When he opened his eyes, Enrico woke up in bed and let out a yawn, realizing that his five hours of rest were already over. From what he could hear outside, Jonas was gathering the students for departure.
'I'd better get going. I accidentally fell asleep while trying to communicate with the original.'
[You know, you should have slept more. The place was so peaceful without you.]
'How funny, coming from someone who's louder than me.'
Enrico would have liked to train a little more before returning to the academy, but there wasn't much he could do about it. As soon as he arrived, he would head straight to that warehouse dungeon. He couldn't waste any more time, especially since Kai, Valença, and Serenya were approaching the Third Circle.
'Sorry, but this time I'm going to be selfish and go alone.'
He knew that entering that dungeon without company would be risky. He also didn't like the idea of leaving the others behind while advancing alone, but he needed to do it. After all, he understood very well how his companions reacted when faced with someone they considered a goal to strive toward.
'The higher the wall, the more Kai and his friends will want to climb it. And the higher that wall is, the more the girls will want to catch up to me.'
If he continued evolving ahead of them, his companions would have even more reasons to work hard and surpass their own limits. On the other hand, if he simply allowed them to become stronger than him, there was a possibility that they would slow down their training.
'I can't let them slow down their own growth... But when the right time comes, I'll give them the rest they need.'
Enrico knew he couldn't demand the same things from others that he demanded from himself. He was willing to take risks and sacrifice his own rest to become stronger, but he couldn't force his companions to do the same. When the war began a few years from now, there might no longer be time to enjoy peaceful moments. Therefore, while they still could, it was better to let them enjoy that trip and the little pleasures of academy life.
After leaving his room, Enrico joined the other students and boarded the carriage. During the journey back, he remained completely silent, concentrating on what he would do as soon as he arrived at the academy. His next objective was to enter the fake aquatic dungeon and defeat the final boss. He was close to completing that stage, after which he would move on to the third fake dungeon.
While Enrico remained absorbed in his own thoughts, Elaris watched him from time to time, creating small ice flowers between her fingers and making them disappear again to pass the time.
'Is he sleeping?'
After a few moments, she shifted her gaze to Lira and furrowed her brows as she remembered the embarrassing situation she had witnessed at the hot springs. She and several other female students had arrived later than Rina, Aoi, and the others.
'How can she remain so calm after what she did?'
That day, when she discovered that several girls were trying to spy on the men's bath, accompanied by comments about having already seen Enrico naked, Elaris had considered it a tremendous lack of respect. Therefore, using her authority as Student Council President, she had imposed a punishment on everyone involved: they would be forbidden from approaching Enrico for an entire day.
'Today, I'll make sure they stay away from him all day.'
Among the punished girls, Aoi and Lira were the ones most likely to try to get around the restriction. After all, one had started the commotion, while the other had suggested enlarging the holes in the wall. Elaris only tolerated Lira's presence in that carriage because she held second place in the academy rankings. However, that didn't mean she would allow the girl to say even a single word to Enrico that day.
When she noticed Lira beginning to approach him, Elaris extended her hand in front of her rival's face, blocking her path with a serious expression.
Lira stopped and let out an amused snort as she looked at her.
"Do you think you can stop me from talking to him?"
"Maybe not, but if I send a report to the administration about your bad behavior, they might suspend you for a few days."
"Does that mean I'll be forced to stay away from Enrico?"
Elaris nodded, expecting an irritated reaction. To her surprise, Lira simply raised her eyebrows and calmly returned to her seat without insisting on the argument.
Over those weeks, Lira had observed Enrico countless times, trying to learn more about him. However, she almost never started a proper conversation. She limited herself to greeting him with a "hello," a "good morning," or a "goodbye," always with that slightly insane look that made Elaris suspicious of her intentions.
'Well, she was never much of a talker anyway.'
The journey continued without any major incidents, and the students barely spoke until they arrived at the academy. Enrico, who had seemed to be sleeping for most of the trip, finally stood up and approached Elaris as soon as he stepped out of the carriage.
"Elaris, I'd like you to train with me on Monday."
"Train? All right, I'll be waiting."
Elaris answered naturally, although the proposal had aroused her curiosity. Enrico, however, didn't stay there to talk. After saying goodbye, he headed toward Kai and pulled him along, taking him somewhere without offering many explanations.
Valença and Serenya were the first to try to follow them, but their intentions were interrupted by Elaris.
"Where do you think you're going? I already told you that you're being punished!"
"Damn it, she saw us."
Enrico heard the argument behind him but decided to ignore it completely. He continued walking with Kai until they reached the warehouse, where he finally stopped and turned toward the young man.
"Kai, I need you to do something for me."
"Of course! What is it?"
"I'm going to undergo special training in there. I'd like you to prevent anyone from entering while I'm inside the warehouse."
Kai's eyes widened, immediately interested in what Enrico had just said.
"Wait, special training? Could you tell me about it?"
"Maybe in the future. For now, I really need someone to stand guard for an entire day without leaving this place. And remember: don't let anyone inside."
"All right!"
Excited by the possibility of discovering how much stronger Enrico would become after that training, Kai nodded quickly and positioned himself in front of the door. Holding his sword, he assumed the stance of a guard determined to fulfill his assigned mission, showing no intention of abandoning his post.
[Did you really have to deceive the boy?]
'If I didn't deceive him, he might end up leaving this place. That would be bad for establishing a pact after completing this story arc.'
Enrico entered the warehouse and closed the door behind him. Then he headed straight for the place where the hidden passage was located. The surroundings were quite clean, mainly because they usually organized and cleaned the place whenever they gathered there.
Before leaving, however, he remembered something important.
'I'd better put the vases somewhere safe while I'm away.'
After securing the vases he had kept under his care for so long, Enrico approached the cabinet and opened its doors all at once. Without hesitation, he reached inside and concentrated his magic at the tip of one finger, making a small spark appear.
As if it recognized that power, a portal opened in front of him. Before he could react, the passage grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, dragging him to the other side. If he hadn't made sure he was alone in the warehouse, anyone who witnessed that scene would have been completely bewildered by his sudden disappearance.
"I think I'm going to throw up..."
Enrico felt his stomach churn as he passed through the portal. His body spun endlessly, and the sensation of being thrown in several directions made the journey extremely unpleasant. He tried to maintain his concentration, but the dizziness only grew worse as he continued to be dragged through distorted space.
Finally, another portal opened in front of him, revealing an enormous castle on the other side. Enrico barely had time to observe the structure before trying to regain his balance, bringing a hand to his head as he struggled against the dizziness.
"This portal really is different from the others. Maybe it's because I'm being sent somewhere where time works differently."
[Smart as always. I was dizzy the first time too, but you eventually get used to it over time.]
'Do you do this all the time or something?'
Before he could receive an answer, Enrico realized he was falling toward the castle. Needing to act quickly, he stretched out his hand and dug his fingers into the wall of the structure, using the force of the impact to stop his fall. The stone cracked beneath his fingers, and part of the wall was damaged by the speed at which he had struck the surface.
Enrico remained clinging to the structure for a few moments, catching his breath and trying to shake off the dizziness that still bothered him. Then he looked at the enormous castle in front of him and finally prepared to begin.
"Well, let's get started."