102 – Circulatory System (4)
The day after I went to Rigbed, before morning class, Iris called me aside.
We stood facing each other in a quiet corridor with no people. Judging by the expression and atmosphere, it was certain that nothing good would come out.
What would it be if the leader called quietly and said something bad? I finished clearing my mind early.
Am I not used to this kind of thing? Iris mumbled for a while.
“Anything you say is fine, so feel free to say it.”
“Ah, yes…. I discussed it with Paulson and Lysander at dinner yesterday. I think our group will need an elementalist.”
“Keep talking.”
“Since there are two combat departments, one must be organized… I decided to bring in a spirit sergeant.”
“You’re saying you’re going to let me go and make room for you?”
“Yes.”
“….”
There’s no way that Iris didn’t know that an Elementalist was needed. Until yesterday, she acted like she was going to lead everyone, but when she suddenly changed overnight, it was clear that it was Paulson or something.
He has a face full of guilt, but he doesn’t say he’s sorry.
I can understand. Getting group members in and out is just part of the class. There is no such thing as moral responsibility. I also had no intention of resenting or criticizing it.
However, her impression of Iris has changed a bit. I had to gradually build a trustworthy companion for her, and I briefly thought that if it was Iris, she might be okay. She was, but seeing her change her attitude with ease and ease, her heart melted.
“If you follow the plan I gave you, you should be able to get good grades. And….”
“Okay, can I go after the business is over?”
“Oh, yes! Goodbye.”
I left.
If I had been kicked out yesterday, it would have been easier to join the group, but now most of the groups are full, so I am in an ambiguous position.
Maybe it worked out better. I would like to refrain from entering a group and going through a complicated process of reconciliation. Applying Zverev’s theory to practice is a gamble. Who wants to hunt hard along an uncertain road and stuff things that don’t suit their mouth into their stomachs?
There is only one day left before the practice preparation period. For the rest of my time, I intended to rummage through books and memorize the characteristics of the plants and animals that inhabit the circulatory system. Since I am preparing alone, I have to work twice as hard.
From noble mtl dot com
***
The second circulatory system class was scheduled for the morning. Because there were four people huddled together in the classroom, it was easy to figure out who was in the group with whom at a glance.
Shortly after, Trisha enters with the group and alternates between me and the Iris group. Seeing that I was the only one sitting separately in the back, I took a seat without a word as if I had a hunch about the situation.
After a while, Professor Rackham entered the classroom and the chaotic atmosphere suddenly calmed down.
But it’s not just professors and assistants. A female student followed after the professor, and the eyes of the students who saw it widened.
That’s Luna, who I thought was missing from this class.
Fortunately, it seems that his body has improved a lot.
Rakam gave a brief explanation before starting the class.
“Ah, this friend said that his joining was delayed due to an external dispatch mission. If there is a group that is not yet formed, take care of this friend as well. She’s the head of the Ministry of Magic, so I believe she’ll take care of herself. Go sit down.”
It’s not just about paying attention. All the students were staring at Luna’s face.
Luna bowed her head to Rakham and crossed the middle of the stairwell.
Some look at her and whisper among themselves in her ear. A few girls who are acquainted with Luna greet each other as they pass by.
As I watched, my heart sank.
Because she was coming up in the back row where I was, avoiding her friends.
As I kept repeating the words, ‘It must be my mistake’, as Luna stood tall in the column I was in, I turned my head away pretending not to see her.
And then Luna skipped that many seats and took a seat three spaces away from me.
Me and Luna didn’t say hello to each other. It could be my mistake, but I had a feeling that sitting near me might be a sign of her pleasure for her.
The people around him go up and down in the cube. Fortunately, Zion’s name went up and down, not mine.
“If you are with Zion….”
“As expected, the seniors….”
“Isn’t Gale powerful….”
I didn’t think that there would be anything between Luna and me thanks to the students sitting alone at the opposite end of the same row without Zion or any other group. They seem to think it is not a big deal just because they found an empty seat and sat down.
But Trisha had a different idea.
She was alone while the other students turned their eyes toward the lecture table, and she kept her body behind her and looked up at me all the time.
I don’t know why, but it seems like there’s fire in my eyes. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen something like this. Why is the kid who has nothing to do with Luna so angry… I can’t feel it at all.
When Cecil noticed, Tricia turned her body forward.
Soon after, the class went on, leaving her clutter behind.
In this lesson, a brief explanation of the geography of the Sotherton circulatory system and a few caveats. And it proceeded in such a way as to deliver some clues to enter the interior.
The first clue was a spirit, and the second was the use of a herb called ‘Blue Soul Herb’.
“The wild animals of the circulatory system will be hostile if their territory is invaded. But not all beings come out hostile. Please refer to this point. The spirits there are very curious about humans.”
I didn’t know anything else, but it was certain that it was a word that would increase the ransom value of Luna, the Elementalist.
He explained the second clue as follows.
“The blue soul herb is a strange herb that blooms from the corpses of dead animals. That herb could be quite useful for finding an access road.”
This was an option for a group without a Elementalist.
Where to get it or how to use it exactly is not told. It seems to be a challenge to solve on your own.
Professor Rakham additionally made a brief addition about group organization.
“Oh, and the changed group table is private, so be aware of that. I don’t know if it’s because they haven’t gotten used to each other yet, so I don’t know if they’re not vigilant, but every year there’s been a group that targets weaker groups and plunders supplies. Please refrain from revealing the composition of the group.”
It was a warning, not a ban on looting. The students huddled in the front row flinched when they heard that.
The students sitting alone without a group were a little over sixty. I thought there were a lot of them, but it made sense when I thought that some of them were camouflage.
I saw now that Shion was looking down at the others as if they were prey. It’s scary to look at. Some, noticing their gaze, whispered that Zion would solve all food supply and demand through looting.
Before the class, there was no point in considering this group as a group of losers without a group, but now, with Shion, Varianne, and Luna joining in the back seat, there was a feeling that they had been elevated to the level of a dangerous person with a plot inside.
When her class was over, Luna got up without saying a word and followed her professor out of the classroom.
Few of her followed her as if they were her fans. She also included the Iris group.
The rest of the group was chattering about the blue spirit plant. Each group leader urged them to obtain it before it was too late because it was an item that was being grown in Rigbed.
When one group left first, they rushed out of the classroom, as if crowd psychology had been activated.
I didn’t intend to go to Rigbed, but I figured I’d have to pretend the group was there, so I came out.
While on her way to the library to find out the correct use of the blue soul candle, a familiar bird caught her eye.
That was the fluid spirit that contracted with me. I never summoned him, so how did he come?
The spirit came in front of the face and flapped its wings. For some reason, the note is stuck in Bury.
“….”
This is my spirit, so why is it serving as someone else’s billboard?
Well, there is one person who can guess who did it.
As expected, when I opened the note and checked the contents, it contained Luna’s message.
[I’ll wait in front of the Guardian Tree.]
***
The Guardian Tree of Eternia looked different from when it came before.
All the leaves that had been dying black turned to fallen leaves and fell to the ground, and in their place, gray shoots sprouted from the branches.
Under the shade of a tree, a blonde-haired girl was standing with her back to me.
Luna never looked back, her gaze fixed on her guardian’s neck, but she sensed my presence with just a glance and spoke up.
“…… Now the curse is lifted The Guardian Tree is also recovering quickly.”
There was lightness in his voice.
“I’m glad you feel better.”
I also feel much more comfortable knowing that my efforts were not in vain.
“But… There are still some left.”
“… Are thought forms still harassing you?”
“Yes….”
In an instant, blood gushed out. I calmed my anger and spoke calmly.
“Wait a minute. It’s a practice thing, and I have to completely eradicate it today….”
As I was about to draw my sword, Luna hurriedly corrected her words.
“No, it is not a thought body. Hmm… Things that are similar to that keep coming after me asking for a group.”
“… ….”
“So… i still need your help The group hasn’t been decided yet… ?”
Your gestures seem tense and stiff, but you can feel the slyness in the way you speak. It also feels like a prepared message.
“I was kicked out this morning.”
As if Luna had plucked up the courage, she suddenly turned around and shook my hand. Then she squeezed.
“Then would you like to group it together?”
I stared blankly at Luna’s hand. Her face is unconcerned, but her arms are full of strength and her fingertips are faintly trembling. There is an awkward air around her.
“If you do it with me, you will have to give up half of your grades, will that be okay?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Camping would be inconvenient.”
“It’s okay.”
That’s enough. I was curious about how she would react if I rejected her once as a joke, but I held back because I thought I would hate the man forever if I did.
There was no reason to reject the best elementalist. It was also nice that I felt caring when I suggested that I need help in case I would feel burdened.
I also reached out and accepted her handshake.
By the way, Luna closes her eyes tight and arrogant when I touch her hand.
I sensed a strange aura and narrowed my eyes.
I saw this expression a lot when I was young. It was exactly like this when the girls lost a bet and forced themselves to touch the frog.
Luna couldn’t stand it, so she shook my hand and turned her back to me.
“… ….”
I asked anxiously.
“Have you been asked to group me up above….”
Luna cut it straight.
“Absolutely not.”
I doubt it, but it’s that men aren’t used to it yet… I just have to believe that.