Chapter 193: Chapter 192: The Beautiful Female Apprentice Clings to Me
It was a night filled with gloom and terror.
Darkness, like a ghost with an agenda, silently lingered all around, waiting for people to let down their guard so it could surge forward and consume them.
The massive ship sailed across the sea, resembling a colossal coffin floating on the water, utterly still and quiet.
Deep into the night, all the cabin doors were shut; the students had all gone to sleep. In the corridors below deck, a Wizard Apprentice quietly appeared, beginning the watchful night duty.
Faint footsteps sounded as a Third-level Wizard Apprentice, Potter, walked to the corridor on the third level below deck and saw another night-watch apprentice at the end of the hallway—Danell.
Danell was a Second Level Wizard Apprentice, a direct student of Wizard Louis, with unremarkable abilities, ranking near the bottom among all the wizard apprentices. However, he was quite young, only sixteen this year, and he had decent Talent. Barring any mishaps, he should be able to break through and become a full-fledged wizard in his twenties.
Danell looked tense at the moment, nervously turning his head to check his surroundings continually. When he heard the footsteps, he immediately looked towards the stairs. Only after seeing Potter did he relax slightly.
As Potter stepped closer and stood in front of him, he noticed Danell’s nervousness but didn’t point it out. Instead, he asked in a hushed voice, “How’s everything? Noticed anything unusual?”
“That’s good. Keep a close eye out, I’ll send someone to relieve you in the second half of the night.”
“Mm.” Danell nodded and then, as if suddenly recalling something, he looked at Potter and asked, “Potter, has Master Wizard said anything about this matter?”
“Has your teacher, Master Wizard Louis, not revealed anything to you?” Potter responded with a question.
“No.” Danell shook his head. “He just told me there are no leads and to be careful.”
“Mm…” Potter vocalized, spreading his hands, “Dempsey and I were told something similar. The mastermind behind this is likely very crafty, unwilling to reveal any flaws easily, which is why the teachers can’t be sure of the situation. However, I believe the teachers must be getting impatient. If the culprit continues to kill, I’m sure the teachers will take action.”
“Anyway, be extra careful.” Potter directed the statement at Danell and turned to walk back towards the staircase, “I’ll go check the other areas.”
“Mm, alright.” As Danell acknowledged, Potter had already made his way up the stairs to the second-level cabins.
In the corridor of the second-level cabins, assigned to the night watch was a Third-level Wizard Apprentice, a female student—Quinton’s personal apprentice—Sherry.
Among all the wizard apprentices on the ship, her strength was only mid-tier. However, she had learned powerful Attack Magic from Wizard Quinton. Although not highly robust, she was a formidable force. She was one of those who “if they don’t act, they go unnoticed, but when they do, they astonish,” capable of taking an adversary down with her if she couldn’t beat them.
Typically, such a person would be silent and introverted, but in reality, she was lively and outgoing.
With big eyes, cheeks adorned with dimples, a high-pointed nose, and a small mouth, she wore her hair in twin pigtails. Just like Danell, she stood at the end of the corridor, ensuring she wouldn’t be caught in a pincer attack, her thin lips pursed as she vigilantly observed the hallway.
She saw Potter come up and waved.
Potter’s eyes flickered, thinking she might have spotted something and quickly approached, asking in a low voice, “What’s wrong, Sherry?”
“Nothing,” she shrugged.
“Then…” Potter was taken aback and inquired with a puzzled expression, “Why did you wave at me?”
“I was worried you’d just walk right past me without saying a word and head upstairs,” Sherry said, looking straight at Potter with wide eyes, “So I waved to get you to come over and keep me company for a chat. Is that alright?”
Potter was at a loss for words: “…”
“How come?” Sherry raised an eyebrow, “You’re unwilling? Have you forgotten what you said before? You asked me to come here for the night watch, offering help. You should be very aware that this matter is dangerous. I’ve taken care of the dangerous stuff for you, and now you can’t even keep me company with a conversation to alleviate my boredom?”
“Uh, this…” Potter felt increasingly uncomfortable all over, his gaze inevitably drifting to the side.
“Where are you looking? I’m right here,” Sherry said, extending her hands to forcefully clamp onto Potter’s face and turning his neck so he was looking straight at her.
As their eyes met, Potter felt even more uncomfortable, a sense of awkwardness rapidly spreading in his heart, enough to kill him.
Admittedly, he was one of those responsible for maintaining the Order of the great wheel, but he couldn’t command Wizard Apprentices of the same rank; he could only ask. If the other party was a Male Wizard Apprentice, uncooperative or intentionally making things difficult for him, he naturally had ways to handle it. But with a Female Wizard Apprentice like Sherry, the situation was trickier.
Besides, it’s not like Sherry was making it hard for him.
Just wanting a conversation?
Still, why did this action, this gesture, feel so awkward? Why did he always feel like he was being taken advantage of?
At a mere distance of ten centimeters or so, Potter looked at Sherry, rapidly blinking, while Sherry studied him with a meaningful gaze.
After what seemed like an eternity…
“Um…” Potter spoke up, “Sherry, could you let go of my head?”
“Fine, but you have to promise not to turn away,” Sherry said.
“Uh, okay… then,” Potter acquiesced.
“That’s better.” Sherry let go of her hold.
As the soft touch of skin left his face, Potter felt no regret, just relieved, and he exhaled deeply. But then Potter realized this move was a bit inappropriate. Because Sherry was just a short distance away, his breath went straight into her face.
Potter panicked, about to back away, when Sherry suddenly grabbed his shoulder and glared at him, eyebrows raised and eyes wide, she pronounced each word, “You dare to exhale on my face! You’re flirting with me!”
“I…” Potter started to get a little frantic, feeling that this situation was much more complicated than a real fight, stammering, “I… didn’t mean it, I…”
Was he flirting with Sherry? Exhaling counted as flirting? Then what about what Sherry did earlier? And… if Sherry really went to complain, the situation could be quite serious.
Potter’s mind was in turmoil.
Just then, with a “pfft,” Sherry laughed, like a sly fox with a successful scheme, and said to Potter with a smile, “Hehe, what are you afraid of? I was just joking with you, teasing you a bit, look at you! Are you scared to death?”
“Alright, alright, I won’t tattle, you can relax,” Sherry assured him.
Potter relaxed a bit inside, but this time he refrained from exhaling and stiffly said, “Then can you… let go of my hand now?”
“No way! You have to promise me one thing!”
Was she going to cling to him?