The academy classes had ended for today and all of the students were either having breakfast in the cafeteria or hanging out with their friends. This was a routine almost everyone followed daily.
However, unlike the masses, one girl was walking down a different path.
-Step!
-Step!
-Step!
The sound of her footsteps resounded in the surroundings and she kept stepping up a staircase. Sunlight was falling down on her, illuminating her body and making her red hair shine, was coming from the gates above.
Drops of sweat appeared on her forehead, her brows frowned, and there was a tingling feeling of nervousness as she climbed her way up.
This girl was, in fact, Ellyn Rosenberg. This morning she received a letter that revealed to her that someone else in this academy knows about the secret she’s been trying to hide.
She was told to come to the rooftop of the main building if she doesn’t want her secret to be out in public; hence she was on her way now.
ƒ𝗿e𝘦𝚠𝗲𝚋n𝚘ν𝙚𝗹.𝑐o𝙢
Soon, she reached the top of the staircase and stood before the door that connect to the surface of the rooftop. She took a step forward and entered through the gate.
The roof was made out of cement, iron railings were built at the corners so that there would be no chance of anyone falling down from here. There weren’t much of structures up here but there was a small room located in the corner.
-Thuck!
The door behind Ellyn closed faster before she could react, all she heard was the sound of it and when she turned back, another girl stood there. Apparently, she was the one who slammed the door closed.
“You?” Ellyn murmured.
“Quite surprising, isn’t it?” the girl replied as a smile appeared on her face.
Ellyn knew this girl, not personally, but she did have several past interactions, not good ones. The girl’s name was Wrena Bluetree.
Ellyn was already cautious, she reached out for her sword but it wasn’t there as the students are not allowed to carry swords except for when they are taking lessons; she was no exception.
Hence, she went for magic. As well to sword arts, she was also pretty good in magic also. She had learned the magic circle method to cast spells and she was confident in herself.
Without breaking a sweat, she visualized the magic circle for a specific spell in her mind and then channeled mana through it. A red circle—the same one she visualized—summoned over her right palm before it collapsed and transformed into a fireball that floated in the air under Ellyn’s control.
She stretched out her right hand in Wrena’s direction, making the fireball face her. She wasn’t a murder maniac so she just wanted to scare her off.
Though it didn’t quite turn out as she expected because Wrena was still smiling back at her; unfazed by the fall ball that was a meter away from her face.
She stepped in and brings her mouth close to Ellyn’s ear and then whispered, “You don’t want your secret to come out, right? I mean, that’s why you came here. So you better turn off this little spark of yours.”
“Then you really are the one who—” Ellyn mumbled, now she was getting the gist of the situation.
Wrena moved back. Looking at her with a lot of questions in her mind, Ellyn broke the spell and the fireball disappeared.
“Good girl, now comes with me,” said Wrena as she patted Ellyn on her shoulder and let her in the direction where that small room was located.
During the time it took for them to reach the room, Ellyn’s heart was beating so fast that she felt like passing out any moment now.
When they reached the room, Wrena pushed the wooden door open—which was already unlocked—and led Ellyn inside.
The room was fairly dark; the only light illuminating the room was the sunlight coming through the door. A few broomsticks and buckets were lying inside, indicating that this was probably a storeroom or sort.
As Ellyn stepped inside and took a couple of steps forward she soon realized that they and Wrena were not alone in here. She spotted the figures of two more people, the figures also noticed that they had been spotted hence they came forward.
The light fell on them and their bodies were now visible. Both of them were girls and Ellyn knew these two. They were Seiren and Alada.
“Now I see what’s going on,” Ellyn said to herself as she stared at them.
“You better,” Wrena bellowed as she pushed Ellyn from the back, causing her to stumble a few steps forward. Then she closed the door but left it open enough to make the light come in so they won’t be blinded by the lack of light.
“Were you the ones who sent me that letter?” Ellyn appealed as she frown at her brows and looked at Seiren.
“Yeah, we indeed were the ones behind it,” Seiren answered.
Ellyn gulped. She had already figured out that they were obviously the ones who sent the letter since they were waiting for her on the rooftop. It was a stupid thing to ask, she knew that, but just to be sure she doesn’t miss anything, she asked. And the result she got was not what she wanted.
Now, she was starting to panic. Oblivious questions were going on in her mind like, how do they know about it? Her secret was not something you can figure out even if you wanted to. You won’t find out until she tells you herself.
Though before she could get a panic attack, she took a deep breath and calmed herself.
“H-How do you know about it?” she asked.
“Hmmm, isn’t that interesting,” Wrena stated as she moved from her side and joined the other two in front of Ellyn.
“I am a bit confused here,” said Alada. “Can you please specify what you are referring to? Like, do you want to ask how we know the reason for why you are hiding in this academy or…why you keep up the act of playing nice to everyone? Or could it be how we know why you are sticking close to Leon and using him for your own benefit!”
“W-Wha, What? Ho…how do you?”
Ellyn’s state now was beyond shocked. She originally thought they only knew vaguely about her secret but this! She was something she didn’t even expect in her dreams.
“Hey, you haven’t given me an answer! Tell me which one is it?” Alada resounded as she bent forward. Her eyes looked like those of a predator and unlike the other two—who had nasty smiles on their faces, her face only expressed anger.
Ellyn slowly started stepping back so that she could gain a distance from them and then possibly escape from the door—since it was not locked.
After three steps she stopped and narrowing her eyes she glanced at the door being her, then she leaped toward it but.
“Not happening!”
Seiren moved at an incredible pace, and since they were not so far she reached Ellyn in less than a second and held her wrist tightly. Ellyn looked behind with a worried look on her face as she desperately tried to free herself from Seiren’s grip.
“Haa! Don’t think you’ll be getting away that easily!”
-Smack!
Ellyn felt the world tilting to the side when Seiren’s kick connected to her legs. The kick was powerful enough to make Ellyn fall and it did happen as she lost her balance and fell onto the right side.
-Whoosh!
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You trying to kill me bitch!” Seiren cursed as she barely dodged a fireball that was launched toward her by Ellyn soon after she fell. It was not an intentional attack but a self-defense reaction of some sort.
“I said not to use magic, didn’t I?” Wrena said out loud as she walked toward Ellyn—who was now sitting on the floor.
“Looks like you want everyone to know your secret after all,” she blustered.
“Huh? Now, is that really what you want? Tell me, I’ll do the job for you. I mean, I owe you a lot, Ellyn…For sticking with Leon all day and touching him with your filthy, bewitched hands!” Seiren grumbled as she clenched her fingers into a fist.
“Why are you so quiet now? Aren’t you always carrying that happy and energetic aura with you, huh? Tell me! You want me to release your secret? Especially to the academy staff and officials.”
“N-No, I do not. Please don’t do that,” Ellyn pleaded, looking down at the ground
Right this moment, Seiren was hit with amusement. The ideal girl of this academy, the one everyone admired, the perfect girl all the boys said her to be. The very same Ellyn Rosenberg was now at her feet, pleading for mercy.
What that student had said to her turned out to be the truth. She really was controlling her, just like he said.
