The boys rode in through the academy gates, handing over the horses the village had gifted them. Though they had refused any direct reward, the villagers insisted—at the very least, they wanted to offer the trio a faster way back. It was the only thing they felt they could give their saviors.
Dismounting, Asher stretched his legs. "Straight to the mission hall, I believe," he said, cracking his neck.
"Yes," Nick replied, voice low but firm. "We need to report everything that happened during the mission. But remember—no one mentions anything about Ethan."
Ethan gave a silent nod, eyes steady. Asher nodded too, though with a bit less seriousness.
They moved through the academy grounds, and for the first time in days, the place felt... safe. Peaceful. Students were training in the courtyards, sparring with swords or practicing spells under watchful instructors. The clatter of weapons and bursts of elemental energy filled the air.
But the trio walked with grim focus, ignoring it all.
When they reached the mission hall, it was already bustling—students streaming in and out, grabbing missions or reporting their successes and failures. Inside, they made their way to the front desk where Elina, the ever-sarcastic mission clerk, was handling a student with a suspiciously high number of 'injuries' and a low number of accomplishments.
Probably trying to scam extra points again, Asher thought.
When it was finally their turn, Asher stepped forward. "Hi Elina! We're back."
Elina looked up, blinked, and smirked. "Oh. You're still alive? I'm surprised."
"What do you mean still alive?" Asher frowned. "You thought we were going to die, didn't you?"
"Not thought—more like expected," she replied with a shrug, pulling a file from under her desk.
Nick cleared his throat. "We're here to report. We reached the village without issue, investigated the missing people, and followed a lead to a cave system nearby."
Ethan remained silent, arms crossed behind him.
Elina scribbled lazily into the file. "Uh-huh. Thanks for the details, the academy will take it from here—"
"We're not done yet," Asher interrupted, chest puffed out. "You cut us off just as we were getting to the good part."
Elina raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't your assignment to provide initial assessment and support? That's all I need."
Nick gave a slight nod. "It was. But we went off-mission."
Elina looked up slowly, frown forming. "Off-mission?"
"There were signs of monsters deeper in the cave," Nick said. "Ogres. Four of them."
That made her pause.
"We fought them," Asher added with a dramatic sweep of his arm. "And won."
Elina stared at them for a long second. Then burst into a short laugh.
"Oh, good one. Seriously. That's probably the best lie I've heard all week." She shook her head. "You three took down ogres? On your own? You haven't even finished basic combat training!"
"We're not lying," Nick said, his voice colder now.
"Sure. And I'm secretly a dragon in disguise." She rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'd at least expect this one—" she pointed at Asher— "to have gotten crushed in the first thirty seconds."
"Hey! That's just mean!" Asher huffed.
"Evidence?" Elina asked. "If you're serious, let me check your storage rings."
Asher muttered under his breath while unclasping his ring. "I swear, we need to start avoiding her counter."
Elina sighed and took each ring, channeling her essence into them to verify their contents.
The moment her energy connected with the first ring, the storage activated.
Thud.
The first ogre corpse hit the floor.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Four massive bodies dropped into view, causing nearby students to jump and stare. Conversations died. Quills stopped scratching.
The mission hall went silent.
The ogres' bodies—bloodied, twisted, and very much real—lay sprawled across the marble tiles, steaming slightly from the storage transfer.
Gasps rippled through the room.
"What the hell…?" a student muttered from behind them.
"Are those… actual ogres?"
"No way…"
" I haven't seen one before"
Even a few instructors standing at the far end of the hall turned their heads, eyes narrowing.
Elina didn't speak.
She just stared.
Mouth slightly open. Ring still glowing in her hand. As if her brain had refused to register what she was seeing.
Asher leaned over, smug. "Still think we were lying?"
Elina blinked slowly, then looked up at them with a mixture of disbelief and... something else. Concern, maybe.
"I__I need to get this confirmed," she said, voice suddenly more formal. "This… this isn't standard."
"You think?" Ethan murmured under his breath.
Elina scribbled into the file rapidly now, sweat beading along her brow. "I'll have to escalate this. You'll need to speak with a senior instructor. Maybe even the head examiner."
Behind them, whispers continued to spread like wildfire. Eyes were on them some impressed, some suspicious.