About two days before the Night Call at the Seniors’ Jade Hall, Leomaris woke up feeling as though he belonged nowhere in this world. This sensation had haunted him for the better part of his life, and though it had lain dormant of late, it had now resurfaced with startling rapidity.

Perhaps he was projecting his insecurities, but he had every reason to believe this was a fever stemming from anxiety over the Night Call, compounded by the lingering intelligence concerning Dunvol, the War God.

With the weight of it all pressing on his shoulders, he nevertheless soldiered through, working through a few morning exercises and, afterward, savouring a tempting breakfast prepared by Hazel.

It was the weekend, and though there were no class activities, he felt compelled to request an audience with Raine, hoping to persuade her to steer clear of Dunvol’s jurisdiction.

He’d tried his luck with her more than twice already, and she’d never really paid him much heed. Why that was, he couldn’t fathom, but seeing as it was the weekend, maybe he’d manage a moment or two with her.

The first time, she ignored him entirely, her mind veiled in a fog dense enough to leave her practically blind to his presence. The second, he never got the opportunity to initiate any conversation; she’d slipped from the scene before he could register it. On other occasions, he simply presumed he’d be overlooked, given the circumstances.

’If I had to put money on it, she’s at the Forge of the Ninth Bell. She hardly has anywhere else to go, which makes it the most likely place to start looking.’

After a hasty preparation, the young noble made his way out of the mansion and toward the market district, headed for Tae’s blacksmith shop.

Coming out of his luxurious carriage, Leomaris noticed a small crowd of five gathered before the shop’s entrance, scurrying about, engrossed in whatever they were discussing. One of the women among them registered his presence, and he himself was certain Raine had noticed him too, yet not a word of acknowledgment followed.

Leomaris turned to the carriage driver and dismissed him, specifying the exact hour at which he was to return and retrieve him.

As the wheels scraped against the cobblestone, Leomaris caught sight of a gaunt figure emerging through the shop’s doors. The prideful man looked uncannily familiar.

He let out a sneer. That was Will, a third-year cadet. It seemed peculiar, though; he’d thought Raine only required him for a small piece of information.

He very much intended to question the proud nobleman, but it transpired Will harboured the same sentiments. If this was what they meant by great minds thinking alike, Leomaris genuinely doubted his own qualifications for the title.

Coming closer, Will asked: "...What are you doing here?"

Lazily rolling his eyes, Leomaris pretended as though he didn’t recognise Will at all, delving into his memories for a moment.

"Uh... you are Well, right? Oh, wait, that can’t be it. Whizz? No... that doesn’t sound right either."

With sparkling eyes as though he’d hit the jackpot, he said.

"Oh, yeah, Wimp! That was it. You’re a wimp."

Will didn’t try to conceal his frustration. His face contorted for a moment, but as though something kept him in check, some leverage he held over Leomaris, he calmed and wore a smug smile.

"Normally, I’d kick your ass. But you’re Ace Rosalith’s brother, and even if you weren’t, I see no reason to concern myself with a pathetic lout like you."

Leomaris’s eyes narrowed slightly. That was a name he hadn’t heard in quite some time. It certainly conjured memories, but watching Will still mired in the past truly made him feel sorry for the poor soul.

"What do you call yourself? A drag queen? Or your little favourite title, the Everlasting Black Dragon? I wouldn’t even grant you that honour. You’re still just the Runerth family’s scapegoat."

Leomaris frowned. ’He did a background check on me, eh? Does he have a death wish or something?’

Will’s gaze turned sharp, the look of a predator confident in its impending kill.

"Why don’t you whoosh away? You’re clearly not needed here."

Leomaris shrugged.

"You talk a lot, Wimp. Every word that comes out of that big mouth of yours is about how valuable you think you are. That screams insecurity to me. Do you want to be recognised by Raine so badly that you will get in the way of anyone who stands against you, including her fiancé? Remember, the last time you did something just as foolish, she was not pleased with you."

Will clenched his teeth and spat on the floor, making his way toward the crowd without uttering a word.

Watching him walk away, Leomaris resolved to join the crowd, but his body recoiled before he took a single step. He was certain Raine’s Divine Aura had permeated the area, and not only was she conscious of his presence, but she may have also overheard everything discussed between him and Will.

Suppressing his discontent, he finally managed a step forward and walked over to the crowd. Within their midst, Ren, Raine’s maid, smiled at him and offered a sharp bow of respect.

’Ha! Am I invisible or something?’

Ren’s recognition wasn’t enough, because she knew Ren had done it out of obligation, being, in some sense, still his servant.

With a handful of thoughts to console himself and extricate him from his gloomy mood, Leomaris finally attended to the words circulating among the crowd.

"Setting aside the oracles, there are about twenty potential threats. Those are the ones we must watch most closely if we are to stand a chance," the lady who first recognised Leomaris upon his arrival said.

An elegant man beside her, glasses perched on his nose, adjusted them and added.

"We cannot dismiss the oracles, though. They are the ones weaving curses into their divination hymns just to make people fall sick. They are every bit as dangerous."

Leomaris watched them talk, and for a moment, he was thoroughly confused. The topic sounded somewhat familiar, yet equally alien. This left him standing there with a clueless expression, feeling smaller with each passing second, as though he might soon collapse into a black hole and vanish.

After wrestling with his thoughts for a moment, he finally deciphered what they were discussing. It pertained, apparently, to the Divine Church’s divination.

That was something he was quite well-versed in. The fortune tellers couldn’t lie about the divination itself, since that would be blasphemous in the Goddess’s eyes; however, they could recite more hymns than required, and that was the loophole they consistently exploited to slip curses into the divination. The Oracles were more perilous than all the rest.

Finally, after standing there for the better part of twenty minutes, Leomaris managed to find something constructive to contribute. He said:

"Actually, I have some..."

As if by some cruel twist of fate, his voice was swallowed by the surrounding chatter. Every gaze had settled on Raine.

"Most people draw their first sword at ten, some even earlier, and they may still be children, but once a sword is drawn, you are no longer seen as a child, only an opponent. Those without swords are a different matter. But these people do not care at all whether it is a child or a warrior."

Despite his discontent, he motioned positively; that was something he genuinely agreed with.

"That’s the right call... but does this mean you are...?"

His words drifted away with the wind once more, and this time, everyone’s attention had already turned to Will.

He felt foolish standing there. He could understand if none of the others had paid him any mind — this was only the second or third time they’d met, after all, and despite their introductions, not a single name had stuck.

But Raine? Listening to Will over him? Perhaps the bastard wasn’t wrong... he wasn’t needed there at all.

He scratched the back of his head, a sharp sigh escaping him in the process.

’Just forget it...’

After lingering a few minutes more, Leomaris turned his elusiveness to his advantage and slipped away unnoticed, putting distance between himself and the rest.

He’d come to warn Raine about Dunvol, certain that any confrontation with that monster could lead to their deaths. But he was starting to think the warning was redundant.

Before long, a voice sounded from behind him, and he was in no rush to attend to it. He simply didn’t feel the need.

"Would you like to have a seat, young master?"

Coming closer, Ren added.

"I’d like to have a moment with you... Young Master."