Saving the school would have been easier as a cafeteria worker

They'd covered more ground in two days than Cal thought possible in the Waste. It was thanks to Ferguson, who'd stayed true to his word and raised a mound of earth for them to ride on.

While fast, it did attract large amounts of attention. The majority of beasts could not keep up with their pace, falling behind them and descending into chaos as they encountered one another.

Which was a good sign that there were no 'alphas' present.

The next largest group of beasts were those run over as the ground dragged them underneath Ferguson's earthen steamroller.

Those who didn't fit in either of those categories were the select few awarded the honor of facing the odd group directly.

Their reward was running, or flying, straight into a bored Adjunctor.

Bored probably wasn't the right word. If Cal had to guess, Basem was overcompensating after being knocked out. At least, that was the only reason he could find for the unsubtle looks he received whenever the man felled another beast.

Which was perfectly fine with Cal, as he'd given up on trying to compete and instead picked up after the man. He'd come to view Ferguson's ride as a hop-on, hop-off tour bus. Whenever it appeared reasonable to him, he'd jump off and snag the core of a killed beast before rejoining the group. The first time he did it spawned a wave of protests, but over time, that faded to quiet acceptance.

Ferguson wasn't able to take them all the way, but it was far enough that they only had to travel half a day on foot before reaching a vestige of civilization.

Cal felt deeply sorry for the out-of-depth villagers they'd stumbled on. Their day had been completely upended to accommodate the disheveled group of nobles who had shambled into their home.

It was embarrassing, and Cal was very glad when he spotted the flock of beasts on the horizon. They'd been summoned by a rider the village had sent east with a flare. Another round of confusion was had as the Empire scouting party had been expecting a wave, but after explaining the situation, Cal's group requisitioned the mounts and traveled back to the keep the scouts originated from.

Pleasantries were exchanged with the local viscount before they were soon remounted and on their way to Postremo Lux. Due to restrictions, they had to land outside the city and then commandeer a train car the rest of the way.

It was dark by the time they stepped foot on the Academy's grounds, signaling the end of the third day of the week.

The headmaster, Victor, had been waiting for them, flanked by a group of important-looking strangers Cal had never seen before.

For a few seconds there, Cal thought he was about to be arrested. As fun as that would have been, his worries proved for naught. Instead, there was a lot of fussing over the Finger, the diplomat, and the royal.

The rest of them were afterthoughts, and Cal tugged on a random man's sleeve to make sure they wouldn't let the mercenary slip out before doing so himself.

That led to his current situation of basking in the night's breeze.

"That door's not getting any easier to open," Lily said from behind him. She had actually been the first to ditch that assembly, and he'd arrived to find her waiting outside.

Cal could see light peek from underneath the drawn curtains. Alice wasn't one to leave the lights on, which meant she was awake.

"I was just waiting to see if you wanted to stick around," Cal deflected, reaching for the handle. It felt cold in his hand. "Last chance."

Lily hopped off the railing and used her fingers to brush her hair into a slightly more presentable state.

"I followed you into the Waste," she responded. "You think this is any worse?"

Her voice was higher than usual, and there was a nervous energy in the air as she fidgeted in place.

"Ask me again in five minutes," he mumbled, pulling at the door. It wasn't locked, and he'd barely cracked it open when he slammed it shut. He turned on his heel, facing Lily with a grave expression. "What are the odds I can crash at your place tonight?"

Her nose scrunched, showing she didn't understand the dire situation they, or he, had found himself in. She must not have been actively scanning their surroundings, because the second the door opened, he'd been able to sense past the dorm's privacy wards and learn there were not one but two occupants of the room.

"What's got you—"

Lily didn't get to finish as the door was flung open, and he was quickly enveloped in a hug from behind.

Strangely, Olivia seemed to forget how to properly display affection because her arm was wrapped around his neck like a python.

"Callum," her sickly sweet voice intoned. "I'm so glad you finally made it back."

Yep, he was fucked.

Thankfully, being actively choked out meant he wasn't able to respond. He even put a stop to his instinctive use of augmentation, hoping he might pass out and be saved from dealing with this.

To his disappointment, her grip slackened. He turned his head just enough to see his handler scrutinizing Lily with a look more appropriate for Olivia than Emily.

"Uh, hi?" Lily said, befuddlement heavy in her voice. "You must be Emily?"

He'd forgotten they had never formally met. The Cal in him wanted to shake his head, deny her identity, and witness what would happen. Rationality, sadly, won out.

"That's me," Emily said with a dazzling smile that hid whatever she truly thought. Her tightening grip on him did not. "That cloak. Ah, I mean—you both look worn. Come in, come in."

Cal was not provided the option of denying as he was unceremoniously dragged into the room. She dropped the guise of a hug after setting him down in a chair, though she kept a firm hand on his shoulder.

Flaunting the cloak to her would be all well and good if Lily hadn't been the one wearing it. That would rightfully inform Olivia that they had all been to the cabin. Going a step further, she probably thought he had been dumb enough to lead them there.

The fingernails pressing into his shirt reinforced his deductions.

And that wasn't even the biggest problem.

No, that dubious honor went to Alice, who was seated on the couch opposite him. The coffee table separating them might as well have been a ravine for how far apart they felt. Her burning eyes had locked onto him the moment he entered the room, and she had yet to blink. Cal avoided meeting them directly.

He heard the door close behind him, followed by the clicking of a lock. Lily came into view, stopping beside the table and not taking a seat. She didn't jump on Alice like he would have expected.

Instead, she held her palms out in a placating gesture.

"Good news first," she started, clapping once to catch Alice's attention. "We're both fine. The same goes for everyone we left with. We rescued the lout, or most of him. Cal killed a category five demon—yes, you heard that right—and he's giving the credit to a big shot from Shirai for diplomatic reasons and presumably a shit ton of money."

Lily took a deep breath before rapidly continuing.

"Bad news is that big shot had a bit of a spat with Cal, and they're basically blackmailing each other. We ran afoul of a shady organization that might try to bite us down the line, and we sort of destroyed a priceless piece of our country's history. But don't worry too much about that last part. It was mostly Ferguson's fault and he'll say as much."

Cal closed his mouth. Thus far, he'd been a graceful victor and hadn't harped on the fact that he wasn't the one to destroy the tower. It was nice that he didn't need to correct Lily on that.

Several beats passed with no one speaking. Cal was in his head, trying to think if there was anything important missing. They hadn't exactly reviewed what they would own up to, but they both understood their cover story wouldn't hold up. Even ignoring their tardiness, the implications of their trip weren't small. Details would eventually leak, and waiting to explain later would only make things worse.

"You encountered cultists?" Olivia cut through the tension with a sharp but calm voice. "Where? What quantity?" He gave her a look, and those frosty eyes immediately trembled. She blinked a few times, an errant tear falling down her cheek. "Sorry, my nerves are getting the best of me. We thought you were sampling delicacies, then we learned you traveled to the Waste, and now you're speaking of demons? It's a bit much to digest."

It was an admirable save, but Cal was still going to highlight it during their next performance review. If that was a thing. Given Olivia's disposition, he was betting it was.

"They weren't anything special," he replied almost flippantly, conveying to her that they weren't related to their mission. "Didn't even call themselves cultists. They treated demons as tools. One of those tools got a little away from them, and that's the one I and the other guy dealt with."

He'd noticed Lily hadn't name-dropped Basem, and he was taking her cue on that. He wasn't opposed to revealing his identity if they asked, but they were already close to overwhelming their audience, and he felt 'big shot' was descriptive enough.

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Emily may have sagged in relief over his answer, but he was sure Olivia had plenty to follow up with. Her presence was throwing him off. She shouldn't be on campus to begin with.

Cal shifted in his seat as he searched her person for more tells. Her expression gave away nothing, but the same could not be said for her attire. The blouse and skirt combo looked of fine quality, yet there was visible stitching along the sleeve. The entire ensemble seemed familiar, and he stole a glance at Alice before quickly diverting his gaze.

He wasn't sure what he had missed in these past few days, but apparently, Alice and Olivia were close enough to share clothing. That sounded and felt like a problem.

"You lied to me." Alice's words lacked heat, and in a strange twist of fate, he wished they hadn't. It would be better than their emptiness. "And you took Lily along with your madness. I spent a full day tracking your teachers and classmates around campus, searching for anyone who knew where you went."

Cal had an apology prepared. He'd worked hard on it and thought it was fairly comprehensive. But when he looked at her—focused on her chin—he couldn't deliver it.

Alice's face was pale, her hair frayed. Her uniform was worn properly, but an odd wrinkle here and there broke the illusion. And those eyes he wouldn't meet were the wrong shade of red.

He could handle anger. He was ready for anger. But sadness? Betrayal?

Those were harder.

"Was it retribution?" she continued, her voice steady but strained. "I can understand that. After all, I threw the first stone by refusing to involve you in a matter I thought was too delicate. To do the same to me, I can't fault you for it."

No, but yes, and then also no? When he first thought of his 'vacation,' everything had seemed so simple. Even when things had spiraled, he never thought he'd get stuck on an apology of all things.

This was supposed to be the easy part.

"It's my fault," Lily spoke in his stead. "I made the call not to tell you."

A path was presented to avoid this unpleasantness. He could stay silent and let Lily take the brunt of it.

"Fuck that," Cal barked, standing abruptly. "I made a dumb promise that I didn't take seriously. Lily wanted to tell you, I said no, and then she came along to protect me."

His retort was biting and emotional. In the aftermath of the warehouse, those two had briefly butted heads over Lily hiding her strength. It had ended amicably, but he didn't want to see if their relationship could survive another bump.

Lily blanched at him before shaking her head.

"What do you think you're doing?" she questioned in a harsh whisper, seeming to forget they were all within arm's reach.

He was doing what he always did, taking the hit. It was logical. Why let a team of people risk death against a demon? Why allow an army to face a wave directly? Why put Lily and Alice's friendship in jeopardy?

Why let any of that happen when he could take it?

"Telling the truth."

The version of it that would see fewer people harmed.

"No, you're not," Lily snapped at him, displaying a level of hostility that brought him pause. She took a step back, making sure both Alice and he were in her line of sight. "It was both of us. He made the deal, and because I didn't think I could stop him or the other two idiots, I forced my way on. I knew what would happen if I told you, so I didn't. That was wrong, but I thought he was risking his life, and I wasn't about to let you risk yours as well."

Cal meant to fight it. He was prepared to.

The blistering glare he received from Lily was the only reason he hadn't. Even that almost didn't stop him. What he did realize was that he was taking her choice, or trying to.

He huffed, collapsing back on the chair with his arms crossed. Lily's selfishness was on full display, but he wouldn't call her out on it now.

"Thought?" Emily asked, her eyes shifting between them with wariness.

Lily gave a dry laugh devoid of any humor.

"That's the toughest pill to swallow, because Cal was right. Excluding the crazy stuff, he would have been fine out there alone. He tore through everything. I'd have major confidence issues if it weren't for the other two looking as hopeless as I did."

His current thoughts of her aside, she was being too hard on herself. The group had started out rough, but they'd adjusted admirably.

"Ancestors," she continued, a lopsided smile coming over her face. "It was weird. He'd be joking one moment, stabbing an ambushing beast the next. Nothing fazed him; he even gave us orders like it was a normal thing."

He was pretty sure they agreed he was in charge when they went in, so that shouldn't have come as a surprise.

"He ordered the prince?" Alice murmured, somehow latching onto that irrelevant detail.

Lily nodded quickly, seizing on her momentum.

"Yep. He even threw literal beasts at him for fun." Her face shifted, and a small bit of panic entered her eyes as she waved her arms around. "That sounds bad, but with everything else that happened, I guarantee Rolland won't remember. And if he does, he'd never bring it up. He can't afford to."

Did that mean he could have gotten away with worse? Could he still?

Olivia's hand clamped back down onto his shoulder.

"Can I say once more how happy I am to have you back?" She bent down to be level with his face. "It sounds like you had plenty of fun out there."

Her words said "happy," her eyes said "happy," and yet Cal would be a fool to think she was anything but furious.

"I'm making light of it," Lily added with some thought. "But we still got into a mess, and Cal's sort of a hero for killing that demon."

He found that to be a strange statement, but the unease didn't last as Olivia pulled back, loosening her hold of him. Cal glanced up at his handler.

That's right. He might have killed the wrong demon, but the demon still needed killing and no one could fault him for that.

Her fingers pressed on him, and he didn't have to decipher the coded message to know it meant they'd talk later.

"I need the room," Alice said before affixing Olivia with a softer look. "Emily, I won't be able to escort you back to the city tonight. Perhaps check with your employer about accommodations. Return if that does not bear fruit."

Emily's hand left him, and she nodded, leaving with a quiet farewell.

"Are we…" Lily trailed off uncertainly. Her smile had melted, and what was left was an oddly vulnerable girl. The look didn't suit her.

"I'm upset," Alice said in a clipped tone. "I can't fault your reasoning, yet it highlights my incompetence. Please leave me for now. We shall converse tomorrow."

Lily's face twitched before her shoulders slumped. She accepted the verdict, moving to the balcony. Her step hitched as she passed him, and she spared him a reassuring pat to the back before leaving them.

Cal would have left for his room, but he knew Alice hadn't meant for him to leave.

They sat there in silence, and he glanced toward the cupboard behind her.

"Have you anything to say?" she asked in an accusing voice.

He shrank back into his seat when she glared at him, as if daring him to retreat further.

This was such a mess.

Cal thought back to their talk after the warehouse. He'd promised to make her a Finger. At the time, he told himself he didn't know what he was doing, that he panicked and made an impulsive decision.

The panic and impulsiveness were true. The rest? Not so much.

He'd intentionally boxed himself in.

There was a weight on him, one that had been building for years. At times, it barely registered. This wasn't one of them, and he was acutely aware of its overbearing presence.

"I'm sorry," he said. They were simple words, and yet they carried with them more meaning and substance than anything he had ever said. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I didn't mean for it to happen, but that doesn't excuse my actions."

Remorse was not proof of wrongdoing, nor was it proof of being in the right. It was proof of wanting to do better, and right now, Cal wanted to do better.

It wasn't limited to the girl in front of him. Alice was only the latest in a long line of faceless individuals. He spoke to all of them, knowing it would doom him to failure.

"I can't promise not to hurt you in the future." His existence made such a thing impossible. "But I will promise to help you in any way I can."

On either side of the fence, he had influence. He would learn how to wield it.

"You still don't understand," Alice sighed, a defeated look settling over her. "Family is meant to shoulder burdens—yet here you are, talking like it's yours alone to carry. You've learned nothing."

Because he could take it.

"It's because I get hit on the head too much," Cal quipped, finding the action easy despite the intense atmosphere.

Her eyes went to the ceiling, and she seemed to mouth something before returning to him. He met the stare, not shying away from it. To say he lacked doubts was a stretch, but that only meant he was taking this seriously.

"Then I'll force it out of you, if not through words, then through actions."

It was amusing in a morose way. Cal wanted to laugh at it, but knew it would come across wrong.

"I won't stop you from trying."

A smile broke out on her face, and she raised her chin.

"I'll have you know, trying is my forte."

Was it now? He'd have to remember that when he pounded her into the dirt as a form of training.

"They're gone, by the way," she said. At his questioning look, she expounded. "The snacks you left. I noticed you looked at them earlier. I ate a number of them in my search for you, but I confess the majority were traded away for Emily's sake. "

That wasn't a problem. He'd invite Sebby and make some more.

Something occurred to him. It was a piece he'd failed to pick up on earlier.

"What did you mean by Emily's employer?"

Definitely not the Federation, or they'd be having a vastly different conversation. It wasn't the bar either, as that just didn't make sense.

Alice hummed in response, not immediately responding to him. He didn't push her, but he grew increasingly antsy as he waited for her to speak.

"The Ardere family cannot afford servants on campus. However, your friend was able to arrange for her part-time employment under their purview. It allows Emily limited access to campus."

Okay, so who did he have to punch about that? Because while having her around was useful, he appreciated the freedom her distance provided him.

"Who are we talking about?" he asked, noting how she avoided the name.

The more he thought about it, the more lukewarm he became. Considering his starting point, it was an improvement. Her presence wasn't great for him personally, but it would help things overall. Part-time also meant she wouldn't be here all the time. They'd have to work out a schedule.

"The girl whom I thought you were traipsing across the capital with. The same one who lied so brazenly for you."

Alice's revelation left Cal torn. This was either Mia trying to be helpful or screwing with him.

Potentially both.

"She was also the one responsible for informing me about your whereabouts." Alice patted the space beside her. "I found her sitting right here yesterday. Did you give her a key?"

He shook his head, having done no such thing.

"Vexing. Regardless, she was searching for you and inadvertently revealed the truth."

Cal found it hard to believe there was anything 'inadvertent' about that. Mia knew what she was doing.

"I'll talk to her about wandering in like that."

It wasn't like he was popping into her dorm room all willy-nilly; the least she could do was to pay him the same courtesy.

He thought that would be the end of that, but the look on Alice's face told him otherwise. What more was there to say?

"Callum." Using his name was never a good sign. "What is your relationship with that girl?"

And he worked himself up for nothing.

"She's my club president."

He'd told her this before. Maybe he should write it down for her.

"Is that all?" she asked leadingly.

That warranted a few more seconds of thought.

"She might be a friend."

He was hesitant to throw out that word, but he'd already taken a leap today. What was one more?

"Do you have any idea how disastrous it would be for us if word of your friendship, as you call it, leaks to the wider nobility?"

Alice was leaning forward, her fingers gripping her knee tightly. She was nowhere near as stiff as earlier, but neither was she comfortable.

"Would you believe me if I said yes?"

Alice had never addressed this exact scenario, but it resembled others they'd talked through. He just had to dial up the badness a few notches.

The folks back home wouldn't be very pleased either. Luckily, they'd never… damn.

Olivia knew.

He had no plan on how to deal with that.

"No," Alice continued with trepidation. "However, it shows you've thought about it." He really hadn't. "In that case, I'll say you have my support."

It was funny. He could literally hear the record scratch in his head.

What did his fake sister say?

"You just said how it was a bad thing," he pointed out with incredulity.

There was a complete lack of teasing or playfulness on her part that filled him with anxiety.

"I did. I also mentioned how we shared burdens. If this is what you wish, the family will support you. It helps that our position is not as frail as it used to be, and your particular talents make a match with the roy—"

"Atatatata!" Cal raised his voice in a childish mimicry as he stood. "Sorry, can't hear you. One of the beasts must've ruptured my eardrums."

He'd reached the limits of the truths he was willing to face today.

"I'm going to bed. Break down the door if it's an emergency."

Cal didn't look back, and yet he knew she looked at him with a mixture of exasperation and fondness.

The sight of his large and fluffy bed sapped the remainder of his energy out of him, and he fell forward. His head hit the pillows, and as he drifted off into slumber, a single thought appeared in his head.

He still had the relic.