Chapter 73: The Next Day

Ark's POV

it was warm

That was the first thing I noticed as I slowly started to wake up.

For once, I felt… rested. Truly rested. My body wasn't sore, my mind wasn't foggy, and—most shocking of all—my heart wasn't weighed down by the remnants of a nightmare.

It had been… how long? Weeks? Months? Since I'd last woken up feeling this at peace.

I blinked my eyes open, the unfamiliar ceiling coming into focus. I frowned. This wasn't the roof. The last thing I remembered was sitting beside Jack, listening to the wind, and… then what?

I sat up quickly, the blanket sliding off my shoulders as I looked around. My room. My bed.

But how?

A soft rustling sound caught my attention, and I turned my head only to freeze in shock.

Jack sat on the other bed, casually stretching his arms as if he had been awake for hours. He looked at me and gave me a charming smile.

"Morning," he said, but my mind didn't register that as I noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, and I could see his toned muscles.

My mouth opened, but no words came out. My mind scrambled for an explanation.

"What-? How-?" I shook my head. "Why are you in my room?" I asked as I tried to look away.

He raised an eyebrow. "You fell asleep on the roof. I wasn't just going to leave you there."

I blushed as the memory hit me like a hammer.

I… fell asleep on the roof... right next to Jack, no, I fell asleep on him!

My ears twitched in embarrassment...Wait.

Panic shot through me as I realized my ears and tail were showing.

I yanked the blanket over my head, curling up as I desperately tried to will them away, my heart pounding in my chest.

Jack let out an amused chuckle. "You already told us you are a wolf, and I already saw them. There is no point in hiding."

I hesitated as I realized, in my rush to hide my ears, I pulled the blanket off my lower body, allowing Jack to see my tail, which was curled against my legs.

Embarrassed, I peeked out from underneath the blanket and asked, "A-are you mad?"

Confused, he asked, "Why would I be mad? I find them kind of cute."

My mind went black as I heard him call my ears and tail 'cute'.

"I do find it odd you hide them... or that you can hide them at all, as that isn't something normal beastmen can do," he added.

"I-" I hesitated. "It's a trick my grandfather taught me!" I stammered quickly from beneath the blanket. 

Jack was silent for a moment, then his voice softened. "Ok, but why hide them?"

I hesitated.

I didn't want to talk about it. But at the same time… Jack had been nothing but kind to me.

I took a shaky breath. "...Because people treat me differently when they know."

Jack didn't interrupt, so I continued. "On my way to the academy from Bestia, I saw how beastmen were treated. People called us 'demi-humans' like we were lesser beings." I clenched my hands into fists. "I thought… if I could just blend in, then maybe I wouldn't have to deal with it."

Silence stretched between us for a few seconds before Jack sighed.

"You don't have to worry about that here," he said firmly. "The Kingdom of Rumia outlawed that kind of discrimination. If a noble was caught saying something like that, they could be banished from their house if the king found out, and commoners don't say it in general as they all live among each other."

I peeked out from under the blanket. "Seriously?"

Jack nodded. "Rumia isn't perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than most places. And besides, anyone who judges you for what you are instead of who you are isn't worth your time anyway."

I wasn't sure what to say to that. A part of me still wanted to hide, but another part of me… wanted to believe him.

"Besides, compared to the rest of our group, a Wolf Beastman is the least weird of us all." Jack joked, lightening the mood.

I let out a small chuckle and thought for a minute

"...I think I'll still keep them hidden for now," I admitted.

He smiled. "That's your choice. But I think you should let everyone see the real you. I know some people if you ever want to talk to someone outside of our group, it might help." he offered.

I paused for a second and meekly said, "I doubt talking to anyone will help… but maybe…"He nodded, and I began to hide my ears and tail so we could leave.

~~~~~~~~~

Jack's POV

After Ark finally calmed down and got ready for the day, I stepped out into the hall to let him get dressed.

once he was done he came out and we started walking.

We barely made it a few steps before Aaron nearly ran into us.

"Oh, hi, Jack," Aaron said, crossing his arms. "Where were you last night?"

Ark visibly stiffened beside me.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "We ran into each other last night, and Ark had some questions about magic. We got caught up talking and lost track of time."

Aaron squinted at me, clearly suspicious. "Uh-huh. And you just happened to spend the night in his room?"

Ark made a strangled noise, his face turning bright red.

"Pretty much," I said with a shrug.

Aaron stared for a moment before smirking. "Well, whatever. I don't need the details." He turned and headed toward the cafeteria

Ark hesitated for a second but said, Thanks."

I nodded and replied, No problem." and we started to follow after Aaron.

We made our way toward the dining hall, but before we could enter, a familiar voice called out.

"Jack!"

I turned to see Terra approaching, a warm yet tired smile on her face.

"I was looking for you," she said. "The materials from your arena match have finally been processed. You can pick them up at the arena later today."

I grinned. "Perfect. Thanks, Terra... by the way, are you ok?"

She gave a small nod before and said, I'm fine I was reading last night and got so focused on it I didn't get any sleep." 

I nodded and said, "Understandable. Anyway, thanks for letting me know I will grab them tonight."

She nodded and headed down another hall.

~~~~~~~~~

Earlier this Morning:

Zek's POV

I flicked my tail, deep in thought as I sat on my bed, absently twirling my staff between my claws.

Across from me, Orin sat on the floor, looking over a combat form manual.

Now was probably the best time to ask.

I shifted slightly, clearing my throat. "Hey, Orin. What do you think of Jack?"

He blinked and glanced at me. "Huh? What do you mean?"

I hesitated for a second, then shook my head. "Not in a weird way, just… your thoughts on him."

Orin grinned. "Oh. Well, I like him. He's strong and experienced, and he knows what he's doing. He's a good teammate and a good friend." He gave a short laugh. "He is an adventurer so when on quests it feels like he's someone I can trust to have my back in a fight."

That was about what I expected. But that wasn't what I was really asking.

I adjusted my grip on my staff and exhaled. "I didn't mean it like that. I mean… what do you think about his strength? And if he's being honest with us?"

Orin frowned, his expression losing its usual lightheartedness. "...Why wouldn't he be?"

I looked down, tapping my claw against the metal of my staff. I wasn't sure how to explain it. If I said the wrong thing, Orin might think I was overthinking things—or worse, that I didn't trust Jack. That wasn't it.

But what I felt yesterday…

I glanced at Orin. "...Did you notice anything when Jack found out someone wanted Ark dead?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You mean when he cracked that wall?"

"No... it's-," I stopped "Wait he cracked the wall?!" I asked shocked

Orin nodded "yeah, when he punched it, it cracked."

nodding I lowered my head and I muttered, my grip tightening. "what I meant to ask about was... his aura."

Orin looked even more confused. "His what?"

I let out a quiet sigh. Right. He wouldn't know.

"Aura," I repeated. "It's… like a pressure or presence you feel from strong creatures or people. Mages and skilled fighters give it off naturally. Have you ever felt something like that before?"

Orin frowned slightly in thought before nodding. "oh yeah, that, I didn't know the name and just referred it to someone's presence. the Hellhound Alpha from the exam for example, that thing had an insane presence. I felt like it was staring right through me, and I wasn't even fighting it."

I nodded slowly. "Right. That's aura. Now… what did you feel from Jack?"

Orin scratched his chin. "It was strong, but nothing crazy. Weaker than that Hellhound Alpha."

I froze, staring at him.

'So he didn't sense it fully.' I thought

I swallowed as I realized the difference. Orin wasn't a mage, he had no magic at all so he could probably only pick up on the surface of what Jack was letting out.

Because what I felt that day… it was 'stronger' than the hellhound.

Way stronger.

I forced myself to stay calm and nodded. "Yeah… makes sense."

Orin tilted his head. "Why? What did you feel?"

I hesitated. I could tell him. But if he didn't sense it, then telling him wouldn't change anything.

"...Nothing," I lied, shaking my head. "Just wondering."

Orin shrugged. "Well, whatever. Jack's strong, no doubt about that. But he's still just a guy, the same as the rest of us. Maybe a bit more experienced, but nothing crazy."

I nodded slowly.

But I wasn't sure I believed that anymore.

Jack's aura wasn't like mana. It wasn't magic at all.

It was something else and that worried me.

~~~~~~~~~~

Back to Jack's POV

We met up with the others at the cafeteria and ate quickly.

I did notice Zek was giving me a strange look but I paid it no mind.

After eating, our group headed to the courtyard.

A large crowd had gathered, and at the center stood a student on a raised pedestal.

"The investigation into the arena incident has been completed," the student announced. "As a result, the entrance ceremony has been moved to tomorrow."

The crowd reacted with mixed emotions. Some groaning in frustration, others indifferent.

"Tomorrow?" Orin muttered, frowning. "That sucks. I was hoping to do more quests."

"It's Wednesday [1] tomorrow," Zek noted. "We don't have any classes on the weekends, so at least we get a break soon and can do quests then."

I nodded in agreement, "he is right, and we only have mandatory classes in the morning. The afternoons are free time to do whatever you want, whether it is attending the magic and combat classes or going to the city."

Ark turned to me and asked, "What do you mean?"

I turned to him and explained.

"in the mornings, from Monday to Friday, we have basic classes: math, history, magic theory, language, ethics and law, economics, magic creatures, and myth and legend classes. We will have two each day in the morning."

"The afternoons have specific classes every day. I don't know what they are, but an example is on Mondays are physical combat classes, Tuesdays are alchemy classes, Wednesdays are magic study classes, Thursdays are spellcasting classes, and Fridays are magic engineering/enchanting classes."

"I am probably wrong on some of those, and some could happen on multiple days, there are other classes I left out as well, but the point is, so long as you aren't taking the afternoon classes, you have the rest of the day free."

Everyone's faces lit up as I listed the classes offered and the free time they had. 

"but the first week will be busy, so let's not waste today," I said. "We should head to Raventhorn and take on some quests while we still have time."

Everyone nodded in excitement as we all made our way to the guild to get some more quests.

[1] Although the months don't have names, the days of the week are the same. I did it like that as making up names for this wasn't something I wanted to do.