The scorching midday sun beat down over the school grounds, bathing the entire academy in a harsh layer of light. Sunbeams streamed through the large windows, stretching across the corridors and reflecting off the polished stone floor.
Kai, Duke, and Mike walked along the seemingly endless corridor toward the school cafeteria.
After the practical lesson, all three looked exhausted. However, what was distracting Duke wasn't the fatigue.
Mike looked ahead, curiosity written across his face.
"I wonder what the cafeteria at this school has."
Kai glanced around as he walked.
"Probably just some fast food like bread and stuff. What about you—"
Kai stopped mid-sentence.
Duke wasn't paying any attention to their conversation.
His eyes kept darting from one side of the corridor to the other, observing every area and every group of students passing by. Every now and then, Duke even turned around to look behind them, as if trying to determine whether something was out of place.
Kai stared at him for a moment before reaching out and lightly patting Duke on the shoulder.
"Hey… are you even listening?"
Duke flinched and turned around.
"Ah, yeah… I wasn't paying attention."
Mike looked at Duke in confusion.
"I've noticed you've been looking around this whole time. What are you doing?"
Duke remained silent for a few seconds.
He sighed.
His normally calm face now carried a serious expression, even a hint of concern.
"You two seriously aren't worried at all?"
Kai and Mike looked at each other.
Both shook their heads in confusion.
Mike spoke first.
"Worried about what? Don't tell me you're talking about what happened with Mr. Ryusu earlier."
Duke immediately replied.
"Exactly."
He stopped for a moment and turned toward the other two.
"The teacher looked absolutely terrified back there. Like someone was holding a knife to his throat."
Kai crossed his arms, trying to appear calm.
"It's probably nothing. You're worrying too much."
Duke immediately pointed a finger straight at Kai.
"Worrying too much?"
His voice rose slightly.
"At a school where the teachers can break a student's arm whenever they feel like it? No, I don't think I'm worrying too much."
Kai froze for a moment.
"Uh… okay… I get it."
Duke lowered his hand.
He turned forward again, his eyes still alert.
"Anyway, we need to be more careful from now on. We don't know what's going to happen."
Mike was about to say something, but then stopped.
A sudden sound echoed through the corridor.
"Grrrr…"
Duke froze.
Kai and Mike immediately turned toward him.
Duke silently looked down at his stomach.
Again.
"Grrrr…"
His hunger completely destroyed the serious atmosphere he'd just created.
Duke was silent for a few seconds before looking at Kai and Mike.
"…Let's just find something to eat first."
Kai chuckled.
"Finally, you admit it."
Mike laughed as well.
"Let's go. I'm starving."
The three continued walking.
It wasn't long before they reached the academy cafeteria.
Before them was a huge, crowded space, so packed that there was almost nowhere left to sit. Hundreds of students from various races sat in rows, while conversations, clattering dishes, and shouted orders blended together into a single chaotic symphony.
Kai stopped for a few seconds.
"It's really crowded…"
Mike looked around.
"Hey, look over there."
He pointed toward the serving counter.
Kai and Duke followed his gaze.
A line of staff members stood behind the counter, constantly handing food to students. They wore cafeteria uniforms and were so busy they barely had time to raise their heads.
Mike narrowed his eyes.
"Aren't those our old teachers?"
Duke squinted as he looked more closely.
"Yeah…"
He remained silent for a moment.
"They really are our teachers from the old school."
Duke suddenly remembered something.
"Come to think of it, they were brought here with us on the first day too…"
The three looked at one another.
None of them said anything else.
Then they walked toward the serving counter.
They waited in line for quite some time.
Finally, when it was their turn, Kai looked up.
"Ms. Simian?"
The woman in front of them looked up.
It took her a few seconds to recognize the three faces before her.
The woman who had once been their teacher was now standing behind the cafeteria counter, wearing the uniform of a cafeteria worker.
Mike immediately spoke.
"It's us, ma'am… The three students from your old class."
Ms. Simian's expression slowly changed.
A smile appeared on her somewhat tired face.
"So it's the troublemaking trio from back then…"
She looked at all three of them for a moment before smiling softly.
"Sorry. My eyesight hasn't been very good lately, so I didn't recognize you."
Kai looked at her.
"Ms. Simian…"
He hesitated before asking.
"Why are you working in the school cafeteria?"
The smile disappeared from Ms. Simian's face.
Her expression darkened.
Her eyes filled with sorrow.
"Back then… the other teachers and I were brought here along with you."
She paused.
"But we weren't as lucky as you were."
Kai, Duke, and Mike listened in silence.
"The teachers are all getting older. In a world like this, there aren't many opportunities left for us to start over."
Ms. Simian looked down at her hands.
"So the only way for us to survive here was to find work."
She gave a bitter smile.
"I… was lucky enough to get hired here."
The three boys stood frozen.
None of them had ever imagined that the people who once stood at the front of their classrooms and taught them every day would have to find a way to make a living in a strange world like this.
People who had once been teachers.
Now they were simply people who had to work to survive.
A few complaints came from behind them.
"Hey, what's taking so long!?"
"There are still people waiting in line!"
Ms. Simian flinched before quickly regaining her composure.
"Well…"
She looked at the three boys in front of her.
"I'm really happy to see you three again."
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"But I've still got work to do."
Kai nodded.
"Yes, ma'am…"
The three ordered their food and left the counter.
They found an empty table nearby and sat down.
For several seconds, none of them touched the food in front of them.
They were still thinking about what Ms. Simian had said.
Kai looked down at his meal.
"We should consider ourselves lucky, at least to some extent…"
Duke quietly replied.
"Yeah."
Mike looked at the other two.
"Still… we've just gotta keep moving forward."
Kai and Duke looked at Mike.
Neither said anything.
But all three understood.
There were still countless hardships waiting for them in the future.
And whether they wanted to or not, they would have to keep moving forward.
Suddenly—
"AH!"
A scream came from the serving counter.
All three immediately turned around.
Several nearby students also looked in that direction.
Ms. Simian's voice rang out.
"I'm sorry! Please!"
A tall student with pointed ears was standing in front of the counter.
An Elf.
He was still holding a portion of food in his hand.
He threw it directly at the serving staff.
"What did I tell you!?"
His voice was filled with anger.
"I told you not to put chili in it! Can't you understand that, old woman!?"
Mike frowned.
Duke immediately looked at Kai.
All three were clearly displeased by what they were seeing.
Mike lowered his voice.
"Someone's gotta do something…"
He looked at the Elf.
"That guy looks pretty aggressive."
Duke immediately grabbed Mike's arm.
"But Mr. Ryusu said we weren't supposed to cause any trouble during this time."
Mike looked toward the Elf, who was still shouting.
"That guy is doing the exact opposite…"
Duke fell silent.
Kai also looked toward the serving counter.
The Elf showed no sign of stopping.
He stepped forward.
Ms. Simian backed away.
The moment he was about to use his hands against her, Kai abruptly stood up.
Duke only had time to turn his head.
"Kai!"
Kai had already stepped forward.
He collided directly with the Elf from behind.
The Elf spun around.
"Who the hell—!?"
Kai looked up.
He seemed slightly embarrassed.
"Ah… sorry. I wasn't looking—"
Before he could finish.
A tremendous pain suddenly shot through his chest.
THUD!
Hansile's fist slammed directly into Kai's chest.
Kai's body was sent flying backward.
He crashed several meters away and hit the floor hard.
"Gah!"
Kai coughed violently.
Both hands clutching his chest.
It felt as though every last bit of air had been forced from his lungs.
Mike immediately jumped to his feet.
"KAI!"
He was about to rush over.
But Duke grabbed him tightly.
"It's dangerous!"
Duke gritted his teeth.
"Don't be stupid and rush in!"
Hansile looked at Kai as he struggled to stand.
"You bastard…"
He clenched his fist.
"Today is definitely gonna be the day they bury you!"
Kai planted one hand against the floor.
He tried to stand.
But the moment he raised his head—
A violent headache suddenly struck him.
"Urgh…"
Kai gritted his teeth.
Both hands clutched his head.
The pain grew stronger.
The ground beneath him began to tremble.
Nearby objects started shaking.
Tables and chairs rattled softly.
Kai's hands trembled violently.
Hansile noticed the abnormality as well.
He instinctively took a step backward.
"What the hell…?"
He stared at Kai.
"You're de…"
Before he could finish…
A voice suddenly came from the cafeteria entrance.
"Would someone please explain to me…"
Everyone's attention immediately turned toward the voice.
"…what exactly going on here?"
Kai slowly raised his head.
Standing at the entrance was Sopharie.
Beside her were Siva and Ryusu.
Behind them stood numerous teachers and a group of armored soldiers wearing helmets and carrying weapons.
The atmosphere inside the cafeteria instantly changed.
The murmuring gradually died down.
Sopharie looked toward Kai, then toward Hansile.
Siva maintained her familiar cold expression.
Ryusu, however, was completely different.
The strange tension that had surrounded him earlier was still visible on his face.
But then…
Another figure entered.
No one needed to say a word.
The mere appearance of this person was enough to change the atmosphere throughout the entire cafeteria.
The soldiers immediately dropped to one knee.
Sopharie bowed as well.
Siva and Ryusu also knelt simultaneously.
Everyone present lowered their heads.
Then a single cry rang out, loud enough to shake the entire room.
"WELCOME, YOUR MAJESTY, THE QUEEN!"
Kai's eyes widened.
Mike was completely stunned.
Duke was speechless.
Hansile stood frozen as well.
The figure slowly walked into the center of the cafeteria.
She was a woman of immense dignity.
Every step she took carried an aura that made others instinctively move aside.
But even more intimidating than her regal presence…
was her almost impossibly perfect beauty.