Looking at the mirror with a towel wrapped around her body, letting the drops of water on her platinum hair drip on the floor while her ruby eyes reflected on themselves, Azalea's mind seemed outside of reality as she stared blankly at herself as various thoughts flooded in her mind, her senses adrift.
She recalled the recent conversation she just had with Russell. A very unexpected connection she made during the Ranking of Exchange that was held as a way to remember the 40th year of the Emergence.
...
The day of Russell, Freya, Amelie, and Amery's return.
"It seems like the Student Council President had something against you."
Azalea, sitting on the chair while her elbows were on the desk, said casually, but with a hint of curiosity to the man with deep black hair and deep blue eyes sitting on a couch in front of her.
After the transaction about the Micro-Strayed Dungeon, Azalea asked for Russell to be alone so that they could talk about what transpired during the days Russell and the others were missing.
"Why did the Secretary of the Student Council resign her position?"
Russell asked, seemingly not caring about what Azalea just said regarding the Student Council President. Azalea just brushed off Russell's way of changing the conversation, then after sighing for a moment, she said what happened just before the battle between Russell and Bailey Clarkson, the former A-1 class.
"I see... technically, you made a bet because you were bored that time. If he won, he'd receive an artifact he desperately wanted, then if you won, you would be granted a wish, specifically by letting Victoria leave the Student Council because she became uncomfortable after it was heard that she was being eyed by a Constellation... and you didn't expect that I'd win that fight."
Azalea nodded at Russell's words.
'In other words, it's because of me that this happened.'
Russell lampooned inwardly as he came to the realization, but he also thought that Victoria became closer with Azalea, along with Aisha, the Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee.
"That's about it, and then, the seemingly envious Arthur caused him to use someone to spread the rumors about you and Victoria having an affair. Since then, Victoria has been at the center of rumors, affecting her mentally and academically."
Russell was thinking about Victoria, to be specific, the personality he wrote about her in his unpublished novel.
'She's a very timid person, but somewhat knows her duty, that's why she could stand in front of many people if it's her job to do so. Although she's timid, not to the point of having social anxiety like me before, she's very different when she becomes angry or loses her patience.'
Russell remembered Aisha Whispercrest, the Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee with the personality of a joker, but contrary to her joker demeanor, she's a right-hand woman of Azalea.
'Victoria and Aisha are like cats and dogs.'
Russell let out a self-deprecating laugh in his mind as he thought randomly before he looked at Azalea, waiting for his response.
"Don't do anything about the rumors. We'll handle it ourselves."
He said casually as he looked at the chandelier hanging inside the Disciplinary Committee Office.
"By ourselves, you mean with your younger sister, and the other two?"
She asked with curiosity, but within her, she was enjoying having a conversation with a person in front of her sight because it's something that's nothing to do with business which she usually does especially as the owner of the Thorn of Rose or being the President of the Disciplinary Committee.
"No, not my younger sister.
"Anyway, thank you for your help, I'll see myself out."
Russell said after he's done hearing about Victoria and the rumors spread about them, probably through Bailey Clarkson's mouth that was planted by a psychological cue to spread such rumors discreetly.
"Wait! It's my turn to ask!"
Azalea firmly said, Russell was halfway from standing up from his seat, then he paused after hearing the Disciplinary Committee's President's words. Although there were many questions in her mind, she started with a broad one.
"Who are you, really?
"How did you know about the Four Seeds of Direction which I needed?
"And the System message earlier during the moment I'm about to answer Vice-Chancellor's Dexter, it was the first time I encountered a somewhat coded message..."
She asked subsequent questions, one after the other, which confused Russell.
"What do you mean by a coded message from the System?"
He took an interest in Azalea's words.
"Hmm... the System messages said that you, your younger sister, and the other two women with you whose name I couldn't quite remember, did something... but the System message was like broken. All I read were the words that say about the lie that I just told at the moment..."
"Interesting..."
Russell muttered, but it was enough for Azalea to hear what came out of his mouth.
'Did our Nihility trait also conceal about itself when the other person didn't have a Chaos Trait?
'Well, I have a plan of divulging about it with someone without Chaos Trait, even though I know Azalea's identity as the owner of the Thorn of Rose to be used to blackmail her, it's not worth it.'
Russell didn't have second thoughts as he replied to Azalea.
"I have no idea about that.
"There are many mysteries that aren't solved or discovered yet, so maybe one day 'we' will get the answer to your question."
He deliberately used the pronoun 'we' to avoid being suspected that he's not interested in the slightest about Azalea's curiosity.
"By the way, I almost forgot, do you know the boss that sells Dark Tears?"
He's not concealing the fact that he knows such a thing, letting himself be known at least to Azalea that he knows some things.
"Yes, I know him. Why do you ask?"
"That's good, can you make a transaction with him... tell him that I'll pay for Amelie's freedom so that he'd stop sending someone after her..."
After their pictures were posted because they were missing, Amelie's former boss in the underground business probably made some arrangements to extract or get Amelie back.
"I'll send you 50 billion, which is clear enough, you see, we would earn quite a lot, maybe tomorrow...
"And... if by any chance the boss that manages the Dark Tears break his soon-to-be tacit agreement... don't expect a quick passing of misery..."
...
At present.
'Amelie... the pink-haired woman with ruby eyes that's one of Russell's companions...'
She thought as she recalled the name of the woman according to Russell's words, she also received 50 billion and already made a transaction with Amelie's boss. The response was good, and the deal was easily closed as Azalea used her secret identity like 'being requested by Rose', it just means that it's a command from the owner of the Thorn of Rose.
'In the end, he didn't answer my questions about how did he know about the Four Seeds...'
Knock-! Knock-!
Azalea woke up from her stupor, cutting off her thoughts as she heard a knock on her door, she quickly put some clothes on and opened the door to her dorm room.
"Victoria? What happened?"
Victoria Angelica Rasputin, the second year, former Secretary of the Student Council, was crying as her blue eyes sparkled as if it was undergoing crystalization, and her slightly long blonde hair seemed down, matching the woman's emotional state.
"Come in."
Azalea put one of her hands on Victoria's shoulder as she invited her to come in while hearing some sobs from the woman.
"Sob... sob..."
"Hey, calm down... tell me what happened."
Victoria recounted what happened with a heavy heart.
...
"He said that he'll make the rumors go away if you ask me for an artifact...
"He said that's what friends are for, helping each other..."
'But that artifact belongs to Russell now, and he specifically asked for it.'
As if a light bulb appeared on her head, Azalea realized something.
'He knows... he knows the true face of Arthur.'
"A-Azalea... I feel disillusioned... I-I thought he was a good man.
"B-but it's all his front."
Victoria said with a cracking voice.
"W-why don't we expose him?"
It's easy to do if the person doing it didn't consider every possible angle, but Azalea knew better that Arthur Wolfson has a very good public image and that exposing him would certainly just backfire.
"No, just lie low for now... By the way, I know the man you're rumored with, so don't worry. It'll come to pass..."
Azalea said as she rubbed Victoria's back who only listened to her captivating voice as if Victoria was being enticed unknowingly.
...
"You're really cunning and observant, my daughter."
A woman with red hair and red eyes was lying on her bed comfortably as she seemed to hear her father's voice in her head, randomly recalling a certain moment.
"Russell Moon, Chancellor Alexander, Arthur Wolfson..."
Anya Amasawa muttered the name of the people she was silently observing unintentionally. She was praised by her father, Makoto Amasawa, for her natural observation skills. And as a woman who barely speaks in front of other people, she's used to talking to herself, not silently.
"Russell Moon, weird, probably holding many secrets.
"Arthur Wolfson, probably a two-faced bastard.
"And Chancellor Alexander... whose last name is Akalchet... a very alien last name and personality that seems not to really care about Obelisk students..."
Talking in the air was a habit of Anya Amasawa that if she was seen by other people not related to her in any way, she'd probably be labeled as crazy, but there's a creepy truth behind her self-talking tendencies when she's alone.
She's seeing numerous red eyes around her that seemed appeared from the space itself, looking and silently listening to her words.
...
In Freya's dorm room.
Classes already ended as though time passed only in a minute, after their lunch break when they checked the result of stocks, granting them riches, they attended their respective elective classes which also ended quickly.
"Oppa... I checked the item information of the items I acquired inside the Treasure Chest with a Living Eye.
"They are mostly books about the Nether Realm, descriptions about the beings living... or should I say dying there? Haha."
Freya made a silly joke which was uncharacteristic of her, prompting Amelie who is, at this moment, making their early dinner laugh, while Amery was training in her dorm room's Personal Training Ground. It's just the three of them this time.
"Oppa! Why don't you laugh ha?
"Anyway, kidding aside, the titles of the books are the following..."
Freya shared the information via Star Quest Party, thus the information laid bare to their sights.
[Nether Creatures Bestiary (Ancient)]
[Nether Regions and Geography (Ancient)]
[Ruling as Death Executioner Guide (Ancient)]
[Expanding Regions Guide (Ancient)]
[Guide to Soul Realm (Ancient)]
...
"Poor you, Freya."
Russell said, seemingly having sympathy towards his younger sister, but his tone was sarcastic.
"It's like being a student with additional five subjects atop your original subjects."
He chuckled, although he missed high school life, especially in this kind of world where the lessons were vastly different than the ones he experienced prior to his reincarnation, he'd never want to study many, necessary things at the same time.
Freya didn't give a rebuttal because her older brother's words made sense.
"Oppa, I received some other things, too."
She said casually, then shared the information with them.
[Nether Realm Store Ticket (Unholy) (Permanent)]
[Nether Market Ticket (Ancient) (4)]
[Nether Bone (Unholy) (10000)]
[Nether Tree Branch (Unholy) (10000)]
[Nether Planks (Unholy) (10000)]
[Nether...]
Russell's eyes widened as he read the information about the items, specifically the Nether Market Ticket that's four in pieces.
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