Doggone Academy

Damian gently laid Trisha back in bed and returned to his own. It had been a less than pleasant birthday, and thankfully, with the arrival of morning, it had come to an end.

However, the preceding night had added another disturbance to his mind: Liza, the present, the prophetic dream, and the face of a woman unknown. Even as morning came, Damian found no peace.

He could not decipher the dream’s meaning; he had never seen the place or the figures in it before. Emotionally troubled but unable to address these feelings through effort, he found it better to immerse himself in something else. Erasing thoughts was impossible; he could only cover them up.

Leaving the bed, Damian picked up Trisha and carried her out of the room. Dried bloodstains marked the hallway, yet now his body bore no such marks, clean as before. He pictured the struggles Trisha must have gone through during the night. It bothered him to have caused worry for another, on top of troubling his master.

After moving Trisha to her second-floor room and cleaning up all traces of the blood, he prepared breakfast in the kitchen. For Trisha, he prepared salted pork and tomato stew. Then, he left a note in her room to let her know breakfast was ready before he departed.

Stepping outside into the labyrinth, Silveryn’s Stitch awaited him as if on cue. Damian hurriedly checked the letter.

[There’s no such thing for a disciple who doesn’t keep promises. It’s also contemptible to try and make a fool of a master. You won’t see the marking until we meet again.]

It seemed Silveryn was quite miffed, making any immediate attempts to ask for advice or clarification seem like they would need time.

***

Elias looked around and moved to a shaded alleyway behind the living quarters. She then pushed aside a roadblock marked with a scratch, revealing a ladder leading underground.

She glanced around once more before descending the ladder and putting the block back in place. Damp and musty with the smell of mold, it filled the air.

Reaching the bottom, she was met with a maze of underground waterways. Elias followed the cryptic writings on the wall, moving through the sewer. After about ten minutes, she arrived at the marestone door she had been seeking.

Engraved with a magical seal, she whispered the password.

“Secrets washed away by the rain gather here below.”

The magical seal glowed, and the hefty marestone door slid open, revealing a vast underground space.

In this damp and secluded area, other students were already waiting. It was the hideout of ‘Eternia’s Underdwellers,’ a clandestine group within Eternia.

Rupert, lazing in a hammock, greeted her casually.

“You’re early.”

Elias, ignoring the greeting, went straight to a target board on the wall, removing a note pinned arbitrarily.

“You know you can’t just stick anything here. It’s against the rules unless everyone agrees.”

The ‘Underdwellers’ club was originally formed to explore ancient magical ruins rumored to be hidden beneath Eternia. Over time, its purpose evolved into unraveling all secrets related to Eternia.

Listed on the board were mysteries that everyone acknowledged: the half-elf incident, the Mirror Phantom, the Plantara intellects, the prophecy letters of death, the Phantom of the Guardian Tree, Silveryn, and the masked man.

Elias frowned as she examined Rupert’s note.

[Why does Sion flaunt the lower half of her body?]

“Don’t do that again.”

Rupert chuckled.

“Why not? Aren’t you curious? The boys around me are dying to know. They’re going crazy not being able to ask her directly.”

“I have zero interest in your perverse curiosities.”

“We need to satisfy basic curiosity. Focusing solely on solemn and heavy topics is why this club faces extinction every year.”

The Underdwellers’ club, due to its secretive nature, struggled to maintain membership and faced annihilation annually.

This venerable club with an 80-year tradition almost evaporated when, a few years back, only one graduating member remained.

“Enough nonsense. Where’s Victor?”

“Victor is consulting with a senior in the second sewer chamber.”

Elias passed through the main hall to the chamber where Victor was.

There, first-year combat student Victor was practicing with a sword against a dummy, while third-year magic student Jenia, legs crossed, sat on a chair, engaged in conversation.

“How did our art department junior manage in the combat practice?”

Victor, still attacking the dummy with a wooden sword, replied.

“He didn’t fight. Just threw his sword to strike the dummy’s eye and declared surrender.”

“Weren’t there envoys from the Duchy, hoping to impress them, and yet he didn’t even try?”

“He knows his skill level; it’s pointless to overexert himself.”

Jenia disagreed.

“That Damian, he’s the one Haley spoke highly of. Not because he’s an art department junior, but she genuinely praised him.”

“I don’t really know. I didn’t see enough.”

“It’s not just a pretty face that impresses Haley. She’d reject a hollow man, even if he were a prince.”

Victor, sweating quickly in the humid air, answered.

“Well, maybe he didn’t need to make an impression. The Duchy’s envoys were looking for Damian and Gale Varianne yesterday. It seemed he knew all about it.”

“Hah, trying to establish connections because he’s Silveryn’s disciple. So Damian really might take on the escort mission?”

“Seems like it. But is the escort mission that great?”

“Of course, the Lady already has top magicians and knights, victors of the Floral Tournament, as her guard. What can a mere student do? Just go sightseeing, enjoy the travel and banquets with the Lady.”

“To me, it’s just a trivial gathering.”

“Well, our esteemed junior gets attention from high-strung ladies. Let’s take him before his price goes up.”

“Do you think Silveryn would like it if we made him our dissection subject?”

Jenia had a sly smile, hinting at a devious plan.

“To discover Silveryn’s secrets, we actually need his help. Plus, I know one secret hidden in their master-disciple relationship… never mind, I’ll tell you later.”

“…?”

Elias, who had been listening from a few steps away, finally saw her chance to join in.

“Excuse me… I have something to report about the Lady.”

Jenia finally turned around.

“Oh? Elias, when did you get here?”

“Just now. It’s all a buzz upstairs because of the Lady. I came to tell you…”

“Why?”

“The Lady has arrived at Eternia with her escort. She just went to the reception room with the Dean; she came unannounced… it was quite a disturbance.”

While it wasn’t unusual for the Lady to visit, what was odd was the sudden, unannounced appearance, a breach in protocol. Jenia asked, puzzled.

“Why did she come?”

“She came to see Damian. He has repeatedly declined her offers.”

Jenia stood up suddenly, surprised.

“What? Declined? Him? Is the Lady still here?”

“Yes, she’s waiting because Damian hasn’t shown up yet.”

“Madness, let’s go see. Lead the way.”

Jenia motioned for Elias to follow as they left the chamber. Then, remembering something, she turned back to Victor.

“Ah, are you staying here?”

“I’ll come along.”

“Alright, hurry up and join us.”

Jenia left first. Victor stopped his practice and moved towards the door, then paused, seemingly recalling something. He threw his wooden sword with all his might at the dummy. The sword flew swiftly but its hilt struck the dummy’s shoulder and bounced off, futile.

“…”

***

Damian found the scene in front of the grand banquet hall peculiar, with several students forming a crowd.

In the yard in front of the hall, knights bearing the Duchy’s flags stood, followed by a procession of lavish carriages. Beside the carriages, staff-wielding magicians and silver-armored knights stood solemnly.

Among them were high-ranking magicians and knights, some with recognizably prominent backgrounds, causing even the haughty Eternia students to whisper their names.

“Is that the real ‘Mage of Madness,’ Alexia?”

“Isn’t that the badge of the Floral Tournament winner?”

“That’s Nielrin, the winner from two years ago, you idiot.”

Given the status and scale of those in tow, such opulence was only possible for the highest nobility.

Approaching the crowd, Damian drew sidelong glances from some who seemed to recognize him. Eventually, a path cleared for him.

Damian, sending a puzzled look, was met by five of the Duchy’s attendants who rushed forward and bowed.

“Are you student Damian?”

“Yes, I am.”

“At last, we meet. Lady Vivi Gainax wishes to see you in person.”

He stared at the attendant’s face for a moment.

While such a situation would normally require careful consultation with a professor, Damian found himself unable to refuse.

The attendant in front of him was one of the figures from his dream.

***

As Damian entered the reception room, he immediately faced a crowd.

A woman wearing a lavish hat, crossing her legs as she sat in a chair, and a line of escort troops behind her.

Though her face was obscured by the hat, it was evident she held the highest authority there.

It was none other than Vivi Gainax.

The oddly familiar lines of her profile…

Damian strode confidently toward Vivi and knelt on one knee. Then, slowly lifting his head, he finally met Vivi’s face, which had been hidden under the hat.

“I am Damian, from the remote Weisel.”

“How dare you raise your head so boldly before the Lady!”

Despite the impropriety of his action, Damian remained unflinching to the scolding of the servant. He scrutinized Vivi’s face as if taking in every detail.

Vivi looked down at him, her expression one of surprise. Silence enveloped the reception room as she did not speak, and no one beneath her dared to utter a word.

A slight smile curled one corner of Vivi’s lips. She then addressed him.

“Do you know who I am?”

“I have met the Lady once before. As vivid as last night’s dream.”

“Hmm, I don’t remember. Where did we meet?”

“It was but a fleeting encounter in a dream. Even if I spoke of it, the Lady would not remember.”

“True, it’s only meaningful when we truly meet, face to face. A peculiar feeling, confronting the disciple of the Archmage.”

“I am honored to meet you, Lady. However, Silveryn only sheltered me for a time, and her magical stature has nothing to do with my abilities. Without that title, I am but a lowly orphan.”

Vivi then covered her mouth with her hand, chuckling mockingly for a moment.

“Ah, I see. But I reward talent and find roles even for the incompetent, so don’t worry. Being connected to the Archmage is meaningful enough for me. But I wonder, after hiding all this time, why you kneel before me now.”

Damian gazed intensely at Vivi’s face, as if trying to confirm something. His pupils dilated. Then, he spoke with firm resolve.

“…I am here to accept the Lady’s offer to serve as her escort.”

Vivi cocked her head, puzzled.

“Really? Why? You refused even when Eternia tried to draft you. What changed your mind?”

Was it the allure of riches and glory? Or perhaps a fleeting infatuation with Vivi’s beauty? Or maybe he’d cloak his motives with grand notions of honor and duty.

Damian looked straight into Vivi’s eyes. Despite his delicate features and calm demeanor, his gaze held an intense something.

It was challenging to label the emotion in his eyes. It was oddly misaligned with any common expression like sorrow, anger, or fervor.

Damian spoke, and Vivi froze for a moment when she heard a response utterly unlike what she expected.

He was audaciously straightforward.

“I simply needed something to cool my head.”

With a steadfast and unwavering tone, Vivi finally grasped the true emotion hidden in his eyes.

It was ‘madness’.