Chapter 171: The Final Test, Part Seven

Rin could barely sleep that night. Every time she closed her eyes and tried, that memory would return, and the prospect that she'd actually reencountered them sent shivers down her spine. Because of this, by the time Sunday morning arrived, Rin had slightly red eyes and an intensely tired face that many of the adventurers she passed by in the halls made note of.

She didn't let that stop her from getting up early, though, as she knew she needed to tell someone this. The best person to inform would likely be the dean, the authorities, the Mages Guild, etc. However, the first person that came to mind was an ashen-haired woman with a bored expression, hunched over a few sheets of paper in her office. One who raised up a brow and threw a curious expression Rin's way as she burst through the door.

"Rin?" Cara asked, surprised. "Are you okay?"

"... I think I ran into them again," Rin stated, not even bothering to say hello.

"What do you..."

"The psychos," she said before Cara could finish asking the question. Cara's eyes widened. "The people I ended up with when I got teleported."

---

Just ten minutes later, Rin was now sitting in the dean's office, flanked by her teachers. Mannon, Harriton, Eli, Maria, Cara, and even Carliah were all there, either sitting or standing around her, waiting to hear her out.

"Uh, so..." Rin began to say, nervously, "I-I mean, I'm not a hundred percent sure it's them, but, the people I ran into called themselves the same thing. The Scorned," Rin stated.

"What else do you have, though?" Mannon asked, putting his hands together, on his lap. "What else tells you they're the same people?"

"Well, uh, they said they have people all around the world, too," she replied, shrugging. "Look, sure, I'm not completely certain, but... It's a lead, isn't it?"

"Agreed," Cara quickly responded, turning toward the other teachers. "It's flimsy, sure. A name is all we have to go by, but it's better than nothing. And, let's be honest, right now, nothing is all we have."

"That's true," Elisa's aunt replied, "but, I'd say we still need a little bit more before we can get the authorities involved. Calling the law down on a group of random people just because they called themselves a peculiar name would not exactly inspire a lot of confidence in the academy, right?"

That statement made everyone in the office pause for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, Cara said:

"Yeah... Probably not the best look."

"So, what should we do?" Rin asked. "Should we reach out to the Mages Guild or something?"

"The way I see it," Harriton said, stepping in, "this is a solid lead, but before we can take any real action we need some sort of physical proof. Complete and utter validation that these people are the same ones who you saw in that cave."

"Then, once we've got it, we can crush 'em," Eli added.

"Indeed," Harriton said with a smirk. "Once we've got it, we'll bring in the cavalry."

"Is it possible for you to see these people again, Rin?" Cara asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "They invited me to something. I'm supposed to see them again in a bit."

"Then, I agree with Harriton. Try to find something, something tangible, and if you do, this might just be what the whole investigation needed."

---

Rin walked out of that office feeling light-headed. Between this and her upcoming final mission before being an official adventurer, Rin's mind simply had too much to focus on right now.

[... I need a drink,] she thought, walking straight out of the academy and heading into the streets of Libera. Sure, later, she'd have to train more with Maria, but, for now, she just wanted to clear her mind. Before she could head too far out, however, Eve flew up to her.

"Hey!" She called out. Rin stopped in her tracks, turning toward her and flipping her raven hair over her shoulder.

"Eve?" Rin asked, confused. The fairy stopped just in front of her.

"Sorry to stop you like that," she apologized. "I just... I saw you storming out of the building. Did anything happen?"

Rin shook her head firmly. She wasn't sure she wanted to mention this to anyone just yet. Mainly, because there was a chance that it could all just be a coincidence. The lunatics who had nearly killed her hadn't directly called themselves "the Scorned" after all. They simply said that "society made them scorned," which could mean the same thing, but Rin wanted to be sure first. Letting the teachers know was enough for now.

"N-No," Rin quickly replied. "I was... I was just on my way to the bar. I wanted to chill for a while."

"Oh, you had me worried there for a second," Eve chuckled as she descended slightly.

"Sorry." It was Rin's turn to apologize. "Been a bit busy too, and, uh, yeah, I'm a little more tired than I thought."

"Ah," Eve replied, putting on a smile as it seemed like Rin eased her worries. "Makes sense. Hard to believe our last mission is so close!"

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"Yeah, it's stressful," Rin said, with a tired smile of her own.

Eve nodded and then asked:

"So... Need a drinking partner or what?"

"Sure," Rin responded. "Let's go."

---

{Sara}

"Good, good. Keep it up," Maria said, as Sara danced around her with her sword. One swing after another, Maria either avoided or outright parried them all with her bare hands. However, she seemed impressed.

Sara took heavy breaths. It was difficult to comprehend how Maria was this skilled, but the adventurer-in-training was thankful that there were people this competent at the academy.

She would need as much help as she could get if she was to make a dent in the world's monster population, as she hoped to do.

"You've been practicing," Maria noted as they paused briefly. Sara exhaled heavily, letting her sword rest by her side. "I'm happy to see it."

"... I have," Sara responded quietly.

Maria gestured for Sara to come with her and the two of them sat down by the edge of the room, their legs hanging out the side as they overlooked the obstacle course.

"Between you and Rin, I've had a lot to keep myself busy with lately," Maria said with a chuckle.

"Rin?" Sara asked.

"Yeah, she's kept her own training going."

At the thought of her, Sara's mind quickly recalled her classmate's image. Something about it nearly made her blush, though she couldn't understand why.

"By the way..." Maria began to ask, "how have things been going lately?"

"... Normal."

"I see, and, what is 'normal'?"

"I..." Sara sighed. "I mostly train."

"Hehehe," Maria chuckled as she threw an arm around the girl. Sara nearly flinched. "Ah, I used to be the same way. But, you should try to take breaks every now and then, you know? This academy, it's different from a normal school, of course, but you should still attempt to make some friends, and hang out with people. Don't let your training take your life over. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience."

Sara glanced over at her and found the woman looking down at the landscape beyond the academy with a somewhat sad smile.

"... Understood."

The door then opened. Both women turned their heads toward it and found Rin walking in, just as the night was beginning to settle in.

"Oh, hey," Rin said, raising a hand as she looked back at Sara. "Uh, should I come back later?"

"No," Maria replied, taking her arm off of Sara and standing up. "Actually, now that you're here, how about we have a little three-way session?"

Rin's cheeks flushed, though she smirked.

"Do I get a sword too or what?" She asked, looking at Sara's weapon.

"Nope," Maria replied.

"I figured."

And, with that, Sara's evening grew slightly more... something. She couldn't exactly put her finger on what, but something had changed.

In a good way, though.

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