40 Headmaster

Mika sighed.

"What led you to that thought?" he asked acting oblivious.

"Ms. Ross and you were still alive when we reunited with you back then. Considering that you faced a demon and multiple monsters, the odds to escape were very low and based on the fact that no one was chasing you, it meant that you defeated them."

"Well, it was all thanks to Ms. Ross." Mika said.

"I don't mean to offend you, Ms. Ross, but it wasn't her. When we were separated, I sensed a strange power coming from your direction. It felt like something inhumane. It was something I'd never felt before in my life. And in addition, there was that rumbling-"

"You're right, Sylvia." Ophelia cut her off sternly with her arms crossed.

"It wasn't me that defeated the demon. Someone else defeated it. But said person was not him." she elaborated as her eyes shifted slightly to Mika.

It was neither a lie nor the truth.

Physically speaking, it was Mika, who beat Zantar, but it was at the same time not him.

During the Autopilot state, Mika will lose control over his body and someone or something else will take over for him.

"But who was it then?"

"I still don't understand it either. However, I can say that the person was not a human. You saw the match between Belian and Mika, didn't you? Then you should know that it would be impossible for him to beat a demon."

"..."

Sylvia did not seem satisfied yet.

"Yes, I saw the match. Then, can you explain how he could injure Belian to such an extent? The entire white class had to join forces to deal as much damage as Mika."

"Well..."

Ophelia was at a loss for words.

Even Mika could not come up with an excuse.

"What are you hid-"

She suddenly sighed.

"You know what, forget it. There must be a reason why you won't tell me the truth." she gave in.

She turned around and left again.

"Sorry..." Mika whispered bitterly.

"..."

Ophelia had a sympathetic look.

"There must still be a crowd waiting for you, so let's stay here for a little longer." she suggested.

Mika only nodded his head.

He had neither the motivation nor the strength to face them.

Thus, they remained a little longer in the arena.

"The spear that you used against Belian... Is that also one of the heavenly relics?" Ophelia asked after the two took a seat in the stands.

"I suppose so. It was the same as in the past when I received Excalibur. The system loaded multiple pieces of information into my head. Information about swordsmanship and the sword's abilities and origin."

"This time I also received knowledge concerning the spear itself and I now know how to handle a spear, even though I haven't used a spear yet." he added.

"What the heck... You sure got it easy..." she commented exhausted with a wry smile.

Most people had to sacrifice their entire time and had to give everything they had in order to reach the peak of their craft.

But compared to them, the way Mika gained his knowledge and power sounded like a walk in the park.

"So what does it do?" she asked with her fingers pressing against her forehead looking like she had a headache.

"Based on the loaded data, this is a heavenly relic, which can extend its own length and width."

"Sounds pretty simple."

"That's true, but the damage it can cause is nothing to scoff at."

[In terms of raw power, this spear is the best heavenly relic.]

Mika thought back to the fight against Zantar, where the spear was used for the first time.

There was no doubt in Ophelia's mind.

When she fought against Mika in the arena for the first time, Mika barely got away with the win, but if they fought again now, then it would end in an overwhelming victory for Mika.

"Well, if you had the chance to go all out against Belian, then you would have won." she stated.

"..."

However, Mika just had a thoughtful look.

He had the feeling that Belian was also still holding back.

"We don't know unless we see it for ourselves." he dismissed her comment with a sigh.

When he got up from his seat, he stretched his arms.

"Let's go back for now."

Thus, the two left the space and arrived in the academy's main hallway again.

"What took you so long?"

The two were greeted by an impatient and pouting Lily.

"Haha, sorry..." Mika laughed it off awkwardly.

Meanwhile, Ophelia's relaxed body stiffened up all of a sudden.

"Guys, let's talk later. There is something more important right now." Sylvia said sternly with a nervous gaze.

"Hm?"

Confused, he looked at Sylvia only to see another figure standing behind her.

"So you're Mika Elbar, right?"

The man behind her spoke up.

His voice was calm and gentle matching his relaxed expression.

Based on his appearance, he seemed like he was not much older than Ophelia.

Despite smiling kindly, his eyes remained closed.

His hair was grey and was long enough to cover his ears.

He, too, wore a white uniform like Ophelia, but his golden robe was longer than hers and reached to his knees. Furthermore, on his chest were five badges.

To this point in time, Mika did not understand what they stood for, however, he noticed that Ophelia only possessed four of them.

All in all, the man emitted a peaceful aura.

But be that as it may, Mika and the others could not help but feel tensed up.

Ophelia was the first to act.

"Mr. Graymen! It's good to see you again!" she said loudly and stiffly as she kneeled down in respect.

"Ms. Ross, who-"

"Hey, you lot! You're in the presence of the headmaster! Be respectful!" she mentioned.

"!"

The three students were all surprised.

"Haha, no need to be so uptight." the headmaster tried to lighten up the mood.

"But Sir-"

"It's fine, Ms. Ross. I just wanted to take a look at the new students here."

He turned his face to the three surprised students.

Then, he stretched out his hand to Mika.

"Let me introduce myself properly. I'm the academy's headmaster and the nation's representative, Lucio Graymen."

"T-the nation's representative...?!"

Lily could not believe that she stood in front of Loogam's central figure.

"M-my name is Mika Elbar and I'm currently in this year's black class. It's an honor to-"

"Haha, relax. And you don't have to be so formal." Lucio meddled in with a giggle as he grabbed Mika's hand.

The two shook hands.

"Ah! Of course, I have heard about you two as well, Sylvia Pyril and Lily Hayth." he stated with a side glance.

"I already read the report of your quest and I know about the encounter you had there." he added.

His tone got sterner and his smile slowly left his face.

He slightly bowed his upper body and put his right hand on his left chest.

"I offer my apology to all of you for putting you in danger. If we had investigated the quest more thoroughly, then this would not have happened."

"Sir-"

"Don't interrupt me, Ms. Ross. As the headmaster, I'm responsible for the mistakes caused by our lack of organization."

Mika took a deep breath.

"If that's what you want to hear, then we will accept your apology. However, you don't need to concern yourselves with us so much. After all, we are still standing here living and kicking without any complaints." Mika said with a gentle smile.

"I see... Thank you." Lucio returned his smile.

Lucio fixed his posture.

"For now, this was everything I wanted to say to you. If you still have anything to complain about or you want to say to me, then I will gladly give you the permission to visit my office."

He faced Ophelia, who seemed concerned about something.

"I know what you must be thinking."

Lucio proceeded to take out documents out of his pocket and handed them to her.

"Everything that happened is written down there. I would have preferred to explain it in person, but I have to go somewhere else now."

With his back to the three students, he waved his hand.

"I am excited to see how much you all grow in this academy!"

He departed after those words.

"So that was the headmaster, huh..."

Lily was still in disbelief.

"He didn't seem like that, but I could tell from the pressure that he was rightfully the headmaster..." Sylvia remarked with a cold sweat.

Meanwhile, Ophelia went through the document she was given by Lucio.

"..."

At first, she was nervous.

However, she clenched a certain page tightly with her fingers.

She was flabbergasted.

Eyes were wide.

The jaw dropped.

Her fingers were trembling.

Cold sweat was formed on her forehead.

"No way..." she muttered with a saddened and shocked voice.

Not just as a person, but also as a teacher, she did not want to accept what was written down there.

Damage report:

More than half of the students were found dead.