"What shall we do with the miscreant? Margaret didn't say anything, so I am guessing it's up to us."
Cyril walked towards the academy park, where the disturbance was supposedly happening.
Rhamn's face held an excited glee of someone looking forward to the future. He didn't have to be a mind reader to know she had some creative ideas on how to take care of the problem.
No, rather, for her this was an opportunity to freely torment a human being without any repercussions.
"...Maybe. It's not like I am in control of the body. Are you really that upset by how I dealt with that cheap copy? I was only-"
I don't want to hear it. I'll handle this.
"Sure~"
A better question would be why Lapis is searching for Ambrosia here... Is it connected to the very first Ambrosia we've consumed?
"Pointless to think about. We don't have enough information."
Cyril sighed in exhaustion and walked through the park's gates. He expected to hear some sound of struggle so far, but it was completely quiet. At this time of the night, the only sound around came from the wind and the insects.
Insects...
"I'll call Morpho! It will be a good use of her amazing ability!"
He nodded in agreement.
After strolling around a peaceful park for a few short minutes, a red blur went across the sky and crash-landed on his chest.
Morpho jumped on his shoulder, excitedly twitching her antennae. She heard they needed her help and flew as fast as she possibly could, leaving the jealous snake-tiger combo sulking in the dorm.
"Can you focus on any traces of magic nearby?" Cyril whispered to her.
The student is probably using a spell to hide whatever it is he is doing.
"Or maybe there is no one here, and Margaret was just playing a joke.
...Let's hope that's not the case.Morpho should be able to track him.
As the butterfly heard his request, her wings twitched for a moment, drooping lower.
"No, Morpho! We are not just trying to make you feel better about your ability! We really need your help!"
It seems the butterfly had a slight misunderstanding.
After placating her through their combined forces, Cyril and Rhamn observed as the butterfly flew in the sky, circling around the park while twitching her antennae.
Almost immediately the butterfly discovered something, calling him to follow in a specific direction.
"Good job."
Cyril quietly walked through the park, reaching a certain secluded corner. At this moment he stepped through an obvious threshold, feeling like walking through a waterfall.
Immediately, sounds of something hitting flesh and pained cries rang clearly in his ears.
He froze, but the sounds showed no signs of disappearing.
The barrier didn't send him a warning. It's only to hide the noise?
As Morpho landed on his shoulder, Cyril cautiously approached the source of the noise.
They were behind a thick bush, hidden in the shadows of the trees around.
A man wearing dark clothes and a mask was kicking a student on the ground, yelling with clear hostility. His voice was distorted with magic, rendering it unrecognizable.
Margaret hinted it's someone I know...
"Don't even bother screaming! I've placed spells that isolated us from the outside world." The man growled with a voice that was convinced of its control.
He seemed to enjoy what he was doing.
"What a moron."
"Tell me where the stone is!"
The man in dark crouched over the trembling body and put his hand near the face of the student. A flame lit up on his hand after a relatively slow magic circle.
Judging by that casting speed, it's a first-year.
The poor student on the ground only kept repeating 'forgive me' and 'I don't know anything,' which only further irritated the man in dark.
"Hmph! Blame this on yourself!"
Just as the flame threatened to burn the student's face, Rhamn's eyes shone brighter with excitement.
"Let's watch for a little longer!"
...The Room of Reflection really brought out the best of you.
"Hehe."
Before the man in dark could actually sear the student's face, Cyril came out of his hiding spot, a red butterfly on his shoulder.
Startled, the man jumped away from the student. He cast a magic circle, throwing a vigilant look at the student interrupting his scene.
"Thorne?!" the man exclaimed with horror.
He lost concentration, and the spell broke apart before it could be finished. His legs began shaking as he stood rooted on the ground, incapable of moving further.
It really is someone I know... Maybe someone I fought in the past?
Only in that case would someone be so frightened by a young man accompanied by a beautiful butterfly on his shoulder.
Before Cyril moved, Morpho immediately shot forward, striking the man right in the chest.
The man dropped to the ground, and an ever-so-familiar pain began eating away at his insides. Being attacked like this without a barrier turned out to be even more painful.
Though thanks to Morpho's heightened control over the technique, he didn't suffer for long. He only lost control over his arms and legs.
Lying limp on the ground, the man in black only continued staring in horror at Cyril, with additional frustration soon mixing in.
Such a sight appeared familiar to Cyril.
He casually approached the fallen man and grabbed his mask.
The man attempted to struggle, but it was of no use. In a single pull the mask was taken off, revealing a familiar face.
The moment it happened, Rhamn made a dramatic gasp, putting a hand over her mouth. Though her faked shock was quickly replaced by a smug smirk.
"Look who it is! It's Albert, the mob leader!"
The man in dark, now without his mask, revealed himself to be the average-looking brown-haired and brown-eyed student Cyril encountered during the special lesson.
The way his face twisted in hatred as he led a mob against him remained fresh in Cyril's mind.
"Fucking damn it! Why are you here?!" Albert yelled through gritted teeth, his voice back to usual.
Cyril only replied with a mildly amused stare.
So he was in Lapis? Seems fitting.
That group liked passionate young men like Albert the most.
The beaten student, now up on his feet, stared with shock at his assailant.
"Albert?! Why...?" The student gasped while holding his stomach.
His face was tinged with betrayal, as if seeing one's parents go against him.
Do you know him?
Rhamn loved to remember random gossip going around the academy, particularly if it was something she would call 'juicy.'
"It's Monty, from Albert's class. Has a reputation as a reclusive loser."
"Is there a story between you two?" asked Cyril, looking at Monty.
The meek student lowered his back under those cold blue eyes. "Eh, thanks for saving me..."
"He approached me earlier today asking me about any new additions in my unusual rocks collection." He pointed at Albert, like a schoolboy complaining to a teacher.
"I was very excited about that! I thought I found a friend!"
Tears almost came out of his eyes.
"Ooh, what a poor 18-year-old baby!"
He just went through a beating. Don't be so harsh.