Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

Chapter 269: The Aftermath [Why am I so lonely]

**Celestial Arcane Academy**

**Mission Hall (1st Year)**

Adrian and the others stood facing Professor Lucina Ardent. They had parted ways with the herbalists at the city gate, while Rhea followed them to give a testimony.

They had already reported everything: how they discovered the location of the hideout, Adrian acting as bait, the two groups meeting, taking care of the dark mercenaries with the black hand tattoos, the arrival of the two monsters, their fight, and so on.

Rhea also provided additional information about how they were kidnapped and what happened until the rescue.

They also presented the bodies of the monsters as proof and handed over the last member of the dark mercenaries—the middle-aged man known as Scout-X.

Professor Lucina Ardent reviewed their reports and testimonies carefully before speaking. "The academy will investigate this matter further and study the monsters," she said, her gaze serious. "Adrian, your hint that these monsters might have been humans before is particularly concerning. We'll need to understand what we're dealing with."

She took a deep breath, her expression softening. "I must apologize to all of you. You faced extremely dangerous opponents and were put in a life-threatening situation. The academy will compensate you accordingly for your bravery and the hardships you endured."

Professor Ardent glanced at the scroll containing the details of the mission. "A warning and potential punishment will be issued to the person responsible for assigning this mission without proper evaluation. Rest assured, we will ensure such oversights do not happen again."

Her stern demeanor returned as she concluded, "I won't keep you any longer. Let's get you all to the infirmary. You deserve rest and proper medical attention after what you've been through."

The group nodded, their exhaustion evident, but there was a sense of relief knowing that their ordeal was over and the academy would take responsibility.

They underwent medical checks immediately upon arriving at the infirmary. The healers worked diligently, tending to their wounds and ensuring they were stable. After a thorough examination, it was decided that four of them—Aurelius, Ardel, Kairen, and Adrian—would need to be bedridden for at least a day due to the severity of their injuries.

After being settled into their beds, they were served a hearty dinner and a late lunch they had missed during the ordeal. The healers ensured they ate well, providing them with nourishing food to help their recovery.

As the evening wore on, the girls—Aria, Lila, Irithel, and Aurelia—prepared to leave. They had their own injuries to tend to, though they were less severe, and they wanted to give the boys some space to rest and recuperate.

Lila lingered a moment longer by Kairen's bedside, her eyes filled with concern. "Take care of yourself," she said softly, squeezing his hand gently.

"Hmm." Kairen nodded with a tired smile.

With a final look, Lila and the others left the infirmary, leaving the boys alone in the room. The atmosphere was quiet, a sense of shared relief and camaraderie settling over them.

Aurelius broke the silence first, his voice weak but laced with humor. "Well, that was quite the adventure, wasn't it?"

Ardel chuckled softly. "You could say that. I can't believe we made it out in one piece."

Kairen, who had been lying quietly, turned his head to face the others. "Hey... I want to get stronger... Can you guys help me?"

The three exchanged surprised glances. However they had a feeling why Kairen was asking this.

"Are you finally gonna start abandoning that bad habit of not attacking?" Adrian chuckled relieved one of his teammates was trying to change.

"Ah, right!" Aurelius exclaimed suddenly. "You were so powerful back when you became all green and windy. Was that your ability? It was definitely powerful, if not for you severely injuring that monster, I couldn't have defeated it at the end."

"...Yes, that's my ability. But-"

Before Kairen could continue, Adrian and Ardel stopped him. "W-Wait? What did you just say? He used an ability and injured the other monster?"

"Yeah, you won't believe me if I tell you what happened!" Aurelius started describing how Kairen suddenly unleashed a powerful aura on his fierce confrontation with the tall monster. "That's when I decided to use the lightning since it had the most penetrative power."

Ardel and Adrian nodded, thinking deeply.

'Damn, he had such ability?! Isn't that more OP than mine and Ardel's?' Adrian muttered inwardly. He never expected Kairen to have such a destructive ability. And from his conclusion based on Aurelius's description, this ability probably allowed Kairen even to go against foes two or three times stronger than him, it must be that he couldn't control it.

However, he was happy knowing his teammate had such an ability, it would improve their strength by a lot margin.

"Ay, you kept such a secret from us, aren't we teammates?" Adrian and Ardel then teased Kairen who had an awkward smile. "By the way, are you asking for our help because... did you find a reason?"

"It's because of 'her', right?" Adrian chuckled recalling how intimate Lila acted with Kairen just now. Heck, she didn't care if the others were watching or not.

Kairen blushed, looking away. "I don't know what you are talking about, it's not because of Lila, ok!" he coughed.

The boys had wide smiles, Kairen felt he had fallen into their trap.

"I-I mean it's also because of what we went through today. I don't want to be the weak link in our team anymore. I want to be someone you can rely on in battle."

Adrian smiled, reaching over to pat Kairen's shoulder. "We understand, Kairen. And we'll help you."

Ardel nodded in agreement. "You have a powerful ability, Kairen. We just need to help you learn to control it. With training and practice, you'll be unstoppable."

Aurelius grinned, despite his fatigue. "Plus, it means we get to see more of that awesome green and windy power of yours. Maybe I can get an enlightenment and raise my mastery over the air element."

Kairen chuckled, feeling a sense of relief and determination. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate it."

The room fell into a comfortable silence as the four friends rested, their minds already thinking about the training and challenges ahead. They had faced a great trial and come out stronger, but they knew there were more challenges to come.

"You guys are lucky..." Ardel suddenly muttered. "You all have a girlfriend to take care of you... Sigh... Why am I so lonely..."

However, the three ignored him and went to sleep.