Chapter 101: Chapter 101 – The Laughing Engima

[Eric – Day of Reaching the Capital]

I reached the capital with my friends.

Well—friends as in, I’m mostly close with Luca… and somewhat with Kyle, I guess. Still, I think I should be grateful. A “real” extra like me, being friends with main characters? Yeah, feels a bit surreal.

The streets of the capital were buzzing as always—nobles in carriages, merchants yelling about discounts, street performers doing dumb tricks for coin. It’s been a while since I saw this chaos. Felt weirdly nostalgic.

Anyway, my gramps should already be here.

I tugged the strap of my satchel higher over my shoulder and cut through a familiar alley—past a bakery that still smelled like childhood and a rusty old lamppost that never worked. Soon enough, I was at the doorstep of the crooked little house he refused to move out of. The wooden door creaked as I let myself in, uninvited as always.

Inside was the same controlled mess. Stacks of scrolls and ancient tomes everywhere, ink bottles balancing dangerously on ledges, half-burnt candles dripping wax on floor tiles. And in the middle of it all—

“Hey old man, still stuck in with that research of yours? Should I help you?”

He didn’t even glance up. Just sat hunched over his desk, flipping pages with all the grace of an annoyed crow.

“Hmph, focus on your studies in the academy boy, don’t worry about my shit.”

I chuckled, collapsing onto the chair across from him. His beard had gotten longer. Or maybe just wilder. His eyes were as sharp and grumpy as ever though.

He glanced at me briefly, then said—

“Are you going to the ball?”

I tilted my head, resting my chin on my palm.

“I have no taste for politics and pretense.”

“Good good, that’s how it should be.”

He nodded approvingly, finally putting his pen down.

“Then why are you here anyway?”

I grinned and leaned back, arms behind my head.

“What, I can’t see you in the academy anyway? You’re always holed up here. Of course I came to meet you.”

He grumbled, rubbing his temples like I was the one giving him a headache. He stood up and began shuffling toward the bookshelf, muttering under his breath.

“Then help me in my research.”

I smirked and crossed my legs lazily.

“Didn’t I say that already?”

He paused, shooting a look over his shoulder.

“What do you know, how difficult it is to find a new place for us to live and to transport there? How can you help me anyway?”

I laughed.

“Then why did you even ask?”

There was a beat of silence before he let out a heavy sigh. He reached for a book, but his hand hovered there like he’d forgotten what he was doing.

“Anyway, I have some work tomorrow in the imperial palace. When will you be leaving? If you’re here, let’s have dinner together.”

I nodded, warming a little inside.

“Don’t worry, now I will leave only after having dinner with you.”

He grunted and began walking out of the room. Just as he reached the doorway, I called out.

“Please remain at the academy for some time from here, after all you are dean of the academy.”

He froze—not for long, just a breath—but he didn’t turn around. He left without looking back.

****

[Present]

Luca glanced sideways at Eric, his brows slightly raised, expecting more of an explanation. But Eric only offered a quiet, amused grin—the smirk from earlier melting into something more reflective as he leaned back in his seat and folded his arms.

“I have no taste for politics and pretense,” he said with a shrug, his voice calm but resolute.

Luca nodded, understanding without pushing further. He knew better than anyone that Eric often downplayed his thoughts—hiding sincerity behind a veil of cynicism. Before he could respond, however, the chatter in the classroom faded into silence.

Click. Click.

The familiar sharp heels of Seraphina echoed through the room as she entered, her long silver-blue coat flowing behind her like a banner of discipline. The students immediately sat upright. The air of casual gossip vanished the moment she stepped in.

Her cold eyes scanned the room. “I hope everyone enjoyed the ball at the capital,” she said crisply, adjusting a stack of thick scrolls on the lectern. “Now let’s focus and get back to class.”

A few groans were quickly muffled under her steely gaze.

She continued, her tone unyielding. “As previously announced, the curriculum of the academy will now undergo significant changes in light of the growing threat of the Devil Cult. Starting this week, all students will attend joint lectures alongside both mage and priest divisions.”

Whispers rippled again through the class.

New Curriculum Highlights:

Joint Combat Theory: Mage-Knight-Priest Coordination

Applied Divine Arts: Basic Blessings & Ward Creation

Field Practice: Exposure to Sealed Corruption Zones

Devil Cult History & Psychological Warfare

Mandatory Resistance Training: Mind and Mana Fortification

Eric leaned slightly toward Luca and muttered under his breath, “Tch… What kind of changes? They’re gonna start training us to fight shadows in the classroom now?”

Luca leaned over to Eric and explained in a low voice, “It’s an emergency response plan. Joint lectures mean we’ll be learning not just offensive magic or swordplay, but divine resistance techniques and detection rituals used by priests.”

Eric tilted his head, listening carefully.

“Even basic mana users will learn to detect cursed influence. They’re trying to build synergy between disciplines in case we’re deployed on the field against corrupted beasts or cult agents,” Luca continued. “And… there’s more.”

He gestured toward the blackboard, where Seraphina began writing down the updated modules with enchanted chalk.

Eric raised a brow. “So basically, they’re fast-tracking us to be battlefield-ready. Not just against monsters, but cultists too.”

Luca nodded again, more somberly this time. “They’re preparing us for a war… even if they’re not calling it one yet.”

Seraphina snapped the chalk in her hand and turned. “If anyone has a problem with the new curriculum,” she said icily, “you’re free to walk out. But don’t expect to walk back in.”

No one moved.

And in that heavy, serious silence, the weight of what was to come finally began to settle on the classroom. The academy was no longer just a school—it was a fortress in training.

The class dragged on, dense with new instructions and regulations. Even the usual chatter had dulled, weighed down by the shift in tone. When Seraphina finally closed her notebook with a sharp clap, the entire room seemed to exhale.

She stepped forward and said,

“Today we will have an interclass practical combat session, to see if you have rusted over from preparing for mid-sems and the ball. So, follow me to the practice grounds.”

A collective groan rippled through the students—some in lazy protest, others in hushed excitement. Chairs scraped back. Books were shoved into bags with varying levels of carelessness.

Eric slung his robe over one shoulder and muttered,

“What? They can’t do that…”

Luca chuckled softly and patted his back.

“They just did.”

The two joined the slow but steady march of students filtering out of the classroom into the bright afternoon light. The sun hung high, casting long shadows over the paved path that led to the wide, open practice grounds.

Once there, Seraphina stood at the front like a commander inspecting her troops. Her gaze swept across the assembled students, sharp and unwavering.

“I will be announcing the pairs now,” she declared.

“Have a duel with your assigned partner. This is not a spar—this is a test. Hold back, and I’ll know.”

A few chuckles died quickly. The seriousness in her voice cut through any leftover sluggishness.

She began reading names—some reactions met with surprise, others with eye-rolls or wary glances at their opponent.

“…Eric vs Maren,Aanya vs Kyle…”

Then “Selena vs Lilliane”

The tension grew as their name was called.

Then she paused, her voice carrying slightly louder for the final match.

“Aiden Everhart Vs Luca Valentine.”

The crowd stilled.

Heads turned.

Two figures locked eyes.

Luca’s expression was calm, but there was a flicker of awareness in his eyes—he knew this wasn’t just another duel.

Aiden stood across the field, arms crossed, his blonde hair catching the sunlight, the breeze ruffling his coat slightly. His gaze was sharp. Focused.

A quiet tension spread through the practice grounds, like the calm before a thunderstorm.

Even the students who’d been joking moments ago grew quiet.

They were aware.

This duel wasn’t going to be like the others.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep