Royce walked into the house and came behind his desk. He raised his head and glanced through the window at the college students coming and going in the courtyard below. His face seemed to be covered with a layer of hard ice that was difficult to melt.
He thought for a moment, then withdrew his gaze and looked at Laila who was closing the door. He then rested his eyes on the magic wand held tightly in her hand, and finally managed to squeeze out a smile on his cold face.
He pursed his lips slightly and tried to dispel the girl's doubts: "Don't be so nervous. It's no big deal if I ask you to come. I've watched all your games recently. Well, it's very good. I heard that you also joined Britta. them?"
Laila looked at him suspiciously and nodded.
"Sir Royce, I-"
She tried to explain. But Royce interrupted her impatiently, "I don't mean to blame you. I gave you the power to choose last time. It's good that you bravely followed your own ideas and took the first step."
Lyra paused and looked at the knight with some flatterment.
In her impression, Royce was serious and cold, and his only concern for her was to accept the letter and allow her to enter the academy. Apart from this, the gentleman was always very distant from her, and was not very willing to even talk to her for more than a few words.
Britta didn't like this cold-faced Sir who always had a straight face, but Laila felt that it didn't matter because people like Britta were relatively rare. As for people who bumped into walls and were as indifferent as solid ice, she had seen a lot of them. You'll get used to it.
What's more, it was proved last time that he didn't care about his students, he just didn't want to get involved in the whirlpool.
Thinking of this, Laila tightened the magic wand in her hand with some gratitude.
Royce noticed this detail and changed the topic: "How has your magic practice been lately? I heard that you have started to master the first and second level spells, is that true?"
Laila looked at the other person with a little surprise.
"No need to be surprised," Royce said coldly, "The people around Britta are all big talkers. As long as I pay a little attention, it won't be difficult for me to get information about you."
"Mr. Sir, have you, have you been paying attention to me?"
"You are my student, it is natural for me to pay attention to you."
He paused, seeming a little unwilling to dwell on this topic, and went straight to the topic: "You should pay more attention to yourself and magic, rather than these trivial things. Remember what I told you last time Well, a good magic wand is very helpful for magic practice. In the past, your progress was slow, mostly because you didn't invest enough in yourself."
"Of course, I know your situation well, and I will help you apply for some work-study opportunities at the college. As for now," he glanced at the magic wand in Laila's hand, "You are doing well now, remember The magic wand is the second life of a magician, don’t let it leave your side easily.”
Laila never imagined that fate would come to her.
With a huge surprise, she forced herself to blink her red eyes, bit her lips and nodded vigorously.
"Very good," Royce praised. "You are less talented than Britta, but your serious attitude is a hundred times more serious than the others. This is a good potential. In addition, I came to you mainly to ask you about the competition. , I heard that you have never been on the court, right?"
"Yes, sir..."
"You also have to fight for the opportunity to play. The academy competition is a rare opportunity."
"Play?" Laila was startled, "Mr. Sir, how can I do this?"
"Why can't you?"
Royce blurted out, but stopped immediately.
He was silent for a moment and then changed his words, "What I mean is that a magician must at least have confidence in himself and his own spells. If you don't give it a try, how will you know it won't work? The competition is a good opportunity for you. Besides, I know the competition system very well, and the academy competition itself is to give every academy student a chance to try out."
Laila still seemed hesitant.
She knew that her adaptability to the elements was not good, and she had never been able to get started before. If Britta and others hadn't made friends with her and encouraged her, she would have almost persisted in the competition.
Fortunately, she had only been in school for less than a year and a half, so no one noticed her talent.
But although she has made some progress now, her strength is still not as good as that of a first-year freshman. Playing on the field will only add a meaningless burden to Britta and the others.
Seeing her like this, Royce understood that it was useless to talk more. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Think about it again."
He then let Laila leave, but when she was about to leave, he called her out again.
Laila turned around in surprise.
Royce warned seriously: "I'm telling you this, don't tell anyone else. I don't like to cause trouble."
Laila nodded quickly and seriously, "I understand, Sir Royce."
"As long as you understand, go ahead."
…
After Royce left with Laila, the previous warm atmosphere disappeared.
Most of the others were a little frightened when facing Mr. Jazz, who always had a cold face. Although Britta was not afraid of him, she lost interest in talking for a while.
So everyone said goodbye to the two of them one after another, and then left one by one. In the end, only Luo Yu and Jita were left. Luo Yu watched the others go away, then turned back and said to Miss Scholar: "Whatever you want to ask, you can ask now."
"I, I didn't..." Jita denied subconsciously.
"We are from the same training camp, Jita," Luo Yu said. "You know, we have never been good at hiding ourselves."
"Yes...I'm sorry, I just..." Miss Scholar seemed a little overwhelmed and lowered her head.
"It's nothing," Luo Yu shook his head, "You can just say what you think of. In fact, I am not the same. Do you want to ask why I participated in this competition?"
Jita raised her head and looked at him with some surprise. In the past, her partner was silent and dull. She never thought that his partner would be so sharp one day.
But in fact, that may be a misunderstanding in itself. It is precisely because of being too silent that it causes people around to ignore it. Luo Yu stood out from the training camp in Tapolis just like himself. Isn't that enough to explain the problem?
Getting into that training camp is a testament in itself.
She hesitated, "I'm just a little worried about Laila and the others."
"You mean behind the academy competition?" Luo Yu asked, "Indeed, the academy competition that led to the disappearance of the Horfen School twenty years ago was essentially a political struggle. We all know that there is no room for naivety behind a political struggle."
But he shook his head, "I chose to intervene for this reason, but that's not all, and it's not even the main reason. You know what the leader is investigating is closely related to the War in the North, the Dragon Worshipers, and the Shadow Man. We One of the purposes of going to the Empire is to find out the true purpose of the Ethernet vein behind the Shadow Man's invasion of the Crystal Tower."
He looked through the corridor of the courtyard, watching the college students coming and going in the garden not far away. Many people cast surprised glances in this direction, but after seeing the elemental staff in Luo Yu's hand, they were frightened. I had to quickly look away.
Luo Yu watched this scene, took out a coin in his hand, and gently threw it forward. When the coin landed on the solid stone slab, it made ripples.
He raised the elemental staff and tapped the ground with the tail of the staff. An invisible ripple spread along the feet of the two people. After reaching the limit, it rose to form a transparent barrier, wrapping the two people inside. This magic is quietly integrated into the many spells that exist in the Astrology Academy, without being noticeable.
"Remember the last conflict we had with Duke Hawke? It turns out that within the empire, someone colluded with the Shadow Man and the Dragon Worshipers," Luo Yu said, "But we don't know who it is. The water is very muddy, and there are many unknown dangers lurking behind it, and whether it is the leader, Ms. Sylvide, Ms. Tata, or even Luo Hao and Parker, they are actually acting on this matter. On."
"Is the scabbard of that magic sword so important? It's just that the sword came from the crow's prophecy, and Luo Hao is eager to find out its origin. Although Parker doesn't say it, you and I get along far better than a team. After a long period of time, we all know the character of the other party. He is a person who has no profit and cannot afford to be early. He chooses to go with the box, most likely with his own purpose."
"Even the box has the purpose of eagerly improving himself. The Battle in the North had a profound impact on him, not to mention that starting from Istania, most people in the regiment, including you and me, don't have a Do you feel a sense of urgency to improve yourself?”
He turned back and looked at Miss Scholar, "Except for Tianlan, we don't want the Seven Seas Brigade to leave any of us behind. But the leader has gone far enough, even if he is willing to stop and wait for the rest of us, but we How long can we make him wait?"
Jita pushed up her glasses slightly and was silent for a moment.
Luo Yu shook his head gently. He couldn't help but think of the conversation he had with his parents when they were in the North. Fang Pulver vowed to make a promise to them and go to the empire to win the ticket to the second world for everyone in the group.
And what about them?
From the moment the Seven Seas Brigade was established, its belief has never been a team belonging to one person. Fang Plover has never thought of it this way, and of course others will not take it for granted. But now it was him who fought for that opportunity for each of them, and from that moment on, everyone felt that level of urgency to a greater or lesser extent.
"I don't want to be the leader alone, but I want to investigate everything related to the Shadow and the Dragon Cult. After going through that big trial, it seems that the relationship is still closer with the Seven Magicians family," Luo Yu said He continued, "To investigate the Seven Mage Family, the best starting point is the Academy Battle incident twenty years ago, and everything related to Ash-Lynn."
"Star Device, Nightmare Furnace, Shadow Man, Dragon Worshiper..."
Miss Scholar muttered to herself.
"Yes," Luo Yu replied, "The key is Laila, the girl who claims to be a descendant of Ash-Lynn. But we still don't know whether she is the daughter or heir of the great wizard. I know. I only know that she must have some key information and didn’t tell us the truth.”
Jita's eyebrows twitched slightly, and the uneasiness in her heart became more and more obvious. It was obvious that Miss Scholar was not unaware of this, but just ignored it intentionally. She raised her head with some worry and looked at the former: "Luo Yu, you mean Laila..."
"She may not mean it, or she may have some secrets of her own. This is normal. We and the leader all have our own secrets, don't we?" Luo Yu shook his head to reassure her, "I just still remember Laila. Those words she once told us. She said she couldn't remember much about Ash-Lynn, but judging from the manuscripts she gave us later, she actually knew a lot about the great wizard."
"she……"
"She inadvertently revealed this to us and contradicted her previous description. This shows that she has subconsciously let down her guard against us and is not intentionally deceiving us." Luo Yu replied, "That's why I She would choose to come here, that girl is a poor person, and I don’t want to force her to say anything.”
Jita fell silent.
In addition, she couldn't think of a better solution. Luo Yu's choice made her feel at ease. Every companion on the Seven Seas Traveler always made her feel at ease.
But she already understood Luo Yu's intention when he said these words to her.
Miss Scholar raised her head slightly, glanced at the transparent barrier, hesitated and raised her hand, and a large floating book appeared in front of her eyes. She placed her hand on the page and closed her eyes gently.
Luo Yu looked at her from the side without saying a word.
Jita's eyelids trembled slightly, and she suddenly said: "Stars rose from the sea of fire, and the old order collapsed."
The boy was silent for a moment.
The latter also opened her eyes suddenly, her face looked a little pale, and she took her hand off the magic book at a loss.
How could such a grand prophecy only be placed on a little girl? What was the future she saw?
She looked at Luo Yu who was aside.
Luo Yu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Don't worry, I think I already have a certain clue." Luo Yu slowly raised the magic wand in his hand to remove the layer of spells.
He watched the coins on the stone slab rot and turn black and turn into dust.
…
When Britta saw several other people in the club, they looked out of breath.
She stopped those people and asked, "Where is Anette that I asked you to find? No one has seen her yet?"
Those young people ran over from who knows how far away, and replied breathlessly: "Britta, we have searched the entire academy, but we haven't seen Anette. Could she have gone back, or hasn't come to the academy yet? ?”
"Impossible, she has a class today," Britta vetoed, "Besides, I only saw her in the morning, and I specifically told her the time of today's activities. You all know what kind of temper Anette is, she only knows Arriving before you.”
"What's wrong with her?"
"She will tell me first when she has something to do. She has never been absent or late for no reason," Britta frowned, "Which of you saw her last?"
"I!"
Someone behind her raised her hand, "I saw her hurried towards the library before. I wanted to ask her what happened, but I didn't see anyone after chasing her. I've never seen Anette before." So anxious."
"Library?" Another person said in surprise, "I heard that the Orlos gang is also in that place. They won't cause trouble for Anette, right?"
"You bastard of the Seven Mage Family," Britta's teeth twitched, "Why didn't you tell me about such a big thing earlier?"
She was furious, "When did it happen?"
"You didn't ask before," the man said a little aggrieved, "about an hour ago."
Britta glanced at everyone present, and after counting the number of people, she said: "You will split up and search the entire academy again. Go to the places where Anette often hangs out and check to see if she is in the academy. I'll go to the library. Let’s take a look at the museum, Hain——”
Hain hurriedly said: "Britta, I'll go with you."
"You stay here and wait for Laila to come back," Britta said. "Anette has special means to deal with the Orlos gang, but Laila is different."
"But……"
The latter was obviously hesitant.
"No buts," Britta flatly refused. The girl stretched her hands behind her head, lifted her long hair, and let her waterfall-style curls spread out. She shook her head and stretched out her hand, and a magic wand solidified out of thin air and appeared in her hand, "You don't have to worry about me, they all together are not enough for me to hit with one hand."
Hain was startled, and then realized that it was indeed the case. Besides, this is an academy. If Britta teaches the other party too hard, the instructors will take action.
But he still subconsciously said, "How about informing Mr. Luo Yu and them?"
Britta hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Okay, you go ahead. By the way, let them protect Laila first. Royce shouldn't be able to keep Laila for too long. That old-fashioned guy doesn't like to talk nonsense."
Hain nodded, turned around and ran away.
Britta watched the others leave, and then ran towards the library, but before she was halfway there, she suddenly stopped, frowned and looked not far away and screamed inwardly. Then he turned around and avoided it in the other direction.
After a while, the girl appeared from a corner and watched a large group of people leave from a distance. Many of those people were instructors of the college, and she actually knew the face among them who did not belong to the college.
Warren Fuller, the Speaker of the Star and Moon Council. The Star and Moon Council of the Empire is actually under the control of the Seven Mage Family. In essence, it also manages the colleges in the Empire. Others jokingly call it the Shadow Education Department of the Empire. .
And this is the Minister of Education. However, Britta clearly dislikes this person. In her view, he is a traitor to the Horfen School. If it hadn't been for him, her friend Laila would not have fallen into this situation today.
In fact, it's not just her. Most of the magic circles in the empire now don't have a good reputation for this person. Just look at the frowning and constipated academy tutors around him. Although the magic world doesn't like to see Horfen school--
But not necessarily anyone likes traitors and lackeys.
In Britta's view, this person was somewhat self-aware, otherwise why would he have changed his first and last names after that incident? It seems that most of them also know that their original behavior is shameful.
She stared fiercely in that direction for a long time, but she didn't expect that the president of the parliament seemed to be aware of something. He raised his head thoughtfully and glanced in this direction. She was so scared that she quickly retracted her head. Retreat behind the wall.
Fortunately, it was just a false alarm. After Valen glanced at it, he immediately left the place with the others.
However, after those people left, there were only a few college students left in the courtyard, but when Britta saw those few college students, she was suddenly stunned.
It turned out that the people over there were no one else, but Juno's group - in fact, she hadn't seen this group for a long time after they broke with her.
She was slightly surprised when she asked, "Why did they come back to the academy again?" Britta hated these rebels with all her teeth, "Aren't you afraid of teaching them a lesson yourself?"
But now is not the time to teach these people a lesson. When she thinks about Arnett, Britta has no choice but to put away her little thoughts. She was about to leave, but she found that Juno and others were also sneaking towards the library.
"Huh?"
Seeing this scene, Britta became suspicious. She frowned slightly, immediately stopped her footsteps, raised her magic wand and cast an invisibility spell on herself, and then followed quietly.
Although the tutors strictly prohibited the students from using invisibility in the academy, let alone tracking, Britta had always been fearless and did not take these prohibitions seriously.
It's not just once or twice that she used forbidden magic in the academy.
…
(End of chapter)
