CHAPTER 838: THE INHERITOR’S SANCTUARY

A strangled gasp escaped Adam’s throat when he pushed the door of the mysterious room open. Teacher Louis was not waiting for them in the silent corridor of the Reward Hall. The grooves engraved in the walls didn’t emit their soft lights either. But that was only true because the corridor wasn’t there at all.

Instead, wide-eyed, he watched Quintella lean over his desk. Tongue tucked over her upper lip in a mischievous grin, she dipped her gray quill in ink, then scratched the parchment in broad strokes. Bao imitated her, drawing smaller letters with her tiny paws.

The scent of ink, the neatly made bed, the distant discussions drifting through the window, and the clear light of the sun—this was his room as he had left it this morning.

But... How?

"Huh?" Desmond’s arm trembled around Adam’s shoulder as he let out the breath he had been holding in a confused gasp. "The pipsqueak?"

"Hmm?" Drawn by his voice, Quintella turned toward him. Her eyes widened as she pointed an accusing finger at Desmond. "The Sleep Wrecker!"

She covered her pursed lips when she saw Adam, her eyes watering at the recovering burns tarnishing his usual smooth skin. "Big brother! What happened?"

The inkpot spilt as she rushed to him, her hurried steps muffling the slow drip of ink that pooled on the floor. Bao followed, whimpering sadly at her second favorite human’s state.

Adam caught them both in a gentle hug, patting their trembling backs. But his eyes were locked with Desmond’s. They shared the same silent confusion for a moment before he chuckled. "Well. We’re out."

Desmond puffed out his chest with air as relief crashed onto him like a tsunami. "YAHOOO!"

"Shut up, Desmond! Actually continue. These will be your last screams."

"Damned bastard is at it again. Was last year’s beating not enough to make you stop?"

As Adam clicked his tongue and Quintella covered her ears, furious screams erupted around the room. But Desmond simply raised his palms and chuckled. "Had to let it out. At least it confirms we’re not caught in an illusion. I doubt Teacher Louis would have bothered to create more than your room."

Looking behind him, he scratched his head. The mysterious room was still there. So were the carcass of the colossal golem, the torn red carpet, and the crater in the middle of ruined slabs. "Makes no sense, but I could use a warm meal before speculating about... well, anything." He seized Adam up, adding. "I’ll ask Teacher Magna for a new uniform."

Quintella slapped her fist against her palm, snorting. "How about eating my fist, sleep wrecker?"

Adam nodded at Desmond while patting her head. "A new uniform sounds good. Leave the meal for after we return to the Reward Hall."

With a wave of his hand, warm water condensed around Desmond’s face, cleaning the sweat and grime. Once more or less presentable, the teenager stumbled outside, his heavy steps vanishing into the noisy corridor of the dorm.

Left alone, Quintella pulled back from the hug, her voice shaking as her hand brushed against the half-healed burns on his stomach. "Do you feel okay, big brother? This stupid Sleep Wrecker. I’m sure it’s all his fault."

"I’m fine. I promise." He lifted her with a suppressed grimace, then placed her behind his desk.

While comforting her, he returned to the door he had emerged from—his closet. He closed the plain wooden door, and when he thought about the closet interior, it appeared. However, when he pictured the red carpet surrounded by four square pillars, the mysterious room took its place.

Had the mysterious room sent him back to his own because he had joked about entering it through the closet? Something this whimsical surely couldn’t happen.

"Anyway. You should stop hanging out with Desmond. Everyone says he’s trouble." Quintella’s slightly reprimanding tone cut through his thoughts.

"He helped me a lot today." He sank on his sofa, rubbing Bao’s back. "I know it’s hard to forgive anyone who touches your beauty sleep, but you’ll see that underneath the screams and arrogance, he’s better than most—someone I can trust with my secrets."

"If you say so..." Quintella twisted her lips reluctantly, her gaze shifting with fake interest to the toppled bottle of ink. She picked it up, then focused on her parchment, muttering, "I still don’t like him."

A silence broken by her unsteady scribble settled. Adam shook his head, lips curved in a wry smile. He massaged his tense shoulder, finally relaxing.

Bao jumped on his other shoulder, pressing on it with her tiny paws.

"Aren’t you a smart one?" he chuckled. "Can’t say I dislike it."

While he recovered in silence, he picked up the grimoire he had gotten after defeating the female golem. The thick cover met his hand with a strange warmth, as if the navy blue leather recognised him as its new owner. He passed his thumb over the dark and light blades engraved on its surface, his lips curling into a toothy smile.

But now was not the time to discover its content, not with Louis waiting to catch him red-handed. He flipped past what looked like a biography he’d have all the pleasure to read tonight, to land on a note of explanation.

"You who have inherited our life achievement, I’ve prepared something to escape Haldris’ gaze—this room. It exists between space and chaos in a dimension of its own. Not even spatial affinity wielders can feel it, and only those who have gained her recognition may summon it. But only in key locations."

He leaned forward, hands tightening around the grimoire as he continued.

"Brineheart’s college is the first. I’ve set it up so that you can relocate your access point to the room once; therefore, you should choose the safest place. The other locations are a forgotten mine along the Thalgron chain, a shack in the depths of the Serathen, and the hidden basement of my castle—the places that fueled the golem’s enchantments. Use this room wisely. Escape if Haldris’ madness reaches you. And don’t forget: I’ll be waiting for you, heir of Orrivandrel."

Adam’s eyes darted to his closet. Would the grimoire’s author facepalm if he knew that was the new entry point? Unlikely.

"It’s safe and close by, so who cares?" He chuckled, his fingers unconsciously moving to the previous pages. He wanted to learn more, to visit the places connected to the room.