Chapter 58: A Gift for the Best Teacher of All.

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: A Gift for the Best Teacher of All.

Several days had passed since Draven was discharged from the academy’s infirmary and, just as she had promised, Taliah had personally taken charge of escorting him all the way to the Valdegrim residence, ignoring every one of his protests during the trip.

She had even insisted on helping him down from the carriage.

"You can let go of me, Taliah. I can still walk."

"That’s what you said when you tried to get out of bed and almost fell."

"That was because I’d been lying down for several days."

"Of course."

"I’m being serious."

"So am I."

Draven had ended up accepting her help after realizing that arguing would get him nowhere, but his problems hadn’t ended once they arrived at the residence.

Fenrick Valdegrim, after learning what had happened during the evaluation, had ordered the young man to rest until he recovered completely.

Merwyn had also shown his concern, while Ena had received specific instructions to make sure Draven didn’t engage in any activities that might hinder his recovery.

In other words, practically everyone was watching him, and that was a problem.

’This is ridiculous.’

Draven remained seated in front of the desk in his room, looking over some documents he had managed to obtain from the academy.

His right shoulder still bothered him whenever he made movements that were too abrupt, and his left leg was still recovering from the wounds caused by the shots.

The healers had assured him he would soon be able to return to his usual training, but Draven had other concerns.

’Those mercenaries.’

He recalled once more the confrontation in the Edran forest and how they had all worked in a coordinated manner, as well as the fact that they knew some of his abilities.

’It wasn’t an improvised attack.’

That meant someone had gathered information on him and had probably paid a considerable sum of money to hire those mercenaries.

’But who?’

Draven considered the possibilities once again.

It could be some noble from Fernus who opposed his relationship with Zenash, but there was also the possibility that someone connected to Greydarn Malikor had decided to take revenge for what had happened in the fields of Nerathis, and it could even be someone from Aster.

However, none of those theories had enough evidence.

’I need information.’

Then he remembered something Ari had mentioned during his stay in the infirmary.

The professors had found the corpses of several individuals who had nothing to do with the academy and had also recovered objects from the area where the confrontation took place.

Draven leaned his back against his chair.

’Their belongings.’

The mercenaries had died without revealing who had hired them, but that didn’t mean every lead had vanished.

They might have been carrying documents, coins, tools, or even magical objects that could identify their origin.

’Especially the one that blocked the signals.’

That technique had been far too specific, since being able to interfere with the academy’s emergency marks wasn’t something just any mercenary could obtain easily.

If he managed to examine their belongings, he might discover something, but the problem was getting hold of them.

Draven couldn’t simply show up before the authorities and demand they hand the objects over to him.

That would raise questions, and some of those questions could end up tied to his little internal problem.

’I don’t want them to know about Elfin’s existence.’

Besides, Ari had shown herself to be particularly interested in what had happened during the confrontation, so Draven suspected the professor knew more details than she had mentioned.

’Although...’

Suddenly he recalled another detail about her, and his expression changed slightly.

’I think I’ve got an idea.’

That night, Draven went to bed earlier than usual.

Ena had come in a few minutes earlier to make sure he had taken the medicines the healers had prescribed.

"Do you need anything else, young master Draven?"

"No, thank you."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely."

Ena watched him for a few seconds.

"Then I hope you don’t try to escape through the window."

Draven raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I do that?"

"I don’t know. You tend to do strange things."

"..."

"Good night."

The maid turned off the lights and left the room, after which Draven remained lying there until he heard her footsteps fade away.

Then he reached toward the small table beside his bed, on which rested a dark-colored magical device decorated with small violet inscriptions.

It was one of the gifts Zenash had given him some time ago, and its function was rather particular.

When two people possessed devices linked to each other, they could communicate while sleeping, since the magic connected their consciousnesses through mana and generated a shared space similar to a lucid dream.

In that place both of them could see each other, talk, and even interact with the environment created by the device, so although their bodies remained asleep, their minds retained consciousness.

Zenash used that device almost every night to communicate with Draven and, in fact, sometimes he suspected she waited for hours for him to fall asleep.

’I hope she’s still awake.’

Draven placed the device on his chest, closed his eyes, and began channeling a small amount of mana.

The inscriptions glowed softly and shortly afterward he lost awareness of his room, but when he opened his eyes again he found himself in a completely different place.

It was a spacious room decorated with elegant furniture, dark curtains, and an enormous window from which a city illuminated at night could be seen.

Draven recognized the scene immediately, since it was a recreation of one of the private rooms in the palace of Bhabel.

"Draven!"

He didn’t have time to react, as a female figure approached quickly and hugged him.

"You finally made it!"

Draven leaned back slightly from the momentum.

"Good night, Zenash."

The young demoness lifted her face and smiled.

"I was waiting for you."

"So it seems."

"You took too long!"

"It’s barely nighttime."

"For you."

"..."

Zenash hugged him again.

"I missed you."

"We saw each other last night."

"That was a long time for me."

Draven decided not to argue with that logic.

"How’s your shoulder?"

"Much better."

"And your leg?"

"The same."

"And the other wounds?"

"Zenash, the healers already checked me."

"I want to check them myself."

"You can’t examine my wounds inside a dream."

Zenash looked at him for a few seconds and then smiled.

"Then I’ll have no choice but to come visit you."

"There’s no need."

"Don’t you want to see me?"

"I didn’t say that."

"Then I’m going!"

"Zenash..."

The young woman began to laugh while Draven sighed.

’She’s definitely still the same.’

After talking for a few minutes about his recovery, Draven decided to mention the real reason he wanted to speak with her.

"By the way, I need to ask you for something."

Zenash stopped smiling.

"What do you need?"

"I want you to send me a bottle of the best liquor from Fernus."

"..."

The heiress remained motionless, and Draven waited for her reply.

"Liquor?"

"That’s right."

"For you?"

"Well..."

Zenash narrowed her eyes.

"Draven."

"What?"

"Since when do you drink?"

"I’m not saying I want to drink it."

"Then..."

Zenash’s expression changed suddenly.

"Is it for a woman?!"

Draven blinked.

"..."

"I knew it!"

Draven brought a hand to his face.

’I should have explained everything from the start.’

"It’s for a professor."

Zenash fell silent and then looked at him with an even more suspicious expression.

"A professor?"

"Yes. It’s a gift for her."

"How old is she?"

"..."

"Is she pretty?"

"Zenash."

"Is she single?"

"Zenash!"

The young woman let out a small laugh.

"All right, all right, I was just asking."

Draven sighed.

"I need to obtain certain information related to what happened in the forest."

Zenash’s smile disappeared.

"About the mercenaries?"

"Exactly."

"Did you find out who hired them?"

"Not yet."

Zenash frowned slightly.

"Then you should let me investigate."

"You’re bringing that up again."

"Draven, they tried to kill you."

"I know."

"I could send Yruza so that..."

"No."

"I didn’t even finish talking."

"Because I know what you’re going to propose."

Zenash puffed her cheeks out slightly, and Draven continued.

"For now I only need you to help me with this."

"And how do you plan to get information using a bottle?"

"The professor I want to visit has a rather particular fondness for alcohol."

Zenash looked at him and then began to smile slowly.

"Ah..."

Draven raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Now I understand."

"Good that you understand."

"You want to get a woman drunk so you can take advantage of her."

"..."

Draven remained motionless.

"DON’T SAY IT LIKE THAT!"

Zenash started laughing.

"I’m joking!"

"I hope so!"

"Of course I am, since I know better than anyone how much you value your life..."

"..."

The young woman approached again.

"So you want the best liquor from Fernus, right?"

"One that can truly impress someone who drinks constantly."

Zenash placed a finger on her chin.

"I know one."

"Really?"

"It’s a special reserve produced in very small quantities, and my mother usually receives a few bottles as gifts from the main merchants of the kingdom."

"Sounds perfect."

"It’s also quite expensive."

"How much?"

Zenash smiled.

"Do you really want to know?"

Draven looked at her for a few seconds.

"...No."

"Good decision."

The heiress approached and hugged him again.

"I’ll send you a bottle."

"Thank you, Zenash."

"But I want something in return."

Draven sighed.

"I figured as much."

Zenash lifted her face.

"When you come to visit me, you’ll have to spend an entire day with me."

"That doesn’t seem too complicated."

"Without Taliah."

"..."

"And without Yruza."

Draven blinked.

"Why are you mentioning Yruza?"

Zenash looked at him with curiosity.

"Because she always finds some excuse to tag along with us."

"She’s your bodyguard."

"Exactly!"

Draven tried to keep a calm expression.

’That was close.’

Zenash smiled.

"So, do you accept?"

"All right."

"Promise!"

The young woman hugged him again, so Draven returned the gesture.

Although Zenash could be quite troublesome at times, he was grateful to have her help, but while they talked he remembered the attack once more.

’I’ll get to the bottom of this.’