Chapter 51: A Desperate Plea
Jenna slammed the bed board with her fist, producing a “thud” that startled her already nervous self.
Clutching her chest to steady herself, she took a moment to catch her breath before continuing her thoughts.
“Now isn’t the time for these thoughts. Tomorrow—tomorrow I’ll go find Keli and see if she’s willing to help,” she resolved.
“But what if she isn’t willing?”
As the night deepened, the candle in Jenna’s room burned brightly throughout.
The next morning, Jenna made her way to the sixth floor of the West Tower—even though she herself lived on the seventh floor.
Unsure how to approach Keli and afraid that lingering near Keli’s door might attract unwanted attention, Jenna could only watch from afar, waiting for Keli to emerge.
“Jenna?” A voice tinged with mild surprise rang in her ear—it was Rocky, catching her off guard.
“Rocky,” Jenna replied blankly as she came to.
As soon as Rocky opened the dormitory door, he saw Jenna standing outside. His eyes filled with joy, yet he found himself at a loss for further words.
“Rocky,” Jenna began, knowing full well that Rocky harbored feelings for her. Unable to hold back, she asked, “Rocky, could you... could you accompany me...”
“Hmm? What?” Rocky’s eyes lit up in anticipation, his heels almost lifting off the ground as he waited for her to finish.
“No,” Jenna suddenly retracted, “no, it’s nothing. Forget it, thank you.”
Jenna forced a radiant smile, inadvertently pushing the eager Rocky further away. Though he felt a mix of curiosity and disappointment, he didn’t want to make things awkward for her. With a strained smile he said, “It’s alright. If you ever have any problems, you can always come to me.”
Jenna nodded, inwardly thinking, What good is that going to do?
At that moment, Keli’s door finally opened.
Unable to hold back any longer, Jenna rushed over. “Keli, let’s go to class together today.”
Keli fixed Jenna with a suspicious stare, alarm bells ringing in her mind. She hadn’t forgotten that the last time Jenna had approached her, it was to invite her to join the Mutual Aid Society. Could it be that because Keli had skipped several of the meetings, Jenna now wanted to pull her in again?
“No,” Keli replied immediately.
“Keli…” Jenna stepped forward, about to say more when she saw Keli clutch her books and dash away in a hurry. By the time the dumbfounded Jenna turned around to give chase, Keli had already sprinted up the slope and vanished in a flash.
Today, Saul had skipped class again—it wasn’t the first time he had completely ditched the required course. Many both new and veteran apprentices assumed that Saul had given up on his studies. After all, with his innate magical talent, he wasn’t expected to pass the new student test in his third month. And as for the consequences of failing that test—it all depended on his mentor’s mood.
Once celebrated for his exceptional mental prowess, Saul had gradually faded from everyone’s attention. Except for a few, no one cared anymore about this perpetually absent apprentice.
Keli wasn’t aware of Saul's current progress, but she knew one thing for sure: even second-level apprentices had to consult Saul on the construction of composite runes. Moreover, that very method had helped her make tremendous strides in her rune research. Based solely on that, Keli was convinced that in matters of witchcraft, Saul absolutely outclassed nearly everyone in class. But that was a secret—Saul never spoke of it publicly, and naturally, Keli wouldn’t divulge it.
Sometimes, when Saul didn’t show up, she found herself rather bored. Yet today, she suddenly longed for that dull routine—even as the very Jenna she had just rebuffed had taken a seat beside her.
Keli immediately got up to change her spot, but Jenna seemed to follow her like a shadow. With the second-level apprentice responsible for explaining Noah’s script already on the podium, Keli couldn’t be dashing around the classroom. She shot Jenna a fierce glare, grabbed her book, and left the classroom without a word.
Jenna stood there, mouth agape, watching Keli’s retreating back. Soon her cheeks flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
“This Keli—does she not even show a shred of classmate camaraderie?” Jenna thought. Yet after a moment’s reflection, she swallowed her discontent and rose to follow her. When your life is on the line, you can’t simply give up.
……
To escape Jenna’s relentless clinging after meditation class, Keli left the classroom immediately. She didn’t return to her dorm but instead made a beeline for Mentor Gudo’s laboratory. Not until nearly eight o’clock did she dash back.
“Keli!” “Ouch!”
The two girls collided in the corridor on the sixth floor, tumbling together in a heap.
“It’s you again!” Keli exclaimed as she sat up, pressing her hand against Jenna’s stomach, staring at her in disbelief. Was this persistent, clinging behavior still coming from the shy girl she once knew?
“Ugh!” Jenna winced and frowned, covering her chest with one hand—Keli had just stepped on the worm on her chest. It hurt!
“What exactly are you trying to do?” Keli demanded as she stood up with arms folded, looking down at Jenna imperiously.
Tears welled at the corners of Jenna’s eyes, but Keli remained unmoved.
“Pack away that act. Even my father’s mistress cries better than you,” Keli snapped.
Jenna was stunned once again. She knew Keli was proud and aloof, but she hadn’t expected her tongue to be so sharp.
With no one around, Jenna bit her lip hard and suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud, grabbing at Keli’s pant leg with both hands.
“Keli, please, I beg you—tell me how you got rid of the worm!”
“What worm?” Keli asked, furrowing her brow as she held Jenna’s hand without kicking it away.
Jenna assumed Keli was feigning ignorance. Lowering her voice to a murmur, she said, “It’s… the Mutual Aid Society.”
At those words, Keli’s face went pale.
The worm of the Mutual Aid Society?
She recalled how Senior Byron had sucked something out of her mind. Could that have been the Mutual Aid Society’s worm? And how did Jenna know about it?
“How did you know?” Keli asked, glancing down at Jenna.
When Jenna hesitated to speak, Keli raised her foot as if to leave. In desperation, Jenna quickly stepped forward again, grabbing Keli’s pant leg and pleaded, “It was— it was a senior who helped me.”
“Who?” Keli’s mind flashed an image of Byron.
“He didn’t want to reveal his name—said he didn’t want to oppose the Mutual Aid Society.”
“Then why didn’t you go to him?”
“He said he wasn’t good at dealing with curses.”
Curses? Didn’t Senior Byron say it was a parasite? Could it not be Senior Byron himself?
Seeing that Keli still wouldn’t speak or leave, hope flickered in Jenna’s heart. With tears streaming down her face, she abruptly reached up and yanked open her collar.
“Look at me.”
What a fine figure!
Keli’s eyes fell first on Jenna’s fair chest—only to notice, on a closer look, a plump worm wriggling gently on an even fairer patch of skin.
“Ugh.”
Keli instinctively took a half-step back, her arms covered in goosebumps. Had she not been rescued by Senior Byron back then, wouldn’t she have a worm on her chest too?
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Keli said coolly, “In a case like this, you should go to your mentor.”
“Mentor?” Jenna smiled bitterly and shook her head. “My mentor is none other than the mentor of Senior Luo Kai.”
It was exactly because Senior Luo Kai was so warm and approachable that Jenna had resolutely chosen Anze—the mentor of elemental magic—even though he wasn’t the ideal match for her. Now, she’d only met her mentor once, exchanged barely a word, and her only connection with him was through Luo Kai—and that connection was the Mutual Aid Society.
Now, knowing how terrifying the Mutual Aid Society was, Jenna wasn’t even sure if her mentor Anze had any involvement with it. How could she dare to seek help from him? Wouldn’t that be like a lamb walking into a wolf’s den?
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