Plotting

"But... you escaped, didn't you?"

Catherine's voice sharpened. "And you even found some way to save Beatrice... Do you have any idea how important she is to me?"

It seemed this "witch" couldn't fully control the shadows or monitor them in real time.

Sulu felt a sudden wave of relief, but put on an angry expression. "That still doesn't justify trying to murder me, then pinning it on me... And you launched another attack last night. I can take that as a declaration of war against me and the people backing me!"

Don't think I'm all alone. I've got people behind me, too.

Sulu, born into a family of Witch Hunters, thought rather smugly.

"Last night's attack... That's exactly why I came to see you today!" Catherine stared at Sulu. "Where did you find the Gulam Script? You should know that fools often covet things that don't belong to them, and bring disaster upon themselves."

So it was about that...

Sulu sighed inwardly.

That little scatterbrain Molly had gone straight back and spilled the secret.

Even if she hadn't meant to, it was enough to get someone killed. Besides, she might not have done it accidentally at all!

"My family passed it down to me. Is there a problem?"

Sulu, of course, wouldn't admit anything about the sewers. He simply said it outright.

"Your family?"

A trace of suspicion appeared on Catherine's face.

"That's right... You can look into it. The Portley Family is an extraordinary family that serves the Goddess of Light!"

Sulu sounded completely confident.

In truth, if Catherine really spent a lot of time and effort investigating, she would discover that although the Portley Family did exist, it had fallen into extreme decline. There were only a handful of them left in this generation.

"I'll look into it... If everything checks out, I'll offer you an 'apology' for what happened last night!"

Catherine winked at Sulu.

Her astonishing charm left Sulu staring for a moment.

This was no ordinary beauty. It was a supernatural allure that tugged at the mind.

That made him even more wary inside, though he put on a textbook lecherous expression. Thanks, Sean. When it came to this stuff, all I had to do was follow his lead.

No, I have to act right away!

After watching Catherine leave, Sulu's expression immediately darkened.

The meeting had gone fairly well.

At least he'd learned a lot, and had temporarily fooled Catherine with a mixture of truth and lies.

But that woman definitely wouldn't let the matter drop.

Since even Catherine thinks Beatrice is still alive, I can contact the authorities and have them crack down on evil! Sulu let out a long breath. There's just one thing... Is there something on Beatrice that Catherine absolutely needs? Or does she gain something by killing her?

Sulu looked at the people walking nearby, puzzled.

He had already finished his studies, and would be kicked out of school by the end of July at the latest. He had no classes to hold him back.

After waiting a little, he headed straight to the Combat Club.

"You?"

Angelia greeted him, visibly surprised.

"I'm here to see your club president. We already arranged it." Sulu's expression was blank.

"I know. The president told me. Please, follow me!"

Angelia led the way, lowering her voice as she went. "How did you convince the president yesterday? Today's sparring session has been canceled."

"Classified."

The corner of Sulu's mouth lifted slightly. He hadn't expected Donald to be so efficient.

On the second floor of the Combat Club was Donald's private office. It wasn't large, but it was tastefully decorated. A mounted deer head hung on the wall.

Donald sat behind the desk, resting his chin on his hand as if pondering some difficult problem.

When he saw the two come in, he smiled. "Welcome, Sulu! Angelia, could you step outside for a moment?"

Angelia clearly wanted to stay, but under Donald's gaze, her cheeks turned a little red, and she left.

This female instructor seems to like the club president, Donald... That's normal, considering he's good-looking and capable!

Sulu watched silently, drawing his own conclusions.

The mahogany door shut tightly with a click. Donald stood up and picked up a silver coffee pot from the side. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Thanks!"

Sulu took the cup and sipped the rich, slightly bitter coffee. "We need to have a proper talk about the supernatural and your teacher!"

That was what they had agreed on the previous night.

"If you're hoping to get help from my teacher, I'm sorry..." Donald made a helpless gesture. "I can't get in touch with him right now, either."

"I've identified the people who attacked us last night, but the question is, what do we do next?" Sulu set down his coffee cup. "I'm a law-abiding citizen of the Federation. I can't do anything illegal!"

St. George University was funded by the Church of the Goddess of Light and had deep roots. Sulu couldn't believe they wouldn't be able to deal with one or two low-level supernatural beings.

If he went after them himself, things could get out of hand. If that caused a mess, they would both end up losing.

"Of course. We're still students, after all!"

Though he silently grumbled to himself, Donald still agreed. "I thought about it all night. The two of us can't take on two supernatural beings by ourselves! We need outside help. Do you have any connections?"

"I might be able to ask my family for help, but they're too far away."

Sulu brought up his family again to intimidate him, making it seem like he had powerful backing.

He also kept quiet about having already asked for help, and that Rhode might soon be arriving in Nia City.

It was his usual habit to keep one trump card in reserve.

"Your family? The Portley Family?"

Donald tapped his forehead, as if trying to remember something. Then a wry smile crossed his face. "You're right... We don't know whether the attackers will strike again, so we have to hit back as soon as possible! I have some connections. I can get in touch with the university's higher-ups. If everything goes smoothly, we'll have good news this afternoon."

"That's great."

Sulu had another reason for not reporting it himself: there was no way to explain it.

Was he supposed to tell the police that some woman controlled shadows and tried to murder him? They'd probably send him for a psychiatric evaluation right away.

But with Donald's connections, things were different.

At that thought, he looked at Donald. "Forgive me for asking, but why? I can't help feeling... you're going out of your way to help."

"It seems the attackers are probably after you," Donald said with a smile, taking a sip of coffee. "As for why I'm helping you, I already told you. I want to become a supernatural being! And chances like this don't come around often!"

Thank you to Assassin Latiao Qiyuan for becoming a Lord of the Alliance! And thanks to Yuan, Silent Blossoms Falling and Blooming, Why Ask the Heavens, Book Friend 20190520083435563, RLB88, Codename Three Rogues, Jiabao55wang, Navigation Academy Student, Han Champion Marquis Huo, and all the other fans for your support.

Since this is a new book, the bonus chapters will be posted after it goes on sale. I wanted to make that clear.