Chapter 23: The Academy Main Building Plaza (1)

The rush of adrenaline and endorphins finally stopped flooding my system, leaving behind a wave of crushing fatigue. It wasn’t just physical exhaustion; it was mental. Even though I’d won, it still didn’t feel real.

I stayed crouched in front of the rubble for a while, catching my breath and keeping watch, making sure Jack didn’t crawl back out from beneath the collapsed tower. All the while, I kept my dagger in one hand and the newly acquired weapon in the other: a runic knife.

The blade was incredibly strong and razor-sharp—definitely a treasure. Honestly, using it as a mere throwing weapon felt like a waste. According to the general rule that ‘Fog Fiends vanish into mist after death,’ Jack should already be gone. But… would the remaining knives on his body vanish too?

I glanced at the massive pile of broken stone and splintered wood. Digging through it all would be way too much work.

***

After a short rest, I used Spirit Mend to patch up my injuries. Just minor wounds—nothing that would interfere with movement.

Once my stamina had recovered a bit, I got to my feet, ready to move.

Interestingly, not a single fog fiend had shown up during this time. Thinking back, even when I was darting through the alleys fighting Jack, no others had appeared. Maybe they really did have an instinct for avoiding danger. I remembered when I first saw Jack on the rooftop, the other fog fiends had stayed utterly still. And even while Jack was rampaging, none of them dared approach.

Maybe I could assume that while fighting an elite monster, lesser ones wouldn’t interfere?

Hard to say.

I pondered this as I made my way into the warehouse district, weaving through alleys from memory. After some searching, I found four more throwing knives. Including the one I already had, that made five in total.

“…?”

A faint sound—footsteps.

Fog fiends? Had they finally started gathering now that Jack was dead?

Compared to that thing, regular fog fiends were almost laughably easy—no, no. Underestimating an enemy was a surefire way to die. Even a lowly lizardfolk needed to be treated with full caution.

Just around this corner—

I crouched, regulated my breathing, and reversed my grip on the blade.

Three, two, one—

Strike!

“Huh!?”

“Ah!?”

Abrupt halt!

My blade froze mid-swing—and so did the rapier that had been thrust at me.

At extremely close range, I found myself face-to-face with Felice.

“Felice?”

“Yuhong?”

Once we both confirmed the other’s identity, I exhaled in relief. Her expression returned from mild surprise to her usual slightly dazed indifference. She truly was emotionally restrained.

“So, Mizan’s been sent out?”

“Yes. Jols and the others gave him emergency treatment.”

“And?”

“They said the situation was too critical, so two of them carried him back to the base.”

“I see. Well, as long as he’s going to make it.”

“I was worried you wouldn’t be able to handle it alone, so…”

“Don’t worry. It’s dead.”

At last, the tension in my chest eased. I stretched, letting out a long breath. Now we just had to meet up with the others at the granary and return together. Crisis resolved.

But her next words hit me like a slap in the face.

“But I didn’t see Booker or Rena at the rendezvous point.”

“Huh? Uh—what?”

***

Royal Alessia Academy of Alchemy, the Main Building Plaza

“Hey, hey, hey, girl, don’t just try to tough it out, okay? Are you really alright?”

“Mm… thank you, Uncle Booker.”

“It’s big brother, dammit! Fuck!”

Rena slapped her cheeks hard. Her complexion had improved a lot, and she was able to move again. The sonic attack from that human centipede had been brutal. Adults could shrug it off, but Rena’s underdeveloped auditory system had reacted far more intensely.

Booker had decent stamina, but even he couldn’t keep carrying her around forever. And with an unknown number of fog fiends possibly still lurking beyond this square, it was too dangerous to leave blindly.

So the two of them had stayed put, using the time to rest and recover.

“Still… this place, how do I put it… shit.”

Booker looked around.

They were in a sizable square, its surface paved with gray-white flagstones. On either side stood crumbling statues, disused fountains and garden beds, and arcades stretching into the distance. Though the place had long since fallen into ruin, it still retained traces of former grandeur.

Ahead lay the boundary where the square met the outskirts of the ruined town. Weathered wooden houses from the old settlement clashed awkwardly with the stately stone architecture of the square—as if two separate map assets had overlapped in a video game. The dissonance was unsettling.

Behind them, at the far end of the square, rose a magnificent structure. Built entirely from pale, monumental stone, it loomed with a crushing presence. Even in its decrepit state, the building radiated power—a blend of Western palace and world-renowned university.

At the entrance to the road leading up to the main building stood a collapsed ruin. It had likely been an arched gate at some point—probably the academy’s main entrance. Amid the rubble, a massive metal plaque stuck out, inscribed in an unknown script: Royal Alessia Academy of Alchemy. Though it was a language he’d never seen before, Booker could somehow understand the words.

“…”

The more he looked, the more nervous he felt.

This square screamed ‘boss battle area.’

Even if it wasn’t here, walking into that academy would definitely trigger one.

So neither Booker nor Rena dared take another step. They half-expected some grotesque boss monster to descend from the sky the moment they stepped forward. And considering how weird the fog fiends had looked so far, the Mist King that ruled this place was bound to be something seriously disgusting. Booker had no desire to see it.

“Um, Uncle—Big Brother Booker, what should we do now?”

“I was gonna ask you that, holy shit! Going forward is seriously nooope, but going back? Who the hell knows how many monsters are waiting! Agh, if only Brother Hong were here… I feel so damn lost without him!”

“Yeah, I get it. Brother Yuhong is super dependable! How do you say it… he’s like our pillar?”

“Exactly.”

As much as it pained him to admit it, Booker had to acknowledge Zhou Yuhong really was the most reliable among them.

He was calmer, sharper, and more decisive than the rest. No—more than just being able to fight, he had the guts to fight. If he hadn’t taken the lead against those lizardfolk back then, the rest of them might still be holed up in that village, too afraid to leave.

“And he’s got such a handsome face, too… Damn it, so unfair~ so unfair, sooo unfair~ fuck~”

“Big Brother Booker? What does ‘fuck’ mean?”

“Er, right, there’s no such word in French—wait, duh. Hey, speaking of which, Rena.”

“Mm?”

“You girls always seem to be in the loop, right? Hm? Any juicy gossip like, ‘so-and-so is hooking up with so-and-so,’ baby~?”

“Mmm…? Gossip… what does that mean?”

Rena blinked innocently. Booker scratched his head in defeat.

“I mean, like—Miss Felice! Don’t you think she’s, like, super… uh, how do I put this… fucking awesome-level beautiful? And she’s got that whole… what’s the word… ‘ethereal’ vibe? You know what I mean? Isn’t she amazing?”

“Mmm… not totally sure, but you’re saying sister Felice is super pretty?”

“I’ve lived over twenty years, and I’ve never seen anyone that beautiful! Agh… but she’s always with Hong, isn’t she? The two of them together, a handsome guy and a gorgeous girl, it’s so unfairly perfect!”

“Seems like it… big brother Booker, you seem very interested?”

“Come on, gossip isn’t just for girls, y’know~ You girls totally whisper behind our backs, right? So? What’s Felice say about him? Are they already a thing? If not, do I have a chance? Hmm? Hmm?”

“Umm~ not sure?”

“Aw, don’t be shy~ C’mon, you can tell good ol’ big brother Booker~”

“Even if you say that…”

Rena looked troubled.

“I usually talk more with Sister Jelena. Felice… she’s always really quiet. She barely ever initiates conversation, and we don’t know when to approach her either. It’s a shame, really.”

“Ahh, so she’s a proper lady, huh?”

“Proper lady? Oh, like an old lady type? Not quite, more like withdrawn? No, aloof? No, more like… you can’t read her thoughts on her face? But not that either. She just feels kind of unreal. Jelena and I really don’t know how to talk to her.”

“Whoa~ a mysterious beauty? Man, lucky guy.”

“Yeah…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

At that point, the conversation died.

They had nothing more to say—grasping at silly, unreliable topics to distract themselves from the growing anxiety. A natural human instinct, but one that didn’t do much now.

“What should we do?”

“No idea.”

“This place is scary.”

“Yeah…”

Wide and silent, the square pressed on them with a suffocating weight, like ants crawling across their hearts. Booker had thought about picking Rena up and bolting, relying on his legs to get them through, but that probably wouldn’t work. They’d likely get lost halfway and end up fog fiend food.

But staying here wasn’t an option either. Going forward meant likely facing the Mist King—a regional boss if there ever was one. No way the two of them could win.

And besides…

What was up with this rot spreading on their skin?