Chapter 323: I Can Already Tell What You’re Thinking
"Thank you for the meal," Lavinia said softly.
"No trouble," Fran replied. "Feel free to come and visit some other time. It’s more fun to eat with friends."
The meal had just ended, and the girls were helping to wash the dishes.
Alex was asked to help clean the table, but the moment he was done, he was promptly kicked out of the house because the girls were planning to have a private chat.
The young man didn’t mind this treatment and was even happy to see Lavinia and the usually snobbish Lumi warming up to Fran.
Had it been possible, he would have already invited Fran to join his club.
He knew she would reject his offer. After all, Fran was already part of the Farming Club as its Vice President.
Luckily for her, the President was none other than Finn. He obviously didn’t want his sister to be burdened with too many responsibilities.
The funds given to the club each month were spent on food for the Beasts under their care, as well as salaries for the club members helping out on the farm.
It was a club that didn’t have any conflicting interest with the Crest Clubs, so none of them bothered Fran and Finn.
Half an hour later, the girls finally left the house and bade Fran goodbye.
Alex also bade his goodbye and walked back to the Ironheart Dormitory with Lavinia.
"You’re right about her cooking, Alex," Lavinia remarked. "It did taste like home."
"Right?" Alex grinned.
Fran’s cooking might not be as sophisticated as the food served in the cafeteria, but it had a homey taste to it.
Also, knowing that the ingredients used were all grown on Fran’s farm, its quality was assured.
"Hey, if I cooked something, would you eat it?" Lavinia suddenly asked as she glanced at Alex.
"As long as it’s not poisonous, I will eat it," Alex answered.
"Hmm..." Lavinia smiled faintly as they continued to walk side by side.
Remembering their first interactions, Alex could tell that he and Lavinia had grown closer with each other.
Of course, he wasn’t dense. He understood her feelings. But both of them seemed to have an unspoken understanding that now might not be the best time to pursue these things.
When Alex had played ELO, he hadn’t encountered anyone named Lavinia.
He had only known about Cairo because of the Heaven Sword’s popularity among players.
Alex didn’t know if the Mutant Spider incident happened in the original story, which might be the reason for Lavinia’s absence.
Deep inside, he wanted to believe that Lavinia also left her mark on history and didn’t perish inside the Etherion Domain.
Also, there was one more thing that had been weighing on Alex’s mind.
The warning from the Deity who appeared before him after Vaan had made the declaration to live his life for his sake.
"Changing the Fate of others is a double-edged sword. Do not think for a moment that you won’t be paying a price for changing the destinies of others."
The story was still progressing according to his knowledge, but there had been some changes here and there.
Bringing his club to the Heracle Mountains, the arrival of Prince Kaelen—which wasn’t part of the story progression—and other minor things that Alex believed were the consequences of his actions.
But if he was asked whether he regretted anything, his answer was a firm "No."
At least, that was what he sincerely believed at that moment.
"Alex... Hey, Alex."
The young man snapped out of his daze as Lavinia’s voice reached his ears.
"I’m sorry, what were we talking about?" Alex asked apologetically.
"It’s about the event that the Headmaster is preparing for the First Years," Lavinia said. "I am wondering if I should make some kind of special preparation for it."
"Ah... about that." Alex glanced at his surroundings, making sure that no one was around them.
For most people, the secret about the type of Dungeon that the Headmaster was taking them to was, well, a secret. However, it was no mystery to Alex.
He had already purchased some materials from the Exchange Center of the Academy using his academy points. On top of that, he had asked Nessia to help him craft the runes they would be using for the expedition.
The young lady had even complained to Alex that he was acting like a slave driver, though she had been given fairly befitting compensation.
Alex had no defense for this because whenever something like this happened, the first person he talked to was Nessia.
She was the only one who could imbue Rune Magic on certain items, which would be useful during the expedition.
"The dungeon we are going to enter has Undead Monsters inside of it," Alex whispered in Lavinia’s ears before taking a step back.
The young man then placed a finger over his lips, telling Lavinia to keep this a secret from everyone.
"Is that why you, Nessia, Charles, and Vaan have been having secret meetings in that special dimension inside the clock tower?" Lavinia inquired.
"Yes," Alex answered. "I’m sorry. It’s not that we don’t trust you guys. It’s just that the fewer people in the know, the less troublesome it will be."
Lapiz might be a member of Endless Horizon, but she was a new member. Her loyalty toward the club could not be overstated.
If Alex were to invite everyone to a meeting and tell them that they would be going to a Dungeon filled with Undead, there was a chance that Lapiz would tell this to her little brother, Prince Kaelen. That, in turn, might affect the agreement between Alex and Prince Kaelen.
Also, many clubs were paying attention to Alex’s movements.
If they were to procure many Exorcism Talismans, as well as other items that warded off Undead and Specter-Type Monsters, people might catch up and create countermeasures as well.
Because of this, Alex only purchased talismans without any writing in them and handed them over to Nessia so she could imbue them with rune magic.
He also purchased many items that would not make people think that he was preparing to fight Undead Monsters.
The young man only wanted them to think that he was taking the dungeon expedition seriously.
Even if the other classes and clubs learnt about his transaction history, nothing would stand out too much.
"Thank you for sharing this information with me," Lavinia said with a smile. "I’ll write Grandpa a letter and ask him to lend me a sword that will be very effective against those types of Dungeon Monsters."
"Good." Alex nodded. "You and Renard will play an important role in this mission. I hope both of you will bring our team to victory."
"Then, shouldn’t you also let Renard know about this?" Lavinia arched an eyebrow.
"What for?" Alex asked back. "Renard’s fighting style won’t change even if I tell him, so there’s no problem even if he isn’t informed beforehand."
"You and he really don’t get along huh?" Lavinia sighed.
"Actually, Renard and I get along pretty well," Alex insisted unconvincingly. "At least, in our own way."
Lavinia shook her head helplessly before bringing up the most important topic.
"Are you sure that everything is going to be fine?" Lavinia asked. "Should we let Charles sit this one out?"
The young lady knew that Charles and Dungeons weren’t a good combination.
In fact, she had been quite worried since she learned that they would be doing a dungeon dive with the delegations from the Solara and Faelarun Academy.
"It will be fine," Alex assured her. "Professor Rowan will be there, so there will be no threat at all."
"I can already tell what you’re thinking." Lavinia smiled wryly. "It’s so evil."
Alex chuckled because his plan was indeed evil.
He would allow the other teams to gain points and dive deeper inside the dungeon before he flipped their worlds upside down.
Of course, he wouldn’t have resorted to such a thing if he hadn’t been certain that Professor Rowan would be present.
A Dungeon Outbreak might be seen as a calamity to others, but with the Paragon of Space standing guard, those monsters would simply disappear before they could threaten those on the surface.
"Trust me and just have fun in the dungeon," Alex stated.
"Well, if you say so." Lavinia sighed one more time before noticing a familiar figure waiting at the entrance of the Ironheart Academy.
It was none other than Prince Garen, whom Alex had fought a few days ago.