Chapter 379: Deal [3]

"I mean... there should be something deeper in your relation with the headmaster, or why else would he go out of his way to call you someone who was close to him?"

"..."

"It was during the entrance ceremony... in case you don’t remember."

Diana’s words made me stop in my tracks, as I raised both of my brows in confusion.

"Why are you even this fixated on my relation with him? Even if he had been good to me, doesn’t mean that the headmaster would tell me everything... particularly anything about Noah’s punishment that he had not revealed to the academy."

I stated the facts, making Diana move even closer to me.

"Just call it a woman’s instinct. I feel like there is much more to your relation with him than what meets the eye."

Woman’s instinct...

I couldn’t help but be amused.

Every word uttered by Diana just went on to show how desperate she was to know about the actual reason behind Nemur’s gaze that had been focused on me.

Her every reaction was a boost to solidify my already existing notion about the parasite having no allies in the world to depend upon, which was why it didn’t want to take the risk of being revealed before the headmaster.

"I surely can’t comment on whatever your woman instincts are, but... haa... you could say that the headmaster is a bit more protective of me."

The moment I completed my sentence, I could notice Diana’s entire body slightly tense up, as if the conversation had finally hit the mark that she had been aiming for.

"I knew it! He should have been training you in secret, which must be the very reason for your monstrous strength and combat expertise even before coming to the academy."

Diana’s voice turned energetic as she jumped at the same place in joy at being able to confirm some assumption of hers.

At the same time, the girl pulled me along with her, resulting in me having to force her to stay at the same place, before beginning to walk away, as the people around us had now taken more interest in the scene before their eyes.

"He had never trained me... it’s just that recently the headmaster had asked me whether I was in some kind of danger or something."

"..."

"He said his instincts were warning him about the danger being somewhere close to me, which was why he had also been focusing his ’Gaze’ on me... or whatever he meant by saying that word."

"..."

Silence.

For some reason I felt like the entire market had turned quiet, but moving my eyes across the place, the people around me were still engaged in their work, talking amongst themselves.

It wasn’t like I couldn’t hear them... but more like I wasn’t allowed to hear them.

I... I was cut off from the world around me in a literal sense—

"Did Nemur say who... the danger was?"

A subdued voice asked from the side—

No one?

There was no one at my side.

The realization increased my heartbeat for some reason, but I didn’t let it affect my sense of logic.

Diana... where was she—

"Tell me, kid... did Nemur talk about me?"

The voice was now far more subdued than before... and somehow it resonated within my soul.

’Nemur hadn’t talked about anyone, it was me who had talked about you.’

Huh?

I felt compelled to speak the truth... to redeem myself for the sin of lying before her presence—

"Tell me?"

The voice spoke again, and within a moment I found myself in a dark purple expanse surrounding me on all sides.

It felt like I was in the middle of a purple sea, and above my head... there was a sea as well.

The entire world around me was dyed in purple... the very darkest shade of the colour I had ever seen.

It was eerie... it was soothing...

I—

"I am listening, kid... tell me everything you know."

My breath quickened as I gasped for more air to enter my lungs.

At the moment I felt like my soul was being torn apart from within... like I had to answer the question or else, I would be—

"The headmaster..."

The words left my mouth before I knew it, making me feel a sense of wrongness—

Wrong?

Why would there be anything wrong with it?

It was only right for me to speak here, and... now.

No... it wasn’t only right... it was my duty to speak... it was my obligation—

Hm?

I suddenly felt a warm sensation around my abdomen along with my mana core responding to it, but I didn’t put much thought into it, because... I had to rectify my mistake.

"The headmaster... had... asked me about... cough cough—"

Each word for some reason felt a lot more difficult to utter, and before I knew it I began to cough violently... my knees bent themselves as my palms touched the ground below—

The sea of purple spread below me.

"Easy there... tell me and your pain shall pass..."

The voice had turned a little softer before returning to its original as it echoed in the world of purple... each word uttered resonating deep within my soul.

I felt like it was my inner voice talking to me—

Maybe it was...

It was my voice... haa... why was I being on guard against it?—

Stupid me.

The voice... it felt lonely...

I had to answer it... to embrace it.

The warm sensation around my abdomen had intensified more than before, but my mind couldn’t process the reason behind it, though... I felt the mana from my core being pumped to the given area.

But... I wasn’t the one controlling it—

Then who—

"Did Nemur hint at my arrival?"

The voice asked once again.

It felt oddly familiar, yet I couldn’t trace its source... and... it also felt like it was... echoing... in... my... soul—

My thoughts...

They...

Were... slow—

"HOW DARE YOU!"

BOOM!

The world cracked and so did my vision—