Chapter 102: Venting

Julius was holding onto the card with one hand as he made his way back to campus. The card itself was made entirely on some sort of metal alloy and weighed way more than one would expect it to. It reminded Julius of one of those Amex Black cards that were made of metal. It was oddly satisfying holding it in his hands, he could see why people in his old world loved showing them off.

Before he left Declan and Orus, he made sure to see Rae since he was there. It was always nice to see her and it certainly didn’t hurt that she liked to send Julius off with a basket full of goodies that she made earlier that day. In fact, while he was playing with the card in one hand, he was snacking on a pastry she made for him in the other.

Julius also got some good news from Declan. He was assured by him that whenever he decided to use the Rifts he would have all the privacy he wanted. Nobody who was supervising the Rifts would question him and would allow him right through as long as he showed them the card. The retainers at these sites were magically bound as well, so their loyalty was secure.

He wasn’t going to lie, it was very tempting for him to just head right toward the nearest Rift on the map. He could do with some stretching of his legs.

It was funny. When he had been stuck inside that Tier 3 Rift, he wanted nothing more than to leave. But now, there wasn’t anything he wanted except to head right into another Rift. Was he crazy for that? Perhaps, but he also reminded himself that he wasn’t even close to being strong enough to take revenge and needed to get stronger.

The only thing that was preventing him from going into one of the many Rifts was his promise to Declan. Julius had promised Declan that he would wait to enter a Rift with Declan’s oversight. To be fair, Julius hadn’t mentioned the entire troll Rift incident with Declan. He was certain that Declan had some suspicions already, but he hadn’t told him everything.

That was why Julius had readily agreed to wait for Declan. He also appreciated that Declan took such obvious care of him, he knew that the vice-captain was just looking out for him.

He wouldn’t have to wait long either. In fact, Declan told him that he would have much more time tomorrow to take Julius to the first Rift. Once the princess had made it to Goldencrest tonight, the crowds would disperse swiftly, or so Declan said.

Speaking of crowds, there were even more people than before when he had been walking from campus. It was a madhouse, people were clamoring to see a single glimpse of the royal princess. If that wasn’t bad enough, there were countless merchants and other people who were taking advantage of the crowds, selling their products and services.

Whether they were dolls of the princess, decorative banners, or even food for the people waiting along the roads, it was more lively than Julius had ever seen on a street.

It got so bad that he decided to take a large detour. Luckily, the towers of Goldencrest were so large that orienting himself to campus wasn’t that hard. He had already made his way far away from his normal route and found that once he left the mass of the crowds the rest of the city was surprisingly empty.

Probably because most of the people were lining the streets of the other districts but he wasn’t going to complain. It made traveling seem like a breeze in comparison.

He reached the edge of the city, where the ocean met the walls and cliffs. He followed the path to the school gates, where he saw thousands upon thousands of people shoulder to shoulder with each other waiting around the massive courtyard in front. It was so loud, that the sounds of laughter and talking boomed throughout the courtyard and practically shook the surrounding buildings.

Fortunately, the school ensured that nobody was allowed within a certain distance of the gates so there was enough space for people who were students, staff, or other members of Goldencrest to enter. Numerous guards were placed all around the campus and Julius could sense an immense amount of mana coming from the ridiculous number of enchantments active.

He quickly shoved his way through the crowd and squeezed his way through before walking up to the gates. Several guards stopped him. “Halt.”

Julius stopped where he was standing and took out his student identification, passing it over to the guards without them prompting him to do so. One of them walked forward and took it from Julius before placing it on top of a black cube. He heard a distinctive beep and a blue light shine from the top of the cube. The guard then passed the card back to him and stepped to the side, the other guards following suit.

Once he entered the enchantments of the academy, he was unable to hear any more noise coming from the crowd. It appeared that the campus itself was completely isolated from the sound, much like Lily’s technique.

He got back in time to see the others. He had messaged Edgar when he was on his way back, letting him and the others know that he would be there in a little bit. Julius was supposed to meet them at the training facility. They hadn’t gone out and Julius had experienced the reason why first hand.

When he arrived, the others were already inside of a room so he had to make his way through the facility. He did receive some looks from the upperclassmen, but at this point, they already knew he spent time with the others and they didn’t bother him.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He knocked on the door and Lily let him in. Edgar and Aubrey were going at it inside. Kyle and Derek were nowhere to be seen. Julius hadn’t seen them at breakfast either, he wondered what they were doing.

Julius watched Edgar and Aubrey spar, the two of them were good matchups for the other. Unlike Julius, Edgar had a much tougher time determining Aubrey’s position, especially after the changes she made to her skill. So while Edgar was faster and stronger than her, Aubrey’s unpredictability was showing its value.