"So any updates on Nero?" asked Bella with a grave expression as he sat down in the mess for dinner. Around him were not just his barrack-mates, but many other cadets who had shared in the punishment with them.
By now, everyone knew the story of what had actually happened. The hazing for Nero and his group actually involved a prank on one of the senior female cadets. She had done something to her brother, Roland Burns, and as revenge he had planned to send the junior cadets to irritate her.
Everyone else just got caught in the crossfire. The exact details of what the sister had done, and how Roland planned on taking revenge, were not known. Yet everyone more or less realised that they were behind everything.
The most infuriating part was that Roland and the others who were responsible for everything did not get any punishment because they had to go for external training that could not be delayed. Thus, countless others suffered while they themselves got away free of any trouble - at least for now.
The promise of a challenge Nero had issued had also spread among the cadets... which brought them to their current issue. It had already been four days since Nero disappeared. He was not running drills, and he was not attending classes, which did not make sense.
Had he been expelled? But if that was the case, they should have at least heard about it. Yet Nero had disappeared entirely without a trace.
"Not at all. I even reached out to his other friend, Silas, and he has no idea where Nero could be. This is too strange," answered another cadet while they ate. No matter how dire the situation, they would not pause their food. How would that help anyone? It wouldn’t.
"Do you think we should ask one of the professors? This is too strange. Or is it possible that he was seriously injured during the training and the academy is suppressing it?"
The group was discussing amongst themselves when an unexpected person walked into the mess. He stood there for a moment, searching the entire hall, before walking towards them.
"Hey, do you guys know where Nero is? I want to challenge him, but I can’t find him anywhere," said Vilhelm as he walked up to the group. He’d already memorised their faces, and knew that many of them were on good terms with Nero.
"He’s been missing for four days already," said Bella, sounding extremely worried. Or maybe that was because he was speaking with a mouthful of rice. "We haven’t been able to find him. We were considering asking a professor about him."
Vilhelm seemed somewhat surprised to hear that. The academy was one of the safest places in Kolar - it was unlikely that something happened to him here. For him to be missing was too strange.
"Alright, thanks anyway," Vilhelm said as he raised his hand in appreciation. "I’ll try to ask around - I’ll let you know if I find something."
For some reason, Vilhelm did not feel as worried or anxious as the others about Nero’s disappearance. It was not because he was indifferent to Nero, but that he did not feel like anything would happen to him. Still, he did not want to waste a day, and wanted to challenge him today if possible, so he continued on his search.
Just as the others had considered doing, Vilhelm went to ask a professor, though he didn’t ask just any professor. Instead, he headed towards Professor Isabella’s office. It wasn’t just because she had a lot of authority and power, but also because he felt like her relationship with Nero was quite close.
Vilhelm wasted no time, running towards her office. His rush was because he was really looking forward to fighting Nero today, and if he had to wait until tomorrow the anticipation of it would be entirely unbearable!
In a very short time Vilhelm found himself outside her office and knocked before being allowed to enter. Professor Isabella, as always, seemed entirely unhappy to see him, though she would certainly not mistreat him because of that. It was just the way she was, wearing her heart out on a sleeve.
"How can I help you today, Mr. Helvig?" she asked, her tone making it abundantly clear just how happy she was to see him.
"Good evening, Professor Isabella. You look beautiful today," he said with a wide, familiar smile.
Isabella rolled her eyes.
"I look like a fourteen year old girl. I’m lucky I don’t have acne, there’s nothing beautiful about this for a woman my age. Get on with it, what do you want? Flattery does not work on me."
Vilhelm was too used to this professor, so he didn’t mind her attitude at all.
"I was wondering if you knew where Nero was. I wanted to challenge him to a fight, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. His friends say that he hasn’t even been to classes in days," Vilhelm said.
Isabella raised an eyebrow, and then glanced towards a piece of paper on her desk. In truth, Nero had not missed any classes - it was just that he had viewed the content of the classes directly from the private classroom he was in.
His schedule was extremely packed, and going from building to building, from class to class would waste a lot of time hence this was the solution that they had adopted.
It had been four days already, and honestly his tenacity so far had impressed Isabella, especially for a 16 year old. Out of the day, he was awake for twenty three hours, of which he spent twenty one and half hours studying various classes and undergoing some basic training, familiarising him with army operations.
The one and a half hour in between covered his time to eat, use the rest room, as well as various five minute breaks spread throughout the day. A routine this intense, without break, is not something that could be sustained. It was guaranteed to cause burnout.
Yes, they used the effect of various cards to make sure that one hour of sleep completely refreshed him physically and mentally. Yet that mental rest only referred to cognitive function - emotionally and psychologically it could not replace the effect of proper rest. Even so, over four days, he had not shown a hint of exhaustion, irritation or frustration.
In fact, the more he learned, the more eager he seemed to learn even more.
Originally, Isabella assumed that he’d get tired in the first few days, and that he’d push himself for a couple of weeks simply due to the threat of dropping out of the Valkan legion candidacy. Yet now, she was beginning to think that the timeline was off.
Even now, she still did not doubt that he would burn out sooner or later. She just figured that it would take him much longer before exhaustion and mental fatigue set in. What she didn’t realise was that this kind of exertion did not bother Nero.
From a young age, Nero had been taught that the best way to relax and rest the mind was to perform an activity that required focus. It wasn’t to just sit still and laze around. While the brain required a certain amount of free time, sitting and learning did not tire him out.
Knowledge, too, was power, and he was becoming stronger with every passing minute, and that was the most refreshing feeling. Even sleep could not replace the kind of refreshing feeling such a feeling delivered.
"Yes, I do know where he is, actually," said Isabella as she stood up. This was a good opportunity to teach Vilhelm about what effort and drive looked like. "Follow me, I’ll take you to him. You can challenge him once you meet him."
Vilhelm nodded. This was just as he expected.
"Thank you Professor Isabella. You’re the best," he said with a wide grin, which only caused Isabella to snort. Alright, maybe he enjoyed how easily she was annoyed by him. Despite being so strong, and so experienced , she remained entirely purehearted - something he could see clearly.
Thus, no matter how she reacted, he knew that she cared for his education deeply.
As he followed her, though, he could not help but wonder what Nero was really up to. It didn’t sound like he was in any kind of trouble.
What confused him even more was that they didn’t leave the core of the academy, instead simply heading towards one of the large conference buildings nearby. This is where a lot of visiting professors and trainers would stay, and hold lectures.
He didn’t need to wonder for long, because soon he found himself standing in front of a window, looking into a small class. Nero was receiving some kind of lesson from a professor, one-on-one.
"He’s studying? Does he need extra tuition?" Vilhelm asked, feeling confused.
Isabella gave him a look of deep disdain, though internally he could see she felt hopeful that he would be inspired. What was going on?