Chapter 13: To the Arcane palace

"Is my only purpose here to have fun?"

If you want a continuation of this novel, you can write it yourself.

"Ahh... I forgot... I wanted a continuation of the novel, and in the end, I became the one continuing the story myself."

"Am I continuing it the right way?"

He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room while gazing at his roommate, who was sleeping soundly not far from him.

"Ah... rather than thinking about all that, I might as well get some sleep too."

He turned his body toward the wall, which felt cold from the night breeze. Haruki slowly closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take over.

Gradually, he drifted off, leaving nothing behind but the night breeze blowing outside the dormitory.

\[???\]

\[ARCANE\]

A system notification appeared before Haruki just as he had fallen asleep.

What was the system trying to tell him? And why was the name Arcane displayed in the notification?

Was it a sign of the disaster that awaited Haruki?

As the night passed, time seemed to move rapidly. Soon, the darkness gave way to a bright new day, as though the world itself had been reset.

"Uwohh..."

A young man with messy blue hair awoke from his slumber. He glanced at his roommate, who was still sleeping soundly in his bed.

The one who had just woken up was Philip.

Philip opened the curtains, and without warning, the sunlight poured into their room.

The light struck Haruki’s sleeping face, causing him to wake up from his slumber.

"Good morning, Haruki..."

"Uwaagh... Morning to you too, Philip."

Today was a holiday. However, this holiday was slightly different from the previous ones.

Today was the birthday of King Arcane, and every citizen in the kingdom was required to celebrate it by attending a grand festival at the king’s palace.

"Do all of us at the academy have to go, Philip?"

"Obviously. Otherwise, we’ll be killed."

Those words left Haruki speechless.

King Arcane was a man who desired everything within his grasp, including peace.

Peace?

What did peace even mean to him?

If he truly desired peace, then why were the commoners being oppressed so mercilessly?

Was it all supposed to be a joke?

What a terrible sense of humor.

"Philip... just how much do you hate King Arcane?"

"...My hatred for him cannot be expressed in words."

The academy had been the first institution invited to King Arcane’s birthday celebration, as it had been established through the king’s own efforts.

Both the boys’ and girls’ dormitories were bustling with students preparing to attend the king’s birthday celebration. Everyone appeared delighted and excited at the prospect of entering the royal palace.

However, beneath all that excitement, there were also those who despised King Arcane.

Philip, Magnus, Haruki, and Vila were among them.

Each of them had their own reasons for resenting the king.

Philip and Magnus wished for a world where nobles and commoners could live as equals—a world without oppression or discrimination.

Meanwhile, Vila was an innocent victim of a meaningless war. Although she appeared calm and shy, she had long harbored deep dissatisfaction toward King Arcane.

Haruki and Philip had finished preparing for the journey to the palace. Magnus was also waiting for them outside their room.

"Are you ready to head to the festival of all festivals? The biggest gathering of trash in the kingdom?"

Philip did not utter a single word. He simply began walking toward the palace.

Seeing the serious expression on Philip’s face, Magnus eventually followed him, with Haruki trailing behind.

They were supposed to depart alongside the other students. However, consumed by their anger, the three of them gradually left the academy behind and began making their way toward the palace.

Without exchanging a single word, they continued walking toward their destination.

They wanted to see what awaited them inside the palace—and whether the nobles gathered there would treat the commoners like toys to be played with and discarded...

"It’s so damn irritating to even think about it," Philip muttered under his breath.

Back at the dormitory, everyone had gathered in the hall and formed orderly lines, including Vila, who stood among the female students.

Lukas, who had been assigned to accompany the students, began searching for Philip, Haruki, and Magnus, but he could not find any of them.

He then turned around and headed toward the boys’ dormitory, making his way to the rooms belonging to Philip and Magnus.

Upon arriving, Lukas reached for the doorknob and slowly pulled the door open.

Once the door was open, he was greeted only by the bright sunlight streaming into the room. The same was true for Magnus’s room.

"So that’s how it is... Just don’t let your anger control you, Philip."

Lukas turned around and made his way back to the hall.

"Alright... Let’s get going, everyone!"

Cheers echoed throughout the hall as the doors slowly opened and the students began filing out.

Among the female students, Vila could be seen searching for Haruki in the boys’ line.

"Where are you, Haruki?" Vila whispered softly.

Meanwhile, Haruki, who was traveling toward the palace with Philip and Magnus, began to catch sight of its silhouette in the distance.

Just then, another system notification appeared before him.

[??????]

"Huh?"

Magnus noticed the change in Haruki’s expression and turned toward him.

"What’s wrong, Haruki?"

"N-No... It’s nothing."

Magnus turned his attention back to the road and did not question Haruki any further.

"We’re almost there..." Philip said.

Now the shadow of the palace began to be seen clearly and that made Philip’s face become more serious.

Now, what will the three of them do when they arrive at the palace and what is the system trying to convey to Haruki?

Was it a strange notification from the system that wanted to tell Haruki that something bad was going to happen to them?

As for something good waiting for Haruki, maybe not. Because after Haruki got the notification, he felt like something bad was going to happen.