Alex, whose neat school uniform was now ruffled, walked back to the building from earlier.
The three monster minions that had escaped when the guardian fought, already dissipated with the guardian's death.
The evil core at the door had shattered on its own when its guardian was slain. Resting on the ground in front of the wooden door was the pure mana orb left behind when a core was destroyed.
Alex picked up the small, shiny mana orb and stored it inside his storage ring.
He stood in front of the simple wooden door, lost in thought.
_Seems like I can be myself and enjoy the peace for a while… Since there's no one around to trigger those memories… I'll only worry about them when I sleep._
_Did the man from the capital grant each student a house, or is this just a coincidence?._
He cautiously grabbed the handle and opened the door, a little slower than usual.
He peeped inside and was greeted by walls and furniture heavily coated in dust.
Fully pushing the door inward, his expression remained unreadable, though deep down he was already thinking about how to start cleaning before even considering his journey here or his companions.
As he stepped onto the floor, dust rose faintly into the air.
---
A scarlet-haired young lady with fiery eyes stood before a grown man with uneven eyes and broad shoulders.
The man was relaxing beneath a large tree on a sunny day. Seated on a decorated wooden chair, he held a teacup in his hand, a table separating him from the gorgeous lady who had appeared moments earlier, wrapped in blinding white light.
They stared at one another without blinking. More than five minutes had passed since Ellie had materialized out of thin air, yet neither had broken eye contact.
"Were you sent from heaven to punish me or grant me a wish?" the man finally asked, breaking the awkward silence. His voice was the complete opposite of his build—high-pitched and thin.
"Who are you?" Ellie asked flatly, finally breaking eye contact as she looked around.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" the man replied, clearly confused.
Ellie thought hard about what to say without sounding suspicious.
_I can't just say I'm from the future, right?_
An idea suddenly struck her. She had considered claiming she was lost due to a travel-portal accident, but remembered that some technologies hadn't yet been invented in this era.
"I was… called here," she said. "But not by you. Someone else made a mistake."
The man's brow furrowed.
"A ritual?" he asked cautiously.
Such things were common in the world of integrators, and even ordinary humans know of them even though they can't initiate one. Some received replies from the Divine Sources, while others accidentally summoned innocent people from distant places who knew nothing about it.
Ellie nodded once.
"An incomplete one. I was supposed to appear somewhere else. This place was… close enough."
"Can I rest here for a while? I'm out of mana and can't continue my journey back. I'd like to recover fully before leaving, if you don't mind."
The man hesitated.
"Listen here, lady… don't even think of tricking me. Lord Malvoryx's men are patrolling the entire area."
Ellie calmed the panic threatening to show on her face.
"Oh? What's the activity about?" she asked as she sat on a cut tree stump near him.
"There's a new abomination that emerged some days ago. He's been on the run since," the man replied, resuming his coffee—which had already gone cold. Internally, he felt vexed, having spent his scarce money on expensive coffee leaves, just to enjoy the fresh air.
_A monster running from men?_ Ellie thought before asking slyly.
"What type of monster is it? What core rank was it born from?"
"What do you mean core rank?" the man scoffed. "I'm talking about a newly bloomed integrator. Bloomers are considered abominations and are executed for the damage they bring to our peaceful environment, with those abnormal weather changes."
Ellie swallowed hard as she thought of her companions. _Be safe, guys._
"There's even a portrait of the abomination plastered just behind that fence over there," the man added, pointing toward a worn brick wall.
Ellie stood and asked if he could show her a room where she could change out of her heavy attire.
The man led her into his old house and showed her a room she could 'temporarily' stay in.
She changed into clothing that roughly matched the style of this era—even if it wasn't a perfect replica of what the first human she encountered wore.
The ancient gown clung to her body, exposing just enough of her fair chest to draw the eye.
From her ring, she took out a small object—a charm.
Injecting mana into it, her hair quickly turned black.
A precaution her father had suggested during their last conversation through a communication device.
She hurried outside, ignoring the confused and lustful gaze of the man who had offered her shelter.
She went straight to where he had pointed earlier, eager to see the portrait plastered on the wall.
The poster says: wanted alive or dead.
The figure in the drawing looked young—around sixteen or seventeen. Pale complexion, slender build. Brown hair. Dull, ruthless eyes. A sharp, round face. Orange iris color.
Ellie let out a breath of relief when she realized the person on the poster wasn't anyone she recognized from the academy… not that she knew many people anyway.
---
Inside the dusty, Strange building,
Alex had already cleaned most of the house. Fortunately, there was a well behind it.
He wiped the frame of a hanging object he suspected was a mirror. Bringing the cloth to the surface, he cleaned the glass.
"What the...?"
What he saw wasn't what he expected.
Staring back at him was a very young, pale, cold-looking man who sent chills down his spine. The reflection looked like an assassin who had taken hundreds of lives!.