"Haha, aren't you guys excited?"

Blake asked cheerfully, his grin wide as he leaned back against the bus seat. His voice was loud, brimming with energy, the kind that spread quickly to the rest of the group whether they wanted it or not.

The group was already seated at the far back of the bus. Everyone had been waiting for Blake, and the moment he finally arrived and plopped down on his seat, the bus took off with a low hum, lifting smoothly into the sky. The vibration of the engine pulsed through the seats, a steady reminder that their trip had begun.

"I'm pretty excited. I haven't gone to the place we're headed to, after all."

Alec responded, his voice carrying genuine curiosity. A small smile tugged at his lips, and his eyes reflected a kind of innocent anticipation.

He leaned forward slightly, clearly eager, his posture betraying the interest he tried to keep casual.

"Haha, same here... My dad keeps telling me it's dangerous there."

Adelle followed with a light chuckle, though there was a faint trace of nervousness behind it. She shifted in her seat, her legs bouncing unconsciously, then turned to the side, her eyes landing on Eve and Aoi.

"How about you guys?"

She asked with open interest, tilting her head curiously as though trying to read their expressions even before they answered.

"It's my first time too... My father didn't want me to go there... Even now, it was such a hassle convincing him."

Eve grumbled, lowering her gaze slightly. Her words carried a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

Her voice softened when she mentioned her father, Clifford— showing her affection for him— but the slight pout at her lips gave away how much she hated being treated like a child still.

"I've been there before. My mom and I would visit dad while he was at work, after all."

Aoi answered casually, her voice light but steady. Yet, despite the calmness, there was a proud tone beneath it, one she couldn't quite hide.

"Ah, that's right! Your father's guild is located there!"

Adelle exclaimed, her eyes widening. Though her tone rose in excitement, her voice didn't escape the boundary of their small group.

The isolating magic she had cast earlier kept their chatter safely contained, shielding their words from the rest of the people in the bus.

"It's not really located there, but it's one of the cities their guild is protecting. Basically, it's like they're the first shield of the [Human Domain]."

Aoi corrected smoothly, her voice rising with a hint of pride. Her back straightened a little as she puffed her chest out, confidence and admiration for her father evident in her tone.

"That's so cool..."

Alec muttered, awe flickering in his eyes. He slumped back against his chair, as though the thought alone was enough to overwhelm him.

"Whoa... The first shield of humanity, huh? That's like, a really super cool title!"

Blake followed right after, his tone brimming with excitement. His eyes gleamed like a child who had just heard about heroes from a storybook.

Aoi didn't say anything in reply, but a smug little smile crept across her lips when she heard their words of admiration. She glanced out the window, but the satisfaction in her expression made it clear she had heard them well enough.

Adelle then turned to her other side, shifting her gaze toward the two boys seated there.

"What about you two? Have you been there?"

She asked Raven and Curtis curiously, tilting her head slightly to make sure she had their attention.

"Yeah, my father brought me there often when I was about six. We would come out sometimes, and he'd train me by letting me fight beasts and monsters."

Curtis replied without hesitation, his words sharp. His tone was steady, but his answer landed like a stone dropped into calm water.

"What?! You were already fighting monsters and beasts when you were six?!"

Adelle's voice rose in disbelief, drawing Alec, Eve, Aoi, and Blake's attention instantly. All of them turned in unison, staring at Curtis in shock, their jaws almost dropping at the thought.

Curtis, however, only shrugged his shoulders casually, as though his story was nothing special.

"I insisted to my father that I wanted to start training young."

He declared firmly, his voice carrying no trace of hesitation.

"He was really against it, but... I remember throwing a tantrum and ignoring him completely when he rejected me."

Curtis continued, scratching his cheek with a slightly embarrassed expression. A faint chuckle slipped past his lips as though even he found the memory a little ridiculous now.

"So in the end, I got him to train me early. He would let me fight weak monsters, always watching me in case something bad happened."

He finished with that, his tone calm and steady.

"..."

The group fell silent at once, their expressions caught somewhere between amazement and disbelief. Adelle, Alec, Aoi, Eve, and Blake all exchanged glances, as if trying to confirm if they had heard him correctly.

The thought of a six years old child fighting monsters was something they couldn't wrap their heads around.

'Hmm, he's really a lunatic, huh... I didn't even write that backstory about him.'

Raven thought to himself, sneaking a glance at Curtis.

'But... he's really a hardworking genius.'

He added inwardly, smirking slightly at the realization.

And at that moment—

The quiet was broken by Adelle, who tilted her head toward Raven with curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

"What about you, Raven?"

Her sudden question drew every pair of eyes in their group toward him.

"Huh?"

Raven blinked, startled, his head jerking toward Adelle. The attention made his chest tighten slightly.

Quickly, he racked through the original Raven's past memories, searching for the answer.

And just after a second, he spoke—

"Oh, I've been there."

He said casually, as though it was nothing. And opening his mouth—

"Me, Nisha, and my parents have lived there before, after all."

Raven added without much thought.

"...!"

"!!!"

"...?!"

The group's reaction was immediate. Everyone's eyes widened in shock, even Eve and Curtis frowned slightly at his words!

After all... the place Raven was casually claiming to have lived in was none other than... The City of Andres— their field trip destination!

The City of Andres was no ordinary city. It was the place that housed the great gate dividing the Human Domain from the outside world. Known for being dangerous, the city constantly faced break-ins from demons and majins at least once a month. Waves of monsters and beasts attacked the gates daily, and flying types often slipped past and assaulted people inside the city itself.

It wasn't a place ordinary families chose to live. Most who stayed were either heroes stationed there by the [Federation]... or the poorest of the poor, who had nowhere else to go.

Alec and the others already knew Raven's parents weren't part of the [Federation] or any guild. That only left one conclusion—

"..."

The group silently assumed that Raven's family must have been forced to live there due to money problems.

(Well, they're right about that.)

'That's right... Raven got into [Lunar Academy] through scholarship...'

They thought, their gazes softening while looking at Raven.

"..."

Even Alec, who himself was on scholarship, felt pity for Raven. His family didn't have much wealth either, but at least they lived peacefully.

Raven, on the other hand, had apparently grown up in constant danger. (They assumed so.)

Now, all of them couldn't help but wonder— just how hard must Raven's life have been back then?

Meanwhile... while they were lost in such thoughts—

'Hmm, Ruby just sent my ten million zeals again from my shares in the dungeon. She just sent some a few days ago too... I have too much money now, I don't even know where to spend it.'

Raven was calmly thinking about his growing wealth!

...

...

In truth, Raven's original memories told a different story.

While living in Andres City, his family's life had been relatively normal. Danger never reached them directly because Alfred and Elaine— Raven's parents— handled every threat that came near.

They had eventually moved to a different city for Raven and Nisha's safety after saving enough money.

...

...

*****

Half an hour later, after traveling across six cities from the [Lunar Academy]—

"We're here!"

Blake shouted, his excitement spilling over. His voice cut through the bus like a trumpet, impossible to ignore.

"Yay!"

Adelle cheered in response, practically bouncing in her seat. Her voice was high with joy, her energy matching Blake's completely.

The bus descended smoothly, the hum of the engines lowering until the vehicle landed with a soft thud. Raven and the others stood, filing out with the rest of the students, and stepped off, arriving at their destination— The City of Andres.

"Funny how Blake got on the bus last but got out first."

Raven muttered dryly as he descended the steps, his tone flat but laced with quiet amusement.

"That's just how he is, haha."

Alec chuckled, following behind him.

One by one, all of [CLASS A-1] filed out of the bus, the crowd of students buzzing with chatter and excitement. Their voices overlapped, creating a noisy but lively atmosphere.

And once everyone had gathered outside—

"Attention everyone!"

A loud, commanding voice echoed across the area, silencing the students immediately.

Raven recognized it instantly. Turning his head, he saw her—

"I'll be the one responsible for handling you and giving you tasks throughout the field trip. Let's get along."

It was Ruby, smiling warmly, though her eyes discreetly searched for him in the crowd.

Behind her stood Keara, waving with energy, while Yuki perched proudly on her head.

-I'm here too!

Levina's voice rang inside Raven's head, playful and light.

Raven couldn't help but smile at the sight. He lifted his hand ever so slightly, waving secretly back at them.

(Ruby, Keara, and the other staff had come to the city earlier to prepare for the students' arrival. Raven had let Yuki and Levina go with them, since the two were far too excited to stay behind.)

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