Chapter 185: Incident

Chapter 185: Incident

When Noah and Lee reached Moxie’s room, they found that they weren’t the first to make it. The door was open. Emily, Isabel, and Todd were all gathered in it already. Moxie finished up giving the group some last tips for the exam as Noah and Lee arrived outside, then nodded in greeting to them.

“Everyone’s waking up early today,” Moxie said. “I was going to get all of you, but clearly those plans aren’t going into execution.”

“We didn’t want to risk being late or not finding each other, and we’ve been training together for the past few weeks anyway,” Emily said with a shrug. “Besides, we all got breakfast together, so there wasn’t any reason not to just head over here after that was done.”

“You don’t have to defend it.” Noah chuckled. “Everyone ready for this?”This chapter's initial release occurred on the n0vell--Bjjn site.

“Completely,” Isabel said, setting her jaw and giving him a confident but determined look. “After all the practice we’ve put into this, I know we can do it.”

“That’s the attitude,” Noah said with an approving nod. He could see Isabel’s feelings mirrored in Todd and Emily’s eyes.

Yep. They’ve got this in the bag. I just have to make sure that nobody interferes with their exam. So long as they don’t, the kids are going to blow through this no problem. After everything we did training, I can’t imagine there’s any way the school would put their precious nobles in a situation more risky than what we’ve been doing.

Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out the bracelet that he’d taken from Karina. He held it out to Moxie, who took it with a surprised glance.

“Is this a Shield?” Noah asked.

Moxie studied it, then slid the bracelet onto her wrist. She closed her eyes and a ripple of green energy washed over her body. Moxie pulled the bracelet off and nodded. “Yeah. Rank 2 one. Pretty decent, honestly. You bought it?”

“Nope. Generous donation,” Noah replied. “Isabel, Todd, you know each other the best. Which of you would get the most use out of this? Sorry Emily – I don’t mean to exclude you, but you’ve already got a Shield.”

“Of course,” Emily said with a snort. “Why would I take offense to that?”

You totally would have before we all went on our trip. I’m being too harsh, I guess.

Isabel and Todd exchanged a glance. Noah was greatly pleased to see that they didn’t just immediately point at each other. Some time ago, that almost certainly would have been what they did.

He didn’t fault them for caring about one another, but now they were actually using their heads and thinking rather than just selflessly trying to be nice. That was the type of approach that would ensure they’d come out ahead.

“I think it’s probably best on Todd,” Isabel said after a few moments. “My stone armor already does a lot to protect me, and if it’s gone down, I’m probably out of the fight anyway. A shield won’t help me that much. Todd is still a lot more exposed when fighting.”

Todd pressed his lips together, then nodded. “Yeah. I think Isabel is right.”

“Brilliant.” Noah tossed the bracelet to Todd, who caught it and slid it onto his wrist. He ran a finger over the golden band, then looked back to Noah.

“Who cared enough about us to donate this?”

“Let’s just say the donation wasn’t entirely voluntary,” Noah said with a chuckle. “Come on. I don’t know when the exam gets started, but I think getting there early is probably a good idea. I don’t want to run into some sort of unexpected delay.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Moxie said. She grabbed her travel bag from her desk and slung it over her shoulder. The group set off, heading down the halls of the T building and making for the transport cannon.

Moxie lowered her voice, stepping closer to Noah as they walked to whisper to him. “So where’d the shield come from?”

“That crazy chick – Bria? She’s actually from the Linwick family,” Noah replied in the same tone. “She showed up again, this time posing as someone else from your family called Eline. Heard of her?”

The four students gathered, speaking in hushed tones as they brought each other up to speed on all the knowledge they had – which wasn’t all that much, as nobody had told Noah or Moxie where their exam would even take place yet.

Time ticked on, and the sun slowly passed through the sky. Several other groups of students and their professors arrived, gathering in small bunches and avoiding the others. Most of the groups were of three to four students, but Noah did spot a few that were just one or two.

As they stood around watching the other teams arrive, a plain looking girl with short black hair and a grey uniform caught Noah’s eye. She inclined her head slightly and her eyes flickered from brown to ruby for an instant before she turned away.

Looks like Karina is ready. I wonder where Evergreen and her group are, though. Is Eline working on her own or does she have an entire team that she plans to work with?

Wait. Is she –

Moxie stiffened at Noah’s side. At the same time, Lee’s eyes suddenly snapped from a squirrel she’d been watching in a distant tree to a group approaching them. Noah followed her gaze, his guard already raising just from their reactions.

An old woman walked at its head, her white hair pulled neatly up into a bun at the top of her head. The faintest streaks of silver still shimmered within it, though age had claimed most of its luster. A green robe fluttered around her feet, and gnarled wood pads sat on her shoulders.

She held a gnarled wooden staff in one hand and walked with a slight limp, but her silver eyes watched all of them with such intensity that the hair on Noah’s back stood on end. At her left was a plain looking man with a scar across his lip. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with silver hair and eyes. There was no doubt that it was Garrick. But, while Evergreen was focused on Moxie, Noah felt Garrick’s gaze boring into his head.

On the woman’s other side was a young woman that Noah immediately recognized. Eline. Both she and the man wore matching brown leather armor. And that meant that the woman between them was –

“Magus Evergreen,” Moxie said, her words stiff and excessively polite. “I’m honored that you came all this way yourself.”

“I couldn’t miss Emily’s final exam this year,” Evergreen said with a flat smile. It reminded Noah a lot of Father, but there was a distinct difference. While Father’s features were literally devoid of emotion, Evergreen just controlled hers incredibly well. The difference was subtle, but significant. Evergreen’s eyes shifted from Moxie to Noah.

“A pleasure to meet you, Magus Evergreen,” Noah said, inclining his head without taking his eyes off her. “My name is Vermil.”

“So I have heard. I cannot say that I approve of your choice in partnership for Emily, Magus Moxie,” Evergreen said flatly. She put a hand on Eline’s shoulder. “Eline would be a much more suitable candidate for this exam.”

“Thank you for your consideration, but I am confident that Emily is more than capable enough to handle herself with the current lineup,” Moxie said. “She has been working very hard and has experience working with these students.”

“I didn’t ask your opinion,” Evergreen said flatly. “Emily, come–”

“No thank you,” Emily said.

Evergreen and Moxie both froze.

“I’m sorry?” Evergreen asked.

“I like my current team,” Emily said. “They’re my friends. I’d like to stay with them.”

Evergreen recovered almost instantly. As if Emily’s request hadn’t bothered her in the slightest, she simply shrugged. “I see. Well, if you insist, then I will not stop you. It is your decision to make, Emily. Just remember that not all roads are equal. Some lead to mountain peaks, and others to the underworld.”

Garrick leaned forward and whispered something into Evergreen’s ear. Evergreen paused, then took a step back, her grip tightening around her staff.

“You keep vile company, Magus Moxie.”

Moxie blinked. “Magus Vermil has been incredibly helpful in training Emily. I know he is a Linwick, but–”

“Forget Linwick,” Evergreen said coldly. “Garrick has detected demonic energy around us. There is a demon in our midst.”