Azhure: The interlude's fine, I'm not touching it. Also, it's that time of the year again.
Azhure: I don't know what to subtitle this sub-chapter.
Voice: At least it ain't just 'Conflict,' 'Conflict,' 'Conflict'!
---
"...What?"
"Yeah! What the heck!? There's a bad guy out to get us and you're worried about school!?"
"Hah..." the manager sighed. "I was afraid this would happen."
It was a huge subversion of expectation, especially when it came out of nowhere. At one moment, they were talking about how they were going to proceed to save the Bell Branch from the SaltWaters noble and suddenly they can't because of school. It was like being in the final preparations for a holiday only to have it canceled because the laundry wasn't done.
"This is now an 'operation,' one that needs to be watched over constantly unlike other operations with more flexible schedules thanks to the noble," William shot down the pixie, not wanting to be more fed up than he was. "Rule number six: To die or forsake a world you do not belong to, forsake the world."
"W-What?" Alicia muttered, surprised at what William just said.
"Oi, you should probably go with rule number nine: preserve your duties, loyalties, and wishes," Owen argued. "A lot less angsty."
"Rule six gets the point across better," William immediately countered, not willing to back down on this part.
"Anyway," Owen turned to Alicia who was understandably confused by all of this. "The thing is, investigating the noble and then getting him arrested is gonna take time. While that is happening we need to watch out for the noble to pull something off. That means we're gonna have to stay here until this is over which makes it awkward as an afterschool activity," he said. "Our ninth rule states that we still have to go to school despite that."
"Six," William stubbornly corrected with his arms crossed.
"Yeah, yeah, that rule works too," Owen relented.
"Really? Why though..." Alicia muttered. She had the impression that they would get excused from school, but their denial of it made no sense.
"Look, saving the Bell Branch is good and all but there's a reason those Rules of Engagement exist," Owen continued with an apologetic look. "Ultimately, this isn't our world. We aren't supposed to worry over all of this, yet here we are. But because of that, we can't neglect our world and lose all of the connections we have over there.
"We're not superheroes just because we have Maneg Souls. Even though we have these powers doesn't mean we have the responsibility to ruin our lives for them. We don't sacrifice ourselves for the sake of another world. That's the whole point of rule six."
"Even if the world is at stake?" Alicia frowned.
"Technically yes, but that's not gonna happen 'cause there's always a Court Wizard to answer that," Owen shook his head. "There's a long backstory why we have those rules in the first place, just know that they are meant to protect us just as they are meant to protect worlds."
"I see," Alicia hung her head low in understanding. "I guess you have a point."
It made sense. In the context of Owen being a Court Wizard, for the past 5 years, he was never absent from school for long periods, only after it. Before Alicia knew why, Owen had always been evasive about what he was doing after school without her. If it were to be the opposite case, he would have been a known truant and her relationship with him might've become different.
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Wizards of the Otherworldly Court: Alicia Part 2
Fantasy"Why are my hands getting warmer?" As far as Alicia was concerned, she was the daughter of a rich businessman attending high school. Then, she feels off and at the same time, she's not. One week later, her best friend brought her to another world(s)...
