Chapter 631: First Group Meeting III

Lucy looked at Blake, then shifted her brown eyes towards Gena as she continued explaining the incident at Ash Academy and what had happened afterwards.

It didn’t take long for her to notice Blake’s face.

He was blushing badly.

The more Gena spoke about the fight, the redder his cheeks became.

He tried to maintain his composure, but the embarrassment was written all over his face.

Lucy watched him for a moment.

Hmmmm...

A faint smile spread across her lips.

This is quite cute.

She kept the thought to herself, quietly enjoying Blake’s reaction while Gena continued her story.

"At the end of the day, that bastard Freed stopped pestering Blake because he was now scared of messing with me. Although, he did threaten that when Felix returned for the holiday, he would report me to him and make me pay."

Gena finally concluded her explanation of the incident at Ash Academy.

Her expression changed slightly as she recalled what had happened afterwards.

"But I was scared, though."

She admitted it without trying to hide the feeling.

"You know how Felix operates. I thought that if he really came back and heard about the incident, he could really make me pay for it."

Gena rubbed her hands over her shoulders as a chill ran through her at the thought of what might have happened if Felix had decided to act against her.

She had been able to deal with Freed and the others, but Felix was another matter.

The thought of facing the consequences of her actions had not been pleasant, especially when she knew the kind of person he could be.

"Thank the Scholars, you explained to me why Freed wouldn’t do something like that."

Relief entered her voice.

She had clearly been worried about the possibility, and knowing why Freed was unlikely to follow through on his threat had helped put her mind at ease.

"That four-eyed bastard. I should just knock some more sense into his head."

Gena clenched her fist, her irritation returning as she thought about him.

"I don’t even know why he started following me around after that incident. He even managed to get my contact information, which creeps me out. But I’ve blocked him."

She frowned.

The fact that Freed had somehow obtained her contact information bothered her almost as much as his earlier behaviour.

She had no desire to keep receiving messages from someone who had already caused her enough trouble.

"Yeah, that four-eyed bitch dared to mess with Gena and then started following her around like sticky gum that refuses to come off."

Blake joined her in cursing Freed.

His earlier embarrassment had not stopped him from expressing his dislike for the boy.

If anything, he seemed quite willing to join Gena in complaining about him.

Ezra narrowed his plain black eyes slightly as he looked at Gena.

Lucy did the same.

Since when did she become this popular with men?

Lucy wondered.

The Gena she had come to know in Velcryon did not quite fit the picture she was hearing now.

Although, Gena was a beautiful young lady, and was extremely embodied with the figure of a young adult lady.

Learning that Gena had become the target of so much attention at Ash Academy was surprising.

Even Ezra found the situation a little strange.

He also thought it was somewhat funny, though his straight-faced expression revealed nothing.

He saw no reason to dwell on this new piece of information, so he let the matter pass without commenting on it.

Instead, he returned the conversation to its original purpose.

"So, what is the current status of your improvements?"

Ezra asked.

"Oh."

Gena stopped cursing Freed and looked towards the screen.

"I’m still a Binder Alchemist, but my Cognis Pool has grown a bit. And I’ve also improved my Alchemy strategy to suit the firearms I prefer using."

Her energy returned as she spoke about her progress.

Although she had not advanced to another Alchemist rank, she had continued working on herself.

Her Cognis Pool had increased, and she had spent time adjusting her Alchemy strategy to better suit her preferred firearms.

There was still room for improvement, but she was no longer standing in the same place as before.

"What about your academic strength?"

Ezra asked plainly.

He looked at Gena, already having a strong idea of what her answer would be.

"Ehn..."

Gena paused.

Her eyes shifted away from the screen, and she began fidgeting as she searched for a response.

"Well, I’m trying my best."

She answered with an uncertain expression.

Ezra looked at her for another moment.

"Gena, it’s better to use this holiday to focus more on studying."

He pointed at her through the screen.

"But it’s the holidays! I’m supposed to rest."

Gena protested at once.

She had just finished explaining her progress in Alchemy, and now Ezra was bringing up the part of her studies she would have preferred not to discuss.

"Do both."

Ezra replied simply.

He did not add anything else.

There was no lengthy lecture or attempt to convince her with a list of reasons.

His answer was short, and his expression remained unchanged.

Gena stared at him for a moment, apparently hoping he might say something different.

But he didn’t.

Ezra turned his attention towards Blake instead.

"I have finally passed the Beginner rank in Alchemy Circle Conversion studies!"

Blake announced enthusiastically, wasting no time in changing the subject to his own progress.

Unlike Gena, he appeared more than ready to discuss what he had achieved during the first semester.

"Also, I can confidently say that I’ve perfected my understanding of the Steam Engine and the Novarite-Crytalix power-source manufacturing process. I’ve finally gotten the hang of the Steel Snake Art stance, too."

He listed the achievements he had managed to make during the semester.

His expression brightened as he spoke. He had been working on several areas at once, from his studies of Alchemy Circle Conversion to his understanding of the technology behind the Steam Engine and its power source.

The Steel Snake Art stance was another achievement he was pleased with.

For someone who was not an Alchemist, the progress he had made was worth celebrating.

Ezra listened to the entire report before pointing out the part that still needed work.

"The Steel Snake Art stance is only the beginning. Others must have already started learning the punching, kicking, and defensive techniques of the Art."

His words were direct.

Blake’s smile weakened a little as he realized what Ezra was getting at.

Learning the stance was one thing. Being able to apply the techniques effectively was another.

"Blake, you should spend this holiday working on that weakness as well. I’ll send you some of the corrections to the ideas you made when remodeling the exterior of the Steam Bicycle."

Ezra spoke calmly.

He had not forgotten Blake’s invention or the ideas he had contributed to the design.

There were still aspects that could be improved, and Ezra intended to send him the corrections so that he could study them during the holiday.

Blake nodded with a pleased smile.

That was something he could work on.

He had several things to improve, but he was not short of direction.

Between his Alchemy Circle Conversion studies, his understanding of the Steam Engine and its power source, and his training in the Steel Snake Art, he had enough work to keep himself occupied.

Ezra then turned his attention back to Gena.

"Gena, I’m sure you still haven’t grasped any of the Laws of Alchemy."

His tone was straightforward.

Gena could not immediately respond.

She turned her head slightly to the left and scratched the side of her head, avoiding the screen for a moment.

Her reaction was enough.

Ezra did not need to ask her again.

"It’s the same for you, Lucy."

He said it without even glancing at her.

Lucy had been standing behind her master, smiling warmly as she watched him guide Gena and Blake through their progress.

She had seemed quite pleased with the sight of Ezra acting like a teacher scolding his students.

Then she heard her own name.

Her smile changed.

"But I only just entered the Binder Alchemist rank! And isn’t the Adept Alchemist rank the minimum requirement for learning the Laws? Besides, they’re risky."

Lucy complained in a slightly whining tone.

And she had a point.

Learning the Laws of Alchemy was not something an Alchemist could approach carelessly, especially when the techniques involved risks and required a certain level of understanding.

Still, Ezra had already considered that.

"I’ve written a training manual based on what Professor Kent taught me. It will help both of you understand what the Law of Inversion and the Law of Magnetism are about."

He explained calmly.

His answer caused Lucy to settle down.

If Ezra had already prepared a manual, then she and Gena would have something to study rather than attempting to understand the Laws without guidance.

Lucy lowered her head.

"Thank you, Master."

"Thank you, Boss!"

Gena responded with a bright smile.

The two of them had different ways of addressing Ezra, but their gratitude was clear.

Ezra accepted their responses without making a fuss.

"Okay. If any of you have problems, speak to me. I’m always ready to answer your questions and give you advice. Go..."

He was about to end the call.

But before he could do so, Gena spoke again.

"I just remembered something, Ezra."

Ezra paused.

His plain gaze returned to her screen.

"What is it?"

Gena seemed to be choosing her words carefully.

The excitement she had shown while discussing her progress was no longer as obvious, and her expression had grown more serious.

"I know you don’t care, but I found something strangely interesting when I saw it."

She paused.

"Well, it’s not exactly strange, but..."

Her eyes shifted towards Ezra.

"Since our lives at Ash Academy began, Lady Pamela has been doing terribly. She was even placed dead last in the Lite class."

Gena explained, her expression becoming complicated.

The news had caught her attention, and she had been thinking about it for some time.

Pamela had performed poorly enough to end up at the bottom of the Lite class. For Gena, who had experienced her own struggles at the academy, the result was difficult to ignore.

"Maybe I felt sorry for her because I can understand her a little. When I think about how clueless I was while Mina was suffering all that time, and how I never seemed to notice..."

Gena’s voice softened.

She looked down briefly, her earlier excitement fading as she recalled Mina’s situation.

It was not a pleasant memory.

She had failed to notice what Mina was going through, and thinking about it now made her wonder whether Pamela was experiencing something similar.

Ezra continued looking at her, his expression as plain as ever.

Gena drew a small breath before continuing.

"Lady Pamela must have felt that she had failed her brother. No... perhaps she felt that she had failed herself in trying to find closure after losing him."

Her brows drew together as she tried to explain what she thought Pamela might be feeling.

"Maybe she was still acting as though she didn’t understand that her brother could have died during the first round of the Trial. Or perhaps she still believed that she could simply kill the person who killed her brother and find closure that way, without truly understanding her own emotions or what kind of closure she wanted."

Gena finished speaking, her expression still troubled.

She did not claim to know exactly what was happening inside Pamela’s mind.

She was trying to make sense of what she had seen through her own experiences, especially the mistakes she had made when Mina was suffering.

The thought seemed to weigh on her.

For a moment, she fell silent, waiting to see what Ezra would say.