Free Web NovelChapter 177: Phlegra Continent [1]
Chapter 176
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Episode 42 - Phlegra Continent [1]
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The man straightened up and looked through the two openings, directly into Clana’s eyes.
Clana looked at him without saying a single word, because the person standing before her was the one she had been thinking about the most over the past few days.
As she looked at the man who had saved her life not long ago, Clana didn’t know how to react.
However, whether he was aware of her thoughts or not, the man said:
"I imagine you’ve tried to look up some information about me, right?"
"....?"
Clana’s body froze.
’How did he know...?’
"Right now, you’re thinking about how I know that, aren’t you?"
"...."
Clana opened her mouth, but closed it again, unable to say anything. The person standing before her...
It was as if he knew every thought she had. Somehow, that made Clana feel defenseless.
Normally, she was the one who knew everything about her enemies or allies, but when it came to this person, she knew absolutely nothing.
Yet the man seemed to know everything about her.
Then, after several seconds of silence as she watched him, she finally asked: ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
"W-what are you doing here...?"
She didn’t even know why she was stuttering or why she felt nervous.
In response to her question, the man pressed the palm of his hand against the glass door.
"First, you can let me in."
His unexpected request to enter her room made Clana nervous.
"Y-you mean that... I don’t even know why you’re looking for me out of nowhere. A-and why should I let a man into a woman’s room?"
Feeling nervous, Clana asked several questions.
The man simply looked at her in silence, and shortly afterward, he let out a sigh.
"I only came to give you a few things for your safety."
".....?"
’Here we go again with the whole safety thing.’
What the hell did this person want from her?
In response to her silence, the man revealed a box. Holding it with both hands, he said:
"Make sure to drink the elixirs inside. With these, you should reach the Peak Stage today."
"....?"
A look of confusion appeared on Clana’s face.
Elixirs? And only for her?
What was that even supposed to mean? What intentions were behind his gift, if it could even be called that? And besides, could there be something inside them, like a sleeping drug or something similar?
"Well, since you won’t let me in, I’ll leave it here."
The man placed the box on a small table beside him.
Then he turned to Clana and said:
"I’m leaving, then."
He turned around and unfurled wings as black as the abyss. Just as he was about to leave...
Clank!
Clana opened the glass door and grabbed his wrist.
"W-wait, wait. First, I want to ask you something."
The man turned around and stared at her.
Clana looked into his golden eyes with semi-inverted pupils behind the mask.
’I need to memorize his appearance and compare it to the men who have approached me before. Maybe he’s disguised.’
Clana voiced her question and said:
"What do you want from me? Why are you suddenly giving me elixirs out of nowhere? And most importantly, why did you save me in Black City?"
Of course, she wasn’t going to let him leave without getting at least some kind of answer.
The man standing before her had occupied her thoughts every single day.
She couldn’t even sleep peacefully. There were things she wanted to know.
In response to her question, the man tilted his head slightly to one side, then sighed and said:
"I remember telling you that I’m a sort of prophet and, at the same time, someone who protects you. I’m doing this for the sake of your future."
"....?"
Even though that didn’t really answer anything, Clana couldn’t find the words to respond.
Because suddenly, she felt bewildered, but also overwhelmed by a strange feeling.
To begin with, everyone in her family had tried to kill her.
The people around her only wanted something in return; they didn’t care about her situation, even when they knew about it.
But the nobles were more than aware of her existence. At any moment, the imperial family or one of her siblings could kill her without anyone noticing.
So, had there ever been anyone who cared about her?
In her memories, she had never heard anything like that, not even once.
Clana looked at the man. From the way he said it, he seemed completely sincere.
He had spoken from the bottom of his heart.
’But... why?’
She pressed her lips into a thin line.
Questions flooded her mind like a raging storm.
Why was the man before her protecting her? Why was he protecting her for the sake of her future?
What exactly was he trying to gain by doing that?
And yet, Clana noticed that the man didn’t seem to be seeking anything.
"I’m leaving now. We may see each other again soon."
With that, he removed Clana’s hand, which was gripping his wrist tightly.
Then he beat his wings and flew away, disappearing into the distance.
"....."
Clana watched his figure grow farther and farther away.
In her thoughts, it was difficult to sort through all those questions, but at the same time...
She felt an inexplicable sensation in her heart, perhaps because there was someone out there who cared about her.
But Clana wasn’t sure.
***
Monday morning.
The first-year cadets had gathered in the main building.
In a room called the <Door Room>.
It was a place filled with dozens of doors; intricate magical patterns were engraved into their frames.
It was a type of magic that created a portal through a door that, at first glance, anyone would assume led nowhere.
But it was a <Portal Door>. Through it, all the cadets would travel to the location where this week’s final exams would take place.
The atmosphere was generally quite tense. At this point, the second- and third-year cadets had already departed, leaving only the first-years behind.
So, at that moment, we were waiting for instructions and, above all, to learn where we were going.
"I wonder which Continent we’re going to. It would be amazing to visit the Astral Continent; they say its countries are so surreal."
Rinna said from beside me.
"Oh, the Astral Continent. I’d like to go there too."
Standing next to Rinna, Julian expressed his excitement as well.
"Let me remind you that we’re not on vacation."
Charlotte interjected while shaking her head. Then, from my left side, I heard a murmur.
"Hey, where do you think we’re going?"
"....."
The person standing beside me was none other than Clementine; she had approached me on her own initiative.
Perhaps because both of us would continue training even during this week’s examination period.
Still, it was quite unexpected for her to approach me. Ever since the Hunting Festival, she had kept her distance.
Whether it was intentional or not, it came as a surprise to me.
"I don’t know, but we’ll find out soon."
And as if in response to my words...
Clank!
The doors opened, and Professor Ashly appeared alongside all the other first-year professors.
They walked to the front. Then the cadets fell silent, and Professor Ashly finally spoke.
"Good morning, first-year cadets. This will be your first examination in a completely different environment."
"The exam lasts approximately five days. It begins first thing tomorrow morning and ends late Saturday. After that, we’ll return to the Academy next Monday, and you’ll be free to leave if you wish and enjoy your summer vacation."
The cadets cheered at the word vacation, as though it were the only thing they had heard.
Professor Ashly smiled and continued.
"Once we arrive at our destination, you must follow the rules given to you there. Otherwise, you will fail the exam without any opportunity to retake it."
"Now, I’ll tell you exactly where we’re going."
At her words, everyone listened in silence.
The curiosity about where we would spend an entire week was obvious.
Most—rather, 99%—of the cadets wanted to go to the Astral Continent.
And the rest, unaware of what that truly meant, wanted to visit the Floating Continent.
However, no one could have imagined the place we were actually going.
"The place we’re heading to, which is undoubtedly the perfect location for all of you and where you’ll be able to perform at your very best during the exam, is..."
For some reason, she paused dramatically.
"Congratulations, we’re going to the Phlegra Continent."
The entire room fell into absolute silence.
The cadets froze upon hearing Professor Ashly’s words.
Their emotions became a spectacle in themselves.
The Phlegra Continent.
It was like stepping into a world trapped in the Ice Age; a place where it never stopped snowing, a place where natural disasters were commonplace.
A place ruled by storms, home to the famous ice sculptures, and above all, a place with temperatures so low that a person could freeze to death within minutes.
That was the Phlegra Continent.
And above all else, it was the one place cadets never wanted to visit.
"Very well, we’re leaving now. Enter the Door in orderly lines and without causing any disturbances. Let’s move quickly."
Professor Ashly, as though ignoring the cadets’ complicated expressions, smiled and firmly urged everyone to pass through the Door.
And so, the journey to the Phlegra Continent began.
