Visit the Gateway

[ANNOUNCEMENT: The previous chapter before this has already been replaced with the real chapter. Please read it before this chapter. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience.]

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"Oh!" 

When Professor Grisham exclaimed, all eyes were on him as he announced to everyone the update that Professor Gertrude texted him.

"It seems their talk has been going well smoothly!"

"Talk?" Aranea cocked her head to the side, "I thought he was only asked to write?" She asked, Professor Grisham, chuckling as he played the video that was sent to him.

"Apparently..."

The professor started, Professor Noir and Professor Samuela inching in to look at the video with their eyes slowly widening in surprise.

"Turns out he can speak more than 2 words," the professor added, Aranea and Zann, exclaiming their surprise at the same time.

"What!?"

The twins and the familiars also inched in closer to Professor Grisham, not caring that the other professors were also present because of their curiosity and shock.

Professor Samuela and Professor Noir took a few steps back to give way to the four who are pressing themselves in the crowd to watch the video. 

"Tell me, Darenn, where did you come from?"

The group heard Professor Gertrude's question, followed by the answer Darenn gave them, which astounded them because he uttered more than two words!

"I came from Ravaya. I was raised there, but long before the new familiars knew me. I am more than a hundred years old!"

The twins and the familiars looked at each other. Aranea started to count on her fingers how many words Darenn said, but lost count.

Instead, Elenea blurted out the number of words Darenn spoke, making the other familiars open their mouths, astonished.

"25 words."

"25!?"

Aranea and Zann exclaimed at the same time once more. Even Leonel's jaw almost dropped to the ground, the surprise on their faces still present.

"What did Professor Gertrude do to make him speak so many words if you claim him to speak only two words?" Professor Samuela asked, Professor Noir, chiming in the conversation.

"Did Professor Gertrude use charms? Potions? Or?"

Professor Grisham laughed out loud, shaking his head in amazement as he read from the text the answer that they needed about how Darenn could speak more than two words. 

"It seems that Professor Gertrude didn't need magic, charms, or potions!"

Leonel raised a brow, still wondering about it. 

"Then how did the professor manage to make him talk?"

Professor Grisham snickered, answering them with only one word.

"Alcohol. 

The twins' eyes widened in surprise as they spoke in unison, "Alcohol?"

They watched the video again. All of them saw that Darenn was eating icecream and at the same time, drinking a bottle of Smirnoff as he was talking to Professor Gertrude. 

The video ended when Professor Gertrude told everyone goodbye, stating that she would have to talk to Darenn seriously and would not want to record everything just to be safe. 

Afterward, she said below the message that she needed Professor Noir with her, making the professor cock his head to the side in wonder. 

"Hmm... it's rare for Professor Gertrude to call for my attention," he mumbled, but it was enough for everyone to hear. 

Hearing this, Aranea couldn't help but feel worried about Darenn.

If Professor Noir said that it was rare for Professor Gertrude to call for him, then would that mean that something serious is about to happen?

"I'm sorry but... is it something bad?"

Professor Noir just looked at Aranea's eyes, shrugged his shoulders, and answered her as honestly as he could. 

"Maybe yes, maybe no. But maybe it's just about what Darenn knew--a piece of important information that probably would need the help of my expertise."

Aranea furrowed her brows, "And your field of expertise is?" 

"Defense," he flatly answered, already teleporting himself away from the location with the use of his magic. 

Disappearing in front of them in a blink of an eye, the twins, the familiars, Professor Samuela and Professor Grisham were left by the entrance of Stygian Forest. 

"Oh, jeez..."

Aranea started to walk about in the area. Knowing her twin sister well, Elenea sighed. She then looked at Professor Grisham, asking him a question since she knows what is worrying Aranea the most. 

The situation of Darenn now--her newly claimed familiar. 

"Professor Grisham, should we worry?"

Professor Grisham smiled at the twins, shaking his head to say no. 

"Actually, both of you don't need to worry about anything. Knowing Professor Gertrude, she would only need to get information from Darenn. With asking for Professor Noir's help, it would only be for support. If it were so serious, she would have asked for me and the other professors--or the headmaster."

Aranea nodded slowly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Leonel then looked at Zann, remembering what he heard from the video, and spoke to him about it. 

"Now we are certain about one thing," the Water Familiar said, everyone's attention on him. "Darenn is indeed from our realm, but he is way older than us," he added, Zann contemplating for a while before giving a reply. 

"If he says that he is a hundred years older than us, then it would mean that he is one of those older familiars?"

Leonel nodded, " Probably one of the legends. Maybe he is the one missing--the one they said not to return home and stayed here."

Professor Samuela couldn't help but chime into their conversation. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, already speaking her thoughts out loud with her deep, manly voice--an opposition of her beautiful sexual appeal. 

"Maybe once Darenn has rested enough since he's sure to have a hangover, maybe you three need to go back to Ravaya? That's the name of your realm, right?"

Both of the familiars nodded, agreeing to her as they see that they really needed to go back to Ravaya for more background about Darenn. 

Other than that, since Darenn had not been going home since his last Summoner, he had to go talk to their elder and speak to him about his whereabouts. 

Aranea looked at both of her familiars, worry evident on her face as she asked them a question. 

"How do you guys go to Ravaya? Do I need to go there?"

The familiars nodded, answering her second question before answering her first question, which the professors and the twins found amusing.

"Yes, you need to come with us," Leonel answered, Zann adding to the answer. 

"We need to visit the gateway that connects this world to Ravaya by visiting the hidden marsh of Hartifalia."