Chapter 424: Send-off

Words : 1308 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

Chapter 424: Send-off There was a lot of wailing. And it was coming from a particular blonde mechanic who never thought he would get to return to the space this early, but only because it’s been decided that he’d have to focus on his exams for this week. They even told him not to worry—that everything was under control now. That they’d learned enough after finishing the first dome and could handle things from here. But Ollie didn’t want to be told that. He wanted them to need him. To beg him to stay. They didn’t. Those traitors. Which was how he ended up walking miserably toward the auditorium with the rest of the group, dragging his feet like a man on the way to his execution. Everyone didn’t exactly look thrilled to be there. Save for his good brother. Who was maybe the only person who could see anything positive in this. It was his first time back at school in a long while, and this time, he didn’t have to worry about being kicked out or exposed as an impostor. For once, he could walk through the halls without dread sitting in his stomach. So yeah. He looked happy. Even excited. And felt free, so free that he didn’t mind the fact that they would be facing an exam by the end of this week. In fact, he’d been caught up in so many other things that he couldn’t think so much about bad thoughts. Not to mention that he was also sent off to school, just like a beloved kid in those commercials. There were actual hugs. And had they been allowed to do it, his parents would’ve marched him to class, too. Alas, they weren’t. So they stood behind and watched as he teleported off, proudly holding a...lunchbox. Yes. A lunchbox. Because after discovering that back in Tesseris, people would prepare a packed lunch for their children, the Duke and Duchess had made it their life’s mission to send their son to school with one. There was resistance. And several small fires. But he made it happen and refused assistance from anyone but his wife, whom he really couldn’t refuse unless he were aiming for an early death. Or the couch. Their precious son said it was something that parents did, and so they’d be dead first before surrendering this honor to anyone else. So, Luca had a fish dish. Why? Because that was the only thing his father had mastered. And he wasn’t about to poison his son just to experiment with something else without ample time. But even then, he had been so excited because he’d never gotten the chance to eat a packed lunch prepared by his very own parents. The Duchess, on the other hand, was smart enough to ask the kitchen to show her how a few of the side dishes were typically prepared, and then she imitated that, resulting in her discovery of that handy thing called a rice cooker. None of the dishes were hard to make. He ended up with an egg sandwich for a snack and fish with rice for lunch. However, he was extremely pleased with it. If only he knew that it resulted in the manor’s kitchen needing major renovations after today’s challenging ordeal. But even if they needed to renovate that kitchen three times, that lunchbox would still end up getting made, considering the determination of these parents. On the other hand, the others were consoled because Luca packed something for them too. Obviously, the guild leader resorted to this after Kyle had offhandedly mentioned that Ollie would rather dig ditches for a month than go to school for a week. So, to motivate him to go to school and study, Luca had thought of reassuring them all with new food to try for lunch. And this time they weren’t hiding it. Not when everyone already knew about their guild serving up mouth-watering dishes to their noble parents anyway. Also, with one dome up, they could start soft launching their efforts just in time for the expo. Only, they weren’t expecting to garner so much attention just by existing. Noah, in particular, felt odd about all the looks they were getting. Out of everyone, he seemed to be the most uncomfortable when it came to the number of onlookers they were quickly gaining. For one, he was already expecting to hear criticism from those people who would say words about how he had switched sides, having previously tormented Luca. But he could accept that, because he needed to pay for being an idiot. However, what he wasn’t prepared to see was the sheer number of students from who knows where. The auditorium was packed. Students from all levels were there, staring. And somehow, he wondered how Theo managed to attend class like this every day without losing his mind. Well, it was because Theo didn’t look. And even refrained from looking at the forums that would’ve gotten him running out of school had he continued reading them. Which was smart. Because those forums were terrifying. Like a wild jungle of people either professing their love, calling out the injustice, or nitpicking their guild member’s toes. Not like anyone’s ever seen those really. Hopefully. [They’re actually going to class this week!] [I told you all! It would be impossible for them to skip out this time! Where was that senior who bet money on them not going to class? I have clearly won our bet, so please pay up!] [What’s with all the commotion? They’re just students like us. I don’t see any of you watching the others when they go to school?] [Upstairs commenter. No offense, but do you not have eyes? Where is the equality that is called "They’re just students like us?"] [+1 Do notable figures come to see you every day, like all those elites who are coming to their establishment daily?] [+1 Also, since they have stopped attending school, our school has lost access to our school grass, and we’ve effectively lowered our school’s visual score by 40%. Facts.] [Psh. Now that’s the real reason, right? All you care about are looks. Perhaps you should focus on your studies instead. The young ones are really disappointing now.] [Senior upstairs, please don’t say that when it’s your batch’s fault that we are out here running around looking for people who don’t need to attend classes. If more seniors started looking presentable, then maybe we hard-working students wouldn’t need to look so far to seek visual relief.] [...] The commenters were harsh, and those who were suddenly hit with strays after apparently being the visual strain couldn’t say anything anymore, as photos kept flooding the forums. They were photos of a ragtag group of dangerously attractive people walking together. They had the same uniforms on, but many of the commenters noted that they seemed to look different on them. Several commenters questioned whether their uniforms were defective because there was no way they looked like that on them. But at the same time, those photos of good-looking flower boys and two imposing orcs garnered critics who said that clearly they haven’t been working much or training much, because if they were, it would be impossible to look like that. Listless, emaciated, and deathly tired. That was how many of the students looked after preparing for the upcoming exams. So with these people looking like they’ve been on a vacation all this time, there would likely be massive changes in the rankings, right? Sure. But largely because someone’s eyes sparkled after Jax pointed out how unfair their captain was for always getting the top spot without dying at least thrice. So now, the ex-top student who missed the initial ranking exam couldn’t afford to possibly disappoint his wife, could he?

Chapter 424: Send-off

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