Chapter 169: I think I just hallucinated (2/2)

“Professor Plum?”

The old man’s outline was the only thing Ayrin could distinguish by now, but he still recognized who he was by his old-fashioned appearance. “Why are you here?”

“Is it someone from Holy Dawn Academy?” Charlotte relaxed then, her body devoid of strength. At the same time, with a whoosh, her face blushed all the way to the roots of her ears.

“I saw nothing at all just now,” Professor Plum first said, his face expressionless.

These words seemed to have the opposite effect; even her neck reddened.

“Don’t talk anymore.”

Professor Plum gave Ayrin a once-over. A gentle blue light shone from his hands and enveloped Ayrin.

“I want to sleep. Are Audrey and Ferguillo and the others alright? Can I sleep?” Ayrin was still saying.

A few more wrinkles appeared between Professor Plum’s eyebrows, but he didn’t get angry. He nodded. “They’re alright. You can sleep.”

“Charlotte, I’m going to sleep then.” Ayrin looked at Charlotte and said a few more words, then stopped fighting against the sleepiness that threatened to swallow everything. He quietly closed his eyes.

“Pro… Professor Plum.” Charlotte gathered her courage and asked, “Is Ayrin alright?”

“Someone else might have died, but since he survived until now, then nothing will happen to him.” Professor Plum replied in a stiff tone, but then, he looked at Charlotte and nodded in praise. “All of you did very well. Your spontaneous actions this time are enough to earn you the kingdom’s Starry Skies Brave Medal. You’re the pride of St. Lauren, the pride of the entire kingdom.”

“I…” Entirely exhausted already, Charlotte paused, then asked again, “What about Ferguillo and the others?”

“They’re already being treated. Ferguillo’s wounds might be very heavy, but thanks his special bloodline, he should also be fine.”

Professor Plum looked at her, his face inflexible, yet his tone was patient.

“Oh right!” Only then did Charlotte remember something particularly important. She urgently said, “That Lotton, the Hellfire Academy student from the national tournament, he’s the one who wounded Ayrin, then he also received heavy wounds. He escaped from here not long ago.”

“I already heard about your battle from Audrey. Many arcane teams are searching in the sewers right now. Even if he escapes, it’s none of our business,” Professor Plum said.

“Swish!” “Swish!” “Swish!…”

They heard the sound of the wind just then.

At least more than a dozen arcane masters came in.

The three in the front wore the arcane uniforms from the Office of Special Affairs. Everyone following behind them was a medical master.

When these arcane masters looked at Professor Plum, their eyes were filled with obvious reverence.

“Let’s go.”

Professor Plum didn’t say much, he just let the arcane teams take Ayrin and Charlotte.

“Just look at their condition after the fight.”

“At the most crucial time, those young people were actually the ones who stood up and protected Eichemalar.”

Seeing Ayrin covered all over in injuries, their eyes all shone with genuine respect, whether the arcane masters from the Office of Special Affairs or the medical masters.

…

“Is it the Evil Dragon Followers’ scheme?”

“How many people did the Evil Dragon followers dispatch this time? They even managed to damage the water tower?”

That night in Eichemalar seemed to go on forever. Chaos was everywhere, inside the city, inside the athlete village.

A night where fighting occurred everywhere… Moreover, the terrifying auras coming from some genuine taboo skills led almost every contestant participating in the tournament to stay inside their own residences at the authorities’ request.

When the sounds of battle completely died down, when many arcane teams went into the athlete village, including many teams from the Office of Special Affairs one would never see in ordinary times. Only then did concrete information spread: the previous fighting was all due to the Evil Dragon followers’ plan.

Only, news came that their plan had been thwarted again. As to the concrete number of casualties, they were counting them. Some fugitive Evil Dragon followers were still being tracked down.

Because no one knew whether some Evil Dragon followers’ assassins were still hiding, all the participant teams were still requested to stay inside their lodgings.

In team Dragon Breath’s residence, Audrey, who’d already changed her clothes, Morgan, and the other members were all gathered and waiting in the lounge.

When they heard urgent footsteps outside the door, Audrey and Morgan and the others stood up in spite of themselves.

A tall man over thirty came inside, clearly the teacher in charge of team Dragon Breath.

“Teacher, how is it?” Audrey was the first one to speak, her voice anxious.

“We found everyone else. Joyce is fine. Your freezing skill was very timely,” that Dragon Breath teacher said, “We also found Ayrin and Charlotte. Only, Ayrin’s injuries are extremely severe, we already took him to the Office of Special Affair’s infirmary to provide for critical treatment, just like Ferguillo.”

Audrey blinked in a daze. “He… How did he become so heavily wounded?”

“This little guy from Holy Dawn Academy, there’s really more to him than meets the eye, just like you said.” This teacher looked at her and the others, saying with a sigh of emotion, “I heard he and Charlotte came upon Lotton again afterward. Also, the arcane teams inspected the fighting scene afterward. Apart from several skills even I can’t see through, Lotton has clearly mastered the Evil Dragon’s secret skill ‘Hatred Particles’ as well. Still, Lotton couldn’t kill Ayrin and Charlotte even so. They even broke his neck.”

“They actually met that guy again? And even defeated him?” Remembering her own feelings while confronting Lotton, remembering the scene of her fight with Lotton, there was a cold chilliness rising inside her chest even after all this time.

The Office of Special Affair’s infirmary was one of the best medical centers in the entire kingdom. Only those important arcane masters at the edge of death would be sent there to receive critical treatment.

She couldn’t even imagine just how fierce the battle would have been after Ayrin met a guy like that.

“Ayrin, you must survive!”

She couldn’t stop herself from clenching her fists, exhaling softly.