The Reborn Magus and His Prince

Chapter 32

The little dinner under their tree helped dispel any lingering negative emotions on the both of them caused by the Dan brothers. 

The council of the academy with the approval of the knights had concealed the identity of Tim as one of the perpetrators. No one knew the including Yulian's and the other three's participation in the battle. The students for a while had cast worried glances and those who are closed enough with the trio had surrounded them and inquired their conditions. Some were out of genuine concerns and some were just there for gossips.

Alex and the twins knew the concealment scheme and kept their end. They weaved their own lies and repeatedly recited them to those who ask. 

Meanwhile, no one bothered to inquire about Yulian even though everyone knew he was also present at the party. The only one who ever asked him was Emilia. 

He had a hard time maintaining his straight whenever he told her his made up a story about what happened that night. And every time Tim's name would come up to their conversation, he had to act casual and feign ignorance on where his location was.

 It almost took a month before Tim's name naturally faded into the background and he became just another unfortunate classmate who left the academy. 

However, Yulian did not forget the supposed clues left by Tim. He spent his free time in the library, tracking down if there's any books related to the one he left and researching about the plague that hit his town. Though the things he found were things he already knew with a few added miscellaneous notes. 

By the time he finished all books associated with the plague, he still could not grasp any connections with the clues. All that's left was the other notable clue. The infamous William Braun.

William is a professor here in this academy but even his own shadow was nowhere in sight in every corner of the academy. He had brought this matter with Orphys one day after class, following her in her office. Saying he'd been wanting to express his gratitude to Professor Braun for giving him a chance to study here in the academy. 

Orphys then revealed that Braun mostly spent his time traveling on the continent and likes to help people with illness along the way. He only comes back when the academy needed his help with something. 

"I wouldn't recommend for you to write him a letter, he never stays in one place and your letter might never reach him. Only the principal can communicate with him." Orphys leaned back on her leather chair and intertwined her fingers. "And the principal never bothered with this kind of thing so I suggest you better wait until your graduation, Professor William never misses those boring occasions." 

Yulian wanted to ask something more about Braun's history but the woman impatiently pointed the door with her finger adorned with a sharp painted nail. "You may leave now."

Already used to her mood of always being on the grumpy side, Yulian said his thanks and left the office. 

His mind spins for his next step of action. He can't possibly go back to Ruke in a short period, weekends not enough, and teleporting in that kind of distance would use up all of his energy. The only available option he could think of was the winter break. 

So for now, he will have to rely on Braun's fan. 

Ever since he left the town of Ruke and lived in the academy, he had been able to write two letters to Arthur and received one response. The letter had taken almost two weeks to deliver and another for the round trip. His second letter had been delivered, three weeks ago and had yet to receive a response. Hopefully, the postman in charge of delivering the letters to his town would return early and pick up his third letter.

Walking away from Orphys' office back to the main hall, Yulian found a cluster of students crowding the announcement board. As he stepped past them, bits and pieces of their conversation floated in his ears.

Most words he heard were cafe, class, and festival. 

Festival? He could not help but get intrigued.

Ah! Now that he thought about it. He remembered around this time of the year the Academy would celebrate to commemorate its founding day. Unfortunately, he left the academy fifty years ago before he could experience it. 

This time might as well have fun and join in on the festive mood while he waits for the letter.

The next day, the professor had officially announced the date of the festival and they were given one week to prepare. The whole class brimmed with excitement and Orphys gave the podium to the class president and left the room after her class. They were given time to choose and vote for what they will do for the festival.

The boys wanted to do a haunted room, and the girls prefer to have a cafe. The two sides glared at each other and an invisible line was drawn out between them.

And After much deliberation and heated debates, the class pres manage to prevent a battle appear in their classroom. To please both sides, he decided to do a cafe with a horror theme.

Yep! So new. 

Yulian yawned at all that happened around him. He expected something more fun. 

"Alright! It's decided, I won't consider any other opinions! I will now assign tasks to each of you." The president glance down at his list of his classmates but then looked up again.

"Before I forget, those who wish to enter the combat tournament had a special permission to skip his or her work here..." He adjust his round glasses that fell on his nose. "In the condition that you will bring honor to our class!"

Everyone strangely went silent. 

"No one wants to join the competition? Tsk, tsk, you all have no balls." 

"Pres, since you have two balls, why don't you join?!" A boy at the back shouted.

"Haah?!" The four-eyed president having received that kind of retort gripped the podium and glared with his eyes wide at his classmates. "What's that I heard? You volunteer to buy supplies and help with the decorations? Good, that's good. I'll list down your name!"

The class cracked up and laugh at the moron. They've been classmates since their junior high and knew the pres likes to exercise his power. 

"Hehe... Pres, I was only kidding." The boy who shouted tried to suck up to him. "And besides, doesn't our class have a curse?"

The curse of the class was in the last years not even once had they had taken the trophy for the combat competition. Not even entering the top three but they always land at the bottom of the rankings. 

This year, they wholly lost their morale and gave up on participating. In any case, the tournament did not have the prerequisite of each class must have a representative. Anyone who wants to join can participate, regardless of whether your whole class wants to join or no one. It's a tournament for nobles to have fun. But somehow through the years, it became a basis of the rankings of the entire academy.

The president walked back and forth at the front while talking, almost like he was imitating the way Orphys would on her lectures. "First, I already put down your name on the list of tasks. And!" He loudly emphasized his last word when his classmate tried to protest. 

"Once I wrote down something on my perfectly white and beautiful paper, it can't be removed. Second! Our class does not have a curse, we are simply weak against the other class."

Facing the president's forward but fact words, the whole class shrugged their shoulders and nodded in agreement with him.

"We might not be in the rankings but we can still win the best themed class most visited the booth and the dun... dun... Principal's favorite class!"

Everyone to raise their thumb down and say boo! But having seen the fate of their classmate earlier, they suppress their nauseating. 

"Oh? Why are you raising your hand, Albertine? And Frost? You're volunteering for work?"

Yulian looked to the opposite side and just like him, Emilia had her hand up. 

"I like to join the combat competition." She said in a calm manner. 

"I also want to participate," Yulian said after.

The whole class erupted in whispered talks. They finally remembered the two addition to their group and recalled that among all of them, these two showed exemplary skills and even defeated some of class A.

What's kind of development is this? Will their class be saved from the mud because of two peasants? They did not know if they will be happy or feel insulted.

The president also felt the same but still have a rational side. With their skills, they certainly won't be in the last, and if they're lucky one of them might land among the top three. Added for their other class awards that he was aiming for, class 2 B's reputation will skyrocket! It's a win-win situation.

"If you have already decided, then I will not include your names on the task list. And you have to register by Professor Desmund's office by the end of this meeting."

Yulian and Emilia express their gratitude to the president. Then he resumed his assigning tasks. 

And thereafter, the two went to register for the tournament. Desmund was delighted at their participation because these two special students had excelled in his class. The competition would be so much interesting this year. 

Yulian proposed joint training with Emilia but the girl refused. Saying they both had seen each other capabilities during class and it's better to secretly train. After all, they also might face each other at the tournament.

Yulian scratch his head after she left with that statement. He felt guilty as Emilia had taken the competition seriously while he only decided to participate to kill his boredom away. 

He bared all this to Alex when he visited his room later. They were sitting on the couch, enjoying the fresh fruits after dinner.

Alex laughed out loud at him when he heard his reason for joining. 

"Everyone will be there with their honor on the line while you, pft..." He laughed again.

"Stop laughing. You're ruining your princely image." He scolded him. 

This guy, he's all prim and proper when facing other people but here he was forgetting his etiquette and laughing without restraint. Yet as Yulian thought that, he also likes this kind of Alex. Carefree and spirited.

"So are joining?" Yulian asked after Alex stopped laughing.

"No. Though I will be there as a healer at the side." 

Yulian smirked and pop grapes in his mouth. "That's great to know or I'm afraid if we'll face each other at the ring I will be distracted thinking to not accidentally break your bones."

Instead of getting annoyed at being made fun of, Alex grinned. "Thank you, oh mighty one for your mercy. As to express my gratitude, I will tell you the weaknesses of the twins."

"They're joining?"

"Yes, every year. And those two alternates between top one and two every tournament. So I'll tell you some secrets about them."

Alex beckoned him to come closer.

"Does this count as cheating?"

"It's not. This is called strategy. Everyone does this." Alex scooted closer to him when he's deliberating. The prince then whispered something in his ear. 

The twins did not know that their close friend had betrayed them.