Planning Part. 2

Selena finished tying up her desk and was about to get up.

"I need to meet with the principal," she said curtly.

James nodded as if it had nothing to do with him. But the moment she turned to leave, he casually added,

"Can I stay at your house tonight? It's not safe at the dormitories."

Selena just looked at him as if he was insane. Before she could get into a long tirade about how he was a just a commoner and a worthless apprentice mage, James interrupted her:

"I'll leave my communicator ID here, I'll wait for you outside the teacher's residences at 8 o'clock. I'm trusting you."

With a meaningful last glance at the beautiful woman, he left the office without waiting for her response.

There were two reasons he needed to stay at Selena's house tonight. First, because he wasn't sure if his own dorm room was safe, he was not playing on staying there until he found out exactly how and why he was killed. Second…he glanced at the system reward he had gotten a while ago.

[Silver Level Reward: Potion of Root Enhancement]

[Congratulations to the host for receiving a rare magical potion that can increase one's magical roots. Slight possibility of awakening bloodline potential.]

James knew that anything that could change a person's magical roots were exceedingly rare. He planned to take this potion at Selena's house. Even though he trusted the system, he still had to plan for any and all possibilities, with a level 6 mage protecting him, he should be completely safe.

There was no denying it—he was weak. That was the fundamental reason why he had died. All the planning in the world wouldn't matter if he didn't have the strength to back it up. If the system was going to offer him shortcuts, then he would take every one.

Selena's family was also rich, much wealthier than his own ever was. She might act cold on the surface but he knew that she had real affection for him, with her help he would be able to access many resources.

James returned to his dorm and hid the silver Trace Crystal in a hollow gap behind his desk drawer. Then, stuffing a few essential belongings into his coat, he made his way toward the teachers' district.

Ainsworth Academy wasn't just a school—it was practically a city. The teachers' area was well-guarded, not by men, but by layered runic arrays. No outsiders could enter unnoticed, and each resident's privacy was protected by spatial wards.

There were no guards at the gates, just flickering sigils glowing faintly in the night.

As James approached one of the gates, his hooded figure was a little nervous. This was one of the more remote places, the hustle and bustle of the streets behind were quiet now. As long as he had the correct magic code, he could get in without trouble. 

He looked at his communicator.

Just as he was starting to wonder if he had guessed wrong, he finally received a message.

Looking at the complex sigil shining brightly like a hologram, James smiled. He walked through the gate easily while showing his communicator. James thought Selena would give him some instructions to her residence but when he saw the swirling light of the teleportation node on the ground he was stunned.

"Nobles really know how to play…"

Instead of walking a few hundred metres they'd rather teleport? The first and only time James had ever used a teleportation node was when he first came to Ainsworth Academy. Back then, he had immediately gotten sick all over the ground and embarrassed himself.

As he got into the circle an emotionless voice sounded:

"Teleporting to the House of Vaughn." 

His identity code was directly tied to Selena, so the destination was automatically set.

A rush of air, a sudden jerk, and the world spun.

He stumbled slightly as he arrived, but he was only slightly dizzy. James was surprised. Is it because the blending of two souls made his mental strength higher?

James didn't have much time to think however as he was immediately shocked by the grandeur in front of him. 

"Don't gawk, you look like a fool."

The cold voice shook him out if reverie. 

A beautiful woman with flaming red hair was standing by the hallway. She was dressed much more casually at home, the dark burgundy robes accentuated her curves unscrupulously. 

James ignored Selena's harsh tone and walked towards her while looking around. 

"Where are your servants?"

James thought nobles all had a bunch of maids and butlers at their beck and call, if Ryan's bragging was any indication. 

"I sent them away."

Hearing this James grinned and removed his black hood revealing his pale face.

"Good. It's better to have privacy."

Selena ignored the hidden meaning behind his words and took him to her study, which seemed like an exact replica of her office at school.

She sat behind the desk with her arms closed and spoke in a stern tone.

"So, why did you say it wasn't safe in your house? I want the truth."

James looked at this stubborn woman who was clearly worried but pretended not to be. He had already planned what he was going to say, of course he wasn't going to talk about the fact that he had already died once. 

"I think someone in this school wants to kill me…the most likely candidate is Ryan Everheart."

James spoke calmly as if the person whose life was in danger was not him.

Selena didn't speak for a long time, until she finally asked one question:

"Why you?"

Her meaning was obvious. Why would the heir of the Everheart family take a risk and try to kill a measly commoner at school? If it was just pure hatred then there were many other ways. For example, Ryan could simply wait until James was expelled.

Everyone knew his position as student at Ainsworth was precarious. If he didn't quickly become a level 1 mage, it was likely he would be expelled.