At some point, Andrey had appeared at the entrance of the dining hall, still exuding the elegance of nobility, but now with a sharp authority in his gaze that left no room for argument.
The apprentice candidates exchanged nervous glances, and soon scattered in understanding silence.
While noble status meant little in this place, Andrey was still the thirteenth prince of the Kingdom of Farwynd. The influence he represented was not something these apprentice hopefuls dared to ignore.
"These people…" Andrey walked up to Robb and chuckled.
"When Darude mutated yesterday, not one of them dared open their doors. Now they're all crawling out to cozy up to you."
Robb gave a small nod. "I've never had much interest in socializing with them anyway. Thanks for helping me out, Andrey."
"Then come on," Andrey said with a smile. "Let's go somewhere quieter. I just had some fresh muffins delivered—much better than that black bread."
They headed to Andrey's quarters, which were clearly far better furnished than those of the average apprentice.
On a small table sat a few steaming muffins and a pot of aromatic floral tea.
"Speaking of which," Andrey said as he poured Robb some tea, "I still can't believe you took down a mutated Darude. And with a wooden sword, no less. Shame I wasn't in the dorms at the time—I would've come help."
Robb took a sip of tea. "Just got lucky, that's all."
"Luck?" Andrey raised an eyebrow, amused.
"You've gotten humble. Back in the capital, with a feat like this, you'd be boasting about it for weeks."
Robb gave a helpless smile and shook his head. "That was a long time ago."
"True." Andrey bit into a muffin, a trace of curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"But honestly, your growth has been impressive. Practicing Solar Breath daily, studying at the apothecary, now even starting to master a sonic-based spell concept…"
He paused, giving Robb a half-teasing, half-serious look.
"If I hadn't seen you develop step by step, I might've thought you'd been possessed by some powerful being."
"Possessed?" Robb's heart skipped. He thought of his "dual-soul" talent but kept his face calm.
"I just don't want to die waiting around in this place..."
"Fair enough." Andrey's expression suddenly turned serious.
"But you'd better be careful—especially around Marcus."
Robb set down his cup. "Why?"
"That guy may just be a basic apprentice, but his older brother—Oliver—is about to become a full-fledged Wizard."
Andrey's voice dropped low. "Oliver is on the same level as Lord Hugo here, a senior advanced apprentice. He's made real progress in curse magic."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"It's thanks to this powerful backer that Marcus dares to act so brazenly. Most of the apprentice candidates he enslaves end up as test subjects in his brother's magical experiments."
Robb fell into thought. No wonder Emily had met such a tragic fate after siding with Marcus. The moment she walked down that path, her outcome had likely been sealed.
"That's why…" Andrey's tone grew even graver.
"You're attracting too much attention. Marcus may just be a weak apprentice, but his brother's been dabbling in bizarre new spell types—something related to extracting mental energy."
He looked pointedly at Robb.
"With the talent and potential you've shown lately, you're likely already on their radar. Madam Elena and Lord Hugo offer some protection, but you still need to stay alert."
"Understood."
Robb nodded. He had already noticed the cold, calculating stares Marcus often cast his way—like someone assessing the value of a prize.
"Still, don't be too worried," Andrey said, regaining his usual elegant smile.
"With those two protecting you, Marcus won't dare act openly. Besides…"
He looked at Robb with a probing gaze.
"With the strength you've shown, even if he did try something, I doubt he'd gain much from it."
Robb didn't reply to that. Instead, he shifted the conversation. "Any new developments at the market lately?"
"You mean those black market dealers?" Andrey shook his head.
"Since the incident with Darude, they've been lying low. But…"
He looked thoughtfully out the window.
"I doubt this calm will last. As the final assessment draws near, desperate people will always take desperate risks."
"You're right."
Robb watched the sky darken outside, calculating his next moves.
The Darude incident had left a deep impression. His progress so far was steady, but time was tight.
He needed to refine the sonic spell concept and improve in all other areas too.
"It's getting late," Andrey stood. "You've probably got things to do?"
Robb nodded, gathered his things, and prepared to leave.
Next on his list: study Darude's notes again and try to push that half-formed sonic spell to the next level.
Just as he reached the door, Andrey called out:
"Robb."
"Yeah?"
"You know," Andrey said with a faintly amused smile, "I'm starting to feel lucky I never clashed with you back in the capital."
Robb froze for a second, then understood what he meant.
"Don't worry," he replied calmly as he turned halfway back. "That arrogant noble brat died on the way to the Black Mist Forest."
"Yeah," Andrey murmured, eyes gleaming.
"And in his place is something far more terrifying—a monster no one can figure out."
Robb couldn't help but laugh quietly. "A monster, huh…"
In a world ruled by survival of the fittest, maybe becoming a monster really was the only way to survive.
He stepped out of Andrey's room. The corridor outside was already draped in dusk.
Twisted shadows along the walls stretched like demonic claws under the fading light.
Faint, watchful eyes still lingered around him in the dark. But Robb no longer cared.
His only focus now was to keep growing stronger—until he was powerful enough to seize control of his own fate in this ruthless world.
All those scheming in the shadows would crumble under the weight of true strength.