Ian turned around and began to walk away. “Huh. Where are you going?” Colton hurriedly chased after him. “Aren't you going to thank me for saving your ass?” Save my ass, your head. “Ah. Did I just see you roll your eyes at me?” Colton's eyes widened in surprise at Ian's actions. “Tell me, bro, where exactly did you go all this time? I'm really curious.” “Go away.” Ian pushed away the face that was getting close to him. “I want to spend some time alone to think.” “What happened?” Colton soon discovered something was wrong with Ian's attitude. “Could it be that my acting was exposed? Ah, I thought I acted well.” Thinking about how he had been boasting earlier, the young man's face turned red in embarrassment. “I just want to have some time alone. My mind is so occupied with thoughts, and I need to find a place to let them go.” Ian spoke. “Oh,” Colton recalled the chaos that was going on in the outside world and soon went silent. Looks like the burden going through the mind of the crown prince isn't something an ordinary person like him can fathom. “I will take my leave then. But… I just want to tell you not to worry too much. Everything is going to be fine. Take care.” He patted Ian on the shoulder before taking his leave. === For the next few days, Sylvia spent the holiday at home with Asher. During this period, Sky's injury was fully healed. The previously arrogant queen bee had also settled down and could now be seen flying around the beehives, which were built on the tree branches. Following her were some less intelligent bees who were tasked to build some more beehives for the expanding colony. Seeing the large number of bees already overtaking her beautiful garden, Sylvia immediately ordered the queen bee to shorten their population. There's no way she would watch as her beautiful garden turned into the homes of these 'round watermelon' bees. Besides, there's also Asher. Who knows if these unintelligent bees might go into a berserk mode and sting him? Feeling sad at Sylvia's request, the queen bee could only follow her order unless she wanted to experience the feeling of being zapped continuously again. As a result, only ten bees were left alive from the massive colony. However, they were the strongest force of soldiers she had, their strength already reaching the B rank. With her garden saved, Sylvia spent the remaining holiday peacefully, and also ensuring that Lis got his daily exercise. “Eek, eek.” ‘Save me. I'm about to be tortured by this demoness.’ === ~Hermes Academy~ “Sylvia.” Urea rushed forward the moment Sylvia stepped into the class. “Do you know that I've been looking out for your arrival?” “Yes. She has visited class two numerous times, thinking that you must have missed your way to the class.” Another student said. “He-he.” Urea giggled sheepishly. “Good morning.” Sylvia nodded in greeting at her and then walked over to her seat, putting her bag down on the chair. She saw that the seat next to her was empty, signifying that Sanchez hadn't yet arrived. “So how was your summer holiday?” Urea asked as she sat down on the empty seat. She continued, “Mine was terrific. I was at the beach in the next city, enjoying the scenery with my parents, when the emergency alarm started blaring. Oh my, every one of us began to panic and ran to take shelter at the beach safe house. It was such a scary experience. What about you?” “I was at home spending the holiday with Asher,” Sylvia answered. “Ah.” Urea let out a sigh when she heard this. “If I had known, I would also have spent the holiday at home like you.” She continued talking about her experience at the safe house when she noticed Sanchez walking into the class. “I have to go. Bye.” She swiftly stood up and headed over to her seat. Sanchez saw her little actions and lowered his head sadly. He lifted his feet and walked towards the seat that still had a bit of Urea's fragrance. “Good morning, Sylvia.” He turned his head to his seat partner and gave a warm smile. “Morning.” Sylvia gave him a nod before taking out a book to read. Just as she was about to flip the page open, the door of the classroom was suddenly pushed open, and Reece, with a serious expression on his face, strode into the class. Seeing the solemn look on his face, the noise around the class immediately died down. Reece walked over to the podium and stood, facing the class. “I welcome you all to the new session. I'm sure every one of you here is happy to be in a new class.” “Yes.”“We are very happy.” A reply soon came out from each student. “Alright, that's enough.” He signaled to them with his hand. “I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?” As the class president, Uast gave the answer. “The good news.” “Good.” Reece nodded. “The good news I brought today is that I'm assigned to be your homeroom teacher once again. Isn't it great?” The students felt like coughing up blood when they heard his words. How is that tantamount to good news? “As for the bad news.” Reece continued, “We have received orders from the higher-ups to immediately switch curriculum from the normal theoretical aspect to the practical aspect.” By the higher above, he meant the emperor. As soon as Reece's announcement landed, the whole class burst into murmurings. Even Sylvia, who always has the calmest reaction, was taken aback by the announcement. “Uhm, sir.” Uast lifted his hand to speak up. “By practical aspect, are you implying…” “Yes. It's what you are thinking about.” Reece responded. “The emperor has ordered all schools to start taking out students to the wilds in order to gain experience about the danger that is outside the walls.” Noticing the fear on some students' faces, he added, “Of course, all this is under the protection of the powerful experts. The training encompasses all the students from year one up to the final year students.” “What!” Is the emperor sick? Surely, the students wouldn't dare to curse the emperor out loud. However, the cowardly ones among them were already starting to tremble in fear. “I know you are all aware of the beast tides incident that took place during the summer holiday. In the battle, we lost several top powerhouses. Some of them are still in the utility center receiving treatment for the injuries they sustained.” “Such a calculation mishap truly implies that we need to be on guard against the danger outside the walls. To build a better chance of survival for the whole citizens of Starry Sky Planet, the emperor has decided to make this decision.” Listening to the long explanation, the student's trembling heart became calm. They had all seen the news and knew the amount of loss the empire had suffered just to stop the beast tides. If they were also in the same position as the emperor, they would have made the same decision a long time ago. “So are we scrapping all of our syllabuses this time around?” Urea raised a question. “Not all.” Reece shook his head. “But we will be focusing more on the combat aspect rather than just teaching you about the beast’s characteristics.” “Alright.” He clapped his hands together. “I will give you guys a free class today to process what I just told you. Tomorrow, I will commence with the new teaching program according to the syllabus.” After ending his sentence, Reece got down from the podium and left the class. At his departure, the class went into a wave of murmurs. “Oh my God, what am I going to do? I can't fight against those scary beasts.” A boy clutched at his hair in fear. “My contract beast has no attack power at all. How am I going to survive in the wilds by myself?” A girl was already on the verge of tears. “Hey, don't cry. Didn't you hear that there will be a powerhouse watching over us? Besides, there is no way the teachers would allow us to venture deeper into the wilds.” “But I heard that the beasts in the wilds are very cunning. With many of us going at once, how will the powerhouse be able to watch over us all? It wouldn't take a second before we found ourselves under the jaws of the beasts.” The girl's words felt so real that the other students began to feel a sense of fear in their hearts. Seeing that everyone's mood was turning negative, Uast stood up and tried to ease the tension in their hearts. “What are you all afraid of? Since the emperor has made this decision, I'm sure he must have planned out maximum protection for the students. Besides, don't we have a golden thigh to hold onto here?” His gaze shifted towards Sylvia as he spoke. “With Sylvia B rank beast king, would any of the beasts in the wilds dare approach us?” As Uast's words fell, the students felt as if they had just experienced an awakening. Their eyes became bright as they all looked at Sylvia. “Oh my, why didn't I think of this? With Sylvia here with us, we don't need to worry about the attack of the beasts at all.” “Yes. A punch from her contract beast would definitely scare away the cunning beasts.” “Sylvia, please take care of me.” “Me too. Here is a gift I got from overseas during my holiday. I hope you don't mind it.” Seeing one student taking action, the others also followed. Within seconds, Sylvia's table was filled with so many gifts. Who am I? Where am I?Weren't they just talking about the training? How come the conversation suddenly switched to her? “Please take care of me, idol.” Sanchez placed a chocolate bar on the pile of gifts and gave Sylvia a flattering smile. ‘Crack.’ Sylvia's calm expression was immediately broken.