Luo’er was hiding in a corner, silently listening to the two men converse. From their conversation, he gathered that a force was planning a covert operation against the academy, colluding with a traitor within the school to infiltrate through secret tunnels and cause havoc.
However, he didn’t plan to startle the enemy just yet, because he didn’t know what these people were scheming. Regardless, all of this was enough to warrant their utmost attention. Even though they were just passing visitors of the magic academy, if that group caused trouble during their mission, they too would be in hot water.
With that in mind, Luo’er began to slowly step backward, then gradually made his way towards the staircase. He walked this path very slowly, as he needed to ensure each step was quiet enough not to alert the two men.
The tunnel leading to the stairs offered him no cover, and he was unarmed. If discovered, his only option would be to run with all his might.
Successfully reaching the staircase without a hitch, Luo’er began to cautiously climb up. Once he finally reached the storeroom, he breathed a sigh of relief, took out his magic wand, and silently cast a spell to close the door. The floor of the storeroom gradually closed with a splashing sound. Despite the mechanism making some noise, it shouldn’t catch the attention of the two fellows from such a distance.
"What was that sound?" replied one of the men, shocked and unsure.
"What sound?" the shorter one queried.
"I heard it, from the direction of the academy exit!" the taller man insisted.
"Hmph!" the short one huffed, dismissing him.
"Shall we go back and rest?" the taller one suggested.
"No, now I feel like standing guard!" responded the shorter individual, rejecting his proposal.
Departing the storeroom, Luo’er treaded carefully avoiding any guards, struggling to exit the academy’s main area. It was only then that he realized it was already late at night, with less than three hours left until they would awaken and get back to work.
At this moment, sleep was far from Luo’er’s mind. All he could think about was the plan he had just overheard. He wanted to discuss this matter with Cheng Ziang, but there was no way to contact him at the moment. As for Tangmo, the young miss was likely buried deep in slumber. Best not to disturb her, thought Luo’er, deciding to head back to the dormitory for a rest, to prevent others from noticing his absence in the morning.
Upon returning to the shared dormitory, Luo’er, despite the stuffy and foul air, slowly closed his eyes. However, less than three hours of sleep was hardly restorative. As a result, when he was woken up in the morning, he could hardly open his eyes.
Early in the dining room, Luo’er, on serving duty, let out a yawn. He had just taken a short nap, for less than five minutes, but it was enough to rejuvenate him, and he felt a lot more alert now.
Tangmo was nowhere to be seen that morning, making Luo’er wonder why the young lady didn’t show up for breakfast. Just as he was pushing his trolley about listlessly, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind: "You, come here!"
Hearing the voice, Luo’er felt a headache coming. He turned around leisurely and saw Feliz glaring at him angrily. He sighed lightly and then asked respectfully, "Miss Feliz, do you need anything?"
"I’m hungry!" Feliz snapped.
"There’s a food cart next to you!" Luo’er indicated to the cart passing by her.
Feliz looked up, shot a fierce glare at the hapless servant pushing the cart, who quickly pushed it away from her vicinity. Seeing this, Luo’er reluctantly pushed his own cart towards her.
"I want steak!" Feliz huffed, folding her arms imperiously.
"They were on the cart that just left." Luo’er pointed out to the servant who had just left.
"So why doesn’t your cart have any?" Feliz demanded angrily.
"Somebody took them already." Luo’er replied nonchalantly.
"Then go get me some!" Feliz was seething.
"I’ll be on my way then!" With that, Luo’er started to leave with his cart.
"Don’t you dare!" Feliz yelled, stopping him. Her voice was so loud that everyone in the dining hall turned to look at her.
"Miss," Luo’er turned back around and said with respectful yet firm tone, "persistently making a scene doesn’t suit a noblewoman. I hope you will act more maturely, unlike some country bumpkin."
"What I am or not is none of your business!" Feliz shouted defiantly. But when she looked at Luo’er, she seemed to falter.
On Luo’er’s face was a look of seriousness, his eyes radiating an aura of authority that disallowed opposition. This was something she had never seen in other servants, causing her bluster to deflate somewhat. Muttering under her breath, she complained, "Who do you think you are!"
Seeing that Feliz was no longer as aggressive, Luo’er finally exhaled. The girl was still in the bloom of youth, nothing more than a naive and innocent young maiden. Protected by her family, she hadn’t been exposed to much of society’s darkness. Thus, there was a touch of childishness in her words, and Luo’er could easily take the wind out of her sails with a few simple sentences.
"Get me that!" Feliz glared at him, her tone somewhat softer, although she still sounded thoroughly displeased.
"Take your time!" Luo’er served the food before her, replying respectfully.
Feliz noticed the hand Luo’er extended to her. The fingers were white and slender, nothing like what one would expect from a slave. She asked curiously, "Why are your hands so pale for a slave?"
"Because I’m half-elf," Luo’er casually replied. Unperturbed by her discovery, he saw her as an inexperienced young girl.
"Hey, have you really decided not to submit to me? I said I would pay a very high price to buy you!" Feliz questioned, her eyes fixed on him.
"Miss, it would require Miss Audrey’s approval for that to happen!" Luo’er helplessly retorted.
"Could you not run away from her? I will protect you!" Feliz suggested, her brows knitted in frustration.
Luo’er sighed inwardly but replied, "What reasons do I have to betray Miss Audrey?"
"Why must you listen to her? She’s just a newly established noble. She doesn’t even have money to let you rest properly. If you become my slave, I will pay to ensure you no longer have to work at the academy, and you can just serve me every day!" was Feliz’s proposal.
It needed to be said: her proposal was indeed tempting. Luo’er, after enduring several days of hardship at the Academy, was well aware of its struggles. If he were just an ordinary slave, he might very well be moved at this point.
Unfortunately, this was all part of the act they were putting on. So, Luo’er decisively rejected Feliz’s proposal and left before she could react.
Having completed his morning’s work, Luo’er obtained a brief rest period to serve his masters. He massaged his shoulders as he leisurely headed for Tangmo’s dorm.
Although he’d previously decided to avoid contact with Tangmo for a while, he had just learned of a shocking conspiracy. So, he felt it necessary to tell Tangmo to prevent her from being clueless when the plotters made their move.
It was now the noon break, and most students were either in their dorms or the library. The empty academy was occasionally traversed by the quick footsteps of servants and guards.
As Luo’er was passing a rather secluded corner, he ran into Feliz. Judging from her stance, he knew their encounter was not by chance.
"Miss, have you been waiting for me here specifically?" Luo’er asked coolly.
"How do you know?" Feliz’s response instantly revealed her intentions.
She shook her head in annoyance, then declared determinedly, "No matter what, I have to make you mine today, even if I need to snatch you away!"
"Miss, it’s not proper for a noble to steal things from others," Luo’er reminded her, slowly approaching.
"I like it, so what!" Feliz retorted loudly.
"Miss, why are you so insistent on having me?" Luo’er asked quizzically.
"Everything that Audrey has, I must possess. I’ll take away everything from her, and then have this newly-made noblewoman leave the Magic Academy with her tail between her legs!" Feliz hissed, gnashing her teeth.
"Are you so envious of Miss Audrey because her magical skills surpass yours?" Luo’er speculated.
"You," Feliz instantly flew into a rage, taken aback by Luo’er’s accurate guess. She pulled out her magic wand, snarling at him, "Shut up!"
She then began reciting a magic spell. But it was clear that her magic skills were far inferior to Tangmo’s. Tangmo had started memorizing spells from junior high and ranked first in the Magic Academy in spellcasting during high school. Luo’er thus found Feliz’s spell, which required a slow buildup time and even contained a few mispronunciations, quite comical in comparison.
Luo’er chuckled, then moved swiftly. With lightning speed, he flew at her, one hand covering her incanting mouth while the other disarmed her of the magic wand.
In an instant, he had easily subdued the young magic apprentice. Without her wand as a medium, her combat capability was even less than that of a common thug.
Feliz stared blankly at everything that just happened, shocked that Luo’er could so effortlessly wrest the wand from her grip. Unbeknown to her, he had been gradually closing in on her right from when she started preparing to cast her spell.
For someone like her, whose magic required buildup time, being slowly approached by Luo’er was fatally dangerous. He could subdue her within the few short seconds she took to cast her spell. And since she lacked close combat skills, she could do nothing once he had her restrained.
"Miss, it’s against the mages’ creed to use magic against an unarmed opponent. Aren’t you afraid of being expelled?" Luo’er, holding her wand, asked lightly.