Chapter 502: A Disliked Idea!
Chapter 502
Climbing up the stairs to the rooftop of the first-year building was Grey, and soon enough, he stood in front of a door.
Pushing it open, he walked out and found himself on a wide rooftop that was spacious enough for easy movement. The cool night air brushed against his skin, carrying with it the faint scent of fresh grass and dew.
He looked out below him and saw the night sky spread wide like a painted canvas.
Though he couldn’t see the city or the exact location where the academy was placed, he could still admire the massive stretch of the academy grounds.
From his vantage point, he noticed patrol warriors moving around, their figures lit by the faint glow of lanterns as they reinforced curfew.
"The night sky looks beautiful, right?" A voice suddenly spoke from behind Grey.
With a sharp yelp, he spun around, his heart thumping violently at the realization that someone had been standing there all along.
The figure hadn’t made a single sound when entering. It was so silent that if the stranger had wanted, Grey’s head could have been rolling across the ground by now.
’Shit! How on earth didn’t I detect a movement until he spoke? This shows that this person is strong. Dangerously so at that,’ Grey thought as he tried to calm his wildly beating heart.
"Wh... who are you? Show yourself." Grey ordered, his eyes narrowing at the shadows in front of him.
With a sigh, the figure stepped into view.
Seeing him, Grey’s eyes widened in shock. He instantly recognized the fellow in front of him, especially with the yellow band tied neatly on his forehead.
"Drake?" Grey called out in disbelief.
"Not Drake, you fool! It’s Duke." The man clicked his tongue in irritation as he glared at the warrior mage.
That’s right. This person was none other than the captain of Grey’s squad back in the Midnight Sun Clan—the same clan Grey had gotten into trouble with in his hometown. It was said that Captains were usually stage 6 warriors, and now, this powerful figure stood right in front of him.
"You sent the letter?" Grey asked with a raised brow, already guessing the answer.
"I needed to see you urgently. That’s why I sent the letter for you to come out." Duke replied with a firm nod.
"Wait a moment! How on earth did you even get into the academy?!" Grey asked, his voice heavy with confusion.
"Huh? Have you forgotten who I am? More like who we are?" Duke smirked faintly. "The Midnight Sun has connections across this whole continent, so getting in here was child’s play."
’Huh?! So they can just walk wherever they want to? Well... why am I even surprised? They act as the reinforcers of law across the continent, so... yeah, it’s understandable,’ Grey thought as he slowly nodded.
"So what do you want with me then? Why call me out so late?" He asked cautiously.
"I came to warn you." Duke’s tone suddenly turned sharp and heavy, leaving no room for doubt.
"Warn me? About what?" Grey asked, his brows furrowing deeper.
"Remember why we sent you to the academy?" Duke questioned, and the warrior mage nodded immediately.
Of course, he remembered. How could he forget? He had been sent here to hide from one of the three generals of the clan—a man who wanted him dead under the false belief that Grey was part of a terrorist organization.
"Well, bad news," Duke said flatly. "That general has found out you’re here in the academy."
The bombshell dropped, and Grey’s mouth hung open in shock.
"Holy hell!" Grey shouted, terror flooding through his veins.
"Yeah," Duke confirmed with a grim expression. "And in order to hunt you down, he’s sent some clan members undercover here to take you out. Now, I don’t know who’s real or fake. I don’t know if they’re students or instructors, but what I do know is that you should be extremely careful."
"Then why the hell am I here?!" Grey snapped, his voice trembling with frustration. "Wasn’t it to hide away from him and let the academy protect me? So what’s the point of being here now?!"
Grey almost screamed but forced himself to hold back. He clenched his fists tightly, making sure not to draw unnecessary attention to himself as the weight of Duke’s words sank deep into his chest.
Sigh!
Duke let out the breath as he shook his head slowly, his eyes narrowing as if he already expected the frustration Grey was about to feel.
"I still believe this is the safest place for you. So you should stay here if you want to live, because I’m sure those undercover members won’t dare to act out in public.
Doing so would give us a bad name, and the clan won’t risk that." Duke’s voice was calm, almost too calm for the gravity of his words. "The only way they’ll act is in private. So be utterly careful. One slip and you’ll end up dead before anyone notices."
"Well, how the hell do I even know who is real and who’s fake now?!" Grey asked, his voice heavy with irritation. He was stumped, his mind a mess.
Though he was growing stronger, the truth remained—he was still weak compared to the enemies lurking in the shadows. And right now, he had no clue how powerful those undercover members might be. They could be anyone.
"Hmm." Duke mumbled as he stroked his chin while staring at Grey every ten seconds.
He would open his mouth as if about to speak, then close it again. Over and over, like a cycle, while still stroking his chin.
This annoyed the warrior mage to no end.
"Would you just say what you want to say already?!" Grey thundered, his glare sharp enough to cut stone.
"There’s a way for you to know who is who," Duke finally admitted, "but I don’t think you would like it." He sighed and shook his head again.
"What is it? I might actually like the idea. Who knows?" Grey replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he shrugged, though the curiosity in his eyes betrayed him.
Duke just sighed again and shook his head as if disagreeing with himself.
"Nope. I’m sure you won’t like it at all."
"Are you me? Are you inside of me?" Grey snapped back angrily. "How the hell would you just conclude that I won’t like something without even telling me? This is my life we’re talking about here. So spit it out already, and I’ll decide for myself if it’s a good idea or a bad one."
"Fine." Duke finally relented with a heavy sigh. He raised his hand in resignation, like he was surrendering to Grey’s stubbornness. "The only way to know who is who... is by joining the Midnight Sun Clan."
"Yup. I don’t like this idea." Grey scoffed immediately. He didn’t even think twice before turning around and beginning to walk away.
"Figured," Duke mumbled under his breath, his lips twitching with the ghost of a smirk. But his voice rose louder almost instantly. "But listen to me!"
Grey didn’t stop. His footsteps echoed against the rooftop floor, steady and stubborn, until Duke’s hurried words froze him in place.
"If you join, you’ll be given a device. A special one. It alerts you whenever one of our agents is nearby, because their device would also beep, signaling that one of us is close. With it, you’d know exactly who’s real and who’s fake."
That did it.
The warrior mage stopped mid-step. Slowly, cautiously, he turned back around to face Duke. His expression was tight, skeptical, but also interested despite himself.
"I’m listening," Grey muttered with a sigh, his eyes narrowing as the weight of the decision pressed down on him.