Death, Devotion, Dissonance

Seeing Evin fly off in the direction of Mt. Lor, Leanne sighed deeply and walked down into the Control room in the basement, despite her reluctance. Albin was still inside the room, performing his routine checkup on the Island through the metal Talisman in the room, as per his duties as 'Ruler' of the Island.

When he was finished, Leanne asked. "Why did you give him the key and map of the Laboratory?"

"I don't really get why I shouldn't have given him access? He already knows its location, so it would be a waste to not give it to him," Albin shrugged. "After all, there are only a few students who know about the place and you know that in some tests, the Labs don't even get explored because they can't find the key."

"He's not ready yet for the Laboratory. At the very least, direct him towards the Temple first!"

"Have you not seen my report on how he single-handedly took over the Tunnels?" Albin acted as if he was almost hurt by Leanne. "I can bring it up again, if you need to. You should've seen the way he dodged that ambusher's swing. Even I wasn't able to move like that when I was a kid. Like, damn… it was almost artistic for lack of better words."

"I know exactly what he's capable of. You don't need to remind me about it."

"Then you should know that he's more than worthy to see the Labs."

"Know your place, Albin," Leanne said coldly. "You say he's worthy to see the labs, but you should also remember that it's only the first day of the test. You do know why we never allowed access to the Laboratories for at least the first four days, right?"

Leanne immediately regretted taking such a tone with Albin, but the man himself didn't seem to mind it so much and instead replied jokingly. "Because the students wouldn't have anything else to do afterwards?"

"No. Because they need to experience the other locations and understand that this test isn't just a test They need to understand that the Helm's Worthy isn't just some graduation event we made up because the kingdom's Ministry of Education has too much time on their hands."

"Well, now you'll have material on what would happen if they get access to the place before that point, wouldn't you?" Albin replied smilingly. "And besides, I never saw a written rule about what you're saying, so you can't really blame me for doing what I think was the natural course of action."

"The natural course of action?" Leanne breathed out.

"Yes. We keep the laboratories until the end of the Helm's Worthy, because the students need time to readjust their mindset," Albin explained. "Well, I'm of the idea that Evin does not need such a long period of acclimatization. He'll be shocked by the sight at first, sure, but he'll get used to it soon enough. I have a knack for knowing such things, see?" Pausing, he smiled nostalgically. "You know I only picked the best subordinates to work for me."

The man's tone was friendly, but it still sent shivers up Leanne's back. Perhaps only she could feel such pressure from the man, because she knew what the man did in the past and what he was capable of under the right circumstances.

The previous four years, the man always put a cold and icy wall between himself and the Kingdom's observers, silently performing only his duties as Ruler of the Island. The man never questioned or skimped orders, nor did he ever create troubles for the students. The Kingdom was grateful for this fact and were always happy to put him in the role. Leanne also preferred to supervise Albin over the other 'Rulers', as he was by far the most civil one.

But for whatever reason, the man's decisions regarding this test were always bordering on breaking one rule or another. His decision to include Amera, his daughter, during the testing being one of them. He also began to act in a much more friendly way, which gave Leanne a terribly eerie feeling. Being friendly with someone like Albin definitely didn't feel safe, nor was it good for her heart.

'Oh, Empress, why do I always end up with these people that might randomly kill me if given the chance?' she lamented.

"What did he ask using the card, anyway?"

"Oh, he asked for that girl who's wreaking havoc in the volcano's core."

"Ah, Bella…"

"At first I thought they were dating, because they were both so strong, but it kinda became apparent they weren't," Albin said with puzzlement. "Can you tell me about them? I only usually see such talent from those kids from Arcvallen… but even then, these two were still a head above those tiny devils."

Leanne felt weirdly proud to hear this man praising Evin and wanted to smile, but her sense of self-control didn't allow for her to show such an apparent weakness in front of the man.

"You know I'm not allowed to divulge anything personal about them."

"Come on… I'm gonna be stuck here forever, anyway, so at least entertain me with some stories."

Leanne held a strong front and diverted the topic. "Give me a report of your checkup."

Albin sighed meaningfully and spoke in a monotone voice. "Two students were incapacitated in the Dungeon and were sent to the Infirmary. We're keeping a close eye on the five who are challenging the Cove, as they look like they're about to fail at any moment. The Tunnels are also ready to take on new challengers. A group of 13 students have just finished clearing Mt. Lor, and from what they obtained from the place and how fast they cleared the task, I can guess that they will head towards the Temple now. I ordered my staff to replenish and prepare both the Temple and the Mountain-peak, but they're saying that the Temple might take a bit, since the red-head broke some of the traps there. As for the Dungeon-"

Leanne listened to the string of facts and then nodded with satisfaction. Aside from Evin, Bella and Arza, who were clearing the locations single-handedly and were hoarding some of the cards, the test was going well.

It was an expected outcome and she already reminded Albin about these three problem children, so the man was able to more easily deal with them.

"I authorize the use of magic to fix some of the traps to keep up with the schedule," Leanne said.

"Alright, I'll relay it for you," Albin smiled and with nothing else left to do inside the room, the two walked out of the control room.

On the ground floor, the two were met with Amera waiting for them.

"Dad!" the girl spoke in Eastern. "Are you finished with your work?"

"I just need to relay something to the staff, and I'll be free for the next hour or so," Albin said as he picked up the girl.

"I told you I'd be able to play that role! Did you see it?" Amera asked with a beaming smile. "I always hated seeing a burly old man like uncle Farrah playing it. Damsels in distress should at least be played by actual damsels."

"Yes, yes. I stand corrected. So as I promised, I'm going to teach you another spell of your choosing, alright?"

The exchange surprised Leanne, as it suggested that his daughter was the one who pestered Albin to participate in this year's testing.

"Oh, but I might have to have a word with Miss Leanne here afterwards, so do spare me if I'm slightly late."

"With Auntie Lea?" "With me?"

The girl and the woman asked simultaneously. Leanne didn't know what the man was planning, as they didn't need to meet again till the next routine checkup which happened hourly.

"Yup. But it shouldn't take long, so don't worry too much."

"Okay!" Amera replied and ran off somewhere.

Leanne and Albin smiled at her running back and walked towards the guards' post. Normally, Leanne would've left the Easterner's company at this point, but since the man mentioned something speaking with her, she could only follow along.

Upon arrival, Albin's carefree personality made a complete 180. He randomly picked two of the standby guards and spoke in a cold tone, "Fly to the Temple and help with its reconstruction. Tell the staff there they're allowed to use magic if they need to. Also tell them to add extra Turned ones in the rooms. At least two extra in each chamber, except the boss room. You can deduce the number from future renewals. Hurry."

The two guards nodded fearfully and flew off deep into the forest in a hurry.

Leanne was about to complain at Albin for making such a sudden decision without her approval, but decided not to. The 13-man group that was just finished with Mt. Lor and heading towards the Temple was obviously the group of Nobles with Decatur in the center. Their power was more than enough to deal with the Temple, so it was best to make the place a bit harder to conquer, while reducing the difficulty for the groups of commoners that were going to explore the place at a later date.

Albin then led Leanne to the dining hall on the first floor and asked the servants to vacate the room.

"So?"

"I have a request to make."

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