Chapter 463: Insomnia
Nero had already considered many other possibilities. He had considered that this could merely be a means for someone to lay a trap for him, or that this was a way for someone to get him in trouble. Just because the administration of KMA remained unaffected by external pressures did not mean the cadets could avoid being pressured, coerced or convinced either.
Even so, he went ahead with it. The ever present Dominion across the academy reminded Nero that there was not one inch of this place that wasn’t under someone’s supervision. While the Sage responsible for this Dominion may not be paying attention to everything all the time, its mere presence was a deterrence.
Besides, he was not the first cadet in the academy to have enemies, nor was this the first time someone was being hazed in the middle of the night. Surely the academy had more or less perfected some way to ensure things didn’t go out of control.
Lastly, he was not a coward, nor did he fear challenge or trouble. He also wanted to see who had the courage to mess with him, because he could most certainly mess with them back. For example, though he only knew the names for Ben and Roland, all twenty of the seniors who had visited him would be getting challenges from him sooner or later. He would be sure to thoroughly express his gratitude to them in the arena.
Nero surveyed the entrance, checking for any traps, but found nothing remarkable. The entrance had a tall dresser, and a coat rack, as well as a colourful, circular carpet but that was all.
Slowly, Nero entered the room and walked towards the sitting area while sticking close to the wall. There was no door between the entrance and the sitting area, only a door-wide opening covered by a curtain. He carefully checked the next room, making sure once again that there were no traps, or signs of the occupant, before entering.
He placed the letter on the center table, and was about to leave when he sensed something amiss. Slowly, carefully, he turned to look in the top corner of the room behind him. He had already checked the room earlier - including the ceiling - and found nothing.
Yet this time when he looked, he saw a woman with deathly pale skin and long, pitch black hair, curled up in the upper corner. Nero wasn’t sure if she was using the sheer force of her hands and legs pressing against the walls, or the ability of some card, to stay up there, but she wasn’t moving in the slightest.
She was wearing a long, white gown that looked like really old, worn out sleep wear. Covering bits of her gown were long, messy tufts of hair that seemed to spread out all around her, as if it had a life of its own.