Chapter 25 - Meeting The Second Wife Candidate, Master Of Sanctum Stronghold
"What are you two talking about?" The woman in front of the platform asked.
She had dark blue hair that almost looked black under the dim lighting. Her stoic expression and tall figure gave off a contrasting charm with her feminine grace.
Isaac could not take his eyes off her. He was not staring at her due to her beautiful figure and face, but because he felt he had seen her somewhere.
"I'm Leora Nisse, a 4th-year student, and I've been appointed as your bodyguard."
"Good to meet you, I'm Isaac Hargraves."
He shook hands with her.
"Leora is Champion rank. She will be your maid from today and take care of all your needs while protecting you," Professor Catherine said from the side.
Isaac could not hold back his surprise.
Talented students would reach Adept rank during the second half of the first year. They would become Elite rank somewhere by the end of the second year. Elite rank was the limit of most 'talented' awakeners. They would remain stuck at it for their lives.
Only the geniuses could go beyond Elite rank.
These geniuses would reach Master rank by the time of their graduation, which meant the last months of their fourth year.
Leora was a prodigy to have reached Champion rank while the fourth year was starting.
"Is it okay to have someone as important as her be my bodyguard?"
"It's for her training too. At her rank, she needs to train against powerful enemies, but they aren't easy to find unless you go deep into the wilderness.
"By staying with you, she can fight the enemies who could come after your neck. It's a safer option than entering the wilderness."
Isaac nodded. He looked at Leora with a new light.
A screen suddenly popped up before him.
[Eleanor Weiss]
[Age: 167]
[Rating: 97]
[Personality: Dignified, Unbreakable Will.]
[Status: Feeling smug that you cannot see through her disguise despite being an SSS+ rank awakener, slightly grumpy that her position was degraded from bodyguard to maid by Catherine.]
Isaac had to look twice to make sure his eyes were not playing a trick on him.
"You are staring quite hard at her. I guess it's because this is your first time seeing her?" Professor Catherine questioned.
He almost spoke yes when suddenly he realized it was her trap and shut up.
'If I said yes, her lie detection would tell her that I lied.'
'It will be the same as saying I have seen her before. I highly doubt Leora Nisee existed until two days ago, my lie will reveal I know Leora is Vice Principal Eleanor.'
Isaac felt wronged. Why was this damned Professor Catherine always laying traps for him?
She did it so naturally that he almost always got tricked by her. Thankfully, he was getting used to her traps and was able to avoid it this time.
"I was just surprised to know a fourth-year student reached Champion rank," Isaac answered.
"Is that so?"
Professor Catherine smiled. She let go of the topic and moved away to talk with the technician who would handle the warp gate.
"The Warp Gates were all built by the Lost Civilization. Every Fortified City have Warp Gates and they connect the adjacent cities. These Warp Gates are how we locate the new cities," Leora explained.
By the time she finished explaining, Professor Catherine returned.
"The coordinates have been set. We can go now."
She climbed the steps and stood in the center of the platform. Leora and Isaac followed her.
The technician, who was mashing buttons on a giant box with hundreds of buttons, gave them a thumbs up.
"Just keep walking!"
"...?"
Before Isaac could question the meaning of the technician's words, the dark blue cloud that was above their platform rumbled.
It grew haphazardly towards the ground and swallowed Isaac, Leora, and Professor Catherine.
Isaac looked around. His vision was blocked by the dark clouds, and he could barely see beyond his arms.
"Don't worry. Just keep walking." Professor Catherine's voice echoed.
Isaac could not pinpoint where the voice was coming from, but he followed her advice and marched straight ahead.
After ten seconds of walking, he stepped onto dirt ground.
Wisps of fresh air hit against his clothes. Dozens of people were busy with their tasks. Some shouted commands, while some controlled gigantic robots the size of a house to carry huge containers.
The young-looking people were wearing Master of Sanctum uniforms, while the older ones wore a badge with the insignia of a sage hat and sage wand. It was the official insignia of Master of Sanctum.
Isaac noticed he was standing on a platform built in an open area. Several houses were being constructed nearby.
The dark cloud that brought him here receded and became a small cloud floating above the platform.
"You look alright."
He turned towards Leora. She was inspecting him with a curious gaze.
"When someone enters the Warp Gate for the first time, they feel nauseous due to the high Mana density present inside the Warp Gate. Yet you are perfectly fine."
"That means I have a high affinity for Mana, no?"
"Yes, you are right. I suppose it's my fault for still being surprised by this very 'you' like event."
Leora shook her head and stepped down from the platform. Her words had a huge slip-up, but Isaac knowingly ignored it.
Professor Catherine was already waiting for the two of them below the platform.
A massive man in military combat uniform stood next to her. He had a shield and a spear on his back.
"Welcome to the Master of Sanctum's Stronghold in Fortified City 89. I'm Magnus Veldt, the leader of this stronghold," he spoke in a deep, gravelly voice.
"Isaac Hargraves."
"Hahaha, I know your name. It's quite a trendy topic these days. You should know how excited the people here were to meet-"
He stopped speaking and pressed his mini earpiece.
"Hold the line. I will be there shortly," he spoke to the earpiece before turning to Isaac. "I apologize, but I need to return to the frontlines.
"As for your accommodations, you can choose the farmland anywhere, and we will build your house next to it."
He shook his hand with Isaac before taking his leave.
"General Magnus is a Lv. 50 Champion. He is one of the strongest leaders of our Fortified City 50. Honestly, it's surprising he treated you so nicely.
"General Magnus normally hates upstarts like you who are given preferential treatment due to their Talent," Professor Catherine said.
"General Magnus is an old friend of the principal of Radiant Crest Academy. I believe the principal must've praised Isaac's work ethic, which is why General Magnus likes him," Leora suddenly said.
Isaac looked at her weirdly.
Did she forget she was in disguise? A student wasn't supposed to know personal information of higher-ups like that.
Leora seemed to have realized what she said.
She coughed and said, "I was told this by Vice Principal Eleanor Weiss. She is a good friend of General Magnus."
"Let's go and check which land you would want," she hurriedly added before he could point out the holes in her logic.
Isaac shook his head and followed her along with Professor Catherine.