The Imperial Academy's Mid-Semester Exhibition was supposed to be a celebration of the Empire's future.
Instead, it felt like I was standing in the middle of a brightly decorated powder keg.
The sprawling academy courtyards were absolutely packed. Banners bearing the crests of the Four Great Ducal Houses and the Imperial Family snapped in the wind. High-ranking nobles, visiting dignitaries, and wealthy merchants mingled around the elaborate magical displays and sparring rings.
It was loud. It was crowded. It was a tactical nightmare.
"You look like you want to murder someone," Ariana noted, adjusting her glasses as she handed me a cup of tea.
We were sitting behind the designated booth for the Gourmet & Ecology Exploration Club.
"I just hate crowds," I lied smoothly, taking the cup.
My eyes constantly scanned the perimeter. [Detection Lv. 8] was running on overdrive, mapping out the thousands of mana signatures flooding the campus.
