The Useless Extra Knows It All....But Does He?

Chapter 466: Chapter 465 - Drayden Siblings!

The morning over Arcadia Academy was bright and beautiful.

Golden sunlight spilled across the academy grounds while cool winds drifted between the towering buildings and sprawling gardens. Students walked through the pathways connecting the various districts of the academy, their conversations filling the air with the familiar energy of another ordinary school day.

Unfortunately—

One particular student looked as though he had lost a battle against sleep itself.

Luca shuffled through the academy pathways with half-open eyes and the posture of a man whose soul had not yet fully returned to his body.

His academy uniform was perfectly neat.

His appearance was completely presentable.

Yet his expression told a very different story.

The dark violet-haired young man released another yawn as he walked.

Then another.

Then a third.

His shoulders slumped slightly while his feet moved forward through nothing but habit and determination.

"I had to recall everything..."

Another yawn escaped him.

"In detail..."

He rubbed his eyes.

"Then answer questions..."

His expression became increasingly pained.

"The call lasted more than three hours..."

The memory alone made him want to lie down immediately.

At first, he had assumed Celestia merely wanted a summary.

A brief overview.

A concise explanation.

Instead, the Empress had proceeded to question him with the precision of a military investigation.

Every detail.

Every sequence of events.

Every observation.

Every reaction.

Every possibility.

By the end of the conversation, Luca had begun wondering whether he remembered the expedition better than when he had actually experienced it.

The woman was terrifying.

Not in combat.

Not politically.

In conversation.

Eventually, after what felt like an endless journey, the classroom building finally appeared before him.

Luca almost wanted to cry from relief.

At least lectures required less thinking than answering questions from the ruler of the Empire.

Almost.

He pushed open the classroom door and entered.

Several students were already present, chatting amongst themselves while waiting for the lecture to begin.

Luca barely acknowledged any of it.

Instead, he walked directly toward his usual seat in the back row and sat down.

Or more accurately—

Collapsed.

His forehead nearly hit the desk.

For several glorious seconds, he simply remained there.

Motionless.

Then a familiar voice sounded beside him.

"...You look terrible."

Luca didn’t even need to look up.

"Good morning to you too."

Eric slid into the seat beside him while staring openly at Luca’s condition.

The dark haired student looked genuinely concerned.

At least for a few seconds.

Then amusement rapidly replaced concern.

"You look like you lost a fight."

"I did."

Eric blinked.

"With who?"

"Sleep."

The answer arrived instantly.

Eric immediately burst into laughter.

Luca remained completely serious.

Which somehow made it funnier.

Eric wiped away an imaginary tear.

"I can’t believe you actually lost."

"It was a very difficult battle."

"I can see that."

"It lasted over three hours."

Eric frowned.

"What kind of battle against sleep lasts three hours?"

Luca immediately regretted speaking.

Because now he couldn’t explain it.

Not without explaining the call.

Not without explaining Celestia.

And he definitely wasn’t doing that.

So he simply pointed toward the desk.

"Classified information."

Eric stared.

Then nodded slowly.

"That somehow makes me more concerned."

Luca ignored him.

The conversation continued lazily while more students entered the classroom.

Occasionally Eric would make another comment regarding Luca’s condition.

Occasionally Luca would threaten to use him as a pillow.

Their banter continued until the atmosphere throughout the room gradually settled.

The classroom door opened.

And Professor Seraphina entered.

The students immediately straightened.

Well—

Most of them.

Luca attempted to straighten.

The result was only partially successful.

Fortunately, Seraphina either didn’t notice or chose not to comment.

Though when her gaze briefly passed over him, Luca could have sworn her expression became slightly puzzled.

Perhaps she was wondering why he looked half-dead.

Perhaps she already knew.

With someone like Seraphina, either possibility felt equally likely.

The lecture began shortly afterward.

Thankfully, it was one of those rare lectures where Luca managed to remain awake.

Barely.

His eyes occasionally drifted shut.

Then snapped open again.

Several times Eric had to elbow him lightly before he accidentally started sleeping in the middle of class.

The process became so routine that by the end of the lecture, neither of them even acknowledged it anymore.

Meanwhile, Seraphina continued teaching normally.

Mana theory.

Magical formations.

Practical applications.

The usual topics filled the classroom while students diligently took notes and asked questions.

And eventually—

The lecture came to an end.

Students immediately began gathering their belongings.

Conversations resumed.

Chairs moved.

The usual chaos returned.

Luca stood from his seat and stretched slightly.

Thankfully, he felt more awake now than he had at the beginning of the day.

Not fully awake.

But functional.

Which was close enough.

As the students gradually exited the classroom, Luca found himself glancing around instinctively.

Then paused.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Something felt missing.

Or rather—

Someone.

Kyle.

Luca blinked.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen Kyle all morning.

Not before class.

Not during class.

Not even passing through the academy grounds.

The realization lingered for a moment.

Then Luca shrugged.

Kyle although looked careless...he hasn’t missed a single class ever.

The thought barely remained in his mind as he left the classroom and stepped outside.

Warm sunlight greeted him immediately.

Students filled the academy pathways while the gentle bustle of daily life continued around him.

For now, Luca dismissed the thought entirely.

Whatever Kyle was doing, he was probably fine.

With that assumption in mind, Luca continued walking through the academy grounds, completely unaware that before the day ended, Kyle’s absence would become impossible to ignore.

The atmosphere throughout the academy remained peaceful as Luca made his way back toward his dormitory building.

Students continued moving through the pathways in small groups while conversations drifted through the air from every direction. The golden afternoon sunlight illuminated the academy grounds beautifully, creating the sort of calm and ordinary scene that had become familiar after returning from the expedition.

Unfortunately, Luca had no intention of participating in any of it.

The only thing occupying his mind at the moment was sleep.

Glorious.

Wonderful.

Much-needed sleep.

The previous night’s three-hour interrogation disguised as a conversation with the Empress had completely destroyed his sleep schedule.

As far as he was concerned, the remainder of the day no longer existed.

The world could handle itself.

Ancient prisons could remain sealed.

Hero Research Clubs could avoid awakening catastrophes.

Everyone could solve their own problems.

He was going to sleep.

With that noble goal firmly in mind, Luca entered the dormitory building and slowly climbed the stairs.

First floor.

Second floor.

Third floor.

Fourth floor.

Each step somehow felt more exhausting than the previous one.

By the time he finally reached his room, he was operating almost entirely on instinct.

The door opened.

Luca entered.

Closed the door behind him.

And immediately collapsed face-first onto the bed.

He didn’t remove his shoes.

He didn’t change clothes.

He didn’t even bother pulling the blanket over himself.

The bed had accepted him.

And he fully intended to remain there.

The world disappeared shortly afterward.

Time passed quietly.

Afternoon gradually faded into evening.

The golden light outside the window softened before slowly giving way to twilight.

The academy continued its normal routines.

Students attended lectures.

Training sessions concluded.

Dinner was served.

The sun disappeared beyond the horizon.

Then eventually—

Night arrived.

Moonlight once again covered Arcadia Academy in silver.

The pathways became quieter.

The buildings became calmer.

The endless bustle of student life gradually settled.

Inside the dorm room, Luca finally stirred.

His eyes opened slowly.

A long yawn escaped him as he stretched beneath the moonlight filtering through the window.

For several moments, he simply remained there.

The exhaustion that had haunted him throughout the day had vanished completely.

His body felt refreshed.

His mind felt clear.

The headache left behind by Celestia’s interrogation had disappeared.

And most importantly—

He no longer felt like collapsing.

Luca sat upright and glanced toward the window.

The night sky stretched beyond it beautifully.

Countless stars shimmered overhead while the academy grounds below remained illuminated by magical lamps scattered throughout the pathways.

He blinked.

Then checked the time crystal sitting near his desk.

"...It’s still not that late."

The realization made him sigh.

Unfortunately, sleeping for most of the day came with consequences.

There was absolutely no chance he would be falling asleep again anytime soon.

Luca stretched once more before standing.

"What should I do now?"

The question lingered briefly.

Training sounded troublesome.

Studying sounded even worse.

The Hero Research Club was absolutely out of the question.

Then an obvious answer surfaced.

A smile appeared on his face.

"Well..."

He grabbed his communication crystal.

"It’s not fun walking alone."

Aurelia was probably free around this time.

Or at the very least willing to accompany him for a walk.

The thought immediately improved his mood.

A few minutes later, Luca found himself strolling through the academy grounds beneath the moonlit sky.

The atmosphere felt peaceful.

Comfortable.

Cool night air drifted through the pathways while the distant sounds of students enjoying their evening echoed faintly throughout the campus.

As he walked, Luca activated the communication crystal.

The connection request was sent.

Then he waited.

The crystal glowed softly.

Nothing happened.

Luca blinked.

Then waited a little longer.

Still nothing.

Eventually the connection request expired.

His brows furrowed slightly.

That was unusual.

Not impossible.

Just unusual.

Aurelia occasionally became occupied with training, studying, or noble responsibilities.

It happened.

Luca wasn’t particularly worried.

Not yet.

He simply activated the crystal again.

The second attempt received the exact same result.

No answer.

The smile on his face faded slightly.

Now that—

That was unusual.

Very unusual.

Aurelia had never ignored his calls before.

Not once.

Even when busy, she would typically send a quick message explaining the situation.

Luca stopped walking briefly.

Then shook his head.

"Maybe she’s occupied."

The explanation sounded reasonable.

So he sent a message instead.

A simple one.

Asking whether she was free.

Then he continued walking through the academy grounds.

Minutes passed.

The moon climbed higher.

The pathways gradually grew emptier.

Students returned to their dormitories.

The academy settled further into the night.

And still—

No response arrived.

Luca checked the crystal again.

Nothing.

He continued walking.

Half an hour passed.

Then another.

The message remained unanswered.

The communication crystal remained silent.

And slowly—

An uncomfortable feeling began settling inside his chest.

The kind of feeling that appeared before logic had fully caught up.

The kind that whispered something was wrong.

Luca stopped walking.

The academy pathway stretched silently before him while moonlight illuminated the empty surroundings.

His gaze lowered toward the crystal in his hand.

Still nothing.

No reply.

No explanation.

No response.

Then another thought resurfaced.

Kyle.

His absence from class.

His absence throughout the day.

The fact that Aiden had not seemed particularly concerned.

Yet somehow—

The memory refused to leave.

Luca’s expression gradually grew serious.

The comfortable atmosphere of moments earlier had vanished completely.

Because now that he thought about it—

Kyle missing class.

Aurelia not answering.

Neither event alone was particularly alarming.

Together, however—

The combination felt wrong.

Very wrong.

Luca stared at the communication crystal for several moments before slowly lowering it.

A worried expression appeared on his face.

And beneath the moonlit sky of Arcadia Academy, a single uneasy thought echoed through his mind.

"...Kyle was absent from class."

His grip tightened slightly around the crystal.

"And Aurelia isn’t answering or replying..."

The night suddenly felt much quieter than before.