36: Connecting The Dots

Three days ago, at the General Training Unit.

When Evelyn met with Troy at the General Training Unit, where he requested to meet with her. The two of them ventured into the inner section of the indoor unit, ensuring that no other students would be able to eavesdrop on whatever Troy was about to tell her.

When it seemed like they had reached a secluded area, which appeared to be a storage facility. Troy conjured a transparent barrier that enclosed both of them. But when he lifted his head and saw Evelyn, who appeared to be alert, he reassured her:

"You don't have to be all riled up. I don't mean any harm. I know it might be hard to believe me since you only got to know me a few days ago... However, I have to be extra cautious to prevent anyone else from hearing what I'm about to tell you now.

"This barrier is actually sound-canceling, so whatever we discuss here can't be heard by anyone. Not even a Grandmaster can eavesdrop on us now." He said, smiling.

Evelyn inhaled deeply to calm her nerves before speaking.

"Okay, can you tell me what you wanted to say now?"

"You might be wondering why I protected you yesterday during the fight with Wilson, right? Now, that is what I want to clarify. And I don't want a situation where you might start thinking of me as a pervert.

"I'm not a flirt or a pervert. I only told Zoya, your friend, what I told her because I had no other option since I didn't intend to disclose my mission here in Rylinth Academy to anyone else but you."

"I'm definitely struggling to make sense of what you just said. Can you make it clearer?" asked Evelyn, who had a scowl on her face as though she had been asked to solve the most challenging puzzle in the world.

Troy smiled before continuing.

"I mean, I was sent on a mission to this academy. And the mission is to protect YOU!"

"Me?!"

"Yes. Haven't you noticed that I'm a bit older than all of you and that I arrived at the academy on the first day of classes, even though I wasn't one of the five geniuses? I am actually three years older than you all, and I am a hybrid - half human, half witch."

"WHAT! You mean you are a... But how did you get into the academy?" Evelyn asked, surprise clearly written all over her face. She had actually heard a lot about hybrids, not just from her mother, but even during their general magic arts class when they were taught about the history of Zitherland.

"Yes. That is why I entered the academy after the Magical Prowess Test was over. If not, I wouldn't have passed the test. I had to find a way to get my name on the official list of students who passed the test," he recounted, recalling the immense difficulty he faced in infiltrating the academy. He had to evade the watchful eyes of patrolling mage guards, sneak into the headmaster's office, and manipulate the official list of tested students. It was one of the most dreadful things he had ever done because he was nearly caught.

"So, who would give you a mission to protect me? And why would you even agree to such a mission? Aren't you wasting your time here just because you have been tasked with protecting me? Do I really need protection?" Evelyn bombarded him with a series of questions.

'Was it my mother? Was she worried about me and Elvis?' She thought.

"I can't really divulge too many details now. I will only relay the messages she asked me to tell you. And why did I agree to the mission, you ask. It's simple. I have no choice. I owed her my life and..." he paused. '...you are my princess. It is my duty to protect you,' he completed it in his mind.

"And what?"

"She asked me to tell you that," he continued without answering the question Evelyn asked him, "she was the one who gave you that amulet. She also said that you shouldn't feel like an outcast just because you are different from others."

Evelyn became even more tense upon hearing the mention of the amulet. 'Could it be that this guy was after my amulet? If what he said was true, was he referring to the woman I met in my dream? But why would she send someone to protect me when I don't even know her or have I ever seen her?' Her thoughts ran wild as she clutched her amulet, as if it were the dearest thing she had in this world.

"Finally, she mentioned that you don't need to worry about her identity at the moment. Instead, you should focus on overcoming a particular hurdle, and be cautious. That was all she shared with me, and I have successfully passed on her messages to you.

"So, now you should know why I had to protect you, and I will continue to protect you until I have completed my mission here."

***

Evelyn, who was in her room after reaching the intermediate mage level, recalled everything that Troy had told her three days ago.

Since then, she had never pondered on those words. However, today, after her breakthrough, she felt like there were some dots to connect.

As she was deep in thought, contemplating all that Troy had told her that day, her mind also drifted to what the mysterious voice had told her. Many things seemed to resonate together with what Troy and the voice told her. They both knew about her amulet, and both of them have some connection to witches.

The voice only told her about breaking a curse, referred to her as a princess, and seemed to communicate with her at the perfect moment to erase the healer's memory of her amulet.

However, the more she thought about all of this, the more mysterious and riddle-like it became. These two didn't want to reveal more to her, but why bother telling her any of that. Dwelling on those words is causing her headaches.

After contemplating these two encounters, she arrived at two theories. First, the voice she heard in her mind was that of a witch who had given her the amulet in the first place. The witch had also assigned Troy, a hybrid, with the mission of protecting her. And she must be a high-level witch, which is why she always keeps watch over her amulet. Even appearing in her dream to warn her.

Second, the owner of the voice was also assigned a mission by another powerful individual, who had also dispatched Troy. Therefore, the person she saw in her dream was the main mastermind who had entrusted the other two with the mission to guide and protect her.

But she couldn't help but wonder what connection she had with such a dignified person and why they would go to such lengths to protect her. Was it her late father who knew such a powerful, mysterious woman?

"Whoever it was or whatever their goal is, I don't care. Because I will become stronger with my abilities and protect myself from oppression and harm."

Evelyn reassured herself unwaveringly. However, she couldn't help but feel curious about discovering and meeting such a person in the future. Or even to squeeze out any possible information from Troy and the voice later.

Evelyn jumped down from her bed and changed into her training uniform. Grabbing her whip from the armoire, she headed straight to the training grounds. Obviously, she had no plans to attend the last class for today.

—— — ——

Steve, using his Shadow Step ability, continued to follow the girl who entered the woods. He would hide behind trees at regular intervals, until finally coming to a halt when the girl appeared to have reached her destination.

That girl had long, wavy hair cascading down her back. She stretched out her hands, and a longbow materialized in her grasp.

Steve frowned upon recognizing who it was. It was Lisa Chesterfield, and he knew about her feud with Evelyn. He would have been happier to feast on this arrogant girl's blood, who insulted Evelyn for her poor archery skills. But instead, he became disappointed. How could he afford to harm the young mistress of the Chesterfield family? It certainly wasn't on the list of people he should avoid because he didn't think about it at the time.

Still watching her, hoping to analyze her archery skills. He was still waiting for her to retrieve her quiver from her spatial artifact. But what he didn't expect happened instead...

Lisa swiftly turned towards his direction and aimed directly at him. Releasing the bowstring, an arrow made of condensed purple energy took shape and hurtled towards his face at a high speed.

Steve was caught off guard. 'F*ck, I forgot that the way she stopped abruptly was strange. And damn, her family is made up of wind elemental wielders.'

Immediately, he summoned his shadow to block the attack in front of him. But when the arrow was a few inches away from his shadow, it puffed into a purplish mist, penetrating his shadow defense.

The purplish mist enveloped his senses as he breathed it in, quickly covering his nostrils with his hand. However, his desperate attempts was too late…

"I'm f*cking screwed indeed. So, she was a variant and she had an affinity for poi…son…" His shadow dispersed instantly as the poison took effect. His senses dulled, and his vision blurred before collapsing to the bare ground. However, before his vision drifted into darkness, he saw the blurry silhouette of Lisa walking up to him.

"Why have you been following me?"

He fought back the effects of drowsiness before managing to say, with stress evident in his voice:

"I di…didn't mean… you… any… h.a.r..m…"

Lisa approached him and heard his stuttered words. But as she tried to make him sit up before administering the antidote to her poison, her hand brushed against a cylindrical container lodged in his uniform…