43: The Runes Voice

Just as the duel was declared over, the dueling unit was plunged into another commotion. Most of the students couldn't believe that a mere nobody like Elvis, who had only practiced swordsmanship for just three days, was able to match a genius - with three ranks higher - who had been practicing swordsmanship since the age of five.

Most of them, however, were arguing that Elvis was only lucky to end the duel in a tie with Logan. But who cares? A win is a win, whether it is mere luck or merit.

Nevertheless, Elvis, with a grin on his face, headed toward his group of friends who seemed to be waiting for him. However, as he lifted his head towards the elevated platform on the right side of the dueling unit, his expression turned sour.

His gaze met with that of the Grey Swordsgod, and he felt goosebumps wash over him. He didn't know whether he had actually passed the teacher's test by achieving a draw in the duel. Anyway, he kept walking towards his friends. He would find out when he met Mr. Ronald.

Off on the other side, Logan gracefully exited the dueling unit with an air of nobility. The other students, astonished by his mastery of the sword and fluidity, couldn't help but stare at him. Most of the female students were already fantasizing as they watched Logan head towards his dorm room. He was truly the center of attention at this moment.

From where Wilson was seated with Ivory, he clicked his tongue in disapproval. That limelight is supposed to be his, and he is going to snatch it away one day.

When Elvis arrived where his friends were, Cedric rushed over to him and slapped him on the back, cheering him on. "Bruh, that was awesome... especially that lightning slash. I swear, I would avoid you as an opponent in the future," he said, and the others burst into laughter.

The others also congratulated him. Troy walked up to him and offered a handshake, saying, "Well, I didn't see that coming. What I said to you last time did work, but you shouldn't take it personal." Elvis, instead of being annoyed with Troy, shook his hand with a smile and uttered, "Thank you." Yeah! If it weren't for Troy's mean words, he wouldn't have had that self-reflection that propelled him to seek improvement.

Evelyn only gave him a smile and a thumbs-up. That was because her attention was fixated on someone else. Her eyes had met his a few minutes ago as he was squeezing his way through the other students. She recognized him. Why would she forget the guy who mocked her on the day of the Magical Prowess Test? Derek.

Just as he approached the side where she and her friends were, their eyes met, and he gave her a smug look. However, his gaze then shifted to the amulet she was wearing. Instantly, Evelyn's instincts kicked in, just as they always did whenever she felt a covetous eye upon her or her amulet.

So, she turned around to block Derek's view of the amulet. But when she sneaked a peek at him through the corner of her eye, she saw him walking away hurriedly with his watch close to his mouth, uttering something. However, she didn't give it much thought and focused her attention back to the group. Before saying, "I didn't believe you could last against Logan... You will teach me your lightning lash, right?"

She said this, trying so hard to make it sarcastic; however, it seemed to have had the opposite effect. Because instead of the laughter she expected from them, they were exchanging glances with each other after she had spoken.

That was because she sounded weird to the others. Initially, she only nodded and gave Elvis a thumbs up. After a few minutes had passed, she decided to compliment his performance. But Elvis, who was overwhelmed with excitement because of his sister's compliment, commented, "Sure... Whenever you are ready, I won't hesitate to teach you."

Just as the students gathered in the dueling unit were slowly dispersing to do their own things since there were no classes today, Evelyn and her group also left. Their destination was the canteen for lunch. However, Elvis was summoned to meet with Mr. Ronald in the Combat Arts Hall, so he made his way in that direction.

Evelyn already had plans for today, so she decided not to have lunch with the rest of the group. Instead, she made her way towards the infirmary. Troy followed suit, behaving like a bodyguard would. This caused Zoya to express her dissatisfaction and degrade Troy by clicking her tongue.

Evelyn, who noticed that Troy was tailing her, stopped and turned to him. They hadn't entirely left the dueling unit, and other students were still going off in various directions.

"I understand why you are following me because that was a mission given to you. But don't you think that following me like this will be bad for both of our reputations? People might think something else," she said, clearly pissed off with the recent incidents of being followed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to follow you all day. I only wanted to give you this, but not where your friends could see it," he said. But instead of giving her something, he took her hand, where she wore the academy's watch, and drew a rune on it using his condensed spiritual energy.

"With this, I won't have to constantly follow you around. You can always tap your watch three times and let me know when you are in danger. It will relay the message to me and also assist me in easily tracking your location. Only witches can do it, and I am a hybrid, which is why I can. It is called the Rune Voice." After saying all of this, he turned around and walked away without waiting to see how Evelyn would react to what he had just done to her watch.

Evelyn stood there, watching Troy's back as he walked away, slowly disappearing from her sight. 'Did I sound too harsh? Did he think I was trying to get rid of him? Was I being paranoid again?' She contemplated. But that wasn't the main thing on her mind now; something else was bugging her and she didn't like what she was thinking at all.

"Don't tell me, it was this same Rune Voice that was engraved on Derek's watch... Was he somehow working for a witch, or is he a hybrid too?" She muttered, her instincts screaming that it might be the same alchemy department teacher.

'I don't truly understand what is going on. If it was indeed the teacher from the alchemy department who sent him and inscribed the Runes Voice on Derek's watch, then that implies that the man is either a witch or a hybrid. All of this is starting to unsettle me. One is the witch who speaks through my amulet and may have sent Troy to protect me, while the other is either a witch or a hybrid who has been searching for the amulet that the former instructed me to protect and hide. If I don't receive answers from that voice the next time she speaks to me, I am definitely going to shatter this amulet. Why would I get caught in the middle of a conflict between witches I didn't know, all because of an amulet?'

However, she decided to focus on what she wanted to do for now. But as she turned around, she almost bumped into the last person she ever wanted to meet in her current vulnerable state. The girl had crimson hair…

***

A few minutes ago, as Derek's eyes landed on the particular amulet hanging around Evelyn's neck, he quickly walked away.

After many days of being assigned the mission to find Werney's twin amulet, he hadn't received any clues. But now he saw an amulet similar to the teacher's, except that it wasn't colorless like Werney's. From his perspective, the color appeared to be a blend of red and gold.

"Sir, I think I've found a clue that you could investigate further," he whispered, raising his wrist towards his mouth.

"Great job! Tell me about it." Derek heard a voice speaking to him from the watch.

"I saw a girl wearing it. I'm certain it was the same shape and size but its colour was golden-red but it was not sparkling like a diamond. The girl's name is Evelyn, from the Zeccammon family." He recounted his discovery to the man, not missing any possible detail he could provide before lowering his hand. He must be desperate to get those crystal stones promised to him by the alchemy department teacher.

***

On the elevated platform on the right side of the dueling unit, the Grey Swordsgod was leaving to meet with Elvis, and others as well. Mr. Werney had a wicked smirk playing on his face as he left the elevated platform as well.

"Interesting... Mission to be accomplished soon. It's a she and she's from the Zeccammons. Marcus, the former queen's mate, was also a Zeccammon. Seems like we hit the right target this time. Can't wait to see how our little princess is faring in the human settlement," he muttered with a voice slightly above a whisper, a smirk on his face widening even further.