Chapter 30: Before the Storm

At Arcane Academy, all classes had been suspended due to the invasion by the Frostval Kingdom. Most of the students staying in the academy’s dormitories were deeply worried about the safety of their families.

Haruki was walking down the dormitory corridor after visiting Teacher Lukas alongside Teacher Aelin a short while ago.

He had actually intended to visit the girls’ dormitory to have a little chat with Vila, but he felt embarrassed about going there alone.

’How long is this ceasefire going to last?’

That was what occupied his mind. For now, all of Arcane’s soldiers had been utterly slaughtered by the Frostval army, leaving the kingdom without any defensive forces.

Haruki remained silent as he continued walking towards his room. He was now standing in front of its entrance. Slowly, he opened the door and saw Magnus and Philip arguing with each other.

"Huh?! I told you, I didn’t eat your bread!"

"Stop lying to me, Magnus!"

The two of them still hadn’t noticed Haruki standing nearby.

"Why are you two being so noisy?"

They finally noticed his presence and immediately turned towards him.

"Oi, Haruki! Was it you who ate the bread I left under my pillow?!"

...

"Why are you staying silent, Haruki?!"

Haruki then made a disgusted expression upon hearing that.

"Why would I ever eat bread that you kept under your filthy pillow?"

Philip suddenly remembered that he was the one who had eaten it before heading to the Arcane King’s palace.

"Ah, I was the one who ate it before going to the Arcane palace."

Magnus and Haruki looked at Philip with slightly annoyed expressions. However, no matter what they did about Philip, he would always remain an idiot.

"So, did you sleep well, Philip?"

"Are you making fun of me after hitting me, Haruki?"

"Well, what else could I do to suppress your magic?"

"Yeah, I guess you have a point, Haruki..."

The two of them fell silent for a moment until Haruki spoke again.

"Do you think your parents are safe, Philip?"

Philip then put on a confident expression and explained that both of his parents were currently far away from the kingdom.

Magnus then decided to add something to provoke Philip just for fun.

"Do you want to know why your parents went so far away?"

"Why would that be, huh?"

Magnus prepared himself before saying something that would undoubtedly make Philip furious.

"Because your parents don’t love you anymore."

...

The silence didn’t last long. Philip lowered his head before slowly raising it again, revealing an expression that looked ready to explode at any moment.

"You... You’re really asking for it, Magnus!"

The two of them started another small quarrel before eventually calming down. Haruki, who had been watching them, simply smiled and let out a sigh.

’Everything is here... Everything I never had in the real world exists in this world.’

"Why are you smiling to yourself, Haruki?" Philip asked, looking both annoyed and confused.

"Nothing, it’s nothing."

"That’s strange. But Philip is even stranger."

"What did you just say, Magnus?!"

Magnus then apologised to Philip, although he clearly didn’t sound sincere. Nevertheless, Philip still accepted his apology.

Haruki took a breath before bringing up something more serious.

"So, what should we do in our current situation?"

Magnus, who had been joking around just moments ago, now had the gaze of a predator ready to hunt its prey. His eyes sharpened, signalling that he was finally taking things seriously.

The same went for Philip. His previously irritated expression turned cold as soon as Haruki brought up the subject.

"Right now, all the soldiers of this kingdom have already been slaughtered by them."

"So defeating them is practically impossible."

"Even if we somehow manage to defeat their soldiers, the man named Vaelcryst can still summon those creatures of his."

Magnus and Philip couldn’t help but feel troubled as they thought about the situation.

Haruki then told the two of them that he wanted to gather all the students in the academy and have them fight. However, the risk was simply too high. They could end up dying for nothing, even if every student possessed magic of their own.

Everyone seemed confused, unable to come up with a better solution.

’Even my system is still too limited to help me.’

"Why don’t we just use my Rift magic to open a portal?"

"That would put the civilians in this kingdom at risk too," Magnus replied firmly.

"And besides, closing that Rift portal of yours would leave you unconscious."

"If you pass out, we’ll have a hard time dealing with those two."

Haruki and Philip immediately remembered Vaelcryst and Azrath.

"That guy... Vaelcryst, and that other strong dude whose name I can’t quite remember..." Philip muttered.

Magnus then continued the discussion.

"That’s exactly why you need to master your Rift magic, Philip."

Somehow, Philip accepted Magnus’s words and suddenly became a little more motivated.

Haruki then smiled and looked at Magnus.

"Not just Philip. Don’t you think we should train as well?"

Magnus looked at Haruki before returning his smile with an enthusiastic expression.

"Heh, I was just about to bring up training."

Haruki then continued with a reminder.

"But remember, we still don’t know how long this ceasefire will last."

"So, let’s make the most of this time and train."

Outside their room, someone was secretly listening to their conversation about training. And that person was none other than Aelin Greenleaf.

"Training, huh?"

"Your eyes really are sharp when it comes to finding talented students, Lukas."

"Perhaps it’s obvious that they’re talented because you’re their teacher."

Aelin pushed herself away from the wall she had been leaning against and quietly walked away from the room so that they wouldn’t notice her presence.

Meanwhile, inside Vila’s room in the girls’ dormitory, she was deeply worried about the situation in the cities.

"This atmosphere feels just like..."

Vila remembered the incident in her village, where Arcane’s soldiers had attacked it, causing many of its inhabitants to lose their lives.

’I hope something like that never happens again...’

Aelin, who had previously left the boys’ dormitory, now returned to where Lukas was resting.

She sat beside Lukas and looked at him.

However, a moment later, Lukas’s fingers began to move. Slowly, he opened both of his eyes.

"Lukas...?"

Lukas looked towards Aelin and slowly lifted his upper body. Even so, he was still far from recovering and could barely manage to sit up.

Aelin firmly reminded him that he needed to keep resting and avoid moving around too much for the time being.

She then gently touched Lukas’s hand as tears slowly began to stream down her face.

"Thank goodness you’re still alive, you idiot."

Lukas managed to form a faint smile before asking a question.

"Those three idiots... How are they doing?"

Aelin let out a soft laugh.

"Even when you’re seriously injured, you’re still thinking about other people."

"They’re doing fine. In fact, they’re even more motivated now."

Lukas slowly smiled once again.

"Oh, I see."