It was quite an uneventful night.

Kai and the others ventured into a new area and started mining mana ores.

Being overrun by the fish-monsters and the steel-tusked boars is a problem still.

However, having mined in the Fire Swamp so many times already, they were used to the place.

Could pick up tracks and clues that betrayed the Awakened Monsters in the area.

Even until now, they still steer clear of the inner area of the Fire Swamp. Having seen how insanely strong a Star Beast was—the group became even more unwilling to get any closer to the inner area.

Especially not now after what happened in the hive.

The pickaxe rose and fell with a rhythm his body knew by heart; he was used to mining right about now. Each strike against the boulder—rang out in a clean, crystalline note that echoed through the swamp and faded slowly into the trees.

It was a calming sound—the kind of noise that Kai had grown accustomed to.

Like ambience that his mind could appreciate.

Kai swung again, and the pickaxe sang its steady song.

But though his aim was pinpoint, his eyes were fixed somewhere—beyond the stone, and his mind was far away, lost in darkness that shrouded the Fire Swamp. Kai’s mind replayed the words that Professor Evie said to him.

About how a Lesser Angel like him can only make use of an official setting.

She meant something by saying that.

Now, Kai realized what she was trying to say.

She was basically telling him to challenge Chester in an official setting.

Like the one he was aiming for, the Dragon Ring.

I should challenge Chester again when the Dragon Ring started, to make sure that I won’t be punished by the academy, and also to make sure Chester couldn’t avoid it. A High Angel losing to a Lesser Angel would be catastrophic; I know that already. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Remembering what happened to Lion’s family, he knew that a High Angel had a standard.

One that needed to be upheld was that they have to be the strongest.

Losing to a Lesser Angel, that should be the weakest, would make a High Angel a disgrace.

Back then, even if Lion survived and he didn’t have the backing of a Demigod, the academy would probably execute him alongside his family. And that’s the loophole that Kai could use to go against Chester.

But the person who was going against me in the background wouldn’t let that happen easily.

Kai didn’t forget about the person who encouraged other students to make a group.

An act that was clearly trying to sabotage him.

If he wanted to challenge Chester during the Dragon Ring—he needed to at least know who this person was. And right now, the only thing he could do was to find that student who gave him the warning.

I can search that student once the Ambrosia Pact is made.

Kai was in no rush; the Dragon Ring is still months away.

Right now, the only thing he needed to focus on was gathering the required mana ores.

Since today was a special day, the mining session ended even before dawn.

Most of them were all exposed to the Star Beast’s presence for the first time, and none of them had digested Crystallized Teardrop of Argus as Kai had. For the others, the exposure was a lot worse.

Better for them to rest well and continue mining tomorrow.

Normally, Kai would stay behind.

He doesn’t need to sleep, and he’s also more resistant to a Star Beast’s presence.

Other than suffering from a few blisters here and there—tonight was exactly the same as any other night for him. However, this time, Kai went back with the others. He bid good night to the others and returned to his room when they arrived at the dormitory.

Or at least, the others thought he returned to his room, but he didn’t.

"Nigh-phantom..."

Kai snuck through the corridor, staying in the dark whenever a random student passed—and then stopped—right in front of room thirteen. He checked the area, making sure nobody saw him, and finally knocked on the door.

No answer.

He eventually twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.

It was only then that he saw Matilda on the floor; her head rested on the bed.

Seemed like she was trying to reach the bed, but couldn’t.

Realizing that someone was standing behind her, Matilda looked over her shoulder weakly and was surprised to see who it was. "Kai...?" She rasped the name—her eyes were heavily lidded. "What are you doing here?"

"Just doing a favour for someone," Kai closed the door behind him.

He lifted Matilda from the floor in a princess-style, catching her by surprise, and laid her on the bed. "Your dad asked me to do him a favour," Kai helped her take off her uniform and her socks, tossing them to a basket nearby. "He said that normally, you’re someone dependable. Strong. But you’re always pushing it. When you’re sick or wounded, you still try to stay strong by hiding your condition from other people.

"In truth, when you’re sick or weak, all you really wanted was to be taken care of." He added, staring at Matilda with a gaze that she could not read. "I promised him to help—so here I am. He’s really worried about you."

Like a goldfish, she stared at Kai with her mouth agape.

Not knowing what to say to that.

She was completely fine when she arrived at the hive.

After fighting the Star Beast, she wasn’t feeling okay, but she tried to hide it from her family.

It seemed her father noticed it.

From when the students returned to the academy from the hive—Kai already kept his eyes on Matilda. He could tell that she was really hurt from the way her torso hunched slightly and how she walked slower, though she tried her best to hide it.

Even earlier when mining, he kept close in case Matilda collapsed.

Of course, the others didn’t notice that she was hiding her condition and exhaustion.

But had any of them tried to find fault in her posture, then realizing that she was wounded is quite easy. Kai could easily tell that she was in pain. After all, it was her own father who told him that she would never say anything.

Nothing until it’s already too late.

"I... I don’t really need your help," Matilda turned her face away.

"Stop acting tough and show it to me," Kai demanded, looking down at her sharply. "If you don’t do it willingly, I wouldn’t hesitate to strip you naked right now. Please don’t think I will not dare to use this very moment to do it."

Matilda bit her lower lip.

She knew that Kai was not the type to go back on his words.

If he said this, then he would most likely do it.

Since there was no other way around it, Matilda took hold of her tightly fitted shirt with both hands and pulled it upward past her stomach, past her ribs—until the hem covered her mouth. Her eyes fled to the corners of the room, anywhere but Kai’s gaze.

Kai, on the other hand, was fixated on what lay beneath Matilda’s shirt.

Just as he expected, the corruption on Matilda was way worse.

Along the left side of her torso—blackened veins crawled from her hip to the swell of her left breast. A crawling map of infection; each one swollen and throbbing with a life of its own. Kai had seen what a Star Beast’s presence does, but this was the worst corruption he had ever seen on a Supernal.

From observing how the normal people got corrupted, he could somewhat tell the stages.

First came the bruising. Then the black veins, spreading like tree roots through the entire body from head to toe. Finally, the eyes turned purple; the completion of the corruption. Seeing the condition Matilda was in right now, she was certainly already on the second stage.

Just one more before becoming corrupted and turned into a mindless puppet of the Blue Void.

A bit more before she lost her mind.

Chester and Matilda were the pair who were closest to the Star Beast out of everyone, so, the corruption from the Star Beast’s presence affected them the most. However—Chester was the one attacking while Matilda was the one who endured the Star Beast’s attacks.

She had it way worse in comparison to Chester.

Not to mention, she also has no resistance against a Star Beast’s corruption.

"And when are you going to tell the others about this?" Kai asked.

His tone was dead-flat, disappointed in her.

"I was planning to go to the infirmary after changing," Matilda answered, still didn’t dare to meet his gaze. "But I wasn’t expecting the corruption to already be this bad. But I am sure I’ll be fine."

"Why didn’t you tell me or the others about this? You could’ve skipped mining."

"I don’t want to worry you or the others."

"And now—when you realized the corruption was worse than you thought," Kai pointed at the floor, referring to earlier when she was on the floor, unable to even reach the bed. "Are you even planning to call for help?"

"..."

"Of course, not. What ar—"

"Even if I told you, what good would it do? You’d just drag me to the infirmary. I can get there on my own."

Kai stared at Matilda for a long moment, and then took out a vial from his pocket.

"What good would it do?" He held the vial right before Matilda as if it was a statement. "I can give you this—I can give you a Crystallized Teardrop of Argus. It would give you resistance against the corruption."

He tilted his head slightly, "What do you say to this?"

Matilda’s lips trembled and parted almost as if she wanted to say something, but not a single word came out. She wasn’t expecting Kai to save a Crystallized Teardrop of Argus. Better yet, she wasn’t expecting him to be willing to give it away for her.

"I spared you in the Blood Rite because I can see guilt in your eyes. I worked together with you because I thought I could use your help to survive. But I will not deny that being close to you made me grow attached to you. I somewhat care about you," Kai leaned down and placed the vial on the bed gently. "I thought you did, too."

He straightened his back again.

And for the first time throughout this conversation, Matilda’s eyes met his.

Kai paused for a choking moment and finally turned to walk out the door. "Apparently not."

Just as his hand held the doorknob, something clutched his shirt.