The Second Mission

"I'm back…" Elliott announced his return upon arriving at the club room. 

The only other people in the room were Andrea and Dignitas, the two of them speaking about some other matters. 

The latter was the first to notice Elliott, and stood up to greet him. 

"Welcome back, Mister Spiritshot wielder! How's it feel to be holding a unique B rank artifact?" 

"Gotta say, it feels pretty darn good." Elliott replied with a grin. 

"Good job on the mission." Andrea congratulated him.

"I wouldn't have done it without my Navigator."

"I was just doing my job." Andrea turned to the swordsman. "Remember, Dignitas. Get me that eye."

"Yeah, yeah. I've still got three months. Just sit tight until then." He nonchalantly replied. 

***

After a small celebration was held to commemorate the Global Studies Club completing its first mission, the three of them went back home to their dorms. 

Andrea had to stay for a bit in order to file Elliott's mission and the details, but she left after she was done. 

The second mission, Rokas', would be held the next day. Then after that, the siblings would follow afterwards. 

It was already night, and as such the Academy was as quiet as it could be. The number of students strolling around were the bare minimum who were referred to as the night owls.

At this time, Dignitas too was one of those night owls. Perhaps it was because he didn't train much today; he wasn't feeling tired enough to sleep. 

The midnight air was absolutely pleasant to the touch. Its cold caress was more than enough to instill a drowsy feeling in most cadets.

"Guess I'll get a midnight snack and eat on one of the benches."

Finding a nearby convenience store, Dignitas entered the shop, and later came out with a cup of coffee and a slice of pizza. 

Oddly enough, there wasn't another bench within close proximity. The only one nearby had one other person sitting on it. 

"Huh? No, she's not sitting. She's fast asleep." 

The girl on the bench was sleeping peacefully, somehow not bothered by the cold night wind. Her expression was one ot complete bliss. 

She was visibly slim, and an inch or two shorter than Kiara. Her hair was dyed a dark blue, with her ends being colored gray.

She also had a blind wrapped around her eyes, and earrings made from flowers that flowed in the wind.

The small jacket she wore around her neck was the only thing acting as an insulator in this case. Looking a bit lower, Dignitas could see that she had bandages wrapped around from her wrist to her forearms. 

"William… I'll catch up to you one day."

Not paying any heed to her sleeptalking, Dignitas sat down beside her. 

"This isn't exactly the best place to sleep in." He softly spoke. 

Suddenly, the girl woke up. Frantically, she threw her eyes around, like a thief who had just been caught in the middle of stealing. 

"Whoa, calm down." Dignitas raised his hands as a sign of peace. "Just figured you'd get cold if you slept here."

"Mngh… thank you." The girl replied, rubbing her eyes. "But I think this is a perfect place to sleep. The cold air feels wonderful, and the tranquil silence is pleasant."

"Well, if you say so. Want some coffee?" Dignitas offered his cup. 

"No, thank you! I appreciate the gesture, but I rarely ever consume anything sugary. It'll mess with my sleep schedules."

"Oh, my bad. Anyway, I'm Dignitas Qwerdan, from Class 1-A. What's your name?" He asked as he shoved the pizza into his mouth. 

"Luna Somnus, from Class 1-C. I have a condition called narcolepsy that makes me have to sleep for twenty hours everyday."

"Class 1-C… isn't that my friends' class? I never heard of her being there." Dignitas thought. 

"Narcolepsy, huh," He said. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"No, it's okay. If it means no one will have to be inconvenienced by this condition, then I'm perfectly fine with having it." Luna smiled. 

Her demeanor was akin to how an angel would act. She was kind, gentle, and above all, not screaming at his face like a certain Seraph.

A stark contrast to the girls Dignitas had written in the novel. If Alter, Lorelai, and Donna's personalities were on the rough side (but still lovable), then Luna would most likely be on the other side, at the very edge.

"If I may ask, how do you stay awake in class? School usually lasts around six, or even seven hours." 

The latter would only happen if the professors decided to extend their classes, which, to most cadets' displeasure, often happened a lot.

If Luna could only stay up for four hours a day, then that meant she'd miss half of school everyday.

"I have my friends and the professors to thank for that. My friends are kind enough to share their notes, and the professors take the time after school to lecture me on topics I don't get."

"That's great. Well, then, I think it's about time that I leave now. Wouldn't want to take any more time out of your schedule. Do you need any help getting home?" Dignitas asked. 

"No, that's okay. I appreciate you thinking about me. Not many people do that. Don't worry, I can get home by myself."

"Good night to you, then. Stay safe, Miss Somnus."

Standing up, Dignitas bid farewell to Luna, who had somehow already gone back to sleeping. 

He stared at her for a bit, watching her breathe peacefully, before leaving once he was sure the girl would be safe. 

***

The next day, the entire Global Studies Club had gathered at the club room. Today was Rokas' turn to go on his solo mission. 

The reason why Dignitas had them go on these expeditions by themselves was to create a sense of trust in their own skills.

It was evident in the battle against the professors that no one could be left alone in battle. Their party always needed to have at least two people together in order to allow the slower ones to work.

Well, they wouldn't really be alone in these missions. Andrea would always be there to assist them. 

After a short party, Rokas bid farewell to everyone. 

"I promise I will come back, bringing victory." Rokas announced. 

"Yeah, sure, sure. Just come back safe." Dignitas replied. 

In truth, Rokas was strong enough. At least, strong enough that these missions weren't necessary. He never failed to play his role as a tank, making sure he protected the vulnerable members of the group, such as Percivale. And when it came to it, he could switch roles with Alter and become one of the team's main damage dealers. 

But hey, any amount of free time not used would be a waste of it. 

Once Andrea had confirmed the portal was ready for use, Rokas gave one last farewell before walking through.

His destination would be Fihndreik, the city said to house people from all races.

While it was true that other races such as elves and dwarves had learned to co-exist with the humans by now, species that weren't the latter were more inclined to stay in the confines of their home worlds. 

Yes, the portals where nonhumans came from were noted to lead to other worlds, where other races made their homes. 

Fihndreik was dubbed the "centerpool" of all civilizations, in the sense that it was created thanks to the cooperation of all intelligent races. 

Humans, elves, dwarves, demihumans and even some peaceful demons helped in the building of the city. 

As such, the city's culture and religion was not set in stone. Most lf its inhabitants had adopted atheism, believing as long as they cooperated and lived in peace, nothing would be impossible. It was only through the unity of all races could they ascend to become higher beings. 

But religious or not, the city was diverse. And that was all Rokas Hassan needed to know. 

The artifact that he would be getting was the Hymerian Shield, a B+ rank artifact that was capable to blocking attacks up to the same rank. 

It might've seemed a bit overpowered on paper, but the Hymerian Shield was heavy. Much so that even Rokas would have a hard time carrying it around, not to mention use in battle. 

That was a small price to pay for wielding such a fearsome armament. 

The moment Rokas walked through the portal, he was instantly greeted by the sound of people chatting. Just from how loud it was, he judged that there was a lot of them. 

"Welcome to Fihndreik, Forge. You've already heard of me, but for pleasantries sake, I will introduce myself. My name is Andrea Bolkins, but I ask that you refer to me as "Navigator", the callsign Dignitas assigned me."

"So my callsign is Forge, then? I see. It is nice to meet you, Navigator. I hope we can work together well."

"Likewise. Now then, prepare yourself. We've just reached Fihndreik, the city nicknamed the "Middle Of All Creation."