NOVEL NEXT Chapter 116: Event Two
Leon decided to throw the matter of his body's special nature to the back of his head. He couldn't find any answers, so there was no point in thinking too much about it. He would need to assimilate more with the dungeon for that.
'I need to think about Event 2 first. I knew there would be some changes. In the game, it happened in February, but now the Conclave is starting on 24th January. That's just a week away.'
He thought as he made his way toward the cafeteria. He received many types of gazes he was already familiar with, so he ignored them all. He was already too deep in his thoughts.
'I have already prepared a few things, but I doubt they'll go as they did in the game. There will be huge changes this time because there are two different enemies involved.'
In the game, Leon was already dead by this time and Silver was also trapped in the Primordial Expanse, so there had been zero reasons for their hidden enemies to use any tricks in the Academy and mainly Event 2.
In the game, there was only a single enemy they had to deal with, and it included more detective-type stuff since they needed to solve mysteries and unravel clues.
This was the reason there had been very few casualties.
But now it would be different.
He was alive, which meant his enemies, or rather, the people who wanted Silver dead, would now want him dead too. And as far as his understanding of them went, he knew they could use anything to achieve it.
'There are already a few traitors who are on their side, so pulling stunts in Event 2 is entirely possible. Considering their vast information network, they might even be aware of the things that are going to happen, so they will definitely use it to their advantage.'
Now, that was certainly a very big problem because the first group of enemies the Academy needed to deal with weren't pushovers.
The biggest problem with them was that they would be in the light, as they had every right to be. That made dealing with them problematic.
But the group of enemies who were scheming from the shadows were even more dangerous. At least Leon had some clues about the first group and knew how to deal with their tricks.
'I can't even use myself as bait. If it means killing me, they might even do something big to kill everyone. Although that wouldn't be possible with how strong the Academy is…'
He paused and slapped himself mentally. 'That is where you're wrong. Expect the unexpected and plan for everything. Didn't you learn from the previous time?'
He shook his head and once again started walking. He had already relayed a lot of information, his guesses included, to Amber. And as smart as she was, Leon knew she would figure out a lot of things.
'I will need to keep an eye on that girl. She is the only clue for now.'
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't even realize when he reached the cafeteria. Only when the waiter greeted him did he come out of his daze.
The waiter was a girl in her early twenties, perhaps a former student of the Academy who had failed to graduate. She smiled at him and welcomed him warmly.
'I really sometimes forget that this cafeteria is basically like a restaurant.'
He smiled back at her and asked, "Can you bring me to Natasha and the others?"
"Certainly! I was already informed of this arrangement," the waiter smiled and led him to the third floor.
As they walked, Leon stared at the waiter while feeling a little strange from the way she had looked at him earlier. It was very subtle, and he was already used to being ogled at, yet there was something unusual in her eyes.
Usually, he would have ignored such things, but now he remembered it clearly and made a note to analyze it later.
The waiter left after guiding him to the private room on the second floor. He pushed open the door and found his friends seated comfortably, chatting with each other.
"Yoo!! Who turned into a horse here?" Leon smiled upon entering the room. Even if his thoughts were turning dark due to the many hypotheses running in his mind, he felt relaxed in their company.
"Horses went extinct even before the Corruption took them properly," Natasha said with her cheeky smile. "But I don't mind bending over on all fours for you."
Before Leon could even reply, Bella cut them off with a shout, "Stop!! No flirting for today! I'm already dead exhausted from the training, and hearing you two flirt isn't any better than dealing with Corruption."
Everyone laughed at her words, as Leon took the seat beside Denver and said, "Just say you're jealous of everyone."
Bella narrowed her eyes at him and asked, "You also noticed, huh."
"I'm not muscle-headed like a certain someone," Leon shrugged, making Natasha and Bella chuckle, while the other two in question simply felt weird.
They didn't know why, but they felt insulted by his words.
"I don't understand though, why are you irked about it?" Natasha asked. "Don't you think it's a good thing?"
"It's not that. I just feel a little left out," Bella sighed.
"What are you guys talking about?" Rani asked in confusion. "Is this some code language I don't know?"
"Same here. I don't understand one word of their conversation," Denver said in agreement.
While Bella glared at her best friend, Leon simply patted Denver's shoulder and said, "I'll teach you some fine arts of being a true man later. Do you wanna learn?"
"Being a man…" there was an odd mix of excitement and pride in his eyes as he said, "Yes, I want to learn those arts."
Leon could see his friend had misunderstood his words, but he didn't bother correcting him since he would teach him later. He was his friend, so he had to help him out in getting a girlfriend.
That's what brothers did for each other.
"Anyways, I have something important to discuss with you all," Leon said before he tapped on his wrist, turning the cameras and other devices of the room off and also raising a concealing barrier.
This was the best part of private rooms. Although they were expensive, they provided very good facilities.
Others noticed the change as well, and their smiles disappeared as they straightened up. They stared at him, waiting for him to begin his explanation.
"What I'm going to say remains between us, understand?" he asked. "This could mean your life and death."
Their expressions turned somber as they nodded their heads. They had already expected something dangerous, but the fact that their lives were involved in this spoke of the true severity of the matter.
"What do you know about the Conclave?" Leon asked.
"It's a gathering that happens once every five years. It's something the Council of Nine lets the Academies host. Many important matters regarding the development and management of the whole Western Continent are discussed in it," Natasha explained when she saw confused looks on the others' faces.
She glanced at Leon and continued, "All the major powers of the Western Continent gather, and a member of the Council of Nine also attends it. The reason Academies host them is to show their capabilities to the Council of Nine and various powers. That is how they get the funding and also get to show off to the world so they can get better admissions next time."
"Woah! That sounds like a very big deal," Bella exclaimed, as she had definitely heard of the Council of Nine, and the fact that one of them would attend personally spoke of the severity of the situation.
The Council of Nine mainly consisted of the Nine Strongest Women of the Western Continent or at least the ones that were officially registered in the government.
They were part of the government and governed the whole Western Continent. There were also many people under them, but the final decision still rested in their hands.
Everyone in the world knew of them. They were far above mortals and stood over everyone like divine beings. They were feared and respected by all.
"It is a big deal," Natasha nodded. "It basically decides what will happen in the Western Continent for the next five years. It also decides the future of the Academy hosting the Event. Everyone keeps an eye on this."
"But why are you telling us about that?" Rani asked in confusion.
"Moron! Of course it's because our Academy is hosting it this year. I atleast know we are doing something like this," Bella rolled her eyes at her best friend and said. "Is there a problem with it?"
Leon nodded. "What if I tell you that there have been murder attempts on me? They almost succeeded both times in killing me. I survived, and they failed, but they won't give up."