“You guys heard of the ghost?” Feno asked.

“No,” I said.

“Same,” Axel replied.

“Apparently there’s one in our dorm. A group of guys yesterday said they saw the door open but nobody was there.”

“Why are you whispering?”

“What if it hears us?”

“We’re thirty minutes away. What kind of ghost would follow us that far?” I asked, feeling my bracers.

I’d doubled and tripled checked all my tools earlier in the morning. Knives took up the majority of the bracers’ interdimensional storage, while rope, smoke bombs, oil bombs, and spell string occupied the rest. Master never liked how much space I dedicated to my knives. A sword had better reach and potential for damage against monsters not to mention how that reach translated to defense as well. I just liked knives more and he stopped complaining once I learned how to throw them.

As for other supplies, the teachers had us covered. Ms. Ein explained that she and Mr. Intim, plus the B-rank adventurer meeting with us over there named Mr. Argant, carried their own larger interdimensional storages. Who knew how much those could hold. All I knew was we were told not to worry about camping.

I wished they weren’t so vague. I couldn’t figure out if they meant they had camping supplies, or if we’d stay in inns every night. Was the old man trying to mess with me again?

“I’m telling you guys, it might be a minor ghost but anger it enough and it’ll spirit you away to The Crystal Grove.”

“Never heard of it,” Axel said. “The Whispering Willows sounded scarier, and I stopped being scared of that when I was five.”

“My brother used to tell that story.” Only when he wanted my sister and I to hide in our rooms though.

“They’re the same thing,” Feno said with a sigh.

We shrugged. Fairy tales weren’t my forte.

The caravan stopped at the center of Jug’s square, the town built around the labyrinth. Class B, whose teacher was Mr. Intim, also were venturing into the labyrinth today. Aremshai-ir made up the majority of the class and that wouldn’t have been notable if not for how they reacted when they saw Blue Hair. Their disdain should’ve been for the nobles who, even after seeing the brutality, took Rich Boy’s side. But I knew who they whispered about. She must’ve heard it. She seemed smaller than usual.

Cowards.

I hadn’t acted in Malburk’s defense, so I was also guilty in a way. At least I didn’t pick on someone else to compensate.

Large name merchant guilds dotted the town, decorated with bright and colorful stones meant to attract the eye and get first taste of what explorers brought back. Adventurers populated the streets, intermingling with the common folk, distinguishable by their sheathed weapons and identification tags.

On our way here, a number of carts brimming with crystals headed toward the city. Those crystals fueled the magic grid and allowed it to shine even at night. The crystals and other treasures were what made labyrinths places of great opportunity. With regulations on the level Jug Town had, labyrinth breaks, one of the few risks, were non-existent. Hence the lively atmosphere.

A round faced merchant with a belly to match led us to a stockpile of weapons. The B-rank adventurer was waiting for us.

“I recommend spears and staffs for those who lack martial training. Swords are also good weapons for the part of the labyrinth we’ll explore today. If you choose not to bring one, I suggest a shield you can easily carry, either on your back or attached to your arm.”

I reached for a sword but Challenger, the one who kept egging me for a duel, took it. Contempt Girl took the next sword and the rest of her entourage followed. There were enough swords for the entire city, so their petty actions were just to get a rise out of me. I grabbed one and instead of taking another, opted for a small round steel shield that wouldn’t stop me from using my fists.

“Sword and shield,” Axel said with a nod, showing off his similar armaments.

“Where’d you guys even learn how to use swords?” Feno asked. He had a sword and shield as well. “Don’t most guards use spears?”

“I didn’t pick it up from my dad. He knew some adventurers,” Axel said.

“My master taught me.”

Feno shrugged. He knew he had to pick when to question us. Then he pointed. “A-Are you gonna help her?”

Blue Hair hadn’t picked a weapon yet. Nula waved a rapier around, trying to convince the meek girl to use it. I grabbed a staff. “Catch.” I tossed it to her and she flinched, somehow catching it an inch from her face.

“Oh, good choice,” Axel commented. Feno was a step behind him, his face a mixture of serious and uncertain. He held his gear in a white knuckled grip despite the sword being sheathed. It looked like he was trying to find a comfortable resting position.

“Y-Yeah,” Feno agreed, glancing from the staff to Blue Hair. “Spears are good for beginners. You could try the sword next. After you’re more experienced, of course.”

“Staffs,” Axel corrected.

Feno’s face flushed, “Huh? Oh, I just misspoke.”

“Spears are good for beginners though,” Axel said, nudging him with his elbow.

“Rapiers are better! Trust me, it’s hard to get a chance like this. I’m a good teacher, no, a great teacher!” Nula held the rapier up in one last desperate attempt to win her over.

Blue Hair gave her friend a wry smile. “Ahaha… I-I think I’ll go with this.”

“A staff?” Asked Elis. She hadn’t picked her weapon yet. “Your magic’s really strong. You can just blast’em instead of whacking’em. Ow!”

Iris smacked her with the shaft of her spear. “She isn’t dumb, which is why she actually picked a weapon. Are you going to kill every monster we see with a firebolt? Here.” she held out a dagger.

Friendly as they were, Blue Hair didn’t respond. She just glanced around nervously. It wasn’t unusual for her to do that, in fact, she did that a lot. It felt different this time. She typically said something, when people spoke to her.

Elis clicked her tongue and took it, “Ok. But I’m still gonna use magic.”

“Never said you couldn’t.”

Dejected, Nula slunk away to her partner. Blue Hair timidly stood next to me as the teacher split us into three twenty person groups, each overseen by an instructor. Mr. Argant led ours, while Axel and Feno were in Ms. Ein’s as well as Blue Hair’s friends.

The labyrinth’s entrance was a tunnel structure, sticking out of the side of a hill. Guardsmen stationed at it let us pass upon seeing our uniforms and a number of people gathered to send us off. Inside was dark, save for the dim crystals that lit every few meters. Once we reached a dead end, Ms. Ein pulled on a lever under one of the lights and the tunnel shook as the wall split into two massive doors, revealing a cloudy blue portal.

All the arem students were pushed tight against their partners, gripping their weapons with anticipation. Blue Hair was the same. On the other side of the portal was a clear sky and a view that stretched until the horizon, filled with trees, streams, and animals running about. Even the sun felt as real as the one outside.

This is a lot bigger than I thought it’d be. What a pain.

We were at the top of a hill and no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find any obvious places where a major core might be. I actually had no clue what kind of places a major could even be. A bit of research in the library or something similar might've been a good use of time between class and curfew. It was too late now, but definitely a thought for the future.

Blue Hair stared out into the distance, lost in the vastness of it all. The meek mouse of a girl had her jaw open and stood taller than I’d ever seen her.

At least someone can enjoy it.

I may not have been happy, but I wouldn’t take that away from others. So long as she did well, there were no complaints from me.

“This looks like Variation Two,” Mr. Argant said.

“Classes C and D went through Variation Four two days ago.”

“Then we’ll take the safe option and stop any boundary crossings on the third day. I will lead my group through the second area,” Ms. Ein said.

“I’ll take mine to the first then,” Mr. Argant said.

“The third will go to me I suppose. Let's meet at area four and decide if we’d like to leave or advance to the next lesson.”

"Alright. I'll explain to the students." Mr. Intim turned. "As we explore for the next few days, we'll be evaluating you and your partner to see if you're ready for your adventuring tags. Without them, you will be barred from taking requests or exploring the labyrinth. Remember, while we are measuring your individual ability, you won't receive your tag if your partner doesn't."

Great...

I glanced at my partner. She had her hands together and closed her eyes in a silent prayer.

Quiet, shy, lacking in social skills. Is this because of the roluk religion?

It was a guess. Not a good guess but a guess nonetheless. A person wasn't as skittish as Blue Hair without some kind of explanation, right?

Ms. Ein and Mr. Intim went down the path on the right, and we took the winding one on the left. For the two hours we trekked, not a single monster appeared. Mr. Argant was light on the rests, so we traveled a good distance. The majority of our group was made up of aremshai-ir and they were used to more physical activity than the others. Blue Hair was huffing and had already emptied her canteen.

Here,” I said, passing mine.

“T-Thank you.” She took a sip and went to put the cap back on. I gestured for her drink more. She paused, then nodded. “Th-Thank you.”

“You already said that,” I said as she handed it back. I finished whatever was left.

“Sorry.”

Dear gods, this girl.

“Don’t apologize to me. I told you to drink more. Besides, we’re near a stream.”

She perked up, but her eyes were still focused on the ground. Her exhaustion likely stopped her from hearing it. After passing a few more trees, we stepped onto a rocky stream bed. Mr. Argant signaled for a rest and we refilled our water. Some took the opportunity to take off their shoes and soak their feet downstream.

A couple of odd looking birds with long ashy beaks and thick feathered bodies hung around the trees. Were they specific to another region of the continent?

I spent most of my time in the southwest with Master since he said I could practice my dual magic there without worrying about people seeing.

“What’s wrong?” Mr. Argant asked.

He was speaking to Blue Hair. She pointed to a bush but I saw nothing. “Th-There… I-I saw something.”

Mr. Argant yanked her back as a stone flew past where she stood. I unsheathed my sword and conjured a barrier the size of my body. Dozens of rocks pelted the barrier, cracking it in various places. Others cried out as they were struck, reflexively curling up. “Barriers!” Mr. Argant commanded.

The second volley met more barriers than flesh this time, and two and a half dozen goblins came out from their hiding places. They carried spears, axes, clubs, and slings while wearing armor fashioned from bark around their chests. Our numbers, twenty one people in all, would normally deter even the largest goblin dens and tribes on the outside. However, these goblins marched forward.

Are they confident or just stupid?

Halfway across the water, they roared and charged. I knew what the answer was then. Mr. Argant shouted, “Don’t falter! None of them are individually powerful so you all should be safe so long as we stay together. If you see one that looks different and is giving orders, kill it immediately.”

The students let loose a hail of bolt spells, felling two as the others either dodged or managed to survive.

I pulled out my sword, ramming it through the closest monster. I blocked a stone with my bracer and flung the body in the direction of the shot. One goblin pounded its chest, and gestured at me with its axe. I kicked a rock at it and spun around. Sure enough, another goblin leapt at me. Ducking, I slit its throat. The one with the axe froze. Gauging the weight and balance of my sword one more time, I threw it. Compared to my knives, it was awkward. Still, it lodged itself into the goblin’s head, killing it.

Goblins didn’t do fair fights.

The others were engaged in more pitched battles. The golden shine of their barriers reflected off the water. Mr. Argant hadn’t moved. He was watching us. I took back my sword and searched for the leader of the goblins. Standing out in the academy was putting a target on my back. Doing well in a labyrinth made it more likely the teacher’s would feel comfortable bringing us further, or at least allow me more freedom.

I scanned the trees and bushes. Though I saw a few goblins slinging stones, none of them looked to be the leader. Bolt spells shot into the small monsters, meaning I didn’t need to care about them.

Everyone’s pushing them back. Did the leader run away?

The goblin’s numbers began to dwindle. Slowly but surely, more were killed. Even if no one here had been in a real battle before, they were still talented enough to make it into the academy. Blue Hair fought a single goblin. No, it didn’t look like a fight.

Her spear laid on the ground as she sat, arms propping her up as a barrier protected her from a snarling goblin. It stabbed at her barrier with its rock tipped spear. It did it again and again until the slightest crack formed. The monster grinned as Blue Hair shivered.

“Pick up your staff,” I said.

She was startled by my voice and her expression was one of hope and then confusion as I pointed to her staff. I could feel her pleading with me, but I didn’t move. She grabbed her staff. The goblin shrieked and stabbed faster. Fragments of the barrier fell and disappeared. Blue Hair lost her grip and scrambled for it again, using it to help her stand.

“Wider stance.”

It was too late. The goblin broke the barrier and Blue Hair twisted with all her weight, slamming the wood into the goblin’s side. Both landed flat on the rocks. They reeled from the blow. Seconds passed before anyone reached for the staff. The goblin grabbed onto it first with its one good hand. It jabbed it into her shoulder before she pulled it free from its grasp. She rose with labored breaths. The small monster couldn’t stand. Its legs had been frozen to the ground.

It threw rocks as its last feeble attempt. Though they couldn’t have done any damage, Blue Hair flinched, blocking them with her arms.

Come on!

“Kill it!”

With one hand, she swung. They were wild strikes, like a cornered man fighting back a circling pack of wolves. Only half landed because the goblin couldn’t move. It screamed as she hit it, desperately throwing more rocks. I yelled for her to use both hands. She closed her eyes as she followed the command. Other students, successful in their battles, gathered. Eventually, the goblin stopped moving. She didn’t stop. She didn’t know it was dead yet.

Wet, meaty slaps accompanied the quiet rush of the stream. The students turned away but my eyes were glued to its mouth. It was impossible, the goblin was dead, but it looked as if it was whispering the same words Albert did…

“It’s dead.” Mr. Argant pulled Blue Hair away.

Goblins were vile little things, both inside and outside labyrinths. The ones outside had no cores, and were less vicious. Tentative peace could be made with them. Despite that however, they were still monsters. Anything that dropped a core, or had counterparts that dropped cores were monsters. They were creatures that actively harmed people. So, I felt nothing from watching her beat it to death. Nothing but disappointment at her lack of ability and of how much work I’d have to do to make it to the third layer.

“If anyone’s injured, come to me. Everyone else, wash yourselves off and then we’ll gather the cores from the corpses.”

My hands had specks of blood on them. Goblin blood was darker, yet thinner. Monster blood wasn’t like real blood at all. It was just blood created by mana leaking from their cores, like their fake flesh. I didn’t need to turn away from it. It was just dirty.

For whatever reason, I found myself throwing water over my hand until it was numb.

We regrouped a few hours later. No one was seriously injured enough to warrant returning to the town, so the teachers discussed what to do next. Ms. Ein wanted to leave the labyrinth, while Mr. Argant thought it best to continue with the lesson and stay. Mr. Intim would be the deciding vote.

“Can we camp here?” I asked. I needed to give them a little push. I doubted the idea that the academy would take us to the further on our expedition, but it was more likely if we didn’t have to redo the long walk to get back to this point.

Those who shared the same opinion as me expressed themselves as well. The dissenters kept quiet, out of fear of sticking out, and It didn’t help that they were aremshai-ir.

Mr. Intim chose to stay the night, and we broke for camp. The teachers had been carrying enough camping supplies in their storages. Feno and I set up our tent since Axel didn’t know how. Tossing my things inside, we went to help Axel gather firewood. By the time we collected our third bundles, the nobles were halfway done with their tents.

“It’s a tent. How sheltered do you have to be,” One of the arem students said.

“Better that we do the real work. They’d only mess it up.”

“How come you know how to put a tent up so well?” Axel asked as he set his bundle down.

“Before I became recognized, we lived away from the manor. Sometimes Mom would take me out to the woods and we’d camp out there. That’s when she told me the stories of The Crystal Grove.”

“Doesn’t sound like a good story when all you’ve got is a tent,” I said.

“Yeah, it wasn’t,” he said with a slight smile. “But the woods always felt more like home to me than the shack Father had us in. Plus, it was the only time Mom would tell me stories of her clan.”

“Seems kinda rough buddy,” Axel said.

Feno shook his head as he organized the bundles. “We never starved or wanted for much. I was happy just to live with her. What about you though? I know that you can beat me in cards but you never really told me about your family.”

I looked to Axel who was watching the nobles fumble about. Blue Hair had gotten her tent up with the help of Mr. Argant. The two supposed to be helping her were off somewhere else. Blue Hair’s friends were having enough troubles with their own shelter, though Iris seemed to have a much better grasp than most..

“What else is there to know? My dad’s a guard and my mom takes care of the house. I’ve got six younger siblings but that’s it.”

“How’d you get into the academy with that many siblings?”

Axel winked. “Talent, of course.”

“So a sponsor?” I asked.

“You always gotta ruin my fun, don’t you? Yeah, I’ve got a sponsor like all the other commoners.” Axel patted both of us on the back. “Let’s go grab more wood. Ms. Ein’s giving us the side eye.”

After another hour of setting up, Mr. Argant assigned shifts for us. The veteran adventurer seemed to look at me when he announced I’d be in one of the middle shifts. Could I take it as proof he acknowledged me somewhat?

The person who came to wake me was startled when he saw I was already sitting up. It was a bit funny, imagining what he saw. I sat by the fire, while Axel and Feno got ready. There were three people to a tent, and fortunately, I shared mine with them. Axel was the next out and he wandered off to relieve himself.

“Ugh, I can’t believe we’re the first ones here,” Contempt Girl complained as she sat.

“I thought a noble such as yourself wouldn’t bother with something like night watch.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, the nobility understand their duties. If you had any respect for us at all then you would have taken the whole shift.”

“If you really understood your duty, you wouldn’t complain so much.”

She snickered. “You know nothing of duty. If you did then you wouldn’t be in this academy, stealing a spot from a much more worthy noble. Speaking of worthiness…” Axel returned and Feno came out to join us. Contempt Girl’s partner sat next to her. “I heard your little partner made a fool of herself today. She was scared witless by a golin. All that magic power and she didn’t even use it.”

“She did,” Feno said with a snap. “She froze it to the ground so it wouldn’t move.”

“Why didn’t she freeze all of it, or cast a spell to finish it off? It’s the only thing she has going for her.”

“Magic isn’t everything.”

“It’s her everything. What else does she have? Charisma? Leadership skills? If she’s smart she sure doesn’t act like it. One encounter with a goblin and the instructors are treating her like she saw her family get murdered. If I pushed her into the mud she’d apologize for getting in my way. She’s a walking doormat.”

“You’re going too far,” Feno growled.

“Oh yeah? And what would she do if she were here? Would she tell me to take it back?”

The answer was obvious. Feno tossed a few sticks into the fire as he huffed. She snickered. I’d have to spend two hours enduring her and whatever useless things she wanted to bring up.

“Either shut up or go grab some sticks. You’re gonna wake everyone up at this rate.”

Contempt Girl rolled her eyes but the drowsiness kept her in check.

“Do you think she’ll do better tomorrow?” Axel asked.

“I don’t know.”

If she didn’t, I’d have to start looking at other options.