Chapter 10: Guardians
"Professor Lorraine here is the Guardian assigned to our Academy. I would recommend you to stay with her until you go to the University. After that, you don't need to worry about your safety as each University has Champion-ranked guards."
Isaac didn't know how to feel about that.
He had been trying to get away from Professor Lorraine, and now he got news like this.
"What's the earliest time I can enter the University?" he asked, hoping to get away from Professor Lorraine.
"That would be today. The universities will send their scouts to talk with you. You can go to the University with any one of them."
Isaac nodded.
It was already afternoon, so the scouts would come by within a few hours.
"What about Peter and Luna? Don't they need to be protected like me?"
"Their families have Adept-rank Awakeners. Those awakeners would be guarding them already. The only one unprotected here is you."
"Thank you for the heads up. I will stay within the Academy until the university scouts arrive."
Isaac left the meeting room. Since Professor Lorraine didn't follow him, he believed she could guard him from anywhere within the academy.
On one hand, he knew he should stay with her for the protection.
But he was worried she might try to dig up information about Emily or force him to do something in exchange for Emily.
'I don't know Professor Lorraine's rank, but I doubt I would have to worry about her after I enter one of the Top 3 Universities. I just need to make sure I don't meet her until the scouts come.'
He moved towards the cafeteria where the party was going on.
Alice had paid for everyone's food. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Peter was drunk. He was laughing while he danced in the center of the cafeteria where the students had pushed aside the desks. The music was on full blast.
Almost everyone who was graduating didn't come to the cafeteria.
They were drowning in their sorrows of not awakening a Talent. A few lucky final-year students who did awaken Talents and juniors who hadn't had their awakening ceremony were the ones enjoying the party.
Isaac looked around. He left the cafeteria after confirming Peter was too drunk to talk with, and Alice was nowhere to be seen.
'I haven't opened the Random Gift Box the System gave me.'
'Might as well do it now.'
He looked for an empty classroom near the cafeteria and entered it.
The noise of soft sobs entered his ears.
He looked around the classroom and noticed Alice sitting there with her head buried in her hands.
"Alice?"
She flinched and raised her head.
Tears streamed down her puffy red eyes, and her hair, which used to be always tied in a high ponytail, was disheveled.
"I-Isaac? What are you doing here?"
She swiftly tried to hide her face and wiped her tears.
Isaac moved without thinking and hugged her.
He had thought that he didn't need to console her as Alice was strong. He realized his mistake too late.
"W-wait, why are you hugging me? I'm fine."
She became flustered.
But Isaac didn't let her go.
Her protests stopped slowly, and she began to cry.
"My life is destroyed, Isaac. I didn't awaken anything. Not even an F-rank Talent. I—"
He listened to her silently and kept patting her head.
Alice, who always maintained a cold and indifferent expression, cried her heart out, covering his shoulder with tears and snot.
Without Talent, people had no hope.
They could learn and excel in something, but anyone with a Talent in that field would always be better than them.
Alice found out all her hard work until today had been useless.
Isaac stayed with her until she calmed down.
"What am I going to do now, Isaac?" she didn't seem sure of her future, which was a stark contrast to her confident self. "Without a Talent, I..."
"Are you going to give up then?"
"What?"
"The Alice I know trained with me until her palms bled, and her limbs trembled from exhaustion. She did that all while knowing almost every student was laughing behind her back, saying her efforts didn't matter.
"She wouldn't give up so easily even now," he said.
Alice didn't reply.
Her hands wrapped around him turned into fists as she gathered her resolve.
Then, she pulled back, trying to smile.
"You are right. It's not like everything is over. I can still take over my family business. That way, I won't have to worry about money at least."
Isaac was momentarily taken aback by her beautiful smile.
During the three years they spent together, this was the first time he saw her smile.
She stood up and cleaned her face.
"I was trying to stay in the academy until now because I didn't want to meet my family, but I will go talk to them now."
"Alice."
Isaac called out to her before she could walk through the doors.
"What?"
"If, and I know your family treats you nicely, but just in case, they do anything to you for not awakening a Talent, use my name. Tell them they will be my enemies if anything happens to you."
"You know my family is one of the top families in the city, right? Are you saying you will fight them for me?"
"I will."
Alice had only asked the question to lighten the mood. Her family was too strong. They had Champion-rank Awakeners. Isaac couldn't and shouldn't fight them.
However, the resolve behind Isaac's words stunned her, and warmed her heart.
"Isaac, you shouldn't say those things even as a joke—"
"I'm serious. I would do that for Peter too."
The only reason Isaac could continue to study in the academy was due to Alice paying his tuition fees.
She did that despite his constant refusal for help, saying if someone as talented as him didn't study, then there was no point in having academies.