The Anomaly's Path

I stepped out of the student council room, the doors closing behind me with a soft click. The quiet hallway was a relief after the tense meeting inside. I shoved my hands into my pockets and felt the cold metal of the Enforcement Badge against my fingers.

As I walked down the hall, my mind started working.

The security patrol would be annoying, but I realized something useful. As a temporary council enforcer, I could go anywhere during the festival.

I wasn’t stuck to the campus or just my class’s area. I could move freely, watch anyone, and act with authority. For someone who always needed to stay ahead of his enemies, this was a huge advantage.

But a bad feeling settled in my chest. I stopped by a tall window and looked out at the academy below. The streets were already covered in colorful banners, and big magical displays were being tested.

The size of the event was huge.

I hope I’m just overthinking this, I thought, running a hand through my hair. But this festival feels like it’s going to be a long week. Fuck, I shouldn’t jinx it.

”Leo.” A sharp voice cut through his thoughts, breaking the silence.

I froze and turned around.

Sylvia was standing a few steps away. The council room doors had just closed behind her. Her long black hair moved slightly as she walked toward me, her ocean-blue eyes locked on my face. Her expression was strict and serious.

”What do you want now?” I asked. ”The meeting is already over, isn’t it?”

Sylvia didn’t answer right away. She stopped right in front of me, crossing her arms. The pressure she usually used to command the student council surged slightly, focusing entirely on me.

”This isn’t about the festival logistics,” Sylvia said, her voice dangerously calm. ”We need to talk about what happened last night.”

My heart gave a sudden, violent thump against my ribs, but I kept my face completely flat. I raised an eyebrow, letting out a short, forced chuckle. ”Last night? What do you mean, what happened? I was in the dining hall cooking noodles for a horde of freeloaders, and then I went to bed. Nothing happened...”

Before I could finish, Sylvia’s hand shot out and grabbed my left ear, twisting it hard.

”Ow! Ow, ow! Let go! What the hell, Sylvia?!” I hissed, bending sideways to ease the pain. My lightning sparked under my skin from reflex, but I held back, I knew better than to fight my own sister in the main building.

”Don’t play dumb with me, Leo von Celestial. I’m asking about what happened between you and Seris,” Sylvia muttered, tightening her grip for a second before letting go.

I immediately took a step back, rubbing my bright red ear, my eyes glaring at her with pure irritation. ”Are you insane? Where did that even come from? And how the hell did you even know anyway? Did Seris tell you?”

”No, she didn’t tell me anything,” Sylvia snapped, her sharp gaze boring into me.

”But I know her. When she came to the council office this morning, I knew something was wrong. She was completely spacing out, staring at nothing. And when I asked her simple questions, she kept looking away and stammering. So, I forced her to spill everything.”

I froze for a second, my mind racing. That girl actually panics that easily?

Sylvia stepped closer, her face dead serious.

”So I’m asking you right now, Leo. Are you taking her out as a joke? Are you trying to get close to her just to mess around and dump her later? Because if your reckless chaos ends up hurting her, sibling or not, I will personally break you.”

”Who said anything about dumping her?!” I snapped back, my voice echoing in the empty hall. My face felt hot, and I was completely annoyed. ”I don’t love her, and I’m not playing with her feelings. What kind of person do you think I am?”

I let out a heavy sigh and threw my hands up. ”Think about it. Didn’t you tell me back then that I needed to properly apologize to her for what happened in the tournament?”

Sylvia blinked, her strict posture wavering slightly. ”...I did.”

”Exactly. So I went and apologized to her,” I continued, crossing my arms and looking away.

”And then... I realized how much I actually owe her. She literally saved my life in that Gate, and I’m not an ungrateful person who ignores a debt. I wanted to take her somewhere to properly repay her. But I don’t know anything about her. I don’t know what she likes or what kind of gifts she wants.”

I glanced back at Sylvia, huffing. ”The only thing I know for sure is that she loves to eat. So I did the only logical thing. I asked her out for dinner to repay my debt. That’s all this is. Leo von Celestial pays back what he owes.”

Sylvia stared at me in complete, dead silence.

”...”

She stayed like that for a long moment before letting out an exhausted sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose. ”You really are a complete idiot. A total blockhead.”

”Hey,” I frowned.

”Never mind,” Sylvia waved her hand, her tense shoulders dropping as she sighed again. ”Fine. If it’s just to repay a debt, I will stay out of it. But where are you even planning to take her? Do you have proper clothes? Look at your hair, it looks like a complete mess. You look like a stray dog, not a noble.”

”My hair is perfectly fine,” I grumbled, running a hand through the messy strands. ”It’s good.”

”It’s terrible,” Sylvia corrected flatly. Then a small, mischievous smile touched her lips. ”By the way, you do remember that Mom and Mia are arriving on the third day of the festival, right? Are you planning to greet them looking like a mess?”

I rolled my eyes and turned to walk away. ”Come on, it’s not that bad. I look good.”

”Oh, really?” Sylvia raised an eyebrow, her voice full of amusement.

Before I could reply, she pointed a strict finger at me. ”Change of plans. On the third or fourth day, I will make time and you are coming with me. We are going shopping. I’m going to help you buy proper banquet clothes, and you are getting a haircut whether you like it or not. Do you hear me?”

I groaned loudly, my head dropping back. ”Do I seriously have to—”

”Yes. No excuses,” Sylvia ordered, turning around and walking back into the council room without giving me a chance to argue.

I stood in the hallway for a moment, muttering curses under my breath before finally heading back toward the dorms.

_

The next day arrived with a wave of chaos.

The academy and the city around it had changed overnight. Colorful banners hung from every stone arch, huge magical displays floated over the plazas, and the streets were packed with people.

For most people, it was a big festival. For the academy, it was the anniversary of its founding — a time to remember the heroes who studied here and died in battle, while also showing off the strength of the new generation.

For me, it was the busiest day of my life.

From early morning, I got pulled into many jobs. With my new enforcement badge, I had to patrol the busy shopping areas. Naturally, I refused to suffer alone. I dragged Roan, Alice, and Malva along with me.

”Why the hell do we have to do your patrol, Leo?!” Roan complained loudly, as we walked through a crowded market street.

”Because I’m your friend, and if I’m suffering, you should suffer with me,” I replied flatly, ignoring Roan’s glares. Alice just sighed, keeping her eyes sharp as she scanned the crowds, while Malva walked silently beside us, keeping a low profile.

Our small patrol team didn’t report to one specific senior, but we got constant updates through our communication badges.

Every so often, the voice of Seris, the strict orders of Sylvia, or the smooth guidance of Elian would crackle through the mana frequency, telling us to clear out small crowd jams or watch for suspicious groups entering the gates.

But patrolling wasn’t my only problem.

Whenever my shift ended, I had to rush back to campus to manage Class Ascendant’s food stall. Since I was so busy, I hadn’t had time to see what the other classes were doing. But the rumors alone made me angry.

Everyone in the halls had been giving me smug, mocking looks since the announcements went up.

Arthur’s class, Class Veritas, was opening a Maid Cafe that was already getting a lot of attention. Riven’s class was setting up a combat game, and Princess Cordelia’s class was building a big horror house.

”A maid cafe... what a joke,” I muttered to myself as I arrived at the Class Ascendant stall site.

Luckily, my own class was working well.

I had given clear, strict orders on how the kitchen and stalls should be run. Money wasn’t a problem for me, so I didn’t hold back. Class Ascendant had a lot of class points, and I even used some of my own credits to buy high-quality ingredients, rare spices, and top-tier cooking gear.

To make sure everything ran smoothly, I called in my trusted employees to help with the behind-the-scenes work. I felt a little bad for them since they had their own things to do, but I needed a reliable team — and they were capable people.

Julia stood near the supply crates, her fluffy pink hair sticking out everywhere. Her Spatial Pressure was constantly active within a 100-meter radius to track the inventory and make sure no one stole our good supplies.

Beside her, Caster was hammering a wooden beam into place to reinforce the stall.

His messy brown hair was a mess, and his hazel eyes were full of anxious energy. Using his Structure Affinity, the half-dwarf could spot flaws in the magical wiring of the stoves and fix them before anything went wrong.

”The main counter is solid, boss!” Caster yelled over the noise, wiping sweat from his forehead. ”The mana flow to the freezers is stable too!”

”Good,” I said, nodding as I looked over the stall. Everyone in Class Ascendant was working together, driven mostly by fear of Morgana’s brutal training if we lost.

_

The sun began to set, painting the city in deep orange and purple.

The heavy prep work was finally wrapping up. Tomorrow morning, the gates would open, and the real chaos would begin.

I walked away from the busy stall, heading to a quieter corner of the plaza where Caster, Julia, and Malva were waiting. I had handled academy work all day, but now I had one last thing to do before the night ended.

I had called them here for a reason. I only needed Caster for this task, but bringing Julia and Malva along was better — they didn’t have much work anyway, and it would give them a chance to learn. I also thought about bringing Lyra, since she was part of the team.

But I knew about her past and how she was also a slave, and I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, even though I knew she was capable and strong.

Plus, I was planning to meet my mom and sister soon, so I wouldn’t need Lyra right now. The only thing she did was wake me up or bring me food — it would be better if she worked outside the academy instead of being my servant every day.

It was time to go and find our new member. Since I would be busy starting tomorrow, tonight was my only chance to move in the shadows.

”Let’s go?” I asked quietly, my eyes darkening as I looked at them.