Chapter 42: A Week of Freedom and the Unseen Threat Approaching the Kingdom

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: A Week of Freedom and the Unseen Threat Approaching the Kingdom

The academy garden was unusually peaceful that afternoon.

With the academy preparing for a week-long break, most of the students had already started making plans to return home, visit the capital, or simply spend their free time doing whatever they wanted.

I had no particular plans.

So, naturally, I ended up sitting beneath one of the large trees in the garden with Rhal.

The two of us had been talking about nothing important for a while when Rhal suddenly leaned closer.

"Hey, Ares. Have you heard the rumors?"

I glanced at him.

"Rumours again? What is it this time?"

"About the explosion a few days ago."

"The explosion?"

"Yeah."

Rhal lowered his voice slightly, as though he were about to reveal some extremely important information.

"Apparently, an explosion happened somewhere outside the capital. When the investigation team went to check the location, they found a massive crater where the facility was supposed to be."

I raised an eyebrow.

"A crater?"

"Yes, yes."

He nodded enthusiastically.

"They said there was barely anything left. The entire place was practically erased."

I stared at him for a moment.

"Hmm. Maybe the laboratory exploded."

"That’s what some people are saying."

Rhal shrugged.

"Apparently, the place was some kind of secret laboratory, and whatever they were experimenting with probably went wrong. You know how these crazy researchers are."

I nodded thoughtfully.

"Sounds possible."

Well, that’s certainly one way to describe it.

Rhal continued.

"But the strange part is that there were survivors."

"Survivors?"

"Eight of them."

He raised his fingers as though making sure I understood the number.

"Five children and three adults. They’re being treated right now, and according to what they told the investigators, there was some kind of fight inside the facility. Things apparently went completely out of control, and they managed to escape while everyone was distracted."

I nodded.

"That’s an interesting story."

"Right?"

Rhal smiled.

"And there’s more."

Of course there is.

"The survivors told the investigators that the people running that facility were involved in kidnapping."

"Kidnapping?"

"Yeah. That’s supposedly why the investigators are taking the whole thing seriously."

He leaned back against the tree.

"But they didn’t say much else. Maybe the information is classified, or maybe the higher-ups simply don’t want ordinary people knowing too much."

"Hmm, maybe."

I looked toward the garden.

That was actually rather convenient.

If the kingdom wanted to believe the facility had simply been destroyed in some kind of accident, I certainly wasn’t going to correct them.

As for the survivors, they had done exactly what they were told.

Rhal suddenly changed the subject.

"Anyway, what are you planning to do during the break?"

"The break?"

"Yeah. We have an entire week, right?"

I thought about it for a moment.

"Now that you mention it, ordinary students like us don’t have much going on during the break."

The talented students would probably have special training, invitations, or some other activity arranged for them.

As for me, I could simply stay in my dormitory or return to the estate for a while.

"I’ll probably stay at the dormitory for a few days, or maybe go back to the estate."

I looked toward Rhal.

"What about you?"

"Me?"

Rhal scratched the back of his head.

"I’m going to help my father for a while. You know how it is. We’re just ordinary people, so we can’t exactly afford to spend the whole week doing nothing."

I sighed.

"How many times do I have to tell you that if you need money, you can just ask me?"

"No, no. It’s fine."

He immediately waved his hands.

"You already helped me last time, and I still haven’t paid you back."

Money really wasn’t a problem for me.

If I wanted to, I could probably take hundreds of gold coins from the bandits without even noticing the difference.

But explaining that to Rhal would obviously raise a few questions.

I thought for a moment.

"Then how about this?"

Rhal looked at me.

"I’ll buy all the fish you’re planning to sell."

"All of them?"

"Yeah."

I paused.

"How about fifty gold coins?"

Rhal froze.

"Fifty?"

"Yes."

His expression slowly changed.

"W-Wait."

He stared at me.

"Ordinary fish don’t cost that much."

"I know."

"They’re worth only five or ten silver coins."

"I know."

"Then why would you pay such a large amount?"

I shrugged.

"Consider it a gift."

For several seconds, Rhal simply stared at me.

Then his eyes began shining.

"Ares..."

Oh no.

He grabbed both of my hands.

"You’re a great friend."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Seriously, thank you."

"Rhal..."

"I really mean it."

"I get it."

"Thank you."

"Yes, yes."

"You don’t understand how much this helps me."

"Okay, okay."

"Thank you, Ares."

"Thank you."

"I get it. You can stop now."

His eyes were still shining.

"I’ll catch as many fish as I possibly can."

"Don’t overdo it."

"I promise."

He released my hands and smiled brightly.

"I’ll make sure you get the best fish."

I couldn’t help laughing.

"All right, all right."

Rhal grinned.

"Thank you again."

I leaned back against the tree and looked toward the clear afternoon sky.

For someone who claimed to be an ordinary student, Rhal was surprisingly easy to please.

Still, I suppose there were worse ways to spend a peaceful afternoon.

A sudden thought crossed my mind as I continued looking toward the sky.

I’ve actually been thinking about this for quite a while.

Is it really okay for us to keep growing at this rate?

I haven’t seen Vhan or Vince reveal everything they’re capable of yet, but even their current strength is already enough to be considered a threat on the level of an entire kingdom. Whenever they develop a new technique, discover some new application of their abilities, or reach another stage in their training, they report it to me almost immediately, so I have a fairly good idea of how much they’ve progressed.

And the same applies to the Black Roses.

Their growth over the past few years has been absurd.

When I first gave them Eclipse Power, I expected them to become strong, but I never imagined they would develop their abilities this quickly. They’ve already reached a level where most people in this world would consider them monsters.

Which makes me wonder...

What will happen when they actually grow up?

Then again, I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised.

I still don’t know whether my own power has a limit, so expecting the people I’ve empowered to remain within some ordinary boundary would be rather strange.

The Seven Crowns are another matter entirely.

And the Ten Reapers...

Well, they’re progressing just as quickly.

Sometimes I wonder if I’ve accidentally created something far more dangerous than I originally intended.

"Hey, Ares."

Rhal’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Do you understand what I said?"

I looked at him.

"Hmm?"

"You’ve been staring into space for quite a while."

"Oh."

I paused.

"What were you saying again?"

Rhal stared at me.

Then he sighed.

"Forget it."

He stood up and brushed the dirt from his clothes.

"Anyway, we should probably get going. Tomorrow is the start of the break."

"Yeah."

I stood as well.

Still...

The resurrection of Algazar is getting closer.

I should probably pay a little more attention to that situation during the break.

After all, whatever happens there could affect far more than just the people currently involved.

I stretched lightly before looking toward the academy buildings.

For now, though, there was no reason to worry about it.