Ehew."
After returning to the magicians' dorm, Tomer let out a deep sigh.
[Ella, why is the mission being delayed? Are there other variables?]
Her employer sent her a grumpy message.
Ella's mission was to injure or weaken Elera. She only had to make Elera take a break from her usual daily life for a bit.
With the cooperation from fallen human acting as spies in Nova's executives, she thought she could quickly take care of this mission and go back, but there was a constant heckler obstructing her.
"Do I have to take care of him first...?"
Nowadays, she felt sour just seeing Lucas's face. Every time she tried to do something, he seemingly appeared out of nowhere and foiled her plans. Whether it was before class, during class, or after class, Lucas refused to leave Elera side.
"Tsk, can't he know his place?"
Ella has tried many things but non of them working, All thanks to Lucas.
It's just that she just entered new cadet as Nova Academy and he was here since the beginning.
So of course others would trust him more then they do to her.
...And not only that he was 3rd rank in whole Acadmy.
Ella had checked his background and aprently there's nothing seems to be out of ordinary.
His father is guild master of [C] ranked Sunless Guild and his mother help his father at the guild he also has little sister.
A completely normal family.
But there was one thing she found about him that was out of ordinary.
Lucas Darkheart is disciple of Yato, The strongest Hero.
Even Ella doesn't want make Yato her enemy, That's why she didn't try to kill Lucas.
But if she didn't do anything then he will continue to fail her plans.
"...Wait."
A flash of insight sparked in Ella's head.
Lucas had strong feelings for Elera. Ella was sure of it. However, although she didn't openly show it, Elera was undoubtedly uncomfortable with his advances.
He was trying to make a move one-sidedly.
There were many ways to spread malicious rumors. You could bad-mouth someone behind their back, or you could exaggerate rumors that were already present.
But for now, there was no need for such complicated schemes.
She just had to say things as she saw them, albeit exaggerating things a little.
To do that... she would have to first get close to Lucas and Elera... no, to the entire team.
Ella messaged her employer.
[Is the mission really just to separate this girl?]
[That's right. Afterward, the agent we dispatched will take care of the rest.]
'Good, it's time for a change of plans.' Ella laughed maniacally.
With a sly grin, Ella began to strategize her approach. She would play the role of a friendly and supportive teammate, subtly inserting herself into their inner circle while subtly undermining their trust in each other.
It would be a delicate dance, requiring finesse and subtlety, but Ella was confident in her abilities.
She had spent years honing her skills as a manipulator and a schemer, and she knew exactly how to pull the strings to get what she wanted.
As she plotted her next moves, Ella's thoughts turned to the fallen human spies that she had at her disposal.
With their help, she would be able to gather valuable information about her teammates and exploit any weaknesses or vulnerabilities she discovered.
***
Next Day...
"Next week, each team will select a small-scale Dungeon and do a presentation on the best way to conquer it."
Friday's theory class – 'Phenomenon Realm Analysis II'.
Just before the class ended, the professor gave the cadets their team assignments. Cadets immediately broke out into groans.
However, Bella and Sunny, who were sitting in front of me, didn't seem all that worried.
They turned around, looking at me happily.
"We believe in you, Lucas."
It wasn't just them.
Other cadets were also looking this way with envious eyes.
"Have a good weekend."
With that, the professor left the classroom. Members of Team Elera, including myself, got up.
I spoke.
"For today, let's go to the café and just divide up the work."
"Alright."
This wasn't Elera voice. I turned my gaze to the side. It was Ella.
"Let's go to the café."
Ella had a very bright face.
"...What's up with you?"
"What do you mean? Everyone, Elera, let's go. We don't have time."
Ella stepped in and began to urge other team members. I stared at her with a daze.
What was she scheming this time? Did she have a nuclear bomb set up at the café?
...10 minutes later.
We arrived at the café.
I tried peering through the roof and ground, but I couldn't find any traps in the café. Although I was still suspicious, I started dividing up the work among others.
"Sunny and Bella can look up the data on the Dungeon. Ella and Elera can calculate the mana density."
That was the result of our 30-minute discussion.
They would send their results to me, then I would assemble everything together into a presentable PowerPoint.
"That sounds good."
"I agree."
The team members agreed with a bright face.
Sunny and Bella delved into researching the Dungeon data, while Ella and Elera tackled the calculations for mana density.
I watched them work, silently marveling at their dedication and efficiency. Despite my initial doubts, it seemed like we were making good progress.
But as the minutes ticked by, I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that something was off. Ella's behavior seemed too calculated, too orchestrated. It was as if she was playing a role, manipulating us all like pieces on a chessboard.
I glanced around the café, scanning the faces of our fellow cadets. Everyone seemed engrossed in their own conversations, unaware of the subtle tension brewing within our group. But I couldn't shake off the feeling that we were being watched, that someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
As the discussion came to a close, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. We had managed to divide up the work and make progress on our assignment, despite the underlying tension that lingered in the air. But as we parted ways and I headed back to my dorm, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that gnawed at the back of my mind.
Something wasn't right, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that we were being played. But for now, all I could do was wait and see how things played out. With a heavy heart, I pushed aside my doubts and focused on preparing for the upcoming presentation, hoping that my instincts were wrong and that everything would turn out alright in the end..