Scarlet
After the sparring, I take a quick shower before calling it a night. But the next morning, I’m woken up by the sound of loud footsteps entering my suite.
I rub my eyes as I sit up in my bed, more than a little annoyed at being woken up. Again. For the third time since coming here. Out of three nights.
It’s not a robot this time, as robots don’t have footsteps. They simply roll in or hover over the ground.
Which means it’s someone with the clearance to enter my suite. And I can only think of a few people who would likely have that clearance…
Soon enough, I hear Allen shouting while banging on my door, not daring to open it when I could be undressed or something.
“Scarlet! Wake up right now and explain to me why the fucking hell you thought it would be a good idea to fight a demon knight over fifty levels above you!!!!”
Oh.
I scowl at the door.
He’s just mad about that.
I glance down at myself to find that I’m wearing a tank top and shorts before muttering, “It’s too early to deal with this.” Then I glance at the clock to find that it’s six AM, only to look up at the door through sleep filled eyes and call back, “Come back in a few hours!”
“Come back in… what?! You can’t just ignore this, young lady!” he shouts, but I’m already going back under the sheets and using my pillow to cover my ears.
Then I fall back into the comfortable confines of sleep.
Several hours later
I groan as I climb back to my feet from the mat, only to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Maybe going back to sleep was a bad idea.
My gaze goes towards the still-irate man who’s been beating me up since I woke up in something that he calls ‘sparring.’ Which in reality, is nothing like the sparring I did with Sylver. This is more just him teaching me while using the chance to take his anger out on me.
Or is it the other way around?
Well either way, he’s certainly enjoying our combat lessons with way too much vigor.
“You too weak to move on? Or was that level fifty-three demon knight just sitting there for you to kill?” Allen taunts me, making a vein throb in my forehead as I rush at him again. “Wrong.” Only to be knocked flat on my ass again by Allen. “You leave too many openings, not to mention that you forgot to use your skills entirely in that attack. Try again.”
I want. To punch. Him. Soooo badly!!
After a second of life draining him, which he learned about through Sylver and decided to use to lengthen our lessons, I climb back to my feet again and enter a ready stance, just like he and Sylver taught me.
“Good. Now again!” he shouts, and I burst forward to attack.
A good five hours straight of pain later, I find myself barely dragging my sore body into the cafeteria where I order two of everything on the menu. Because using so much blood magic was quite possibly the most hunger inducing thing I’ve ever done.
It doesn’t help that he didn’t let me have much time for lunch earlier either.
Also, is it just me, or is everyone sending me looks of pity?
I look around for a second to find everyone hurriedly turning away and focusing on their food.
My eyes narrow.
Definitely something going on here, but I’m too tired to figure out what.
I sit at what’s become my regular table in the corner before lying my head on the table as I wait for my food to arrive. And only a few seconds later, I hear footsteps approaching. But at the same time, I don’t smell any food. So I raise my head to see who it is, just to find Michael approaching me without any food or anything, really. And he’s still in his uniform.
“Why do you always wear your uniform?” I mutter while resting my head on my arms on top of the table.
Michael looks down for a second before looking at me and answering, “Well, the status it grants me when I’m out of the Association and the university campus. That and the magi-tech in it.”
I blink in surprise, raising my head slightly.
“It has magi-tech?” I mutter, a little bit more curious about the uniform.
The nature magic Guardian looks at me surprised for a second before answering, “Yeah. You didn’t know? Silver Works makes the uniforms.”
My mouth parts open slightly for a second before closing again.
“Oh.” I mutter, only for the sound of food, err, the waiter approaching to grab my attention away from the man.
Somewhere in the corner of my mind I hear him chuckling as I quickly begin digging into my food the moment it’s placed in front of me.
I can ask Allen later what the magi-tech in the uniforms do. For now, filling my empty stomach is more important.
Time seems to freeze as I practically devour all of the food in front of me before I make my way through towards my suite. And after sluggishly closing and locking the entrance, I walk over to my room, then flop on my bed, not bothering with a shower this time, instead using clean. Because that would be more effort, and we can’t have that.
I let out a sigh of relief the moment my face hits the pillow, and I don’t even bother taking my jacket off to sleep, just like the first day I got here.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Tar appearing and tugging the blanket over me.
“Thank you…” I mutter, my eyes drooping before fully closing.
The number of times he told me not to push myself, and now he’s doing this to me?
Must be karma.
It’s got to be.
“Just go to sleep,” Tar says as I feel him lying next to me. So I hug him while going to sleep.