Chapter 55: Late-Night Encounter

Zach returned to his bedroom with his hair still slightly wet and in clean pajamas. He stopped in the doorway again and looked at Nora's sleeping figure, still wrapped in the cover. She had tear streaks running down her cheeks and puffy eyes.

Zach gently walked up to the bed and human burrito. He put a hand on Nora. He put both hands. Sёarᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

With a sudden and quick motion, Zach flipped Nora off the bed. However, before she even got past the edge, she was already out of the cover and standing on both feet, glaring at Zach.

"You're the worst Young Master I have ever served!" Nora shouted.

"I'm the only Young Master you have ever served." Zach shrugged.

"How could you be so cruel to me, Young Master?" Nora sniveled.

"It just happened. Can you stop bothering me now? I'm trying to go to sleep." Zach shrugged.

"Tch." Seeing her crocodile tears had no effect on Zach, she stopped trying to squeeze more out. She also wiped away the tear streaks and makeup around her eyes.

"Heartless bastard. How come you never believe me when I cry? You even tried to throw me off the bed. Even if you knew I was awake, that's a shit thing to do, Young Master."

"You were awake?" Zach raised his eyes as Yanael prepared a new cover that he happily grabbed and hopped onto the bed with.

"Ha. Ha. Did you seriously think this blanket roll could hold me?"

"No. I just figured you fell asleep again after trying to prank me." Zach shrugged and snuggled up against the pillows. He closed his eyes.

"Seriously? You didn't know I was awake? I don't believe you, Young Master."

"..."

"Young Master?"

"..."

"You knew I was awake and wouldn't hit the floor, right?"

"..."

Zach didn't answer, and his breathing soon turned slow and regular. He had fallen asleep.

Nora's mouth hung open as she looked at Zach's sleeping figure. She couldn't believe this guy. They reunited after a month and a half, the longest they had been apart, and the first thing he did was trap her in a cover and then leave her for several hours.

And when he returned again, he fell asleep right away?

"Unbelievable…"

Nora glared at Zach in dissatisfaction.

Was she the only one of them who had missed the other?

"Tch."

Nora clicked her tongue and left Zach's bedroom. In the doorway, she stopped and glanced at Yanael.

"Welcome back, Yanael. Thanks for taking care of him."

"Thank you. It was my pleasure."

Nora nodded and gestured for Yanael to follow her out and let Zach sleep. Yanael followed and closed the door behind her. Nora didn't need much from the angel maid. She just wanted a report on what had happened during the field trip.

Yanael already knew how much Zach trusted Nora, considering she was the only one he didn't mind knowing about her name and ability to talk despite being a familiar. She told Nora everything important. She didn't tell her unnecessary details like how close to dying Zach had been on multiple occasions. Or how she had realized how much she appreciated Zach as a master.

However, Yanael still wasn't an expert at concealing her inner thoughts. She had a long way to go.

Nora, on the other hand, had been raised alongside Zach. That in itself was eventful enough that she had picked up a few things regarding other people and their behaviors. But she had also received training from her mother, one of the Duchess' personal maids. She also knew Zach well enough to know that it hadn't been quite as peaceful and straightforward of a field trip as Yanael made it sound.

But Nora didn't press. It wasn't like Yanael had held back any of the important details, like the existence of the Underworld, the fights with the tiger, or the students' treatment of Zach when they suspected his bad luck to be the source of all of their misfortune.

Nora's frown deepened the more Yanael talked and the more she listened.

The two maids continued talking while Zach slept. After a few hours, there was a knock at the door.

It wasn't loud, powerful, or banging. It was a gentle knock. Still, it managed to wake up Zach several rooms and doors away.

Zach felt like he had just fallen asleep when he woke up again due to the knocking at the door to his dorm room. His head was groggy, and his eyes were grainy.

But it didn't feel like it was something he could ignore. With a sigh, Zach got up.

When they heard that, Nora and Yanael split up. Nora opened the door and invited the guest while Yanael helped Zach get dressed.

In proper attire, Zach greeted his late-night visitor.

"Instructor Kami?"

Kami looked up from his cup of tea with a smile.

"Ah, student Zacharia. I hope I didn't disturb you."

"Well, you did."

"My apologies, though, you aren't supposed to be that frank about it. Or so I've heard."

"Right. Do you care?"

"Nope."

"Thought so. So, is this about…?"

Kami nodded and put down the tea cup.

"That's right. The principal sent me to pick up you and the other two as soon as possible." Kami's tone turned slightly more serious as he stood up.

Zach nodded and gestured for Kami to lead the way. Outside his dorm, Dukiel and Julius were already waiting with their familiars.

Zach glanced at Kami.

Kami saw and understood Zach's glance.

"I figured you wouldn't need as much time waking up and becoming clear-headed."

"That's…an assumption, I guess."

Kami shrugged.

"I was right, though. These two are still too groggy to hold a conversation."

'Isn't that more because they don't want to or aren't very good at talking?'

Zach doubted Kami's reasoning but didn't comment on it.

While they walked through the campus at night, Kami asked them about the field trip. But as if he was saving the best for last, he avoided any questions that might lead to the topic of the Underworld.

Eventually, they were at the principal's office.