Anne didn't know what to do. Should I follow Eren?
As she looked around the hall, Anne realized the uneasy breathing and haggard faces of the students. She knew it was somehow related to Eren's speech. However, when she looked at herself and her friends, she noticed that they weren't affected.
Just as she stood up from her chair, a hand grabbed hers and pulled her back down.
Her baffled face turned to the side, where Bean was sitting, shaking his head in disapproval of her actions. Anne didn't protest Bean's actions because she believed he would make a rational decision—one that she couldn't process or understand in this situation.
Anne calmed down, though her face still showed concern. Meanwhile, as the other students recovered from their predicament, a commotion slowly started, and discussions erupted between them.
"Why did it feel like I saw my death in front of me?"
"I don't blame you! I almost peed my pants, and I was praised as the strongest in my village."
"Shut up! I think that puny guy is responsible for this mess. I will find him and beat him to death."
"Who do you think you are? You couldn't even handle whatever happened earlier, and now you want to beat him up?"
"We should ask the Headmaster to expel that guy from the academy! How can he put us in such a situation as fellow Awakeners?"
"Yes, you're right!"
Everyone started raising their voices in unison just as the Headmaster finished his discussion with Charlotte.
The Headmaster nodded at Berthold, who stood there with a pale face, no different from the other students.
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the hall.
"Silence!"
The entire commotion died down instantly. The students felt a suffocating pressure, one similar to what they had felt from Eren—but this time, they didn't feel as though they had seen their lives flash before their eyes.
"Now, let's continue," Berthold's crisp voice echoed, making everyone feel at ease.
While Berthold continued his speech, in the middle of the hall, a chubby kid was pestering a nearby student who was trying not to miss a single word.
"What do you mean you couldn't breathe?" Jorlen kept pestering the kid sitting next to him.
"It is what I said! I couldn't breathe when that guy spoke. Now shut up, I want to listen to the speech." The kid said with an irritated face.
Jorlen got confused. I didn't feel any discomfort…
"Do you think I wasn't affected because I'm very strong?" Jorlen annoyed the kid again.
With irritation on his face, the kid snapped, "Do you think you're stronger than the Student Representative? Look at him—he was affected too."
Jorlen looked at the guy speaking on the podium but couldn't see clearly since he was sitting too far away. While Jorlen was making speculations, three other students were also confused.
"Alaric, what happened? Why do the other students look so baffled?" Balthasar asked in confusion.
"Is it what I think it is?" Nikolaus looked at Alaric.
"It seems so." Alaric visibly laughed while looking at the other two.
…
Eren walked behind Ms. Freyja in silence but felt somewhat relieved that he had finally received his uniform. He hoped that he would end up in the same class as one of his friends tomorrow. If they were separated by dormitory assignments, he might not be able to attend classes with them.
After walking for some time, Ms. Freyja stopped in front of a building. Just as she did, Eren's stomach growled with hunger—he hadn't eaten anything since the one-horned boar skewers.
Ms. Freyja walked inside the dining hall while Eren followed behind. After entering, Eren was stunned by the sheer size of it—it could accommodate around five thousand people at a time. Both of them walked toward the counter where food was served and then sat at a nearby dining table.
There weren't many caretakers present in the hall; Eren could see only one or two at the counter. Ms. Freyja sat at the dining table and gestured for Eren to sit on the opposite side. Without hesitation, Eren sat down, a smile on his face.
After a while, a middle-aged lady arrived, carrying a tray full of food. Eren could see stuffed buns, lamb meat, fruits, various sweets, and different kinds of meat. He drooled involuntarily. Seeing Eren's enthusiastic attitude, Ms. Freyja smiled gently.
The caretaker lady served the food. Eren didn't dive in immediately, waiting for all the dishes to be placed on the table. Once the lady left, Eren looked at Ms. Freyja like a little puppy waiting for permission to play.
"You can eat, you don't need permission."
Eren dived into the food, starting with stuffed buns and sweet buns. He got confused about which one to eat and which to skip since there was so much food on the table. Meanwhile, Ms. Freyja didn't touch any of the food except for a green-colored jello, which Eren assumed was a dessert. It looked very tasty.
Eren slowly ate all the food, most of which he had never tasted in his village. Ms. Freyja watched him gobbling down his meal while eating her jello dessert and asked,
"What were you searching for in the library?"
Eren stopped chewing for a second and said, "I was searching for tomes related to my innate flame."
Ms. Freyja pondered for a moment. "Have you found the tomes related to the innate flame?"
"No, I searched through half of the shelves, but I couldn't find it," Eren said while chewing lamb meat.
"Why didn't you ask me for the location?" Ms. Freyja asked, finishing the last bite of her jello.
Eren didn't answer the question. He chewed and swallowed the lamb meat while looking at the jello on Ms. Freyja's side of the table, noticing there was only one portion left.
Seeing Eren staring at the jello without answering her question, Ms. Freyja slid the plate slightly closer to her side. Eren's eyes followed it.
"I didn't know you could help with finding the tomes," Eren said.
Ms. Freyja sighed and asked, "Tell me, what type of innate flame do you have?"
Eren was reluctant to answer the question since he didn't know exactly, but the village kids had called his innate flame Candlelight Flame. Should I say the name?
While Eren quietly stared at the jello, Ms. Freyja picked up her spoon and scooped a big chunk of it. The dessert looked soft and fluffy as she lifted it.
"My innate flame is Candlelight Flame," Eren finally said, deciding on the name.
"Candlelight Flame," Ms. Freyja sank into thought. There's no flame called Candlelight Flame… Could it be a rare type?
"Tell me your Verse," Ms. Freyja asked.
"I don't have a Verse. I didn't awaken the Verse," Eren said, without taking his eyes off the dessert.
Ms. Freyja's eyes widened in surprise, as if she had seen a ghost. Eren didn't notice, too focused on the jello.
Ms. Freyja slid the jello toward Eren while staring at him. His eyes glittered as the plate moved to his side of the table.
Eren looked at Ms. Freyja with a gloomy smile.
"Eat it," Ms. Freyja said.
Eren gazed at the dish with reverence, took a portion, and slid it into his mouth as if he had achieved something significant. The jello melted instantly, filling his mouth with flavors he had never experienced before. A mix of spices and ingredients exploded on his tongue, followed by a cooling sensation in his stomach that put him at ease.
Eren finished the jello in no time, leaned back in his seat with satisfaction, and was ready to have a good sleep.
Noticing Ms. Freyja looking at him, he quickly adjusted his posture, sitting straight in his chair and waiting for her command.
"Manifest your innate flame," Ms. Freyja said in an authoritative tone.
Eren leaned forward in his chair, his expression shocked as he looked at Ms. Freyja's indifferent face. Oh man… Why is she asking me to manifest my flame? I've never manifested a flame twice in a single day. Technically, it's past midnight, but still… I'm not sure I can do it again.
Reluctantly, Eren closed his eyes and concentrated as he always did. He raised his palm upward, his heartbeat racing wildly.
A small flame flickered to life—the size of a candle flame, fitting its name perfectly.
Eren focused on his heartbeat, trying to keep the flame alive. One second, two seconds, three seconds… To his surprise, he didn't feel the same difficulty as before. Encouraged, he decided to hold on for two more seconds. Four seconds… Five seconds…
Suddenly, the candlelight flame disappeared, and Eren collapsed to the ground sideways, vomiting up all the jello he had eaten earlier. The world spun continuously around him. His brain felt like it was rotating, but his body wasn't moving. His head pounded as if it would explode. He lay on the ground for a long time, undisturbed, like a broken log.
Ms. Freyja sat still, her face astonished. When Eren had said he hadn't awakened a Verse yet could manifest an innate flame, she hadn't believed him. She had expected him to recite a Verse during the flame's manifestation.
But he hadn't uttered a single word.
Her mind froze, unable to recover from the shock.
Slowly, she came back to her senses and looked at Eren, who lay on the floor, muddled with vomit. She didn't panic because she could see his chest rising and falling.
Ms. Freyja called the caretaker, who had been watching the incident unfold but hadn't interfered until now. Two caretakers came, cleaned the area, washed Eren, and placed him on a nearby dining table instead of leaving him on the floor.
Eren was consciously aware of everything happening but could not bring himself to care. He felt as though lightning had struck him a hundred times—even though he had never been struck by lightning before.
After a long time, Eren slowly opened his eyes and tried to gather enough strength to sit up. He looked toward where Ms. Freyja had been sitting but couldn't see her. However, he spotted a plate of jello nearby—without an owner.
A sudden surge of energy coursed through him. He left the table where he had been lying and walked toward his previous seat, his eyes locked onto the jello.
As he ate, he felt the same soothing sensation as before. Maybe I should change my favorite food from Mom's chicken soup to jello… He quickly dismissed the thought. No, if Mom had the recipe, she would make it even tastier. I should get the recipe when I return to the village for the year-end holiday—or when Charlotte decides to send me home.
After finishing, he leaned back in his chair, satisfied, but jumped slightly when a crisp voice broke the silence.
"Let's go," Ms. Freyja said, walking toward him from the food distribution section.
Eren stood up, picked up his uniform, and followed Ms. Freyja toward the exit.
After five minutes, they arrived in front of Dormitory 7. During the walk, Eren memorized the path leading to the dining hall.
"Thank you, Ms. Freyja," Eren said with a 90-degree bow before turning toward his room.
"Meet me in the library after your theoretical class ends," Ms. Freyja said.
Eren stopped, wondering why, but quickly dismissed the thought. He had already planned to continue searching the rest of the library shelves.
"Yes, Ms. Freyja," Eren said and left.