“You girls are free to come anytime, so visit me soon, okay?” Agnes said as she hugged Chloe, Luna, and Emma one by one.
“Be safe in the academy, and look after my grandson. He’s so handsome and charming. It’s very possible that some girls in the academy will kidnap him. We don’t want that happening now, wouldn’t we?”
Chloe, Luna, and Emma all nodded at the same time.
Ethan, on the other hand, hugged his grandpa and bid him goodbye.
“You take care,” Benjamin patted his grandson’s shoulder. “You’ve just returned from that Nexus thing, and now you’re about to go to that Legacy Gate. I just hope that your Headmaster isn’t overestimating you, Ethan.”
“I hope for that as well,” Ethan replied. “I don’t mind relaxing in the academy until the rest of the school year is over.”
This was what Ethan truly wanted.
After being in the Lands of Alastor for more than a year, he wanted nothing more than to spend most of his time relaxing without worrying about the need to fight against Humans and Monsters.
Ethan faintly understood that the Legacy Gate wouldn’t be simple.
If almost all the Magical Academies in Northshire, Eastshire, Westshire, and Southshire were headed to Nightfall Academy, then things would not be very peaceful.
After bidding his grandparents goodbye, Ethan, Chloe, Luna, and Emma all walked toward the platform where the Brynhildr Express was waiting.
After boarding the train and reaching their compartment, the group decided to rest first.
As usual, Ethan was in the middle of Chloe and Luna, whose heads were leaning on his shoulder.
Emma sat across them, and she also closed her eyes to rest.
After spending more than a week in the Gremory Residence, her tolerance of seeing her Master’s public display of affection had gotten stronger. Even so, she still couldn’t help but feel envious of the two girls who already held a place in his heart.
Half an hour later, the train finally departed. It would take them three hours to reach Brynhildr Station, where they could take a carriage to return to the academy.
Professor Rinehart told the candidates who would be going to Nightfall Academy that they would leave a week before the Legacy Gate opened.
This was to ensure that they would be able to familiarize themselves with Nightfall Academy, as well as the other exchange students who would be entering the Legacy Gate with them.
One could even say that this would be a gathering of the best among the younger generation’s Wizards and Witches on the continent. Naturally, it was a good way to form connections, as well as assess the overall strength of their potential rivals.
The Legacy Gate was a treasure trove.
Since they were all going to the same place, it was highly possible that conflicts would arise between the students.
To guarantee that none of them would openly target and eliminate each other, they would all be forced to sign a contract.
This was a must since most of the students sent to participate in the event were the so-called geniuses of the Wizarding World.
Ethan sighed in his heart as he remembered the words that Professor Rinehart said when the Headmaster had asked to meet with him in private.
“There is a possibility that a High-Ranking Guardian Magical Beast can be found inside the Legacy Gate,” Professor Rinehart said. “The Nightfall Academy wishes to capture this beast alive. Naturally, they can’t do this alone, which is why they asked the other academies to send their students in order to help them achieve this goal.
“But they are not the only ones who wish to capture this beast. The other academies are aiming for this as well. Truth be told, I think Nightfall Academy just plans to have cannon fodder to help weaken the beast before they make their move.
“This was why they didn’t hesitate to invite the best students from all over the continent to participate in this event.”
When Ethan asked the Professor if he knew what kind of Magical Beast it was, Professor Rinehart only shook his head.
“I don’t know what kind of Magical Beast it is, but according to one of my insiders in Nightfall Academy, it’s an evil creature,” Professor Rinehart replied. “If you think it’s too dangerous, help your Head Prefect, Henry, as well as Luna’s brother, Rowan, to take everyone to safety.
“Remember—we are not sending our students there to become cannon fodder. If Nightfall Academy and the other academies wish to capture it, then let them do it. Just focus on exploring the Domain. Who knows? You might get lucky and have a fortuitous encounter.”
There were only five people who knew about the main goal of this mission in the academy, and they were Ethan, Nicole, Garnet (Scarlet Witch), Rowan, and Henry.
Since they were the strongest fighters within the Brynhildr delegation, this piece of information was shared with them by the Headmaster.
In short, helping the Nightfall Academy capture the Magical Beast wasn’t compulsory.
Three hours later, the train finally arrived at their destination, and the group hired a carriage to take them back to the academy.
Emma excused herself and used her flying broomstick to go to the academy first.
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Half an hour later, the carriage stopped at the gates of the academy, and the three teenagers disembarked.
“Let’s all have dinner later,” Chloe said before heading towards Jaeger Manor.
Ethan and Luna agreed and headed to Dud Manor.
As they walked toward their destination, they noticed that there were only a handful of students wandering around the academy.
“It seems as if everyone is taking advantage of the two-week vacation,” Ethan commented as he walked while holding Luna’s hand.
“Yes.” Luna nodded. “I’m sure that my family will pester me with letters because I didn’t visit them this time.”
“Sorry about that,” Ethan said as he lightly squeezed Luna’s hand. “I was a bit selfish. I wanted to introduce you to my grandparents, but I didn’t consider that your parents are also waiting for you back home.”
Luna shook her head. “It’s fine. After we return from the Nightfall Academy, we will be given a one-week break by the Headmaster. I plan to visit them then.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Ethan inquired.
The angelic beauty pondered for a bit before nodding her head.
“I also want to introduce you to my parents,” Chloe said. “I’m sure my two mothers will like you.”
“I hope for that as well. How about your father and your brothers?” Ethan asked with a smile.
Luna giggled, which made her look so endearing in Ethan’s eyes.
“I guess you’ll find out when you get there,” Luna said in a teasing tone.
When they finally arrived in Dud Manor, they were welcomed by their Manor Mates with open arms.
After chatting for a bit, Ethan and Luna went to their rooms to drop off their luggage.
The moment Ethan locked the door of his room, a Black Cat jumped out of his shadow and looked at her surroundings.
“Is this your room, Master?” Lilith asked through telepathy.
Ethan nodded. “It is.”
“Not too shabby.”
“I know, right?”
Ethan sat on the bed, and the Black Cat didn’t hesitate to jump on his lap.
Clearly, she was asking for her Master’s care and attention, so Ethan obliged and started patting her body, making the Black Cat start purring.
“Lilith, since you are here, does that mean that the Argus and the Oddfrid Clans will come here as well?” Ethan inquired.
“No, Master,” Lilith replied. “They will meet you in Nightfall Academy and help you in whatever you wish to do. Also, aside from those two clans, the Meredith Clan will be sending two more people to protect you. As to who they are, I cannot even tell you their identities.
“But, worry not. Once we arrive at Nightfall Academy, I’m sure that they will take the initiative to make themselves known.”
Ethan nodded.
He was also very curious to see what kind of individuals the Four Protector Clans had sent to him.
‘I guess I’ll just have to wait until I get there,’ Ethan thought.
Not much was known about the Legacy Gate as Nightfall Academy kept their lips tight when it came to any information regarding it.
But one thing was for sure.
They didn’t have the strength to monopolize the Legacy Gate, so they sought the help of the other academies.
As to whether everything would go according to their plans or not, they would soon find out once the many geniuses of the Shire Continent had gathered at their doorstep.
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(A/N: Suffering from Acid Reflux. only one chapter today. Regular updates will resume tomorrow.)