"So... what are you going to go?" Rufus asked, scuffing down a plate of spaghetti down his throat in quick succession. Grace merely gave him a dead-panned look.
"Where's the dignity and etiquette?" He asked Rufus in a straightforward manner. Rufus smiled while his mouth was full of spaghetti. Then he swallowed the food and wiped his mouth with a tissue.
"Nobles... dignity... etiquette--I don't give a damn. I do what I want regardless of the consequences or shame." His eyes burned with his own purpose, thus a small smirk appeared on Grace's face.
Returning to the question that Rufus had asked him not even twenty seconds ago, Grace decided to entertain it.
"Wilson Gray--I'm going to shadow a detective in Quantum City."
Rufus suddenly shuddered.
"Quantum City? That shithole?"
"I was surprised when I saw it--I wouldn't have thought the Headmaster would permit students to go to such a dangerous city."
Despite the city itself being incredibly progressive and technologically advanced compared to even the most brilliant of cities on the Ergo continent, it was heavily drizzled in criminal activity.
From simple theft to assassinations and constant gunfire.
Grace smiled thinly.
"Which is precisely why I must go there," he told Rufus. The red-haired boy merely shook his head, questioning Grace's survivability rate.
"How about you?" Grace asked Rufus. Even though he already "knew" where Rufus was going, it wouldn't hurt to ask him on the off-chance that the narrative changed and Grace had miscalculated.
"Obsidian. You know--the asylum and prison. From petty criminals to super threats."
There were multiple Obsidians in order to compensate for travel time as transportation of varying length could lead to various mishaps.
However, in this case--there was only one Obsidian available that Paul had given them.
"Careful," Grace warned him. "Always be on guard."
Rufus scoffed.
"Ironic coming from you. Compared to Quantum City, I'm practically living in paradise!"
Grace could not rebuttal such claims, as had he not known the events that would come soon enough, then he'd probably think the same thing. But that was not reality.
And the future in which Obsidian is plunged may be close to being unavoidable.
Unavoidable...
He sighed quietly.
Is that right. Posed as a statement rather than an outright question, Grace wondered if letting things play out as it did in the novel was truly the ideal.
After all, his goal was not only to change the ending but to achieve godhood in order to find a way back to his world.
However--
Even if the current him can't do anything of significance to change the trajectory of Obsidian with his own two hands...
Could he fully accept the events that will eventually transpire?
He couldn't.
It almost seemed impossible to overcome through just simple means. But Grace couldn't help but acknowledge that there was something within him that was changing.
Ambition.
It could no longer restrained in a small pond. It had completely squandered it--the want and need to change the trajectory of Obsidian was proof of such.
Leaving his thoughts to this, Grace continued to eat his food all the while talking with Rufus.
~~~
Preparing for the departure was not a difficult task, to be frank. The mentors that they were going to be under during the rest of the month had to accommodate for their needs and give them housing and nourishment.
If not, then they would be weak to legal trouble that the academy would press onto them. But Grace did understand the danger that was associated with Quantum City and the incredibly high cost of living in that city.
Which is why, despite the grandiose exterior that the city was presented in, the illegal activity and crime that riddles the streets were unbelievable.
That one joking blogpost the author made--you are 500% more likely to die in Quantum City than in any other city in all the continents. A joke, but perhaps it's closer to the truth than one may realize.
He remembered the amount of chapters that took place in Quantum City and the sheer amount of danger and filth Ivan had to plunge himself into constantly. It was entertaining, but imagining it was absolutely disgusting.
"I'll have to stay close to Wilson at all times so I don't get caught up in trouble..."
Exiting his room, he saw Rufus waiting for him. He sat at the living room table eating a rolled up tortilla. There was tiny little burnt marks around it.
"Took you long enough." Rufus peered from the couch, chewing on his rolled up tortilla and stood up as Grace entered the living room. Together, they walked out of the room, the clock striking to exactly 4 PM.
The entire processing for the mentorship had gone relatively smoothly. It was to the point where they were able to depart that very same day without any delays or mishaps occurring. Grace couldn't deny the efficiency of this academy.
Of course--
Not all things were as they seemed.
To begin with, the head of the school - Aventus Dawn - was someone that is both admirable and disgusting. His strength and ideal were reinforced with iron, and polished to the point of no scratches.
However, his inaction has always been deliberate.
If a student had a crisis--he'll know.
But no hand will be extended.
Unless the student asks for it to be extended.
Troublesome. Grace thought. It was primarily due to how Aventus was nurtured growing up. These ideal and sentiments were engraved into his being since the moment of birth.
Both unshakable and unmoving.
On the other hand, these ideal will be challenged.
By the very person who stood at the opposite end of such ideals.
Ivan Sawyer.
"Grace! Rufus!"
They turned around as they were walking towards the exit of the academy. Amongst the sea of students flooding out for mentorship, the two noble individuals saw the distinct face of Ivan Sawyer.
Speak of the devil... or angel? Grace added at the end. Amongst the people who have reached Normal Grade 6, only a select few have been able to cross the boundary between Normal Grade 6 and 5 at a quicker pace than the regular masses.
Ivan was one of those people.
Rank 10.
He had become Rank 10 in the blink of an eye. The last few months, his rate of improvement had been shown, the strength being demonstrated in numerous duels with other first-years.
In doing so, Grace and Anne were moved up one spot after careful consideration. It was determined that the person who held the Rank of 8 was inadequate in reality and was removed out of the top 10.
However, even this will change in due to time.
Ivan will most likely jump towards the upper echelon in due time.
And...
Grace will do the same.