Part Thirty-Six

Moria, her frustration palpable, continues to vent her irritation. "Huh? You misunderstood, girl. I'm not requesting your visit. Get your ass over here now, or I will personally pick you up myself," she asserts, forcefully breaking the MST connection. Muttering under her breath, she laments, "Stupid kids have no respect for their elders."

Floating up, Moria surveys the damaged academy from above. Her disappointment is evident as she says, "Dammit all! I won't be having a damn vacation for another year now." Landing back on the ground, she pulls Thaddeus down to make eye contact, chiding him for his choices during the battle. "Are you stupid? You should've used your techniques. Did you even consider the casualties? I don't want to hear no damn parent yelling at me," she grumbles, her concern for the safety of the students and faculty evident.

Thaddeus, walking beside her, responds reassuringly, "Don't worry, Principal Moria. The other professors dealt with less dangerous enemies. And Professor Ayla, who was supposed to take the day off, luckily happened to be around when it happened. She contacted me, ensuring she'll group up the kids." His words are meant to alleviate some of Moria's concerns about the situation.

Moria, stretching out her limbs, reflects on the state of the academy. "Still... look at the academy, at this point, we'll have to send the students to different branches. And where the hell are those two other idiots? They are supposed to be here while I take my vacation."

"They said they had an urgent matter to deal with in the Dwarf kingdom," Glancing down at her, he remarks, "You're still stuck as a girl, huh? I thought you and Lilith would've figured out a way to revert you to your original body by now." He takes a sip from a painkiller potion, trying to ease the pain of losing a chunk of his body.

Moria gazes at her small hands with a mix of frustration and resignation. "Tsk, I won't be like this forever," she asserts. "Even if we can't find a way to revert it, all I have to do is wait a couple of years for my body to mature." 

Yawning, Moria casually mentions, "Little Rose is here." Thaddeus quickly advises her, "You should refrain from calling her that. Even if she was our student, she is now the Queen." 

Moria rolls her eyes, her attitude unchanged. "Our student? More like a walking headache. She got herself expelled, remember?" she retorts, her words sharp with lingering annoyance.

Thaddeus remains silent for a moment, walking beside her. Then he says, "She had her reasons. At least show her some respect for helping us. I sensed her fighting earlier, not only that, but somehow she cast an array. From what I can see, she killed off the parasites corrupting the students." 

Moria concedes, albeit reluctantly. "Fine fine, you win. Let's go say hi," she says. As they take their next step, both Thaddeus and Moria disappear in the wind.

-

Queen Celeste, feeling their presence, halts in her tracks and rubs her eyes in frustration. 'Why is she here?' she thinks, her annoyance palpable. Noticing Ash hasn't seen them yet, she swiftly whacks the back of his neck, causing him to pass out. 'I hope he doesn't call me a witch later,' she muses inwardly.

Turning around to face her unexpected visitors, Queen Celeste greets Thaddeus with a warm smile, deliberately ignoring the small Moria standing beside him. "How have you been, Professor Thaddeus?" she inquires, her eyes briefly flicking to his wound.

Before she can express her concern, Thaddeus interjects, "Don't worry about it. The saintess should be here soon." His assurance seems to stem from confidence in the healing abilities expected to arrive.

Moria, feeling ignored, interjects with a tone of disbelief. "Oi, don't ignore me, Little Rose," she chides, her voice tinged with irritation.

Queen Celeste lets out a sigh and finally acknowledges Moria, looking down at her. "Principal Moria, it's been a long while. I see you've become more childish than before," she comments, her words carrying a hint of jest. Internally, she can't help but wonder, 'But seriously, why is she a child?'

Moria, not taking kindly to the remark, responds with a glare. "The next time you disrespect me, I'll humiliate you in front of everyone," she threatens, her white eyes intense with seriousness.

Professor Thaddeus, attempting to diffuse the tension, lifts Moria by the back of her shirt, handling her as one might a mischievous cat. "I apologize for her behavior; it seems that her current form is affecting her mentality," he says, trying to provide some context for Moria's behavior.

Moria, however, seems unsure whether to take his comment as truth or a convenient excuse, rolling her eyes dismissively.

Turning the conversation back to the matter at hand, Moria criticizes Celeste. "You should've helped him fight." Celeste, unfazed, smirks in response. "Unfortunately, due to a certain 'someone,' I am not allowed to intervene in any issues on this ground. I helped out earlier out of necessity; I had no way to avoid the fight. The reason I'm here is due to this kid," she explains, patting Ash's back as she holds him.

Moria's gaze shifts to Ash, her eyes analyzing him with a mixture of curiosity and expertise. "He is blessed by one of the four great winds. Is he a soldier you're planning on training?" she inquires, her tone suggesting both interest and a hint of challenge.

Queen Celeste observes Ash, still snoring peacefully, and smiles softly, a tinge of regret in her expression. 'If only I could, he is talented, but unfortunately, I have no right to force him,' she reflects internally. Turning to Moria, she responds candidly, "No, his sister asked me to help him. I guess the Academy has become a place where children aren't safe," she remarks bluntly, her words aimed directly at Moria's recent oversight.

Moria clenches her teeth, about to retort, but Professor Thaddeus interjects with a change of topic. "How long have you been studying arrays for?" he asks, directing his question towards Queen Celeste.

Queen Celeste turns towards Thaddeus, answering with a hint of pride in her voice, "About two years now." She then reaches into her bag and retrieves a black letter, tossing it to Moria. "I didn't expect to meet you here," she states, a note of surprise in her tone. Reflecting on the letter's origin, she adds, "This is for Lilith. Someone important asked me to hand it over, but since you're a close friend of hers, this makes it easier. She knows what it is, you might want to refrain from opening it, or she might get mad."

Queen Celeste's thoughts drift to the letter's mysterious origins. 'I have no idea how that man managed to put it in my pocket without me realizing. If he's the one auctioning the national-grade weapon, it's clearly not fake. I'll need to collect all available resources. If any other nation gets the weapon, another bloody war will begin.'

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Aira's sense of urgency resonates through the battlefield as she shouts, "Someone grab Oliver right now!" She doesn't hesitate, leaving Thalia. The confusion is palpable among Thalia, Rhea, Dax, and Gideon, who are baffled as they witness the sudden shift in dynamics, with their enemies now seemingly wary of their own team.

Thalia, still trying to make sense of the chaos, utters a puzzled "Huh?" as Biana crashes into her, both of them tumbling to the ground in a heap.

Aira, sprinting towards Oliver, is consumed by her memories. 'Dammit, I clearly remember what he told V,' she thinks, recalling a moment where Oliver boasted, "Look at this, I've created a crazy concoction that will make me dominate the field." Aira knows all too well that Oliver's words carry weight, especially when it comes to his alchemical creations. The last thing they want is a repeat of what happened to Eamon during the duel matches.

As she approaches Oliver, Aira's resolve falters upon seeing his wild, battle-hungry expression. 'Shit, it's too late!' she realizes, recognizing the point of no return in Oliver's demeanor.

In a split-second decision, Aira turns to Isabella, calling out urgently, "Get us out of here!" Isabella, who has been observing the unfolding events with a mix of resignation and calculation, responds with a sigh. Lifting her finger, she summons ice pillars that rapidly form and ascend skyward, lifting all of Class A, except Oliver, to a safer height.

Isadora, watching the scene unfold from below, looks up, her expression blank but her eyes betraying a hint of surprise. She blinks, clearly taken aback by the sudden vertical retreat of her classmates.

Biana groans, clearly annoyed by the sudden turn of events. Lifting her hand, she nonchalantly pushes Thalia off her ice pillar. Thalia, caught off guard, falls back to the ground, yelling in surprise, "Ahhh!! What the heck is going on!?" She manages to flip in mid-air, landing almost gracefully, if not for the slight misstep that causes her face to meet the ground.

Liam, bewildered by the situation, turns to Aira and asks, "What was that for? Why are we up here?" Aira, massaging her temples from the stress, responds with a hint of sarcasm, "You can go down if you'd like, but you're going to end up like the rest of them." Liam peers over the edge of the ice pillar and sees Oliver, now encircled by students from two different classes. "There's no way he can beat them all," he mutters, his doubt evident.

Aira smirks at Liam's hesitation and challenges him, "So go help him." Liam, rubbing his chin, recalls the harrowing incident involving Eamon and quickly decides, "I'm okay..."

Isabella, taking control of the situation, creates an ice plane connecting the pillars and strides over to Biana, who has started to doze off. With a swift kick, she nudges Biana awake and questions her, "Aren't you going to help your brother?" Biana, unmoved by her brother's predicament, dismisses the idea with a wave of her hand. "If that idiot can't take care of himself, he doesn't deserve to be my brother," she retorts, her tone indifferent.

Arin, seizing the moment, approaches Biana and abruptly yanks her pillow from under her head, causing it to hit the ice with a thud. "Sorry, but Isadora needs it more," he says, hurrying over to Isadora to assist her with the pillow while tending to her injuries.

Biana, clicking her tongue in mild annoyance but choosing not to escalate the situation further, simply grabs another pillow.

Suzu stands, perplexed by the unfolding events, as she watches Class A abruptly abandon Oliver. "What is going on?" she wonders silently, trying to piece together the rationale behind their actions.

Similarly, Thalia, equally baffled, turns to Dax and asks, "Do all royals abandon their teammates?" The confusion is evident in her voice as she tries to make sense of the situation.

Rhea chimes in, offering her observation, "They looked afraid." Her comment suggests there might be more to Oliver's situation than meets the eye.

Gideon, trying to rationalize the scenario, suggests, "Maybe he's sick." Dax, however, isn't convinced, shaking his head and countering, "No way, they would have left him long ago, right?"

Suddenly, Thalia has a moment of realization, slapping her hand as she exclaims, "I think this is what they call 'betrayal.'" The group nods in agreement, believing they've figured out the reason behind the abandonment.

Suzu, meanwhile, contemplates the strange development. 'The weirdos... I was planning on dealing with them later, but this situation is unexpected,' she thinks, her gaze fixated on Oliver, who is now humming and juggling his potions with a crazed smile. 'Is he waiting for someone to make a move?' she wonders.

Taking a cautious step forward, Suzu is suddenly caught off guard when a potion is thrown at her. She quickly casts a magic circle to reflect it, but to her surprise, the potion breaks through the circle, hitting her and causing her to fall face-first to the ground, bewildered and disoriented.

Oliver, delighted by the success of his trap, exclaims with a maniacal laugh, "Hahahaha! Let's have a party!" He then throws two potions into the air, where they collide and shatter, releasing a mist that rapidly expands, forming a dome around them.

Thalia, curious, reaches out to touch the dome and realizes the gravity of their situation. "Guys, I think we're stuck in here," she announces, her voice tinged with concern.

Dax, recognizing the nature of their predicament, adds, "This is what they call a 'cage fight.'" The realization that they are now trapped in a confined space with an unpredictable Oliver sets in.

Rhea, examining the structure of the dome, concludes, "I can't break out. The magic circle was engraved in the potion, and we won't be able to get out of here for at least 15 minutes." Her analysis confirms their temporary imprisonment, leaving them to face whatever Oliver has planned for them in this enclosed space.