Chapter 373 – Back to Class

Chapter 373 – Back to Class

Kai sank into the chair in the corner of the fourth back row, his satchel slung over the desk. Around him, students streamed into the Azure Hall from seven entrances along the upper ring and lower sides. The air thrummed with lively chatter for the first lecture of the second term.

Class sizes should shrink after the hundreds of dropouts and expulsions in Mid-Term Trails, but Mana Theory was the most intensive mandatory course, accounting for the largest lectures.

Better this way.

The more people, the less chance he’d get spotted.

Kai pulled off his saffron floppy hat. Raelion’s strict etiquette couldn’t condone outswear indoors. Shoulder hunched, he rested his chin in the crook of his elbow on the cold desk. His textbooks piled on one side, his satchel on the other.

Just a few more days. They’ll lose interest.

He almost regretted not dying his hair blue as Rain suggested. Months bent over books had paled his skin and darkened his blonde locks. The patchy scruff on his jaw was years away from a proper beard, and more elaborate make-up or prosthetics seemed too much of a hassle.

Despite the colorful outfits Rain made him wear, he had managed to remain undetected. Six days of skulking and near misses. Might his roommate actually have an eye for disguises?

Nah! More like I survived in spite of them.

The veil woven over his features gave a reassuring cool tickle. He trusted magical shrouds more than physical props.

It went up again.

*Ding*

General Skills:

• Shadow Magic (lv75>79)

Indeed, avoiding stalkers offered a great incentive to push his skills. The level gain fell short of life-and-death battles, but steady growth still added up. At this pace, he might advance the skill to Yellow within the month.

The specialization had drastically improved the speed, strength, and flexibility of his cloaking. He was far from mastering the conceptual aspects of Shadow, but now he saw the path. Appear unremarkable. Slip through attention. Meld in the background. He liked to visualize the attention sliding off him like water off a waxed canvas.

Practice makes perf—

“A fair day, Matthew.” A lively voice interrupted.

Kai straightened his slouch, legs tensed to spring when he recognized the girls behind him.

How did they—

His fingers ran over his face, no flaws in his cloak.

Did I make it too weak?

Deception veils tread a balance. Channeling more mana was antithetical to subtlety. It also made them less effective once someone spotted him.

“See! I told you it was him.” Lys blew a raspberry at Renaria, spinning back toward him with a prim smile. Her blonde tress bounced on her shoulders. “Forgive me for startling you, Matthew. I hardly saw you during the break. Did you not rest well? Are these seats taken?”

“No, but—”

“Stop tormenting, Matthew.” Rena hung her coat on the backrest two from him. “You spooked him on purpose.”

“How could you accuse me of such villainy?” Lys raised a dainty hand to her chest with a hurt look. “Why would I do that to dear Matthew?”

“Because Mat—”

“Could you both stop saying my name out loud?” Kai hissed, head half-buried in his satchel. A check on his peripherals showed no one looking at him. The merging classes between Fall and Winter held the chatter in a chokehold. “Sit and keep your voice down.”

“Ow… sorry.” Lys blinked innocently. “You needn’t be so tense, Matthew. It’s not too uncommon a name. With how often I’ve heard it lately, no one pays…”

“Is this why you ran off?” Valela slipped through the throng of students to reach them. The smile she offered him cooled into narrowed eyes at her friends. “I expected it from Lys. But you too, Rena?”

The raven-haired girl lowered her gaze. “I… see how my teasing could have caused untoward distress. That wasn’t my intention.” Her head dipped at him. “Do not worry, fellow student. The elites obsessed with rankings weren’t seeded in this course. And the lackeys I recognized sit in the front rows.”

“As she said,” Lys bobbed her head. “We were merely catching up with a fellow student after he vanished for days. I was hurt too, but let’s not waste time with my woes.” Her hands tapped the chair beside his. She winked. “Here. I’ve kept a seat for you, Val. The lecture’s about to start.”

Valela pursed her lips. “I know what you’re doing. It’s not his fault if you threw away your money,” she lightly huffed before lowering herself in the chair on his left, Lys and Rena sitting in order beside her.

How did I get here? I miss Rain…

“So.” Kai glanced between, feeling like he was only catching a fraction of their conversation’s meaning. One question still trampled others. “What’s about money? And what does it have to do with me?”

“Nothing of importance.” Rena cracked open a pristine textbook, her dismissive tone in contrast with a faint smirk. “Lys is moody because of her lost bet.”

“I’m not moody.” Lys folded her arms with a sulk. “And you lost too.”

“Merely the ten mesars I pledged to entertain you. Less than a tenth of your wager.”

“Ten or a hundred. What’s the difference? I’m not upset over a few mesars. I know at least twenty who’ve lost much more than me.”

“But few made your boastful claims. What did you say…” Rena hummed. “You’d wear plain grey for a month if the first ranker lasted a day longer.”

“Lurian had sworn— Hmm, regardless… That was said in jest.” Lys ruefully shook her head. “Grey is truly not my color.”

Sighing at the bickering, Valela leaned in toward him. “Many of the socialite circles that organize parties during the break like to set up bets. It’s usually just for fun, but a few can get out of hand… One of the most popular wagers this year was about when the first ranker would be publicly unmasked.”

Huh… what?

Snippets of conversation formed into a grim picture. Kai slumped deeper in his chair. It took an effort not to scan the mass of students. “Why did no one tell me?”

Valela bit her lip. “Sorry, Flynn and I thought knowing would just stress you more.”

“That’s… a fair point.” He tweaked his veil for the fourth time. Not only had some jerks placed intel bounties on him, but open bets? The web of headaches only kept growing. Accounting for the number of people and money involved…

Spirits have mercy.

Kai pinched his wrist, but he was already awake. First, the curious and busybody; then, snooty students, insulted that a nobody had snatched first place; and now, a network of monetary exchanges. Patricians with too much gold and too little regard for others were the bane of his existence.

I pray some god created a special Hell for those like them.

He feigned rummaging through his satchel to hide his face, wishing he could meld into the desk. “How much money are we talking about? And how does a wager where people can influence the result by coming after me make sense?”

“That’s the most fun part of them,” Lys said with a giggle. “I wish you could’ve seen the smug fools tearing their hair out to find you, and those gloating over keeping you hidden, only to swear to the Moons and back when their day also passed without a trace of you.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Kai threw her an unamused look. “And you were among them, I imagine? Betting against me?”

“Oh my, no? I did no such thing. Do you think so little of me?” Lys gave a sobful sniff. “I believed in you! I staked my allowance that you’d last till the end.”

“She means the end of break. Yesterday,” Rena tersely provided.

“That was the last date available when I placed the bet! Not like he can hide forever. Sooner or later, he’ll have to show himself.”

“I did not bet,” Valela muttered with a hint of pride.

“Thank you. I can at least trust one of you,” Kai said. “So… if no one won, is the bet off?” A thin satisfaction bloomed at ruining the plans of so many students.

“Hmm, well.” Valela winced. “Now that the bets are closed, it will go to those who set the closest wager.”

“That’s still good.” He smiled. Either way, the winners would have no incentive to search for him. The losers might bear petty grudges, but that just gave him more reason to remain undetected longer.