Chapter 232: Squeeze?

Ravian continued answering even as he ate and drank, and although Karius told him more than once to stop, he kept going.

At one point, he decided to reveal a particular detail for a reason known only to himself.

"I met Lysandra there," he said after swallowing a mouthful. "We agreed that I would return to the camp, which is why I’m here."

"So someone else knew you were alive before I did."

Karius’s tone sent a chill down Ravian’s spine.

Ravian’s hand stopped above the tray. He could hear what Karius had left unspoken, and for once, he could find no sarcastic answer suited to the occasion.

"She only found out recently," he replied, then added after a moment, "And I didn’t ask her to hide anything from you."

The damned liar.

But that was his only way out of this hole, and he was certain Karius would not go to Lysandra to verify something like that.

Karius did not seem satisfied, but neither did he rush to the door to summon her. Instead, he continued staring at Ravian until the latter was on the verge of asking exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I want a clear account of what happened after you left the camp," Karius finally said. "I’m not asking for names or secrets right now, but you disappeared just as an intruder entered our camp, and men went out looking for you without knowing whether they would find you alive or bring back your corpse."

He paused, allowing Ravian to absorb the weight of his words.

"And throughout all of that, I was sitting here worrying about what might have happened to my only disciple. Do you know how distressing that is for an old man in his final days?"

’Your final days, my ass! You’re healthier than I am.’

Ravian lowered his eyes to the food, then looked back at his master with an answer entirely different from the one in his head.

"I know," he said simply.

"No, I don’t think you do," Karius replied. "Perhaps you were busy surviving, or whatever else you were doing, and I’ll hear what happened before deciding on a suitable punishment."

"What? Punishment?!" Ravian asked in surprise.

"Of course, punishment. Did you think simply returning would spare you punishment for what you did?" Karius looked at him as though he were an idiot.

Ravian frowned. He disliked the commanding tone and felt that familiar tightening deep within his soul, but kept it from reaching his voice. He could argue about what he owed anyone, or how many times he had survived without help, yet the look in the man’s eyes made all those answers seem less useful than usual.

"I won’t leave the camp again without informing you," Ravian said, hoping that would reduce his punishment, or perhaps spare him altogether.

Unfortunately, growing up without a father in either life seemed to have left a few gaps in his reasoning. Men were not interested in promises that he would never do it again; that was how women handled things. Men punished him first, then told him not to repeat it, as Ravian would soon discover.

Karius watched him for several seconds, then nodded once.

"Good. But we’re not finished settling accounts."

’What? Wasn’t that enough already?!’

Though thoroughly annoyed, Ravian nevertheless reached for another bite. This was the best food he had tasted since arriving in this world, but the next question made him look up before the bread reached his mouth.

"What rank have you reached?"

This time, Karius was looking at the hand suspended in midair rather than his face.

"And don’t tell me what you want the guards to see."

’Huh?’ Ravian’s mind went blank for a moment, though his expression remained entirely unchanged. ’How did he find out? No, he’s guessing.’

’But... this might be an opportunity to bring up having him train me in magic and aura.’

Ravian had previously read in the library that advancing to the Ninth Rank caused a physical transformation, particularly if the Awakened had chosen the path of aura. That might now serve as a suitable explanation for the changes in his body.

But how would he reveal that he was a dual Awakened, capable of using both magic and aura?

He slowly set down the bread and hesitated for a moment before he stopped concealing his true presence. There was no need to change his face or body; he merely allowed the spiritual signature he had hidden to become perceptible within the room.

Karius’s eyes widened slightly.

"Ninth Rank?"

"As you can see."

The man rose from his chair, and Ravian’s muscles braced for a movement that never came; Karius remained behind the desk, studying him, before releasing a short breath and running a hand over his chin.

"A few weeks..."

His voice held none of the exuberant joy he had shown at the gate, but instead carried a seriousness that made Ravian leave the food alone this time and wait.

"Is that why your body has developed so much?" Karius asked. "Did you choose the path of aura?"

Ravian looked at his hands, remembering the stone that had cracked beneath his palm in the cave, then the chair he had needed to think about before sitting down.

"It’s developed more than it should have, apparently."

Karius watched him for a moment, then came around the desk and held out his hand.

"Squeeze."

Ravian took his hand and cautiously applied pressure, but his master’s fingers closed around his palm without any change in expression. He gradually increased his strength until Karius’s gaze settled on his face rather than their hands.

"Enough."

Ravian released him immediately, while the man continued looking at his palm before lowering it.

"Finish your food, then we’ll go to the training grounds."

Ravian frowned slightly.

"Now?"

"Yes, now," Karius said, a smile returning to his face that Ravian found far from reassuring. "I want to see how much of that strength you can actually use before I let you return to the squad."

Ravian remembered the guards at the gate and how easily he had imagined knocking them down, then looked at his master’s hand, which bore no sign of his grip.

’Well... at least he’s strong enough for me to train with, so I won’t have to worry about killing him with a slap.’

Reality would soon catch up with Ravian, and he would discover that he was the one who would truly need to defend himself during that hellish training session.