60 Unrest

Lenneza walked up to the nearest cafeteria, there are three on the academy grounds, and thanks to the enormous architecture of the Academy the whole learning facility is split up into three places. 

Once she got there she found a place to sit, since the academy is the most prestigious in the entire empire, the cafeteria caters to nobles, and everything inside the cafeteria is luxurious. 

The table was a Susan table adorned with intricate designs, the gilded Bell that sat near the edge of the table. The cafeteria itself has chandeliers to light the halls. 

Lenneza sighed and sat down at an empty table, she was starving after an intense day of training. Since she was gifted with instant casting, the professor didn't give her any mercy and proceeded to give her the harshest training possible. 

Not only does her entire body ache but also her head. And now, her stomach rumbles. She rang the bell and waited for a staff member to come and give her the menu. 

It didn't even take a minute when a staff member went to her table and gave her a menu, Lenneza took it without any pause and ordered as soon as her sight landed on her chosen food. 

"Whatever this is, I'm not reading that." Lenneza pointed at a picture of sashimi. 

The staff member nodded and walked off, the moment the staff member did, another staff came in and placed water on Lenneza's table. The service is truly exquisite. 

She waited for a few more seconds and her order came in, so she decided to eat quietly. 

—tap tap

Sounds of footsteps getting closer, and the more it got close to her, Lenneza couldn't help but sour her mood. She just decided to ignore it and just ate quietly. 

The chair near her table moved and someone sat in it. A familiar face that she didn't want to meet. 

"Lenneza! Man, how are you?"

Lenneza just proceeds to eat, not even bothering to have her eyes land on the sudden stranger near her. 

"C'mon, it's not that bad to have your eyes land on me. Maybe I could replace the company of your brother—"

—tak. 

Chopsticks click and clack, interrupting their speech. The surrounding pressure suddenly changed to a heavy one. The students around the cafeteria suddenly became quiet, and the room became quiet, so quiet that you could pin-drop. 

After swallowing her food, Lenneza placed down her chopsticks. 

"Charles," she said coldly. "Don't make me take this matter to your father. Since Leonard isn't here I'm here to represent the authority of the Marchen duchy."

"Woah! Woah! Calm down!" Charles jokingly said, not a single sorry in his eyes. "I'm just saying I could help you."

"On what?"

"Leonard holds significant power in your household right? Since he's the heir. But now you needed an—"

"I'm eating my meal, Charles. Lest you want these chopsticks in your eye, leave me alone or eat in your place." Lenneza gave an icy glare. 

Charles sat there unfazed, instead, he rang a bell and had himself order some food light for the stomach. 

"I've always wondered, Lenneza—"

"Speak to me formally, we're not close enough for that kind of talk."

"Fine then, Ms Lenneza. I've always wondered why the Marchen family didn't participate in the decadely duchy Union? Do you know what that means to others?"

"That Leonard is busy?"

"No, he's arrogant. The Marchen is ignoring something that we've upheld for years."

"How saddening." Lenneza expressionlessly replied. 

In that reply, however, Charles just grinned. He ate his meal and spoke again. 

"I wonder what the Imperial family would think of that."

"..." Lenneza paused momentarily. 

"After all, they're once part of that decade's event."

"Hmm…" Lenneza continued finishing her meal. "I thought it would be serious. So it's just that."

Charles raised a brow questioningly "What do you mean?"

Lenneza placed down her utensils, wiped her mouth with a napkin then drank the water beside her table. 

"None of your business."

She stood up and left, Charles looked at her back mockingly but still, he didn't chase and finished his meal. After all, even if he didn't clarify what it meant for not participating in the event, that wasn't his problem nor obligation. 

"This shrimp is exquisite." he chuckled. 

***

Leonard stood at the tent of his teacher, the ziquir was making potions. There is some sort of machinery going on, same with factories however with materials found in the dungeon. 

"What have you come in here for? I thought you would rest?"

"I needed something to do while I'm in my spare time. Not every time I rest I go to sleep."

The ziquir continued his work, moving his hand with three fingers and tinkering with his stuff. 

"Hmm… aside from magic training?"

"My mana isn't that bottomless."

"I see, here." The ziquir moved and grabbed a book and a pendant then threw them carelessly to Leonard. "Study the content of that book."

"... And…?"

The ziquir turned his head and looked at Leonard like he was an abomination, he then pointed out the tent, he didn't need more words, and Leonard walked out himself. 

Leonard took this time to study what he was given, he walked back to the quarters he was given, it was a small room. Smaller than what he had in his home, but he can't complain though, he got saved and nobody here knows about human politics. 

Once he entered his given resting chamber he looked at the items he was given. A pendant with a few glyphs inscribed on it, probably something about the language since he can't read as of yet. 

Leonard is not slacking off on the Xyn language though. After all, he doesn't know how long he would be stuck in the deepest part of the dungeon. 

He opened the book, eager to find something of value after wearing the pendant. The title is "Mana configuration and encryption." It's a bit of an advanced topic but Leonard is just taking every piece of information like gold. 

These are advanced studies of a civilization that advanced magic first then science. They know more than the ones living on the surface. 

After a few minutes of scouring the book for information, he found a bottleneck, the glyph may translate information from the Xyn language to Human but some words cannot be translated. 

Leonard signed and took note of these words. He didn't have his phone, so he left it in his room. All the things he had now are the briefcase he took while going to Richard's office. 

"oh well."

Leonard decided that he had vented all of his energy today, and closed his eyes to rest. He woke up with a tune from the most voracious farm animals in the Xyn society. 

"SCREEEEE—"

It's a Horn Beetle screeching like it was dragged in the slaughterhouse, the chicken for the Xyn. It's delicious as long as you ignore it's a beetle. 

"Ugh…" Leonard woke up with a stretch. 

He went out of his chamber and started exercising, something he needed to do to get used to the lowest floor of the dungeon. 

After he made his body stretch he took his time to bathe himself. Since the Xyn doesn't have any genitals to show they mostly clean themselves in a public bathhouse. That's where Leonard bathes, with a hint of shame from a mammal. 

The shame stemmed from the fact that Leonard doesn't know if he's bathing with a female or male Xyn, so most of the time his social skills dropped to a nil. 

With a refreshed sigh he went back to Zhar'kerut's chamber and there he studied. Of course, the ziquir is there he just went in because according to the Xyn etiquette knocking is not a thing. 

"I see you've been diligent."

"My time is limited."

"Hmph, you're at least aware."

The amount of arrogance in the Ziquir didn't bother him one bit, in fact, he had the urge to make fun of the Xyn. Only if there weren't any consequences. 

"Now, Leonard. You must've heard about the Jakari?"

"The one Xyn is at war?"

"Right… pause your study of arcane for a while. Learn the Jakari anatomy."

"I heard that they're a cousin of the trolls."

"Right, heard. Now get on the other facts you missed."

Zhar'kerut just threw a book towards Leonard with no care in which Leonard caught. He looked at the book, it was thinner than the book of arcane. 

Nonetheless, cohesive knowledge is the best to have at hand.