Rocky strode through the hallways as usual. Bobby and Matt were sitting on his shoulders, too.
10 minutes later.
He opened the door and stepped in.
He blinked as he looked around. The first one he wanted to see was Scarlet, yet he swiftly frowned.
(Where is she?)
"Im-impossible? How could that cat still be alive?" a fearful voice rang out.
Joe, Shawn, and Cuthbert pointed at the cat on Rocky’s shoulder in fear.
It was clear they had witnessed that cat turn into a puddle of blood in the arena.
There was no way the cat was still alive.
Matt just tilted his head and meowed in surprise when the three guys showed fear.
Rocky rubbed his chin as he looked at them. He didn’t see Jeff.
(Where is that bastard?... Tsk, why do I even care about that trash?)
Rocky shrugged and headed over to his table. He leaned back against the chair while watching the landscape through the window.
It was quite strange to him.
Jeff, Travis, and Scarlet weren’t at the academy anymore.
He could somehow predict it. After all Scarlet had done for him, her grandfather must be furious. She was probably grounded in the Clan... or worse, he might never see her at the academy again.
(Don’t worry, Scarlet. I’ll visit you as soon as I can.)
He wanted to meet her directly, without anyone else around. However, he might run into some trouble, because he had imagined her Clan would get in his way.
(Her grandfather will be an obstacle.)
As for Travis... Well, he didn’t have any reason left to stay here if Scarlet left the academy.
At the same time, with two enemies suddenly gone, he felt quite comfortable.
There was no one left here to scold him anymore.
Creak!
The door opened as a professor walked in.
He clapped several times to gather the students before announcing an important event.
Rocky shrugged again, because he had already known about it from Walter. Most of the students widened their mouths in surprise and excitement as a global contest might take place.
"It’s great... I can crush a pile of insects," a student laughed.
A male student nodded.
"I don’t care. I just want to meet an elf. As far as I know, they possess a beauty no one can compare to."
A female student spat.
"My advice is to give up those dirty thoughts. They’re a bunch of arrogant ones. They’ll look at us like we’re nothing but inferior insects."
"And I want to crush that pompous face."
The professor looked at the students with a bit of sadness.
"What a shame. The three strongest children of this generation are absent from this important event."
"How can we defeat that genius from those lands?"
***
Just like that, the students prepared for the new journey to the land of Lunaris. Because that land was distant, the academy would use their beasts to carry them.
Rocky sat cross-legged on the back of a gigantic falcon, observing the sky, ignoring the chatter of the other students.
Beside him, Bobby and Matt were sitting and talking in a language he had never understood.
For a moment, he decided to take a nap.
6 hours later.
A student’s voice rang out.
"Look at that! An immense land!"
Rocky woke up and slightly frowned.
After flying past a mountain range, they finally arrived at the land of Lunaris. A bizarre land with only one season a year.
Rainy season. So this land was always damp. But it was one of the factors that helped their beasts stay in a good mood.
Thanks to that, they could raise them much faster.
At some point, Rocky turned his attention toward a castle lying in the center of countless cities.
"I should head to the meeting spot with Ursa."
He gave a command to Matt, who quickly shifted into another form.
Matt leaped off the back of the gigantic falcon.
The black cat dropped freely through the air before its fangs lengthened. Then its body expanded into a gigantic form.
A membrane quickly stretched from its wrists to its ankles. He spread it and glided through the sky.
Thanks to the vast membrane, the winds simply lifted him higher. Bobby and Rocky quickly took the chance and jumped onto Matt’s back.
He let out a loud roar and tilted his body to fly even higher, his shadow almost covering the sky. Meanwhile, the students and professors dropped their jaws in bewilderment as they looked up.
"A flying squirrel?"
A student said.
"What absurdity... How can a flying squirrel have a shape like that?"
Matt glided through the sky before diving down. He tightened his membrane, decreasing air resistance as he lunged toward the catsle a thousand kilometers away.
Ten minutes later.
Matt quickly shrank to avoid drawing the citizens’ attention, then slowly landed in a quiet zone nearby. After that, he headed to the meeting spot.
"Young Lord," Ursa said, leading Diana behind her.
Rocky nodded.
"Let’s go."
Rocky, Ursa, and Diana hired a carriage and headed to the castle gates.
The three of them stepped down from the carriage. Rocky tossed a few coins to the driver.
"Keep the change."
The driver nodded politely.
"Thank you for your generosity. I hope I’ll have the chance to serve you again."
Rocky gave a slight nod and walked toward one of the guards at the gate.
"I want to meet your king."
He said it while handing over his mother’s badge—the badge of royalty.
The guard scowled when a stranger dared to make such a request. Normally, the king was always busy; he didn’t have time to meet commoners.
He was about to arrest this bastard and throw him into a cell, but the moment he saw the badge, he changed his mind.
"Y-You’re of royal descent? ... Please, give us a moment to verify."
Rocky nodded calmly.
The guards checked for a while before nodding to each other.
(He carries the royal bloodline.)
One of the guards bowed his head politely.
"Please follow me. I’ll escort you to the waiting hall."
A/N: Don’t forget to give me some PS, a review, or anything else; your small actions will help my book have a chance to reach more readers...The moment the third beast is approaching :))