The Coveters

[Your student Carrie feels deep reverence for you. +20 Reverence Points]

The system notification popped up. Lucian gently ruffled Carrie's hair, leaving it slightly tousled.

"Alright, let's keep moving. You've still got tasks to complete," he said, patting her shoulder encouragingly.

…

"Lucian." After handing in fifty Blood Crow beaks, Carrie offered Lucian the two mana stones she'd received as her mission reward. She hadn't forgotten that Lucian had supplied her with equipment, and she saw this as a way to repay him.

Lucian looked at the mana stones, thought for a moment, and then took only one of them.

"But, Mentor…" Carrie began, trying to pass him the remaining stone.

"Keep it. We'll settle the rest gradually—half each time," Lucian said, stopping her. He knew that Carrie needed resources to study and develop her spell models, and it made more sense to let her keep what she had while he thought of other ways to earn mana stones.

But before addressing that, Lucian knew he needed to deal with the people secretly watching them, at least enough to make them reconsider their prying eyes.

"Hmph… I bet some people think I don't have much time left." A flash of killing intent appeared in his eyes.

"Lucian?" Carrie noticed the change in his expression and asked cautiously.

"It's nothing, just a small issue," Lucian reassured her with a slight smile.

Carrie bit her lip, remembering something Jaron had said to her, and a flicker of concern crossed her face.

"Your injuries… Mentor, are you sure they're alright?" she asked, looking up at him.

"It's fine." Lucian waved a hand dismissively, signalling he didn't want to discuss it further.

Carrie nodded slowly but gripped her bow tightly. Lucian, noticing her worry, tried to put her at ease.

"Instead of fretting over me, go study," he said, knocking lightly on her head. "Have you grasped the principles of Multi-Scorching Arrow? Finished your daily training? Done the exercises from Wizard's Little Guide, spell modelling basics?"

"No, I haven't… I'm sorry, Mentor." Carrie held her head, visibly wincing, especially at the mention of the Wizard's Little Guide. Oddly, though, Lucian's gentle scolding helped her relax, taking her mind off her worries.

"Then off you go!" Lucian said with a stern expression.

"Understood! Goodbye, Mentor!" Carrie quickly lifted her head and hurried away.

"Just a kid," Lucian murmured with a small smile as he watched her retreating figure.

"Hm?" But his expression changed subtly as he detected a few tiny, inconspicuous insects nearby. Without drawing attention, he turned and returned to his quarters.

"It seems someone's getting impatient," he thought, a cold smile forming in his mind.

Ever since switching to the upgraded Greybone Meditation II, Lucian's mental energy had become purer, sharpening his senses significantly. He could detect faint fluctuations of mental energy attached to the insects, revealing them as someone else's "eyes."

"Hmph—" After walking a while, Lucian pretended to notice, sending a wave of mental energy that crushed the spying insects into dust.

"Judging by the residual energy, it's likely a fairly skilled second-level wizard apprentice," Lucian thought, gauging the traces left behind on the insects.

"Well, this makes things easier. If they come out on their own, I won't need to look for a target." Lucian's gaze grew dark as he exhaled slowly.

In the days that followed, an eerie calm settled over the academy, like the silence before a storm. Lucian ignored the hidden watchers, focusing instead on guiding Carrie, finding the routine surprisingly peaceful.

"Lucian, I did it!" In the lab, Carrie pulled back her bow, successfully enchanting two arrows at once.

"Nicely done," Lucian said with a pleased smile. "We'll find another mission soon and test your new skills in the field."

Carrie nodded, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Alright, that's enough for today. Head back and get some rest," Lucian said, noting the time.

Carrie stowed her bow, bowed slightly, and jogged out of the lab.

Greybone Academy's nights were always silent, a stillness that Carrie had long grown accustomed to. But as she walked, she noticed two figures standing by the path ahead, shadows cast by the faint moonlight.

Carrie slowed her steps, her gaze sharpening with caution.

As she drew closer, her wariness spiked as she recognized one of them—it was Yellen, the apprentice who'd antagonized her before.

Yellen's gaze fixed on her with a cold, twisted smile.

Carrie clutched her bow tighter and took a step back.

"Carrie, I've brought someone special to see you today," Yellen sneered. "A great honour."

Carrie reached into her quiver, retrieving two arrows and quietly began preparing her spell model.

"This here is Lord Apollo, a second-level peak apprentice," Yellen boasted, eyes glinting as he kept a close watch on her. Seeing her readying her bow, he scoffed inwardly. To him, bows were primitive weapons, useful perhaps to commoners but hardly a threat to someone trained as a wizard.

"I need an experimental assistant." Apollo, who had been silent, finally spoke. His gaze settled on Carrie with a look of approval. "Join me for one experiment, and I'll take you on as a student."

Although Carrie was only a first-level apprentice, her mental energy appeared impressively refined. With her as his test subject, the success rate of his experiment might increase. If she cooperated, he could conduct his research and advance to a third-level apprentice, after which granting her an apprentice title would be trivial.

And more importantly, she could serve as the perfect bait to probe Lucian's defences.

Apollo glanced toward Lucian's quarters, a gleam of greed hidden in his eyes.