Chapter 59: Contact

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Contact

Jeremy let out a soft sigh, his eyes conveying a sense of utter speechlessness.

Alright, there truly was no grudge. It was just that this girl was simply insane... Jeremy truly didn’t understand what exactly made him worthy of having someone who ranked first in the solo tournament like Asaro clinging to him so relentlessly.

If Jeremy knew what it was about him that attracted these crazy people, he would definitely fix it immediately, thank you very much.

At the same time, the host wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, hastily rang the bell, and announced the results.

"I declare this round’s match over! The Genius Team of the Omnia Department takes the victory!"

The grandstand fell into an eerie silence for a few seconds before erupting into cheers, whistles, and thunderous applause. Amidst the clamor were a few grating voices carrying heavy sarcasm.

"Tsk, they lost, as expected. Bottom-tier trash will forever remain bottom-tier."

"Stop barking. If it were you up there, let’s see if you could even last three seconds."

"Exactly, just look at their lineup. Making it to the second round is already a miracle. The Eclipse Team’s cultivation realms are truly nothing to joke about."

"Yeah, but didn’t you find this match boring? Five Sacred Covenants facing five Spirit Covenants should have been a one-sided massacre. Yet it turned into a prolonged stalemate... It seems whether they rank first or last, freshmen are only at this level. Let’s just wait and see the year-end final exam."

"It’s a freshman match and you’re expecting heads to roll and blood to spill? You’re crazy."

The area below the arena.

Whether it was the Eclipse Team or the Genius Team, everyone tacitly turned a deaf ear to the noisy gossip. Aside from the two captains who had sustained heavy injuries, the condition of the other members was not life-threatening.

Asaro put away her scythe. Wearing a tattered, blood-stained uniform, Asaro walked toward the barrier. She glanced at Jeremy, who was leaning against the wall to catch his breath: "Your performance in the previous matches was excellent. If you were a Sacred Covenant bearer, perhaps you could have fought me to a draw in this match."

Her voice carried no emotion, making it unclear whether it was meant as praise or mockery.

Jeremy reached up to rub his throbbing temples, curling his lips into a smirk as he replied with the bare minimum of politeness: "Your strength has certainly opened my eyes, it was even more terrifying than I had imagined."

Asaro didn’t even bother to feign modesty. Her purple eyes held no contempt, yet they constantly exuded the innate, oppressive aura of someone standing at the pinnacle. Asaro half-closed her eyes:

"Since you know that, then next time, please go all out and leave yourself no route of retreat. I am very curious to see to what extent someone like you can grow. Perhaps in the future... you might actually have a chance to defeat me, who knows?"

Her tone was excessively mature and arrogant. Jeremy had the fleeting illusion that the person standing in front of him must be a decade older, when in reality, they were peers of the exact same age.

Jeremy smiled politely, his eyes curving into a courteous arc: "...I definitely will not disappoint your expectations."

Asaro brushed past his shoulder, her voice melting into the thin air: "I will be waiting."

Behind her, the four members of the Genius Team exchanged glances, gave a nod of greeting to Jeremy’s group, and hurriedly chased after their captain.

Jeremy withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes. Just as he was about to step out of the competition area to rest, his wrist was suddenly gripped tightly by a cold hand.

Jeremy paused and turned his head: "What are you doing?"

Jeremy glanced at Lucius, who had appeared right beside him at some unknown point.

"..." Lucius pursed his lips and did not answer.

Lucius’s gaze was glued to the dark red bloodstains dying Jeremy’s fingertips, the boy’s ice-blue pupils slightly unfocused. Just as Jeremy was about to forcefully pull his hand back, Lucius’s fingers unconsciously tightened their grip around Jeremy’s wrist as a reflex. The pressure alternated between loose and tight, rubbing against Jeremy’s feverishly hot skin.

Jeremy raised a brow. Just as he was about to tell Lucius not to act crazy, he heard Lucius speak in a low voice: "I just wanted to transfer some magic particles to you... aren’t you completely drained?"

"There’s no need for the trouble, I’ll recover after resting for a bit." Jeremy didn’t think this was a big deal and gave a slight tilt of his chin: "Let go."

"No." Lucius was being bizarrely stubborn today.

Jeremy: "..."

Noticing quite a few curious gazes directing their way from the surroundings, Jeremy couldn’t be bothered to argue with this temperamental guy. Ignoring the hand gripping tightly onto his wrist, Jeremy turned to signal the other three teammates: "Let’s head back to the Academy first."

The other three nodded: "Yeah."

At the Academy.

Jeremy was half-forced, half-pushed by Lucius straight into the infirmary. Because the internal injuries caused by the backlash were so severe, the treatment process did not conclude until the sun had set.

Throughout that entire time, Jeremy noticed that Lucius was constantly standing guard—no, rather, Lucius was clinging to him, refusing to leave his side for even half a step. A bizarre feeling lingered in Jeremy’s mind.

On the tree-lined path leading from the infirmary back to the dormitory.

The dim glow of the streetlights cast down, elongating the shadows of the two youths. Jeremy’s gaze shifted downward, landing on the slender hand with prominent knuckles currently wrapped around his wrist. Jeremy stayed silent for a long while before finally failing to hold back his question: "Do you realize you’re being exceptionally clingy today?"

Lucius walked closely beside him, his exquisite face remaining perfectly stoic as he replied in a nonchalant tone: "...It’s just an illusion caused by your severe injuries. I’ve always been like this."

"Hah..." A surge of curiosity swelled within Jeremy’s chest.

Although this guy usually hovered around him, Jeremy could clearly sense that Lucius was a neat freak who harbored an extreme aversion to physical contact.

Whether it was Jeremy or someone else, if anyone accidentally touched Lucius, he would immediately use Water magic to wash his hands, pull out a handkerchief to wipe them, or directly cast a purification spell over himself. Even though Lucius tried to act natural every single time, it happened so frequently that it was hard for Jeremy not to notice.

So why the sudden change in temperament today? Lucius hadn’t hesitated to get blood on himself, nor did he even bother to cast a purification spell. No matter how Jeremy thought about it, something felt undeniably off.

Jeremy suddenly stopped in his tracks and raised his arm.

Lucius’s hand, which was gripping Jeremy’s wrist, was pulled up along with it, yet the boy adamantly refused to loosen his hold by even a millimeter.

Jeremy shook his wrist, nonchalantly looking straight into Lucius’s eyes: "My magic power has recovered by now, so there’s no need for Your Highness to use the excuse of transferring magic particles to me anymore, is there? So why are you still holding on so tightly?"

"I..." Lucius slightly parted his lips, mumbling something under his breath. His voice was so faint, blending into the rustling of the wind, that Jeremy couldn’t hear it clearly at all.

Jeremy frowned: "I didn’t catch that. Say it again."

"..." Lucius lowered his eyes to look at him. Lucius’s gaze at this moment was as thick as dark ink—profound and veiled by a layer of unspeakable grievance and frustration. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

"I said... I can’t control myself."

Lucius finally let go of Jeremy’s wrist, reaching up to sweep back the platinum-blonde hair that the wind had blown messily across his forehead. His expression was a mix of irritation and sullenness, resembling a cornered beast.

"I just want to touch you. What am I supposed to do about it?"

Jeremy: "?"

This guy... was truly insane after all.