Under the cover of night, the central courtyard of the dormitory was silent and empty.
Most of the new students were out celebrating the conclusion of the class placement exam at the commercial street or in their dorm rooms, making this the perfect place for a secret meeting.
Annie gently placed the pitch-black ring and the shattered glass vial that had once held the beast pheromone onto the stone table.
She did not sit down, but instead stood quietly at Lomew’s side, like a squire awaiting judgment.
“This really is exquisite.”
Lomew’s gaze didn’t go to the ring he’d spent all afternoon searching for, but instead landed on the small broken bottle.
Even though it was already shattered, the remaining six-sided facets of the bottle and the intricate crest stamped on the bottom all spoke of its great value.
Not even on the black market would anyone use it as mere packaging for a vial of low-grade beast pheromone.
Was this Beatrice’s handiwork again?
Reviewing the events of the placement exam, Lomew remembered that before the beast horde, only her team had come close.
And recalling the last harsh words she’d left—inviting him to join her party, carry her bags—well, the answer was obvious.
“So that’s how the plot logic fits together…”
Comparing it with his memory, Lomew finally understood.
So many of those confusing, seemingly random scenes and crises the writers never bothered to clarify had, in fact, already run through a full cycle of logic behind the scenes.
This was also proof that the path he’d chosen to survive was correct—there was no way a woman would approach him for no reason!
“This bottle… I think I’ve seen it before.”
Annie gathered her courage, trying to share her thoughts:
“The senior alchemists, I think they all use this kind of bottle for storing volatile materials.”
“Oh? That makes things interesting…”
Prompted by Annie, Lomew matched it with his game memories.
Beast pheromone was indeed a type of alchemy material, but not a low-grade one—it probably required a Tier 4 alchemy card to use.
And because of its dangerous nature, it had long been prohibited for private sale within the duchy; it required paperwork, or could only be obtained more easily within the Academy.
How had Beatrice gotten her hands on this?
“Senior alchemists… and willing to sell materials under the table?”
A few SSR keywords flashed through his mind. After filtering them, a certain blue-green-haired figure began to take shape.
Could it be her?
Sylvia?
But wasn’t she supposed to be a lifelong business rival of the Cromwell family?
Suppressing his suspicions for now, Lomew took the ring and the broken vial. With a twist of his wrist, he stored them into the Talent Tree.
The most important thing now was to continue boosting Ancat’s favorability, complete the next level up, unlock new skills, and open the Dreamsea Chamber.
Knowing the plot and character settings, Lomew was sure that as long as he kept pushing the credit loan plan, he’d eventually cross paths with Sylvia.
By then, this piece of “evidence” would be very useful indeed.
Lomew’s gaze swept the surroundings.
The courtyard at night was dim and silent.
Nearly all the freshmen were off celebrating their success in the class placement exam—not a soul in sight.
This was the perfect opportunity to use his Charisma Aura and draw closer to his teammates.
“Your intel is crucial, Annie.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear in Annie’s ears, carrying a strange, magnetic quality.
“Looks like someone has already started targeting our team.”
“And this ring—it’s a personal belonging that Mentor Ancat dropped. It’s vital to me. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably have to dig around that trash heap for days.”
Lomew took a half-step forward.
That half-step was enough for his figure to completely envelope Annie.
He leaned forward slightly so their eyes met, and said each word slowly and clearly:
“Thank you. You’ve really helped a lot.”
Thump—!
Annie’s mind went completely blank. Something inside her chest was struck hard.
The insects’ chirping, the distant hubbub, even the stinging scent coming from him—all of it was blotted out in this moment.
He was clearly dressed in the shabbiest coarse linen, his face smeared with stains that could’ve been mud or oil, looking as disheveled as a scavenger crawling out of the gutter.
Yet, when he looked at her so earnestly and sincerely said “thank you”—
All Annie could see in his eyes was her own reflection.
“Your Highness…”
She murmured softly; she had only ever seen this look in one other person’s eyes.
“Why be so formal?”
Lomew collected his aura, returning to his usual demeanor.
So this was the Charisma Aura?!
Only a few seconds in, and she’s already pledging allegiance?
“No wonder the me from my past life was called the King of Harems. This effect is absurd.”
With this test, Lomew understood—this ability was pure poison for women!
“My apologies, Lord Lomew…”
Addressing him that way, Annie felt a rush of heat to her cheeks.
Shameless!
If it had been before today, Annie would’ve slapped herself for using such an honorific to anyone but His Highness.
But after seeing how Lomew strove for the team, even willing to scavenge through garbage to achieve his goals, and then gently guiding her step by step…
“No need for titles. We’re all students. We should be equals by birth.”
Noticing her confusion and shame, Lomew seized the chance to press forward:
“Let’s work together from now on, Annie.”
“Y-yes! Please take care of me!”
Plop.
She was clearly smiling, but the instant the words left her mouth, a single clear tear welled up and fell from her eye, blurring her vision before dropping to the ground.
“Sorry, I—I’ll excuse myself now!”
Not forgetting to lift her skirt and curtsy, Annie took a step back, melting into the night of the courtyard and disappearing from view.
The sound of her hurried, panicked footsteps faded into the distance, and the courtyard was quiet once again.
“Too easy.” Lomew stretched lazily.
So this is what it means to be a master cat-tamer!
Finally, he wouldn’t have to be constantly watched and doubted by her anymore!
Another annoyance resolved!
“Lomew!”
At the call, Lomew turned around. Cavniel was just passing by the corridor, seemingly searching for something and looking slightly agitated.
“What is it?”
“Annie, have you seen Annie?”
Kalenina couldn’t care less about decorum at the moment.
She hadn’t given any orders, yet Annie had suddenly disappeared for the entire afternoon—a situation she’d never dared imagine.
Was I too harsh with her?
Thinking back to scolding Annie in the woods and defending Lomew, Kalenina couldn’t stop her mind from spinning with worry.
Even if she had to face an examiner, she had to get to the bottom of what had happened to Annie.
Others might not know, but if it was Lomew…
He definitely already knew Annie’s whereabouts!
“Ah, I spoke with her for a bit. Thanks to her, I found the teacher’s lost belonging.”
Lomew was generous with his praise.
“Frankly, she’s wasted as just a maid. Her abilities are much greater than that.”
He’d searched for ages and found nothing, yet Annie had located it in one try!
With luck like that, who wouldn’t be amazed?
A wasted talent?
Countless possibilities flashed through Kalenina’s mind, and combining it with Annie’s “disappearance” this afternoon, she arrived at the most reliable conclusion.
It wasn’t just a test for one person, but rather the secret cultivation of the entire team?
From what Lomew just said…
It seemed Annie did rather well in this “test”?