Chapter 20: My return

The morning sun bathed me in its glorious light, allowing me to stretch and feel the blood course through my veins. It was my first night away from base. It was also the first night after my successful overthrow of both their operations.

"Hello world! Tell me what your plan is today, alright?”

Should I return while everyone was in turmoil? Of course, but planning how I should report the act while acting “naturally” was the hard part. After all, no one vanishes for an evening without having a motive. I had to have a plan… Stifling a short yawn before looking to the horizon, I drank the sight of dawn as I planned my return.

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"Who was that!”

A man shouted, flailing his blade like an absolute moron who thinks he is above humans… Pathetic. Beside him was a guy whose face also brimmed with sweat, alarmed and ready to move at a moment’s notice. If I never planned, these two would have become mincemeat. But I digress, we needed to enter their facility and cause distrust among its members.

I emerged from the bush, clutching my stomach that I of course painted with animal blood.

"Help! Help…”

I laid on my belly still acting hurt, feigning a collapse… Now, all I had to do was wait and see if this would work. The two noticed me and rush towards where I lay, their eyes widened and mouths agape. They slung me on their arms before lifting me off the ground. Our trio soon approached the building in the distance, as a smile appeared on my face.

Just according to plan.

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"So, who attacked you last night?”

The principal was in front of me, discussing matters, even though I was still wearing my bloodied clothing. I find it odd that no one has noticed its scent yet, but I guess everyone is in distress. Xion himself shifted his gaze away from time to time, despite being attentive and wistful. The man looked restless as of late, and I could guess why.

"It was black… blending into the midnight. The thing’s roar pierced the night as it clawed at our group.”

“And you mean to tell me that this 'thing' had the three of you by surprise? Was it that strong?”

"Yes, sir… It was grotesque and ruthless… But thankfully, we escaped.”

He took a pause before staring into me, like he was reading a book. I even ended up biting my lip out of discomfort. The principal then hummed to himself, tapping his foot lightly against the marbled floor of the infirmary where we were currently at.

“In any case, if that was what transpired, then we need to be careful. An enemy must be in our ranks, ready to pounce on any foolish student who is caught unaware.”

“Yes Sir, that is correct. But on another note… How Adria is doing? Does she know I have returned?”

“Ah, Miss Adria was lounging just a few rooms across this one. Should you wish to check her out, you can do so after this talk of ours.”

I nodded in response before giving the old man a thumbs-up

“Thanks, old man, I’ll head there after taking a shower or two.”

Hoisting myself off the seat, I got ready to leave. But before I could even approach the door, the sounds of a sole tapping against a tile echoed within the room.

“Robert… I noticed that you’re doing well despite the attack that you told me… and while I am glad that you are okay, I can’t brush off the feeling that something is amiss…”

Heh, so he noticed huh?

“Surely, having my beloved who is a healer puts me at some sort of leverage. Of course, I have armor. The attacks did knock me out, but you have to ask whether the monster wanted to waste its time breaking through my suit or going after the other students. I am confident, that even you, Sir Xion, would know what to pick.”

The principal let out a long sigh, but instead of a frown, his lips curved into a wry smile.

“I suppose that does make the most sense, out of everything at least… Very well, take care and keep an eye out. The students will know about that creature in the afternoon.”

“Thank you, sir, and with that, I will be on my way.”

Having said those words, I walked out the door having averted what could have been a major issue to my plans. He was a bit sharp, although having that girl as an excuse was definitely worth it. Haaah… Romance and its perks sure are swell! Not only do I get a beautiful woman, I also get a really good alibi.

That’s a win in my book.

In any case, it should be safe to assume that a bath is in order. I just hope that Xion doesn’t reveal that I’m here otherwise she would attach to me like an urchin. While that’s precious, hooh baby, sometimes it is just downright annoying. She always coddles me like a kid, which was quite frankly, offensive and a pain. I’m glad to at least have some time off before I see her again, but oh well, keep it up and I could get a nice healer to aid my goals.

Setting those thoughts off, I moved to my dorm in hopes of a nice fresh bath.

“Is Adria still here?”

“Y-Yes Sir! She is on the third room to the right!”

The lady in front of me had a bright red blush, her noticeable fondness for me, well it disgusts me. Since when did I give her the impression that I liked her, not to mention she’s one of the freaks called Epico. Bah! How gross… Even my stomach gurgles at sputters at the sight of her infatuated mug!

Good thing Adria had her uses…

“I see, thanks for all the hard work.”

I tapped her lightly on the shoulder before giving her a smile. Keeping appearances sure is hard, but eh, what’s another pawn to use, right? Without waiting for her reply nor response, I soon walked over to the room she told me and in mere moments, I did find myself face to face with a thick, translucent glass door that obscured the view inside.

I wonder how my pet is doing.

I twisted the knob before pushing it hardly, like a surprise entrance. Little did I know that I was the one to be surprised.

It was this guy… Pyre, was it? Was she messing with my girl?

“Well, its at least goo to hear she- Ah! It’s Robert, hello!”

He gave me a bright smile acting like we were close. I will let him dream for a bit, since she seems to be quite chummy with Adria. Speaking of which, the cute lady immediately looked my way, her eyes almost glistening in delight.

“Robert!”

Adria bounded out of her seat, tackling me in a bear hug as soft giggles escaped her lips. I suppose we had to keep appearances… Wrapping my arms around her, I could feel the emptiness in my actions, almost as if she weren’t’ there and that I was holding a tool, not dissimilar to a trowel or a knife.

“It has been a while huh…”

I tightened my hug, still feeling hollow. My breath was stable, my heart wasn’t even beating at this point. It was as if I fell out of romance, if my relationship with her was even romance to begin with. My hands rubbed her back, holding her closely with a smile, somehow… this still feels numb.

“Are you alright… were you hurt?”

Pushing her off gently, I looked at her and shook my head. She then let out a long sigh, a single tear rolled down her cheek showing that she was really thinking about me while I was away.

If only I could say the same.

“That’s good to hear… in that case…”

She raised her hand to my face, gently cupping my chin.

“Welcome Home, Robert~”

That was when we heard a dry chuckle. Our two heads turned to the source, only to find Pyre, chuckling dryly, his arms raised in the air as he did.

“Sorry, sorry! I must be ruining the moment, aren’t I? Give me a moment to exit, okay?”

A sigh escaped my lips, but I let it slide. With a wave of my hand, he left the room with a smile accompanied by numerous beads of sweat that lined his forehead.

Well, no more interruptions, I guess. Just me and this bird. I stood up and walked over to the couch, sitting on it as I observed the person I hurt. It was the cocky goat, complete with all types of casts and plasters. Beating him was like having a moving punching bag, a stress reliever if I want to be specific. A faint sound of dragging metal snapped me out of my thoughts but glancing to where it came from only showed me Adria moving what seemed to be a stool closer to where I was.

I guess its time to converse with her…

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Robert seemed distant…

How could I explain this? Ever since he returned, he felt somewhat cold. His hugs were loose, his voice was soft, yet flat, almost as if he did not want to be here and now, here he was, seemingly spaced out, shocked by me dragging a chair.

Was he alright? Was he hurt? He knows he could always tell me, right?”

“Are you feeling well?”

I cocked my head to the side as I reached out for his head, gently brushing his soft and scruffy black hair with my fingers.

“Safety really isn’t my style, and testing gadgets is my passion… all for the betterment of humanity. You do understand that, right?”

He replied whilst his brown eyes stared at his open palms. It was like he was analyzing something, but what could it be? If only my powers allowed me to take into a look, but the only thing I can probably read was that brightstone…

“Well, no matter. I’m sure I will get another chance at testing my stuff. As for you Adria, you don’t need to worry about a thing. Just believe in me.”

My beloved gave me a smile that reached up to his ears before stroking my head with his hand. It was warm, like it normally was… yet somehow, it sent a shiver down my spine. Was something wrong? The only thing I could do was bite my lip and hope for the best.

“Mhm… that’s my dear Robert for you.”

I giggled to mask the tension in the room. Still observing Geon who looked worse for wear when he was first treated. While I’m thankful for the safety provided for him by the divine, one has to wonder why he was alright, with almost no scrapes and or cuts to treat.

“So, how is Geon doing?”

“H-Huh? How did you know his name?”

Seriously, how?! I never told him about them yet… But instead of answering, he raised one finger to his lips, making a silence symbol before handing out a wink.

“Ah well, it seems I’ve been caught red handed. I was keeping tabs on him after finding out that thet were attacked as soon as I got here.”

The man took a slight pause, staring me in the eyes with a grin.

“You wouldn’t mind keeping it a secret, don’t you?

I replied his sentiments with a hurried flurry of nods as if agreeing with his words, but I myself am not sure of some of his answers. How crazy would it be to keep a secret… a secretly that is probably far more deadly than what I bargained for…

… but even so, I was a woman who fell in love.

Should I trust him… despite his misgivings…?

Perhaps that was something I should mull on.

AN: Sorry for not uploading more frequently, the internet has been quite unstable where I live and I'm unable to upload more often due to it. Here's hoping I see you guys in the next chapter!