“Mmm. So Troy is able to use that Arte, hm? Incredible kid. What a shame my slow son is only able to use the second stage of Earth-Shattering Lightning,” Marlin the Blue Storm said with a dejected face, but he was secretly happy inside.

His conversation partner was a fellow Level 5, a sagely-looking man in his fifties, One Step Slash Kurt. He was the current headmaster of the Righteous Brave School. Hearing Marlin’s talk, there was a subtle twitch on Kurt’s smiling face because the Earth-Shattering Lightning Arte was even better than what he spoke of before.

“Ah yes, a wonderful modern Arte indeed. Unlike Oscar, our Troy prefers something more old-fashioned. Sometimes it goes beyond old-fashioned into the ancient, such as our School founder’s ‘Uncontained Sword Intent’. Haizzz, I worry for that kid. At this rate, the School is going to run out of secret techniques. Ohohohoho.”

This time it was the Governor-King’s brother who was surprised, but he hid it well.

In the city’s entrance, the two Level 5s were trading humblebrag for their respective charges, Oscar and Troy. Both bigshots were being tended to by their followers and people gave them a wide berth but their ‘contest’ made the common people worry that they would combust spontaneously.

“Is there any news about Oscar?” Marlin asked after seeing a vassal speak with a returner.

“Not yet, sire. As there are less and less people getting into the latter stages, there are fewer eye witnesses. But young master Oscar has been confirmed in reaching the last stage, Stage 5,” the man turned to Kurt. “So too young master Troy.”

“Mmm,” Marlin nodded. “As it should be.”

“I am confident Troy will bring the School to new heights,” Kurt looked pleased.

While Marlin looked younger by a decade, the two were from the same generation; they were old rivals. Briefly, his attention was taken from seeing a familiar helmet.

That’s the small fry that refused to kneel. Hoh, he seems to have grown a bit by his aura. Yes, he should be among the ones chosen by the book that had disappeared into thin air as soon as the people returned. Hmph, lucky kid.

As soon as adventurer Avel went to the city and out of his sight, Marlin already dismissed him out of his head. The Level 2 had some balls but he was a small fry, no different than the worms wriggling beneath his feet, not worth noting.

Not long after that, a young and depressed-looking tiger beastfolk approached them.

“Honored seniors,” Khalmar said with respect and a bow. “I’m here to tell you about news most unfortunate.”

Oscar and Troy were quite famous among the Regidana residents, as was their background. Khalmar felt it was his duty to tell them the hard truth.

Marlin and Kurt were not naive youngsters. Their faces turned grim in an instant.

“Tell us,” Kurt commanded.

“I will be brief. The twenty six people that reached Stage 5 were separated into black and white camps. Nine blacks and seventeen whites. Out of those numbers, only nine survived. Since I didn't see Oscar or Troy’s name among the nine… and the trial master confirmed it himself, Oscar and Troy have fallen in battle.”

The sudden pressure drove Khalmar to the ground, and also other unfortunate people in the area. Half of the non-Pathseekers in the plaza had lost consciousness before they hit the ground. Dark clouds gathered overhead and darkened a fourth of the whole city in the blink of an eye.

“Marlin, control yourself.”

One second later the pressure was lifted. Not because Marlin stopped it but because Kurt protected the others.

“What. Happened?” Lightning bolts scraped the sky overhead. The Level 5 with the moniker Blue Storm was like an angered thunder god.

“Youngster, tell us everything,” Kurt said. The old man looked calm and in control but he also felt the pain of loss.

“…Yes.”

What else could Khalmar say? He was prepared for this, for a blow out of grief from a Level 5. He didn't care about Oscar, but he and Troy battled together side by side. Khalmar felt an obligation as someone who survived to inform the families of the departed.

“Excuse me,” someone interjected. He was a Level 4 wearing attire of foregin origin. He looked a bit insecure and lacked confidence.

“Apologies for overhearing but mayhaps you know the status of my student? He called himself Airmaster in the trial.”

Khalmar had no reason to refuse.

“Like Oscar, Airmaster belonged to the black camp while I was in the white camp. I do not know the details of what happened in the black spark’s camp but his name was not among the nine. Most likely he was killed by someone named Tanael. He was ranked 1st in the whole trial.”

Dean Carlo looked like the world had just been turned upside down. The middle aged man was stuck in a dead-end job; the least of the deans unluckily got handed the responsibility of herding the students to the Regidana U18 Tournament.

And then shit happened.

For ten days he was worried to the point of constipation. And then, while there were six out of ten students who went into the trial, only two survived and informed him. It was bad enough but it got worse. The two didn't know what happened to Monus after they were separated. The gifted but cocky child had gone further into the trial. And his worst fear came true; Monus was included among the dead. Of the ten students in his safe keeping, he’d lost four. Four.

These four were not nobodies, their background was far above his own station.

I’m finished… I’m finished!

Carlo, the Level 4 Dean from a prestigious School in Zetel, passed out.

***

“Hahahaha! Where are you going, pussy cat?” Viers happily caught the escaping black cat by the neck and put it in Boram’s arms.

“Bath first. Remember Boram, I want you and her squeaky clean. If I find she has a spot unclean, you’ll get one week of super hard training in hell. Got me?”

“Y-yes Master,” Boram said with a little bit of fear. His Master’s training was no joke. The normal exercises almost killed him so how would he fare in super hard? “Come on, Chacha. You’re a good cat and want to be clean-clean, right? Behave now.”

Master is really fussy about Chacha’s cleanliness, for some unknownable reason. Perhaps he is allergic to cats? Got it, I need to give her extra scrubs. It’s been ten days since her last bath.

Izabella, who was in the form of a cat, was giving Viers the death glare. Viers’ response was waving his hand until the two opened and closed the bathroom door… The cat’s attempt to escape the bubble bath and full body massage also did not bear fruit today.

This reminds me of a scene in a certain legendary harem manga, about a certain pink haired alien princess who invented various kinds of gadgets that always went awry and made the main protagonist always end up in ‘lucky’ situations. There’s an episode where a female character got turned into a cat and got picked up by the main character. They also got into a bath together, heheheh… Wait, was it the first series or the second? ‘Darkness’? Eh, it doesn't matter I suppose. I might not be the type that got into romcom scenes but as the architect of this, I also got points for Horizon. Mmm, now that I’m not in the Book World anymore, the growth of Horizon will be stunted. I can't go overboard with my high-culture references any more. Haah, Book World was really like a themepark for me, but all good things must come to an end.

Viers put the helmet on the table and went towards a tree that grew inside the house.

But when one good thing ends, there’s no reason to not have a new good thing.

Viers examined the tree that would be the bridge to Dia’s Biome with great scrutiny. Since it wasn't tampered with, he sighed in relief.

There are signs that people entered the house. Since there isn't a rotting corpse of a girl that I’d forgotten in my basement, it must’ve been the city guards or another kind of law enforcer. If it was the cult, then there’d be no reason to keep their hands off this tree.

Before the Book World happened, there was the matter about Harry’s friends that got kidnapped. During the investigation, Viers knocked out a suspicious girl who was then bound and left in his basement.

I doubt the officers were so incompetent that they didn't realize the tree is magical but I also hope they weren't so competent that they realized this is a gateway to Biome. It will be troublesome to explain. Though, they shouldn't be able to open it since I forbid Dia to open the portal to anyone but me.

A telepathy wanted to establish a line. Viers let it, recognizing the other end.

“Why must you make me undergo this torment!?” Izabella sounded disgraced.

“Since when is bathing considered torment?” Viers was halfway laughing.

“Since I turned into a cat and was forced to get soaped by a boy near half my age!!”

Viers was having fun hearing her angry voice. It was his revenge on the woman who wanted to make use of him in the previous city. Viers did not forget.

“Why don't you escape from him then. Surely a Level 3 is able to best a Level 2 half her age?” Viers goaded.

“This boy is freakishly strong! Scratches and bites from this puny form does nothing! I can't escape his grip without Artes! What have you been feeding him!?”

“Just the usual.” Viers chuckled, technically I fed him rocks but, “That’s his Profound Codex by the way… ‘Ello? You hear me?” Viers was hearing some pant-like noises from the other end.

“Nyaah~! Wait, stoppp! Aaahh!!! Don't lift up my tail! Finger! Finger, no touching my ass!!!”

In his silence, Viers was imagining Iz’s plight and situation. The scene was censored by soap bubbles.

“...I’ll leave you be then. Enjoy yourself,” Viers said and surprisingly he genuinely meant it.

“You think this is funny, don't you? Damn degenerate… What kind of person toys with the body and soul of a virgin mai- ah?”

Izabella slipped out. The telephone on both sides became silent.

“Izabella, this is very important so you have to answer honestly.”

There was a pause. Uncomfortable and an intense pause.

“Currently, do you have six or eight nipples?”

“~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!’

There was some indescribable sound, a mixture of shame and anger conveyed from the other end before the line was cut. Viers was feeling regretful he didn't get the answer.

But I am genuinely curious. How many nipples do cats have?

***

That night, after Boram and Chacha had fallen asleep, Viers opened a Rift to a secret haven of his in front of an indoor tree. As expected, the portal opened smoothly as if the other end had been expecting this for a long time. Viers went through the space-door and was welcomed by a diving hug.

“KIIIIIIN!!” Dia happily greeted Viers with gusto and the merriment of a lost child. “You’re late! You’re late! You’re lateeee!” The green skinned little dryad pouted.

“Aiyaaa, I’m sorry, squirt. Got kidnapped to another dimension for a few days. Can't do anything about it. Very very sorry about that. I missed you too. I won't leave you alone again. From now on, we’re gonna be as inseparable as Ash and Pikachu!”

“Hehehe, kin came back~”

The master and the familiar exchanged a heartfelt hug for a long time.