Chapter 57

Rick once again made a search through the school building but returned to the class in disappointment. "What is going on Rick? You have been looking rather off these few days." Maria decided to confront him. "Yeah, and you always leave us behind." Monica chimed in with the grievance of her own. Rick knew he was not able to give proper time to these girls after the incident with Freya. But he sure can't tell them and this he had to lie about it. Stella was the only one who can tell that he was hiding so something from them but decided not to expose him. Everyone had a few things that they didn't want to share with others, she thought. Class passed and once again Rick found himself combing through the corridors of the school building in search of the mysterious expert who might as well have already left this place long ago. Although frustrated, he didn't have any other ideas. While moving through one of these empty hallways, suddenly Rick felt a cold sensation swept over him. His hairs stood on end as the individual made its presence known. "I am not sure but I have a hunch that the person you have been searching so dearly these few days might have something to do with me." The voice was beautiful like the sound of musical instruments. But the presence itself was a bit eerie. He promptly turned around to find a lady complete wrapped around in tight black clothes and a veil that showed only her big green eyes.

'She must be the one.' She cleared all the check marks. He instantly bowed down on one knee "Yes, you have guessed right my lady. I have been looking for you all these days." "Hmm... And what would be the reason for that?" Rick was sweating profusely just after exchanging a few words with her. Despite her not suppressing him actively just her aura was enough to make him suffocate. Gulping the saliva in his mouth he said "I request my lady to help someone out. She has been injured too badly and only a expert such as yourself can save her life." He avoided telling that she was the one who had gotten her injured in the first place. He wasn't sure how she would respond to that information. "Do you think I got so much free time on my hands to help each rag tag kids?" "I can only hope so since my lady took the efforts to show herself to me." The mysterious woman fell silent before laughing lightly "Haha You are not a dumb one afterall. I do have something that I want from you. Let's see if we could have a deal." Rick had no time as she suddenly flashed infront of his eyes and he found himself on the terrace of the school. She didn't even touch him but still managed to pull him here.

"Now just try to answer my questions truthfully." He hurriedly nodded. "Let's begin with expedition day. Recount all that transpired with you in those three days." Rick had a very bad feeling feeling about this now. Most of the people in the capital with a half baked intelligence network coul tell that the school had kept the actual matters hidden and now that she had asked about it specifically, there was a high chance that she was from one of the major clans. He can't risk to tell her the truth thus he stuck to his usual narrative. He was a cent percent sure that no one could tell if he was lying, as that was how many times he had narrated this story. "Hahaha.. junior ms sure had become emboldened these days." The lady in black jumped down from the boundary wall of the terrace, where she had been sitting all this while. "Let us go to some place away from here. I believe you need a little more motivation to recount the correct details." Rick knew he had been exposed and he can only curse his luck in all this. She gave him no time to think. Next second she was holding onto his hand. He tried to scream for help. There was a chance that Agnes could come to his rescue but to his despair there was no voice in his throat. He tried the next best thing, to run away. But her grip was like iron shackle, he can't move.

Just when he thought he was done for, someone grabbed the lady's hand stopping her from making a escape with Rick. "Oi.. oi.. don't make a daylight roberry at my daughter's school. I can ignore you stealing ba few things from here and there but kidnapping a student would be too much. Don't you think?" This wasn't Agnes's voice rather it was. Mrs. Suna?? Rick saw the librarian standing beside him in a heroic pose. He would have never imagined that this old lady will be the one to save him. He had been truly scared. He just wanted to hug the sweet lady tightly. "Do you really want to put your hands in our family matters Suna?" Suna just smirked "Family? Please, you are not fooling anyone around here Helia. The boy is a student here that's the only reason I need to interfere." Suddenly, Rick felt the surrounding temperature drop instantly. **Crackle** In a single sweep everything around him was covered in a thick layer of ice. The mysterious black lady too wasn't safe from it as her entire body has been frozen solid. Rick felt her grip loosen and he freed himself, taking refuge behind Suna. Right now there was no safer place than her back, for him. This level of cultivation, he was not sure if even Agnes could have interfered in this. He had always had a hunch that the librarian was not so simple but damn!! This was not what he had thought, she would turn out to be.

He can see the ice on and around the lady named Helia, melt rapidly. A dark green flame covered her whole body as she freed herself from Suna's grip. She jumped back to stand on the boundary wall. "You are not my match Suna. You know that." Suna remained smiling "Maybe. But I can still hold you down for long enough hehe." Helia only huffed as she took a single look at Rick before allowing her body to fall back. She vanished in a large flame of fire. "Please don't visit us here anymore. You are not invited from now on." Suna declared even though Helia was nowhere to be seen. She turned back with her sweet smile tugging on her face "Are you hurt anywhere, boy?" Rick can only remember how he had fucked Suna in the toilet that day while spanking her butt. He was a bit ashamed "No, I am good. Thanks Mrs. Suna for saving my life." She ruffled his hair saying "Haha What are you saying? Can't you see she was only bluffing with you. Next time if you encounter her, stay your ground. Believe me when I say she can't hurt you." She gave him a wink before taking her leave. Rick fell back on his butt. This encounter was a but too much for his fragile heart to handle. Anyone of these two ladies could have literally erased him from existence with only a single look.

"Dammit!! How come even my school had become a dangerous place to me?" He calmed down. But now that he thought about it the lady in black never had wanted to harm him in anyway. Had she wanted to do that, she had like hundred different occasions to kill him off. He too began believing in Suna's words. There must be some reasons that she can't do it. Anyhow, atleast he can be safe even if he met her later. He just have to stand his ground just like Suna told. He had no other way. He might even decide to share the knowledge of the minor world with her if she agreed to save Freya. According to Rose no one other than her can control it anyway so he didn't believe Helia could to any harm to it. Taking long breaths he left for his next class. He was in a happy mood now, having avoided the trouble. There was a definite hope now to save Freya. Even if he can't get Helia to help, there was still his virtuous librarian at the same level of her.

During the cultivation class Helen informed him about the upcoming assignments. Every few months the students had to go out in the countryside and help out with extermination of unwanted species that destroyed crops and were harmful for the human populace. Mostly these exterminations were organised for keep in check the rabid population growth of the goblins and trolls. "Usually students will get atleast a month of time to prepare for this after the expedition. But due to some reason school have decided to prepone it by a week so that's that." Every student began chattering among themselves, not pleased with the decision. "No use fretting over things that are out of your control. Instead give all your time to your cultivation levels. Right now only a few of you are at 3rd level of junior realm. Within the next few weeks everyone should aim for atleast 2nd level and for those at the 3rd I will suggest to focus more on stabilising your level. Breaking through will ve largely impossible withing such short duration but remember well your skills can prove to be more reliable than your cultivation. So that will be my advice. Now let's continue with your training. You will be informed about the assignments in due time."

Rick was ecstatic to go on another adventure. Sure he was worried for losing his precious life but what was the point of working so hard on his skills and cultivation of he is supposed to remain holed up in a safe space all his life. The life and death fight that he had with that earth wolf had an addictive charm about it. Like Grand mentioned, this world still had many mysteries that were just waiting to be explored by someone. All these thoughts made his heart race with excitement. Apart from that, his multiple encounters with experts had made him a bit immune to them now. He was sure that he won't be as terror-stricken as he was today, in front of Helia. "Want to spar?" Someone called out to him. Surprisingly, it was not Ross but rather Jhon. Rick gave a savy smile "Why not haha" He sparred with both Jhon and Rick one after the other and while he could hold his ground for some time against fatty due to his physical superiority but Jhon was a totally different case. That guy just literally walked over him within the starting few moves. 'What the fuck? How am I still so bad at this?' If he had not extended his hand to pick him up Rick was going to think of this guy was only mocking him. But contrary to his thought the blonde even iterated those instances where he had faltered.

'Damn! This guy really turned in a new leaf entirely. What kind of black magic mother did on him?' He had always known that Jhon had never been an inherently bad guy but to think he would change this fast was still a bit shocking. Next he trained with Ross. Allowing his shattered dignity heal up a bit. Rick knew that lack of skils was a big problem for him. But he can't be blamed for it, it was just that the previous Rick never saw any importance in cultivating at all. He can't blame that guy too as he was doing what anyone with a 3 star talent would do. It was just due to some bizzare incident that his body's talent improved multiple folds with his transmigration. "So you improved again, brat?" It was Helen checking his cultivation level. There was no explanation with her for this strange growth with Rick. "Come let's see how much you learnt." Happy to oblige Rick immediately jumped into action. Good thing about sparing with Helen was she would point out his mistakes as and when he would make them, letting him improve faster. Bad will be that every time she would spot a weakness she would hit him hard with the back of her spear. This all he could say that this method was the brutal but effective way of improving in a short time.

He limped through all the way to his home. Maria offered to drop him off but he vehemently refused. He didn't even had time to engage Amelia in his usual nonsense. Falling in the bed he only woke up directly for the dinner before resuming his sleep. Next day he had a session with Helen but they were once again incapable of gaining control over beast soul. Only pleasant outcome that comes out of these sessions was Helen could satiate her desire to be fucked by a monster. It was next to next day and Rick was walking back home when he encountered Helia again. Walking in the road side he was unaware of the lady on black standing with her back to the pavement wall. His mind jerked to action only when he had sidestepped her figure. It was already too late as he found himself in an abandoned alleyway. "Do you want to talk now brat? Or you still want to wait for your little savior?" Rick was already prepared for this encounter. He knew Suna would not leave him to die. If she believed that this woman was no threat to him then he would believe in her. Helia was a bit surprised, unexpectedly finding the brat still keeping clam. She can feel the terror in his heart but somehow he was keeping himself standing straight under her under her aura. "hmm? Call me impressed. Never thought a kid like you can stand up to this old lady haha"

Suddenly, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pinned him against the wall behind her. His legs were in air but Rick didn't panic. The more she acted like this the more he believed in Suna's world. 'huuu.. Remain calm Rick she is just trying to intimidate you. If she could hurt you then she would have done it a long time ago.' He closed his eyes and breathed in before opening them again. "I can tell you everything but I have two conditions that you should follow before I do that?" Her eyes narrowed into slits. Rick can feel that the lady was angered this time for real. If a brat wet behind his ears would talk of conditions with her then this really was the modest reaction he could have expected. "Are you really in a situation where you can put up conditions?" She put up her finger and instantly it was ignited with a green flame. Slowly, she brought it closer to his face. Rick balled his hands and closed his eyes. Sweat ran down from his head, drenching his clothes. Yet, he endured all of it. The expected pain never came and he was dropped down to the ground. "That bitch!!" Helia knew Suna had told something to the kid and now he was really unafraid big her.

Still, she was blown away by the courage the boy had shown. A beautiful smile spread on her face but the veil hid it. "Haha Let's hear your conditions then. The courage you showed have my approval, brat." Rick desired to curse her passionately. He was scared shitless just a few seconds back. Hell!! He might have even pissed his pants had she continued to maintain the suspense. Fortunately, it didn't came to that. Huffing for the next few minutes he bowed down to Helia. "Then I will be bold enough. First will be that your would keep this information all to yourself. You can't tell about it to anyone else." Helia pondered for a while before nodding. "We can agree to that. Let's hear the next one." Rick had been waiting for this. He immediately brought out Freya from his mental space to his palms, displaying her sleeping body to Helia. "Please heal her." She was intrigued by the little fairy as she took her into her own hands. Rick's heart pounded giving Freya to her but he had no other way. "So this is the friend you were talking about. I remember being spied on by something that I knocked down but I never imagined that it would be a real life fairy." She moved her around and nodded at her conclusion. "Where did you find her, brat?"

"I can tell you that but you need to heal her first." Helia had a feeling that this creature was related to the mysteries of the lake itself. "Then let's get it over with." She closed her eyes and Freya's body began to glow. Rick had no idea what she was doing and neither was he interested. His heart thumped as he saw Freya's little transparent wings twitch. Her breaths became slow and heavy and a healthy glow returned to her face. Helia placed her body back in his hands. "Here I have healed her. But since the injury was to her soul I am not sure how long she takes to wake up. I will suggest to let her rest and wait for her to wake up on her own." Rick was elated as he sent her back to the mental space. There was no way Helia would lie about it and he had seen the improvement with his own eyes. "Now can you keep your end of the bargain?" He nodded and slumped down against the wall. The say had been too hectic for him. From extreme terror to height of joy, he had experienced all sorts of emotions within these few minutes. It had taken a toll on his body. Resting for a while he began narrating the story. Despite the new story this time Helia can still sense he was hiding a few things from her but those were unimportant.

The biggest piece of news was the presence of a minor world. Although he said that there was nothing but trees all around but she had to see it with her own eyes.