Free Web NovelChapter 200: Hidden Hands
’Shit.’
Ruvian cursed inwardly.
But he recovered it swiftly.
"Because I’m in that elective too," he said evenly. "I just wasn’t present that day. Why? I am not allowed to have a rough idea of who signed up."
’....I was careless.’
Still, his delivery was smooth, backed by the kind of confidence that discouraged any follow-ups. Ruvian didn’t avert his gaze and kept putting up a strong front.
"I see." Calyra replied.
Ruvian studied her expression.
Eventually, he spoke.
"Anyway... so you were the one who brought her here." His voice remained calm. "I assume that wasn’t merely a coincidence?"
A faint shake of Calyra’s head answered him before her words did.
"No, it wasn’t."
She folded her arms, her eyes drifting away as the memory resurfaced.
"I happened to be near the training hall at the time when several of your classmates approached me. They looked visibly shaken and asked for my help. According to them, a sparring session had gone too far, but the supervising official wasn’t doing anything to stop it."
A subtle crease formed between her brows.
"At first, I assumed they were exaggerating. Since people tend to make situations sound worse than they actually are." She let out a quiet sigh. "But when I arrived, I quickly realized that wasn’t the case."
Her expression darkened slightly.
"The fight had already gone far beyond what should have been permitted. So I stepped in and put an end to it."
Although her tone remained composed, a trace of displeasure lingered beneath her words.
"Truthfully, I was surprised by what I saw. Not only by how far the situation had escalated, but by the fact that the supervising official had chosen not to intervene. Afterward, I asked around and spoke to several witnesses. From what I gathered, the match itself had been arranged beforehand. And the people responsible for organizing it were Julian’s followers."
A small shrug followed, but it carried none of the indifference the gesture normally implied. If anything, it seemed more like resignation toward a situation she found distasteful but unsurprising.
"Regardless, that’s how I ended up taking responsibility for her."
Ruvian slowly nodded as the pieces began falling into place.
"I see."
"Then... thank you for stepping in."
Calyra simply inclined her head in acknowledgment.
"No need. I just did what I should."
Ruvian quietly fell into thought after hearing her explanation. His fingers lightly tapped against his arm.
"By the way," he said, his voice carrying a new note of interest, "do you happen to remember the names of the people who fought Violet that day?"
Calyra nodded without hesitation.
"Mhm. I still do."
Hearing that, a faint smile appeared on Ruvian’s face.
"Then, can you please tell Silvena to do some interrogation on them — today if possible?" he asked calmly. "Tell her to confirm under whose orders they did so."
Calyra looked at him for a moment before lightly narrowing her eyes.
"Interrogation? Them?" she asked quietly. "Why? Isn’t it already obvious they were under Julian’s orders?"
Ruvian simply answered her without much reaction.
"Well, everyone might think so."
The moment those words left his mouth, Calyra’s expression slightly changed. Her eyes faintly widened as if she immediately understood what he was implying.
"You think there was someone else taking advantage of Julian’s authority and using it to manipulate his lackeys?"
Ruvian was honestly a little surprised she picked it up that quickly.
Then, he simply gave a slow nod.
"Hmm... sure, I can tell her." Calyra replied.
"Oh, and also, can we meet again in the library tonight?" Ruvian suddenly asked with a bright smile on his face. "Same venue and same time?" he added calmly.
"And tell Silvena to come too."
But strangely, right after he said those words, Ruvian suddenly felt a very chilling coldness around him.
"Hm?"
His brows slightly twitched before he looked toward Calyra again. Then, he saw that she was staring at him quietly with narrowed eyes. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
The air around her had become noticeably colder, and faint traces of violent mana were slowly leaking from her body. She looked exactly like an angry cat preparing to pounce at any moment!
"The last time..." she suddenly spoke in a quiet voice.
Ruvian somehow felt danger from that tone alone.
"...You forgot our promise."
"Eh... I did?"
Ruvian asked while slightly stepping back. His smile became a little stiff as he could clearly feel the dangerous pressure coming from her mana.
Calyra stared at him for a few seconds before finally letting out a soft sigh. "The day before the weekend," she said flatly. "I was waiting for you in the library."
Her eyes narrowed a little more.
"You didn’t come."
There was no anger in her voice, her face remained the same, but there was a small pout on her lips that showed she was a bit upset.
The moment she said that, realization immediately struck him.
’Ah, was that really the thing?’
Ruvian suddenly remembered it.
’Haa... I guess I forgot to inform her that I wasn’t free on that day.’
"Sorry," he admitted honestly while rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Now that you said it, I really forgot." (+100PP)
The cold atmosphere around Calyra finally eased slightly after hearing his apology.
"Mhm... it’s okay," she replied quietly.
Then, after a short pause, her expression softened a little.
"In fact, I also want to see you tonight."
"I have another spell to teach you."
*****
Later that night, Ruvian arrived at the library once again and entered the same private room as before.
The familiar sensation wrapped around him before the scenery shifted completely. He found himself standing inside that secluded dimension. The same beautiful garden quietly stretched before his eyes.
Under the starlight sky of that secluded dimension, the three of them stood together beneath the white gazebo located at the center of the garden.
The entire garden was illuminated by the Moonlight with a calm silver glow, making the already beautiful scenery appear even more dreamlike than before.
Calyra stood quietly near one side of the gazebo with her usual calm expression, while Silvena leaned against one of the white pillars nearby with her arms crossed.
As for Ruvian?
He stood facing both of them at the center.
"So, what you’re trying to say is that the person tailing you the other time was related to the person that gave orders to Julian’s lackeys?" Silvena asked.
Ruvian calmly nodded his head. "Yes," he answered immediately. "So, did you find anything from them?"
Hearing that question, Silvena immediately let out a tired sigh before lightly rubbing her forehead.
"Well, I did," she replied. "But seriously, tell me ahead of time next time, would ya? You’re lucky I don’t have any electives today or training sessions with my squad."
Her viridian’s eyes narrowed slightly at him.
Despite her complaints, there was no real anger in her voice. It sounded more like simple exhaustion from being suddenly dragged into troublesome matters again.
Then, her expression gradually became more serious.
"But to answer that..." she continued calmly. "Yes, I actually did find something while Irene and I interrogated them."
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[Chapter 200: Hidden Hands]
Plot Points= 34,030
Check A/N below.
