Chapter 387: Deep Thoughts

Soren spent the rest of his time cultivating while waiting for Ryan to come out. Hours passed by, the high sun signaling that lunchtime had already arrived.

He opened his eyes and stretched, contemplating whether to call Zura and Ethea so they could grab lunch together, or just tell them to eat something while he waited for Ryan to finish.

Before he could decide, Malakar’s deep voice resonated in his head. ’...Master, she has left the academy grounds again.’

Soren narrowed his eyes. ’Good. Follow her and make sure to record everything.’

’Understood.’

’...’ Soren relaxed his expression and thought about what he had just said. Actually, the person he asked Malakor to watch and record their actions was none other than Nura’s personal maid. However, she was also the biggest obstacle in their way to reach her and the spy planted by the family by Nura’s side. That’s why he had set up this secret surveillance, using Malakar to shadow her every move.

Fortunately, the effort had already paid off with a few crucial findings.

Whenever the maid left the academy grounds alone, her first job was always to contact the family and deliver a detailed report on Nura’s status. Once her task was done, she would stop by local shops to buy meals or whatever specific items Nura had requested before heading straight back inside.

Even within the academy walls, she never truly let her guard down, consistently keeping a specific distance from Nura to observe her every action and word.

To a third party, that level of constant surveillance might have seemed downright creepy too. But in truth, it wasn’t an uncommon sight among noble families like the Valmeres. The difference was that most houses monitored their young masters and ladies to protect them, not to feed reports back to a shadow network for their own self-serving interests. And this only proved just how rotten the Valmere family truly was from the inside out.

Not that it bothered Soren. In fact, their hands were so dirty that he’d have plenty to use against them if a confrontation ever arose.

’...No, I shouldn’t wait for one.’ He squinted again. ’It’s best to strike them when they least expect it.’

Catching them off guard would not only drastically increase the chances of rescuing Nura, but also give him the perfect opportunity to exact revenge and tear down the family once and for all. Furthermore, knowing that innocent people were likely suffering under the Valmeres’ cruel, self-serving rule didn’t sit well with him. That’s why taking the initiative to bring them down was the only logical path forward.

’...I’ll have to plan it seriously, but I should still break through first.’

Furthermore, he couldn’t be half-hearted about it. He had to ensure that the truly evil ones suffered the punishment they deserved, while any innocent lives caught in the web remained unharmed.

Still, pulling that off wouldn’t be easy. The Valmere family mainly operated in the Oros Kingdom, far from their current position. If he sent Malakar off to handle things on his own, they would be left without their strongest guard.

On top of that, he needed a clearer picture of their network and allies. He had to stay vigilant about who might be backing them, most notably his father-in-law, their strongest potential ally, or perhaps the true master behind the scenes. From a man like him, you could expect almost anything.

’...Come to think of it, we haven’t seen him or heard from him once since leaving Kalmira City.’

Soren frowned as the realization settled in. It was genuinely strange. Back in Kalmira City, Darius had turned up like clockwork whenever they faced life-threatening danger and survived. Yet after that incident during their travel, and even throughout the ordeal in Bagdad City, he hadn’t visited even once, not even secretly.

’Could he have given up entirely? Or is he plotting something else?’ Soren pondered, letting out a faint exhale through his nose. ’Or since he knows we have Malakar, he doesn’t want to risk being detected, or is he certain she will be safe now?’

Whatever the case, Soren needed to factor him into his plans too. Darius was unpredictable, and unpredictable elements were dangerous. He would have to be ready for anything.

’I should read that book to the end,’ he reminded himself. The one Nuelia had gifted him before. He hadn’t read it until now for various reasons, but the biggest was his incomplete elven language skills. He knew a few phrases, could manage basic conversation, and knew the alphabet and how to read and write a few words, but that was the extent of it. Reading and understanding it properly would require a far better grasp of grammar and vocabulary.

’...Perhaps I should look for an elven tutor here at the academy,’ Soren mused, tapping his fingers thoughtfully against his knee. ’There are plenty of elven teachers and students around. Finding someone to help shouldn’t be too difficult.’

’Hmm?’

Just then, he sensed a familiar presence approaching. He looked toward the building and saw Ryan come out, wearing a new set of clothes and a bandage on his forehead.

"Brother Ren!"

Ryan also spotted him quickly and waved with a smile.

Soren waved back, pushed himself off the bench, and stood up. As the younger boy trotted closer, Soren ’noticed’ the fresh bandage and raised an eyebrow.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck and let out an awkward laugh. "I’m fine, Brother Ren. Just a little accident during the practical evaluation." His sheepish grin quickly gave way to a bright smile. "But I passed it! I finally made it into the academy!"

Soren smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations. But it was all because of your hard work. So be proud of yourself."

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck, clearly pleased. "Still, I couldn’t have done it without you."

"A push in the right direction only works if you’re ready to run," Soren said with a meaningful smile. "And you were more than ready."

"...Right."

"Come on, let’s go now." Soren smiled. "We should tell the others the good news."