“There were quite a few kids who couldn’t make it in the meantime.”
“Really?”
It was a relief that I wasn’t the only one who missed class while recovering.
“Is Lucien doing okay lately?”
“Well, he’s a sturdy guy, so I think he’ll be able to come out by tomorrow.”
“That’s a relief.”
“…….”
Lucien, whose injuries were more severe than the others, had been focusing entirely on recovery.
Nevertheless, it was amazing that his healing time was similar to the other children.
‘Is Lucien truly a human made of steel?’
“How’s the class atmosphere?”
It had been quite a while since I attended class after the incident with the 46th class and Evan.
Before, we were barely on speaking terms, let alone friendly, and we mostly kept our guard up against each other.
I wondered how things were now.
“It’s definitely different from before. Especially Comult and some of the others in the 46th class seem a bit grateful because we stopped Evan. And….”
Just as Hilde was about to continue, a sound of the door at the lecture hall entrance being kicked open roughly was heard.
Bang!
Anakin, wondering who would make such a dramatic entrance, turned his head, and there stood Lucien, his head wrapped in thick bandages.
“Lucien?”
As Anakin called out to him with a bewildered face, Lucien’s gaze traveled among the many children and landed right on him.
“Anakin.”
At the sight of Lucien’s expression clearing up instantly, Hilde scowled as if disgusted.
On the other hand, seeing Lucien scurrying over like a pet meeting its owner after a long time, Anakin smiled and said:
“I heard you were coming tomorrow.”
“I’m all better now.”
“You should take the bandages off your head before you say that.”
Hilde added a remark while keeping his eyes fixed on his book.
I had heard that Lucien’s head injuries, including a concussion and bleeding, were quite severe.
As Anakin worriedly stLocked his bandaged head, Lucien leaned down to match Anakin’s height and closed his eyes peacefully.
“Lucien, don’t push yourself too hard.”
It bLocke my heart every time I saw Lucien’s face, which was covered in wounds.
“It won’t leave a scar, will it?”
“Probably? They said it shouldn’t.”
I had formed a team with him on the condition that I would help with Evan’s affairs.
I thought I would just use him as an excuse to work him to the bone, but I hadn’t expected Lucien to take on even more of the grueling labor.
Just then, a dark shadow fell in front of Lucien, who was receiving Anakin’s touch.
“Um… Lucien. Do you have time after class? I have something to tell you.”
All eyes turned to the delicate-looking boy who was hesitating as he spoke to Lucien.
He was Darin, the only other male Omega in the 46th class, just like Anakin.
He was pretty and fragile-looking, and he was clearly the type who would be quite popular with the alphas around him.
He had been one of the people who kept us at arm’s length, always sticking with the high-achieving 46th class crowd.
What could he possibly want with Lucien all of a sudden?
“What do you want to say?”
As Anakin pulled his hand away, Lucien looked up at Darin with an annoyed expression.
Darin gave a few awkward coughs and then spoke calmly and quietly.
“It’s not something I can talk about here….”
“Is it important?”
“……Well, not exactly.”
“Then I’m not going.”
Lucien, having made a simple decision, turned his head back to Anakin.
Darin, shocked by the thorough dismissal he had received for the first time in his life, gaped at him.
Behind him, Kainon, another student from the 46th class, glared at them with a look of distaste.
Kainon was the highest-achieving student in the 46th class.
He was even evaluated as the only person in the 46th class who would be promoted to an official disciple alone.
Perhaps he was the man who stood at the very center of this lecture hall.
“Darin.”
At Kainon’s voice, Darin turned around in surprise.
After glancing at Lucien while watching out for Kainon, Darin soon ran to Kainon with a bright expression.
‘What on earth is going on?’
The two gave off a very strange atmosphere.
Even after that, the interest of the 46th-class students in Lucien didn’t cease.
Those who usually glared with caution or hostility began to approach him, unfazed even by Lucien’s cold reception.
Lucien looked extremely dissatisfied with this abnormal phenomenon.
“Why? It’s good to have more friends, isn’t it?”
“It’s annoying.”
He flopped his head onto the desk as if all his energy had been sucked out.
Anakin playfully poked his cheek, which was squashed against the desk, with his finger.
“You’re a popular guy. Truly.”
“Give me a break. I don’t need that. Those guys aren’t approaching me because they like me anyway; they’re all just looking at my background.”
Remembering Darin, who had been slightly blushing just a moment ago, Anakin laughed playfully at those words.
“I think there are some who aren’t.”
“Still, I hate it.”
It seemed he really hated the sudden concentration of interest and favor.
If Lucien was this repulsed, he must truly hate it.
“Hmm. Hilde. What do you think?”
“It means his presence in Pasadian is growing that much.
Tsk, it’s a good thing.”
Hilde laughed, his body shaking strangely.
I wondered why he was acting like that, but it seemed he was enjoying the sight of Lucien suffering.
‘He’s not venting the stress he built up while sharing a room, is he?’
Anakin looked toward Kainon’s group.
Those who were usually busy with sharp sarcasm were now chatting quite comfortably.
Well, it wasn’t as if they had suddenly changed their stance and were approaching us kindly.
In Kainon’s group was James, who had warned Hilde and me not to underestimate Pasadian last time.
He usually spent his time sticking to Kainon’s side and being annoyingly cheeky, but he wasn’t doing that today.
Perhaps it was because Evan’s bullying had disappeared, but the atmosphere in the lecture hall seemed quite lively, as if they were looking forward to the upcoming official disciple tournament.
‘They’re waiting for the tournament just like us.’
Soon after, Chris entered, and the class began.
Lucien dozed off next to me, but no one paid him any mind—not even Chris, the teacher.
Since it had always been like that, it wasn’t very surprising.
Lucien must have learned Pasadian’s theory thoroughly since he was young.
Anakin turned his head to look straight ahead.
He could hear the scratching of pens on paper, the sound of pages turning, and the chirping of birds outside the window.
I didn’t dislike this peaceful daily life for a change. It felt as if I was finally getting a little bit used to Pasadian.
After class, Anakin headed to the cafeteria with Hilde and Lucien.
The cafeteria was also buzzing with news about the tournament.
“Is it true that Verdine has returned to Pasadian?”
“Would it be true? It might just be a baseless rumor.”
“I asked Morcan, but he didn’t say anything. He just frowned.”
“Then it must be true.”
Anakin pricked up his ears at the rumors about Verdine.
If it was Morcan, he must be a senior disciple in charge of lecture hall P-109.
……Can I really meet him?
The person I had longed for so much.
If his return was true, it might be an opportunity to ask about the spirit summoning research records I saw in the Blue Sanctuary.
Even if trainees were forbidden from entering that area, Anakin himself would be a very important experimental subject to him.
If he found out that I had succeeded in summoning a spirit—something even he couldn’t do—he would probably be very surprised.
Anakin’s lips twitched as he imagined his reaction.
At that moment, the noisy chatter in the cafeteria came to a sudden halt.
As the silence descended, Anakin looked back toward the cafeteria entrance, puzzled.
“It’s Evan.”
Hilde explained calmly, as if he were an actor he knew at a theater.
As if to prove he was the king of the trainees, as soon as he entered, everyone in the cafeteria started eating their food in silence.
Next to him was Heron, whom I had seen that day.
“Hilde. Evan, didn’t you say that guy doesn’t come to the cafeteria?”
“Who knows. Maybe he came to see Lucien.”
Hilde said, elegantly wiping his mouth with a tissue.
At those words, Anakin understood the situation.
‘Did he come to monitor Lucien?’
It was the first time since Anakin entered Pasadian that he had eaten in the same space as him.
Moreover, for Evan, who rarely visited the cafeteria, to come at the exact time we were eating meant….
It was definitely very suspicious.
The trainees, who naturally moved away when Evan arrived, began to walk on eggshells around him.
Seeing people who didn’t even fear Lucien acting so timidly in front of Evan, I realized once again how high his status was in this annex.
‘Did he really come to see Lucien?’
‘Is he going to take his anger out on him or something?’
Although we were at a great distance from him, a heavy air hung over the meal.
However, Lucien and Hilde didn’t seem to care much.
“Don’t eat like a slob.”
Hilde scolded Lucien as he spilled his food. Lucien narrowed his eyes and said:
“Do you think this is still the Asta Dukedom?”
“Even if it’s not the Dukedom, I don’t eat like that.”
Unlike the other tables that were walking on eggshells around Evan, all eyes were quickly drawn to our noisy, bickering group.
Evan was also looking in our direction.
Anakin turned his head toward Evan.
And then, his eyes widened, and he hurriedly averted his gaze.
It felt as if he wasn’t looking at Lucien, but at him.
