In class E, some students were seated, listening to Vauren’s introduction to a world geography lesson. The rest were either talking, sleeping, or even playing around. It was the usual. And yet, Brian was still bothered by the noise. He chose to keep quiet and record every important point in his notebook, hoping he could leave this forsaken room and study in class A instead. He had promised to make his parents proud and additionally, there was someone whom he wanted to see every day in that class.

Not long after the lesson began, Brian noticed that something was off; nobody was snoring right next to him. On his left, he saw nothing but an empty seat.

“Kane’s still not here yet. What’s going on there, I wonder?” he muttered.

His bench mate always slept, lost his pen, and copied Brian’s homework, yet he never once arrived late to the classroom nor missed his attendance. Even Brian sometimes came to class late due to various reasons.

Curious, Brian took a glance behind him at Calypso. He was closing his eyes while resting his chin on his palms. Despite seemingly not caring about the lessons, he performed very well in the class and surpassed everyone — not to mention his talent as a mage. A real genius. It felt like a miracle that Calypso, a prince, was willing to talk with Brian, a mere son of a merchant, though they were distant from each other.

Reminded of his other classmate, Brian then observed Lucrais with his peripheral vision. She was mingling with other girls, either gossiping or talking something mundane. The first time he had met her compared to now was so different. After the magic tests were over, she became surrounded by her newfound friends, which made him reluctant to approach her.

*Thud!*

The door was slammed open and caught everyone’s attention. Kane entered the classroom without batting an eye at anyone. With a sullen face, he walked toward his seat until Vauren stopped and asked him, “You are late, Kane. This is the first time coming from you.”

“The vice-headmaster summoned me. Sorry for being late.” Kane bowed his head.

“I understand. You may sit now,” Vauren continued with his lesson.

Kane nodded. Sitting on his bench, he stared at the window overlooking the grey wall and exhaled a heavy sigh, not saying anything. Although Kane was not exactly brimming with passion while he attended the classroom, Brian had a feeling that Kane was different from usual. And thus, he asked, “What’s the matter? You seem troubled by something.”

“Not now. Give me some space for a day, will you?” requested Kane.

“Sure. Just let me know when you’re ready.” Brian patted Kane’s shoulder.

Staring at the boring grey wall, Kane kept thinking over and over about his conversation with Teresa back in the main hall building.

---

“Give up finding that feather.”

Sitting on the marble railing, Kane wrinkled his forehead. He was unsure how Teresa knew about the demon’s feather existence. She most likely overheard his conversation, so he didn’t bother asking that and instead, he asked, “Why? Is it because you’re the thief?”

“I am not nor involved in that robbery.” Teresa shook her head. “However, I know the one who did it and I won’t say it.”

“Wow, how very useful. Thanks a lot.” Kane rolled his eyes.

“I’m telling you this because you’re a valuable student for our academy. Even if you do manage to find the demon’s feather, you will be in constant danger. Not even Reynar can save you.”

Kane hopped off and took a step closer to her. He locked his gaze with hers. “Are you willing to tell me regarding this entity’s identity? How dangerous are they?”

“Like I said before, it’s better for you to not learn about them. Like how the proverb goes: curiosity killed the cat.”

“Hmph!” Kane threw away his face. “I’ll learn it sooner or later whether I do or don’t seek them. Your warning is pointless.”

“Is that so?” Teresa arched her eyebrows before turning around. “How foolish. Well, do whatever you want, and don’t say I didn’t warn you…” She sauntered toward the hallway and disappeared after veering left at the crossroad.

“What’s up with her?” Although Kane hated her guts, he acknowledged her points. Perhaps the unknown foe was truly formidable. In his current form, there was a high possibility that they could kill him outright. Then again, it did not matter. Kane could simply identify the culprit first, then decide his next best action based on the enemy and situation. That was only possible if he or Reynar could find them, though.

The real question was, should he pursue the culprit or give up instead and find Xervatia without the feather?

“Damn it, looks like I’ll be late for today’s class.” Although Kane despised hearing Vauren’s ramblings, he would experience guilt upon skipping classes. In the meantime, he began pondering the question over and over.

---

“Kane!”

“What!?” snapped Kane. When he got pulled into reality, he saw everyone staring at him.

“Stand up and explain all four continents briefly,” said Vauren, pointing at the wide map of the world.

Continents, huh? Those are much easier compared to Magic Theory lessons. I couldn’t even say anything. Kane stood up and cleared his throat first before speaking.

“Our world, Dunai, has four continents: Marrah, Colvanza, Icanthyl, and The Untamed Land. Marrah, the center-eastern continent, is the largest among the four and has the most diverse races. Many races originated from there, such as humans, dwarves, oni, and others. More than one-third of the land is occupied by The Navendan Empire, the largest human empire in history.

Colvanza, the northern continent, is the smallest, though still quite big. It’s our home continent and where elves and rubeans originated. There are many kingdoms, but the three major ones are Bel Ama, Paville, and Gaxanor.

Icanthyl, the south pole, is the land of eternal ice situated in the very south of Dunai. The population is sparse due to the lack of habitable land, and there’s only one trading city named Cryfall.

The Untamed Land, the western continent, is the most dangerous and wildest of them all because lots of strong hostile creatures live there. Even the weakest one there could ki-, I mean, defeat a seasoned fighter. It’s almost impossible for a civilization to thrive there, save for a few outposts.”

There was one more continent — if it could be counted as such — but Kane chose to leave it out due to its extreme obscurity and remoteness. If he were to say that, he probably would have gotten weird stares and questions.

“Very good. Your explanation is truly detailed, though you’re incorrect about one thing,” said Vauren.

“Which one?”

“The Navendan Empire has already collapsed ten years ago due to civil war. Currently, the remains of the empire are divided into four territories that are known as The Empire’s Compass: North, West, South, and East. They all belong to other forces except for the North, the loyalist faction.”

“I see.” Kane nodded. He somewhat expected his history knowledge to be outdated since many years ago when he had stopped receiving any news around the world.

Finished speaking, he sat down and gazed at the wall once more. He returned to his pondering until Brian pestered him,

“Kane, how are you already so knowledgeable about the world? I didn’t even know that many details!”

“I’ve visited those places before,” replied Kane.

“Really?”

“Just kidding, my father taught me about this stuff.” Once again, Kane hid the truth within his jokes.

“As Kane has said previously, Rabrond, the capital of Bel Ama Kingdom, is based on Colvanza…” Vauren began continuing his tedious lesson.

After all the classes had finished, Kane waited for his lunch together with Brian. Neither side initiated conversation until the two girls, Zumi and Athera, sat with them.

“Hey boys, how was your day?” Zumi greeted first, leaning against the chair.

“Still as usual, except Kane. He’s been kinda upset since he got summoned by the vice-headmaster,” replied Brian.

“That’s new. What’s wrong, Kane? Did he scold you or something?” asked Zumi.

Kane was silent for a while before saying, “I’ve been thinking…”

“About what?” she asked again.

Should he tell them? Kane remembered Reynar's warning, but then again, his guts told him to find the culprit as soon as possible. Thus, Kane replied, “The culprit who breached the main building.”

Zumi blew through her nose. “That incident? Come on, Kane. It’s not like you lost something precious, right?”

"That’s where you’re wrong, Zumi." Kane really wanted to say that, but he couldn’t for an obvious reason. “I’m still perplexed about it, though. I can’t think of anyone who could’ve done that.”

“Hmm, the door was destroyed by some spell, yes? I think only teachers or class S students could’ve done that,” said Brian.

Kane raised his eyebrows. He had never thought about the possibility of Class S students being the culprit. “Among class S, which one do you think has that kind of power?”

“Uhh, in my opinion, they’re all equal more or less. I mean, we all haven’t seen how strong they are with our own eyes — only rumors,” answered Zumi.

“You’re right. But Kane, by ‘kind of power’, did you mean dark element? At least that’s what I could tell from the mana residue. I don’t think anyone knows but their mentors and themselves,” added Brian.

“Wait, you can identify them? That’s amazing! I thought only advanced mages and professors could do that!” praised Zumi.

“You’re exaggerating too much. It’s just one of my useless talents since I can’t really use it in combat.”

Kane arched his brows. He somewhat expected Zumi’s answer, however, Brian definitely gave some useful insights. Even he could not tell the difference, despite being able to do the same with vis.

“T-there are at least… two class-S students who u-use that kind of magic,” Athera, who’d been quiet, interjected.

“Go on,” said Kane, leaning forward.

“Lamille… and Sharon.”

“Lamille… isn’t she the one with a creepy doll? I guess she does suit her element. unlike Sharon, who’s the president of the student council. She’s virtually the opposite of darkness,” commented Zumi.

“How do you know all of these, Thera?” asked Brian.

“Umm, I-”

“She’s a Valvaris. Those class S students are her family’s frequent customers,” interrupted Kane, not wanting to hear her avoid the question. “Most likely, they’re buying magic equipment and spell books based on their element. Am I wrong?”

Athera shook her head.

Blinking twice, Brian’s face became frozen. “I’m sorry? She’s a what?”

“Valvaris. Do I need to spell it out for you? Or you just didn’t know her famous family.”

“Hahaha…” Brian laughed wryly. “Valvaris, an ancient elven family that is acknowledged by literally every mage, including The Circle. They’ve expanded their businesses to all continents, dominating the market. And you’re telling me, Athera is a descendant of that family?”

“More or less. At least, that’s what she told me,” replied Kane.

Athera nodded silently. Her head drooped as her ears reddened.

Brian then looked at Zumi. “Did you also know about this?”

“Well, yeah. Though, I got that from that douche Prince Calypso,” she said.

“Oh, that’s new,” said Kane.

“If he too said that, then… Ah, I’m so sorry, Miss Athera. It’s not that I ever doubted you,” apologized Brian.

“It’s okay, Brian. I actually… prefer you to not know my… family. A-and just be casual… like always,” said Athera softly, smiling a little.

“Ahem!” Kane cleared his throat. “Back to the topic. According to Athera, there are two people who specialize in dark elements: Lamille and Sharon. I need to know what they were doing yesterday night without actually asking them directly.”

“So basically, snooping around? For what?” asked Brian.

“Yes.” Kane nodded. “I'll tell you later when we find the culprit.”

“Ah, you used that excuse again. That aside, I… don’t really know many people,” said Brian.

“Me neither…” added Athera.

“How about you, Zumi? You’re quite active, right? You even sometimes skipped lunch with us.”

“Urk…” Zumi flinched. “I could ask around my friends, but… why don’t you do it instead? You’re the one who’s given the task, not me.”

“Because people tend to be more suspicious when a guy like me asks for a girl’s information.”

Zumi uttered a heavy sigh before saying, “Fineee. I’ll do it.”

“Thanks, Zumi.”

“But! I don’t want to pry into Sharon because she’s too… influential. I could easily be in trouble.”

“Alright, leave her to me,” he assured.

After Kane said that, the lunch break was over. While on his way to the classroom, Kane pondered about the conversation before.

“Ah, having friends isn’t so bad after all. I doubt I can solve this case alone without their help,” he said to himself, smiling.

Then, his smile disappeared quickly. “But, do I need them in my fights?”

“Definitely not.”