Chapter 696: Unanswered Question II

Ezra had never forgotten about the Alchemy Circle tattooed on Lucy’s back.

Not even for a second.

It was one of the many things he had kept in his mind, researching it whenever he had the time.

The Alchemy Circle was definitely worth investigating.

However, no matter how much he tried to decipher it, he had made no progress.

It was becoming increasingly obvious to him that the House of Melody had a good reason for placing such an Alchemy Circle on Lucy.

An Alchemy Circle whose symbols did not match any of the known categories of Alchemy Symbols.

The questions had begun to pile up in his mind.

What are the symbols?

What does the Alchemy Circle do?

What do they want to use it for?

And...

How will this Alchemy Circle affect the future if it truly is something big?

These were the questions that had occupied Ezra’s mind for some time now.

They were stored alongside the numerous other questions and pieces of information he had collected about different matters.

The House of Melody’s involvement with the organization only raised more questions about the Alchemy Circle.

Ezra lightly tapped his index finger against the table as he considered the problem.

I believe there should be a clue among the Master Symbols.

The problem is that, from what little I’ve read, Master Symbols are Concept Symbols.

He continued thinking about what he knew.

An Alchemist who hasn’t reached the Alchemist General rank can’t even begin to use any of the Master Symbols.

And even then, reaching that Alchemist rank would not be enough on its own.

An Alchemist needs enlightenment before they can add even one Master Symbol to their Alchemy Circle.

His index finger stopped tapping against the table.

Ezra returned his attention to the lesson and resumed typing the new points Professor Giggs was explaining on his Zphone tablet.

There was no point in allowing his thoughts to wander any further when he still had a class to attend.

Vera had already returned to her seat after answering the question the professor had asked her.

Ezra glanced at the holographic screen, then continued recording the important points.

Well, I guess I’ll keep researching.

There should be an endgame to all of this.

With that, he put the matter aside for the time being and focused fully on the class.

Hours passed, and eventually, the class came to an end.

As usual, Professor Giggs Ryan gave the students assignments before leaving the classroom with his apprentice.

The students began gathering their belongings, putting away their quill pens and preparing to leave.

Some were already discussing what they planned to do during the remaining time, while others were still checking their notes.

Ravenor Burnwick stood up almost immediately after Professor Giggs took his leave.

He did not linger in the classroom.

He simply left, while Page Laverdale remained behind, busy discussing something with several other students as they prepared to go.

"Ezra."

Willow called out to him calmly as she placed her Space Bag over her other shoulder.

Ezra looked at her.

"Do you want to resume our group study now?"

Willow asked.

"Don’t you have campaigning to do, since you’re the representative of the Crowned Order Faction?"

Diane asked in a tired voice.

She had been concentrating on the lessons throughout the day without sleeping once.

Now, the exhaustion was catching up with her, and she was already running out of energy.

Even so, she had to consider what they would do next.

They had assignments to complete, and Willow had also taken on the responsibility of representing her faction.

"I don’t need to begin my campaign yet,"

Willow replied calmly.

Her gaze shifted towards Vera.

"And I’m sure that’s the same for you, Vera."

She spoke in a serious tone, as though she expected Vera to understand what she meant.

Vera tilted her head to the left and folded her arms.

Her dull black eyes settled on Willow.

"I don’t think I would even need to campaign."

She said casually.

Willow narrowed her Crimson eyes at her.

"You think it will be an easy competition with me involved?"

"I don’t really care if I win or lose, to be honest,"

Vera replied flatly.

She did not seem particularly concerned about the possibility of winning or losing the election.

Her answer was straightforward, without any attempt to convince Willow that she was taking the competition seriously.

"But I’m quite interested in how this election is going to go down. Don’t you think so, Grace Evergrey?"

Vera calmly called out Grace’s name.

Grace, who had been busy discussing something with other students, froze slightly.

For a moment, she could not find her voice.

Simply hearing Vera call her name was enough to catch her off guard.

Don’t panic, Grace.

She quickly tried to steady herself.

If you panic, how will the others perceive you?

Her thoughts raced as she considered the people around her.

I can’t let my loss destroy the reputation I’ve built.

She had worked to establish that reputation, and the last thing she wanted was to damage it in front of the other students.

Vera’s sudden call had caught her unprepared, but Grace knew she could not afford to let that show for too long.

"Do you think she heard me?"

Vera asked Willow plainly.

"Why are you asking me?"

Willow replied firmly.

She clearly had no desire to become involved in one of Vera’s games.

Whatever Vera intended to do, Willow preferred not to be dragged into it.

"I know I don’t like to shout, but who knew my voice was too low for even her to hear me?"

Vera continued speaking in a plain tone.

"Ahhh..."

She sighed dryly.

"I guess I have to begin my voice training."

She said casually, without making any attempt to hide the meaning behind her words.

Everyone who had been listening, including Grace herself, could understand what Vera was implying.

She’s really making it obvious that she’s calling her deaf.

Many of the students who heard Vera’s words arrived at the same conclusion.

It was difficult to misunderstand the remark.

Vera had not raised her voice, nor had she directly called Grace deaf.

Instead, she had calmly suggested that her voice was too quiet for Grace to hear, then concluded that she needed voice training.

The implication was clear enough.

Grace gritted her teeth in frustration.

Her hands tightened as she struggled to keep herself composed.

She had been caught in an awkward situation, and Vera’s casual remarks had made it worse.

Nevertheless, she could not simply remain silent.

"Lady Vera Ashenlocke."

She finally forced herself to speak and turned to reply to Vera.

But...

Her grey eyes widened.

Vera, Willow, Diane, and Ezra were gone.

They had already left.

For a moment, Grace could only stare at the space where the four students had been.

She had finally managed to gather herself and respond, only to discover that there was no one left to hear her.

Her mind was about to explode.

"Ahhh..."

Instead, she let out a sigh.

Her emotions settled almost immediately, and she turned back towards the people she had been talking to earlier.

"So, about the reasons you should vote for me to represent our year in the faction..."

Grace resumed the conversation as if nothing had happened.

Her expression remained bright, and she continued speaking with the same pleasant smile she had worn before.

To the students around her, she appeared to have recovered from the brief interruption without any difficulty.

But her thoughts were different.

Just you wait, Lady Vera Ashenlocke.

Her smile remained on her face.

I will not only have my revenge on you for what you did to me.

She continued the conversation with the other students while keeping those thoughts to herself.

My family will stomp on your family, and I will get your crush to be my lover.

Her resentment towards Vera had not disappeared.

If anything, the incident had given her another reason to hold on to it.

You will lose everything you love and care about to me.

Grace maintained her bright expression as she spoke to the students, carefully keeping her thoughts hidden.

Just wait.

She did not allow her anger to show on her face.

Whatever she intended to do, she would not reveal it in front of everyone.

For now, she continued with her conversation, speaking about the reasons the students should vote for her to represent their year in the faction.

The self-study session began soon afterwards.

During this time, students could choose whichever classroom or library they wanted to use.

They were free to study alone or in groups, depending on their preferences and what they needed to learn.

Some students preferred the quiet of the library, while others chose classrooms where they could discuss their lessons without disturbing those around them.

It was an opportunity to work on their own studies after the day’s classes.

For Ezra, however, there was something specific he wanted to study.

It was time to begin researching how toys were programmed in Toy City.

Cyrus joined him, since he was the one who knew more about the subject.

Ezra also had some knowledge of Artificial Intelligence that he had previously shared with Cyrus.

The two studied together, exchanging ideas as they worked through the topic.

Cyrus’s knowledge of toy programming gave them a starting point, while Ezra’s understanding of Artificial Intelligence offered another area for discussion.

They could share what they knew and examine the subject from different perspectives.

For Ezra, the session was an opportunity to learn more about how the toys in Toy City were programmed.

Rather than leaving the subject until later, he could use the available time to study it with someone who already understood more about it.

They continued exchanging ideas during the session.

Meanwhile, in the Mix Arena...

Inside the president’s room of the Silver Circle Club...

Louis Evergrey stood before a holographic screen.

"Why did you call me?"

He narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased with the person on the other side of the screen.

"That’s not a way to speak to your senior, Louis."

The familiar voice sounded gentle, almost as though its owner had been hurt by Louis’s words.

"I’m not a Lady Senior, so your seducing can’t work on me."

Louis replied plainly.

"Haha... Haha..."

The voice laughed lightly.

"You are quite a funny person, Louis."

The voice responded, seemingly amused by his answer.

"Again, why did you call me?"

Louis asked once more, his expression changing as he returned to the reason for the conversation.

He had already asked the question, and the exchange had done nothing to answer it.

There was no point in continuing to entertain the other person’s remarks when he still did not know why he had been summoned.

"Okay, okay... My reason for calling is because I’m quite interested in what you and Cassian Evermont are planning, and as your Third Year, I want to help."

The voice finally explained calmly.