The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix’s Novels Also Desires Happiness - Chapter 290



68. The Gambler Must Not…

“Hmm? Are you not ready to set off yet?”

At the entrance of the academy where everyone was gathering, Ariel looked up at the sun that was nearly hanging overhead, frowning as she said:

“Didn’t we agree to gather in the morning? It’s almost noon now.”

“I don’t know.”

Liya shook her head as well, quietly scanning the surroundings before whispering:

“Maybe it’s because not everyone has arrived; it seems the professors haven’t shown up either.”

Due to it being a school departure day, the entrance of the academy was quite noisy, with students dragging their luggage out, while outside on the street, various carriages filled with those coming to pick them up were already blocked.

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Yet amid this chaos, there was a certain area that seemed to be specially sectioned off, appearing extremely spacious, with only a few people either standing with their arms crossed, resting their eyes, or quietly chatting like Ariel and Liya.

Every student passing by cast envious and admiring glances toward this place.

“Will Professor Plang be late as well?”

Ariel frowned, thinking of Professor Plang’s stern face, feeling it was somewhat unbelievable.

“The one accompanying him might not necessarily be Professor Plang.”

Liya speculated:

“After all, although he is nominally just the head of the academy’s magic department, I’ve heard that he is currently handling many affairs, especially during this transition period with the Pink Bear acting as the dean and Dean Kessavei; he probably can’t get away.”

“That’s true.”

Ariel nodded, “Usually, it’s the teachers who accompany us on such trips, right?”

“I just don’t know which teacher it will be.”

Liya chimed in:

“It would be nice if they could be a bit more lenient.”

“Mm?”

Upon hearing this, Ariel’s gaze sharpened, and with a mischievous smile, she lunged at Liya to tickle her:

“Well, well, you little flirt, wanting the teacher to be more lenient—are you planning to do something naughty?”

“Absolutely not!”

Liya, her cheeks slightly flushed, pushed Ariel away, pouting:

“I just think the journey is already boring enough. If we have a strict teacher on top of that, it would really be unbearable.”

“That’s true…”

Why does it feel like this little girl has been getting quicker with her responses lately? It’s getting harder to tease her.

Ariel reluctantly withdrew her hand and stroked her chin.

Speaking of which, traveling from Belrand to the Holy City normally takes at least ten days. If we had a strict teacher along the way, someone like her, who is used to freedom and being carefree, would truly struggle.

Moreover, if that were the case, some of her little tricks would be impossible. After leaving Belrand, she was still planning to use other means to gather the necessary materials.

Well, let’s not think about that for now.

Ariel snapped back to reality, suddenly feeling a bit nervous as she rubbed her hands together, then stretched her neck to sneak a glance at the people around.

That sweet-looking upperclassman must be Fanny Sawyer, the top student in her third year. She left quite an impression due to her beauty.

And the rich young lady beside her should be Vicky Morse, the rumored only daughter of a certain wealthy merchant association president.

Over there, under the tree, is a guy with a distant expression, clearly not wanting to be approached, along with the guy next to him who seems to be enjoying the admiration of those around him—those two must be Marshall and Aaron from the list.

Adding herself and Liya to the mix…

Although Professor Plang had previously announced the rules for challenges, there hasn’t been any change in the slots available so far. This indirectly proves that the academy is indeed strict in selecting candidates and has a keen eye for talent.

But…

“Where is Mun Campbell?”

Ariel scanned the area again, this time not even missing the students around, the carriages blocking the street, the gradually emptying academy, and the figures leaving in the distance.

No one.

No one.

Still no one.

As a noble, Mun Campbell, despite everything else, should not make such a small mistake as being late after receiving an elite education since childhood.

So…

This time, I won!

Thinking back to the bet she had mustered the courage to place, Ariel couldn’t help but feel a stir of excitement within her.

Although, upon reflection, she realized she hadn’t really made much money at all.

But in the end, she had won!

“Eh? What’s happening over there?”

Lia suddenly exclaimed.

Ariel turned her gaze and noticed a group of students standing on the rooftop of a building at the edge of the academy, looking as if they were about to jump off at any moment.

Even though a teacher had set up a cushioning spell below, the sight of those students, tears streaming down their faces, was so tragic that it brought tears to the eyes of the onlookers, who gasped in sorrow, wishing for a swift end.

“Hmph, those guys must be what they call ‘gamblers.’”

Ariel scoffed inwardly.

They were surely lured by the exaggerated odds, wanting to take a gamble, so they bet on Mun Campbell. Now that Mun Campbell hadn’t shown up, they were left with nothing but their losses, venting their grief on the rooftop.

Such behavior was already futile.

Unlike her, who was steady and composed; if she didn’t have complete confidence, she would never place a bet!

“Really?”

Lia tilted her head, sighing:

“Then there are quite a few gamblers in the academy this time, how pitiful.”

“Huh? Quite a few?”

Ariel was taken aback by her words.

Quite a few?

This was twenty to one, after all.

Could it be that Lia was referring to the number of people placing bets?

Having been immersed in her training lately, it seemed she had missed out on these happenings.

But as Ariel thought about it, her heart began to race even more.

If the base number was large enough, even with such outrageous odds, it might still turn out to be a considerable income for her.

…

“Phew, how lucky. It could have been me standing up there.”

At that moment, Fanny looked at the chaos in the academy and couldn’t help but wipe the fragrant sweat from her forehead, exclaiming.

“Oh?”

Vicky Morse, who was beside Fanny, asked curiously:

“Do you play this too?”

As a competitor and friend, she knew that this top student in the third grade would never indulge in such things.

Although it seemed she had recently withdrawn from the Magic Painting Society and joined a strange club, becoming somewhat mysterious and eccentric.

“Well…”

Fenny thought of her three little troublemakers at home, who were both a headache and an inescapable burden, and smiled wryly:

“I was kind of forced to participate.”

“And the result?”

“The result…”

Fenny suddenly turned her head and looked at Vicky, saying:

“I heard your family has started selling new magic crystals?”

“Yeah, we discovered a new magic crystal mine up north, and we’ve dug out quite a few high-quality goods from it. The purity is very high, and it has strong adaptability and conductivity for magical power. Whether for making wands or enhancing weapons, it’s really excellent.”

As soon as Vicky mentioned her products, she became quite talkative:

“I remember you practicing seems to really need this. Want to buy some?”

“I want to buy!”

“Hmm… the best quality top-tier ones are a hundred thousand Amiel each, but I can give you a friendly price of eighty thousand. With your financial situation, that should be about right…”

“What do you mean one?”

Fenny slapped her chest, her beautiful eyes wide with anger, and declared with great enthusiasm:

“I want to buy ten!”