The small square beside the waterwheel was already packed with clamoring apprentices. Only a few had blankets slung over their backs; many were still in their nightgowns, shivering violently in the cold, having clearly been led straight here from their beds.
A few professors wearing glintstone crowns were attempting to maintain order, shouting themselves hoarse as they called out names from their ledgers. When they spotted a knight approaching on horseback in the distance, every eye turned toward them.
"Knight Loretta, Prince Raven. We have been notified." The professor at the front offered a stiff, formal bow, his voice devoid of emotion. "Please, Your Highness, enter the bunker immediately."
Raven recognized him as an Enforcer Professor from the Haima Consolate. He was the one who had presided over the investigation and trial of the violent clash six months ago that resulted in a student's death; he was notorious for being cold and ruthless. As for the other professor beside him, Raven remembered him as the Alchemy instructor, though the impression was faint.
Before Raven could respond, a cacophony of noise erupted from the apprentices.
"Is there even a question? Of course we nobles go down first!" an apprentice in a lavish silk dressing gown shouted, shoving another student aside. "It's a mercy we even let you low-borns into the bunker; don't push your luck!"
"Oh? I thought the nobility swore to lead from the front to defend the nation? I suppose 'leading from the front' only applies when you're running away," someone sneered, followed by a chorus of mocking laughter from the crowd.
The animosity between the two factions was naked and unrestrained, with both sides hurling accusations and insults. Many had broken away from the lines the professors had placed them in, huddling together with friends they trusted. The handful of teachers present stood no chance of controlling the chaos.
Raven spotted Sellen in the crowd, rushing about to help the professors maintain order. But neither the nobles nor the commoner students paid her any mind.
At that moment, a small meteorite plummeted toward the square. The professors instantly abandoned their efforts to keep order, joining forces to manifest a protective barrier that barely managed to deflect the rock.
The thunderous boom of the clashing magic shocked the apprentices into silence. But soon, the commotion resumed; the fear only served to further aggravate the conflict.
Raven patted Loretta's gauntlet and whispered, "Let's head over."
Mounted on her towering warhorse, Loretta stood nearly five meters tall. The apprentices respectfully cleared a path. Some of the sharper-eyed ones shouted, "It's Prince Raven! Prince Raven is here!"
"Your Highness, it's me! You remember me, right? My father is Master Thops, Lord of the Glintstone Tower and the Lake Isle."
The leading noble apprentice, assuming Raven was there to back his faction, waved joyfully before turning to bark at the others, "Do you see? This is Prince Raven! Fall back now! Do you intend to offend the Royal Family?"
The commoner students were momentarily silenced, the sound of their grumbling dying down.
The noble apprentice nudged a student beside him who was carrying his bags, gesturing for her to step forward, then looked up at Raven. "Your Highness, I trust you've brought your essentials? My servant has my luggage; if you don't mind, please take my bedding for your use! We shall be descending into the bunker shortly."
The Haima Enforcer Professor turned toward Raven, his voice flat. "Your Highness, what is your wish?"
"What are you even arguing about? Naturally, the youngest have priority for refuge!" Raven raised his hand to quiet the crowd, then leaped off the horse and shouted, "First-year initiates, form an orderly line and board the waterwheel paddles! Second-years, prepare to follow!"
The Enforcer Professor nodded. "As it should be. Lady Loretta, please prepare to board; the machinery is sufficient to bear the weight of you and your steed."
"Wait, I'll be the last to go up," Raven said.
For the first time, the Enforcer Professor's voice carried a hint of surprise. "Your Highness, even setting aside your status, you have only been at the Academy for three years. Your age is..."
"But I have nearly completed all my coursework and am due to graduate this year, making me the equivalent of a seventh-year, is that not so? Besides, I am the Student Council President; it is my duty to stay and maintain order."
"Hmm..." The Enforcer Professor took a step back, looking Raven up and down. "You truly possess the caliber of a king."
Though some of the noble apprentices were still dissatisfied, they could only mutter a few complaints under their breath. They knew the stakes; it would be idiocy to openly defy him now. Their parents had all sworn fealty to the Carian Royal Family; if they learned their children had offended a prince, there would be no mercy.
The waterwheel groaned as it turned. It was forged from magic-tempered steel, durable enough to withstand even a few direct meteorite hits without breaking. Its size was so immense that it took over twenty minutes to complete a single rotation. Its power was drawn partly from the underground river below and partly from shattering glintstone boilers. The energy generated by its rotation was channeled to the various sorcery towers and classrooms throughout the city.
In groups of thirty, the first-year initiates leaped onto the rotating blades, followed by the second-years. Raven worked with the professors to oversee the boarding, and Sellen stayed with them, though she didn't say a single word to Raven.
During this time, several more meteorites landed nearby. However, with two Professors of Sorcery and four lecturers and assistants on-site, along with the cooperation of the senior apprentices, they managed to block the shockwaves without anyone getting injured.
Just before boarding the waterwheel himself, Raven suddenly felt a pang of unease.
He never believed in so-called premonitions, omens, or anything of the sort, but a weight settled in his chest. He felt as though he shouldn't be going down—that something terrible was waiting for him ahead.
Loretta did not rush him. He let out a sigh and jumped onto the waterwheel, descending with the rotating paddle.
Raven took one last look back at the sky. It was dark and oppressive, with deep purple clouds swirling above; the meteor shower showed no sign of stopping. A few seconds later, the paddle behind them rotated over their heads, cutting off the view of the sky.
The world went dark, save for the rhythmic screeching and grinding of the waterwheel's bearings echoing from all sides. The silhouettes of the professors, lecturers, prefects, and Student Council officers were mere blurs in the gloom. Raven felt the urge to strike up a conversation with Sellen, but everyone was so quiet that there seemed to be no reason to speak.
He expected something to happen. A massive meteorite would strike the waterwheel, the bearings would snap, and they would be stuck suspended in mid-air, or they would all go crashing down to be buried alive by the collapsing machinery.
But nothing happened. Ten minutes later, the group leaped off the waterwheel blades and arrived at the very bottom of Raya Lucaria, where the roar of the underground river thundered.
The bunker was just ahead. A group of senior apprentices stood at the entrance to receive them, using illumination spells to light the surroundings and waving them forward.
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(21 Chapter - Ongoing)
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