———Lynda———

  <2: 11 pm>

  “Say, what is your retionship with the teachers and staff in this school?” I asked, since it’s not like we have anything else to do.

  “A rather random question considering the context.” He remarked. “But to keep it short, a few of my colleagues here are friends of mine. You could say it was due to connections, but as you know, they put me to work on where I am most comfortable.”

  “Hm.” I don’t really have anything to say to that. It’s actually more mundane than I thought. I thought he was part of the network of all those guys who are already aware of magic or something. Maybe that is still the case and he’s wording it differently? It’s hard to tell. “Can you tell us who it is?”

  “I don’t see the need in telling you.” He said, keeping the same tone so it’s hard to tell if he is being sarcastic or not. “Such gossip wouldn’t really bring anything but baseless accusations.”

  “I don’t think I would ever go that far.” Pretty much the only person I would confide those things to is Glery, and she’s not one to gossip. I guess he doesn’t know that, and he seems to be a bit paranoid, or maybe it’s just an excuse to not talk about it?

  “You may say that, but I am not inclined to believe it.” He bluntly stated. “Do you actually have anything else to ask?”

  “No. Not really.” Since that’s a dead end, I might as well not bother with the topic anymore.

  Still. I guess we could try to train a bit, to pass the time if nothing else. Just doing it at my own pace, maybe meditate? It’s boring but it’s not hard to do. I’m not really sure what approach I’m going with today…

  *Ring* *Ring*

  “Excuse me.” Elrik said before taking the call. Good thing for him that this is a free period.

  Now then… What was I gonna… Right. I was going to train. Glery is napping right now and I don’t want to wake her up. Others are talking amongst each other and I don’t feel like breaking up the conversation. I guess I’ll actually meditate, even if that’s kinda boring.

  *Shine*

  Before I could act on that, a massive light projection appeared. A hologram forming in the middle of the room, becoming clearer and showing a model of a… What is that? Why is it showing that?

  “A slight change of pn has been announced.” Elrik suddenly said, having come back from his call. Don’t tell me we actually have a lesson today… “Do not fret, it is simply an announcement. Just keep it in the back of your mind moving forward.”

  So how long is he gonna beat around the bush before expining what that projection is about?

  It looks more like an amalgamation of all sorts of buildings, held together by glue and seems to be on a floating ndmass. What in the world is this supposed to represent?

  “There is a report of a floating isnd manifesting above the Atntic Ocean. Who knows where it came from, but it has appeared and seems to contain a lot of dangerous monsters inside.” He started expining.

  “And what the hell are we supposed to say about that?” Histon asked, having no idea about what this is insinuating. I sure as hell don’t know either.

  “We’ll arrange a trip to it. The exact date hasn’t been announced as it has only appeared today, but a team has already been dispatched to assess its danger.” Why is he saying it like this is some sort of organization? This is a school for crying out loud… Did he say a trip?

  “How would you arrange a trip? You just said it’s in the sky, and above an ocean at that.” Kroin pointed out. Even he is finding it hard to take it seriously. “And how do you already have a clear model for the pce? When was this team dispatched?”

  “That is not a piece of information I am privy to.” He ftly answered. “As for your first question, they haven’t crified anything on the matter, but they do have a few ways to navigate through the sky.”

  “Wouldn’t the government also be aware of this?” Rousi asked with his cat tail curling up a bit.

  “They should, but first comes first serve, as they said.” Who in the world said that when they’re going up against a body of authority!? Just how much power do they have to do something so brazen? Everyone else that is listening in on this is also visibly bewildered.

  At least with the dungeons it seems like something that could be talked over easily enough, especially with bribes. With something so extraordinary and sudden, everyone is in a state of panic and negotiation becomes nearly impossible.

  “...So why is there something like this appearing anyway?” I said, wondering why there is a floating isnd with some weird building amalgamation… “And will our parents even allow us to go there? I thought you guys were stretching it with the dungeons.

  “We add a cuse in the first agreement reted to the dungeon trip so we don’t need the parent’s consent in case simir excursions take pce again, just the student’s. It’s not like it was hidden either.” Wait what? Seriously? Doesn’t that mean persuading them is even harder than we thought or… Actually, why did I never hear about this? “As for why this kind of phenomenon happens… Well. Admittedly, there are multiple possible expnations. It should be clear that for something so grand and incomprehensible to have an outndish cause, that simply leaves a lot of room for any theories to be true. We should be able to assess the cause with the initial dispatch team, and after that, you guys can go take a tour.”

  “Say. Is this going to be for every css like the st time? I know this is not its actual size, but it just seems unlikely that you’ll send so many people there. Not enough room or manpower, I’d imagine.” Kroin chimed in. He’s usually not one to talk, so this must be quite fascinating for him.

  “This time around, only the senior year students are allowed to go. You might not be aware of this, but the training and lessons on magic and combat are less intense for your juniors.” Huh, I wasn’t aware of that.

  “So I’ve heard…” Histon said semi-sarcastically. Must’ve heard his sister talking about it.

  “I doubt they’ll make you do any actual combat, so rest assured on that front. It is very unlikely you will run into anything of this scale and danger in the future.” Elrik pointed out. I can’t imagine our parents agreeing to that without that sort of assurance.

  “...That’s about it. All of you may go back to whatever you’re doing. I’m sure the school will notify you the second time afterward.” He said before walking off and the hologram dissipated.

  I can’t imagine there being much to see in there? What kind of things can even exist in that fucked up pce? Monsters? Weird techs? He probably doesn’t have the full picture at this moment, and I doubt anyone is gonna speak up about what actually happens over there. Probably a lot more people fighting over it than we thought, being a new and uncharted territory and all. Not that I can tell who else would come after it aside from… the government, I guess? Even that seems like it won’t be that much of a problem if Elrik is that confident.

  ———Wiina———

  <2: 24 pm>

  “Hmm…” I mumbled to myself as I looked at a bunch of people gathering in front of the byrinth. Now this is a sight I am not used to, just who are all these people? There also seems to be some government officials in the mix as well. Just a lot of things I am not too keen on confronting. A lot of the Ahdeids are wearing cloaks to conceal their faces. Surely there is a more efficient method of concealment with all the power they have. Is this just a force of habit?

  “Who are all of you! State your name and purpose!” The government agents said while holding up their guns. I know this is procedure and all, but surely they know this is not the best approach. Seems quite far from the best approach, actually.

  “You don’t need to know.” The angel said. Going for a masculine approach this time it seems. Can’t say I see the point, but I guess he can do whatever the hell he wants.

  They all look quite apprehensive, and it is only natural. I won’t be surprised if they were told that this is practically a suicide mission only meant for gathering important intel.

  I honestly doubt they want to cim this pce as their own or whatever. Occupying and watching over a floating isnd sounds like a massive waste of resources for returns they aren’t even aware of just yet.

  The hooded people certainly know what should be done about it, which is why they’re here. No doubt each of them have their own agendas and motivations that involve a greater understanding of why this pce came to be or what it may represent.

  These guys seem to be easily intimidated, yet still standing their ground to show some professionalism. Not that they can really do anything. Those bullets wouldn’t scratch any of them.

  “So, back to what I was saying earlier. All my boss really wants is an honest and comprehensive look at this pce, gathering intel much like all of you.” The angel casually said, continuing the conversation. “None of you have explored the inside, I believe.”

  “Indeed we haven’t.” Walsuna said, using a drastically different tone than usual. The whimsical fun put into her usual tone is gone. It was just a facade, but it is still jarring to hear, even if she is being more genuine here. “We have an interest in keeping this area to ourselves. I believe that wouldn’t be an issue on your end?”

  “It shouldn’t. Though that implies this area is of quite good value. I can tell that this pce has mana emanating out of it like a massive waterfall. A sense of a powerful torrent of some kind, and the distortion all around the isnd itself. It is a pce that most can’t handle in the first pce.” He said, clearly looking for something to come out of this trip. Not that I know what he wants out of it. “Surely you can make some room for the rest of us.”

  “Can’t say I like your tone…” Walsuna said, not sounding like she is ready to negotiate. What is the deal with this pce anyway? None of us should’ve checked it by this time, so what did she figure out before the rest of us? “But as for your request. We won’t be here all the time, but there is one day we will decide to bring in a lot of people here. People from your group can’t be present.”

  “You know you can just tell that ter, after we explore, right?” Mori said, actually sounding a bit taken aback by how quick she is willing to share despite her tone.

  “As for the two of us. We only seek to document the monsters here, then we’ll be out of your hair.” A hooded woman said, standing alongside another woman who is shorter than her. Seems to be a pair while most here seems to have a representative. In the muggle’s case, a big squad that can’t do a lot, if any.

  “That is fine on my end.” Walsuna replied first.

  “Same here.” Mori said right after. Guess that request is so innocuous it’s not even worth antagonizing.

  All of them are ignoring the squad of armed men, and thankfully those guys still haven't decided to shoot. Honestly might as well go home at this point, what can you even do. I don’t know what to make out of all of this. The other groups aren’t even speaking up yet…