After watching the elf and the two men disappear through the secret door, Jericho and Cody decided to continue on their way to the cafeteria. As curious as they were about what lay behind that secret door, there was nothing they could do about it now.
As they walked, Jericho cast one last glance over his shoulder at the door that had now reverted back to an ordinary wall.
"There's something really off about that guy," he muttered under his breath.
Jericho and Cody continued their walk to the cafeteria in silence, their minds still turning over what they had just seen. When they arrived at the cafeteria, they found the place already buzzing with activity.
Dozens of students filled the large dining hall, some of them seated at long wooden tables, chatting and laughing with friends, while others ate quietly.
The cafeteria itself was a grand hall with high ceilings and stone walls lit by rows of softly glowing lanterns. Long tables stretched across the room in neat rows, and at the far end was a small serving window framed in polished oak.
Behind the window stood a stout woman in a white apron, her hair tied up beneath a net. She held a large wooden spoon in one hand and was serving steaming portions of food to the waiting students.
Jericho and Cody quietly joined the line, stepping up to the window one after the other. When it was their turn, they each grabbed a metal tray and held it out as the lunch lady scooped generous portions of what looked like spiced rice, stewed meat, and vegetables onto their plates.
After being served, Jericho and Cody turned and walked slowly through the cafeteria, scanning the rows of tables for a place to sit. They spotted a set of empty seats near the back corner of the hall, and without saying a word, they made their way over and sat down, placing their trays on the table.
As soon as they sat down, Cody immediately dug into his food, scooping large portions and shoveling them into his mouth without hesitation. Jericho let out a quiet chuckle at the sight before finally picking up his own spoon.
Just as he was about to take his first bite, his mind wandered back to the secret door they had seen the elf enter.
"Why do you think they took him there?" Jericho asked, his spoon still hovering in front of his mouth.
Cody paused mid-chew, his cheeks puffed out with food. "Who?" he mumbled. "You mean the elf? Who knows, he could be part of some secret program, or maybe even a cult or something. We can always ask him when he gets back."
Jericho quietly put the spoon in his mouth, taking a gentle bite and chewing it carefully. "I doubt he'll tell us anything," Jericho said, setting his spoon down. "And besides... I don't think he likes either of us."
"Who cares," Cody said, shoving food down his mouth. "Just forget about him and worry about finishing your meal," Cody said as he took the last bite of his food.
"You're already done?" Jericho asked, raising a brow.
"Yeah. I've got quite the appetite, don't I?" Cody said with a wide grin.
"Here, you can have mine. I'm not all that hungry anyway," Jericho said, sliding his plate over to Cody.
Cody accepted the offer without hesitation and immediately began stuffing his face. "Don't mind if I do," he said, and within seconds, he was shoveling the rest into his already full mouth.
"Dude, I'm exhausted. I'm heading back to the room," Jericho said, rising from his seat.
"I'm still kind of busy," Cody replied, gesturing toward his plate. "But I'll head there once I'm done."
Jericho gave a small nod, then pushed his chair back and stood up. Without another word, he turned and made his way out of the cafeteria, heading straight for the dorm wing.
On his way back to the dorms, Jericho's mind lingered on the secret door and the elf boy. His thoughts were spinning, and he was consumed by curiosity and suspicion. After taking just a few turns through the dim hallway, Jericho, who was lost in thought, suddenly bumped into something solid.
He stumbled back and looked up, only to see that he had bumped into a familiar person. Standing before him was Drake, the Fishman from the entrance exam, with two other Fishmen by his side. Like Cody, Drake was now wearing the deep red cloak of the Fighter Division, its dragon skull crest catching Jericho's attention.
"I'm sorry," Jericho said quickly, raising both hands in apology.
But the moment Drake recognized who had run into him, his expression twisted into a snarl. The memory of his public humiliation during the entrance exam still burned inside him, and now the boy who nearly cost him his place at the Demon Slayer Academy was standing right in front of him.
"You little punk," Drake growled. "Are you stalking me?" he yelled furiously.
Jericho tensed. He had no interest in picking a fight with anyone, especially not with someone like Drake.
"Look, I'm sorry," Jericho said, backing up a few steps. "I don't want any trouble."
Drake's grin widened in a cruel and eager way. "Well, it looks like trouble found you." His voice dropped into a low, menacing tone. "And your little boyfriend isn't here to save your butt this time."
Then, with a roll of his shoulders and a crack of his knuckles, Drake began to advance toward Jericho.
As Jericho backed up, one of the Fishmen beside Drake responded instantly to a subtle gesture from him, stepping forward and slamming Jericho back against the wall. He pinned him there with one thick forearm; the other followed and grabbed Jericho's wrists, stretching his arms out to either side.
Drake loomed over him, his massive frame casting a shadow across Jericho's face. His eyes gleamed with violent anticipation, like a predator sizing up its prey.
"I told you," Drake growled, his face inches from Jericho's, "I'm going to make your life here a living hell."
He pulled his arm back, with his fist clenched tightly, his knuckles white and trembling with rage. Jericho braced himself, ready to pull out his blade from his inventory at any time.
But just as Drake's fist started to swing forward, a firm female voice cut sharply through the hallway like a whip.
"What's going on here?" the voice asked from a distance.
The voice echoed with authority, and it belonged to none other than Miss Nia, the Support Division's class instructor.
Drake froze mid-swing, the fury in his eyes quickly masked by a look of forced calmness. His two companions immediately released Jericho and stepped back, their hands raised slightly as if they weren't doing anything.
Jericho exhaled sharply and released the thought of pulling his sword from the inventory.
Miss Nia stepped into view from the far end of the hallway, her sharp gaze scanning the scene. Her arms were folded across her chest, and her expression was unreadable.
"Don't make me ask again," she said.
Drake quickly forced a smile, his shark-like teeth obviously holding in his anger. "Nothing," he replied. "We were just joking around, weren't we?" Drake nudged at Jericho.
Jericho didn't want to escalate the situation. All he really wanted was to make it back to his room, and now that Miss Nia had intervened and gotten Drake off his back, there was no reason to push it any further.
"Yeah," Jericho said, forcing a small, polite smile. "We're good."
Miss Nia narrowed her eyes slightly. She was clearly unconvinced, but she didn't press the issue.
"Well, if you say so," she said, stepping a little closer. Her voice remained calm, but her tone carried a warning edge. "But let me make one thing absolutely clear: bullying is not tolerated in this academy."
Drake clenched his jaw but didn't say a word. His eyes flicked to the side, avoiding her gaze.
"Good," Miss Nia said, her gaze lingering a moment longer before she turned her eyes to Jericho. "You alright?"
"Yeah," Jericho nodded. "Thanks."
She gave a brief nod in return, then turned and walked off down the hallway, her footsteps echoing against the floor.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Drake shot Jericho a cold glare as a warning sign.
"This isn't over," he muttered under his breath, then turned sharply and stormed off, with his two lackeys following behind.
Jericho stood still for a moment, staring down the empty hallway in front of him. Then, with a quiet sigh, he rolled his shoulders, trying to shake off the tension, and continued on his way to the dorm room.
When he finally reached the room, he pushed the door open and stepped inside, letting the door shut behind him with a soft thud. He quietly made his way to his bed, tossed his cloak onto it, then let out a loud groan as he sat down.
"What a boring day," he mumbled. "This isn't what I expected the Demon Slayer Academy to be like. Perhaps it's just because it's my first day. Maybe tomorrow's joint field exercise might just change my mind."
He slumped back onto the mattress and stared quietly at the ceiling. He was just about to drift off when he heard the sound of the room door opening.
Jericho sat up slightly and glanced over at the door. He watched as the white-haired elf boy stepped into the room, still cloaked in the Fighter Division's red cloak.
He didn't say a word or even glance in Jericho's direction. As he walked to his side of the room, he sat on the bed and began removing his boots.
Jericho hesitated at first, then stood up. "Hey," he said, taking a few steps forward. "Earlier today, I saw you being escorted by two guys through some kind of hidden door. Where were they taking you?"
The elf didn't even look at him. He just gave Jericho a flat answer. "That's none of your business," he replied flatly.
Jericho's eyebrows furrowed. "What's your deal, man? I was just asking a question, not like I was asking for your deepest secrets. I just want to know what's going on. I'm your roommate, after all."
The elf turned slightly, enough for Jericho to catch a glimpse of his cold expression. "And that means I owe you answers?" he said with a cold and distant tone.
Jericho stepped closer. "No, but maybe try not acting like the rest of us don't exist. We're all stuck here together, so how about not treating people like shadows?"
The tension between them began to rise until the door opened again and Cody stepped in.
He walked in, stretching his arms with a yawn. "Man, what a day… Huh?" He stopped, looking between the two of them. "What's going on in here?"
Cody turned and glanced from Jericho to the elf. "Hey man, saw you heading into a secret door with some guys. What was that all about?"
The elf scoffed, clearly irritated. "Am I being monitored?"
Jericho narrowed his eyes. "Look, man, we're all roommates, and if anything were to happen to one of us, the others should at least have a clue about what happened."
The elf boy didn't even stay to listen. He stormed to the door, opened it, and was ready to leave the room.
As the elf grabbed the door handle, Cody called out casually, "Hey, at least tell us your name."
The elf paused, his hand still on the doorknob.
"I'm Ace," he said quietly, then opened the door and walked out, letting it shut behind him.
Cody scratched the back of his head. "Well, that was dramatic," Cody joked, trying to ease the tension a little. The door shut behind Ace with a thud, leaving the room in silence as he left.