Chapter 518 - 1518: Not As Free
"Not really. As a Noble, our responsibility is only towards Her Majesty. Moreover, why would I leave? I already saw the outside world. And in all honesty, I like the serene atmosphere of the Divine Empire more."
Arthur's explanation put all assumptions of Lucifer to rest. He again stopped talking and went back to his silence.
The helicopters traveled for hours before reaching the airport.
The Divine Empire helicopters alerted the City and Airport officials, who hastily came out to welcome them.
Milena ignored them all and told them to leave them alone.
Elisium plane was standing at the airport from which Lucifer had arrived. Everyone walked inside the plane, which was given the permission to take off instantly.
The plane sped up, and soon it rose in the air, having Elisium as the destination.
...
It was night in the small island nation.
The Academy of Gifted Variants was closed for all. Not even teachers were at the academy, let alone the students. All the lights were off as well.
Despite that, there were still some security guards who were assigned to guard that place.
The entrance was guarded by two guards, while three more guarded the interior with regular rounds.
The entire academy was surrounded by tall walls. Electric wires rested on top of the walls to stop anyone from climbing the walls to enter.
Unfortunately, that and all the other defense mechanisms weren't enough to stop Alicia and Cassius, who reached the academy.
The two of them had snuck out of Cassius' home to get here without alerting others. In fact, Cassius didn't even take the family car to get here.
They used a different car that Cassius had already arranged for him to wait outside.
They stopped the car far away from the entrance of the Academy so the guards couldn't see it before they walked to the academy.
Instead of going to the gates, they walked to the other end, intending to enter using other methods.
"Are you sure this will work?" Cassius asked Alicia, still not sure about the plan.
"Don't worry. I'm not that weak. I can carry you," Alicia answered.
"If you say so."
Cassius reached out his hand, which was grabbed by Alicia.
Alicia used her ability to walk in the air while carrying Cassius with one hand.
Cassius hung in the air, supported by Alicia, who helped him get inside the Academy through the air.
The two of them landed inside the academy premises, on the other end of the wall.
"So, where are the Limiters kept?" Alicia asked Cassius, who was carrying his heavy sword on his back.
"If I'm not wrong, they should be in the storage in the administration block," Cassius replied, pointing towards one of the campus buildings."Stay alert. I'm sure there would be guards patrolling this place."
"Don't worry. I would be able to sense them if they're nearby. Just lead me to that place. I'll inform you if anyone is nearby," Alicia responded, following Cassius.
Even though the academy was already closed, the lights inside the academy were still on. The entire place was brightly lit on the inside, especially all the hallways and the paths. It was to help the guards keep an eye.
Moreover, after the incident with Lucifer, cameras were placed everywhere. Previously, cameras were only in some important hallways, but now all the hallways were covered in cameras.
All the rooms also had cameras, which Cassius had also discovered. Generally, he would have been concerned about being caught in cameras and bringing a bad name to his family, but he had Alicia, so he wasn't concerned.
One of the abilities of Alicia was to cast a domain around her, which made it impossible for the cameras to see them.
That was also why Cassius and Alicia didn't split to search. Cassius walked closer to Alicia since that was the necessity for the stealth of this mission.
The two of them stopped at the entrance of the academic block only to find a locked door.
Cassius brought a small stick out of his pocket and used his Divine Sword Energy to change the stick to a small yet powerful Sword for himself. He sliced the door using the Stick.
The stick worked like a powerful laser that sliced the part of the door which housed the lock. He removed the entire lock before keeping the stick back in his pocket. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Alicia also stepped inside and closed the door. There was a cut in the door, and there was a chance that the guards could see it, but the chance of them seeing an open door was even more if it was left open.
The two of them walked to the storage section of the Academic Block.
...
All the camera feeds from the academy were being sent to one room which contained many screens, broadcasting the live footage.
Inside the room, one guard was observing all the footage.
"Hmm? What?"
The guard couldn't see Alicia and Cassius, but he saw a section of the door being cut on its own. The door also opened on its own before it closed.
"G-ghost?" He stuttered, but he soon started wondering if it was instead the work of an intruder who had some ability to avoid the camera.
He pressed a button and spoke into the mike. "Intruders in the Academic Block! I want someone to check!"
After informing the guards, he also informed the higher ups about this strange phenomenon.
...
Xaen Eandril, the young Dean of the Academy of Gifted Variants, was sitting on the roof of the academic block. There was a glass of wine in his hand. He wasn't alone either. An old man was also with him.
The two of them were drinking wine as they talked about the past and how everything had changed.
"That's true. The world is changing too fast. I wonder if we're getting too old for this ever-changing world," Xaen muttered, sighing.
The words coming from a man who looked like a ten year old kid seemed odd, but the old man didn't find it odd since he knew the real age of Xaen.
"We are," the old man said as he also took a sip. "How long are you planning to stay as the Dean of this academy? Why don't you pass it to someone else and enjoy your life instead? Maybe you'll start feeling young again."
"Whenever I go back to the sea, I always feel young. It helps me. It shall help you too," he added.
"Leave this place? Maybe after I find a worthy successor. If I leave now, the Great Families will all try to occupy or influence the academy," Xaen answered, sighing.. "I'm not as free as you."