Chapter 318 - Another a.s.sesment?
A lot had happened in the last few days. All that anyone could talk about in the academy was news of what had just happened a few days ago. Everywhere Ray would turn it would be about the Redwings. It felt a little awkward at the same time since a lot of the conversations were talking about the King, Ray.
Sitting down at their tables, was Van, Max and Ray, and the three of them were surrounded bu pupils currently. Not only that but nearly all of the other students had come in to talk to Del"s cla.s.s. Everyone knew they had been saved first hand by the Redwings.
And it turns out it wasn"t just any member, but the King of the Redwings.
"Hey max, is it true you know the king on a first name basis?"
Max then peaked out of the corner of his eye to look at Ray, but he seemed uninterested.
"Yeah, he and my sister actually know each other," Max said nervously.
"Your sister is Slyvia, right? I heard she"s quite high up in the Redwings rank, does this mean that the Heart family are going to relocate to the Redwing army?"
"Wait seriously, aren"t some of the Hearts Generals and captains of the Alure kingdom? If they do move, it will weaken the Alure kingdom power greatly."
"Guys relax," Max said, "What Slyvia is doing right now is not related to the Heart family in any way. She"s her own person."
Max did worry a bit about his brothers in the army. The news had spread everywhere, and he was sure right now they were being bombarded with questions, perhaps even questioning their loyalty. But what the public didn"t know was the Alure kingdom and the Redwings were actually on good terms.
"I want to meet him again," Norah said with her face all red as she thought about him. "Now that he"s a King, the two of us can get married, and our kingdoms can get closer together."
"And it will just make you an instant target for the empire." Bliss said, "But seriously, I understand that he was the one that saved us all back then, but to me, he seemed kind of scary."
"How so?"
"Do you not remember what he did to Blake? Although Blake deserved it, he could have been dealt with in other ways. And I have a feeling what he said is true as well. The way that Ray was taunting him by using his lightning powers and the smile on his face.?I think he really did steal his ability."
"About that?" Norah said, "I hear he"s actually been practising with one of the tower masters to control another element and he"s learning pretty quickly."
"Hmm, I wonder what it will be," Bliss said.
Meanwhile, Van was currently sitting down in a daze himself. For the first time, he had used his powers to save someone. It might not have been a human, but it was a companion, the wolf Noir. It felt good for once that his powers were used to protect instead of bringing danger.
He just wished he could do it more often.
"Why have I been cursed" Van thought.
But then his mind started to lead him somewhere else, and that thought was about Ray. He couldn"t stop thinking about how fearless the Redwings leader was. No matter what happened, he dived in without hesitation.
And now Van was starting to look up to this Ray figure as someone to admire.
Just then, the bell rang, and the students who had entered the cla.s.sroom quickly left to head to their cla.s.s.
Opening the door and entering the room was professor Springett. Ever since Del"s disappearance, she had been taking over his cla.s.ses.
The academy also felt like she would be the best person as she had experienced travelling to the shadow continent with them. They thought the students would feel more trusting around her.
"Alright, guys I"m here to make an announcement to you all." She said as she put a pile of books down on her desk in front. "As you all know, the beast hunting ground a.s.sessment was a mess."
"Mess is an understatement." A student whispered.
"But still, the students need to be a.s.sessed on their practical skills so we can put you in the appropriate cla.s.ses for next term. The school have decided to cancel the hunting a.s.sessment as it is far too dangerous."
"So we professors and tower masters have come together with a solution. Students shall face off against each other in a tournament-style duel. The matches shall be watched by the other professors as well as the tower masters. One of the tower masters shall be the referee and will intervene if they think there will be any serious injuries."
The students started to chatter amongst themselves about the sudden change, although most of them spoke positively. They didn"t want to hunt or see and Beasts any time soon. So the move was welcomed.
While Springett left the other students to talk about the upcoming a.s.sessment, she asked Ray to come to speak outside.
"What do you want?" Ray asked.
"Finally, I haven"t been able to talk to you due to how tight security has been around here. But ever since that kingdom incident, everyone seems to have forgotten we were only attacked by the shadow about a month ago. Anyway, Lenny told me everything about how you are working for the Redwings and he asked me to help you. During the tournament, all the tower masters and students will be gathered outside on the field. You will be able to use this to your advantage to go see the Divine being."
"But I don"t even know where it is?" Ray asked.
"The tower master named Mia will help you, she is a good friend of Lenny. You will recognise her instantly, she always wears thick purple lipstick and dark clothing."
"Thank you for your help." Said Ray.
She looked at Nes a few times and wondered why did the Redwings choose a student, the whole thing would have been easier if Lenny was to come in, or they asked an a.d.u.l.t to become a professor.
"No problem, I just hope I"m doing the right thing," Springett replied and went back into the cla.s.sroom.
Finally, Ray was going to get his answers.