GVRS 7

Chapter : 07

“…?”

Flamel raised his head at the piercing gaze directed at him.
Liz had stopped eating and was staring straight at him.

“…Do you have something to say?”

“Huh? Weren’t you listening?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I asked if Russell is very sick.”

Flamel glanced to the side and noticed that two people were now naturally sitting beside him.

Next to Liz Camelot sat Eris Helle, giving him an awkward smile and greeting him with her eyes.

“…Why are you asking me that?”

Even though Flamel replied curtly, Liz and Eris didn’t seem bothered.

Eris spoke first.

“Huh? Aren’t you two friends?”

—an utterly ridiculous thing to say.

Liz, on the other hand, gave a more reasonable answer.

“You told the professor he was absent because of illness.”

“Someone who looked perfectly fine until yesterday suddenly being absent due to illness. Isn’t that strange? Maybe he’s just using illness as an excuse to secretly train by himself…!”

Liz was getting heated, saying, “I’ll use visiting the sick as an excuse to uncover all of his secret training!”

Meanwhile, Eris nodded along.

“Mm-hmm. But first, should we eat this? Don’t be picky.”

“Flamel. So are you going to visit him or not? If you go, let’s go together.”

Watching Liz speak to him so naturally made Flamel’s expression turn strange.

‘How did it end up like this?’

Originally, he planned to quietly graduate from the Magic Tower.

He had come here in the first place to avoid being tracked because of his Contract Star.
He never intended to play this kind of “friendship” game.

‘They’re not friends. They’re just sticking to me on their own.’

Flamel comforted himself with that thought.

“…There’s no need to visit him. He’s fine.”

Of course, his arm had gotten a bit more wrecked.

But Russell’s arm had already been smashed to begin with, so it hardly made a difference.

The reason Flamel reported Russell as absent due to illness was because he had recklessly used the power of his Contract Star the day before.

‘He turned the entire lake area into the sea for a moment. I’ve never seen anything like it.’

It wasn’t an illusion.
That had definitely been real seawater.

And yet a guy who didn’t even seem to know the name of his own Contract Star could deploy such a precise domain.

Flamel assumed the backlash must have put serious strain on his body.

‘But he looked fine.’

After sleeping deeply, Russell had even looked refreshed.

He was impossible to understand.

“So what, he was faking it? Hmph. I knew it.”

Liz pouted in annoyance.

“Liz was really worried.”

“Who said I was worried! I— I just thought the movement of the stars last night was unusual, that’s all.”

Flamel half-listened to Liz and Eris bickering.

‘And the first thing he said after waking up was nonsense…’

Whose Contract Star?

What kind of idiot doesn’t recognize the power of his own Contract Star?

And what kind of Contract Star would lend such great power to a fool like that?

There were too many things Flamel couldn’t understand.

‘Does he really not know?’

Flamel had been born with a constitution sensitive to the love of the stars.

Because of that, he could clearly feel the gaze of the heavens looking down at him.

Occasionally, he could also feel the gaze directed at others—
if it was intense enough.

When Russell deployed his domain, it looked to Flamel as if a spotlight had turned on above Russell’s head.

‘What a strange guy.’

But Flamel didn’t think it was necessary to tell him.

He would realize it sooner or later.

Just then, he spotted his target in the distance.

‘Is that him? What was his name…’

Someone not worth remembering.

A glance at the name tag showed Tom.

It was the first time he learned the name, but he recognized the face.

Whenever Russell Blair picked pointless fights with others, this guy had always been the one egging things on from behind.

Flamel stood up with his finished tray.

‘If I pick a fight directly, it’ll attract too much attention.’

If Tom and his group suddenly disappeared someday, suspicion would fall on Flamel.

‘It has to look like the usual kind of provocation…’

Bump.

As he walked past carrying his tray, he pretended to accidentally bump Tom’s shoulder.

“Huh? What the hell?”

Tom stopped chatting loudly with his group and frowned.

When he saw Flamel holding the tray, he flinched—then sneered.

“Well, well. Look at that. You look surprisingly fine.”

“….”

“You must be pretty good at running away. Whenever you and Russell are together, he’s always the one who gets hurt. Hahaha!”

Even at the mocking suggestion that he ran away with his tail between his legs, Flamel remained calm.

This level of insult didn’t even count as an insult.

Compared to the abuse he’d endured in the past, this was child’s play.

“But you know, if you’re lucky enough to survive, shouldn’t you lie low? Huh? Aren’t you grateful for the life you barely kept?”

Tap. Tap.

Tom pressed Flamel’s forehead with his fingertip and then spat into the tray he was holding.

“Anyway, life’s been good lately, huh? Since Russell started playing with you.”

Tom sneered.

“Hey, you can really tell the standards of Baron Blair’s family. Hanging around with a commoner brat like you. Right?”

He and his group burst into laughter.

“Your stomach must be strong. If it were me, I’d puke before eating at the same table as you. Or maybe Russell has sunk to the same level?”

“Are you finished talking?”

Flamel looked openly annoyed.

Tom clenched his teeth and slapped Flamel’s cheek lightly.

“You need to be taught a lesson today. Come on. I’ll fix that attitude of yours.”

Good.

Everything was going according to plan.

When Flamel simply stared at him, Tom grabbed his collar.

“Follow me.”

He dragged Flamel away.

Liz and Eris, who had been watching the situation, exchanged glances.

Things were clearly escalating.

They needed someone who could mediate.

Liz thought rapidly.

‘Professor? …He probably wouldn’t care.
The student council president? Would they even bother?
Then…’

Only one option remained.

‘We have to bring Russell!’

A Little Later

‘Let’s drop out!’

This Magic Tower was insane.

Werewolves lived in the forest, and a giant octopus lived in the lake.
That alone proved it wasn’t normal.

Apparently the original Russell Blair had thought something similar.

Inside the desk drawer of my room, I found a withdrawal form filled out with all my personal details.

Thanks to that, I learned my father’s name—and that I had an older brother.

‘Looks like he was pretty serious about it.’

The form was basically complete.
All that was missing was the supervising professor’s stamp.

The date written on it?

March 4th.

Just two days after enrollment.

The semester had already been going on for a month, so he could have submitted it anytime.

Why hadn’t the original Russell Blair done it?

‘Well, not my problem. Nothing’s worse than dying.’

I stuffed the withdrawal form into my bag and adjusted my school tie.

‘Submit the withdrawal form, then head to the place Flamel told me about.’

Alright.

Let’s go—

Bang!

“Oh? I was just about to knock…”

Click.

The moment I opened the door, I closed it again.

Well… it couldn’t be helped.

Anyone would react like that when meeting such an unexpected person.

‘Did I just hallucinate?’

There was no reason that person would come all the way to my door.

Right.
I must’ve imagined it.

Bang!

I tried to close the door again, but Liz grabbed it firmly through the gap.

“What are you doing?! Why are you closing the door again?!”

So it wasn’t a stress-induced hallucination.

Liz forced the door open.

“Hurry up and come with me! There’s no time to explain!”

“W-What?”

Liz grabbed my hand and started running.

What the hell was going on?

Then I realized someone was missing.

“Where’s Eris?”

“She’s with Flamel!”

“The two of them? Why?”

“Because of you!”

Liz shouted angrily.

“Your idiot friends picked a fight with Flamel!”

Only then did I understand.

Things were going according to the plan Flamel had explained earlier.

“…But what does that have to do with us running?”

“What do you mean?”

Liz looked at me like I was crazy.

“Of course you have to stop them. They always listen to you!”

Before I could argue how strange that sounded, Liz grabbed my collar.

“Ghk! W-Wait— I think you’re choking me…”

“Hurry! There’s no time!”

“Waaah!”

I was planning to go there anyway, but—

Couldn’t I submit my withdrawal form first?!

The Glass Garden

The place she dragged me to was the Glass Garden behind the dormitory—an area students weren’t allowed to enter.

I had seen it in passing before, but the sign that read “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY!” kept me from going inside.

Apparently, though, the original Russell Blair and his group often used it as their playground.

While I was catching my breath, Eris ran over happily.

“Liz! Russell!”

“Where’s Flamel?”

“He’s inside. This way!”

Following Eris inside, the place looked like a normal greenhouse.

Some professor was supposedly in charge of maintaining it.

It seemed they had come all the way here to avoid being seen.

“Hah. Flamel. Acting tough, but you brought all your friends when you realized you were outnumbered?”

Tom sneered.

“You might’ve escaped with tricks at the Lake of Silence, but it won’t be that easy this time.”

“You talk too much.”

“Arrogant bastard. How long did you think we’d tolerate that attitude?”

Tom ground his teeth.

Then he glared at me too.

“Thomas Freeman! Stop this before I call a professor!”

“Stay out of this, Liz Camelot! It has nothing to do with you!”

“Private duels between students violate school rules!”

“Like I care.”

“I-If you get over 25 penalty points for rule violations, the Ineligibility Committee might convene and you could even be expelled—!”

Liz was about to continue her long explanation when—

“What’s the duel format?”

Flamel suddenly agreed.

“Flamel! Are you serious?!”

“I don’t mind. If you promise that once the outcome is decided, you’ll never bother me again.”

This guy…

He was planning to wipe out all his annoyances in one go.

“Arrogant bastard! Fine! Let’s settle both Flamel and Russell while we’re at it. Two birds with one stone.”

Me too?!

“Fine. Then the losing side leaves the Magic Tower on their own. No objections, right?”

Flamel smoothly added dropping out as a condition.

Wow.

His calm expression was impressive.

While I admired it, Liz exploded beside me.

“Hmph! As if we’d agree to such a stupid condition! Just ignore them and call a professor—”

“Hahaha! You’re asking for death!”

Tom laughed loudly.

“Don’t beg for mercy after you lose!”

Liz grabbed my sleeve and whispered.

“Russell, you should at least stop them—”

“Deal.”

I crushed Liz’s hopes instantly.

“Let’s fight. With dropping out on the line.”