’Good lord,’ I thought, exhaling a long, shuddering breath the moment we were out of range of the Dean’s office.
"Come on, Aika. Did you really have to provoke that little girl? We could have gotten in serious trouble, you know! She already looks like a stubborn kid with major anger issues."
Aika scoffed, rubbing the arm she had broken earlier. "I just couldn’t stand her condescending attitude."
"Huh?" I arched a brow. "Not only is she older than you, she is much more powerful than us. You know that."
"Tsk! So what? If she looks pocket-sized, she should act pocket-sized!"
Aika paused mid-step, then turned to look at me. "And you, I thought I told you not to call me out again today."
I immediately looked away from her, then said quickly, "If you forgive me for that, I’ll buy you a flask of high-grade alcohol."
For a brief moment, Aika didn’t say anything. Though, in the corner of my eye, I could see what looked like a smile on her face. Eventually, she said shyly, "I forgive you."
Ha...
Looks like I’m beginning to get a grasp of her personality.
Looking back to her, more specifically at her injured arm, I asked, concerned, "By the way, don’t you need to get that checked or something?"
Aika shrugged it off, dismissing the injury instantly. "I’ll be fine."
I frowned, but since she clearly didn’t want to dwell on the subject, I reluctantly let it go. I then lifted the hand that held the document the Dean gave me and began looking it over.
"I’ll choose Rogue," I muttered as my gaze landed on a section.
Aika, who had picked up pace with me, turned to look at me. "For your Class, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
Since I had already told the Dean that my Exclusive Attribute was the reason the whisper-globe didn’t work on me, she must probably be wondering what Class I awakened as. And so, if I say Rogue, it gives a plausible explanation for an attribute that disrupts detection. After all, the Rogue Class is known to give attributes that enhance incognito effects, stealth, and information suppression, all of which could logically interfere with a basic information detection tool like the whisper-globe.
"That works as a good cover, I suppose," Aika muttered approvingly.
I folded the document neatly and slipped it into my jacket pocket. But just as I looked up, I saw a familiar face that immediately caused me to frown.
Leon smiled and waved when he noticed that I had finally seen him. His demeanor was carefree and wholly unconcerned, like someone who didn’t have to worry about anything in life.
Perfect protagonist behavior.
Just seeing his perfect face made me angry and mentally drained.
Of course, I was jealous of him, so what?
"Cedric! Everything alright? You look like you just ate a raw Manticore egg." Leon asked, stopping a few meters from me.
When he turned to see Aika, I saw his face flush red.
"My lady," he quickly reached out a hand to grab hers and kiss it.
But just then, Aika made an "Ew!" expression and snapped, "Get those chopsticks out of my face before I cut them."
Leon blinked with a genuinely confused expression. "Huh? C-chopsticks? What are those?"
"What do you want, Leon?" I finally interrupted, cutting straight to the point to end the embarrassing exchange.
Leon straightened and turned to me. "Oh."
His wholly unconcerned smile returned. "I got a message on my whisper-script from the Dean saying that I should lead you to your dorm."
’Oh... he’s the one who was sent?’
Suddenly, my mood lifted significantly.
"Mind leading the way, then?"
Leon turned around and gestured casually down the hallway. "Sure. Follow me."
***
All the academies within and outside the Empire were officially designated as Bastions, underscoring their critical role as fortified centers of magical power. The specific academy I was currently enrolled in was known as The Bastion of Crimson and Silver.
As one of the leading Bastions in the Empire, this Bastion was not just massive with structures towering hundreds of feet in the air, but its imposing scale was matched by a chilling, austere beauty.
It took us almost twenty minutes of walking to finally arrive on the path leading to the dorms. This section was equally expansive, featuring a multitude of residential buildings, with some being far more grand and stately than others.
Of course, I knew I wouldn’t be assigned one of the grandest dorms as those were strictly reserved for the highest nobles and strongest Dominants. However, just having a proper dorm within the Bastion of Crimson and Silver was an unimaginable luxury. And so, I didn’t mind which building I was given; the simple upgrade was victory enough.
During our long walk, I kept catching Leon sparing me curious glances, a look that clearly said he had several questions but wasn’t sure if he should ask them. And so, as we walked into the path leading to where was probably my dorm, I sighed and said tiredly, "Just spit it out already."
Leon turned to me and smiled nervously. "Hehe... was I that obvious?"
I looked at him and replied with a flat expression, "Yes, yes you were, Leon."
I then looked away, waiting for the inevitable question.
Leon cleared his throat. "Uhm... if you don’t mind me asking, if you have always had a Bond, why did you let everyone treat you like they did?"
He asked, pointing toward my shoulder where Aika, who had taken the form of a majestic-looking raven, perched quietly. She had shifted into her creature form, finding the long walk too much of a chore.
’Hmm? So he thinks I’ve always had a bond but hid it?’
Everyone in the academy knew that Cedric did not have a bond due to the academy making that information public. But Leon thinks I had a bond but chose to hide it?
’Why in the world would he think that?’
After a brief moment, I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "I don’t mind you asking, but the truth is somewhat embarrassing."
I decided to lie to him and use this opportunity to confirm a suspicion I needed to test regarding Karma points.
"You see, I’ve always had my beautiful Aika with—"
I raised my finger to stroke her head, only to suddenly receive a sharp bite from her beak.
’Ouch! Ouch! Ouch, Aika!’~
’Keep those chopsticks to yourself!’~~
’Aissshh!’~ I winced, rubbing my throbbing finger and turning back to Leon with an embarrassed shrug. "So, uhm... I’ve always had my Bond. I just didn’t show her off because I’m... a masochist."
"What?!" Leon paused, his eyes going wide. "Y-you... huh?... a what?"
I smiled and repeated emphasizing each syllable, "Ma-so-chist."
Leon palpably paled. He seemed so utterly aghast that he couldn’t even speak for a whole minute.
Meanwhile, I looked to the side where a faint, notification screen had popped up. I was happy as I had finally confirmed the suspicion that had been bothering me.
[You have acquired 5 Karma points.]
[Available Karma points: 460]