After his brief meeting with Lyra, Isaac didn't return to his dorm. There was one more task to do before the dinner at the dining hall.
Currently, he was at the Academy's general store, which is a space that served the practical needs of students who required equipment beyond what the curriculum provided.
He had been here a couple of times before. It was also through this store that he purchased his sabotaged wands.
He walked to the general supplies section.
Given the number of students inhabiting in the Academy, limitations exist regarding the aspect of surveillance. Hence, its store carried a specific category of alert tools, which are designed for students to leverage should they wish to heighten their dorm security.
The packaging described those tools as standard dormitory safety equipment. The category existed, which meant the Academy acknowledged that certain students required it. This told Isaac about how common this situation was.
He examined the available options.
There were two variants. One was meant for a door, and the other for a window.
He inspected their structures. It appeared that they are meant to produce loud noises should a significant movement be detected. They weren't perfect, but they were functional.
He deduced that upon modification, they will be relevant to his needs.
He took two meant for a door and one meant for a window.
He moved on and also took a length of thin wire and two small metal clamps. He had a blueprint established in his mind. Given his lack of expertise in these tools, it was far from perfect, but what he need wasn't perfection. It was functionality.
He brought the items to the counter.
The total came to 80 iron. He paid from his assignment earnings, and the price didn't even make a dent.
"You know, I've been looking for you."
Isaac then paused as he overheard a familiar voice, which wasn't directed toward him. Pocketing his pouch of money back and taking his items, he turned.
Jax Wason was at the store's far end, forcing a smile. He was trying to speak to a young woman who was examining the alert tools like Isaac.
"Sera. You remember me, right? Jax, Jax Wason. We met in the last year's banquet. We talked and you liked it."
Sera. Isaac recalled a profile. Sera Voss.
As far as he remembered, she was one of the A-rank skill owners who were disqualified alongside Camilla, by Silas, in the Mechanism Room.
On top of her A-rank skill, she was a member of House Voss, classified as high nobles.
Last time, Jax was on Camilla. Now, he was on Sera Voss. Status-wise, they were out of his reach.
"Jax Wason."
She turned and looked at Jax with clear annoyance, although it was subtle enough that an unaware person won't notice. Jax was one of them.
"Yes, I remember you," she said with the flat delivery of someone stating a fact. "What about it."
"Yes, Jax Wason. B-rank: [Bolt Streak]—"
"Get to the point."
Jax's smile was shaking. He was trying his best to keep it still. "Well, banquet is approaching, and I need a partner. I thought that maybe—"
"Hm… interesting."
Someone interrupted Jax, and that someone wasn't Sera, Isaac, or other silent spectators who were pretending that they were interested in looking around the store.
Vane Abias stood at the aisle's end with a single item in his hand, sighing.
He wasn't looking at Jax. He was looking at the item in his hand, turning it over with the thoughtful attention of someone reading the packaging.
"A pitiful item trying to get sold," he said with his eyes still on the packaging, "full of desperation. Hits up on anyone who meets set criteria." He set the item down and picked up another. Chuckled, "Little does it know, supply and demand exist. Good ones don't need a sale to be sold, for customers willingly come by their own feet."
Clearly, Vane was talking about Jax. Isaac saw a political connection. What Vane was trying to do at the moment was to prevent further shaming of House Wason—the minor branch of House Fulgur, the same house that Silas was born from.
Jax turned. Found Vane. His immediate response was a growl of someone who believed that things were going the way he had wanted.
"Shut up, Vane."
"Hm? Oh, Jax, I didn't see you," Vane said, turning.
"I said—shut up!"
Stuck in the circumstance, Sera Voss sighed. Isaac settled a bit further from the scene, leaning against a wall to spectate the scene.
For the sake of information or not, he found it rather humorous.
Now, Vane set down the second item and picked up a third. "Let's see that this one says." He looked at the label. "Made a ruckus during Master Thorne's lecture for a petty reason of picking on Nameless. Wand exploded while attempting a standard E-rank: [Water Shot] against Nameless. Pitiful Mana Quality Assessment, and there's more—" he set down the third item, "—couldn't control his skill in the Training Facility and let it spill toward Nameless."
Jax's jaw tightened.
"That's in the past! It's all gone now!"
"Sorry, but I am busy checking this one. Wait a moment," Ignoring, Vane picked up another item. Flipped to read its labels, "Disqualified by who-knows-how in the Mechanism Room, with a B-rank skill. Now, a womanizer with a zero-percent success rate."
He placed the item back.
"I don't like this. I don't think Silas would like it either."
The store received this.
Jax stood at the same spot, frozen.
The reason why Vane intervened was because of Jax's ties with Silas. Harm on Jax's reputation would be linked to Silas's own, which has already been damaged by Isaac's triumph over him.
Sera glanced at him for a moment, rolled her eyes, before returning to her own matter.
Isaac proceeded to leave the store, finding no further reason to stay.
By the evening, he arrived at his dorm. Had a quick dinner by the dining hall, which wasn't joined by any acquaintance, probably due to agendas of their own.
Now, the corridor was quiet. He closed the door behind him and inspected his purchased items on the desk.
Now, the alert system.
The modifications took less than an hour, and it involved him adjusting and recalibrating their functionalities. In particular, one of the two tools meant for a door was modified to recognize "vibration" rather than the opening of a door, and was placed on a wall farthest away from the door and window. The other two went to their respective positions—by the door and window. He tested each once and confirmed the sounds were sufficient.
No mana required. No conscious attention during sleep.
Sometimes, he was prone to overthinking. Purchase of alert tools and slight modifications were all that he had to do, but for the past few days, he was contemplating of a way to establish such an alert system with his skill alone.
In most of the cases, the simpler, the better.
Now, he returned to his desk. Sat down on a wooden chair.
Dark in the night, his lamp was on. He needed to think.
The Festival of Foundation is in three weeks.
It is a week-long public event. By celebrating this year, the Kingdom would demonstrate its institutional continuity during wartime. Academy took on a week-long break during this period, which meant that the usual order wouldn't be present. It was a perfect time for the operatives of Solari Empire to act.
Then, three among the higher class will be challenged by the top three of the elite class in the fourth week.
It wasn't announced yet on who among the higher class students will be challenged. Isaac had a mixed opinion on whether he would be one of the three. On one hand he was the owner of a F-rank skill. On the other hand, he defeated Silas.
Either way, there was no point worrying over the matter of the challenge. If he ends up being challenged, then he will respond. He will give his best as always. If he loses and drops to the elite class, so be it.
And then…
There was the tournament that professor Maren Solke mentioned. It was still four months away. Again, there was no point in overthinking over the future event, although it was worth keeping it filed.
He looked at the desk. The iron charm sat on its edge. The knife was in its sheath.
He closed his eyes.
Numerous thoughts ran through him.
The sabotaged wands, Atticus hired to disqualify him, two observing operatives during his street performance, midnight assault by Donaston Terra and his associates—many events happened over the past.
Personal or not, there were attempts against him.
And it was safe to assume that there was more to come.
For now, I did what I could do.
He will continue to strive improvement—not simply for the sake of growth, but for the sake of survival.