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n“You can also choose to stay anywhere, it won’t matter. The right Familiars will flock to you, so don’t worry about it.”

n“Then I choose to—”

nBefore Anabelle finished her statement which I already suspected to be an attempt to stick close to me during this Ceremony, I quickly fired back.

n“I would like for you not to be close to me, though, since there the Mana Density will be thinner around me. We should all stay apart from each other so we won’t rob one another of the surrounding Mana.”

nWith this smart and accurate protest, I silenced Anabelle. None of my two comrades had any complaints about it, so I took it as acceptance.

nSuddenly, I felt two familiar presences and heard their footsteps as their feet trample the juicy grass beneath.

n“It’s been a while… Jared Leonard Alphonse Sereth.”

nA smile formed on my face. Only one person would choose to use my name at length like that. Plus, even as they had approached, I already knew it was them.

nTurning my face in the direction of the incoming footsteps and voice, I looked behind me and saw the pair.

n“Stefan Netherlore. Maria Helmsworth. It’s been a while.”

nThe boy and girl came into view, their contrasting features made it clear who they were.

nStefan Netherlore, with his dark hair and deep blue eyes, handsome to a fault and always putting on a serious front around me that made it appear as though he was in a bad mood—I suspected this was only to hide his true intentions.

nMaria Helmsworth, the genius among geniuses, a prodigy in her own right. Her silver hair was as elegant as always, and her gem-like blue eyes rivaled even that of Anabelle, except she had a gleam of maturity attached.

nThese two came to me of their own volition… something I didn’t fully expect.

n“Yeah. It has.” Maria spoke first, and then fell silent almost immediately.

nA moment of silence dwelled amid us since none of us had really spoken on favorable terms before. Still, I wasn’t going to go out of my way to speak to them.

n‘You guys came to see me. I don’t plan on trying to drive this conversation.’

nI felt a sudden shift in my surroundings. It came from behind me, and the proximity was scary close. Looking back at the source, my eyes met Anabelle, who seemed to be glaring at the two prodigies that just approached.

nA scary look appeared on her face that I couldn’t completely decipher.

n“U-uh, these are the two I was telling you about.” I decided to drive the conversation in a different direction by addressing my new comrades.

nMy initial plans were to befriend Stefan and Maria, making them my comrades instead. Unfortunately, they were out of my reach so I had to make do with Edward and Anabelle.

nI had no regrets, though.

n“Ohhh, I see… nice to meet you two.” Anabelle forced a smile as her darkened expression remained.

nClearly, she didn’t mean what she was saying!

nEdward also rendered his formalities, though nervously. Since they had both been present during the Assembly, the two must have realized that Maria and Stefan belonged to the Upper Class.

nWhile Edward showed reverence to them and displayed his inferiority, Maria was simply oozing hostility. Why was she so upset?

nI traced the direction of her eyes and found them heading in a single direction. That had to be the cause of her annoyance!

nQuickly, I followed her gaze and laid eyes on the object of her strife. It was…

n‘Maria Helmsworth? Why? Does she have any beef with her?’

nMy confused thoughts forced me to finally break the unbearably heavy silence among the five of us.

n“Do you perchance know them from somewhere?” I asked Anabelle with the little smile I could muster.

n“No. First time meeting them.” She shot Maria a dirty look.

n“Likewise.” The silent Maria returned the favor.

nThis just got me more confused.

n‘I don’t have time for this! We should be meditating and preparing for the Familiar Ceremony!’

nWith that in mind, I decided to conclude this farce.

n“So, why are you guys here? I don’t think you’d just come to say hi…” My eyes narrowed at the two Upper-Class elite geniuses.

nThe moment I said this, Maria’s eyes seemed to bulge and she looked away instantly.

n‘D-don’t tell me… that’s all she came to do?!’

n“I don’t know about Maria, but I came for a different reason. She decided to tag along after I told her I would be seeing you…”

nStefan’s eyes intensified as he now gave me a determined glare. The boy hadn’t changed since I last saw him.

n“The Inter-Class Exchange that occurs in two months… make sure you come prepared. I’ll destroy you then!”

n‘….Eh?!’

nNow I was lost.

n“What do you mean by that? Destroy me? Are you still upset about what happened in the waiting area? Get over it already.”

n“What? No! Don’t play dumb!”

nNow I was even more perturbed. I had no real business with Stefan, so why would he personally target me in the Exchange? Unless…

n‘So that’s how it is. Pfft, how childish and simple.’

n“Fine, then. Stefan, you should also be prepared… I don’t plan on taking it easy now that you’ve declared your intentions.” My calm voice carried a tone of arrogance that seemed to unnerve the young elite a bit.

n“I wouldn’t have it any other way! Till then!”

nAs soon as he made his final statement, Stefan took his leave, and Maria followed beside him. I watched them for a few moments and sighed to myself.

n‘That Stefan guy probably thinks of me as a rival or something. His ego is bruised and he needs to fix it so he must be seeking to win against me for him to regain his confidence.’

nUnfortunately for him, it wasn’t going to be possible, talkless of being easy. Besides, he was too weak and young to be considered my rival.

nAs for Maria Helmsworth who walked beside him, did she really just tag along to say ‘hi’? How strange she was. No, the two children were weird in their own right.

n“Okay, you two. Spread out and begin meditation.” I said to both Edward and Anabelle—who had already regained her usual demeanor after Maria took her leave.

n‘Okay, this has been a strange intermission, but I’m done with interruptions. It’s time to complete my fourth Mana Core and then get myself a Familiar!’

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