Chapter 226 - Charity Ball (10)

I almost choked on a clunk of lettuce as the atmosphere inside the room was stiff and serious. I wondered what happened to the discussion yesterday after I left. I sighed as I could feel my mana swirling inside from the too effective medicine to the point that my gauge was almost full. But I wondered if they would believe me if I told them I may be able to charge the teleportation gate.

"What happened yesterday?" I put down my fork.

"We decided to stay here for another day until the school and the battalion force handles the monsters," Ben answered.

Then why was the mood so bad? It was almost a complete flip from last night. I got up from my chair with my barely touched plate to go back to my room.

"Eat more Rika," Lucius eyed me to sit back down.

"I already feel full," I showed I had nibbled on a large piece of lettuce for the last thirty minutes.

I did admit that I wasn't eating much from overeating the previous night. In general, I didn't have the appetite to eat in the first district unless I was extremely hungry. This was why I ate many desserts instead to make up for it. Luke, who had already given up on me a long time ago, didn't force me to eat more unless I was sick.

Who would have the appetite anyways? Forced to pay attention to which forks and knives to slice them a certain way while maintaining my perfect posture. There were so many aspects I had to focus on that I was only willing to do it for the food I really enjoyed. I guessed once you got used to the luxury food, they didn't feel so special anymore.

"It's not the time to be picky. You'll need the energy later on," Lucius continued.

"Can I just eat the strawberry shortcake then?" I asked the maid standing behind me.

Lucius frowned as the maid quickly fetched me a small slice of strawberry shortcake. I knew it wasn't healthy compared to the salad and fruit toast in front of me, but most of the food in the first district was nutritious enough that even cakes were healthier than meals in other districts. I did eat strawberry shortcake yesterday, but it was a food I could eat every single day without getting bored of it.

"So are we just charging the teleportation gate for the entire day?" I wondered.

"And also fortify the barrier," Belle added.

"I think I may have enough mana to charge the teleportation gate to get us back to school," I decided to reveal.

"Rika!" Luke disapproved of my idea.

Normally, this meant I would be killing myself so everyone could escape. I knew nobody would believe me when they had to use one of their potions yesterday to help replenish my mana. But I didn't mind staying here for another day, relaxing while spending time with the others.

"I'm going back to my room," I stood up when I finished my slice of cake.

"Wait for me," Shelly ran to follow me up the stairs.

"What are you planning to do today?" Shelly looked at me with her mischievous eyes.

I smiled back at her, knowing Shelly would get the hint why I wanted to return to my room. It was a secret code that I was planning something. If the first district was filled with monsters, why should we return to the school when it would be equally dangerous as the mansion? We would be forced into attending classes while being nervous for our lives.

I had enough mana to use the teleportation gate to go to another district. I could rest in my house instead of this stuffy mansion, spending time with my own family until this mess was all handled. Since nobody believed I had enough mana to go anywhere, this was the perfect chance to use it!

"Go to the third district," I whispered into her ear.

"Think about it, even the second district may not be safe if this mess doesn't get handled well. But the third district is safe enough with the second district used as a barrier," I was proud of my plan.

"Was that what you were thinking this entire time?" Alex came from behind Shelly's back.

Wasn't he still eating with the others? I looked behind him to find that everyone had heard my plan as they finished eating and started to walk up the stairs to their rooms. I accidentally stomped my feet for acting so dumb as I should've told Shelly my plan after she entered my room.

I shook my head, "Not really… how would I have enough mana?"

"We can test how much mana you have left," Lucius revealed.

They could? No one bothered to explain how they knew I had the potential for an unlimited amount of mana. I shivered from the thought of how they would measure how much mana I had left.

Under the eyes of everyone, I had to follow Lucius who led the way to another room. It was an ordinary bedroom with a king-sized bed in the middle of the room. In case of guests coming in, it also had some couches near the entrance. However, everything was decorated in the colour of white to the point no other colour was seen.

"You're not telling me to lay down on the bed again, are you?" I shivered from recalling how I went to my next stage of the engagement with Luke.