Chapter 367: No, No
Mandel's heart jolted when he heard Holbrook's words. The confirmation he had been dreading—and yet anticipating—had finally come.
Sure enough, Oracle King was alive.
His intuition had been correct all along. The feeling gnawing at him for months, the suspicion that refused to be silenced, had led him here, and now he had the undeniable proof. Oracle King had survived.
Holbrook, noticing the shift in Mandel's expression, raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? Is there something urgent you need to see my teacher about?"
Mandel quickly composed himself, masking his shock with a smile. "No, no, nothing at all. I'll wait right here," he said, his voice steady despite the whirlwind inside.
He couldn't risk drawing attention to himself now—not when the very person he had come to find was just a few steps away. With a deep breath, he forced himself to remain calm.
The clinic had a few simple stools for patients, and Mandel settled onto one, doing his best to appear nonchalant as he waited. The seconds felt like hours. But it wasn't long before Holbrook stood up abruptly and called out, "Teacher!"
A voice responded from the other side of the door, light and teasing. "Coming!"
Mandel stood up instantly, his excitement surging through him. He tried to steady his breath, his anticipation building with every passing second.