—Flip —Flip —Flip
The sound of rustling paper filled the surrounding area when the slender, pale hand continued to flip through page after page.
The boy with white hair stood next to the towering bookshelf while reading.
His cerulean eyes darted left and right as he swept every line written in the book.
Only after his gaze met a blank sheet did his eyes come to a halt.
"Haa…"
Letting out a weary sigh, the young Prince closed the book and returned it to the shelf before selecting another one.
He had read book after book in the Tower's library, yet even after almost an hour, he had found nothing.
Adrian furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
'Is there no other way to uncover the truth besides joining that shitty organization?'
Brushing it off, Adrian began to skim through the shelf once again, however, his attention was diverted when his Telesphere rang.
He glanced at his wrist and saw Péréz's ID appear on his Telesphere.
Without much thought, he answered it.
"Hello?"
// Ian? Where are you? We're going to return soon! //
"Alright, I'll be returning soon."
// Alright. //
.
.
.
As Adrian made his way back to the gathering place, a distinctive clatter filled the surrounding area.
The teachers were seen busily checking their students, ensuring that no one was left behind.
After meeting up with Gizel, he ordered him to get into the carriage since his classmates had already boarded it.
Adrian complied with his homeroom teacher's order and ascended the carriage.
Upon entering, a dark atmosphere immediately greeted him, causing him to arch an eyebrow.
All eyes darted toward him, and a gloomy expression was vividly etched on his classmates' faces.
Brushing it off, Adrian sat on his designated seat and watched the scenery outside through the carriage window.
Earlier, he had spoken to the librarian, hoping to borrow some books, but was informed that the collections could not be borrowed outside the library.
As a result, he was left with nothing to do but stare outside.
Not long after, the coachman urged the horse forward without delay.
"..."
"..."
The group exchanged glances in disbelief.
Even after putting on their sour expression, how come the white-haired boy feigned ignorance toward them?
As no one opened his mouth, Péréz eventually broke the silence with a somber tone.
"Ian, just a moment ago, I heard something about you."
As his name was called out, he glanced at him and responded disinterestedly.
"About what?"
"It says you're graduating in three months."
Ah, that…
Well, Adrian said nothing about his goal to graduate in a year and it seemed like Péréz's gossip club had found out about it.
However, instead of explaining things, Adrian let out a smirk and spoke sarcastically.
"I see. So that's why you all put on such ugly faces?"
Surprise was etched on his classmates' faces upon hearing his comment, and Ralph's voice boomed as he responded.
"How can we not? You have no idea how surprised we were when Péréz gave us the info that you were leaving us in three months!"
Adrian rolled his eyes in boredom.
"I'll just graduate; don't act like I'm dead."
Sylvina sighed, feeling frustrated with Adrian's nonchalant attitude.
"Ian, we're sad, not mourning."
Nevertheless, the white-haired boy shrugged indifferently.
"Well, it sounds the same to me."
After a brief silence, Adrian suggested.
"Rather than dwell in sadness, how about we create some good memories?"
Taking his words into consideration, their expressions gradually lit up with excitement and nodded in agreement.
Ralph brushed off his sadness and grinned.
"As expected of our leader, he always knew how to lift our spirits."
Soon they all laugh, leaving the white-haired boy watching them with a grim expression.
Ever since the Treasure Hunt event, they were so obsessed with calling him 'our leader'.
After feeling gratified, they eventually stop laughing, and Péréz conveys his thoughts.
"Hey, there's a bazaar near the harbor, how about we go there after we arrive at the inn?"
Péréz suggested and the others nodded their heads in unison.
When the gloomy atmosphere lifted, they began to joke and laugh with each other.
Unbeknownst to them, they had already arrived at the inn.
As the carriage came to a stop, they stepped out onto the bustling street.
Adrian's attention was immediately drawn to a black-haired teenager standing nearby, who seemed to be waiting for him.
The group who saw the familiar figure quickly turned to Adrian and Ralph spoke.
"We'll wait near the bazaar entrance."
He nodded and they began to walk away to give him some privacy.
Shortly, Adrian approached Nathaniel and without beating around the bush, he asked.
"What is it?"
"Are you going somewhere?"
And instead of answering his question, he asked flatly.
Nevertheless, Adrian couldn't help but notice his brother's indifferent expression.
His usually cheeky personality was nowhere to be found, which was unlike him.
"I'm going to the bazaar with my friends—"
"Cancel it."
Nathaniel cut in abruptly, causing Adrian to furrow his forehead momentarily before relaxing it.
Ah, he understood.
Recalling the time before the Survival Test started, didn't his brother warn him about something too?
Returning his attention to Nathaniel, Adrian eventually responded.
"May I know the reason?"
Nevertheless, the black-haired teen shook his head and spoke firmly.
"Please, just cancel it."
"I can't just simply cancel it without a reason."
Nathaniel let out a tired sigh and spoke.
"Ian, if you trust me, please consider my request."
"…"
They stared at each other intensely for a few seconds before Adrian broke contact and darted to the side.
There, Adrian saw his friends having a fun conversation as they patiently waited for him.
Well, if it was only him and his brother, then he didn't give a fuck about what would happen; instead, he would challenge the damn plot head-on.
But now that his friends were present, he didn't want them to be entangled with something dangerous; they were just a bunch of kids.
Also, different from the previous one where Nathaniel gave him a 'hint' about what was going to happen—talking about Kearny's army trespassing into the Aeon Empire.
This time, Nathaniel refused to provide any clue, leaving Adrian in the dark about what might happen.
However, the urgency etched on Nathaniel's face made Adrian suspect that it was not a trivial matter.
"Are you listening to me?"
Adrian snapped out of his reverie and turned his gaze back to the black-haired teen in front of him.
After a moment's pause, Adrian finally gave him an answer.
"Fine—"
"I know you're going to—what?"
Nathaniel trailed off and blinked several times, confused by Adrian's sudden acquiescence.
As the teenager in front of him continued to gawk as if he had witnessed something impossible, Adrian asked curtly.
"What?"
Shaking his head to dismiss his surprise, Nathaniel voiced his thoughts.
"N-no, I just thought you were going to persist."
Adrian rolled his eyes boredly and spat his mind.
"Why do I get the feeling that you see me as a troublemaker?"
"Well, that's the truth."
"What?"
Upon seeing his little brother's disbelieving face, Nathaniel shrugged nonchalantly.
He wasn't lying, though.
His little brother was indeed a troublemaker.
He told him not to participate in the Survival Test, but he refused and went on his way.
He suggested they leave the Refugee Camp before the enemy arrived, yet he vehemently refused and chose to fight.
If he wasn't a troublemaker, then what was he?
"Haa…"
Sighing in defeat, Adrian waved his hand.
"Fine, whatever."
Soon, Adrian began again.
"Then, I'll talk to my friend—"
Before Adrian could finish his sentence, the Princes immediately jumped backward and the floor beneath them exploded, spewing seawater in all directions.
Just right after he landed, Adrian was forced to quickly hop sideways, and his previous foothold burst open and shot out a powerful jet of water.
Landed gracefully on the floor, the boy looked around and saw that the once-peaceful bazaar had been transformed into a scene of chaos and destruction.
The ground was shaking violently, and people were screaming and running in all directions, trying to escape the earthquake in case of a tsunami.
Adrian struggled to keep his balance as people pushed and shoved him in their frantic attempts to save themselves.
Desperately scanning the chaotic crowd for a glimpse of his friends, he was suddenly jolted by a bone-chilling screech that pierced the air.
"RROOOAAARRR!!!"
The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)ebnov(𝒆)l