We were at the café where we always met.
Me and Stefan were sitting on one side of the table, while Iris and Ela sat across from us. We hadn't said anything yet. Stefan was the first to speak.
"Almost late, buddy. Looks like your classes are pretty intense?"
At this point, I wanted to boast a little. My only goal was to elevate my ego slightly and in that way, I could get my friends to give me something. Of course, I wasn't going to do it for free. Even if my family sent me a certain amount of kane every month, I still wanted to experience what it felt like to earn my own money. Since I couldn't quite experience this feeling during my apprenticeship, I didn't really know what it meant yet.
"Actually, I am an quite talented apprentice blacksmith in my own right and I've been searching for a forge for my first job. Not only that, I laid the foundations for a client I had previously agreed with. Becoming a blacksmith is really a very hard thing, Stefan."
Of course, I couldn't straightforwardly convey my boasting. I mentioned Zui as a client and gave vague answers when asked about who she was.
"If you can do it, then I can do it too."
If Stefan thought he could do blacksmithing, I'd give him a chance, but I was sure he would feel faint from the heat in half an hour. Ela didn't show much interest in my words. Iris seemed interested, and unexpectedly, the shy girl got involved in the conversation between Stefan and me.
"Nell... Is there any way you can do something for me?"
Exactly!
Of course, I didn't show my excitement outwardly and I asked what Iris wanted. She told me she wasn't very good at controlling magic, so she asked me to make a simple staff out of iron. Some of us, like me, have a high level of control. While others, like Iris, use certain items as a kind of catalyst to control the effect and amount of their magic. The most ideal way to control magic is to create our own tome, combining the tome and the incantations to manage the magic. This method almost eradicates the issue of controlling spell power completely but no one can perform incredibly diverse spells from one day. That's why those who use this method are said to be very experienced.
That's why weak magic controllers tend to prefer popular tools like a staff or another object. Nobles also choose this route, but they prefer to use a magical crystal called a nentia. Another mine I took notes from the resources lesson. When you pour your magic into this crystal, it gives your spells a kind of doping. Of course, this is only temporary. That's why these crystals act as catalysts for weak magic controllers because they are easier to use than a staff. Also, controlling magic with nentia crystals makes it easier to manage.
As I was taking notes on how Iris wanted her staff to be, I overheard Stefan and Ela discussing Rona's death. The mysterious nature of the event seemed to be attracting people's interest. While their conversation continued, I also took all my notes for Iris's staff. It was a simple, flat staff made of iron, just over a meter and it could be carried with one hand. The tip of the staff had a spherical shape, so in case of a nearby combat, she could use it like a mace.
Iris looked happy. She must have felt indebted to me for helping her. The people around me also seemed happy. The world was progressing along its usual flow.
"Let me at least give you 2,000 kane."
"I told you, you don't need to pay this time."
"But..."
"Okay… Please don't go into that mournful, tearful expression. I'll take 1,000 kane. Also, from now on, you'll pay for the cafe when we go."
While saying these, I couldn't help but feel something strange.
I first experienced this bad premonition when I met with them. It was interpreted as my own paranoia but I felt as if thorns were digging into my back. Someone was watching me.
Despite everything, I hadn't taken a step correctly. Even feeling that I was being watched was a miracle. While I was having a nice day with Rona, I remembered her telling me Sin of the Flower had been following me all day. I had never, ever realized that it was following me. 'If I am really being followed... It would be good to thank Zui. I guess that day, telling me I was being followed made me more alert. Even still feeling this sense of being watched is incredible.' I thought.
What should be the next move of someone who realizes they are being followed?
Of course, the answer to that question is to find out who the person following you actually is. Luckily, I had a suspicion.
During my conversation with nalia, I remembered the moment when one of the two girls, without even needing to hide her anger toward me, asked whether I was really there during the incident.
Apparently, that girl had either truly realized my intention or was by far the dumbest in the group. The first option was far too weak a possibility. In fact, that possibility was outright nonexistent for me. I knew she was boiling with rage right now. Because she was like a volcano, she was looking for a place to erupt. Whether the killer was truly me or not didn't matter to her at all. Her goal was simply to find something to vent her anger on. Even if I wasn't the killer, it was obvious she wouldn't regret killing me, as she would definitely do so.
That's why, the very first moment I was alone, it was very clear she would attack me.
Despite being a cultist, it was irritating enough that she could behave so boldly, or rather, that she thought she could behave that way.
Of course, I didn't show all of this to my three friends next to me. I still felt those stares from outside the café. Using an excuse, I decided to distance myself from the others.
"Anyway, I have to finish my job now. Excuse me."
"Come on, don't do that, buddy. You haven't even finished your coffee."
"Sorry about that, Stefan but as an olds saying goes; Working iron shines."
"I've never heard such a saying."
"I just said it a few seconds ago. I am truly late."
It probably looked like I was running away from them but I had no other choice. I needed to eliminate the chance that the person following me would get involved with them. If the person I was thinking of was indeed following me, she wouldn't harm the others.
Since I had left the café, I needed to head toward a quiet area. The distance between the buildings constructed in the academy zone was quite large. They looked as if they had been placed randomly. That's why, the traditional city planning approach was absent in this region. There were almost no deserted places and if I deliberately went to these, it wouldn't take long for the follower to realize they had been lured into a trap.
'Then should I go to my dorm room? No. That would be too risky. I need to think of something else.' I thought as I continued to walk slowly. I then looked around at the buildings. I focused on the hangar-like building that we all entered on the first day, which contrasted with the neo-Gothic architecture of the other structures. I muttered to myself, 'For now, let's head in that direction. I'll think about the rest later.' and started walking toward the steel structure.
I reached the edge of the building and finally let go of everything, leaving it to the flow. Moreover, I was curious to examine this building's structure. Structures made of metal were rarely seen in the capital, Natura. As if I was looking at a giant prefab house, I suddenly felt a cold sensation around my neck. Of course, it was a dagger. Since the building's only purpose was to host the opening ceremony for new students, there wouldn't be anyone around.