I was in the backseat, just lying on the seat while staring at the car roof

  The ride to the location felt calm, supported by the night sky and the music that was playing on the radio

  "You ok back there, Dani? " Uncle Reggie asked me as he was driving

  "Hmm, just enjoying the atmosphere right now "

  "Hmph---So, are we there yet? " Adam asked beside him, his mouth full of a donut

  "Haha, don't talk while eating young man. But no, we're still far from there "

  The ride then fell back into silence for a few more minutes, before I decided to open my mouth and ask

  "Hey, Uncle "

  "Yes? "

  ". . . Did Henrik's mom talk with you about her salary as a teacher? "

  "---? Why did you ask? "

  "I want to confirm something. So, did she? "

  "Well, she did say that her salary isn't enough. Sometimes she feels like she wants to quit "

  "Hmph---That's unfair! Like at all! They're the ones who provided education to the students " Adam said while munching, his voice slightly raised

  ". . . So, why didn't she quit and take on another job? " I asked calmly

  ". . . She said that she couldn't leave her students like that. She didn't have the heart to leave them "

  Adam then swallowed his donuts before continuing to talk

  "If it were me, then I would have no choice but to stop being a teacher. I'm sorry, but I also need to give food for my family "

  "That's exactly what the government wants you to do " I said calmly

  Adam then twists his body slightly to look at me while Reggie raises his brows, already questioning the meaning of my statement

  "What did you mean by that? " Adam asked me

  "It's connected, the reason for the majority in this country is dumb people because they lack teachers and smart people "

  Adam already blinked his eyes countless times, dumbfounded by what I said

  "Care to explain, Dani? " Reggie asked me

  "Well, starting from the high prices and low salaries for the teachers. Since the salary won't be enough to cover other things like rent or bills, it's obvious that teachers will quit and find another job

  "Then those schools won't have enough teachers. . . " Reggie murmured softly

  "Then their intelligence will go down since there are fewer teachers. More dumb students exist than the smart ones " I continued calmly

  "O-Ok, ok. . . Then what about the smart people? " Adam asked me

  "If there were smart people, they would obviously study abroad and find a job there since it would obviously be more stable "

  ". . . So you're saying the government deliberately makes its people dumber? " Reggie asked me

  "Possibly. Dumb people are easy to control since they can't think for themselves "

  ". . . Or, it could just be because of inflation? " Adam asked me

  "It is because of inflation. But, they deliberately didn't increase teachers' salaries to demoralize them, and the ones who work outside definitely don't want to come back here "

  ". . . Damn it. . . If they fight back, then they will be seen as part of the protestors, won't they? "

  "That's exactly why they didn't feel fear doing this. The people might want to protest, but going against the 'heroes' and the authorities who follow the government, they have no choice but to accept it "

  "Plus, most people here trust the government to do the right things, they won't question it " Reggie added softly

  Adam then turned his body back and leaned on the seat before looking at Reggie

  "So, any ideas about how we can expose them? "

  ". . . Well, I'm not sure. The only thing that comes to my mind is to spread the truth with evidence to convince them. . . Perhaps my mentor could come up with a few good plans "

  ". . . Your mentor? " I asked him

  "Hmm, he's the one who taught me how to fight, how to use my power, and how to think strategically. Also, he's the one who taught me this translation magic "

  "Well, well, well. . . Sounds like someone I know " Adam teased before looking at me with a smug grin

  ". . . I did not teach you how to think strategically. That shit comes from your own experience "

  "Tck. . . Can you take a praise without being a tsundere? "

  "I am not-. . . Fuck you "

  Reggie just laughed softly hearing our conversation before he parked the car somewhere and pulled the brake over

  "Well, we're here "

  We then stepped out of the car and saw an empty mansion, clearly abandoned for a long time

  But, the bushes outside seemed to be cut by someone

  "This is the location? " Adam asked

  "Yeah, meeting's location for tonight " Reggie answered him

  "You guys could have chosen a bit more strategic hiding place, you know? "

  "Haha, just you wait. Now, let's go inside "

  We then saw him open the dusty door and walk inside with us following him, before Adam started talking as we stopped in the living room

  "Let me guess, you're about to reach for a book which turns out to be a lever to a basement right? " Adam makes a playful guess

  "Hahaha, you're wrong. Go on, guess again " Reggie encouraged him softly

  "Ok. . . Erm. . . There's a hidden button on the wall here? "

  "Nope "

  ". . . We're doing it in the attic? "

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Nope "

  ". . . I ran out of ideas "

  "Can I take a guess then? " I said calmly, raising my hand slightly

  "Oh, sure Dani. What's on your mind? "

  I then walked to the bookshelf and took one of the books before wiping the dust off it calmly

  "Did you think there's a hidden button inside the book Dani? Well, sorry to disappoint but-"

  "It's dirty. Too dirty " I cut him off calmly

  ". . . Huh? "

  "I look outside for a moment, and notice that the surroundings don't have too many bushes, like the surroundings were being taken care of. Doesn't match with how dirty this house is "

  ". . . "

  "Also. . . I could feel that this whole place was too warm, as if some magic was surrounding it "

  Reggie's lips then slowly curved into a soft smile, before continuing to talk softly

  "So, your guess? "

  ". . . If I should take a guess, this whole place is just an illusion "

  Just then, the surroundings around us start to dissolve, even the book in my hand dissolves into particles of mana, revealing that the whole mansion itself was covered with an illusion

  As the illusion slowly disappeared, we saw a door that wasn't there before I saw a man leaning his back against the door

  "You're smart, kid "

  His appearance was around 20s, with his unique appearance of having blue hair and eyes

  "You really broke my illusion with logic. Man, I shouldn't have cut the bushes outside yesterday "

  Reggie then laughed at him, before softly teasing him

  "Hahaha, I told you not to underestimate this guy. He's smart smart "

  "Yeah, yeah, I can see that now "

  "Adam, Dani. This is Cale, my mentor " Reggie said softly

  The guy then raised his hand before smiling at us

  "Cale Leerstorm. I might look like a 20-year-old guy but trust me, I'm older than the first demon king "

  "Oh! I know you! "

  Adam shouted suddenly before approaching him and shaking his hand while looking astonished, as if he was looking at a legend

  "You're the guy who helped all the previous chosen ones fight against the demon king, right?! I read your stories! "

  "Hahaha, yep, that's me "

  "Dude, I couldn't believe I could meet you in person! Could I get an autograph from you later?! I'm a big fan " Adam said before releasing his hand

  "Autograph only? Tch, come on, I could even give you a special photograph session with me " He said smugly before running his hand through his hair

  As I saw their interaction, my mind once again started to form a thought, questioning something

  Isn't Henrik's father the one who sent the coordination to everyone? That means he's the one who discovered this place. Then why he-

  "Before you ask, Reggie's friend asked me to keep this place clean. I just covered the place with illusion " He said to me, as if he was reading my mind

  ". . . "

  "He said that he wanted the place clean so they could feel comfortable when they did the meeting later. And ever since he's gone, I even keep the outside clean to respect his wish "

  ". . . Did you read my mind? "

  "Well, you're looking at me suspiciously, so I have to read your mind "

  ". . . Sorry, didn't mean to raise your suspicion on me "

  He stared at me for a moment before laughing as if I just made a joke in front of him

  "Hahaha, I understand. Geniuses tend to overthink all the time "

  Cale then approached me calmly before putting his hand on my chest, as if he was checking something

  I didn't say anything and just stared at his face calmly, before he nodded his head and moved his hand away from my chest

  "Hmm. . . Interesting "

  . . . He must have meant the power

  "Ah, sorry for that. Curiosity got the best of me, hahaha "

  ". . . Hmm, it's fine "

  He then walked to the door in front of us and started to recite an ancient language I couldn't understand, before the door started to open slowly

  As the door fully opened, we could see that several people were standing, surrounding a long table with a map, and some were preparing a few things like magic stones and enhanced weapons

  "Come on, they have been waiting for you guys " He said, walking to the inside

  As we stood there for a moment, I then leaned closer to Reggie and asked something

  ". . . Is that guy always like that? "

  "Ah. . . Haha. . . He often has. . . A weird method. But trust me, my mentor knows what's he doing "

  "Huff. . . Let's go already " I said calmly before following Cale

  As we entered the room, I could hear a few greetings from the people to Reggie

  Their greetings didn't sound like those of a worker to another worker. But instead, it sounds like friends that happy to see their friend back

  "R?gg??! G??dh t? sh?? ye?? v?kkh! "

  ("Reggie! Good to see you back! ")

  "L??dh?r, g??dh t? sh?? ye?? "

  ("Leader, good to see you ")

  "R?gg??! "

  ("Reggie! ")

  "H?ye, ?z?rye?n?. G??dh t? sh?? ye?? g?yesh h?r? "

  ("Hey, everyone. Good to see you guys here ") Reggie said, giving them his usual soft smile

  . . . Seems like he's close with everyone here

  As I was observing the surroundings, Adam suddenly poked my head, as if he was checking for something

  "Adam. . . " I said grumpily

  "Sorry dude, I need to know how the fuck your brain works. You're telling me you notice illusion magic from Cale himself?? "

  ". . . It's all based on perception "

  "Dani. . . What you do is NOT a normal perception "

  ". . . I didn't say it was normal "

  "You gotta tell me how you did that. That was so fucking cool "

  ". . . Eh, if I were in a good mood, then I'll tell you "

  ". . . I'll buy you a few packages of ramen when we're back. In exchange, you teach me later, deal? "

  ". . . I consider it "

  As we arrived at the table, they then stopped talking before bowing slightly, greeting Reggie

  "?z?rye?n?, m??t Dh?n? ?ndh ?dh?m. Th?ye wy?ll zh??n ?sh sht?rt?ng phr?m t?dh?ye "

  ("Everyone, meet Dani and Adam. They will join us starting from today ") Reggie said to them

  They then gave us a small smile while slightly nodding their head, some raised their hand as a 'hello' gesture, others were just staring at us

  "Sh?, wyh?t dh?dh ? m?shsh? "

  ("So, what did I miss? ") Reggie asked them

  "?h, n?th?ng m?kh. Wy? z?sht wy?nt ye?? t? k?nph?rm ??r tr??psh ?ndh Sh?r K?l?'sh ?nph?ltr?t??n pl?nsh ?nsh?dh? th? ph?k?l?tye "

  ("Ah, nothing much. We just want you to confirm our troops and Sir Cale's infiltration plans inside the facility ")

  "H?h?h?, dh?n't wy?rrye. Ye?? g?t th? v?st shtr?t?g?sht ?n ??rth r?ght h?r?. N? n??dh t? wy?rrye m?kh ?v??t mye pl?nsh "

  ("Hahaha, don't worry. You got the best strategist on Earth right here. No need to worry much about my plans ") Cale said smugly, held his chin between his thumb and index finger

  "?rgh. . . "

  ("Urgh. . . ")

  "Sh?r K?l?. . . Ye??'r? ?m?s?ng. . . V?t pl??sh?. . . N?t ?n phr?nt ?ph r??kh??sh. . . "

  ("Sir Cale. . . You're amazing. . . But please. . . Not in front of rookies. . . ")

  "H?wy th? h?ll dh?dh h? g?t m?r? ?mm?t?r? th?n ?sh. . . "

  ("How the hell did he get more immature than us. . . ")

  "??! Mye ?kt??n ?sh k?mpl?t?lye z?l?dh! Ye?? g?yesh shh??ldh h?z? th?nkh?dh th? k?nsht?ll?t??nsh ph?r p?tt?ng m? ?n ye??r sh?dh?

  ("Oi! My action is completely valid! You guys should have thanked the constellations for putting me on your side ")

  "H?h? "

  ("Haha ") Reggie laughed softly, watching the scene in front of him

  As they continued discussing in their own way, I then nudged Adam's shoulder and tilted my head to the wall, signalling him to leave them be

  "You didn't want to help them? " Adam asked me as we both leaned against the wall

  ". . . There's no need for me to do so. Look at them, they're already preparing their things and have plans ready "

  "You sure? I mean you're smart. Maybe you could give them a few fresh ideas? Or is it because of what you said to me before? "

  "No, not about that. From what I see, they wouldn't split up that easily "

  "Hmm, why? "

  ". . . Because they already treat each other like a family. Thanks to Reggie's influence. . . I'm sure you noticed how they greeted him earlier "

  ". . . "

  "Plus, if what you said is true about Cale. . . Then his intelligence and experience are far superior to mine. He is probably the one who invented the ideas I had in my mind "

  "Hahaha, sounds about right " Adam laughed at my deadpan joke

  We then watched them made final decision about how they would execute the plans, before Adam looked at me

  "Hey, Dani. What did you think their plan was? "

  "They want to infiltrate a facility. An illegal government facility, to be precise. They suspect the missing people were brought there "

  ". . . Is that why they forcefully grabbed the boy I saved earlier? "

  ". . . Probably "

  Adam didn't say anything afterwards and clenched his fist tightly, anger boiling inside him

  "Damn those guys. . . What the fuck do they want to do with them. . . "

  I then put my hand on his shoulder, calming him down

  "We make sure they get what they deserve, so save your anger for them "

  Adam then took a deep breath, calming himself down, and nodded his head before we could hear Reggie calling for us

  "Dani, Adam. You guys would follow me inside the facility. Sounds good? "

  We both stared at each other before nodding, agreed at what he said

  ". . . Hmm, ok " I said calmly

  "I just follow where Dani is going, so I'm totally ok if he's ok about it " Adam said, giving Reggie a thumbs up

  He then returned the thumbs up before turning his focus back to his friends

  "?lr?ght, th?ye'r? ?gr??dh. Sh?, dh??sh ?nye?n? ?lsh? h?z? ?nyeth?ng t? sh?ye? "

  ("Alright, they're agreed. So, does anyone else have anything to say? ")

  They murmured with each other for a while before shaking their heads

  "Wy? tr?sht ye??r dh?k?sh??n, R?gg?? "

  ("We trust your decision, Reggie ")

  "?gr??. Y??'r? ??r l??dh?r ?pht?r ?ll, wy? tr?sht ye?? "

  ("Agree. You're our leader after all, we trust you ")

  "Th?nkh ye??, ?z?rye?n?. M??t?ng'sh ?ndh?dh. Wy? m??t h?r? ?g??n ?pht?r 3 dh?yesh "

  ("Thank you, everyone. Meeting's ended. We meet here again after 3 days ")

  They then nodded before they slowly walked away from the table, some stayed and helped the others with the equipment, others walked out of the room and returned back home

  We then saw Reggie and Cale walk slowly towards us before both of Cale's hands had coffee cups out of thin air

  "Coffee? " He asked, offering both of us a cup of coffee each

  Adam then took one and immediately sipped it, smiling at how good the coffee was

  "Hmm, is this made from coffee beans? "

  "Yep, that's why it tastes good. It's freshly brew "

  "Damn. . . I liked it "

  He then turned his head and looked at me

  "You don't want it? "

  ". . . No thanks, I don't drink coffee " I said calmly

  "Oh, bummer. So you're a tea lover? "

  "No, I just didn't drink coffee. But I like cappuccino "

  ". . . What a complex guy you are "

  ". . . I have been called worse "

  "Alright, alright. Cale, stop teasing him " Reggie said softly

  "What? No I didn't. . . Ok, maybe a little "

  Reggie just shook his head while still smiling as he was already used to his shenanigans, before talking to us softly

  "Why didn't you join us for the meeting earlier? "

  ". . . Well, I feel that you already planned your infiltration from start to finish. So I just need to pay attention. Plus, I could hear all of it from here anyway " I said calmly

  "Same, except that I didn't understand it fully, hehe " Adam said with his dumb grin

  Cale then leaned his head closer to me while grinning, as he was intrigued by my words

  "Oh? You do? Then summarizes it in less than 100 words " He ordered me like a teacher

  ". . . Why should I-? "

  "Eiittss, no question. If you really paid attention, then summarizing it should be easy for you "

  ". . . You guys planned to let the spies go back to the facility, and for the next 3 days they will put magic stones that are used as a medium for teleportation "

  "Hmm, true so far. Then? "

  "Using the clothes from the facility that the spies stole, we wear them and use the magic stones to infiltrate the facility, save the missing people, and destroy the bioweapons inside if we can. Then get out with minimal damage "

  "Yep, sounds good and all. You really paid attention huh? "

  ". . . I still wondered, surely the government will put some sort of magic spell to cancel outside magic force, don't you think? "

  "Aha, good question! And no, it won't matter "

  ". . . Why? "

  "Because unless they learned ancient magic like me, there's no way for them to nullify my enchanted magic stones. Plus, I asked them to put them where the spell can't reach those stones "

  ". . . I see "

  "But the stone's effect won't stay for long, maybe around 3 to 4 hours only. So, you need to do all of it quickly. That's why we want to focus on saving them first "

  As we kept talking, Adam just looked at us dumbfounded and astonished like he just witnessed two genius strategists talking with each other, but couldn't understand what they were talking about

  ". . . So. . . Basically, we infiltrated to save people? " He asked

  "Yes, Adam. Yes " I said calmly

  "Oooohhhh. . . Ok "

  ". . . Is your friend ok? His brain doesn't explode right? " He asked

  ". . . Don't worry about him. He's sometimes smart, sometimes not. But apparently, he's not that smart right now "

  "Oi, what did you mean by that?! " Adam shouted, mock-angry at me

  "Nothing "

  Reggie just giggled softly at our banter before talking softly

  "Alright, it's almost midnight now. Let me send you both home "

  "Oh, wait. Before that. . . Sir Cale, can we talk privately? " I asked him calmly

  ". . . Sure "

  He then led us to a corner, leaned his back against the wall, and crossed his arms over his chest, clearly anticipating with curiosity what I was about to say

  "So, what is it you want to talk about? "

  ". . . I want to ask for your favor. It's about my friend "

  "Oh? I'm listening "

  As I watched from afar where both Cale and Dani were talking, Reggie then started to talk softly to me

  "So, since when have you two been friends? "

  "Oh. . . Around 10 years ago. . . I met him at the graveyard "

  "At the graveyard? " He asked softly

  "Well, I was visiting my little brother's grave. It was raining at that time, and I didn't bring an umbrella. That's when he comes and shares his "

  ". . . "

  "Then, we talked for a moment, went to get some lollipops, I'm feeling hungry again, and he cooked me ramen. We have been friends since "

  "Hehe, it sounds like he's been taking care of you since " Reggie giggled softly hearing my story

  "He is. That's why I want to make sure nothing happens to him. He's like a little brother to me "

  Just then, I saw them both walking back to us, with Cale having a big smile on his face

  "Dude, what are you two talking about? "

  "I asked Cale to take care of you "

  "Huh? Take care of me? "

  "You'll be staying here for 3 days " He said to me calmly

  "Huh?? For what? "

  "You'll see. Until then, behave yourself "

  ". . . I hate this about you "