The Mysterious Black Magician

After the people from the Department of Security failed to find the molester, they left and continued their search in other places -- To where some people saw a suspicious individual.

Rea and Cinde didn't know where to find him as he left in haste. They just wished that he wouldn't further trouble himself.

They then proceeded to their destination -- To the center of this town-like campus. In the center, a castle-like building could be seen. It was the main building of Encantasia Magic Academy.

Yman entered one of the houses to hide. But sooner he learned that it wasn't just a house. Some people were chilling inside while eating. The others were talking with the person with them. Most of them were sitting on the chairs in front of the table. And he also noticed a counter in the center..

Some clerks were busy serving the customers while a person with an apron came out from the other room. On his hands was a dish of newly cooked food.

Some people took a puzzled glance at him. They must be puzzled by their sudden intrusion. 

'A pub?' His initial thought upon seeing the inside. He wondered what was wrong with this campus. No, it is a town.

But he noticed that all of the customers were wearing the academy uniforms.

While he was running, he also took notice of some stalls and shops. There were also some buildings that looked like Inns.

While he was thinking in a daze, "W-Wait..." his ears picked a seemingly exhausted voice from someone. But he didn't recognize the voice so he disregarded it. No. The voice was a little familiar but he could not remember where he heard it. Wait, this is weird. They already ran quite a distance so why was he still hearing this voice? He questioned himself. He wondered if he was hallucinating. 

Together with the voice, the unusual tug on his neck from his deity was also felt by him. He disregards it a while ago as they needed to escape from the place.

"Rea are you ok--" Yman's mouth was left hanging when he looked behind him.

He saw a familiar face. But it wasn't the face he was expecting to see.

(Huff, huff, huff...) she was breathing deeply.

Yman was stunned on his feet.

He saw his hand was holding hers. "What the heck?! How did it happen?!?" He exclaimed.

<I'm trying to tell you...> Said Sistela with a tired face. 

Yman immediately released her hand and pondered about how it happened. He was sure it was Rea's hand that he was trying to grab.

"Ahaha, uhm, I'm sorry. How did you end up in my hand?" He asked anyway.

"Eh?! Wasn't you the one who grabbed me!" The girl yelled in a raspy voice, seemingly exhausted. "Aside from that, I appreciate your kindness of showing me the way, Mr," she said and bowed slightly.

"Wait, you look familiar..." continued the girl. 

"Weren't you the adven--"

He didn't wait for her to finish her words and immediately covered her mouth.

"Sssshh, don't mention it here," he said in a hush. He just released his hand that was covering her mouth after she nodded. "Regardless, aren't you the girl that works in the guild bar?" He asked.

If his memory served him right, it was the bunny girl that was working as the counter-girl in the adventurer's guild bar.

"Hah~! Yes, that was me." She replied after a deep breath.

"Then, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm here to work as a part-timer!" She replied with an uncontrolled voice. 

"Wow, what a hard-working girl." He commented.

<Mhm! Mhm!> Sistela nodded.

 "Wait, isn't this place for royalties and families in higher echelon only?" He mumbled.

"That's... not exactly true," she said.

"What do you mean?" 

"Hey, you two, don't block the entrance!" Before Yman got an answer, the person from the counter shouted at them. It was a burly person and has a chocolate skin color; he has slight beards on his face and distinct wolf ears on his head.

"Hey wait!" Yman tried to call the girl who suddenly scuttled towards the counter. "Mr. Barn, it's me!" She shouted while raising her hand.

"Hmm..." Mr. Barn tried to ponder who she was. "Oh, you are that girl named Seven who sent an application letter the other day?" He asked after he remembered.

"Yes, yes, it was me!" She said exuberantly.

"Good, you came at the right time." Said Mr. Barn while beckoning to the customers. They noticed that there were many customers inside. It was rush hour for them. Many customers around this time of the day were coming to eat and loiter.

Seven immediately went to the back and changed to her uniform like the other worker.

When she came back, she was already in her pub uniform. "It's up to you now," Mr. Barn said, then handed the tray to her. 

"Aye! Sir!" She said enthusiastically.

Yman on the other hand found himself a seat in front of an empty table. He decided to order some food as it was awkward to sit inside without doing anything.

He saw the girl named Seven diligently working. She was serving the customers from left to right, unceasingly bringing them their orders.

"Miss, one more Half-Grilled Limb of Silver Swan!" A man shouted.

"Aye! Coming!" She replied. 

"Two cups of super black coffee with a creamy latte!"

"Aye!" 

The customers shouted their orders one after another. And she was bringing them their orders without a hitch.

Yman was sitting quietly, forgetting his intention of coming into the academy.

"This pub is a good place to waste time," he muttered.

<So what's your plan now, partner? It looks like we lost Miss Rea.>

"Mm... we must find her later."

<Why not use the scout Fire Dolls?>

"I did, but for some unknown reason, I can't transmit to any of them."

<Eh! Do you mean, someone attacked them?>

"I don't know, but there's something weird in this place."

<What do you mean?>

"I can't say for sure, but it is the same feeling when I'm inside Rea's painting."

<Do you mean... this whole place is a different world?>

"Perhaps." He replied while lifting the cup of tea towards his mouth. "I do feel a super wide-range spatial magic was being used here. But it was so thin that everyone would fail to perceive it."

<Oh, I see.>

Sistela did not bother asking how he noticed it as he was having super-high sensitivity in magic. Or it was right to say, he had abnormally high perception.

<That massive magic but it's unperceivable? Kind of weird.>

"Right."

<Uhm, partner, will it be bad for us?>

"Be at ease. I don't think it will." He said after putting again the cup of tea on the small plate.

<How can you say for sure?>

"It was easy to figure. After all, the students in this Academy are from the most high-class families and clans. They designed it like this to avoid leaking some information to the outside."

<Then what's the need of assigning a bodyguard to Miss Rea?>

"Probably, it was a precaution."

Sistela flew and her butt landed on the cup edge.

<Hmm...> with her index finger below her mouth, she was in deep thought.

"Maybe she wasn't just a rich girl with a pretty face or a popular person."

<Partner, do you mean she's a royal? Or a princess!?>

"Mhm!" He nodded slightly. "It's just a hunch," he added.

Sistela stared at him. Although her partner was lacking in luck, his thinking process was commendable.

Yman also was thinking that unlike before, not many Demihumans would take notice of his System Deity now. He believed one of the reasons was her appearance. Sistela was more like a fairy by now. 

(CREAK!)

The chair in front of him suddenly made a creaking noise. Yman and Sistela glanced at the same time.

"Phew!" Said the person who sat in front of them.

It was the bunny girl.

He laughed soundlessly at her. He glanced around him and noticed that the customers had calmed down finally.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are Mr. Crimson right?" She said of a sudden.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed. "My name is Seven. Again, thank you sir for showing me the way in here," she added while slightly bowing her head. If she wasn't wrong, Mr. Crimson was supposed to be a newbie adventurer. But he was promoted to a Golden Rank adventurer. She even heard that he beat Mr. Vince — the well-known Golden Rank adventurer.

Yman scratched his face. He didn't do it on purpose. But anyway, "Don't sweat it," he said. "Uhm can you tell me more about what you said a while ago," he added.

Seven's bunny ears danced slightly when she leaned forward towards him. "Uhm, is it about... entering here?" 

He nodded.

"You see, Mr. Crimson sir, lower-status people like me can also enter here as a worker," she said.

"Hmm, I see." Yman immediately. He already had a hunch that it was the reason.

He narrowed his eyes and pondered. "Oh, by the way, did you quit your job in the guild bar?" He asked an unimportant question.

"Ah, no-no! I'm still working there. As I already said, I came here to work as a part-timer." 

"I see."

Their next conversation was just a friendly and unnecessary one. But felt he needed to do it. And he was intentionally wasting his time. He needed to calm down the issue about the molester before going out of the pub.

He also asked her many things about the whole academy place. But it turned out her knowledge about the academy was only a little better than him.