Chapter 237 - The Not-So-Mighty School (1)

"We don't, all the poison is gone from their veins," Lucius's face filled with wonderment.

I sighed in relief as we managed to save the orphans while the light mixed with darkness disappeared along with the infection. The puncture in the barrier was off my mind as Claire appeared like she was almost finished with destroying all the monsters. And the most important thing was, I managed to save the people I wanted to save with my own hands.

I walked back towards the broken barrier to check up on Claire. She stepped into the school grounds; her white face was pure as snow with not a single bit of ash managing to touch her body. No signs of movement came from the monsters as the other students started to repair a layer of the barrier with their remaining mana.

When I looked up, a hover car came down from the sky. The door opened to show Daniel, our homeroom teacher, finally arriving on the school grounds. His face didn't show any emotion as he studied the horrible surroundings that was so different from a few hours ago. To our delight, more hover cars continued to appear above the school.

I finally had time to relax with the teachers that would handle the rest of the mess. Throwing a knowing glance towards Luke, we both decided to go to our dorm room to get some rest. We managed to survive through a tough few days full of danger from the mission the school handed out. My muscles relaxed in the hot water inside the bathtub as I enjoyed the feeling of safety.

I flopped onto my bed after changing into a soft nightgown as Luke went into the bathroom after me. When he came out, already changed into his pyjamas, I rubbed my face into my pillow. It was nice not having to worry if a swarm of monsters was going to come after us.

"Do you know how you're going to handle being part of the Impalia fraction?" Luke reminded me of my sacrifice to get their support.

"Can you just go to their meetings instead of me?" I groaned.

"The Impalia fraction is not a normal fraction. We both have to go," Luke didn't seem upset I joined another fraction without his permission.

"What is the Impalia fraction?" I wondered.

"They're a fraction that holds the information of all the other fractions. It's the only fraction that isn't joined by family, but exclusive admission from the acknowledgement from one of their current members," Luke explained.

"Then why doesn't everyone else join? Admission seemed pretty easy to me," I recalled how I joined.

"Is it because they force you to fight with them?" I remembered Yulian asking Luke to take my place.

"No one knows how they admit people into their fraction," Luke frowned.

It was almost like the Impalia fraction was a secret information guild with the lack of information about their members and the process on how to join. I hoped I didn't land myself into something more bothersome. But I did think they were strange when they asked me if I knew anything about the politics in school.

"Then isn't that fraction the most powerful one in school?" I wondered.

An unknown number came in through my marble, interrupting our conversation. I hesitantly swiped to receive the call, wondering who would call this deep into the night. Claire popped up on the screen in her luxurious dorm room with Yulian who sat beside her as the video call flickered. What was going on with this perfect timing?

"Older sister? Is there anything going on?" I silently cringed inside my heart from the nickname she liked.

"We're letting you know we're coming to your dorm room soon," Claire waved before ending the call.

Not a second had passed before she knocked on the door. I opened the door as both Claire and Yulian entered like it was their own bedroom. Luke walked to sit over at my bed while Claire and Yulian occupied Luke's bed.

"Let our fraction meeting begin!" Claire brought out some fizzy glasses.

"Is there only us inside this fraction?" I asked after taking a sip.

"Well, I'm in third year. I had to choose a successor before I graduated anyways," she slightly tipped her glass.

"Umm does this mean we're the only ones in this fraction?" I repeated the question.

"There's others who have graduated from the school. It's mostly generational to keep the tradition," she shrugged.

"So you're now Rika de Impalia Roselia," her gaze sharpened.

"Why choose me?" I wondered.

"You were the only one who didn't introduce yourself using your family name like the rest. We needed someone who wasn't too fixated on their current fractions since we wouldn't know if they would be able to keep the information confidential," Yulian explained.

That was because I didn't want to admit my name was Rika de Roselia. At the same time, nobody would believe me if I introduced myself as Rika Roselia Shanes anymore. It was the sad reality where I had lost my family name without knowing it.

I pitied those who desperately wanted to join their fraction, not realizing it was this simple. Some people were pulled in whether they wanted to or not. And somehow, I got the feeling that being a part of this fraction would be a lot of work.

"You must have many questions," she smiled.