NOVEL WEB Chapter 174
When I returned to the Academy, any traces of that day were completely gone, as if everything was perfectly fine.
There were no bloodstains, no debris from broken structures—nothing at all.
At least, on the surface, everything seemed fine. But if you looked a little closer, you could tell we were still reeling from the wounds of that day.
The students weren’t laughing or chatting. First-years who had just become sophomores, second-years who had just entered their third year, and even the newcomers were all like that.
The first-years were sulking with depression, while the newcomers were too busy reading the room to laugh. It was just a subtle difference.
Still, that gloomy and bleak atmosphere remained unchanged.
The world was bathed in vibrant green, yet the place we occupied appeared pale, as if sickly. Or maybe it truly was just this place that felt desolate.
Instead of the familiar faces of the security guards, strange armed guards were stationed at the gate.
The inside of the classroom building was just as chaotic. Physically tidy, but it was impossible to shake off the feeling of awkwardness.
The teachers were too busy handling their duties to pay any attention to the students; above all, it seemed like they had no idea where to start.
The students were just as confused. Typically, we would find out which class we would be in at the ceremony, but not this time.
We received a message the day before the new semester, informing us of our classes, so it wasn’t total chaos, but it still contributed to the unsettled atmosphere.
Walking down the hall that I had seen for over a year felt strangely unfamiliar, as if it was never like this.
Unconsciously, I found myself sitting in the first-year class A, wondering why no one was coming, only to remember later that I was now a sophomore.
Looks like I did it out of habit. Habits can be pretty terrifying. Just as I was muttering to myself about leaving, I spotted the place where Blanca usually sat.
There probably wouldn’t be anything there. But just in case, I sat in her spot and rummaged under the desk.
As expected, there was nothing. I didn’t feel disappointed since I didn’t have any expectations. More than that, I wondered if Blanca had always watched the scenery from this spot.
The classroom was in plain sight. My first impression was that the view was nice. Both inside the class and looking outside.
My next thought was that there probably weren’t many looking from here.
Since you had to turn your head to see the same row, the kids sitting ahead of her probably never had a chance to look at her.
The teacher would see her, but since Justitia and Blanca belonged to the same crew, that was probably nothing to worry about. Looking at it this way, the beginning was meticulously planned.
…Though it seems things went pretty off-course somewhere. The original plan was probably to ‘play friends’ just as I had said back then.
But through all the twists and turns, we somehow ended up becoming real friends.
How tragic, for both her and us. To think we each did our best in our own way, only to end up with such results. The Liberators and Heros Company really became awkwardly entangled.
…Speaking of which, the Liberators have been quiet lately. It’s been over ten days since we reclaimed Portugal.
In that time, there hasn’t been any noteworthy news. No promotional videos, no propaganda—nothing at all. As if such an organization never existed, they completely vanished.
Did they decide to reflect on the damage of losing their main base? Or did they sustain such heavy losses that they can’t afford to joke around?
Dwelling on the unknown was just a waste of mental energy, so I got up from my seat and headed straight to sophomore class A.
It might sound a bit arrogant, but honestly, there was no particular thrill when I got a congratulatory message about being assigned to class A.
All I felt was, “Oh, that’s good,” and a hint of curiosity about whether the others ended up in class A too.
Since I didn’t ask via text, I figured I’d find out when I got there. And just as expected, all my friends were in class A.
But that wasn’t all. It was almost as if the members from first-year class A had seamlessly moved up to second-year class A.
There were a few unfamiliar faces, but for the most part, they were all known faces.
Sitting next to my friends at the back of the class, I asked how they had been doing.
“Pretty much…”
Lucia, who I hadn’t seen in a long time, looked twice as gloomy as before. But at least she seemed to have enough spirit to come out.
I didn’t know whether to be relieved or not. At least she wasn’t totally out of it like Lapiz, so maybe she was hanging in there.
“So Minho’s also in class A, huh? Looks like everyone’s… all… gathered together!”
Ageha said “all” only to momentarily regret it, but it seemed she had accepted it to some extent as she boldly declared everyone was present.
“Of course. If it weren’t for us, we wouldn’t have taken Portugal. It would be strange to not assign us to class A, right?”
Seolhwa acted like she didn’t pay much attention to Ageha’s comment and went about her usual business, while Yeonhwa questioned whether it was truly a given.
“Is it really a given…? Phew. Seems like class A really has high standards…”
Alice, barely having made it from class C, muttered as she looked a bit intimidated by our collective presence.
“Well, that makes sense. When abilities and skills are outstanding, the standards are bound to be higher.”
Jinhyeon remained oblivious as usual.
It was only Lapiz and I who were acting unusual. We maintained our silence.
“…I wonder if Blanca is having a hard time.”
Lapiz finally broke her silence with that remark. Everyone shot her looks as if scolding her for mentioning what we all tried to avoid, but she seemed unfazed.
“Ah, she probably is… Since her home has vanished, right? Speaking of homes, my mom got a new bonsai…”
Ageha noticed the atmosphere in the room had suddenly turned cold and seemed to feel the need to change the subject somehow, blabbering away.
“I hope that’s true.”
However, Lapiz didn’t seem interested in continuing the conversation and fell silent again.
“You have to understand, Ageha. You know, Lapiz has been going through a rough time.”
As Ageha looked helpless, I told her to be a bit patient, thinking seriously if we could get through this semester without any incidents.
The new homeroom teacher entered and greeted us, but there was no air of familiarity like there was during our first year.
The homeroom teacher probably sensed it too; after delivering the necessary information, she quickly left the class.
As for the information, it wasn’t much. There had been a serious incident, but the Academy was all right.
Although Heros Company was currently caught up in various controversies and events, it was unrelated to the Academy, and there was no need to worry as it wouldn’t spill over, so please feel at ease.
They mentioned today would just be a simple introduction, and we’d be dismissed early, etc.
The kids didn’t laugh, but at least they showed expressions of relief. It was understandable given the atmosphere felt like crossing a frozen lake in a tank.
“Last year, we kicked off the school year with a bang right from the entrance ceremony and went into regular classes. Looks like this year is planning to be a bit more subdued.”
“Yeah… considering what happened. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that we don’t have to deal with homework along with the start of the semester!”
“Isn’t it better not to have any homework?”
Ageha, Yeonhwa, and Seolhwa chatted a little bit.
Just when I was relieved that we could get through today without problems and was about to head to the cafeteria for lunchtime.
For some reason, the kids were talking about the Liberators. As soon as I heard the topic, I felt my blood run cold.
“Look, this face here, it’s definitely that guy from the promotional video! It seriously looks like the Evil Society has captured the Liberators!”
Frantically turning on my phone to check, I found out that indeed, there was such a video.
On the internet, the Evil Society had released a video proclaiming they had conquered the Liberators.
Though Blanca wasn’t visible, there was a scene where the ‘Boss’ she adored so much personally declared defeat.
Then how on earth was Blanca…
Before I could finish that thought, I felt the building shake weakly.
Ah.
Lapiz.
“Lapiz! I understand your feelings, but hold it together! This is not the time to lose your cool!”
It seemed like talking sense wouldn’t work, but I figured it was better than saying nothing at all, so I urged her to calm down.
Contrary to my expectation that she would soon explode with anger, she regained control of her ability and closed her mouth.
But we couldn’t relax at all.
Right now, she resembled a bomb that could blow up at any moment.
After standing there for what felt like an eternity, she finally whispered barely audibly.
“…I should have caught him back then.”
“What did you say…?”
“I should have broken his waist, snapped his neck, and kept him crippled, or even killed him. I should have caught him back then…!”
Her words were chilling, yet tears were welling up at the corners of her eyes.
“I… I didn’t act…! How could they, those bastards, do this to Blanca…!”
Lapiz was, indeed, missing Blanca.
It seemed she had tried to force herself to hate her, but ultimately, that wasn’t possible.
“Lapiz…”
“Let’s… go find her right now, before it’s too late…”
She wobbled but looked dead serious, as if about to charge into the Evil Society alone.
“Lapiz. Get a grip…!”
All we could do for her was to try to dissuade her while swallowing our own horrified feelings.