Guest?

The facility was clean and organized. Divided into three parts, one for production and service, one for training, and one being the living quarters, it had most of what one could need.

Three big buildings, with a large restaurant in the middle, it was somewhat reminiscent of how the academy was built.

We had toured almost every inch of the place, except for the parts which were off-limits to me, and I was thoroughly impressed.

'Is this really the place of some evil organization? Seems to me that they just want to live a good life...'

It was hard to try and focus on the fact that I was literally kidnapped. It felt more like I was on a small trip, being guided by the gigantic woman Sophie.

The more she talked, the less pressure I felt. She felt oddly reminiscent of something, not giving me the same vibe as everyone else.

There were also several other people around, either working on something or training.

In the end, we landed in front of the living quarters, in front of a door.

"This is my apartment, and this is where you will spend your nights. Please come in."

'Still as polite as ever...'

Sophie always kept her gentle personality, and although she was talking a bit curtly, it still didn't feel unappealing.

It had been hard trying to talk with her, having to crane my neck to the sky, sometimes having her face blocked by her massive chest.

She truly was huge, and it made me feel smaller than ever.

She opened the door and inside I was met by a very ordinary apartment.

A small hall leading into a living room with a kitchen, having two doors with one probably being the toilet and one being the bedroom.

Something that wasn't quite as ordinary was the size of everything.

It appeared that she had gotten everything custom-made, as all the furniture was a lot bigger than normal.

As she gestured for me to sit on the couch, I had to make a bit of a jump and drag in order to get into position.

She stood in the small kitchen area and asked me, "Coffee or tea?"

"Coffee please."

Sitting on the oversized couch, I couldn't help but wonder when I would get to sleep. Having spent the whole night getting kidnapped had led me to feel quite tired, adding to that the exhaustion from having accidentally used my Art.

The oversized couch was incredibly comfortable, and I could feel myself sinking deeper into it.

It was almost as if I could relax more here with Sophie, being a hostage, than I could at the academy during these last few days.

I closed my eyes for a second, which caused me to instantly fall asleep.

****

[Sophie's POV]

"Here is your coffee."

As I turned around, I was met by Miren sleeping on my couch.

The difference in size made him seem even smaller than he did before, his feet barely even reaching outside the pillow.

'How is he so cute?!'

He was probably incredibly tired from the stressful night, and I couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt. He was just an innocent student, caught up in the problems of adults.

For me, he was a kid. Even if they regarded 16-year-olds as adults here, I couldn't quite accept it.

I put down the cups in my hands and made my way to the sleeping little creature.

'Maybe I should sleep as well then?'

Looking at the teenager sleeping soundly, I also started to feel a bit drowsy.

'But I didn't have time to put out another bed yet... What should I do?'

He was so incredibly defenseless, so I also lowered my guard a bit.

I lifted him up and walked to my bedroom. As I placed him on my bed I couldn't help but think about how weak and fragile he felt.

'He is so light... I must weigh at least six or seven times his weight...'

Letting him sleep on my bed, I watched him for a couple of minutes. His peaceful face, breathing lightly.

'How can someone like this be the strongest student? This world really is crazy...'

****

I woke up, lying in a giant bed, comfy and warm.

Sitting beside me on a chair, was the amazon Sophie, polishing her axe.

'Scary...'

"You're awake? It's only been a few hours, you can sleep more if you want."

It still held true that my body didn't need a lot of sleep, I was already energized and ready for a new day.

"It's fine... So, what now?"

I still didn't know what I was supposed to do during my stay here.

She stood up and put the axe away.

"As I explained, you are just going to live here. You will be with me until we get in contact with the ruling family. So, if you want you can use our training facilities. It wouldn't be good for the strongest student to fall behind, after all."

'That shitty lie...'

I wasn't the strongest student, it was probably more of a whim of the principal because he found it interesting.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not really the strongest student..."

Her brows wrinkled a bit, "So you fooled us? I did think it was strange for someone like you to be the first ranked student..."

"No, I'm officially the number one freshman, but I am not the strongest."

Letting her face relax a bit, she went back to her relaxed mood, "Ah is that so... Well, then it's fine! As long as you are important enough for us to reach our goals, it doesn't matter."

She started to walk towards the bedroom door, "Go grab a shower, and then we will move for breakfast."

****

[Mike's POV]

"What do you mean you can't do anything?!"

Standing in front of the head of the ruling family, I couldn't believe my ears.

Sitting behind his luxurious desk, he spoke with little sympathy, "I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do about it. We do not have enough resources to put together a rescue squad for a single student."

'You old coot... It's just because he isn't from a prestigious family!'

"But then, can't you just meet their demands? There should be no problem letting the mana-less become adventurers right?"

"You aren't wrong, but it's not that easy."

His wrinkly face sank a bit, making his gray hair cover a bit of his face.

"Why? I am also well aware of the dark history, but things have changed!"

It was undeniably a part of our history, where groups of mana-less had started a revolution.

It had been a product of hierarchical thoughts, where the ones who couldn't manipulate mana had tried to gain control of District 5.

Even with their weaknesses, they were naturally aligned to fighting because of their heightened physical capabilities.

As such, they started to view themselves as supreme.

Unfortunately for them, the ones who could manipulate mana had higher potential, although it would take more time to reach it.

Even with a higher average power between their members, they couldn't compete when the powerhouses of District 5 moved.

With a sigh, Mr. Garb continued, "Things may have changed, but history still left its mark. It is barbaric and unfitting of our modern world, but people are still scared. As of now, there aren't enough leaders to back the decision."

Suddenly, a surge of mana flooded the room. Winds started to conglomerate into a single spot, where the principal suddenly appeared.

"I see Mr.Garb has gotten a bit old. I wouldn't believe the Phoenix of our younger days would talk weakly like this."

"Ah, the illusionary principal who always and never shows up appeared. Shouldn't you be staying in a hole somewhere?"

"Hohoho..."

"Hahaha"

The old men's mouths were laughing but their eyes were sharp as knives.

The dragon continued the conversation, "So, how are we going to rescue my disciple then?"

The head of the district flew out of his chair in surprise,

"YOUR DISCIPLE?! But you haven't picked anyone to mentor before? Why would you choose this no-name kid?!"

A smile rose on the dragon's face,

"That is none of your business. Something that is your business, though, is the fact that my cute little student has gotten kidnapped, and I want you to find a way to save him."

He sat back down at his chair again, pondering a bit.

"Then we will have to proceed with diplomacy... We have been trying to find their base for a long time now, but it's completely untraceable. So, will you shoulder the responsibility in front of the others then? It might end up with you being shunned for this decision."

"It's fine. Do whatever needs to be done. It's not like they don't have reasonable demands anyway. So, how long will it take?"

"At least a couple of months..."

The principal turned around and signaled to me,

"Alright. Mike, we are going back to the academy. There are still other students we need to think about."

With that, we returned to the academy, and left with a promise of getting young Miren back.