Adrian stood under the scorching sun, his face glistening with sweat.
He wiped the droplets under his chin and examined his classmates.
"Haa... haa..."
Four of them were panting heavily, struggling to catch their breath.
Right now they were at the training ground, practicing Magic.
Switching his attention to the front, a purple-haired man was seen conversing in his Telesphere.
Gizel Rurdgier. **
He was the highest-ranked Elementalist Adrian had ever seen.
Apart from being a Professor, he also served as the Head of the Elementalist Division in the Tower.
For your information, ranks indicate how competent the Elementalists were at performing magic, not how powerful their spells were.
And judging from his outstanding accomplishments, it was evident that he was an extremely talented individual.
The man ended the call and returned with a big smile planted on his face.
"I have good news for you!"
The kids rolled their eyes boredly.
After three months of studying at this Academy, they learned a lot about their homeroom teacher.
Every time he said 'good news', it would definitely be the other way around.
And to be honest, they got tired of it.
Gizel clapped and spoke gleefully.
"Your first Study Tour will be held next week!"
Upon hearing it, his pupils' jaws stretched wide and their faces immediately lit up.
"What?! For real?!"
"Whoa!"
The exhaustion that had been weighing them down during the training session dissipated into thin air.
Their excitement was palpable, the boys were exhilarated and the girls jumped happily.
And for the first time ever, Gizel finally said something aligned with his words!
The Study Tour was an integral part of the academy curriculum which was held twice a year.
The aim was for students to get the opportunity to apply what they had learned in class to real-world environments.
Sylvina raised her hands, her pink eyes twinkling with merriment.
"Professor, is it the Tower we are going to?"
The Tower was a dreamland to visit for those who hunger for knowledge.
No one on this continent would refuse to go there.
Gizel nodded his head and the students erupted in mirth.
"Yes, we're going to the Refugee Camp."
They shut their mouths and their faces turned grim, the jubilant mood vanished without a trace.
"Haa..."
They sigh tiredly and somehow, they could feel how their energy drained in an instant.
Just... how stupid of them to believe him knowing his true nature?
"Pfft, haha."
Yet, there he was, giggling by himself.
Only after he saw his students' expressionless faces, did he stop laughing and let out a fake cough.
"Ahem."
Gizel smiled once again and began to explain.
"As we all know, the Empire is currently at war with the Kearny Kingdom."
Now that he mentioned it, even though the war had been raging on for three months, the atmosphere within the Empire was relatively calm.
Right now Nathaniel was 11 years old, the novel stated he would return from the war at the age of 18.
In other words, this war would last for seven years.
However, it was still unknown at what age Nathaniel joined the war.
"Actually, it takes 12 days on horseback to reach the camp, but since all of you are newbies, the school committee has allotted an additional 2 days for the journey."
Adrian's forehead furrowed and without beating around the bush, he asked.
"What does that mean?"
Gizel's smile widened.
"It means that all of you will conduct a Survival Test."
The group was stunned, somehow they couldn't comprehend this sudden turn of events.
"Huh? Wait, I thought we had a Study Tour? But suddenly it became a Survival Test?"
P??r??z conveyed his confusion and Gizel clarified.
"The Study Tour's destination is the refugee camp, but your journey to get there will serve as the Survival Test."
"So, it's like two agendas at once?"
Ralph concluded and Gizel nodded in response.
"Yes. Ah, also, you'll be traveling as a team with your classmates. My team and I will watch over you from afar to ensure your safety. Any questions?"
"How about the grades?"
Adrian asked once more and Gizel explained.
"Your grades will be based on individual performance and how you contribute to the team during the journey. I'll be assessing your survival skills and how well you work with your classmates to reach the refugee camp--"
--Ding --Dong --Ding --Dong
The bell rang, marking the end of the class.
After the bell died down Gizel continued.
"--Is it enough?"
"Yes, thank you."
The professor clapped and smiled.
"Alright guys, see you on Wednesday with more detailed information about our Study Tour."
"Thank you for the lessons."
With that, Gizel left the training ground and they followed suit.
As soon as the evil professor was out of sight, Rhea screamed in frustration.
"Aaah! Why does it feel like the lessons are getting harder every day?"
"I agree."
Over the past three months, Adrian's relationship with his classmates improved.
Although he was more of a listener, it was still a positive development for him.
Likewise, there was one person who seemed unwilling to accept his presence.
But it didn't matter since he had no reason to care anyway.
Adrian paused his steps the moment his eyes caught a familiar figure up ahead.
"See you in class."
"Huh?"
The group turned around and Adrian was seen approaching someone.
He had black hair combined with a pair of golden eyes.
The First Prince of the Empire.
Upon his arrival, Nathaniel greeted him with a warm smile.
"It's been a while."
"It has."
The last time they met was at the academy's enrollment.
"Follow me."
He led the way and Adrian fell in step beside him.
"So, how's your day?"
"Pretty good, how about yours?"
"I'm doing well."
"Glad to hear."
He nodded and asked another inquiry.
"By the way, why did you always reject my call?"
Instead of a question, it sounded like a grunt; his voice tinged with a hint of annoyance.
Ah.
He remembered how Nathaniel used to call him in the middle of the night and ask him about nonsensical rumors.
Adrian grew tired of it and on the third day, he rejected Nathaniel's calls.
This action continued for a whole month and Nathaniel eventually stopped calling him, which was great.
"Well, that's because you always ask weird things."
Adrian shrugged casually, he had nothing to hide and Nathaniel looked at him in disbelief.
"That's because they are weird, so I ask you directly!"
He spoke exasperatedly.
Adrian tried to respond but Nathaniel hastily raised his hands; beckoning him to quiet down.
"Let's stop. I'm not here to argue with you."
Nathaniel tried to diffuse the tension.
"Alright."
He sighed and began again, but this time he spoke with a low tone.
"Have your homeroom teacher informed you about the Study Tour or Survival Test?"
"Yes, he has."
"So, what do you think?"
"Kinda excited?"
It was the truth.
He was also curious about the world behind this thick wall.
For two years, his mother had never allowed him out of the castle because of the power struggle within the Imperial Court--which was understandable.
But now, this time was different, Adrian had a lot of improvement in his stats and he was confident with his Magic.
Or, he could say that this was his only chance to explore the world outside.
"But you know, I hope that... you won't participate."
Adrian ceased his step and eyed Nathaniel right into his eyes.
"So this is the reason why you were looking for me?"
There was a brief silence and he eventually answered.
"Yes."
Adrian wanted to scoff but refrained from doing so.
Nevertheless, he should have expected this.
There was no way this person would suddenly look for him for no reason.
"May I know the reason?"
"It's dangerous."
"But my homeroom teacher and his team would follow from behind?"
"It's not about the Survival Test, it's--haa..."
Nathaniel took a deep breath and continued.
"If you want to go so bad, fine. But thinking about changing the destination."
From his speech, Adrian deduced that this was not about the assassination plot in the Survival Test, but the 'destination'.
There were a lot of refugee camps and the only one that was 'dangerous' was his class destination, huh?
"So, why is it dangerous?"
"That's because it's the closest to the battlefield."
"If it's dangerous, the school committee should have blacklisted my class destination from the start."
"Ian, seriously?!"
Nathaniel rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"We're at a war! What if the Kearny Kingdom sends their troops into the camp?!"
"Doesn't that mean we're lost?"
"Huh?"
Seeing his brother's confused face, Adrian sighed and elaborated in more detail.
"It is common knowledge that it is impossible to pass through the Forest of Death. The only way for them to send their troops is by sea."
Nathaniel nodded, he knew this much and Adrian resumed.
"The war takes place at the sea, if they manage to step into our ground, doesn't that mean the Marines have lost?"
"What if... they come secretly?"
"By what?"
"..."
Silence, the cat got his tongue.
"Before the war started, the Marines sent two fleets of Patrol Ships every day, and after the war was announced, they doubled their numbers. So what you're saying is... the Kearny Ship is capable of escaping the surveillance of hundreds of our Patrol Ships? How impressive of them." **
Thanks to Fredinand who supplied him with the latest information, he knew this much.
Well, it would make sense if Kearny used a submarine, but submarines or airships had not yet been invented in this world.
Also, there was no way Kearny troops would swim from their Kingdom to our Empire, it was crazy and absurd at the same time.
As there was no response, Adrian demanded one.
"So?"
"I... uhh..."
Nathaniel's expression couldn't be said to be good, especially after he slapped him with facts in the face.
The teen opened and closed his mouth several times, yet no words came out.
Nevertheless, Adrian heaved a sigh and changed the topic.
"Let's eat something, I'm hungry."
"Uhh, okay."
With that, they continued their way with a light conversation.
'So, the day to prove Nathaniel is a Regressor or not has come, huh?'
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