Chapter 179: The Apple Doesn't Stray Far From The Tree

If there was anything that Iola had inherited from her father—then it would be her stubborn streak. She probably should have left the tome alone, but if it was able to give her a concussion with just one attempt of reading it then it would cause much more trouble for Timothy. She had to think about the guy and ensure that he didn't wound up as a corpse because he decided to study the tome with no mental preparations at all.

She had to do it regardless of her feelings.

She took out the tome from underneath her bed and simply gave it a peek before pushing it back under the mattress. Even, she herself shouldn't be touching it and giving it way more attention than it ought to have, the repercussions of entangling with such a strange tome would endanger her more than staying out in the streets of Gloria City.

But she was bored.

And she could only imagine the look on the man's face when she told him that she had mastered the tome before he did. At least that would be one way of her for... the man's last few words before he left the room still stuck on her mind.

'What about you? Are you thinking about your mother when you ran away from your home?'

"The gall of him to ask me that!" She fumed and crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn't accept such kind of questioning at all—and yet she was stunned at that point. She wasn't able to say a word back then, but it didn't change the fact that she was hurt about them asking that. Mother? The young woman pulled out the tome once more and brushed the dust from over it.

It was but a simple slab of stone but the etchings marked on it, she couldn't even look at it properly. She sighed and held it in her chest and lay back down on her bed as she stared up at the ceiling. She was so bored right now. It had hardly been a day or so since she left the ones taking care of her but she had already grown restless in this room.

Her Invisibility Cloak, that was not so invisible right now, it was hung across one of the racks and it shimmered—the fabric itself coming indeed from Lamias. At least that had been what the Mage told her. She felt a sour feeling in her mouth but she swallowed it down, war was a normal thing and it only meant that the victors were to receive the spoils.

She didn't need to think too hard on it.

The P—young woman didn't have to consider it all, whether it was here or there, she wouldn't be expected to do anything. And if she pushed the thought away, then all she could see right now was an iridescent shade of cloak that was pretty and comfortable to use.

What if it was from the scales of some other... Race?

She shook her head and placed the tome within arm's length. If she set out her mind to it, then she would surely understand what this thing actually contained.

.. .

The man couldn't even stay still on his seat and that was considerably new for someone like them. Han raised a brow at Timothy, but decided he didn't want to say anything that might cause further turmoil for his companion. The young man muttered something underneath his breath. Han instead shared a look with Ellynn, the relatively young Half Elf's green eyes meeting his own. Yeah, he didn't know why he was doing this.

"...I may have left one book in my room. But, er, it doesn't matter—is there anything that caught your eye, Miss Ellynn?" Timothy addressed the Half Elf again. And this time, Ellynn actually perused the books available in the man's bag before she finally took out one.

"That's all the fuss was about?" Han frowned slightly at them. But his frown dropped immediately, the guy wouldn't react like this if it was a smaller matter. They were at least more serious than Han so a simple book wasn't enough to send them spiralling into a panic state.

Timothy sighed, "Yes. I don't like it when I misplace my things."

Han decided to not push it any further, but a suspicion was forming in the back of his head. Or perhaps it wasn't a suspicion at all—it was a confirmation that even though Han hadn't been able to get a book, Timothy really did manage to sneak one before they left the library. As for the reason why the guy decided to not share it…

Well, the guy could keep whatever secret they wished. The two of them might have been companions, and it was Han's doing in the Rockfall Village that made this possible but that was as far it went. It didn't mean that the two of them were truly required to tell each other whatever it is they're doing.

He instead opted to cough, "So the other Students are leaving… are we to assume that he's not going to get back here? Has this happened at all before, Ellynn?"

"Not really." She held a book close to her chest and shook her head. "Perhaps some kind of emergency occurred."

Emergency? The Professor was fine when he saw them earlier, so it only meant one thing. "I see…" He scratched the back of his head. Han hadn't seen Professor Orleans since the Colossal Wyvern incident—had something terrible happened to her? He glanced around at the group of Students still gathered in the courtyard.

It probably wasn't something like death, was it?

"Are you alright, Han? You look a little pale."

He waved a hand, "I'm good, just uhh… a bit tired."

"What kept you up last night?" Timothy rolled his eyes.

Han Jing chose to copy Mou Gu in this moment, he managed his own grin, "Well you."

"What the—" Timothy glared at him, "We were all together last night, bastard."

He stuck a tongue at the guy and watched the man turn away from them in disgust. It gave him some time to contemplate on his recent actions and the events he had gone through. He had been too negligent that night of the Colossal Wyvern wasn't he? He only brought Ellynn home but had left the two Professors with the other Players. They hadn't done anything weird, did they? He hadn't checked the Universal Chat at all since that incident. Perhaps it was time to finally go check it—just to be safe.

[ Welcome to Universal Chat Server Sixty-Nine ]

Mermaid: Sent an Image

Dwarf: The structure underneath the earth could really use more support, and I don't just mean hardening the soil around it. Even if you harden the soil with magic, water still erodes it when it storms

Gnome: We don't really use other materials, but it's always a little too troublesome when it caves in due to the rain as you say…

Light Elf: Why not use a sunshine scroll? It keeps the rain away :3

Witch: If you keep relying on magic itself to counter the natural elements—the rain will simply come back and it will cause much more destruction than its original intent

Dwarf: That's the reason why you gotta adjust in the first place

Wood Elf: Plant more trees duh, can't believe you didn't think of it @Gnome. Trees have roots to absorb the water. We don't need magic

Dwarf: You still use magic Elf

Wood Elf: A different kind of magic, ask the Nymph and they'll attest I only help boost their natural growth

Han blinked for a moment and then frowned. The Wood Elf hadn't replied to him but could give advice to other folks online? 'That bastard—' He didn't finish his thought when he glanced at the man's daughter. Ellynn was simply reading the book"I thought he was concerned but look at them now."

"Hmm, what was that, Han?"

"Oh, nothing." He coughed. Should he try to capture the Wood Elf's attention now? Shouldn't they at least be more relieved and thank him? Erase the thank you, even them contacting their daughter or anything would have been fine.

.. .

It was the end of classes, but they weren't found in their classes, instead the Illusory Mage glanced around the empty corridor before he reached out for the walls once again—and his fingers passed through the stone wall. As if it hadn't actually been there in the first place.

The third year Mage pushed through the barriers and enhancements designed to keep the other Students away and soon found himself in a small room currently occupied with people and then no one at all. If one actually tried staring at their faces and remembering it—well, they would hardly get anything through their memories.

Changing constantly and bit by bit, one second they might be someone that one Student could recognize but then a detail changed and it would be a completely new person. Kai bit back a smile and draped the cloak he recently retrieved across his shoulders, "A good afternoon to you gentlemen and gentlewomen." Pulling out a wand from thin air, they drew a symbol in the air.

It was a cloud of smoke, a wisp and something else all at once.

The others were quick to return the symbol with one of their own—and though each one looked different and flashed, dimmed or something else. The main symbol was still underneath. The Shadows of Kraelonia Academy were gathered today. And though Kai was able to act nonplussed around his recent suspicion of Han's origins, it still nagged him desperately.

But for now he chose to keep his lips shut right now… the mere thought of them from being outside their world was too laughable. That was, everybody else gathered here today would think that something was wrong with him if he even alluded it.