(30 minutes later)(Everhand, Ostroven)
Cynthia: "I"m sorry, Livia."
Inside the courtyard of the Everhand Academy, the afternoon rolls around and lunch is over. The original group of friends were at their old spot. The events of the kidnapping have become only a memory that a few remember and care to talk about.
Cynthia, Livia, and Kanna were apart of the few. How could they not be? Their best friend had been taken. Kanna, especially, has taken it hard. Its effects aren"t as bad as they used to be but it still has her depressed.
Livia: "Do you want to go to the bakery after school, Kanna?"
Kanna slowly drops her cat ears and shakes her head slowly. After she put her sunhat on, Cynthia and Livia are left behind. They tried to help Kanna in her struggle but neither of them know what to do. The best Cynthia has managed was bringing her to school.
Cynthia: "No, I don"t think food will help… keep being a good friend, yeah?"
Livia: "Yes, thank you."
They part their ways.
Livia went back to the Headmaster"s office to resume her role as the a.s.sistant. The Headmaster was wrapping up a conversation with another man, Grand Master Isaac Chaput!
However, Livia had never known or heard of the man. So, to her, he could"ve been another n.o.ble.
Headmaster: "There haven"t been any reports of a witch in half a millennia. Why is it popping up now?"
Isaac: "We can"t say for sure. Our First Marines are being deployed as we speak. Your job is to bring Kanna to Esnia."
Headmaster: "Yes… I understand… I"ll make sure she makes it over quickly."
Livia was too caught up in her thoughts to pay attention. She was thinking of her friends and waited for Isaac to leave the room to greet the Headmaster.
Livia: "Headmaster, good afternoon."
The Headmaster hunched over his desk and sighs heavily before sitting back down. Livia begins to catch on that something might not be right and asks.
Livia: "Is everything alright?"
He turns his chair to Livia and clasps his hands.
Headmaster: "No, Steven put himself in a bigger mess than I could ever imagine."
Livia: "What"d he do? Is he coming back? You said everything was fine for him!"
Headmaster: "And I meant it at the time."
Livia: "Then what happened?"
Headmaster: "He contracted the Witch"s Burning."
Livia steps back and her eyes widened with shock. She"s only ever heard bad things about witches.
Livia: "H-How?! He"s a man..! Right!?"
Headmaster: "As I"m told, he made a female his servant, she"s the one that caught it, and it could spread to him, making him a carrier and if he gets close to Kanna, it"ll spread to her too. I"m trying to figure out how it happened but n.o.body knows."
Livia marches up to his desk and slams her palms on the desk.
Livia: "Are we going to help him?!"
Headmaster: "I was asked to do so. Now, settle down."
He leans back against his chair and looks up to the ceiling.
Headmaster: "Did you walk to school with Cynthia again? Was Kanna with her?"
Livia: "Yes, she was. She"s still quiet and heartbroken."
He sighs.
It came as a surprise to realize that Kanna was Steven"s master only because he found out through Isaac and not Livia. She often confides in him, the one person that she"d known for most of her life. It became something her grown used to.
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Headmaster: "How come you never told me that she was his master? I would a.s.sume you"d know that."
Livia: "He"s… my friend. He asked me not to tell anyone. A—A secret."
The Headmaster grins.
His G.o.ddaughter is slowly but surely gaining true friends.
Headmaster: "Well, it"s nothing. Let"s go to the remedial cla.s.ses; there"s a lot we have to do."
They head out of the office towards E-block. Along the way, avoiding attention was next to impossible. Seeing the Headmaster was a rare sight and the students and staff tend to find and greet him quite often.
Cla.s.sroom E-3, Kanna should be in here.
When the Headmaster entered, the teacher froze in shock. It was the first time she"d meet him in person that hasn"t been an a.s.sembly.
Ms. Layne: "H-Headmaster?!"
He enters the cla.s.sroom and bows to Ms. Layne.
Headmaster: "Apologies for interrupting, Miss Layne."
Ms. Layne: "N-no need! What brings you here?"
He scanned the small cla.s.s looking for Kanna. She was hiding behind another student, making her easy to miss.
Headmaster: "Where is Kanna Hisakawa?"
Everyone turned their gaze to her seat. Outed by the entire cla.s.s, she slowly stands up. Now that he found her, he needs to break the news to her.
Headmaster: "Miss Layne… Kanna Hisakawa… would you mind if you both followed me to the teacher"s office?"
They all leave the cla.s.sroom without any questions. Everyone was confused and some of the more nosy students tried to sneakily follow them until they were scared off by the Headmaster.
Headmaster: "Anyone else that follows will get suspended… return to cla.s.s, right now."
They hightailed it back to cla.s.s. The teacher"s office was mostly empty as Ms. Layne was the only teacher in E-block. She pulls out chairs for everyone to sit and figure out what the Headmaster called them for.
Ms. Layne: "What is going on, Headmaster?"
Headmaster: "It"s about Steven…"
He decided that it"d be best if he were straightforward.
Headmaster: "He risks becoming a carrier to the Witch"s Burning. The same one that caused a lot of havoc 500 years ago."
Ms. Layne: "My G.o.d…"
Headmaster: "It"s sudden, but I was ordered to bring Kanna to him, so they can both go under treatment."
The room falls silent. Everyone was lost trying to wrap their minds around it. Kanna especially felt lost and confused. The first time in months that she"d ever heard of anything and he needs her more than anything.
Headmaster: "Of course, I"ll have Livia tell your mother what"s going on. If their Mages are as good as ours then it shouldn"t be longer than 3-4 days."
Kanna realizes the depth of the situation. She slowly pulls off her sunhat, determined to help and potentially bring Steven back.
Kanna: "Where is he..?"
Headmaster: "The Mage"s Academy in Esnia. Since I"m a powerful Mage it should take about an hour to get there with transportation magic."
Everything seemed to be in motion. The only thing that had Ms. Layne unsure about is who"d keep the Academy in check if the Headmaster were to leave.
Ms. Layne: "What about the Academy here?"
Headmaster: "Livia will be Acting Headmistress until I return."
Livia: "Me?"
Headmaster: "Yes, you"ve been training for this long enough. I"m confident in you."
Livia: "Y-Yes, Headmaster."
Headmaster: "Miss Layne, I want you to explain to your cla.s.s about the situation. I want to avoid starting unnecessary rumors. Is that fine, Kanna?"
She slowly nods and puts her sunhat back on.
Ms. Layne: "I"ll return right now."
Headmaster: "There"s no time to prepare. The sooner we get there, the better."