" We're alive... "
The words that came out of sir Jaster's mouth in a rather disbelieving tone were by no means loud, yet it had echoed all across the desolate field as everyone started to slowly get a grasp of the situation
' Is this really it?
no matter how I look at it, it feels rather anticlimactic '
The battle that had felt like an eternity had actually only lasted for 10 minutes and the epic endgame was simply a big farce
Turning away from Koschei's body with those thoughts in mind, the cheers of the troops behind me quickly drowned the area
" Pride was said to have brought down the mightiest of angels, while cowardice was the poison for the greatest of heroes. Somehow, he had both of them in spades
If he had a little bit less pride, then he would have left alongside that needle stopping you from ever touching it
and if he had even an ounce of bravery more then he wouldn't have panicked and made the mistake of sending it unprotected "
I commented briefly as I walked alongside albert who had once again appeared out of thin air
Nodding at my words he loosened his fist revealing the now broken needle
" Great power is often in the hands of the greatest of fools, perhaps that is one way the world maintains its balance "
Hearing that I couldn't help but agree
" Still if I ever say I want to fight an archwizard again make sure to smack some sense into me "
" I'll take note of that master "
" Good "
' I have already spoken with Sir Clark; the body will be taken and preserved in the dungeon for the time being, for now we should go back to the hotel '
Reaching towards me as I thought so, albert rested his hand on my shoulder.
A second later I had arrived in front of the hotel yet again.
.....
" What's the situation? "
Having reached the hotel I quickly called for the head manager to debrief about what had occurred in my absence.
" Just as you ordered we had taken and guided our esteemed guests towards the hotel, yet right before entering the sudden appearance of the fire magic caused them to halt and spread panic amongst the students "
" I'm guessing the racket at the back is because of them? "
" Indeed milord, the guests are currently located at the back garden "
" I see, bring me a clipboard and some papers "
" Excuse me? "
" Don't think about it just go "
Taking the elevator to the third floor of the hotel, I made my way towards the balcony that overlooked the back garden, having seemingly noticed me standing there the eyes of 600 something students all turned towards as the countless noise ceased
To those warry eyes watching me, waiting to see what I would say
" How disappointing, lord merlin would be ashamed of you all "
I started out by rebuking them all
.....
Isabella Pov
" How disappointing, lord merlin would be ashamed of you all "
' Eh '
Standing at the balcony above us all was none other than Sir Nicholas who had suddenly started to criticize them for some reason
" No matter how surprising it must have been, how come only one of you managed to score a A+"
' No wait... a A+? '
" When lord merlin suggested this evaluation, I believed that I would see an image that would honour the academy yet here you are whimpering around "
' As he continued speaking a sudden picture started to form in front of me '
" Wait a minute... you said something about an evaluation? "
Having heard my inquiry Nicholas turned his head towards me his face showing clear signs of confusion
" Yes, the one meant to record the student's response to unpredictable scenarios. Lord merlin and I have been working on it for weeks "
Hearing his words a sudden sense of understanding seemed to spread among everyone gathered here as Professor Dexter walked forward to affirm the notion everyone was having
" Then those two pillars of fire where a part of said evaluation? "
" Well of course they were!!??
Both forest where affected by miasma and needed to be destroyed so we used them as sites for the magic circles
Did lord merlin not inform any of you about this? "
As he confirmed everyone's suspicion a sudden sense of relief filled the area, sadly for the students that wasn't the end of his speech
" Don't look all happy, this evaluation is going to be included in your final grade "
Having acquired a clipboard all of a sudden, he started swinging the papers as the faces of the students started to pale
" For now, the staff will present to you some refreshments and drinks so go and rest inside, as for the teachers then follow me to the top floor, I wish to discuss a couple of matters with you "
Having finished his piece, he turned around and entered the building once leaving behind the groaning of the students behind him
Yet I couldn't quite sympathise with them at the moment nor feel the sense of relief the other professors must have felt
Because I knew the truth, the second I focused on him I realized it, Nicholas was lying
the pillars of fire wasn't a part of some evaluation
.....
Having been escorted by one of the working staff we entered a large office, seemingly seeped in violet and black from the desk to the cabinet, to every piece of furniture
Sitting at the desk right in the centre of it all was Nicholas who was holding a bunch of papers.
Not even bothering to put them down he immediately cut to the chase not allowing anyone to speak
" Today must have been quite exhausting for you, so I won't make this long
Today at 8 pm there will be a banquet in honour of your arrival till then you could rest in your assigned room or have some fun in any one of many indoor activities
At the banquet I would make sure to explain about the upcoming events and rules that you must follow while in the arcane territory so make sure no student leaves carelessly "
Having finished what he wanted to say, the room became quite as the doors of the office where opened once again and we were ushered outside by the staff
The way he spoke and acted didn't even seem to acknowledge that there where others in the room nor the fact that we would disagree or rebuke any of his words
' Is that really it?
what about the fire pillars is he not going to say anything about them? '
I had thought that he would explain the situation to us or at least give me a hint or something, yet all he did was give some orders and send us away
As I was about to try to strike up a conversation, Nicholas's voice cut through the room once again
" If I can have a moment lady Isabella
You are in charge of quite a special bunch so I would like to have a word "
Yet again it had sounded like an order not a request, but I had quite a couple of things I wanted to figure out myself so giving a simple nod towards Sophie I stayed behind as the other returned to the students
Alongside the other professors the staff left as well leaving me alone with Nicholos, and when the doors finally shut it was only then that he finally let those paper down
And behind staring at me like always was the same warm smile.