Iris waited at the exit for some time but still wasn't able to spot Vale anywhere. Her frown grew clearer the more time passed and she could only curse out loud for not having a convenient way to reach him.
It was already evening, and the twilight glow enveloped Druti. Maybe he left without me, Iris thought.
It was possible, although she would be curious about his reasons.
Still, it was possible that losing had put him in a depressed mood.
It would be best if she could meet up with him; that way, they could decide on which college he was going to attend. Surely after witnessing his performance, it wouldn't be hard for him to gain admission into any of them.
Even Iris herself was confused as to how he had grown this powerful in such a short period of time.
The Vale she knew was a pushy little boy who only knew how to dream big. "I'd become the greatest demon hunter," he would say with his chest puffed out.
And she and his foster parents would always laugh it off, treating it as some childish fantasy he would eventually grow out of.
But then, he changed; she couldn't exactly tell when this change started: was it when his parents disappeared, or perhaps when Lilly had fallen ill?
None of that mattered, what mattered was the fact that the Vale she knew from years back was… no longer the same. He had grown, grown so much so that she could hardly recognise him.
When she saw him move so gracefully on that stage, she couldn't help but have a sense of pride build up within her.
It was the feeling of one who had watched a tree grow from a sapling, to something they could no longer recognise. Unsettling at first, but later on it started to feel like an accomplishment.
And even though the exam hadn't been a great experience, it wasn't that bad. Except for the part where he had almost been executed—that has given her a fright. Iris had to beg Glenda to do something, lest Vale perish before her eyes. Thankfully Glenda had been able to salvage the situation with the help of some backup.
The day grew darker and Iris was on the brink of leaving when a familiar figure came into sight. It was Glenda, wearing a light blue gown.
Iris looked around, but didn't find Vale; he should have been with her since they left the arena together. He wasn't, though.
"Where's Vale?" She asked, before Glenda even got close enough.
Glenda kept walking towards her, and when she got close enough, she let out a sigh, saying, "He's already gone."
"What do you mean by that?" Iris frowned.
"He took the Military College's offer and followed them. They should be leaving the city right now." Glenda had an exhausted look on her face; an encounter with Athena wasn't something she had put on her schedule.
But that was the only way to save Vale's life, so she had to approach her.
"The Military College? Why in the world would he decide to go to that God-forsaken place?" Iris's exhaustion was slowly giving way to anger.
Glenda's eyes twitched; she had gone to the Military College too, so it was a bit unsettling hearing someone insult the place, but it wasn't uncalled for. After all, the Military College had the highest mortality rate of all the colleges.
No one who truly loved their children would send them there, that was why, no matter how good they were, they always had the least amount of students.
"He didn't really have a choice…" Glenda then went on to explain how the woman who had saved him was a member of the MC (Military College).
She emphasised that the woman was of high standing, and she had successfully coerced Vale into joining the MC.
"Why didn't you stop him?" Iris said, interrupting her explanation.
"Well… the Military College isn't that bad. I doubt it would be much of a hassle considering his talent."
A weird expression took shape on Iris's face as she looked at Glenda as if she had said the most absurd thing ever.
She let out a frustrated sigh. "Why didn't he at least tell me? He couldn't even say goodbye?"
"I think he had his reasons. He said I should give you this." Glenda pulled out a squeezed piece of paper from her pocket and shoved it into Iris's hand.
Iris paused then gave the paper a sceptical look. She opened it, nonetheless, and read its contents.
It read: "I'm sorry I can't say goodbye in person. I'm in a bit of a predicament, seeing you in person would most likely put you in danger, so please forgive me. I've made a decision to join the Military College to get stronger. You won't probably see me for a long time, but I promise to send letters to you and Lilly frequently. Please take care of her on my behalf."
Predicament? Iris frowned, something seemed to be wrong, but as a regular human who hadn't even been able to unlock the system, she certainly wouldn't be able to protect herself from any danger. Vale was trying to look out for her, she had no reason to be mad at him.
She squeezed the piece of paper into her pocket and let out a heavy sigh.
"Hopefully you'll come back in one piece. I wouldn't be able to look at your parents in the afterlife if you didn't," she whispered to herself.
...
A group of carriages, lined in a column, exited the city of Druti. The guard, moving to assess the convoy, stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw the insignia on the vehicles.
Without a second to waste, he ordered his men to open the gate. They did so and the group were out of the city the next moment.
Vale and Athena were in the same carriage. Athena's chin was on the open window, observing the scenery and taking in puffs of the cigarette in her hand.
She hadn't even gone halfway on the stick when she tossed it out.
"These backwater stogies always taste like shit," she mumbled to herself.
Athena fished through her pockets for a different brand, but couldn't find any. She let out an exasperated groan, and without the distraction of cigars, she remembered she was riding with someone else.
"Since there's nothing better to do, I should probably explain how the military college works."
Vale's ears perked up. He had little knowledge of the dynamics of this world, so a little lesson on how things worked was what he needed.
"If you're lucky, by the end of your first year you might get a military badge.
"If you're not, then there's a high chance you'll end up dead."
[Author's note: Ten power stones and I'll post an extra chapter this week.]