging by the fact that I’m here and not Shaheera or one of the others, you’re planning on sending us to the High Elves first, aren’t you?” Miralen asked with a sharp intuition. She had not asked anything about the earlier subject because she was certain Karna would explain the details later. Miralen would make sure of that by taking one of Karna’s favorite pillows as a hostage. She’d done it before with great success.

“Correct. You can serve as a sort of bridge to the elven culture, and it is likely that the presence of an elf in the group will put the High Elven court at ease. I’m not sure how many of the others will be tagging along, but I wanted to ask you specifically for the reasons I mentioned.” Tsumi took another sip of her tea. Having a Dark Elf in the group was not as good as having a High Elf, but Miralen and Karna were already familiar, so there was no point in trying to find someone else for relatively limited benefit.

“Of course I’ll go! We’re friends with Karna, and if she’s in trouble, then I’m happy to help. I’m sure the others will feel the same way, although Rein can’t go as a seventh year and that means Callista won’t go either, even if she could. I'm not sure how welcome Shaheera will be, but I’m sure he’ll tag along anyway. What about Siegfried?” Miralen asked enthusiastically. She had wanted to visit the capital of the elves for a long time.

“After yesterday? I’m pretty sure he’d invade the Netherworld if Karna asked.” Tsumi pointed out with a wicked smile. That was a small part of the reason she'd made sure the traps were just a bit easier than usual. She wanted Sieg connected with Karna in some way, and a bit of old-fashioned desire was one of the simplest ways to ensure loyalty in the short term.

"We could use him," Karna said a bit more sedately, though she silently agreed with Tsumi’s evaluation. “Rein left a hole in our group, and Sieg would fill it quite well, although he isn’t quite the blunt force his brother was.”

“Rein does do some things well. Being a distraction is one of those things.” Miralen snickered at her own words.

“I think we could ask Mayumi as well. She’d likely join us if we did.” Karna pointed out. “That would also mean her master came along. Did you have another destination in mind after the elves?”

“I do actually. The Luminous Sect had requested you to visit several times, and they did send one of their elders to help you with your combat lessons. Even if you didn’t really need his help. It would be polite to return the gesture and at least pay them a visit.” Tsumi suggested.

“Sounds like a plan.” Karna also agreed. She’d been somewhat curious of the righteous sect since the tournament years ago.

“There’s one more thing. It’s interesting you brought up Travan because I actually wanted to ask you to take him along, at least to the elven lands. He has requested the right to visit several times and the situation has simply not allowed it so far. The relations between the two elven groups are a bit weird as some feel that the High Elves should’ve supported the Drannor’s when they were in trouble. This would be the perfect opportunity for him to tag along without stirring up trouble.” Tsumi suddenly brought up the boy kneeling not too far from them.

“Hmm. Well, if it’s just about taking him along, then I suppose it can be arranged.” Karna decided. Thanks to his discretion, she was inclined to give him a chance to prove himself. If his presence became an issue, then there were solutions to the problem.

--------

The preparations for their departure had taken a couple of days, but the whole thing was expedited by the fact that both Wolfgang and Arjuna were rather eagerly cooperating. They both knew why the mission had come about so suddenly, and since they were the parents of two of the people going, that made things go a lot smoother. Wolfgang had arranged for appropriate transportation, Tsumi had secured the agreement of the High Elven Court, while Arjuna had made sure that the parents of the other students were informed and they agreed to the mission.

In total their group had six students, Karna, Miralen, Shaheera, Sieg, Travan, and Mayumi, and a single adult, Mayumi’s master, another Yuki-Onna whose age was impossible to determine. Mayumi’s master had been rather eager to go along with the plan as well, as she thought her disciple would benefit from the practical experience. They had gathered outside the Academy on one of the public airship landing pads to say goodbyes.

Since the departure had been a little hasty, and because they would naturally not travel wearing their uniforms to avoid attracting attention, Karna had to ask Duskclaw to bring along some appropriate clothing. The two of them had spent several enjoyable weekends acquiring Karna several outfits for all occasions now that she had stopped growing, so clothing was not an issue. Something that was clearly shown by the number of bags Duskclaw had brought. Karna thought the number of bags was a little excessive even considering they didn’t know how long the trip was going to be and what sort of situations they’d run into, but that’s just what Duskclaw was like.

"My little girl has grown up," Arjuna stated emotionally and even had a genuine tear in his eye. He was somewhat joking just to embarrass Karna, something that wasn’t working as she played along eagerly, but the emotions were not faked, just a bit exaggerated.

“She grew up years ago.” Wolfgang jabbed at his friend, while also giving his son a bear-hug. For once, he was referring to Karna’s mentality.

“I know. I think I only really realized it now.” Arjuna admitted. It was hard to see one’s child leave for an extended period of time. Even while Karna had been at the Academy, they could meet almost anytime. He even taught her a few lessons. Now though, it would be a lot more difficult for him to just pop in and see Karna. Someone of his level just popping by would be a major diplomatic incident.

“No hug from you?” Karna asked Duskclaw as Arjuna let her go.

Duskclaw only looked at her like she was an idiot, and turned towards Arjuna. “Master. Disciple will be gone for a while. Try to not starve, and make sure you do your paperwork while I’m gone. I don’t want to return to piles and piles of things that you couldn’t manage and just left for me to deal with. I’ll burn them all if you do.” She bowed to Arjuna even while threatening him.

“Ah! That’s why there are so many bags. You’re coming along.” Karna realized. She was actually a little happy. She’d get to spend some extended time with Duskclaw.

“Yeah, no. Those are still all for you. Mine are already stored inside my storage ring. You’re going to have to take care of your own bags.” Duskclaw countered rather brutally. Her own number of bags was only slightly smaller.

With a shrug, Karna waved her hand and the bags floated towards her and just seemed to disappear. Her crafting lessons were already at a point where crafting spatial artifacts was considered routine. Her personal storage bracelet had enough space to contain supplies for an entire army, and it could also change appearance to become other types of accessories. She personally wasn't a fan of rings and sometimes bracelets were just not appropriate.

“Glad to have you along Miss Duskclaw." Mayumi's master nodded in acknowledgment. She had clearly been informed beforehand. Judging by the expressions the others had, they'd also known and had just wanted to see Karna’s reaction. She was quite happy to disappoint them with her lack of one.

Tsumi clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention. “Right, so most of you are already aware, but there are several parallel missions going on during this trip. Karna and Miralen are being sent as a sort of diplomatic envoy to the elven court, and if things go well, your mission will broaden to visit other planes. Your purpose is simply to build connections and good will towards our institute. If the locals have issues that you can help with, don’t hesitate to provide what help you can, but this is mostly meant as a simple gesture, not something that is trying to achieve a massive improvement in relations. You just need to arrive, give a good impression, and move on. Most importantly, don’t fuck things up just to impress us or them.” She knew from experience that students could get a bit too eager.

She turned towards the boys. “Shaheera and Sieg are given a different kind of mission pertaining to their majors. Both of you chose to major in military and warfare, aiming to become officers in the army. You’re being sent as the bodyguards of our two emissaries, and if you can do so without taking risks, you are to also evaluate the military status of the places you visit. Your main mission is the escort one, and your other mission should not endanger that one, nor should you break any rules to accomplish the information gathering one. It’s more important that you conduct yourself with honor than it is to gain information. We have dedicated spies for that. We already know everything you’d find out anyway. We just want to see how much you can discover.”

Finally, she turned to Travan. “Your mission is a personal one, so I shall not rehash it. Suffice to say is that if you do well, then you can join the others on their further travels, if you want to. They will be the judge of that though. Should they find you wanting or your personalities to clash, you will simply return once your own mission is complete." The boy only had a single light bag on his shoulder. He was clearly familiar with surviving with what he could forage.

Tsumi then addressed everyone together. “We’ve arranged you a ride to the part of the old Holy Kingdom territories that are controlled by the elven court. Part of this mission is for you to learn how to travel across areas that are potentially dangerous, to conduct yourself while in foreign lands, and to gain experience. For that reason, you will have to find your own way from your drop-off point to the elven court, although if you can manage it, you can find your own methods to shorten the trip. You have been given some resources, and Duskclaw, who’s going to be monitoring your performance, has been given certain things should you run into an emergency that would necessitate your quick return. Don’t rely on her for normal situations though. This is a test of your skills, and relying on her will be taken into consideration when we evaluate you. Now go. May the Divines bless your path!”