Tears of Souls: Lament at Midnight

Chapter 2

In the end, Vina was dragged out of the room by Candace, who also informed her other "accomplices."

Standing outside their door to notify them was the Headmaster's assistant, Ms. Margaret.

She had expected to bring back only one person for questioning, but instead, she ended up with a whole line of troublemakers.

With Vina as the ringleader, Ms. Margaret efficiently went from dorm room to dorm room, rounding up the culprits based on the names Vina provided.

Except for the particularly timid girl, Emily.

Her roommate, while trying to wake her up, discovered that Emily had a high fever.

Ms. Margaret had no choice but to have a potion administered to her and let her rest for the time being.

And so, the seven mischief-makers were brought before the Headmaster.

Headmaster Professor Artem was in his sixties, a spirited old man with a crew cut and a mustache.

Besides Ms. Margaret, a bespectacled man with a gentle demeanor stood beside him.

The Headmaster glanced at the group and sighed.

Seven students, seven sets of influential connections.

"According to your testimonies and those of the guards, last night, in order to investigate some academy legends, you snuck into the laboratory building in the middle of the night to verify their authenticity..."

The Headmaster, seated behind his desk, couldn't help but chuckle wryly. He tapped his fingers on the table, addressing his troublesome students. "If you have that much free time, I don't mind giving you some extra assignments."

A few of the boys started to groan but fell silent under Ms. Margaret's icy glare.

Candace took out her earring and began to explain to the Headmaster what she believed to be the cause of the explosion.

"This is an alchemical explosive that Professor Aubrey and I developed a few months ago." She deftly opened the mechanism on the earring, revealing the gemstone inside to everyone present. "I won't go into the specifics of how it works. In short, our initial design was that when fully exposed to air, it would rapidly absorb magic particles, causing them to collide randomly within, resulting in an explosion..."

Vina, standing next to her, gasped, her eyes wide as she instinctively leaned away.

Noticing her reaction, Candace unfolded the metal triangle that usually encased the gemstone. "Don't worry, there's a magic-extracting array engraved on it."

The Headmaster seemed intrigued. "That sounds quite impressive, why didn't Aubrey mention this to me?"

Candace paused before answering, "Because the experiment was a failure."

These gemstone explosives could indeed absorb surrounding magic particles and detonate, but they had a fatal flaw.

Their rate of magic particle absorption was erratic.

They had conducted experiments at various locations on Mount Fakar, only to discover that it took anywhere from five to eight hours for the gemstones to absorb enough magic to trigger an explosion.

To make matters worse, the exact detonation time was completely unpredictable and uncontrollable...

After several attempts, Aubrey had given up on the project.

It sounded impressive in theory, but in practice, it was far less reliable than simply using fire magic.

Candace secured the gemstone back into the earring and held it in her hand. "We only had three left. The professor didn't want to waste them, so he made two into earrings for me and kept one for himself as a memento."

And then the sealed bottle containing the sample had been broken and carelessly tossed aside by an oblivious Vina.

After absorbing magic particles all night, it had blown up the entire laboratory...

The group of troublemakers looked dazed, realizing the sheer magnitude of the consequences of breaking a single bottle.

The Headmaster didn't waste any time with them.

He had a detailed inventory of all the items in the destroyed laboratory, along with their prices. All that was left was for these students to pay up.

"In addition to the cost of the damages, twenty credit points will be deducted from each of you." The Headmaster's gaze swept over them sternly, finally settling on Candace. "You are no exception, Candace Nymeros."

Candace stiffened, biting her lip as she lowered her head.

"Wait, Candace wasn't with us!" Vina quickly stepped forward to explain. "I took her key while she was sleeping, it has nothing to do with her..."

"Professor Aubrey entrusted her with the key to his laboratory, and she failed to keep it safe. That is her responsibility." The Headmaster cut Vina off, his gaze fixed on Candace once more. "Miss Nymeros, do you have any objections?"

Candace clasped her hands behind her back, her fingers tightening around the earring in her palm.

She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and met the Headmaster's probing gaze. "No, sir. It was my negligence."

Vina tugged at her sleeve in disbelief, whispering urgently, "Twenty points! Do you even want to graduate this year?!"

Candace shot her a pointed look: Whose fault was this anyway?

Vina, refusing to back down, raised her eyebrows in response: Just be a little more apologetic, maybe this will all blow over.

The gentle-looking man standing next to the Headmaster couldn't bear to watch any longer. He covered his smile with a cough.

"I understand that some of you are graduating soon. With only three months left, this deduction might prevent some of you from graduating." The man exchanged a look with the Headmaster before continuing, "I have a task here. If you complete it successfully, the twenty-point deduction will be waived."

Although his words were addressed to everyone, it was clear to all present that this opportunity was specifically intended for Candace.

Vina's eyes lit up, and she excitedly shook Candace's sleeve.

Candace, caught off guard, blurted out, "What kind of task?"

The man pulled out a partially burned book from his coat pocket. "This is a rubbing of an ancient book from the Twilight Era. It took me a lot of effort to find it, and I cherish it dearly... Unfortunately, I left it on the bookshelf in my laboratory yesterday."

"Professor Corwin's laboratory is on the floor above the explosion site and was also affected." The Headmaster tapped the compensation list with his pen. "The cost of repairs to his laboratory will also be included."

The man, Professor Corwin, gave a wry smile. "There wasn't much damage to my lab, except for this..."

He held up the charred scroll. "It is said that the original copy of this book is buried in the Hero's Tomb. I would like to retrieve it."

At his words, the initial flicker of enthusiasm in the students' eyes vanished.

In the ensuing silence, Vina cautiously raised her hand. "Professor Corwin... the Hero's Tomb is just a legend, isn't it? Do you even know where it is?"

"The Hero's Tomb is located at the northernmost tip of the East France continent, according to the person who sold me the rubbing." Professor Corwin adjusted his glasses and smiled gently. "I have been to the North to search for it myself. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it."

Everyone: "..."

At that moment, everyone shared the same thought.

Even the professor couldn't find it, and they expected a bunch of newbies like them to succeed...

Was he messing with them?

The Headmaster chuckled at their constipated expressions. "Did you think twenty credit points would be that easy to earn?"

Vina was still hesitant when a clear voice rang out, cutting through the silence.

"I'll accept the task."

***

"You agreed too quickly!"

Vina trailed after Candace, grumbling. "This whole thing had nothing to do with you in the first place... When Professor Aubrey gets back, just act cute and apologize, maybe he'll let it go..."

Candace ignored her, her pace never faltering.

Vina, sensing something was off, quickly looped her arm through Candace's. "It was all my fault, please don't be mad at me, okay?"

Candace stopped walking and turned to look at her, her expression unreadable.

"I'm not mad anymore." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose tiredly.

What was done was done, there was no point in dwelling on it.

As her roommate of two years, Vina could tell from her expression that Candace was still fuming inside.

Before she could say anything more, someone called out to her from behind, inviting her to the dining hall.

"I have to go make my delivery, you go ahead with them." Candace gently extracted her arm from Vina's grasp and forced a smile. "Don't wait up for me, I'll be back later tonight."

Unfortunately, she wasn't much of an actress, and her attempt at a smile looked more like a grimace to Vina.

Vina watched as Candace walked away, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Look at her, acting like she's the one who's been wronged." The speaker was one of the boys who had been reprimanded earlier, casually slinging an arm around Vina's shoulders. "You already apologized so sincerely, what more does she want?"

"Exactly, why is she so angry?"

"Commoner is as commoner does, no amount of education can change her lowly blood."

"Ha, I heard she was picked up from somewhere by that old geezer Aubrey, who knows what kind of..."

...

...

...

The group continued their gossip, oblivious to the reaction of the girl at the center of it all.

Vina lowered her head, her emerald eyes glancing sideways, fixing a cold stare on the boy who had his arm around her.

The boy shuddered, his right hand dropping away as he instinctively bowed slightly.

Vina scoffed, tossing her long hair over her shoulder as she led the way towards the dining hall.

***

The academy was located northeast of Aruboum City, at the foot of Mount Fakar, a fair distance from the main city area.

The land belonged to a count with an exceptionally long name.

His name was so difficult to pronounce that most of his subjects couldn't even remember it.

By the time Candace arrived at the shop with her two large bottles of dried herbs, it was already past one in the afternoon.

The shop owner looked up in surprise and emerged from behind the counter to greet her. "I thought you weren't coming today."

"I'm so sorry, something came up this morning." Candace placed the bottles on the counter, offering the shopkeeper an apologetic nod.

"Ah, I had a feeling. I saw smoke coming from your side of town earlier." The shopkeeper examined the herbs as he chatted with her. "Which professor blew up their laboratory this time?"

Candace hesitated for a moment before deciding to be honest. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wood. I might not be able to come for the next few months."

The shopkeeper looked up in surprise. "What happened? Didn't you finish all your required courses and credits?"

At the mention of this, Candace felt a pang of despair.

Twenty credit points!

The most she had ever taken in a year was fourteen... and that was after countless sleepless nights and mountains of homework.

This morning's explosion had just cost her a year and a half of her life...

Candace forced a smile. "Something unexpected came up, I have to go on a mission to the North."

"Oh, I see." The shopkeeper, assuming it was just a routine school activity, continued to examine the herbs. "The North... that's quite close to the Black Abyss, and the climate is harsh. You be careful."

He then launched into a story about his own adventures in his younger days.

Candace leaned against the counter, listening absentmindedly at first. But as the shopkeeper's tale grew more engaging, she straightened up, her interest piqued.

"You've certainly seen a lot." Candace offered a genuine smile, impressed. "I almost regret not bringing a notebook today."

The shopkeeper, pleased to have found such an attentive listener, waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing, I have paper and pen here."

Candace didn't refuse. As the shopkeeper recounted his experiences, she diligently took notes, filling up several sheets of paper before they realized how much time had passed.

It wasn't until the warm glow of the setting sun filled the shop that they realized it was already evening.

Candace was incredibly grateful for the knowledge she had gained.

She organized her notes and politely declined the shopkeeper's offer of payment. "The knowledge you've shared is far more valuable than any amount of money. Thank you so much."

"Haha, it's nothing." The shopkeeper chuckled, returning the silver coins to the drawer.

Candace flipped through her notes, curious. "So, you used to be an adventurer? What made you decide to settle down and open a shop?"

"Who doesn't dream of being a free-spirited adventurer when they're young?" The shopkeeper, who hadn't spoken this much in a long time, cleared his throat, a hint of wistfulness in his voice. "Life outside is exciting, but it's also cruel. The longer you're out there, the more you start to value safety and security..."

He winked at Candace. "You're almost twenty, aren't you? Ever thought about seeing the world while you're still young?"

"I'm already quite timid, adventuring isn't for me." Candace laughed. "I'm hoping to work here after I graduate."

The shopkeeper, as if remembering that she was his future employee, quickly nodded. "Right, right, what's so good about adventuring anyway? You'll earn much more working here than those penniless adventurers."

Candace, ignoring the contradiction in his words, thanked him again and left the shop, clutching her notes. As she closed the door behind her, she heard the shopkeeper's wife's gentle voice.

The setting sun was about to disappear behind the towering city walls, casting long shadows across the streets. In the warm, golden light, people bustled about, going about their daily lives.

The sounds of the city surrounded her: hawkers peddling their wares, drunken men stumbling down alleyways, the rhythmic clanging of bells around the necks of livestock.

Everyone had a place, a purpose.

Candace stared at the city walls, lost in thought, until a bump on her shoulder brought her back to reality.

Clutching her notes tightly, she hurried towards the academy.