Strongest Warlock - Wizard World Irregular

When the last member of the Manor had walked past its doors…

The Manor suddenly disappeared, taking Ethan and Lilian by surprise.

"When the school year ends, all the Manors disappear for a time," Henry explained. "According to the Headmaster, the Manor will undergo maintenance and repair itself for the next school term. Isn\'t it amazing?"

"Indeed," Ethan replied. "When will the Manor appear again?"

"Three days before the entrance ceremony begins," George answered. "So, if you\'re planning to return to the academy early, make sure to return during that time."

Ethan nodded and followed Henry as he led their group toward the Gates of Brynhildr Academy.

Along the way, they saw several Professors bidding goodbye to their students, with some advising the ones who asked for it.

When they neared the gate that led to the main entrance of the academy, they saw Professor Rinehart, Professor Barret, and Professor Ophelia waving goodbyes to their students.

Ethan walked toward the two Professors who had helped him a lot during the past year, then he thanked them properly for everything that they had done for him.

"Did you have fun, Ethan?" Professor Rinehart asked.

"I had the best time of my life, Professor," Ethan replied.

Professor Rinehart chuckled before he lowered his head to whisper something in Ethan\'s ear.

"Do you regret accidentally riding the wrong train?" Professor Rinehart inquired.

"No," Ethan answered in a heartbeat. "I\'m glad that I was given the opportunity to be here."

Professor Rinehart chuckled before patting the young man\'s shoulder.

"I\'ll see you again in a few months, Ethan," Professor Rinehart said. "I look forward to the antics that you will come up with next school year."

Professor Barrett, who was standing beside his best friend, shook his head helplessly.

"Professor Barret, thanks for everything," Ethan stated.

"We will resume our training when you return." Professor Barret nodded. "Midgard is a good place. I\'m sure that you\'ll learn a thing or two throughout your journey there."

After saying those words, he also patted Ethan\'s shoulder as his way of saying goodbye.

When they passed through the Gates, everyone summoned their flying brooms, which were specially modified for the members of the Dud Manor.

They were similar to Ethan\'s Wind Dancer, but they were a little smaller in size.

With this, they were also able to fly in the sky, which had been originally impossible for most of them due to their faulty magical powers.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the train station, and they saw several familiar faces waiting for them to arrive.

Chloe, Lily, Emma, and Nicole were already there.

"Took you long enough," Nicole commented. "Let me guess—you felt so emotional that you felt like staying in your room?"

"Something like that," Ethan admitted. "By the way, what are you doing here? Aren\'t you going to return to the Asta Family?"

"I don\'t plan on going back to that place. At least, not for now," Nicole replied. "After careful consideration, I decided to tag along with your group and see where your hometown is."

"You\'re coming with us?" Ethan arched an eyebrow.

Nicole nodded. "Once you leave for Midgard, I will join Lily on her return trip to Southshire. Her sister, Lyall, will be a good sparring partner. I\'m sure that I will be able to go all out if she is my opponent."

Ethan, who didn\'t know that his best friend was planning to tag along, only smiled because he didn\'t mind having her around.

"I\'ll also visit Grandma Agnes and Grandpa Benjamin," Chloe stated. "I will return home when you leave for Midgard."

"That\'s great," Ethan replied. "Grandma Agnes will definitely want to see you, Chloe."

"Well, then. What are we waiting for?" Lily asked. "Let\'s go."

Everyone nodded in agreement and boarded the train.

This particular train had large compartments, each having the capacity to fit ten people without problems.

On one side, Ethan, Luna, Lily, and Lilian sat together.

And on the opposite side sat Chloe, Emma, and Nicole.

Selene and Aria were also seated beside Chloe since only that spot was left for them.

"What are your grandparents like?" Lily asked Ethan. "I have already asked Chloe, but she only said that your grandparents are very kind and loving. I want more information. After all, I want to make a good first impression."

Ethan couldn\'t help but smile at the lady whom he had shared many first moments with during their stay in the Lands of Alastor.

"You don\'t need to do anything," Ethan replied. "Grandma and Grandpa want to meet you very much. I told them many things about you, but they still want to see and meet you personally."

"You still haven\'t answered my question." Lily pouted.

Ethan chuckled and decided to tell the young lady what his grandparents were like.

He told them about the scene that happened before he rode the train to Brynhildr Academy.

When the girls heard about this, all of them chuckled because of how silly the story was.

"You really thought that Dragons flying beside trains was a common thing?" Nicole couldn\'t help but look at Ethan with amusement. "The ignorant sure are fearless."

"Well, that was my first time seeing a dragon and leaving the countryside," Ethan replied to defend himself. "I was naive and ignorant back then, okay?"

Ethan then continued his tale, which made the ladies smile and giggle from time to time.

He talked about the surprise he felt after arriving at the academy and shared how extremely anxious he was when it was his turn to touch the Appraisal Stone.

"Back then, I thought you were some kind of genius from a fallen Noble Family," Lily commented. "I mean, all the Pillars who were chosen to represent the First Years were from well-established families and had the power to back it up."

"Well, you\'re lucky that you were sent to Dud Manor," Nicole stated. "If the Appraisal Stone didn\'t show any reaction back then, I\'m afraid that your memories would have been forcefully erased."

The other ladies nodded their heads in agreement.

"Indeed," Ethan replied. "I was lucky."

The young man then shared his first impression of Nicole when he met her inside the Dungeon, which had been part of the entrance ceremony.

"What you did back then was the right choice," Nicole commented. "My goal was to eliminate all the students in the Dungeon and become its sole survivor. If you accepted my invitation to fight the Boss Monster together, I would have stabbed you in the back without feeling guilty."

"How about I stab you from the back instead?" Ethan smirked. "Let\'s see how you like it."

Nicole smiled back at Ethan, but she didn\'t say anything else.

Sebastian, on the other hand, had a lot to say about this sudden turn of events.

"Ethan wants to stab her from the back?" Sebastian chuckled. "That is an invitation for something naughty if I have to say so myself."

"Innuendo can be a scary thing," Ethan\'s Other Half agreed, which almost made Ethan choke on his saliva when he realized what the two people from the peanut gallery were talking about.

In the end, he forcefully changed the topic until the train departed from Limeburgh Town.

It would take them three hours to arrive at their destination because the train was taking a different route from the one that Ethan and Chloe were familiar with.

Still, time flew past as the group happily exchanged stories, allowing them to better understand each other and experience the different adventures that each storyteller was willing to share.