Chapter 77: Sabrina and Kaen

Everyone in the group was completely stunned. The group sat entirely frozen, staring blankly at the two High-bloods who had just walked straight into the Class 1-A perimeter without a care.

Sabrina paused for a moment and looked at them. She then looked at her companion, Kaen, before looking down at herself, checking if there was something wrong with her attire or her face. She leaned over slightly and whispered to Kaen.

"Is there something wrong with me?"

Kaen side-eyed her, letting out a long, heavy sigh.

"Everything is wrong with you."

"Whatever, man," Sabrina said, waving her hand dismissively. She then turned her head back to face Thomas, a small, playful smirk on her face. "It hasn’t been long and it appears you have already forgotten all about me, Thomas of Class 1-A."

Thomas of course recognized the Grade S prodigy that had spared him and decided to forfeit the match for unknown reasons during the freshman tournament. He was just stunned because he distinctly remembered her saying they would meet again, but he had not taken the statement too serious back then. Now, the girl had come straight to their group grounds, accompanied by Julian’s one-sided rival. Her casual behavior was drawing looks from every corner of the camp."

"I... uhm, I remember you. Sabrina, was it? What’s up?" Thomas asked after gathering his thoughts, keeping his face as calm as possible despite the surprise.

Sabrina approached the logs where Thomas and Ryan were sitting. Seeing that there was an extra log right beside them, she didn’t hesitate to sit down. She turned to face Thomas directly. Up close, Thomas could not deny the young lady’s beauty. She was easily one of the most beautiful girls in the entire academy, alongside Cecilia and the other elite seniors whose names he did not know. Her long dreadlocks shifted softly against her jacket as she leaned in.

"We overheard the instructors talking about how you and your group almost became yesterday’s breaking news," she said softly, keeping her deep violet eyes locked onto his without breaking eye contact.

Thomas shifted uncomfortably against the wood and averted his gaze to look at the dirt ground, unsure of how to navigate her intense focus.

"Yeah, what about it?" Mina was the one who answered, her brow raised as she stepped forward defensively.

Sabrina swept a quick glance towards Mina and Lina, her violet eyes widening with genuine delight. "Whoa, you two are super cute."

Her sudden words caused both of the girls to blush deeply. They had not received a single compliment from anyone inside the academy not even from Ryan or Thomas, and to receive one so bluntly from a breathtakingly beautiful Grade S prodigy made them immediately go red. They fidgeted with the sleeves of their new black jackets, completely caught off guard.

"Thank you," they whispered in a low murmur. Sabrina looked at them one last time and smiled pleasantly, completely melting the tension between them.

"We are here for the deets. Tell me, how strong was the mana beast?" she asked, her eyes shifting right back onto Thomas. She leaned slightly closer, to the point where their knees were touching. Even Thomas felt entirely flustered by the proximity, his heart ticking slightly.

Julian looked over at him once from his foldable chair and shook his head in absolute amusement. Ryan had a big, dumb smile on his face as he watched his best friend struggle to talk properly in front of the pretty High-blood girl.

"Sabrina, stop being so informal with the lesser. You have him flustered, the poor boy can’t even speak," Kaen said, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood near the tent.

Currently, every other class under the massive dome had eyes on their grounds, wondering what was going on. Some of the High-blood males from Class 1-B and 1-C were boiling with rage as they witnessed how close Sabrina was being to Thomas. They also thought back to the goddess of the school, Cecilia, calling out his name before they took off for the marshlands, and their anger multiplied ten folds. To them, a lesser was getting entirely too much attention from the premier beauties of the institution.

Thomas eventually calmed his racing thoughts down and gave a quick summary of what happened in the marshlands. Sabrina was highly attentive throughout, and the same went for Kaen. His expression was of pure shock, and he also sneered when he heard Julian was the one who got caught initially.

After the summary was finished, Sabrina only said, "Whoa, dude."

Then Kaen spoke, turning his silver eyes to look directly at Julian. "So if there is a chance this excursion is about to be cancelled, it is entirely because of your group?"

But Ryan answered before Julian could speak. "Really, though? I mean, that incident could have happened to anyone you know."

Kaen threw him a cold look and totally dismissed the boy, shifting his head away as if he had not heard a single sound leave Ryan’s mouth.

Julian then added his own voice to the conversation, his tone dripping with absolute arrogance. "If the excursion is cancelled, it would be because of the rest of your lack of strength. My group already faced Subject 4314 and survived relatively unscathed. Would you and your partners in Class 1-C, or yours in Class 1-B, be able to replicate the feat?" Julian asked, maintaining steady eye contact with Kaen.

Kaen opened his mouth to retort, then closed it as his face flushed with irritation. He eventually said, "Well... that was a fluke. Why don’t you go out there and do it again?"

"Why would I risk my life to prove anything to you?" Julian asked in return, his voice flat.

His sharp response had Kaen quietly storming off toward his own class ground, thoroughly humiliated. Sabrina watched him leave and laughed lightly. Her laughter was quite melodic, and Thomas had to force himself not to stare too much at her face as she shook her head.

But then, the familiar, heavy gaze returned. The comforting atmosphere under the dome instantly vanished as Thomas felt the cold weight pressing against his shoulders. He looked towards the direction of the administrative stone building, and his eyes were met with none other than the ever-smiling deacon. The divine servant stood perfectly spotless near the entrance, watching them silently from beneath his golden hood.