Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece-Chapter 262: Field Trip [2]
"Alright, students. Pay attention here."
Instructor Isolde's sharp and commanding voice echoed through the academy grounds, silencing everyone. She was a senior professor in her late thirties with soft blonde hair tied in a high ponytail and hazel eyes.
She appeared to be wearing a different outfit than her usual academy robes. She wore a fitted leather jacket, dark trousers, knee-high boots, and a short cloak attached to her shoulders with the Academy emblem on it.
She's extremely popular among student bodies due to her curvaceous, mature appearance.
To her right, standing lazily was Instructor Brynn Foxglove. He had dark, untidy, and messy hair with large, dark circles under his eyes. He looked like a man one step away from falling asleep at any moment.
The difference between Instructor Isolde and Instructor Brynn was quite comical.
Despite Isolde's composed and motherly appearance, Kyle knew better than to judge her from that. She's not only famous for her looks but also for her short temper and strict personality.
And judging by the fact that everyone in the crowd quieted down, they also know her reputation.
"First and foremost," She started scanning the faces of the first years, ".... It's not going to be an ordinary field trip. You'll learn plenty from it, yes. But you get this thing very clearly inside your brain that this trip will be..."
Her tone dropped a little. "...dangerous."
A faint murmur rippled through the crowd. Some of the students exchanged uneasy glances and waited for her to continue.
"Our destination… is none other than the 'The Hushwood, Quarantine Perimeter-19'."
Silence spread across the academy ground.
For a second, no one spoke. Then chaos...
"Wait? Hushwood... 'The Quarantine Perimeter-19' Forest?"
"What the— They serious?"
"Are they trying to kill us?"
The voices grew louder, disbelief crossing their faces when they heard the name Hushwood, Quarantine Perimeter-19.
Even the calmest of the students, like Serena, couldn't hide their disbelief.
Kyle's eyes also widened.
"...The HQP-19," He muttered softly.
He know what that was.
In the world of Aevorath, more than fifty percent of the land is still unknown to mankind to date.
This vast, unexplored territory, comprising more than fifty percent of the unknown, is designated as the Red Zone, commonly referred to as a Death Zone or Forbidden Zone.
Red Zones are areas with extremely high mana density that even Elves, who are called creatures of mana itself, can't live there normally.
Unknown ancient Monsters and Creatures reside there that even Radiant-ranked powerhouses would think twice before thinking of engaging with them. The place where the wrong step could awaken something ancient and hungry.
And 'The Hushwood, Quarantine Perimeter-19' is one of those forbidden death zones which is also commonly known as HQP-19.
So, hearing that they'd be going there made a shiver run down everyone's spine.
Kyle sighed mentally.
'As I thought... It's never peaceful.'
Still, he kept his thoughts to himself. He also knows that if Solvayne Academy had planned this, they must have made some kind of safety measure.
So he waited quietly for Instructor Isolde to provide further explanation.
But before she could explain, the complaints grew louder again. Students started talking with each other, their voices laced with frustration.
Isolde's eyebrow twitched, a vein popping on her temple.
"Enough."
In an instant, mana pressure spiked around Isolde, slamming down on students like a physical weight. The chatter instantly died down.
"You five." Isolde pointed at them, the few unfortunate souls who were particularly loud.
"Since you found it appropriate to interrupt, your academy credits for next month are reduced by eighty percent."
The colour drained from their faces.
"Anyone else?"
Not a single soul dared to breathe loudly.
Satisfied with her, she straightened her jacket and continued.
"As I was saying.... yes, we'll be entering The HQP-19, but calm yourselves. We'll be stationed only along the outer border, the safe zone monitored and mapped by our academy scouts. No one is dying unless you do something extraordinarily stupid."
Students sighed in relief that they would only remain in a safe area, while some of them remained skeptical nonetheless.
Isolde's lips curled into a faint smirk.
"Don't think of this as a test. Think of it as more of an opportunity.... An opportunity to train under the rich ambient mana. Just existing there will push your cores to adapt. You'll feel it in your body: your senses, your spells, even your breathing. Consider it natural training."
"Once we arrive, further instructions will be given. For your safety, each group will be assigned a Senior Guide, a second-year or higher student. They'll act as both supervisors and mentors during the expedition."
Some students perked up at that.
"But..." She added. "If you still doubt your ability to handle this trip, go ahead, you may refuse to participate."
A collective murmur rose again... A little quieter this time.
"However, remember one thing. You will automatically receive an F grade if you refuse to participate. And knowing your performance in your misterms, I doubt you guys want to compromise more with your practical exams."
That killed any remaining debate, and just like that, not a single soul raised their hand.
"Good." Her lips curled into a faint, charming smile. "That's what I thought."
"Yawwnnn~"
She was about to continue when a quiet yawn escaped from beside her, making her eyelid twitch in annoyance.
It was Instructor Brynn Foxglove.
Feeling everyone's stare on him, he quietly muttered,
"Oh, sorry about that. Didn't mean to interrupt."
Isolde's mouth twitched, another vein popping on her temple.
'This sleepy bastard—'
Internally, she was cursing the gods for pairing her with him as a first-year overseer.
'Why him of all people? Why not my sweet Auri and Seraphi? Anyone but him...'
She inhaled, forcing down her irritation.
"Anyways, as I was saying...."
She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Mana shimmered in the air above the Mana buses parked, forming glowing letters of A, B, C... floating above them. Two to three buses have the same letter floating above them.
"These mana buses will transport you to the staging point. Sit according to your assigned class, as displayed above the buses."
Students began to move, a mixture of nerves and excitement rippling through the crowd.
Kyle lingered near the back for a moment, his eyes scanning the ground as if waiting for someone.
Then he turned around and started walking.
He was looking for Aurelia. She's been acting strangely recently... Ever since he had the conversation he had with Seris about his mother.
Or Kyle's mother. He had long ago considered himself as Kyle when he got his memories. So he didn't hesitate to call Kyle's mother his own.
He remembered very clearly when his Master Seris had told him that she knew his mother, Alisa Valemont.
But before he could ask how she knew his mother, she quietly disappeared, saying she had just remembered something important she need to take care of.
Kyle had also noticed some sadness, as well as a hint of happiness, on her face when she told him that.
'What exactly was their relationship for her to react like that?'
Alisa Valemont, his mother.... Kyle's mother was a housewife with an average Iron rank mana core, nothing more, nothing less.
And when he tried to inquire about this question to Aurelia, hoping for clarity. She had quietly brushed it off, saying the Vice principal must have been mistaken, and changed the topic before he could press further.
Since then, she's been avoiding him; he hasn't seen her since morning. He had expected her to show up, as she would be staying at the academy. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
'If I knew she would avoid me like that. I would have never asked that question.'
He stopped in front of the bus door and looked back one last time.
"Kyle?" Eleanora's voice called from the front, as if asking what was wrong.
He blinked, turning his head back.
"Oh, nothing." He said, quickly stepping inside the bus.
Ding....
His mana band vibrated slightly.
He glanced down.
[Be safe. And good Luck]
It was a single line, simple text from Aurelia. But it was enough.
His lips curled into a quiet smile.
He typed back slowly.
[Thank you. I will be.]
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