Chapter 53: No One Lives Easily |
Duke's words instantly silenced the room. Doze and Rocky looked at him in confusion.
“Why would Jenna be watching Saul’s dorm?” Doze asked, puzzled.
Rocky had also noticed Jenna’s odd behavior, but since she didn’t offer an explanation, he hadn’t dared to ask.
He was afraid Jenna would get upset.
Still, Rocky was nervous—was Jenna really spying on Saul?
“I wasn’t—I was looking at Keli,” Jenna instinctively defended herself.
“Oh~” Duke gave a half-smile, half-smirk. “So not Saul, huh? Saul and I don’t get along, but at least we share the same mentor. I thought maybe you were looking for him for something, and I could help you out.”
“Never mind then.” Duke shrugged and turned as if to leave.
But Jenna couldn’t help calling after him.
At that, both Doze and Rocky snapped their eyes toward Jenna.
Doze was just curious, but Rocky was visibly tense.
Duke paused mid-step, then turned back after a moment, glancing at Jenna’s anxious expression. He smiled lightly as if to reassure her.
“You really want to find Saul, huh—” Duke deliberately dragged out his words. “Well, I guess he’s usually pretty patient with girls. He’s always been close with Keli. In our mentor’s group, he gets along well with Angela too.”
Rocky was the first to react, his lips pressed tightly together.
Then Jenna’s heart leapt with joy at Duke’s words.
If Saul really liked girls, then that wasn’t a problem at all.
Her family still had a touch of nobility. She wasn’t capable in many areas, but she had thoroughly absorbed all the trashy customs of noble society.
She wasn’t afraid of Saul making demands—she was only afraid he wouldn’t.
…
The next day, Saul again skipped class.
Keli was a little worried.
She wasn’t sure whether she was worried about Saul’s academics or about falling behind him herself.
During a break between classes, Keli found Jenna, who looked completely out of it, just as Saul had instructed.
They found an empty classroom to talk.
“Saul said, if you want his help, go to the second floor of the East Tower at 3 p.m. today and wait for him.”
Jenna’s face lit up.
Even though she had already gotten Saul’s whereabouts from Duke, having Saul personally invite her felt far more promising.
“Great!” Jenna readily agreed and, without even acknowledging Keli’s expression, skipped off to get ready.
She was so nervous and eager that she didn’t even eat lunch. She picked out the prettiest dress she had brought with her—a light red puffed skirt—and hurried off to the second floor of the East Tower.
It was only 1 p.m.
In the third morgue room on the second floor of the East Tower, Saul was conducting tests on his newly modified left hand.
He lifted his head at the sound of unfamiliar footsteps outside.
He knew immediately it was Jenna.
He lowered his head again, ignoring whoever was outside and continuing his experiment.
Though he hadn’t attended class for several days, Saul had still been reading.
Especially Basic Knowledge of All Things. He focused on sections related to his current research, gaining deeper knowledge of dark-attribute materials.
Having successfully completed his first body modification experiment, Saul was itching to begin a second.
The experiments were costly, but the payoff—if successful—was immense.
It might even elevate him directly to the rank of Second-Rank Apprentice.
He wasn’t short on money.
Byron still owed him nearly a hundred credits.
Nor was he short on materials.
Thanks to his job, Saul had managed to privately collect quite a few. The rest could be requisitioned from the registry, with Byron footing the bill.
Time crept toward 3 p.m.
As the hours dragged by, Jenna’s initial excitement slowly deflated.
This was her first time on the second floor of the East Tower.
Unlike the West Tower, the East Tower seemed riddled with trap-like horrors.
Apart from classrooms, the library, and the registry, Jenna never wandered the school alone.
And this second floor was... particularly unnerving.
Though the hallway looked neat and quiet, the air was thick with a hard-to-describe odor.
A mixture of rot, blood, and filth.
At the entrance to the hallway sat a massive, intimidating figure. When Jenna passed by, she was terrified he might stop her.
Why would Saul be working here?
Such a grim place—had his mentor banished him?
If that was the case, could Saul really help her get rid of the parasite?
This place didn’t exactly scream “powerful person.”
Just as she was lost in thought, someone passed right by her.
She only noticed when the figure was already walking past her shoulder, and the shock made her jump.
The man kept his head down and went into the second door without acknowledging her at all, as if she were nothing but air.
“He looked older but didn’t have the presence of a Second-Rank Apprentice,” Jenna recalled the man’s back. “Maybe just a very senior First-Rank Apprentice. Could he be the one who helped Keli with her parasite?”
She hesitated, wanting to follow, but was afraid of being scolded.
While she lingered, another figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
This time, Jenna froze.
If she hadn’t looked up, she might not have noticed this person at all before they disappeared down the hall.
“That person... that person seemed really powerful.” Jenna swallowed hard.
She didn’t even dare recall their silhouette. It felt like thinking too hard about it would conjure some kind of horror in her mind.
“Could that be the one who helped Keli?”
Jenna wanted to chase after them, but her legs were trembling.
She couldn’t.
Finally, at 3 o’clock sharp, Saul opened the door and stepped out of the morgue.
By then, Jenna’s makeup had long since smudged, and her once-beautiful dress was crumpled and dragging along the floor.
She was slumped against the wall like the hulking man at the hallway’s entrance.
Only that man, even curled up, still exuded presence.
Jenna, curled into a ball, looked like she was about to be swallowed by the shadows.
As Saul opened the door, the light from the room spilled out behind him, casting a long, dark shadow.
Jenna winced in the sudden light—and then found herself covered by Saul’s shadow.
She lifted her dull eyes, and when she saw Saul—the one she had waited hours for—standing in the doorway, a smile finally returned to her face.
“Saul!”
Jenna leapt up in joy, but her legs gave out, and she collapsed back down.
“Just stay there,” Saul said in a low, cold voice.
Jenna was startled.
He looked so eerie here—was it the environment?
She began to suspect: Maybe Saul himself was the one who helped Keli remove the parasite…
Jenna raised a hand to fix her messy hair and straightened her red skirt, then looked up at Saul with a timid, helpless expression.
Unfortunately, she didn’t realize her makeup had run from all her nervous sweat. She didn’t look cute or pitiful—just stiff and ghostly in the dim hallway light.
Saul stared at her silently.
He had expected Jenna to make some kind of offer—to beg him for help.
He hadn’t expected her to try seduction.
Did she forget she was only twelve?
The girl was decent-looking, but Saul wasn’t a pervert—his mind didn’t even go there.
He asked flatly, “Enough. Cut the act. Tell me—who sent you to find me?”
(End of Chapter)
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