In the hospital, Hanasta closed his eyes as tightly as possible. Regulating his breath, he tried to enhance his hearing sensitivity.
He could detect how people's hearts were beating faster.
He could hear the hurried footsteps rushing down the corridor.
Also, the sound of a door slamming from another room.
There was a lot of commotion. Whispers full of suspicion. A messenger is the target of curses. And all of that because...
"Is there going to be sudden inspection today by representatives from Empyrean Zielle?" he asked as he opened his eyes.
A sarcastic smile curved on his lips. "I knew sooner or later something like this would happen. But isn't it a bit hasty? It turns out they shouldn't be underestimated either."
He pulled out the cheap, outdated IV needle that was stuck in the inner fold of her elbow. "Torkuens Re Veruleiga is not something to be used lightly. But, given the situation, I can't hold back any longer."
Just as he was about to get off the bed to check what was really happening, creak, the room's door opened from the outside. It revealed a man dressed as a doctor with a HoloPad in his hand and two male nurses along with two female nurses.
Hanasta grinned. "Wow, are you finally going to let me back to the dorm? To be honest, the atmosphere here is a bit gloomy and the food isn't great. This is my last year in middle school, so there are a lot of assignments I have to do as well."
"Hanasta Giollanebhin, we actually received word from your school that you still need to undergo further observation," the doctor said with a flat intonation.
Huff, the situation is turning out to be more troublesome than I imagined.
"Eh? What are you doing?!" he asked in a panic as he instinctively struggled. He tried to rise, but before he could move any further, his hands and feet were quickly restrained at the end of the bed by the nurses using restraints like brown belts.
His body tensed up immediately as the doctor injected a needle into his skin. Hanasta's arm struggled, but the restraints were too strong. He gritted his teeth. Holding his breath.
"I don't remember doing anything that would make me deserve treatment like this."
The cold feeling, like metal just taken out of a refrigerator, began to spread through his veins.
The doctor replied, "You are one of the best student in the Junior High School. Special Proctor Gildas cannot allow you to be in such a state."
Hanasta raised an eyebrow. "Huh??? Nonsense."
His consciousness began to fade. His eyelids felt heavy. A tremendous drowsiness attacked his head, forcing everything to go dark and powerless.
One of the male nurses looked at the doctor and asked, "So, what's the plan now?"
"Most likely, the envoys from Empyrean Zielle will also inspect this place, right? Who knows what they are actually after," asked a female nurse.
The doctor replied, "It all depends on what Young Master Giollamhuire decides. He is the one paying us to keep this slum dweller here."
Another male nurse said, "I heard all the residents of Deveraux Dormitory are facing inspection right now. Who knows if he had a chance to inform us about how it's going."
"Even if he hasn't said anything…" His eyes scanned Hanasta's unconscious body from head to toe. "…there are actually many interesting things I want to find out from this child's body."
"I understand your curiosity, Doctor," said a female nurse, nodding in agreement with her colleagues.
Whereas he is a resident of a slum area that is notorious for having a barbaric and primitive way of life. Although his body does have many scars, his main physical characteristics indicate that he comes from an upper-class background.
No, no, not just any upper class from this rotten land. But, Allerick Gildas.
"How can a resident of the slum area in Sylvaine Macarena look like a resident of Empyrean Zielle?"
*
In the Remeant Bumi Universe, the world is divided into the sky kingdom of Empyrean Zielle and the underworld of Sylvaine Macarena. Each of its inhabitants has distinctive physical characteristics that those of other worlds do not possess.
From the dormitory window, the students were busy gathering as they saw the envoy from Empyrean Zielle, with their hair and eyes colored like celestial objects; primarily blue with all its gradations. That was a common color for them.
Meanwhile, the residents of the dormitory for nobles and elites were gathering in the room of someone influential. Like Raibeart, for example.
"Does their arrival have anything to do with the rumors circulating about Hanasta?" asked one student. They were all still in their uniforms.
"Isn't it a bit excessive for them to get involved just because of an issue like that?" responded another student.
"Raibeart, why are you so quiet? It's rare to see so many Allerick Gildas roaming around here like this. You like them, right? Aren't you interested?" asked a female student.
Raibeart, who was simply sitting on the bed while seriously observing his HoloPad, did not respond at all. He was thinking about something else.
The medical staff he had paid were doing their job well by keeping Hanasta in the hospital for as long as possible. He had also asked them to make him unconscious during the sudden inspection by Empyrean Zielle so that his presence wouldn't attract the Allerick Gildas.
But, was that enough?
He sent a message to Dr. Reed to falsify the child's medical report and make it appear as though his condition was truly helpless. This might become an issue if the Allerick Gildas decided to scrutinize all patient data carefully. But for now, it seemed that this was sufficient.
"Moreover, this inspection is probably just like a regular visit. They won't waste time on something like that. Especially for a slum resident like Hanasta," he thought, trying to remain calm.
But still. His fingers couldn't stop tapping the surface of the HoloPad. Indicating that alarm bells were ringing in his head.
DING DING DING. Suddenly, the bell throughout the entire dormitory rang loudly, drawing the attention of all the students.
Then a voice emerged, "All students are expected to gather immediately in the main hall of the school! Interrogations will be conducted on each student."
"Huh? Interrogation? What have we done wrong?" a female student asked her friend.
Raibeart's eyes widened. He began to feel something strange that shouldn't be. What is the real purpose of the arrival of the Allerick Gildas?
*
In an instant, the enthusiasm of the students seeing the presence of many Allerick Gildas in their school quickly turned into trembling fear.
"HAAAAAAAAAKKHH! HAAAAAAAAAKKHH! HAAAAAAAAAKKHH!"
Screams or something like it continued to be heard from the rooms used for "interrogation." The students waiting for their turn stood in line in front of the door, waiting for their names to be called. The atmosphere had completely changed.
Their hands were clenched with cold sweat flowing heavily. They exchanged glances filled with worry.
Click. The door opened. The student who had just been interrogated came out. Their body was trembling. They looked paler. But no one dared to ask what they had just experienced.
*
Meanwhile, in the office of the principal of the Special Proctor Gildas Middle School.
On a dark green sofa sat a dashing man with Charcoal Blue hair and Sand Opal eyes. His face was flat and expressionless. His body, clad in the military attire of Vienetas Vlatka, sat upright with crossed legs, staring firmly at the old man in front of him.
"I am Cressida Babette. The appointed Saighdear Ēnsiger leading the Empyrean Zielle envoy on duty today," he said, introducing himself. His arrogant gaze looked at Mavka Caliginous in front of him as if he were staring at a robot carcass.
On another sofa, the Principal of Special Proctor Gildas sat stiffly. Rigid, actually. Trying to maintain calm despite the tension in the room. "Sir, as the principal here, I feel entitled to know what is actually..."
The man quickly interrupted, "No, you have no rights before us. Only I have the right to say something here."
"Very well," responded the Principal, lowering his gaze.
He tapped the surface of the table with his long fingers. It created a slow rhythm that increased the tension in the room. "We know that Special Proctor Gildas is planning something to fight against Empyrean Zielle."
The old eyes of the headmaster could only widen upon hearing it.
His gaze was so cold as he stared at Mavka Caliginous in front of him. "Do you want to go to war against us?" he asked.
The old man's face reflexively lifted. He looked at the young man in front of him in disbelief. "What... What are you actually saying?"