Chapter 69: The Infested Island
"Your mastery of the array’s main control is quite impressive, Assistant Arios."
Despite the praise coming out of her lips, Runia’s eyes are trained on the teleportation array’s controls instead of the assistant she is talking to, her gaze lingering upon the device for a few more moments before she finally directs her attention to the array that just sent the students to the location of their exam.
"Hm? You’re right, Vice Headma— I mean Professor Runia, it was like Assistant Arios already has intensive mastery over the device..." Another professor butted in, a little interest in his eyes as he took a look at this assistant, wondering whether he had the same interest in magic devices as him, hence the mastery over the teleportation array’s control.
"That can’t be, Professor Peridot, sure, teleportation devices are not that rare, but this one is unique, so how can I have prior knowledge of how it operates?" The assistant shrugged before continuing, his tone, despite sounding respectful, is still filled with confidence as he speaks.
"Maybe the boy is just quick on absorbing lessons, I mean, after all, it is Professor Runia that taught them about this teleportation device after all."
A female professor interjected with a small smile on her face as she stood up from his seat, taking a quick stretch of her body, pulling quite the attention onto her figure before returning to her post, attention completely on the monitors as they are well aware that their job doesn’t end with just sending the students to their exam’s location.
"I see, let’s leave it at that then..." hearing the assistant’s reply, Runia merely smiles as she diverts her attention to something else, for just a moment, her gaze, set on the teleportation array, seemingly piercing through what can be seen on the surface, and sees something else completely.
’There’s... nothing...’ closing her eyes, she heaved a sigh of relief as she saw nothing, prompting her to start overseeing the process of watching over these students’ performance on this annual tradition of a secret exam.
"How are the field staff?"
"All deployed in their assigned position, Professor Runia, their collective observation range covers the entirety of the Pereia Infested Islands."
"Good, let’s keep it like this~"
"Yes, Professor."
"Let’s make sure our dear students will come back from this trip safe."
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"Ugh, my head is spinning..."
"I feel like I am about to vomit... Uhaackk!!"
"I thought I got used to teleportation after repeatedly using it, but it feels like I still have a long way to go... why is the transfer so disorienting? Uhaackk!!"
The descent from the academy’s Regia Floating Island to the infested island meant for their exams separated each formed group from each other, giving them a little breathing space to acclimate themselves around this place and begin their hunting before they actually start encountering, possibly even battling, other groups.
Yet even despite the distance, that doesn’t stop the entire student body from sharing the same sentiments as of right now, that extremely disorienting, dizzying sensation being felt by new and old students alike, some students with weaker guts even falling as low as vomiting on either themselves or other students around them.
Among those students, there are two who are currently right in the middle of a thick woods, the sun barely shining light on themselves as they watch each other’s backs.
"Ughh... that was a rough ride..." wiping the saliva nearly dripping off her lips as she stabilizes herself, one of the two said, that mischievous tone to her melodious voice, something that the other person will never mistake for another person.
"Need more time to recover, Senior Medea?" the other individual said, the clear concern in his slightly dry tone making the lady smile as she looked up at him, her expression slightly dark as she still tried her best to recover from being disoriented by the teleportation array.
"You’re fine?" staring at the young man standing straight as if the teleportation’s after effect didn’t bother him at all, Medea asked as she tried her best to stand up on two feet.
"I just recovered, too." Novus answers as he extends his hand, seemingly wanting to help the lady stand up.
And as she noticed his small act of assistance, a faint, sweet smile appeared on her face as she didn’t hesitate to take his help, holding his hands with hers as she pulled him with such strength, planning to drag him down to the ground with her, but failing to do so as she noticed it.
"Tsk..." she clicked her tongue as she felt his body unmoving, like a mountain despite the force of her pull, prompting her to just use him to stand up instead of playing a little prank on him.
"Damn, you’re a monster, Junior Novus~" as she dusted her uniform off the dirt in the ground, she remarked, wondering just what sort of body one needs to have in order to adapt to a situation like that sudden dizziness brought about by such long-distance teleportation.
"As I said, I just recovered a bit earlier than you, Senior Medea." Novus pointed out this half-truth while helping Medea stand, opting not to go into a deep explanation about it, as the lady doesn’t appear to be all too curious about this thing as well.
In fact, he was affected by the disorienting property of long-distance teleportation in the same manner, or perhaps even worse, due to the property of his talent, as Medea and anyone else.
It is to the point that colors from objects all around already began to mix, causing what he ate early in the morning to nearly return to where it came from, had it not been for his mind reigning in the sensation in.
’Who would’ve thought that dizziness would count as a type of pain as well...’ he thought wryly to himself as he recovered, despite his body being unfamiliar with this sensation, the repeated experience of pain allows him to adapt to it pretty easily, which made him recover just a step faster than Medea staring in front of him right now.
"Fufu~~ I am telling this because you really are, Junior Novus~~" rejecting his denial of her claims, Medea turned around as she began walking small steps, each step light on her foot as if she was not concerned with anything around this place at all.
"Your reason for believing that being?" following along Medea’s track, Novus asked, curious about her reason as well.
Hearing his question, she paused, refusing to turn around as she pretends to think, putting one of her fair hands on her smooth chin, caressing it as if she’s deeply pondering about something before finally snapping back to reply.
"You might just be ahead of me in terms of recovering, but bear in mind what my identity is, Junior Novus~~" she pointed out, opting not to give him a direct answer this time.
"The spoiled young lady of the Heavenblade Great Clan?"
"Hm~~ I like that answer, but it’s not the right one~"
Seeing the smile from the first answer she received, he couldn’t help but pause for a while as he decided to think about this a little bit more, words coming out of his lips a moment later once more.
"The Sword Princess?"
"Mhm, indeed, I am the Sword Princess, and right now, as little as this thing might be, your mental prowess to recover from such thing, Junior Novus, is greater than mine~~" she pointed out, pausing as she took a few steps closer to stand right in front of the young man, a wide, genuine and praising smile on her face as she continues her words.
"That makes you quite the monster, doesn’t it?"
