A terrible storm was blowing outside Homemonworth Hall. The wind was blowing hard, and there was a crackling sound of branches breaking in the wind. The old gloomy castle and roofs creaked, and the floor-to-ceiling windows made a banging sound in the ghostly howling wind.
The principal gave a welcome speech as he does at the beginning of every semester, but this time it was shorter than before. After finishing the talent test for first-year students, everyone started to have dinner.
In the past few days, Sonia always felt that something was wrong. A huge sense of crisis gripped her tightly, but she could not explain it clearly. I had vaguely experienced this strange anomaly when the veteran incident occurred at the beginning of the year, but this time it felt closer, stranger, and more lost.
She flipped through the report with some sadness. The intelligence channel at Earls Court would send her a copy regularly.
In recent times, many fortune tellers on the Stargazer Path have reported that they dreamed of very weird and twisted things; the artists of Beyeland created a bunch of indescribably twisted statues, as if they had taken a collective drug The overdose of magic crystal terazine mixture made the already sensitive and fragile sanity even more chaotic.
The letters written by explorers to Countess Elena contained a quarter less compliments and flattery, and more bizarre discoveries, or claims that a tribe of orcs and trolls had begun to hold mysterious bloody rituals.
Unknown cultists held strange memorial ceremonies in various places, and ominous mutterings and whispers came from remote towns.
Dream channel channelers seem to be most affected by the images. There are many such people in the Sheila Branch of Homemonworth. They claimed to be living in nightmares for days on end.
Uneasy news circulated among the long tables. Even the first-year students were infected by the oppressive atmosphere and bowed their heads in silence. The rumor reached its peak in the middle of the party when the associate professor in charge of the psychic course suddenly twitched in his seat and foamed at the mouth.
Amid bursts of screaming, the poor associate professor was sent away for treatment. The banquet hall could no longer be quiet.
Everyone has rumors that the Archon of Canaan, the pinnacle of transcendence, one of the most powerful demigods in the world, the guardian of order and a good friend of the principal, was assassinated not long ago, and all the core members of the family died.
The murderer is reported to be his biological son and a mysterious dark organization. The daughter of the consul was sitting at the long table of the second grade students in Minerva House, calm and silent.
The destruction of the Elven Archons and the Valannoy family will bring about unpredictable crises. Many students have heard disturbing rumors within their own families.
Troops are on the move and big names in the mysterious world are running around. The Extraordinary Ones have been gathered.
It is said that the evil god has stretched out its tentacles towards reality.
The entire hall seemed to be inhabited by countless rats, filled with whispers.
"Look, that's the senior with long black straight hair over there."
"She's so beautiful~!"
"Now the protagonist of the mystery. Her brother was the Charms professor for a while."
"He is so handsome, I really didn't expect..."
There was no end to the whispers. An unspeakable shadow fell over the hall. The principals and professors at the main table were all preoccupied, and no one offered a toast or spoke.
"Squeak!"
The recipient of the Silver Oak Leaf Knight's Eagle Badge, Griffith's Level 3 Assault Squadron Leader suddenly stood up. The entire hall suddenly became silent as if struck by lightning, and even the professors looked at him in confusion.
Everyone was worried and curious, but they could only suppress their desire to ask questions and didn't even dare to peek over there.
Two first-year boys chatted in the distance for a while, then walked side by side towards Griffith. Their boots hit the stone slabs, and the firm sound dispersed some of the ghostly and chaotic shadows.
"Sir!" They stood at attention and saluted together to pay respect to the leader of the third-level assault squadron.
"Leader 3 of the Stormtrooper Squadron, Gil de Ace."
"Same as a member of the military priesthood, novice monk Joshua Manado."
The two recruits looked at Griffith solemnly, attracting envious or curious looks from many people.
The news has spread that the quasi-knights of the Larmore family played a huge role in the events in Canaan, escorting the daughter of the former consul to break out until she was placed under the protection of Lady Aviana Silver of Arran. Down.
"Nice to see you," Griffith held out his hand to them. "Come, gentlemen, follow me."
Seeing them walking towards the terrace, the quiet hall was filled with rustling sounds for a while.
…
Griffith came back quickly after saying hello to the two young men, and still sat opposite Sonia and next to Galadia as usual.
"What are you talking about~" Galadia rubbed against him, quietly put her hand into his palm under the long table and let him hold it.
"Let's get to know each other and discuss the upcoming training arrangements." Griffith tilted his head to her, and then looked at Sonia opposite, "If nothing happens recently, the count is going to arrange several trainings to gather the Storm Squadron together. Come to the area and let us get familiar with each other. This way we won’t be too unfamiliar when there is an impromptu mission.”
"OK, all right."
Sonia nodded and looked at Griffith, feeling inexplicably puzzled that the narrow long table gave people a sense of distance like a chasm. Galadia and Griffith sit very close, but this situation is not surprising. She often sits next to Griffith. Leaning gently on his arm will make you feel at ease.
However, something seems to be wrong~
She felt something was different after Griffith returned from Canaan. Something so terrible had happened, and Sonia was worried about Griffith's safety. He finally came back with full beard and tail, a gentle smile on his face, and was promoted to Sequence 7. This is really a double happiness!
But why, there is such an unclear feeling... Sonia remembered that when she left home and returned to school, Countess Elena gave two special instructions:
"Don't worry about winning or losing in the moment, the one who wins in the end is the real winner."
What did my mother say without knowing anything? Sonia lightly knocked on the long table with her fist, feeling sulky for no reason.
…
After the dinner, Griffith followed his old habit and walked around the campus wall, looking forward to whether the elf would come to accompany him for a while.
As a result, nothing happened. Griffith reluctantly returned to his dormitory. He touched his face as he walked, and the scent lingering on his fingers penetrated the tip of his nose, making his mind sway.
Dormitory accommodation at Homemon Watts consists of three two or three-person bedrooms sharing a spacious living room. There are sofas, carpets, fireplaces, and copper boxes with ice cubes. In their free time, everyone gathers there to drink tea and read books.
Griffith held the doorknob, and as soon as he pushed it open, he heard the chatter of many people inside.
"Hush, the dried fish is back!" A small voice came from the living room, and the buzzing noise suddenly became quiet.
Dried fish, what dried fish? Griffith followed the sound inexplicably.
Lana, Midianmeier, Berthier, and Dedeus were sitting on the sofa in the living room chatting. Even Ophelia, Nona and Cruella were there.
"Good evening," Griffith nodded to the girls, "Why can you go to the boys' dormitory?"
"Isn't it just that the school is in a mess and we can't control it anymore!" Ophelia said, "We are holding a meeting!"
"What are we discussing?"
"Discuss the situation and the coming war..." said the man in the living room as if to endorse. Berthier added softly: "It's actually a ghost story convention."
Griffith poured himself a glass of water and sat next to the sofa: "So, did you discuss anything?"
"Big dog, you say what you say!" Kulala poked Rana with a cup.
"My stance on rumors has always been clear. I won't listen to them, I won't believe them, well," Rana said with a serious face, "If you call me that again, I'll throw you out of the window."
"I was going to call him a little wolfdog," Berthier muttered again.
oh--! Everyone started giving each other nicknames~ Griffith looked at everyone with interest.
When on the front line, it was common for comrades to give each other nicknames. Some newcomers died in battle as soon as they were added. If his name was too difficult to pronounce, everyone would only remember his nickname.
Moreover, a name as respectable as Berthier de Urenas felt out of place when digging soil in the fortifications, and it was necessary to have a catchy name.
"Does everyone have a nickname?" Griffith asked casually. Dedeus tried to stop him but was unable to do so in time.
"Of course! This is the main outcome of our meeting tonight," Ophelia pointed at everyone and said, "Big dog, translator, little fireball..."
Berthier and Thedius grimaced together.
"Then, seriously," Ophelia pointed at the dissatisfied Nona, and then nodded at Kurala, "Human target."
Her eyes finally moved to Midianmaiya, she suppressed a smile, and the corners of her mouth twitched like waves:
"Wolf of the Wind..."
Everyone cursed and looked dissatisfied.
Griffith glared at Ophelia with a critical look on his face: "What about you?"
"Yeah, where are you?!" Others yelled.
The girl with red and blue eyes pointed to her chin and thought: "Golden eyes and demon eyes?"
"No!" Everyone objected.
"So, beauty?" Ophelia clapped her hands, "Is this okay?"
"What kind of nickname is this? That's not what you meant when you gave us nicknames!"
"Hey, you guys are so troublesome~" Ophelia was embarrassed, "Wouldn't it be cruel to give yourself a bad nickname?"
"Aren't you cruel to us?"
"Hi~" the girl sighed and looked at Griffith, "Xiaoyugan, do you have any suggestions?"
Depend on--! The dried fish turned out to be me! Griffith almost jumped.
"The dried fish is not bad," Ophelia patted her thigh proudly, "Thanks to you, many classmates have nicknames, such as Xiaoju Fat Cat, Little Black Dumb Cat..."
"Wait a minute," Griffith immediately became alert, "Who are the little Ju Fat Cat and the little black silly cat?!"
The living room became quiet immediately. Kurala scratched her head, stood up and wanted to slip away.
"The little Ju fat cat is Miss Sissi! I'm not familiar with her, so it's not me!" Nona yelled, "The little black silly cat is..."
Ophelia jumped up and covered her mouth, and the two struggled on the sofa. While beating, Ophelia turned her head and shouted: "Miss Galadia is black and straight, long and straight! Hey, does that sound good!"
At this time, Lasalle opened the door and came in, and said to Ophelia on the sofa: "Hey, Wolf Cavalry, you are fully armed and waiting for you downstairs!"
"Wow!" Ophelia screamed, holding her head, "It's so dirty, shut up, shut up!"
Griffith couldn't help but turn his head and look at Lana: "People are addicted to food..."
"Fiona," Lana said while suppressing a smile, "She didn't feel comfortable calling her the King of Mysteries player at first, and then it turned into this..."
