Chapter 83 – Good News and Even Better News

“Now that you’re all seated, great. Before I begin, I have some good news and some even better news. Which would you like to hear first?”

“The even better news!” one of the girls sitting at the front cheerfully replied to Adelia’s teasing question.

I remembered her name.

Retel Gronevelt. The second daughter of a count, and her cheerfulness rivaled even Yurasia’s.

What was unique about her was that despite being a count’s daughter, she was incredibly friendly with commoners.

Not just the commoners in our class, but even those in other classes, and even students from Frunt, the commoner dormitory, instead of Signia, the noble dormitory.

If we were to choose a class president, Retel would most likely be elected.

“Hmm, I don’t think so. How about we start with the good news first?” Adelia replied with a chuckle.

“The good news is that, starting today, the student community forum will be open to first years at Karela Academy. Why don’t you all check your Terminals? You should have a link to access the forum in your message box.”

Adelia smiled warmly.

At the same time, a roar of excitement erupted from the students.

Even Yurasia, sitting next to me, was so surprised that she quickly pulled out her Terminal.

A… community?

Just what is that? Why are they so happy?

It seemed like they already knew something like that existed.

The Terminal, and now this… ‘community’ thing. Where are they getting all this information from?

…Yurasia seemed to have known about it, too.

Why didn’t she tell me ?

I rubbed my nose, feeling slightly annoyed, and pulled out my Terminal.

Just as Adelia had said, there was a message from the academy in my inbox.

A long string of characters… Is this the link?

And what am I supposed to do with this?

I glanced at Yurasia’s Terminal. Noticing my gaze, Yurasia smiled gently and whispered,

“Just tap the link, my lady.”

“Oh, thanks.”

As instructed, I tapped the link.

Suddenly, pop!
A white screen appeared, and then…

***

“So what the hell happened to the Arant Museum?” (1)

“I’m not really into conspiracy theories, but…” (11)

“If the travel ban isn’t lifted within two days, I’m taking a shit in the fountain.” (35)

“Anyone whose stocks tanked after the demons appeared in the capital?” (32)

“Are there any famous artists in Frunt?” (2)

“I heard there was a murder in the back alleys yesterday.” (17)

“At this rate, Karela Academy is…” (5)

“Eustetia Knights showed up at the academy yesterday.” (72)

“List of key items for the upcoming auction.” (43)

“!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mod Performance Test !!!!!!!!!!!!!” (1)

“Is today the day the first years join?” (16)

“Heard there’s a total delinquent in the first-year class, who is it?” (8)

***

A bunch of strange posts with weird titles appeared.

“…What the hell is this?”

The sheer number of posts and strange titles caught me off guard.

And among them, the one with all the red exclamation marks was the most eye-catching.

“Mod Performance Test”? What does ‘mod’ even mean?

…Should I click on it?

Just as I was about to,

“My lady!”

Yurasia grabbed my wrist.

“Wh-what? Why?”

“My lady, you mustn’t click on that.”

“Why not? How do you know that?”

Tears welled up in Yurasia’s blue eyes. She trembled and then let out a deep sigh.

“…I wish I didn’t.”

“Now I really want to know.”

“No. Absolutely not.”

Yurasia, who was always timid and hesitant, suddenly became very firm.

“…Well, if you’re that against it.”

I reluctantly nodded and put down the Terminal.

Only then did Yurasia relax, her expression returning to normal, and she turned toward the front of the class.

***

“Okay, everyone. I understand you’re all excited, but let’s go over how things work first, shall we?”

Adelia’s soft voice brought everyone’s attention back to her.

“First, your community ID is tied to your Terminal. While anonymity is guaranteed by the academy, if anyone crosses the line, we have the authority to reveal identities. So please, be mindful.”

The students let out murmurs of awe.

“Other than that, your anonymity is completely guaranteed. Of course, if you lose your Terminal, or reveal your identity yourselves, or post things that could expose you, then others might be able to figure it out. But aside from that, your anonymity is guaranteed, so there’s no need to worry.”

Adelia continued with her explanation.

From what I gathered, it seemed to be a place where we could anonymously write posts, leave comments, and communicate with other students.

And apparently, the academy’s large newspaper club was also active in this community, sharing information not only about the academy but also news from the outside world.

It seemed like it could be quite useful.

The students all looked excited. Even Yurasia, who just moments ago seemed like she had seen a cockroach, quickly regained her cheerful demeanor.

After the explanation about the community, Adelia gave the students some time to chat before clapping her hands once again to draw their attention back to her.

“Alright, that’s enough chatter. Time for the next announcement, and this is even better news!”

As the students quieted down and all eyes focused on her, Adelia spoke again.

“In three days, the travel ban placed on the academy by the Imperial Family will be lifted.”

However, there was a hint of annoyance, irritation, and perhaps even concern, in her voice.

The students, however, didn’t seem to notice, and their cheers were even louder than when they heard about the community forum.

Before I visited the Imperial Palace, Fabiana told me in a private message that the travel ban would last at least two weeks.

Why was it being lifted so soon? And why did Adelia seem so… off?

I tapped my lips lightly, carefully scrutinizing Adelia’s expression.

Noticing my gaze, she looked back at me with a knowing glint in her eyes.

***

Today was an elective lecture day.

Using the excuse that Silina needed to “think about why I should tell you,” I successfully brushed her off earlier.

On my way to my first Thursday lecture,

“Hey! Eliaernes, you…!”

I ran into Stella.

She was walking towards me, holding a messy stack of papers, glaring at me with an irritated expression.

“How could you not reply to a single message?!”

“Reply to what?”

“I… I sent you so many messages! You even read them! So why didn’t you reply?”

How did she know I read them? Was she bluffing?

“I didn’t read them.”

“Ha! Unbelievable! You’re not even trying to lie convincingly anymore? I saw the ‘read’ notification on my messages!”

I didn’t even know messages had read receipts. What an unnecessarily annoying feature.

“…I must have read them while I was half-asleep.”

Truth be told, they seemed unimportant, so I’d been putting it off and forgot about them. And well, they really weren’t that important.

***

[Eliaernes, are you okay?]

[Heard you’re going to the Treasury? Yurasia told me.]

[What?! You’re going to the Forbidden Library too?!]

[I reached the 4th Circle!!! Pina finally formed a Circle too!! Fast, huh?]

[Well, of course. I’m her master!]

[What? You’re 5th Rank now? Since when?]

[Hey!! Answer me if you read this!!! (Angry cat emoji)]

[ㅡㅡ I said reply!]

[Hey!]

[This is so annoying!]

[ㅗ]

Just pointless chatter.

And that last one seemed like a typo, but the more I looked at it, the more annoying it became, so I didn’t reply on purpose.

Anyway, trying to cover my embarrassment, I pulled out the macarons from my pocket. I bought them fresh this morning, they were still warm. And this time, there were three.

“Congrats on reaching the 4th Circle.”

“…Hmph. Whatever. It’s not like I need your praise.”

She might sound annoyed, but her lips were twitching, and she was fidgeting, clearly pleased.

“And… if you read it in your sleep, how did you know I was in the 4th Circle?”

With a huff, Stella snatched the macarons and carefully tucked them into her pocket, a small smile replacing her scowl.

“Still… Thanks. I’ll enjoy them.”

Then, she noticed the textbook in my hand and tilted her head.

“Huh? What? You’re taking [Mana Refinement C] too?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm… we’re overlapping, huh?”

Her lips twitched again. Seeing her try so hard to hide her excitement while clearly happy made her seem like a total dork. It was… awkward.

“Do you even need to take that class? Shouldn’t you be focusing on practical application instead of refinement?”

“I’m taking that too.”

“…Don’t you have private lessons with the vice-headmaster every Friday afternoon?”

“Yeah.”

Stella’s expression twisted into a strange grimace.

“…So you’re not taking any combat or subjugation practical courses?”

“I don’t need those to be good at fighting.”

I wasn’t sure if she was mocking me or if she genuinely believed that. Either way, it was annoying.

Just as I was about to poke her in the ribs, I noticed the bundle of papers she was holding.

“What’s that? Why’s your textbook all crumpled like that?”

“Uh… Oh, um…”

She quickly hid the bundle behind her back, avoiding my gaze.

“I… lost my textbook.”

“How can you lose your textbook already? Don’t tell me…”

Stella gave me a nervous look.

I stared back at her deep blue eyes, then scowled.

“Did you sell it? To buy some useless artifact again?”

“Wh-what?! No way! Are you crazy?!”

“Then where is it?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know, okay?! I said I lost it! Why are you the one getting mad?! I’m the one who should be upset!”

Stella’s face turned red as she suddenly yelled, tears welling up in her eyes.

…What’s with her today?

Her reactions were the same as usual, but something felt off. Instead of playful banter, it felt strangely… unsettling.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Stella’s lips moved slightly, but she didn’t say anything. Turning her back to me, she muttered, “…No, nothing.”

Her voice lacked her usual snark and energy. There was no playful glare or teasing tone, just a quiet, defeated voice that didn’t sound like Stella at all.

I scratched my cheek, watching her retreating figure, and followed her into the lecture hall.

…It must be that time of the month. I should be nice to her today.