Chapter 66: Masks (III)

While Lelira was secretly worried about Ravia, a series of crisp claps echoed through the hall, and soon the lights throughout the hall dimmed.
A soft beam of light slowly shone down from the star patterns on the ceiling, and as the light changed, the entire hall fell silent.
As the representative of the sixth graders, Casper Rollins, dressed in a black suit with a pointed wizard hat askew on his head, slowly walked toward the light source.
He glanced around, picked up a glass with his right hand, cleared his throat, and said, “Distinguished gentlemen and ladies, it is an honor for me to…”
But before he could finish, a few complaints arose from the crowd—clearly from senior students who were on good terms with him.
“Hey, enough nonsense, Casper. Just get started!”
“That’s right, we don’t want to hear your clichéd speeches!”
“We certainly won’t agree with your professor-like tone!”
“Wait, come on, I’ve only said a few words… Alright, alright,” Casper said with a wry smile, giving in. He coughed, glanced at the younger students around him, smirked, and said softly, “Well then, let’s all relax. Tonight belongs to us—only to us! But don’t go overboard, or I can’t guarantee the dance will go on until the end! So now… let’s have some fun, guys!”
“Yay!”
With the cheers of the seniors, soft beams of light continued to shine down from the star-patterned ceiling, flickering and slowly moving in various directions toward the center of the hall. Meanwhile, a melodious tune gradually filled the hall, and the dance began…
In the empire, dances had always been a great way to build relationships, especially in Sassen, where nobles used dances to find political allies or make more friends. After all, in the imperial capital, the influence of a single family was clearly insignificant.
For young nobles, dances were mostly a chance to meet the opposite sex. What could be better than holding a girl you liked and whispering to her in a dance?
But when it came to “beauty,” Jiang Zhe clearly didn’t think so…
It was awkward, extremely awkward…

Before agreeing to Lilith’s invitation to take Dia to the dance, Jiang Zhe didn’t understand what was going on. But it wasn’t until the girl in front of him hesitantly wrapped her arms around his waist that he felt extreme embarrassment.
Indeed, the atmosphere at the dance was great—whether it was the melodious music or the dim lighting…
Damn! This wasn’t a dance at all; it was clearly organized by the older students for them to date!
Watching the girl in front of him lower her head and lean slightly on him, Jiang Zhe felt extremely uncomfortable. It wasn’t that he didn’t like being with her; on the contrary, from the start, Jiang Zhe had a strong liking for Dia—gentle, thoughtful, and understanding. Aside from being slightly younger, she was exactly the woman he idealized.
The more so, the more embarrassed Jiang Zhe felt.
Seeming to notice the boy’s unease, Dia giggled and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Are you nervous, Thors?”
“N-no, I’m not nervous at all!”
“Giggle,” hearing his stammering words, Dia smiled slightly, let out a soft breath, and said playfully, “You didn’t invite me without knowing what a dance partner means, did you?”
“What does it mean?”
“As expected,” shaking her head helplessly, Dia winked at Jiang Zhe playfully and said softly, “Pay attention to your surroundings!”
“Hm?” Following Dia’s gaze, Jiang Zhe looked around and saw groups of boys and girls huddled together, whispering to each other, some even pressed closely together, which made him feel even more embarrassed.
“See?” Looking at Jiang Zhe with a smile, Dia said softly, “This kind of dance originated in Saxon. You know, some nobles had very… very decadent private lives. Well, you’ll find out about that later! But such things are absolutely not allowed in Riox. So, in short, a dance is just a way to invite or meet the opposite sex. Hehe, are you regretting it now? If you hadn’t invited me, maybe you’d be with the girl you like right now!”
“Stop joking!”
“Giggle, so are you regretting it or not?”
“Of course not. If I hadn’t invited you, I wouldn’t have bothered coming to this dance!”
“Huh?” Glancing at Jiang Zhe strangely, Dia was momentarily stunned before saying softly, “Thors, I’ll ask you a question. Be honest—do you have a girl you really like?”

“No!”
“So sure?” Dia was clearly surprised. After thinking for a moment, she asked again, “What about someone you like?”
“Um… I don’t think so…”
“Hehe, you’re hesitating. If you don’t mind, can you tell me secretly?”
“What…?”
“I mean, a girl you like a bit!”
“No, no, definitely not!”
“Really? Hehe, you can’t fool me. What about Ravia?”
“R… Ravia? Good heavens, if she hears this, it’ll be terrible. I don’t want her chasing after me…”
“Chasing after you?”
“Ugh, as long as it’s not her, it’s fine. She’s so fierce, who could stand it?”
“Fierce? Giggling,” Dia couldn’t help but laugh softly, shaking her head and saying in a low voice, “Sos, don’t you understand? Ravia isn’t fierce with everyone…”
Glancing at Dia, Jiang Zhe said oddly, “Really? To me, she seems fierce with everyone.”
“You!” With a light smile, Dia shook her head helplessly and said in a low voice, “Alright, fine. Even if we exclude Ravia, do you have a girl you like? Or rather, is there any other girl who likes you? I heard from Lilith that during the competition a couple of days ago, you and Allen became quite famous. Being able to control dozens of fireballs at once—Sos, your strength is getting stronger. I think even the seniors in grades five or six probably can’t easily deal with a giant stone statue. At least I can’t. Ugh, just thinking about the year-end assessment gives me a headache. I wish I were as good as you, hehe!”
“I’m not that great either…”
“Excessive modesty can be seen as arrogance, Sos. Hehe, enough, let’s not change the subject. Is there any girl who likes you?”
Jiang Zhe shook his head helplessly and said, “There’s no way!”
“That’s hard to say,” Dia said with a mischievous smile, “So, what about a girl you like? By the way, what kind of girl do you like? Hehe, I heard Lilith and you have an agreement—if you can invite me, she’ll consider dating you?”
“Hey, that was just her joking. I could tell!”
“It was just a joke. But Lilith is indeed very popular in the academy. I remember last time Allen tried to ask Lilith out. Hehe, so Allen likes that type of girl…”
“I’m sorry, but that guy Allen will approach any girl he meets…”

“Giggle, yeah, I seem to have seen her a few times too. Um… you’ve distracted me again. To be honest, what kind of girl do you like?”
“I like? That’s hard to say…” Jiang Zhe tilted his head and pondered for a long time. His gaze happened to meet Dia’s, who was looking up.
“Hurry up and tell me!” Dia teased Jiang Zhe, only to notice irritably that the boy seemed distracted. Just as she was about to remind him, suddenly, as if she guessed something, her cheeks, exposed outside her mask, turned red instantly, and she lowered her head unconsciously.
Meanwhile, in a corner not far from Jiang Zhe and the others…
“That’s too much! Too much!” Lisa glared angrily at the distance, clutching her dress tightly. “Sos is too cruel! Ugh! Avi must be very sad now…” As she spoke, she instinctively glanced beside her and saw Allen stroking his chin, staring intently at the distance. She grew even angrier and said, “Stop looking, Allen! It’s all your fault!”
“What’s my fault?” Allen shrugged innocently, laughing and crying. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s Raviya herself. How could the lost mask end up in Sos’s hands…”
“Allen, didn’t you explain it clearly enough?”
“Come on, I already explained it clearly. That guy just said he ‘found’ it. What can I do?”
“I don’t care!” Lisa puffed out her cheeks, glaring angrily at the distance. “All I know is Avi must be very sad right now. Sos is such a jerk for going to the ball with the mask Avi picked out herself and another woman…”
“I think I need to clarify this. After all, he’s my brother… I bet Sos would never lie. Well, given his personality, he’d be too lazy to lie even if he wanted to. If he says he found it, then it must be true…”
“Allen! Are you still defending him?”
Looking at Lisa, who was glaring at him angrily, Allen smiled bitterly and shrugged, inwardly complaining, “Dude, I’ve done my best for you, but you really screwed me over…”
“Lisa,” Lailira said softly, glancing at Allen with a smile, “Allen is right. Sos wouldn’t lie. There must be some misunderstanding…” She looked up at the distance, frowning uncertainly. “That woman… I feel like I’ve seen her before. Light blue hair… light blue… Dia?!”
Shrugging, Allen said jokingly, “Congratulations, you got it right. But no prize!”

“Stop joking, Allen,” Lelira muttered, looking at him unhappily. “Sos likes Dia… the senior?”
“I don’t know,” Allen said, rubbing his chin as he tried to recall. “I’ve only heard Sos mention her a few times. Um… I think Dia’s been in a bad mood lately.”
“Avi is also in a bad mood!” Lisa interrupted angrily.
“Yes, yes… Um, Dia’s in a bad mood, and Sos went to comfort her, I think that’s all. I’m not sure about the details. If Sos doesn’t want to talk, no one can get an answer from him!”
“Comfort her?” Lelira bit her lip gently, shook her head, and sighed slightly. “That’s really unfortunate. Both Lisa and I could tell Avi was looking forward to this dance party… It’s too bad!” She then turned to Allen and said, “Allen, I’ll leave Lisa to you. I think I need to go back. It’s probably Avi who needs comfort now…”
“No!” Lisa interrupted quickly. “I’ll go back with you. I was so rude to Avi just now; she must be very angry…”
“Giggle, you know, even if you decide to ignore her now, you’ll forget in a day or two. Avi won’t be angry with you. All she feels now is disappointment…”
“No, no, I want to go back with you and apologize to Avi!”
“Alright then,” Lelira said, turning to Allen with a hint of apology. “I’m sorry, Allen. I think we should go back now…”
Damn it, you really screwed me over! With a bitter smile, Allen weakly covered his forehead. Just as he was about to say something else, suddenly, as if he remembered something, he pointed at the distance with a teasing expression and said, “Where’s that guy?”
Before Lelira could speak, Lisa snapped angrily, “What else could he do? That nasty Sos, so annoying!”
“Leave him here?” Allen said with a smile, stroking his smooth chin. “Um, in a dimly lit place where no one can see clearly, leave that guy with Dia… How about that?”
Looking at Allen in surprise, Lelira asked doubtfully, “What do you mean, Allen?”
Allen crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking at the distance with a teasing tone. “I heard from some seniors that there won’t be any interference from the professors at this dance party, as long as things don’t get too extreme… I heard from my family that near the Imperial Sassen, dance parties are the best way to build relationships, and of course, the same goes for the opposite sex…”

“What exactly do you want to say, Allen?”
“You know, the academy doesn’t support or oppose relationships among students. After all, third- and fourth-year students are generally at an adult level, while sixth-year students are at least seventeen or eighteen. If they fail multiple assessments, they’re around twenty. For students of this age, the academy really has no right to interfere in their private lives…”
“You… what do you mean?”
“It’s going to be interesting in a moment,” Allen said with a smile, glancing at Lisa and Lelira. “It should be around halfway through when the lights here will go out for a few minutes…”
“Go out?” Lelira looked at Allen in confusion. He raised his index finger, gently touching his lips, then pointed at the crowd around them.
“No way?” Lelira’s eyes widened in shock. She glanced in the direction Allen indicated and saw some students smiling and whispering to each other. Her cheeks turned red as she covered her mouth and murmured, “I was too busy paying attention to Thos and the others…” Then she gave Allen a teasing look and said, “It seems you have ulterior motives too!”
Even Lisa understood. She stole a glance at Allen and lowered her head shyly.
“Avi surely wouldn’t want this to happen, but we can’t just walk over. What should we do, Allen?”
Raising his hand to calm the anxious Lelira, Allen glanced at the groups around them and said with a smile, “Do you want to see something even more interesting?”
As if she understood something, Lisa raised her head and said anxiously, “Allen, do you have any idea?”
“Of course! There’s nothing Allen can’t do!” boasting, Allen stepped beside Lisa, bent down, and said with a smile, “But sadly, that would likely make me the enemy of all the students here. However, for Miss Lisa, I’m willing to do it. Hehe… As a reward, I’d be honored to invite you to the second half of the dance party…”
Looking at Allen happily, Lisa nodded vigorously. “Tell us what your plan is!”
Waving his hand, Allen whispered a few words.
Covering her mouth, Lelira exclaimed in shock, “Oh my god, that’s crazy! If it really happens like you say, you’ll definitely become the enemy of all the students here!”
“Allen…”

Glancing at the hesitant Lisa, Allen said with a smile, “Hehe, please don’t worry about me. It’s my knightly heart that drives me to do this…” He paused, stroking his chin as he thought, “But even then, there will still be someone who feels regretful…”
“Avi…” Lisa obviously knew who Allen meant. Hearing this, she asked hesitantly, “What should we do?”
“Follow my lead…” Waving at Lisa and Lelira, Allen whispered a few more words.
“That’s a good idea!”
“But how can we bring Avi here?”
“That’s up to you two,” Allen said helplessly with a shrug. “We’ll have to drag her here if necessary!”
Exchangeing a glance with Lelira, Lisa nodded firmly.
“Mm!”
After discussing it, Lisa and Lelira left the hall quietly, unnoticed by anyone. Watching them go, Allen scratched his head, sighed inwardly, and muttered, “Well, if I don’t want to disappoint the people I care about, I have to pay a price… But it’s not a small price. I might even get hunted by all the seniors and juniors here. Tsk tsk tsk, that’s serious. I can handle a dozen or so, but if there are too many, I’ll have to rely on that guy, Thos. He should be able to take on twenty or thirty without trouble. Damn it, Scott’s not here. Otherwise, who would dare mess with us? Sigh!”
Shaking his head and sighing, Allen glanced around the hall before heading straight for the western corner. There, standing alone in a magic robe with a black mask, was a senior student, arms crossed, holding a pocket watch in his right hand. From time to time, he would lower his head to check the time.
It wasn’t a problem being hunted by the whole school, but he hoped it wouldn’t ruin his image in the eyes of the many seniors and juniors…
After making one last prayer, Allen walked up to that senior.
Meanwhile, in her dorm room, Ravia put down the magic materials in her hands, rubbed her sore eyes, then stood up and walked to the window. Leaning against the wall, she looked up at the night outside.
“It’s starting now… Will it be interesting? It must be interesting…”