Chapter 161: [160] Lack (3)
Kiriya let out a quiet sigh and slipped the Bugtlon Sphere back into the inner pocket of his cloak. He patted the pocket gently, as if making sure the item was secure. The quantum energy capsule stored inside was far too valuable to be shown carelessly. In this world, the object wasn’t just advanced technology—it could cause a major uproar if it ever fell into the wrong hands.
Just as he was about to lie back down on the grass, his ears caught a soft sound coming from the garden path. A group of female students appeared, walking while gossiping in excited tones.
"Hey, look over there...!" one of them whispered, her voice full of admiration. "That’s Erick Greyson!"
"Yeah, rumor has it he’s a magic genius. They say that during the entrance exam, he defeated Senpai Lewis with just one spell!" her friend chimed in enthusiastically.
"Eeh, seriously? Senior Lewis is one of the elite candidates for the Strategic Magic Division."
Out of the corner of his eye, Kiriya glanced in the direction they were pointing. A tall young man in a deep blue academy cloak walked by with his chest puffed out and a confident smile. His silver hair was neatly styled, and his stride calm—as if he knew all eyes were on him in admiration.
But the grandeur lasted only a moment.
"But," one of the girls added in a quieter voice, "I heard from the head of the girls’ dorm... he got caught stealing underwear!"
In that instant, the young man—Erick—visibly slouched. The confident look on his face froze into a flat, stiff expression. His steps remained steady, but the entire aura of superiority around him seemed to collapse.
Watching from a distance, Kiriya merely raised an eyebrow. Standing up and looking at Erick Greyson from behind the old maple tree, he muttered in his head. (Erick Greyson, huh... That surname is pretty well-known.)
The information he had gathered from internal records indicated that the Greyson family hailed from the kingdom of Asrakhan, one of the Five Western Kingdoms. They weren’t high-ranking nobility—just barons—but held a respectable reputation, as their lands were known for producing the finest wool on the continent. Their livestock system was famously disciplined, and merchants from various nations relied on them for luxury goods.
However, what interested Kiriya wasn’t Erick Greyson’s noble status or his highly praised magical prowess. It was something more obscure—rumors found in unofficial reports: that the land where the Greysons came from was nearly destroyed by a supernatural phenomenon that even the academy and other magical institutions had yet to explain.