Arad sighed, mentally exhausted. His wives kept it in moderation, and when Jack got drunk, it wasn’t this bad.

He looked down, seeing Matilda still latched to his leg. It was almost three hours, and she only got drunk. Each time she gets sober a bit, she makes another stamina potion, gulp it down as a test, and gets even more hammered.

“Aron! Say… ARON!” She rubbed her face on his leg, latching onto his clothes with her claws.

“Everyone, this is all for today. Please keep the recipes in mind. You’ll need to use them as a base to make stronger potions. And might be in your tests.” Lucia looked at them with a smile.

“Teacher, take her away from me.” Arad pointed at Matilda.

Lucia approached him, extending her hand to Matilda.

Matilda hissed at her, swinging her claw, and Lucia barely dodged. “Oh, my. She’s feisty.” She looked at Arad. “Aron, can you take her to the girl’s dorm?”

“Why me?” Arad stared at Lucia.

“Matilda is the second strongest, and you’re the first. She’ll hurt other students if they try carrying her.” Lucia looked at him with a smile.

“Don’t give me that. You carry her with magic.” He growled.

“I have paperwork. Take her to the entrance of the girls’ dorm. She should be sober by then.” Lucia waved her hand, disappearing in a puff of silver mist.

Arad looked at Matilda, then turned toward one of the cabinets. “You as well.” He growled, “Come here, or you’ll stay alone. All night long, in a strange land.”

The cabinet door slowly opened, and Selina walked out, covering her face with her large wizard hat.

Arad walked toward Matilda and Selina’s stuff and packed them up. He then lifted Matilda like a bag of rice on his shoulder and extended his hand to Selina. “Let’s go.”

Selina hesitated.

“Make a conscious decision. I know you’re scared of me, but I’m certain you know I would’ve already hurt you if I wanted. So… Trust?” He glared at her.

“Trust…” She took his hand as he walked with her hiding behind him all the way outside the building.

CLACK! CLACK! Arad slowly turned his head, Seeing Jack, Lydia, and the girls walking toward them. “Arad!” Jack waved his hand, and Selina latched to Arad’s back.

Jack tilts his head, “Ahh, she’s scared of me…”

“What’s going on?” Aella asked.

“Matilda got drunk on failed stamina potions and that teacher Lucia asked me to take her to the girl’s dorm.” Arad replied as he looked at Matilda’s giggling face.

“Lydia, can you help her?” Aella asked.

Lydia pointed at Eris, “It was today’s class, try it on her.”

“You mean the detoxification spell? I burned every monster.”

“Look at her, do you mind burning her a bit?” Lydia pointed at Matilda.

Eris smiled. “A charred kitty.” She extended her hand forward, Detoxification

With a bright light, a ray of holy magic hit Matilda, engulfing her in a cleansing brilliance.

“Damn it, why did it have to work well now?” Eris growled, feeling that her spell worked.

“Probably since Arad is carrying her, and you don’t want to burn him.” Mira poked her.

“I’m not.” Eris cried.

Mira giggled as she turned toward Arad, “Thank you for saving me earlier, and everyone else.”

“You noticed it was me?” Arad smiled.

“Who else could move like that? Gojo won’t touch me, I bet he would’ve handled it differently.” She giggled.

“You’re right. And Tempo is too loud.” He shook Matilda, “Wake up, drunk tigress.”

Matilda slowly opened her eyes, rubbing them as she grunted. “Where am I?”

Merida approached her, “Somewhere.” She replied.

“That isn’t an answer.” Matilda growled as she looked around, realizing she was on Arad’s shoulder as he carried her like a bag of rice.

“Put me down!” She gasped, and Arad threw her to the ground. TAP! She landed on all four.

“Be gentle with the ladies!” She hissed back at him.

Aella approached her. “You’re fine, cats always fall on their legs.”

“I’m a tigress!”

Selina rushed to hide behind Matilda, now she had no use for Arad.

“Where is everyone else?” Arad asked.

“They still have another hour to go, or left an hour before us.” Jack replied, “You know where they are, don’t you?”

“I’ve lost track of Abel when I tried to save Mira.” Arad looked at Jack.

“Ah! Don’t worry about that idiot. He went to explore the town of Croc hut.” Jack pointed south.

“No wonder I didn’t sense him inside the university’s land.” The moment Arad extended his magic sense to the town, he could sense Abel there.

“Jack.” Lydia looked at them, “We’ll go back to the dorm, Sara should be waiting there with Sena and Selica. We have some homework to do, take care.”

As the girls left, Arad and Jack found a bench in the middle of the yard and sat.

“AHHH!” A teacher growled on the other side of the yard, “Jack! There you are!” She rushed to them. “And Aron…Good, can you help me talk with him?” She looked worried.

“Count me out.” Arad looked away.

“Come on! Jack doesn’t listen to anyone, you two look like friends. You can convince him, it’s for his own good.” She looked at Jack.

“Why do you have to bother me?” He sighed.

“You’re the top student and got full marks in the entrance exam. What do you think you’re doing skipping the first day of school?” She growled.

Jack didn’t attend any of the classes.

“I don’t want to. And I probably won’t show until after tomorrow.” He looked at her with a smile.

“That won’t do! You have to attend, getting full marks in the entrance exam doesn’t mean you don’t need to learn anything. You have to present.”

Jack sighed, “Just sit down, teacher Aliminia.”

As the teacher set beside them, Jack put one leg on the other and whistled to the sky.

“What are you doing?” She glared at him. “Aron, tell him!”

“Don’t involve me.” Arad looked away.

As Jack looked at the sky, a pigeon flew toward him and landed on his hand. She had a letter tied to her leg.

“That was quick.” Jack smiled, taking the letter off and sending the pigeon away.

“What was that?” Aliminia asked.

Jack lifted the small folded letter between two fingers and looked at Arad, “Fire please.”

Arad lifted a finger, creating a candle flame.

“I still don’t know what’s written inside. Stop bothering me, and I’ll burn it.” He smiled.

“What is written there.” She stared a the paper intensely.

“Information about you, the things you don’t want anyone to know.” Jack waved the paper.

“Who will even get you such a thing? Stop fooling around and come to classes.”

“I won’t tell you anything about my sources.” Jack mumbled with a passive face. It was Abel in the city.

“Stop messing around. You’re here to study, aren’t you?” She glared at him.

Jack opened the paper, “Big words from you, is it a side hustle? Working at the brothel in Croc?” He said with a passive, “And a freaky one at that. Not like your family is poor or anything, and you have a husband and children as well.”

She froze in place.

“It’s always easy to get dirt on people.” He turned toward her, staring at her terrified face. “See here, it says one out of five. I wonder what other heinous ** you have done in your life?”

“I thought you were hailed as the hero chosen by the holy blade.” She growled, “And with such talent, why swoop so low?”

“Talent? Hero? What are those, are they delicious?” He threw the paper into Arad’s flame. “I’m a rogue, don’t forget that. Rather than use your mouth to talk about my talent, go use it for your talent down in the brothel.” He glared at her. “I have work tomorrow, so I’ll attend after that.”

“What would you do knowing that?” She asked.

“Nothing as long as you steer clear of my way. If you kept pressing me, the whole city would know. I doubt you’ll stay in this university to press me any longer.” He leaned back, “Leave.”

She stood and rushed away.

“Don’t do it.” Arad stared at him.

“I won’t. She can’t force me to attend anyway. This is just me showing her that it’s bad to try and strongarm a rogue into owning her favors. It’s a long story.”

“So it’s more than her trying to drag you to class.” Arad smiled.

“How about you? Won’t you tell me to go study? I’ll skip tomorrow as well.” Jack smiled.

Arad looked around. “Seeing this…how could I tell you to study?” As Arad’s eyes looked around.

Jack giggled, “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

Half of the university’s premise was covered in Jack’s deadly traps, bombs beneath the ground, wires between the tiles, poison gas, weapons, and material staches, blackmailed people, and stolen rare and deadly magic items.

Like a spider, in a day, Jack turned half the university into his domain, a deadly trap. He intends to finish the work tomorrow, making the entire place into one massive trap.

“Are you going for a war here or something?”

“It’s a new environment, I need to be ready. Unlike you, I don’t have any talent or powerful magic, my class also doesn’t provide anything besides cheap tricks. I need to prepare.” Jack extended his hand to Arad.

“How much did this thing cost?”

“Three hundred gold coins for today, and I’ll need around four hundred tomorrow.” Arad sighed. “My pocket hurts.” He gave Jack a bag full of gold.

“Thank you, boss.”

“Say, Jack. How effective this whole place is? I doubt you can stop me.”

Jack started thinking, “Boss, you and your brother are too heavy and fast, I can’t catch you. Like a bird can’t get stuck in a spider’s web. AH! Also, I doubt I can stop Tempo.”

“So everyone else? Even Eris?”

Jack smiled, “She’ll burn half of my traps down. But honestly, I’m confident that I can kill her. Even with her regeneration.”

“I’m glad you’re on my side.” Arad could remember how Jack fought the incubus before, the lich, and more. He’s always terrifying when prepared.

“Well, I wanted to ask you for another favor.” Jack turned toward Arad, “About that girl Selina.”

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