Death Mage with an SS-Rank Talent-Chapter 286

Aaron packed his things and left the Last Bastion.

With Lyanna’s help, he was able to use the teleportation circle to directly leave the fort and reach the academy first.

Though he has spoken with Lyanna, he needed an official printout stating that he would be going to Rock City on duty.

Well, he can go to Rock City directly, and there was no one stopping him anyway, but that wouldn’t reflect in a good way. If he leaves for an official duty, that would look good.

Using the official way, he would protect his home and also gain benefits for doing so, a win-win.

---

After arriving at the academy, he went directly to meet up with Lyanna. She told him to meet her as soon as he arrived at the academy.

"Vice-Headmistress", Aaron greeted her as he entered her office.

"Sit, I have prepared everything for your departure, but the official orders will come in the morning. So you have to wait till then, and also, you have to use your own way to reach Rock City. Though there is a new teleportation circle connecting the city, unless it was an emergency, it won’t be activated", Lyanna told him.

"Yes, Vice-headmistress", Aaron said no more.

It was already a huge help to let him take the teleportation circle to return to the academy so quickly. There is no way he would leech off her like that. She may grant him if he asks, but that might damage their friendship.

She has already provided a lot of benefits for him. Sure, they appear as if she had given him those because he ranked first in the tournament and created a scenario where Dusk Academy ranked second in the tournament, for the first time in the history of the tournament.

Even if that were the case, there should be a limit. If she crosses the limit, that could raise a few eyebrows and would be trouble for her.

So, he decided to take the train back home. The train would not arrive at Dusk City for a while. So, he has to stay at the academy for a while.

Though a few days would be wasted, the train is the best way to travel, if you exclude the teleportation path. There are other ways, but they are dangerous and would take longer than it would using a train.

Since he was already here and had to wait for a few days, he decided to visit Zara. It has been months since he was able to spend time with her. First, he was sent to Duskmist City, but he returned quickly. His stay at the Last Bastion was for a few months.

Moreover, once he returns to Rock City, he has no idea when he will return. It would probably be when the war ends, but how long it takes, he has no idea. So, spending some time with Zara became a priority for him.

Unlike him and the other two, Erika and Reyna, who were sent away on duty, Zara has been at the academy all alone, and when she learned that Aaron returned, she was quite happy.

They spent the night together.

There were not many people in the academy at present, but most were returning due to new directives. Many were being reassigned. Both Reyna and Erika would be returning as well in the morning.

So, with the delay in leaving by train didn’t feel too long.

The next morning, he got the official order through the academy. It was not just him; many students were assigned to their hometowns, as the war zones increased.

No one would volunteer to guard a stranger’s home while their home was being burned down. So, the academies, all of them, sent the students to their home towns to guard. This way, the towns would be guarded, and the guards wouldn’t need to worry about their homes while doing their duty somewhere else.

Reyna returned in the morning, while Erika returned late at noon.

That day, he spent time with all three, especially with Erika, as she would be leaving the next day. She is not far from the academy, but her family was expecting her to return early, and they were not ready to reveal their relationship to her family.

She comes from a powerful family, and it would be best for Aaron to ask for her hand when he himself was powerful. Until then, their relationship would be a secret.

Reyna and Zara left the day after Erika left, which is the same day that Aaron left the academy as well.

---

A few days later...

"Mom, Dad, I am back", Aaron pushed open his home’s door as he entered.

It was not like they left the doors unlocked. They were locked all the time, worried about how things were going on in the world. No one can trust anybody.

Though full-scale war is yet to blow in the city, there were a few incidents, which made most businesses close or operate only during peak day hours. Not many could be seen roaming outside after hours.

In fact, in many cities, a curfew was in effect. After eight in the evening, till six in the morning, no one can roam outside. If there was an emergency, an exception would be made, unless such a situation arose, only the patrol and security were allowed to roam.

With too many cult attacks taking place, especially when it turned out to be coworkers or neighbours who were part of the cult and attacked the civilians, no one is above suspicion.

If it happens in some place, it could happen anywhere, which made people not trust anyone, as there was no guarantee that their neighbours were not cult members.

So, everyone started to follow it’s better to be safe than be sorry, and that locked doors and locked doors turned into the first safety net for everyone.

Aaron has his own key, which he used to enter his home.

When he entered, he was surprised. He didn’t think that he would see what he was seeing now.