The weather outside had abated with the rising sun, and now only a few flakes graced the morning sky. The change in the weather had brought about a few more people in search of breakfast from the cafeteria, but Noble wasn't concerned with those students. It was the two lingering close to the building who gave her pause.
Noble shielded her eyes as she came into the open, immediately spotting the young men in question.
Elric and Beric were standing to one side of the guards, watching the events with curiosity.
"Why are they carting off Keth like a sack of synthetic vegetables? What was he doing in the girls' dormitory?" Beric questioned the other member of Valor.
Elric hushed him.
"Mind your business! I didn't ask you to follow me out here. If you want to gossip, go find a granny."
Beric seemed genuinely hurt by the comment. "Come on, cousin! I was only wondering."
Elric leveled a stern look at his companion before raising his communicator as Keth and the guards passed by. He snapped a picture and typed feverishly on the screen.
"Who are you…" Beric grunted as Elric's elbow met with his chest.
That is when the young men noticed Noble's approach.
She smiled at them. "Don't let me stop you. What were you asking, Sleeper Beric?"
The young man pressed his lips together. "I don't know what you mean, Professor."
Elric shrugged. "My cousin is rather forgetful. You will have to forgive him."
He glanced at the security detail. "It seems poor Keth has found himself in trouble yet again."
"Yes. Such a shame." Noble eyed the legacy carefully.
"Noble?" Lovia called from a few steps ahead of her. "We are getting behind."
"Coming," the professor chewed her lip. Reluctantly, she left the legacies of Valor behind.
They hadn't done anything wrong overtly, and proving collusion would be nearly impossible.
'I don't think they will try anything on their own. Right now, they are cronies of Valor at best.'
Indeed, their eyes had followed and been more worried about Keth than Tamar. When the ladies turned off to take the path toward the infirmary, neither of the boys even gave her a passing glance.
'They won't bother Tamar…still…'
Noble hurried forward and whispered in Mori's ear. The man listened intently, glancing over his shoulder at the young men he had just passed. He nodded subtly.
Satisfied, Noble returned to her spot by Lovia.
"What was that about?" The smiling instructor giggled.
Noble ignored the laugh, feeling the other woman's genuine concern.
"Those two boys were with Keth in the Dreamscape duel I held yesterday. I consulted with Mori, who agrees that while their intentions are not openly malicious, they are concerning. He will dispatch someone to watch them today, and someone to watch over Tamar."
"But Lady Tamar declined protection." Lovia had been there and heard the words herself.
"It's our duty to keep all Sleepers safe. I don't want to think about the turmoil that would occur if one died on our watch after we uncovered a plot to kill her." Noble could already see clan Song demanding answers.
As the wife of the ambassador and the one who had discovered the treachery, the burden of dealing with Clan Song would primarily be on Noble's shoulders.
That was not a fun thought.
'No, I want to avoid that.'
Tamar would enter the solstice this evening, awaken, and return to her family unharmed. That was the only acceptable outcome.
It was the preferred outcome for any student under the Academy's care, but what happened in the Dream Realm was beyond their control.
For now, they would have to remove the immediate threat to a secure location. That was why Lovia and Noble continued to follow behind the guards.
Keth continued to talk around the cloth stuffed in his mouth, spitting it out once to spout an obscenity that Noble hadn't heard before.
'Creativity knows no bounds….' Noble rolled her eyes as she directed the gag back in his mouth.
He continued to threaten them as they moved to the security building. It was deceptively unadorned. The outside looked no different from any other, which, of course, was by design.
Inside was a different story.
Noble's cheeks enjoyed the warmth even as the errant flakes melted from her hair. Unlike the academy laboratory, whose walls were spotless white, these walls were dark and faintly inscribed with runes.
The Spelltech running the cameras and other safety measures were virtually foolproof from being tampered with by Awakened, and even more secure when it came to Sleepers.
That is why Keth had needed to use more rudimentary means to get around them. Bribery and coercion were the oldest tricks in the book and still often the most effective.
Mori led them past a control room full of screens.
'That looks familiar…'
Though the last time Noble had seen it, it wasn't showing scenes of the campus. It was displaying diplomats around the world.
That was when the Sovereigns had made their dramatic entrance.
It seemed like so long ago.
'So much has happened since then.'
They continued to the center of the building, where an additional array of runes made the building's walls glow. Two containment cells were placed side by side with a thick alloy wall separating them. One was already filled with a distraught man in uniform.
'That's the security guard whom Keth tried to use.'
Based on the man's emotions, he was utterly devastated. Whether he was actually coerced, bribed, or just loyal would have to be decided later. One thing was for sure. He was no longer on staff at the Academy.
The door to the other cell swung open, and the guards parted. Taking the cue, Noble floated Keth inside. The door slammed shut.
The man dropped to the ground, and the magical cloth surrounding him disappeared back into Lovia's Soul Sea.
"What is the name of that blanket?" Noble found the plain white cloth had come in handy both as a blanket and a restraint.
"The Sheet of Holding," Lovia giggled.
"Interesting name." The professor smirked. The silver-haired teacher shrugged. "I bought it off the Memory market a few years back. Can't argue with quality."
After directing the security team, Mori approached the pair. "Thank you, ladies, for your help once again. I will take it from here."
Noble glanced at the cell where Keth was. His anger had waned only slightly, but at least he wasn't screaming anymore. He must have figured out that the cell was soundproof.
The professor inclined her head. "What is going to happen to him?"
Mori pressed his lips together. "We will contact government officials on how to proceed. This is not something that should be dealt with at the Academy. In my opinion, the best course of action would be to make an example of him..."
"Sir!" A woman in uniform pushed her way through the guards and stopped before the head of security.
Mori furrowed his brow. "What is it?"
The lady took a moment to get some air. When she did, she took the breath away of those listening.
"Sir. It's the Princess of Valor. She demands to speak with you. Now."