Kitty mussed up her hair, returning to her usual unkempt, even slovenly appearance.
After all, the Royal Academy was full of people like that.
Quinna shook her head regretfully. She had always thought Kitty had a delicate, cute face, but only now did she realize how much tying back her hair and keeping her mouth shut could improve both her looks and her bearing.
Ignoring her companion's repeated plea of "At least tie your hair back!" Kitty casually turned to Isis.
"Isis, you said earlier that you wanted to look up information on some Monster. Don't tell me it's... one of those legendary...
"things?"
Isis frowned. "You've only been at the Royal Academy for two months, right? Have the lecturers and professors already told you about those things?"
Quinna, who had entered the Royal Academy in the same year as Kitty, blinked in confusion.
"No, but I happen to have a big-mouthed father," Kitty said with a grin. "I've heard a little about them. They're supposed to be..."
"It has nothing to do with those things." Isis cut her off. "It's a rare Monster called Kuarusepu. Ordinary guides don't contain any information on it.
"I also know two people at the Royal Academy. I was planning to ask for their help and see whether they could gather some intelligence for me."
"Friends at the Royal Academy? Who? Maybe I know them," Kitty asked casually.
"Erik and Alma. Do you know them?"
At those names, Kitty and Quinna exchanged a glance.
"Of course! Well, to be precise, we know them, but they don't know me." Kitty shrugged. "Erik is the Academy's notorious eccentric, while Alma is quite popular among scholars of history and the humanities.
"That's Isis for you! Even your friends are important people!"
"Do you know where I can find them?" Isis asked Kitty. "I want to consult some scholars and obtain more detailed intelligence. I can bring back a sample of Kuarusepu as payment."
Kitty stopped in her tracks.
"Then there's no need to go to the library." Kitty changed direction. "I don't know where to find that eccentric Erik, but I probably know where Alma is.
"She and the others likely haven't earned the official title of Scrivener yet, so they probably aren't leading any projects. You can reach their mentors through them."
Isis nodded. That had been her plan all along.
The Professor was an old acquaintance, but the elderly man held a high position and was usually very busy, so arranging a meeting with him was difficult. Then again, more often than not, he would appear of his own accord...
Alma's mentor, Sheila, seemed like a promising person to approach. Isis had dealt with both her and Alma during the Estrellian Incident. They were not exactly close, but they knew each other well enough to talk.
Calling on Sheila unannounced might be presumptuous. She could be conducting research or teaching a class, and interrupting her would be rude. Going through Alma, who was around Isis's own age, seemed safer.
Hmm... I never used to think things through this carefully. Did I pick that up from Altaïr?
Lost in thought, Isis did not hear Kitty call her name twice.
Beside them, Quinna winked and joked, "Isis must be thinking about her boyfriend."
Kitty rolled her eyes, ready to scoff at her friend's foolish romantic notions, only for Isis to come back to herself and nod.
"Ah, sorry. I was thinking about him. What did you say, Kitty?"
Kitty stared at Isis in shock, as though she had raised a Lightning Rod in a storm and been struck on the spot.
Quinna's curiosity flared at once. "Isis has a boyfriend! What's he like?"
Isis scratched her head sheepishly. "He's my hunting partner. I'll introduce him to you if I get the chance."
Watching her cousin's ears redden slightly under Quinna's teasing, Kitty took several seconds to restore a calm facade and resume leading the way, all while screaming internally.
I'm writing to Auntie!!!
—--
Oblivious to her younger cousin's thoughts, Isis followed her through a maze of corridors until they finally reached the modestly sized study where Alma was working.
The walls were covered with rubbings taken from ancient ruins and stone tablets. Books, maps, strange artifacts of unknown purpose, and stacks of handwritten notes crowded the desk, making the place look more like a storeroom than a study.
Alma had been bent over an ancient manuscript. Startled by the three visitors, she set down her quill and rose.
She did not recognize the two short girls, but their robes suggested they were new students who had only recently entered the Royal Academy.
As for the Hunter who had to duck through the doorway... she looked familiar. Blessed with an excellent memory, Alma quickly searched her recollections. "Are you... Miss Isis?"
"We're about the same age. You don't need to be so formal," Isis said with a smile. "Long time no see, Alma."
Alma clasped her hands in front of her stomach and gave a slight bow.
She also greeted the two younger students, who looked even smaller beside Isis, exchanged a few words with them, and committed their names to memory.
After the pleasantries, Isis came straight to the point.
"Kuarusepu?" Alma tilted her head in thought. "If I remember correctly, it's a very rare Leviathan.
"I don't know many details, but my teacher should have some records."
"It's a Leviathan?" Isis asked in surprise. "I heard it inhabits inland plateaus and highlands, so I thought it might be a Brute Wyvern."
"All right, I'll take you to see my teacher." Alma straightened her clothes, then gathered her long, slightly wavy hair beneath a headscarf.
"She should be teaching a class at this hour."
"Uh... Would it be better to wait until the class is over before visiting her?" Isis asked nervously.
Alma smiled. "It's fine. This is a public lecture, so we can sit in and listen for a while. It won't take long."
Then she looked at Kitty and Quinna. "Are you two coming as well?"
Kitty and Quinna exchanged a glance.
Their job of guiding Isis to Alma was already done, but curiosity compelled them to tag along.
An extra half a class was nothing! A Leviathan that lived in the highlands sounded fascinating!
—--
Following Alma, the four of them arrived at a tiered lecture hall.
A class was already in progress. To avoid disturbing anyone, they tiptoed in through the back door.
Isis swore she was moving as slowly and quietly as she possibly could. She was practically down on all fours.
The combined weight of her armor and weapon was no joke. Her battle boots had sharp steel teeth on the soles for traction. Stone floors were not a problem, but every step across the classroom's wooden floorboards made them creak unmistakably.
Just as the empty seats at the back came within reach, the floorboard beneath her foot broke with a sharp crack.
The sound echoed through the tiered hall. Sheila stopped mid-sentence at the lectern, and every student turned to look.
Hunched over beneath everyone's gaze, with one foot stuck in the floor, Isis wanted to die.
She instinctively yanked her leg upward. The trapped foot came free easily, but in the process she pried up two neighboring floorboards and sent her other foot through the floor...
Muffled whispers and quiet laughter filled the room.
At the lectern, Sheila sighed helplessly and raised her voice.
"You there, the diligent Hunter. Sit down right where you are and stop moving. Those seats won't hold your gear, either."
Ugh...
On the verge of tears, Isis questioned herself over and over.
Why did I come to the Royal Academy for information? Is this really something I should be doing?
Why didn't I just charge straight at that Monster? Even getting killed would be better than this!