Different Treatment

Duke instinctively didn't want anyone to know that Thor, who had clashed with him, had been favored by Mentor Kazi.

"Then you can rest easy. He definitely won't pass the first test. Didn't you see how little Magic Power he had during Rune class? What good is it if someone like him learns quickly but can't cast Witchcraft?" Duoze had been snubbed by Thor, so his tone wasn't very friendly.

He even maliciously speculated, "From what Teacher Gudo said, apprentices who fail the test will definitely be punished. Maybe Thor will end up being sent back to work as a servant! Luoji, don't you think?"

"Huh? Yeah," Luoji replied glumly.

"Huh?" Jenna felt sorry for Thor again. "That does sound kind of pitiful."

"Yeah," Luoji immediately added.

Watching his friend sneak glances at Jenna, Duoze rolled his eyes inwardly.

Just as their conversation was in full swing, the door to Room 603 opened again.

The chatter fell silent at once.

Thor came out of the dormitory, went to Room 604 next door, knocked, and called Keli out. She had been bent over her studies inside.

"Are there new people in the tower?"

"Hm? Yes. Why? I didn't think you cared about that sort of thing." Keli still held a thick roll of parchment in her hands and stared at Thor in surprise.

"Is there an apprentice among the newcomers with a strong talent for the Dark Attribute?" Thor asked.

Keli spread her hands expressionlessly. The parchment struck the doorframe with a dull thud. "Do you think I care about that sort of thing?"

Thor couldn't help laughing at being shut down by Keli again.

"I thought you'd be interested in a new genius."

"We're already at different stages. We'll see when someone catches up." Keli raised an eyebrow at Thor and rested one hand against her chin. "You're interested in him. Want me to ask around?"

"No need."

Thor left with his arms folded, wearing an inscrutable expression. Keli was left standing there, baffled.

"What's he up to? Trying to torture me with curiosity?"

Keli pursed her lips and thought for a moment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone approaching, so she quickly retreated into her room and slammed the door shut.

Duke was firmly shown the door. The eager smile on his face instantly turned grim.

A burst of laughter erupted behind him. He clenched his fists, wishing he could smash down the dormitory door in front of him.

But everyone knew now that Keli was Mentor Gudo's favorite, and he often kept her by his side to teach her.

It was the kind of special treatment every apprentice dreamed of.

Rumors spread among the new apprentices that she would undoubtedly be the first to become a Level 2 Apprentice, and might even reach Level 3 soon.

Countless people wanted to get closer to Keli. Even a tiny bit of resources from her might be enough to help them survive test after test.

But for some reason, Keli seemed to have something wrong with her head. She only wanted to spend time with Thor.

All her cheerfulness and warmth were reserved for him alone.

This only deepened the newcomers' Resentment toward Thor.

But Thor, the one burdened with their Resentment, didn't care in the slightest.

Three thirty in the morning.

Thor suddenly opened his eyes. Chaos receded like the tide, and reason returned to his mind.

A few days ago, the servant George had given Thor a duty roster.

Today, it was Sid's lackey, Brown, who was scheduled to clean the corridor.

Thor quickly got dressed, took out the carefully stored Phantom Sound Pupil, and left the dormitory.

Brown, a head taller than Thor, pushed his cart along the slope of the West Tower, shivering.

Every so often, he raised a hand to tug his collar tighter.

The Wizard Tower wasn't cold, but a chill seemed to lurk everywhere.

Ever since that damned Thor had become a damned apprentice, Brown had been forced to take up corridor-cleaning duties again.

It was the most dangerous job among the servants. Some lasted only ten days, others several months, but someone always left in the early hours of the morning and never came back.

"George sure got lucky, licking Thor's boots so soon."

The Butler had assigned George other duties, so he wasn't part of the early-morning work rotation.

Now all the male servants knew that George had attached himself to Thor.

They immediately changed their tune and started treating George, who had once been bullied, like a big shot.

George slept on the right side of the communal dormitory, taking Brown's place.

Brown had fallen from favor, but no one actually dared bully him.

Still, he'd lost the privileged position he'd once held, and now had to take on many jobs he'd never been expected to do before.

Naturally, that put him at greater risk.

Fortunately, Brown wasn't completely without a trump card. He was confident he could make it back safely from the dangerous early-morning cleaning shift.

Since Thor had become an apprentice, the Level 2 Apprentice hadn't contacted Brown again, but he had once left Brown a life-saving item.

Brown tightened his collar again and casually touched the Little Fragrant Bead beneath it.

It was a translucent bead strung on a black cord, about the size of his thumb, with a little black bug sealed inside it like an insect in amber.

Brown didn't know what it was, but the Level 2 Apprentice had told him the Little Fragrant Bead could protect him from ordinary supernatural threats.

It was also an advance reward Brown had received for persecuting Thor.

Unfortunately, after Thor left, the Level 2 Apprentice hadn't wanted to openly look after Brown, much less take him on as a personal servant.

Otherwise, who would be afraid of George?

Even the Butler would have to greet him with a deferential smile.

Though he felt some regret, Brown still happily squeezed the Little Fragrant Bead. With this Witchcraft Item, he hadn't come away empty-handed.

The pleasant sense of superiority Brown had gotten from the Little Fragrant Bead didn't last long before the eerie atmosphere inside the Wizard Tower pressed it down again.

"When can I finally leave this damned place? If I'd known I'd be a servant forever, I'd never have... I'd have been better off going back to the village to farm."

Regret was a useless emotion. It only wore down his resolve.

Brown let out a long sigh and pushed his cart onward.

He kept quiet as he rounded the bend on the sixth floor.

Suddenly, a wheel got stuck in a crack between the stone bricks. No matter how hard he pushed, it wouldn't budge.

"What's going on?" Brown crouched down irritably, trying to lift the wheel free.

Just then, he saw a foot planted on the stone brick in front of the wheel.

A bare, skeletal little foot, pale and tinged with purple.

Then another foot, similar in appearance, came down beside it.

But this one had its heel facing Brown.

The opposite of the first foot.

He was seeing a ghost!!!

Brown forgot all about the cart. He yanked the Little Fragrant Bead from beneath his collar and held it above his head, squeezing his eyes shut as he prayed it would drive away the horror.

For a long while, nothing happened.

Brown cautiously opened his eyes a crack.

Every hair on his body stood on end.

Bare feet were standing all around him and the cart.

They were all arranged in pairs, one facing forward and the other backward, and no two looked alike. Some belonged to adults, some to children, and some to the elderly.

"Hah... hah..."

Even Brown's breathing began to tremble.

The scene before him was eerie.

But more terrifying than the eeriness was that Brown had seen this before.

When he was ten years old.

Barbarians had invaded his village and gathered together every living thing they could catch.

People and livestock alike had been cut in half, impaled on wooden stakes—one half facing forward, the other backward—and raised into the air.

I'm on the recommendation list today, but I've caught a cold. I feel awful.