CHAPTER 218: CHAPTER 218

I was taken aback. Why was he more worried about me than I was about myself? I guess his concern was genuine, but it made me feel a little awkward—almost like I was the fragile one here.

"Zeke, I’m fine, really," I assured him, trying to sound confident. Although the pain was noticeable, the wound wasn’t deep enough to be serious.

"Pierre, the recovery potion," Ezekiel said urgently, his eyes fixed on the small bottle in Pierre’s hands. Without waiting for permission, he snatched the potion and quickly emptied its contents directly onto my wound.

I watched as the liquid seeped into the cut, and almost immediately, I felt a soothing coolness spread through the injury. Ezekiel’s expression was focused and serious, clearly worried but trying to stay calm.

"Thanks, Zeke," I said softly, feeling a bit grateful despite the unexpected concern. The pain was already beginning to fade, and I could tell the healing process was kicking in.

"Umm, you do know that Remillia also has other wounds, right?" Pierre suddenly interjected, catching Ezekiel off guard. Ezekiel’s eyes widened as he carefully examined my body and realized I had minor cuts and bruises all over.

"Just so you know, I don’t have any more recovery potions," Pierre added, his tone a bit apologetic as Ezekiel opened his mouth to ask more questions.

I gently placed a hand on Ezekiel’s arm to stop him. "I can handle this myself, Zeke," I said reassuringly, trying to ease his concern.

Ezekiel looked at me, still worried, but he nodded slowly. "Alright, but be careful, okay?"

Changing the subject, Ezekiel then asked, "By the way, what happened to Edge?"

I offered a small smile, trying to sound confident. "Don’t worry about him. He’s fine," I replied, hoping to reassure everyone and shift the focus away from my injuries.

Just in time, I saw Edge walking frantically toward us, speaking hurriedly to one of the instructors. "That witch—I mean, Remillia Lockhart! I think an intruder went inside the Sky Tower..." His voice was tense, eyes darting around worriedly.

I didn’t have the luxury to focus on their conversation, though. My attention quickly shifted to the notification flashing on my smartwatch. I tilted my head to read the message from Kairos:

We finally decided who’ll come with you.

As soon as I saw the message, a surge of excitement ran through me. I glanced at Pierre and Ezekiel, then quickly spoke. "I need to tend to my wounds first. Tell Edge that I’m safe," I gave them a reassuring smile, before turning on my heel and rushing to find an empty room.

Once inside, I closed the door behind me and quickly pulled out my smartwatch. I tapped out a reply to Kairos: "I’m still in the middle of an exam, maybe we can discuss it later?"

Okay, Kairos texted as we set up a time to meet later.

Almost immediately, I received a response. Okay, Kairos replied, and we arranged a time to meet later.

I hurried out of the room just as I was about to head back, when suddenly my name rang out through the corridor.

"Lockhart?! Remillia Lockhart! Is Remillia Lockhart here?!" One of the instructors was calling out, voice sharp with concern.

"Here!" I called back quickly, approaching him.

He looked relieved but then asked, "Did you just

... get out there?" His eyes flicked toward the door I had just exited.

I hesitated, about to confirm and point toward where I had been staying, but then I realized—wait, that was the men’s room. I quickly corrected myself. "Umm, no, what I mean is—" I started to explain nervously, trying to cover my slip.

Just then, Cypher stepped out of the same men’s room. His eyes widened when he saw me. "Remi?" he said softly, surprise evident in his tone.

The instructor glanced back and forth between us, suspicion creeping into his expression. "What were the two of you doing inside?" he asked, crossing his arms as he studied us carefully.

My face grew hot with embarrassment as I hurried to explain. "It’s not what you think, sir! There are simply no available rooms, so I happened to go inside to tend to my wounds!"

The instructor fixed me with a stern, suspicious look, his eyes narrowing slightly. I could feel my cheeks burning under his gaze.

After a tense pause, he finally relented. "I’ll only give both of you a warning this time, Lockhart, Knoxx," he said, stepping back. Just as he was about to leave, he turned his head slightly and added, "One more thing—Edge is looking for you. He was going on and on about how a proctor wants to kill one of you. Can you tell him that we aren’t his servants and he needs to take care of himself?"

I quickly nodded, feeling a mixture of guilt and concern. "I’m sorry about Edge, sir. It won’t happen again."

The instructor nodded briskly. "You may now go," he said, and without further ado, he turned and walked away, leaving us alone in the corridor.

It seems that Pierre and Ezekiel haven’t met Edge yet. I need to find Edge so I could explain it to him.

Just as I was about to step away, Cypher called out, "What is the instructor saying, Remi?"

I hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Well, the proctor isn’t really an instructor—she was—"

Suddenly, a loud voice cut through the corridor. "Hey, witch!" Edge shouted, his tone sharp and impatient as he yanked me by the arm. "Why didn’t you look for me, huh?!"

I blinked in surprise, then smirked slightly and responded casually, "I told you I’d see you again, brat." I kept my tone light.

Without warning, Edge raised his hand and smacked me on the head, causing me to stumble slightly. "Answer my question seriously!" he demanded, his eyes blazing with frustration.

I chuckled softly, rubbing my head. "Are you worried about me?" I teased, a smirk creeping onto my face. "I didn’t know that the great Edge Killian was worried about little ol’ me."

Edge froze, his face flickering with embarrassment and annoyance. "Stupid. I’m worried about myself, idiot. Because I was the last one you were with. What if the authorities branded me a suspect?!" he snapped.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "If you say so."

Edge’s glare intensified. "Anyway, what happened with the fake proctor?"

I puffed out my chest. "I won, of course."

He raised an eyebrow. "You won? A person stronger than you?"

"Of course," I said confidently.

Edge scoffed. "Maybe you just ran around in circles avoiding her," he muttered skeptically.

"Did not!" I shot back, glaring at him.

He crossed his arms, eyes narrowing. "Look at how you’re covered in wounds. You lost, didn’t you?"

"Stop saying that! I said I won! Why won’t you believe me?" I snapped, frustration bubbling up.

Looming silence stretched between us before Edge muttered, "Liar."

"Brat," I shot back, annoyance evident in my voice.

Just as we were about to curse at each other, Cypher cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "Since when did the two of you get so close?"

We both turned to glare at him. "What? Close? Never!" we said in unison.

Cypher muttered dryly, "Good," as he pulled me slightly closer to him. "We should get going now. Remi needs to tend to her wounds first."

Just as we started to move, our attention was drawn by the sound of another voice.

"Lockhart, Killian," Instructor Jude called out, approaching us with a serious expression. He looked at Cypher, who was still holding my hand. His gaze shifted to Cypher briefly.

"Knoxx, can you leave first? I have something to discuss with these two," Jude said, his tone firm but calm.

Cypher’s grip tightened for a moment before he gently released my hand. He looked at me with a mixture of concern and resolve. "Yes, sir," he said quietly, then shifted his gaze to me. "I’ll get going first, Remi."

I nodded in response. "Sir Jude," Edge and I said, saluting him respectfully.

Jude nodded back, his expression calm but commanding. "At ease," he said, then turned his attention to Edge. His gaze sharpened as he asked, "Someone told me that you’re making a scene, yelling about an intruder disguised as one of the proctors. Is that true?"

Jude’s reputation as one of the trustworthy and honorable instructors at the academy was well known—unlike the rude instructor who had been looking for me.

Edge and I recounted everything that had happened during the final exam challenge to Jude.

Jude listened intently, his face remaining serious as I finished. After a moment of silence, he spoke calmly, "I will report this to the academy. They need to be aware of what transpired."

But I knew how things often worked at the academy. With only Edge and me as witnesses, I had little hope that the administration would take any significant action. More than likely, they’d come up with excuses—claiming it was part of the exam, or that we misunderstood the proctor’s intentions. It was a frustrating cycle of dismissals and cover-ups, designed to protect their own.

Jude’s next words cut through my thoughts. "Anyways, well done," he said, giving us a small nod of approval.

After Instructor Jude walked away, Edge and I stood in silence for a moment, our gazes meeting briefly. Without a word, we each took a step back, our eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to gauge what the other was thinking. Then, almost simultaneously, we turned our backs to each other and began walking in opposite directions.